There are many websites and self-help books aimed at improving your social skills, turning you from hapless mumbler to magnetic raconteur, this is not one of them. For us, the conversation is not about the superficiality of making a good first impression or introducing yourself at parties. It is quite the opposite. It is about allowing everyone a voice and bringing forth all that has previously been left unsaid, in order to reach a better understanding of a situation, and so act.
In Issue 1 of the RSA Journal 2014 Peter Senge posed a question to consultants: Is the client more effective when you are gone? He observed that 90% of consulting is expert: someone comes in and tells you what to do (they give you the answer). Whereas, for the other 10% it is about capacity building and growth: helping managers think through things for themselves, recognising their own development needs and building their own and their organisation’s capacities. The former tries to offer a formula for unlocking complexity and giving it form, while the latter accepts and delights in complexity and chaos. It lives in the question and recognizes the need for humility. We are definitely in this latter category. Our role is not to tell, but to ask useful questions that will ignite effective conversation.
