From resources to resourcefulness

29/7/2016

Conventional wisdom tells us this: if we acquire more resources, we can do more and achieve more. Correspondingly, if we have less, we can do less and achieve less. It’s as if there’s a direct 1-2-1 causal relationship between resource and ability. The language we use in organisations often reinforces this view. We grow and shrink our ‘human resources’ according to the number and size of jobs that need to be done, tasks that need to be performed. It’s a linear logic. And it’s wrong.

Let’s flip this around a bit. A charity plans to run a leadership development programme but loses the funding to do it. It lost the resource so lost the programme, right? No, it explored alternative ideas and found a commercial organisation that was willing to run a high quality programme for it pro bono. It satisfied the charity’s need for a programme and the commercial organisation’s desire to support ethical work in the community. A great outcome for both parties. A win-win solution.

So what made the difference? Was it a shift in resources - or a shift in thinking? Here’s the thing: ‘How else might we do this?’ invites lateral thinking, creative ideas and innovative approaches. It takes us away from acquiring more resources and towards becoming more resource-ful. It moved this charity away from, ‘How can we get more money to support our work?’ towards, ‘Who shares similar passions and interests?’ and, ‘What might be possible to achieve our mutual goals?’

This is, of course, the domain of agile thinking. As environments become increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA), we need to think ever more creatively, adaptively and resourcefully. This implies a fundamental paradigm shift away from human resources and towards resource-ful humans. It means shifting our attention beyond solving the immediate issue to developing critical thinking, creative ideation and reflective practice. How do you do it?

41 Comments

Lisa Bakker

30/7/2016 12:45:40 pm

Again Nick, thought provoking piece, tnx!

As for me, as a coach I feel the need to always be on the frontier...it's part of my ancestral make up, I guess ;-)
Referring to my conversation partner as client or coachee always made me feel awkward. Just does not feel right to address someone - who is willing to confront themselves, someone who wants to learn, grow and master themselves - into a word association that has the tendency to make them "lesser"

And since I am a lover of words I played and brainstormed a long time with the right vibes that who honour my conversation partner, honour me and honour the process and profession of coaching as well.

It was the Bible which led me into a whole new paradigm.
Let me jump back for a moment, I started coaching in around the millenium. Over the years I noticed how my perception of coaching shifted from it being a profession, to coaching being a skill everybody ought to master.

It explains the reason why people from ALL walks of life "go into coach-training"

So then I started realizing how I am not "a coach" but rather a teacher of a skill(set) that probably will be a much sought after skill set for the new civilization.

And that's where the Bible - once again - allowed me another sneakpeak within it's many layers...
Jesus taught and trained his disciples in such a way they not only became teachers themselves, but living examples of what they were teaching.
And the proof is always in eating the pudding, right?
Well this way has lasted for 2000 years already, so I guess....we could say it works, well at least that is my conclusion. ;-)

And that's how I came to the shift of referring to my clients as disciples. I teach them the skills of coaching. Not for them to become a coach, but for them to master the skills and apply them into their own lives...and become a living example of good listeners, possibility searches etc...

Nick Wright

30/7/2016 12:52:57 pm

Hi Lisa and thanks for posting such thought-provoking reflections!

I can identify with your uneasiness around language. I struggle to find words that express well enough how I see myself, the other person and the nature of the relationship between us. 'Client' is a convenient shorthand but I recognise that it holds different connotations in different contexts and cultures.

I love how you draw your inspiration from Jesus and the Bible. That is true for me too. :) Every time I think I've come close to resolving these questions for myself, I sense the Spirit prompting, encouraging and challenging me into something deeper.

I really like your idea of the coach as 'teacher of a skill set'. That resonates incredibly well with how I see the role. In that sense, an important dimension an goal of the coach's role is to work with the client (if I may use that word!) to develop their own capacity and resourcefulness for the future.

All the best. Nick

Maria Varallo

30/7/2016 02:34:51 pm

The joy of working for a small and lean charity, you get creative and resourceful. Nice post thankyou.

30/7/2016 02:44:18 pm

Thanks Maria. Yes, in my experience, conditions such as passion, desire, danger, scarcity and competition can inspire and drive innovation and resourcefulness. This is where the proverb, 'necessity is the mother of invention' is often true.

It's as if the more stable things are and the more resources we have available to us, the more likely we are to fall into conventional patterns and the less likely we are to think and do things in radically new ways.

