Charles J Palus

Group dialogue can be difficult for any number of reasons, such as hidden conflict, power differentials among group members, an unclear idea of the problem the group faces, and group or organizational norms that make some topics off limits. Visual Explorer is grounded in years of research and practice that shows the power of images and objects to enable effective dialogues about complex issues. There are five basic steps to using Visual Explorer as a way to facilitate a group conversation. You can alter or elaborate on these steps for particular situations.

Let the Center for Creative Leadership show you how you can dramatically improve your leadership abilities in today's business environment. Based on years of specialized research, The Leader's Edge outlines six distinct creative leadership skills that, while not traditionally associated with management development, have, nevertheless, proven to be essential to modern business leadership. Here, the book's authors deliver compelling lessons in paying attention, personalizing, imaging, serious play, collaborative inquiry, and crafting -- all competencies that modern leaders should master. They also outline activities for real-world implementation, provide case examples, and suggest ways to avoid common mistakes. A wealth of self-reflections and tools helps ensure your rapid progress.

A prevalent way of viewing leadership is as a process of social influence. In this report, the authors offer an alternative perspective seeing leadership as a process of social meaning-making. The practical and research implications of such a view are considered.

Senior executives, however, sometimes require a richer feedback experience -- one which might also include one or more of the following: detailed verbatim descriptions of performance, observations from family members and friends, psychometric measures of personality and motivation, and data on early history, plus an extended coaching relationship with a professional in leadership development. With this added scope and power, however, comes increased risk, which makes it essential that additional precautions be taken. In this report, the authors offer guidelines for how enhanced feedback can be provided safely and effectively.