Upcoming Events -- MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

• Advances in Appreciative Inquiry, October 8-10, 2007, Chapel Hill, NC
• Mastering the Art of Optimism: Positive Psychology in Practice - October 12-14, 2007, South Wellfleet, MA.
• Foundations in Appreciative Inquiry, October 29-November 4, Chicago, IL and January 8-11, 2008, Wilmington, NC
• Appreciative Inquiry Summit, November 12-15, 2007, Golden, CO
• The Institute for Management Studies (IMS) One-day Appreciative Inquiry workshop

ALDP Train-the-Trainer Launching in February!

Save the date!  February 25-26, 2008 marks the first Appreciative Leadership Development Program Train-the-Trainer clinic available to consultants and change leaders with a demonstrated knowledge of Appreciative Inquiry and who have completed CPC’s ALDP. 

Now, for the first time, you can teach this groundbreaking self-discovery program that participants have described as  “magical” and “absolutely phenomenal.” 

Already an ALDP graduate?  Join us to share the program with others.  Not yet attended?  Participate in the February 20-23 ALDP workshop and stay on to be licensed as a program leader!  Discover your strengths as a leader, and help others to do the same.  Join Diana Whitney, Jim Ludema and Amanda Trosten-Bloom to forge this new frontier in positive change.

Appreciative Management: Targeted AI Training for Supervisors and Managers

Inquiries are coming in about the Appreciative Management Program described in last month’s newsletter. The Appreciative Management Program (AMP) is a one-day introduction to Appreciative Inquiry for mid-level managers in the business and social profit arenas.  Introducing both the theory, philosophy and practice of AI, the AMP provides managers with a conceptual overview, an experience of the AI 4-D cycle, concrete tools that are crucial to their performance as managers, and feedback on their individual strengths.  In particular, participants learn how to craft and ask questions to:

• Transform negative thinking into positive thinking (The Flip)
• Teach and direct others to your personal values (Value-Based Inquiry)
• Discover others’ strengths and capabilities (Strengths Spotting)

The Appreciative Management Program can be delivered either publicly (with a mixed group of participants) or as an internal workshop.  When delivered internally, the AMP enables “improbable pairs” of managers (from different functions, levels, or backgrounds within the organization) to recognize their similarities and appreciate the strengths of the organization of which they are a part.

For more information about the AMP, contact the CPC office.

CPC Consulting News

The Chambers Creek Foundation and Pierce County in the state of Washington are forging the environmental education destiny of the Chambers Creek Properties – a 930-acre redevelopment site on Puget Sound.  CPC Associate Barbara Lewis is training a team of foundation and county representatives, who will play an active role in launching a 10-month creative engagement process being led by Bliss Browne. 

Following up on the work that Tish Wilson did last spring in Zimbabwe, she and Carolyn Miller facilitated the early-September board of directors gathering for the Goromonzi Project (a school for orphans of AIDS in Zimbabwe).  For more information, see our last newsletter or visit www.goromonziproject.org.

Diana Whitney just launched an initiative with one of the nation’s largest insurance companies.  Their goal is build organization-wide commitment to and support of learning and development principles.

Carolyn Miller and Tish Wilson continue their work with the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) focusing now on leadership development, helping members of the organization “be AI,” further developing LACOE’s appreciative culture, and expanding the organization’s appreciative competencies.  As it unfolds, the LACOE project will become a model for how to sustain and build the momentum of an appreciative inquiry over time.

Cameron Church in Denver, CO is discovering what it means to be the vibrant, community church of the future.  With CPC Associate Barbara Lewis as their guide, members of the Cameron congregation are using Appreciative Inquiry to re-energize, re-envision and strengthen relationships across the community.  Congregants, local residents and business people in the surrounding community will gather at a community summit - the Cameron Co-Creation Celebration – later this month.  For more information, visit the Cameron Church Web site.

Community Development Institute, an organization we’ve showcased in the past, provides administrative and programming consulting to Head Start grantees designated as “deficient” by the federal government.  A CDI referral is the last step before losing federal funding: a chance to turn a program around.  Tish Wilson and Carolyn Miller will continue to build on their past successes, using an AI approach to build appreciation for what’s possible – even in programs on the brink of officially designated “failure”. Also, along with colleague Patti Smith, they just facilitated a summit for the State of New Mexico, studying New Mexico as an Exceptional Leader in Head Start and State Pre-K Collaboration.  Best wishes, Carolyn and Tish!

How can Boulder, CO become America's best city for cycling in the next 20 years?  About 100 cyclists from Boulder and beyond gathered to begin answering this question at the Boulder Bike Summit on September 7, 2007.  Associate Barbara Lewis facilitated the event, in which participants moved from appreciating what's good today to envisioning what can be great about cycling in Boulder in the future.  Teams worked together to create future initiatives around car-free zones, bike service stations, education in the schools, way-finding, incentives and advocacy, recreational cycling for all ages and integrated transit planning. 

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CPC on the Podium!

Are you a member of the Institute for Management Studies (IMS)?  Not yet attended one of Diana Whitney’s day-long Appreciative Inquiry workshops?  You have two more opportunities to do so!  Visit the IMS Web site for details about the upcoming programs in St. Louis and Kansas City.