I'd be very interested to hear more about your experiences with charities, especially where you have seen examples of out of the box thinking and increasing resourcefulness. All the best. Nick

Will Thompson

31/7/2016 12:25:22 pm

Absolutely! Teaching instead of giving!

31/7/2016 12:31:38 pm

Thanks Will. I think that principle works well in training and mentoring contexts and is, I hope, one of the goals of our work in those fields - not simply to impart knowledge but to enable people to develop their own resource-fulness for the future. My sense is that coaching is different in that it is more about posing questions, reflections, co-creating experiements etc. that enable people to grow in their own awareness, insight, skills, confidence etc. I think this is where critical reflective practice can be an important aspect of coaching practice. Would you agree? All the best. Nick

Riccardo Bianconi

31/7/2016 12:32:36 pm

Grandeee ‼️

31/7/2016 12:34:16 pm

Grazie mille, Riccardo!! All the best. Nick

Salvatore Maddi

31/7/2016 12:43:32 pm

Your approach makes a lot of sense. Relevant to carrying this through is our Hardiness Approach. Hardiness is the combination of attitudes and strategies that, together, help you turn stressful circumstances from potential disasters into growth opportunities instead. The HardiAttitudes are the 3Cs of commitment (importance of staying involved, no matter what), control (importance of finding helpful outcomes, no matter what), and challenge (assuming that life is by its nature stressful, and that this provides the opportunity to grow and develop by what you learn). These 3Cs provide the courage and motivation to do the hard work of HardiStrategies. The HardiStrategies are problem-solving (rather than avoidance) coping, socially-supportive (rather than conflictful) interactions, and beneficial (rather than over-indulgent) self-care. We have more than 35 years of conceptualization, research, and consulting that shows that the higher your Hardiness, the better your performance.

31/7/2016 12:45:29 pm

Hi Salvatore and thanks for your note. I hear your enthusiasm for the Hardiness model. :) Would you be willing to share an example from experience of where and how you have enabled a person or team to increase their resource-fulness specifically? All the best. Nick

Sue Gibson-Wilson

31/7/2016 05:02:07 pm

Thank you all for helping me better define what I am to those with which I work! Lisa, I love your sharing. I am a former high school teacher - a Presidential Award winner in that realm - who as spent the last 10 years coaching those who have been affected by another's addiction. Codependency would best describe it. I have tried to fit myself into the "Coaching" world and have been trying to figure out if I needed to go back to school (I already have a Masters in Education.) Thank you for calling what we do "teaching" because I have shied away from the label that best describes me. This discussion is EXACTLY what I need today😃

31/7/2016 05:12:14 pm

Hi Sue and thanks for the note. I'm pleased the discussion has been so useful! :) It strikes me that working with codependency is an area in which working with a person to develop their resourcefulness - that is, a healthy form of resource-fulness - is particularly important and valuable. The language and meaning of 'coaching' is an interesting one. I've noticed that it varies between institutes, experts, cultures and continents! In the UK, I associate coaching with enabling a person to become more resourceful by raising their awareness, insight, confidence, skills etc. I associate teaching more with mentoring, by which I mean a relationship in which a person may benefit from access to my knowledge, expertise, contacts etc. Perhaps the most important thing is to be clear about what we offer, what our intention is, what we see our respective roles as being and what the contract and boundaries are? What do you think? All the best. Nick

1/8/2016 08:41:51 am

Hi Sue, happy to read that. I agree with both your as well as Nick's comment on teaching and coaching in the area of codependency. That area in mho has a huge need for coaches and teaching. Glad to see you're in that field. More and more I am specializing towards that field, it truly has my heart.

1/8/2016 08:57:06 am

Thanks to all! I have always agreed with helping my students in the classroom to think critically and that is how I have transitioned from teacher to coach, i.e.: teach them to fish! Lisa Bakker: I have spent a lot of time (and continue to do so) working on my issues. Hence, I have been "practicing" this coaching thing for the last 10 years. I love sharing all I have and how I got here! Good luck on your journey.

