The Reflective Leader and Learning Organization Guide

The Reflective Leader and Learning Organization Guide

Coach Takeshi’s collection of thoughts on helping leaders use the power of inquiry and introspection for building the mental facility needed in developing Learning Organizations.

4 Aug 2022

What is a High Performing Leader?

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At Agile Organization Development we regularly design and deliver High Performance Leadership Development Programmes for MNCs. The set up by the client is typically a few months to one year journey among a pool of mid to senior leaders designated … Read More

It's seductive, to assume that data is really knowledge.
29 May 2022

It’s seductive to assume that data is really knowledge.

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Dr. W.E. Deming, the father of TQM (Total Quality Management) and the whole Lean movement, once said: Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion. And then Professors Milo Jones and Philippe Silberzahn, authors of an insightful book that … Read More

Coaching Fair Process to the Impatient Leader
4 Jan 2022

Coaching Fair Process to the Impatient Leader

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“It’s not that they don’t get it. It’s that they’re resisting.” “I don’t get it. This plan makes so much sense and my people aren’t getting it!” Karel is the APAC marketing head of a medical device company. “Well, they … Read More

Remote and Hybrid Teamwork Success: Asynchronous Communication is the Key
18 Aug 2021

Remote and Hybrid Teamwork Success: “Asynchronous” Communication is the Key

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Addressing the “Always On” Fatigue of Remote and Hybrid Working with Asynchronous Communication “I miss working in the office, at least I was able to clock-off and mind my own business at the end of the day. But this last … Read More

Separating Thinking Doing Time Blue Red Work
16 Aug 2021

Separating Thinking & Doing Time: Learnings from David Marquet’s “Blue & Red Work”

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David Marquet’s “Blue & Red Work” Red Work: Doing Time We continue to be haunted by the ghosts of Taylorism (“Scientific Management,” 1911), and the decades of promoting the human side of the enterprise, learning organizations and reflective leadership show … Read More

What, So What, Now What x 1-2-4-All
2 Jul 2021

Team Alignment in VUCA”O” Times: Try W3 x 124A (What, So What, Now What x 1-2-4-All)

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The situation is volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, overwhelming (VUCA”O”). We have an immediate, mission critical challenge to tackle. We need team alignment, and as leader I am tempted to exercise strong command – I am thinking “Now’s not the time … Read More

Understanding the Science of Motivation for Leading with Inspiration and Purpose
28 Jun 2021

Understanding the Science of Motivation for Leading with Inspiration and Purpose

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Watch on YouTube References Transcript How do we lead with inspiration and purpose? It’s a good question and every leader’s struggle. You want your people to share your vision and enthusiasm of pursuing a common goal, and you wish them … Read More

How to influence without manipulating
29 May 2021

How to Influence, Not Manipulate (Follow-up post to “Aristotle’s Influence Model”)

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Dear Eli, Frankie and team, thanks for the follow-up questions to our group coaching session on “Aristotle’s Influence Model”. What is the difference between influencing and manipulation? How do we influence without sounding like we’re being manipulative? Very valid questions. … Read More

Authentic Conversations and the Art of Feedbacking
30 Apr 2021

Authentic Conversations and the Art of Feedbacking

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Watch on YouTube References Transcript Why is it so hard to have an authentic conversation? The type of conversation that you feel safe, comfortable, connected with the other person and even if it’s a tough topic, there’s mutual respect and … Read More

Curious Active Listening Mindset as a Leadership Modality - Directional Talk or Dialogue?
20 Jan 2021

Curious Active Listening Mindset (CALM) as a Leadership Modality

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Directional Talk, or Dialogue? Previously I shared CALM for receiving critical feedback. You can also have a Curious Active Listening Mindset for giving feedback. In fact, from directional conversations to dialogue, CALM can be a leadership mindset and style of … Read More

Cognitive, Emotional, Compassionate Empathy
20 Dec 2020

Three types of Empathy: Cognitive, Emotional, Compassionate Empathy

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There are three types of empathy: cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy; each respectively the desire to understand, to feel and to help and support. EQ guru Daniel Goleman, in reference to psychologist Paul Ekman, elegantly describes the three types of … Read More

Feed-Forward Positive Feedback with the FFF Feed-Forward Formula
13 Dec 2020

Feed-Forward Positive Feedback with the FFF Feed-Forward Formula

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When we think of feedbacking, we tend to just do “corrective feedbacking”; i.e. feedbacking on things to improve. Don’t do this, do that better. We know from Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Psychology that “positive feedbacking” is much more effective for … Read More

Aristotle’s Influence Model
30 Sep 2020

Aristotle’s Influence Model

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We use “logos” (rational) too much. It’s “pathos” (empathy), “ethos” (credibility, presence), and “kairos” (right time, right place), in balance. We love convincing and persuading. What’s wrong with being right, right? So, “logos” is our default communication style. Logic, reason, … Read More

What to do when feeling overwhelmed - agile-od.com
18 Mar 2020

What To Do When Feeling Overwhelmed

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0. Acknowledge The very first step even before the first step of handling overwhelmingness, is to acknowledge it. We often don’t realize that we are overwhelmed, until panic hits. It’s same with stress; until we start dysfunctioning, we often are … Read More

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Revised Pyramid Visual Interpretation
20 Feb 2020

Maslow’s Final Theory Z

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Self-Transcendence – Beyond Self-Actualization and Theory X & Y Maslow’s Original Hierarchy of Needs Model In 1943, Abraham H. Maslow published his ground breaking paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” outlining what we commonly know today as Maslow’s hierarchy of … Read More

VUCAO agile-do.com Lifecycle
28 Sep 2019

VUCA”O” – Why I add Overwhelming to Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous

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Because when we’re overwhelmed, we make simple and complicated situations, complex and chaotic. Complexity & uncertainty handling is starting to get recognition as a skill set, ability and aptitude associated to agility. A lot of my executive coaching conversations are … Read More

19 Sep 2018

Radical Candor: My Go To Feedback Routine

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In search of better feedbacking As a coach and mentor, challenging people is a natural part of my work, and sometimes they are in the form of tough messages. Not always though, the messages go down well with the recipient. … Read More

18 Sep 2018

Knowing to Stop – A Confucius Teaching

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Confucius’ 7 spaces of learning Knowing to stop – is a simple notion but difficult to practice skill. In “Great Learning (大学)”, written around 2,500 years ago by one of his first disciples Zengzi (曾子), Confucius (孔子) teaches the following: … Read More