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Putting Training to Work

When Barbara Bitondo attended CPC’s Foundations in AI course in March 2004, she brought with her personal rather than professional challenges; so when she returned home, she used a 4-D process to address her personal finances, home decorating, and even at Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings.

It was clear to her that this framework was quickly going to become her main approach to dealing with issues in her daily life! It was also obvious that to effectively use AI to maximize her personal and professional growth, she needed more guidance. So she enrolled in the Appreciative Leadership Development course, and crafted her twenty year plan.  (“I still look at it regularly . . . it’s my guiding light toward manifesting my five visions.”)

Barbara’s friends and colleagues immediately noticed changes in her conversations and dealings with others. They kept asking about 'positive inquiry', 'appreciative investigation', and so on. Members of her spiritual community considered it some kind of awakening and invited her to lead a workshop on developing a deeper awareness and connection with the universe – so she designed and led a half-day 4-D process for two dozen people. (“Some of them are still talking about that afternoon in June!”)

Others who visited Barbara during the year listened raptly to her AI stories and asked if she would help them just get a one-year plan. Of course, she was delighted to try out new exercises and write out interview protocols based on short conversations about the people’s intentions and ideal outcomes. Her simple, elegant designs resulted in mythic lives being lived all around her.

Barbara’s next stop was the CPC Certificate Program.  Upon completion, she became involved with intensive training with a local Holy Woman, studying Noetic Sciences and learning about the Ancient Mystery Schools.  This work opened Barbara’s eyes to how she might apply AI even further to the realms of personal and spiritual development. What began as individualized sessions for people seeking a guiding vision or living their right livelihood became much, much more multifaceted.  She designed a 4-D session for a man about to have open-heart surgery who wanted to get 'his life in order' before the surgery. She worked with several women who wanted to streamline and simplify their personal lives for maximum efficiency, ease and serenity. Barbara even guided clients through AI processes targeted at making their wardrobes what they want, taming their calendars, and shopping and entertaining in ways that resulted in more thoughtful, social living.

Finally, in January of this year Barbara founded “More than Skin Deep” (http://www.morethanskindeep.info). She wanted to do more of what she does best: lead groups in retreat settings, through a variety of intimate, custom programs. Having grown up in Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe and worked around the world, she brought a multilingual, deep multicultural world view and educational design expertise to her work.  Barbara’s programs use a unique blend of Appreciative Inquiry, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Narrative Practice, Earth-Centered Spirituality and Frontier Science Processes. The retreats, which range from several hours to several days, hinge on the Four-D framework.  They’ve been described by some participants as a make-over from the inside-out.

For those who are intrigued and want more, stay tuned!  Just this month Barbara founded her Mystery School in Washington, DC.  The Fall 2007 program will examine and practice Native American and Aboriginal mysticism and study Noetic Sciences.

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CPC Certificate Program: Appreciative Inquiry and the Practice of Positive Change

Congratulations, Robert Caldwell and Reverend Susan Barnett-Hampson, on your recent graduation from the CPC Certificate Program!  We look forward to your continued engagement in the network of pratitioners, who most recently particiated in our September coaching call.  The depth and breadth of our graduates continues to impress and move us.

And welcome to all of our new program participants:

• Carol Blessing – CEO, Blessing Consulting Group
• Maura DaCruz – Organizational Consultant
• Jessica A. Steckler – Instructional System Specialist, VHA
• Karen Schindler – Minister, Unity of Auburn
• Julie Stockton – Organization Development Consultant
• Rosetta Turner-Teal – Senior Minister, Unity of Kent

Do you want to be part of this growing community of positive change practitioners? Download the latest brochure for the CPC Certificate Program and mark your calendar for our next quarterly coaching call, scheduled for Friday, December 7, moderated by Diana Whitney.

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2007 Workshops Scheduled

Registrations are still being accepted for next month’s Advances in AI workshop in Chapel Hill, NC! Join Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom along with guest speakers Rosemary Williams (Director, Boulder County, CO Aging Services Division); Jackie Kelm (author, Appreciative Living) ; and Judith Light (Judith Light, CMC). Explore how to apply AI to complex, long-term strategic planning initiatives, and sustain the positive results of an Appreciative Inquiry over time. Consider the theory and practice of organization design “as if life matters,” and how AI can be used to enhance mental and emotional health and wellbeing. Expand the horizons of your AI work in this lively and engaging forum for experienced practitioners!

2007-2008 Workshops

Workshop descriptions and details are posted at www.positivechange.org.

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Books and Publications

Visit our web site (www.positivechange.org/appreciative-inquiry-books.html) for a full selection of Appreciative Inquiry and positive change books by CPC consultants.

Finally, subscribe to the AI Practitioner, the only newsletter on the practice of Appreciative Inquiry.

About Corporation for Positive Change

Corporation for Positive Change (CPC) is the premier consulting firm using Appreciative Inquiry for transformation and innovation in business, government, and non-profit organizations around the world. For more information about CPC, or to contact any of our consultants, please visit our Web site at http://www.positivechange.org.

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