1/8/2016 08:30:15 am

HI Nick,
you wrote: " In that sense, an important dimension an goal of the coach's role is to work with the client (if I may use that word!) to develop their own capacity and resourcefulness for the future."
Check! From that perspective the parable of teaching a men to fish vs handing him the fish makes so much sense. I believe what you described so eloquently is what "the calling part"of being a coach.
And as the Bible says that God calls you...I truly believe being a coach is being called by God to teach people all those "new" (or maybe forgotten) skills that enabled us (humanity) once to live in paradise...
And sure you can call me an idealist, which I wholeheartedly embrace but being resourceful from within, from the tremendous potential we are individually gifted with...that - for me - is being in service as a coach... hoping to make myself redundant when I am old and grey.... ;-)

1/8/2016 08:39:54 am

Hi Lisa and thanks for the note. Here I am speaking as one who already is (...or at least often feels!) old and grey. ;) The teaching people to fish rather than handing people fish to eat is an interesting one. I worked for a number of years with Christian organisations in the international development sector and I remember one of my colleagues once quoting that parable...then saying: 'And that's OK so long as some factory upstream isn't spewing toxic waste into the river and poisoning the fish.' He was challenging us to reframe our thinking, to open up a wider systemic paradigm, as a way of thinking about and approaching the world and social, economic and political change. In that paradigm, developing resourcefulness is multi-layered and poses profound 'what is causing what?' type questions leading to important conversations about radical and innovative strategies to address them. The CEO of a charity I work with at the moment poses great questions along these lines: 'What do we need to do ourselves?', 'What do we need to do in partnership with others?' and 'What do we need to advocate that others to?'. All the best. Nick

1/8/2016 09:01:21 am

Exactly Nick, wonderful contribution! I couldn't agree more, this is such an important aspect within coaching. I refer to it as the "connecting-the-dots" parts. Moving to that realm in to conversation is always so exciting, seeing how they are suddenly lifted up and see their own world/situation in helicopter view...Priceless...
Btw I love the addition your colleague added with the toxic waste..Marvelous inspiration, also from the Bible perspective in the sense that it is another confirmation for me how it is a living book, living study material and hey...now we've added another layer to a sturdy and meaningful parable....;-)

E.G.Sebastian (CPC)

1/8/2016 08:55:27 am

... and that's why we should ask powerful questions that helps the client see that the issue we are currently working on is only a symptom of a deeper issue - or it's only part of a larger issue. Once the client sees that, now we can work on the real issue; OR after we work on the current issue, we can address the other deeper underlying areas.

I often find that clients come to me with a specific perceived challenge, only to find that their real "challenge" is something completely different (the one they bring to me is often just a symptom of deeper challenges).

And..., yes, I'm guilty - did not read most of the other comments, so maybe I'm repeating what others said... It all goes back to helping clients learn how to "catch fish," vs. feeding them a fish :)

Great post! (again :) )

1/8/2016 08:56:01 am

Hi E.G. and thanks for the note. On the fish question, you may be interested in the response to Lisa above. :) I think it poses really interesting and important questions for the coach, coaching contract and coaching relationship. It's something about how far the client is interested and willing to explore themselves, their issues, their experiences etc within a wider systemic (e.g. contextual/cultural) frame as a means to influencing and achieving change. 'What is the change you want to see and be part of...in your life, your work, your organisation, your community, the world?'. I entered the coaching world via community development, international development and organisation development. That means that I tend to look at issues through an existential/systemic lens - yet it's not always how the client wants or is able to see it! What do you think? All the best. Nick

3/8/2016 05:27:07 pm

Nick, my friend, I'd love to have you live in my community, and get together once in a while and drink beer... even if it's root beer (I have not have a good "beer-conversation" with anyone in years ). I love the depth you are exploring and your deep thinking - definitely someone that could stretch my horizon.

I'm guilty of staying on surface with many of my clients - I give them the "fish" - even if it's disguised as a "teaching-to-fish" coaching. Ok... I'm thinking as I'm writing - so I do realize that I "lied" of being guilty of this... at least some of the times. At least half of the time I will NOT coach my clients on the topic they come to me for; nor do I present a workshop on a topic that's requested of me (this doesn't happen often) - right now someone wanted me to do a two-day workshop for their sales team... after some research, I realized that I had to first coach the management team before I ever even get in front of the sales stuff.

Bottom line is, I love conversations such as these, as they make me more aware and conscious of slowing down and really going deep, and giving my clients what they really need, and NOT what they think they need (while that will be addressed too).

I heard once of a missionary who was doing lots of work in Africa - he was teaching viligers how to garden... and many were making fun of him and the others who were digging in dirt and watering the "empty" soil (the seeds)... but they did not laugh during harvest time...

Yes, it's important to teach in a way that "it doesnt' polute the fish pond down the stream"... and I also think it's important sometimes to just give a few fish, so the person has the strength to learn fishing...

I used to be homeless for close to a year. I'm INFINITELY GRATEFUL to ALL who taught me to fish - many whom never gave me a "fish," but changed my life forever. I am who I am today because of those big-hearted altruistic coaches :)

3/8/2016 05:34:38 pm

Hi E.G. and thanks for the note. I always look forward to reading your comments. So refreshingly honest, insightful - and funny! :) I would love to chat over a beer too...although I've never tried root beer so no idea what that might taste like. I think I've been on thinking overload a bit recently because I had some surgery and it has confined me to home for a while. (I need to get out more!) I find people's generous and insightful responses to the blogs so stimulating, useful and life-giving. It's always a pleasure to share with others too. It feels like legacy - contributing to the world the best that I can while I'm still here... Warm good wishes. Nick

Cath Norris, MA, BA, Dip Couns

4/8/2016 09:25:42 am

Hi Nick, hope that the surgery went well and that you're being a good patient and recuperating well :)

E.G. "I also think it's important sometimes to just give a few fish, so the person has the strength to learn fishing" I love that. There's real warmth and care in it.

4/8/2016 09:26:17 am

Wow E.G. thank you for your comments, inspiring to read.

1/8/2016 08:57:50 am

Hi everyone. I was taught that 'the education is in the interaction' meaning that how I interact with you is how you learn to interact with yourself. If I value your innate wisdom and follow and acknowledge your process then I'm teaching you to do the same with yourself. I model that through valuing and following the process which unfolds in me as I relate to you.

Agility and resource-fullness springs from being in touch with our creative, intuitive selves. It requires an openness to our 'felt' sense of a situation, our pre-cognitive connection to what is present and emergent. It is supported by being in our guts, our bodies and our dreamlike sense of life.

1/8/2016 03:45:32 pm

Hi Cath and thanks for the note. I like your idea of 'openness' and of being in touch with our creative, intuitive selves. It raises interesting questions about how we can create or, as coaches, co-create the conditions in which a person is in their most creative state and, thereby, most capable of resource-fulness. Human Givens psychology has some interesting insights in this area, e.g. suggesting that, on the whole, the more negatively stressed a person is, the less creative they are likely to be or be capable of. On a slight tangent, I watched the film, The Imitation Game on TV (again) last night - brilliant film! - and was struck again by Alan Turing's ability to challenge the establishment's idea at the time that, in order to crack the Enigma code, the team needed more people to work on deciphering. Turing looked at it completely differently - sacked 2 team members and built a machine instead. What a great example of lateral thinking and what a great demonstration of the tremendous impact a lateral solution can have. All the best. Nick

1/8/2016 08:54:08 pm

Hi Nick, I'm pondering 'negatively stressed'. As an example 'too much to do not enough time to do it'. I'd say that until folks really acknowledge the problem they aren't going to consider solving it. Just another part of the process which requires relating before we can move into creating.

Bob Larcher

1/8/2016 02:27:31 pm

A couple of thoughts.

First thought. When I first started in people development almost 30 years ago, it was relatively “resource free”; some simple exercises, switched on trainers, a couple of paperboards and a lot of exchanges and discussions.
Little by little complex exercises started creeping in, then we had OHP’s to explain things, participant handbooks for taking notes, learning contracts to ensure relevant learning, 360° appraisals, personality profiles, on-line learning reinforcement ……….. all good stuff, but, in the main fairly resource heavy.
To be honest I have gone back to basics; the participants are the content and my job is to help them learn from what happens during our time together.

Second thought.

I first came across the expression “VUCA” about 5 years ago and I am struggling to convince myself that we are that much more VUCA today than we were 50 or even a hundred and fifty years ago – wars between the Russians and the Japanese, two World Wars, Korean War, Vietnam War, Falklands War, the uncertainty of the Cold War, complex relationships between ex-enemies, ambiguous decisions with regarding to arming certain nation’s leading to unattainable positions.

Afterthought.

I liked the original (I think) agility model proposed by Nick Horney; Anticipate change, Generate confidence, Initiate change, etc., with the associated “leadership agility skills”.

However, I am not convinced that is far different from simply being “flexible and adaptable”!!

1/8/2016 02:34:40 pm

Hi Bob and thanks for your first, second and after thoughts! :) I too wonder about the VUCA world phenomenon. As you say, we have lived through all sorts of complexities and change in the past. In my view, one of the biggest changes that impacts on all others has been the rapid growth of internet and social media. It means that ideas, messages, narratives etc. can be shaped, accelerated and amplified like never before, including across continents. The fact we are having this online conversation here-and-now is one example. On simplifying things - which resonates with my heart and experience too - you may like this related short piece? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/raccoonish All the best. Nick

Dave Smith

1/8/2016 08:56:19 pm

After having attended a weekend of retro videogaming, I discussed many tales of people achieving success *despite* limitations they faced of yesteryear when technology was in its infancy.

I recall one of those quotes that proclaimed the difference between successful people and non-successful is that one talks about what they can't do, the other talks about what they CAN.

In your tale, the charity in question didn't let the first hurdle prevent progress - it's a mindset that didn't believe roadblocks necessarily equals to failure, and that there are ways of circumventing them. "who moved my cheese" is a good tale that explores this.

1/8/2016 09:02:35 pm

Hi Dave and thanks for the note. Yes, I think there's definitely something about personal and professional mindset: can't vs can, challenge vs opportunity etc. I think there's also something about cultural influence. Some cultural environments encourage and affirm creative, lateral, critical thinking - challenging the norms etc. - more than others and that impacts on people's willingness and ability to engage in this kind of activity. Thanks for the reminder of the 'Who moved my cheese' book! All the best. Nick

Ben Lai

2/8/2016 09:25:40 am

Great post, Nick! Many people believe in the "fixed pie" mentality -- there is only so much pie to go around, and once we're out, we're out, and life stops. But people who have a mission don't stop when they run out of money. They just find another way to do it. As the famous author of The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, once said, "brick walls are there to test how badly you want something." If you can't break it, jump over it or go around it!

2/8/2016 09:27:49 am

Many thanks, Ben! Your brick wall metaphor reminded me of the very visionary, passionate and enthusiastic pastor of a church I belonged to some years ago. He would say, 'If the door doesn't open when you knock on it, kick it down!' :) All the best. Nick

John Prpich

2/8/2016 08:09:08 pm

Here's were there is confusion, you have to separate problem solving from decision making. You can have the best solution but make the wrong decision. Problem solving is about the problem, decision making is about the individual. If you can't identify the key criteria and weight it, you'll always have a difficult time making a defensible decision.

2/8/2016 08:16:15 pm

Hi John and thanks for the note. I think that's a really helpful distinction between problem-solving/problem and decision-making/individual. A couple of other dimensions to this include how 'problems' are construed individually and culturally and what happens when people make decisions collectively, e.g. in teams. You may find this short related piece interesting? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/invisible What do you think? All the best. Nick

Funmi Johnson

3/8/2016 12:20:16 pm

Really great piece Nick. "How else might we do this?" is a question I must ask more. Thank you.

3/8/2016 12:21:21 pm

Thanks Funmi! Me too. It's easy - and natural - to fall into our own personal and cultural default patterns of thinking and behaviour. All the best. Nick

Ram Kumar

8/8/2016 11:37:55 am

Hi Nick....great post........'minds are like parachutes..they only function when they are open."...........create a learning atmosphere......learning is a treasure.....ignite the 'curiosity quotient'.......

8/8/2016 11:39:59 am

Thanks Ram. I love that: 'ignite the curiosity quotient'! You may like this related piece? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/in-the-question Let me know if that resonates for you too? All the best. Nick

8/8/2016 03:49:29 pm

Cheers Nick....Thanks. ..shall definitely revert....looking forward to more interesting debate /discussion. .......it is really a pleasure to connect....

Suzanne Reilley

15/8/2016 06:58:44 pm

Nick, I love this. Thanks for sharing it. My mind can definitely get into linear thinking, where I'm doing the same thing over and over, not getting the results I want and can't see a way to break into a new idea or thing to try. It's helped me in the past to openly ponder, hmm I'm so curious how this might be possible and turn it over to the universe to deliver some newness (which it often does!). I love these questions as additional way to open myself and clients up to new possibilities.

15/8/2016 07:10:19 pm

Hi Suzanne. Thanks for such an encouraging and honest response! Yes, I too sometimes have to consciously choose to stop and think differently. I guess we default into certain patterns of thinking that work well enough for us most of the time.

It's one reason why I blog. I love to hear responses from people in different parts of the world, different types of roles, organisations and cultures etc. It inspires me and shakes me out of my fixed way of seeing and doing things.

I'm curious about your comment that you 'turn it over to the universe to deliver some newness (which it often does). Can you say a bit more about what you mean? I turn things over to God in this way and wondered if you mean something similar or different - or both!

All the best. Nick