How to Transform

What's the fastest, easiest way to get consulting clients? Be really clear about your consulting niche: what you do and who you do it for. In this episode, Genysys Consultant, Rachel Rudo Munyaradzi shares how she determined her consulting niche, and she and Andrea share best practices on how you can find yours.

Find out how to get to the real cause - not just the symptoms - of struggle in your consulting business AND what to do about in this episode of The Consultant School. 

You want to start consulting but need to know how long it will take to replace your current salary? In this episode, Andrea discusses options to help you maintain financial stability while you grow your consulting business and provides a formula to help you understand exactly what to do to make what you need to make.

Worried about finding consulting clients if you have a small network? In this episode, Ray Rood, founder and Senior Consultant at The Genysys Group, shares his tips for developing a quality network that can help you get clients.

Establishing credibility and authority is essential for all consultants. In this episode of The Consultant School, Andrea shares her top three best practices for how to boost your credibility no matter where you are in your consulting career.

Learn how to prepare for the transition from employee to consultant and what mistakes to avoid with Andrea and Genysys' Director of Consultant Development and Senior Consultant, Laurie Reinhart.

Learn the key differentiator between coaching and consulting and how to where both hats successfully with your clients.

Learn how to choose your consulting niche and why it's so important when Andrea talks to Laurie Reinhart, Director of Consultant Development and Senior Consultant at The Genysys Group on this episode of The Consultant School.

Learn the three most important questions to ask in an initial conversation and how to move from conversation to proposal in this episode with The Genysys Group's founder and Senior Consultant, Ray Rood.

In this episode, The Genysys Group founder, Ray Rood, shares his best practices - learned over three decades of consulting - on how to price your consulting services.

This week, Andrea talks with Genysys Senior Consultant, Laurie Reinhart, about how to get started as an independent consultant when you don't have any consulting experience.

Ray and Amy introduce new podcast host, Andrea Nunez, The Genysys Group's CEO, and they discuss how consultants can and do make a good living working with small businesses.

In this episode of The Consultant School, presented by The Genysys Group Amy and Ray talk about the questions of intuition and how they can help us as we continue to navigate a new normal.  For the full episode notes visit The Genysys Group Here:  

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray and Amy welcome author and speaker Paul Angone.   Paul Angone is the best-selling author of 101 Secrets For Your Twenties, 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties, and is a leading keynote speaker and consultant on helping generations work better together. Paul has worked with and spoken for companies, such as Intel Security, Wells Fargo, Stewart Title, and Aflac. Paul has also been featured in and written for, publications such as Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Business Insider, Relevant Magazine, The Times (UK), and AARP.   

In this episode of The Consultant, School presents by The Genysys Group Ray and Amy welcome Marijo Bos President of Bos Advisors. To download a copy of Marijo and Ray's article click here. 

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray & Amy welcome David Reid.  Dave is an expert in finance, real estate investment, and strategic planning.  In this episode, Dave talks about risk.  Dave is passionate about helping people understand risk and use risk better.  To download a copy of Dave's article on risk visit The Genysys Group website: https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/

In this episode of the Consultant School presented by the Genysys Group Ray and Amy talk with Andrea Nunez CEO and Sr. Consultant with the Genysys Group about her consultant experience and beliefs.  Learn more about Andrea here.  

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray & Amy talk with Genysys Consultant and author Dr. Jann Freed about Breadcrumb Legacy.   Download an article by Jann written exclusively for The Consultant School listeners. https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/

Ray has written an article for his clients 5 Questions for Times of Disruption.  In this special episode, Ray and Amy talk about the questions and how they can be used by leaders.     A download of the article is available at: https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/   There is also a workbook with the articles and all the supporting questions available for a $5 download.  Ray is challenging all his clients to answer these questions.  

Ray & Amy announce a limited time special on Self-guided Strategic Futuring  Visit: https://thegenysysgroup.com/strategic-futuring-online-course/

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray and Amy talk about the element of Human Resources in the Organizational Health framework.    For complete show notes visit: https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray and Amy talk about books that have influenced them.  From fiction to business books this is a book talk you won't want to miss.  For complete show notes visit: The Consultant School

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray talks about the element of structure as a measure of organizational health.   For full show notes visit https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray Rood talks about how to deal with resistance.   Ray defines resistance as inaction, or not wanting to change. For complete show notes visit: https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/

In this episode of The Consultant School, presented by The Genysys Group Ray talks about the element of process when it comes to understanding and improving organizational health.  The key question about process is: Does the process serve the organization or does the organization serve the process? For more information on the Genysys Group and show notes visit here. https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group ,the question is how do consultants get potential clients to sign an agreement of engagement.  It's all about building a relationship, minimizing surprises and making sure communication is clear.   

In this episode of The Consultant School presented by The Genysys Group Ray Rood shares about the element of SOUL in his Organizational Health framework.  The soul is the mission, purpose, and values of the organization and should be the clear factor in decision making within the organization. In this episode, Ray shares questions consultants (internal and external) can ask to understand the health of the organization starting with the SOUL of the organization.    For complete show notes click HERE

In this episode, Ray answers another common question about the art and practice of consulting.  How do I find clients? Ray shares a successful process he has developed over 40 years of consulting.  It's simple. It's doable. It works.   visit: https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-the-consultant-school/ to download show notes and a special downloadable outline for your 2020 Client Development. 

What framework can consultants use to assess the health of an organization?  Ray shares the Organizational Health framework he uses.  This framework helps consultants add value to their clients by understanding what's happening in a given organization.  visit The Genysys Group: The Consultant School for downloadable show notes.

In our first season, our podcast was called How To Transform.  After a season of learning and reflection, we've rebranded and relaunched our podcast as THE CONSULTANT SCHOOL.  In this episode, Ray and Amy talk about why they changed the name and what listeners can expect in future episodes.  Questions are powerful tools that consultants use.  Amy and Ray talk about their shared love of good questions.  The episode ends with Ray sharing several tips and tools for consultants to use.  Visit www.thegenysysgroup.com to get the show notes. Read Amy's reflections on questions at www.theartofpoweringdown.com  

Would you like to learn more about the characteristics of serious players? Today, we're continuing with our series about the concept of serious play. In this series, we have been talking about what it means to be a serious player and we've been looking at the different elements that are associated with it. In today's episode, we will be covering the fifth element of serious play, so listen in, to find out more. The fifth element that is common to all serious players is what Ray calls the positive self-fulfilling prophecy. Ray and Brenda named this element when reflecting on the more than thirty interviews that they did over the course of three to four years, with people who described themselves as serious players. These serious players all loved what they did, and what they did really made a positive difference in other people's lives, and also in an economic sense. Tune in today, to learn about the positive self-fulfilling prophecy, and to hear the stories that go along with it. Show Highlights: Ray and Brenda identified that serious players had positive things that kept happening to them and that they could almost predict that these things were going to happen. The serious players were very positive in what they saw and in many ways they felt they could predict it. These people felt like prophets because they could almost speak what they saw into existence. How the idea of positive self-fulfilling prophecies connects with the work that Ray does around vision. Ray saw that serious players believed that if they could see something, they could create it. The serious players all had high self-esteem and they believed in themselves. Does our future create us or do we create our future? Ray believes that there is a serious player in every one of us. Why the serious player remains locked inside some people. You're never too old for the serious player to emerge from within you. Why you need to have people who believe in you. Why serious players cannot become victimized. What it means to be an adult. How we can create self-fulfilling prophecies within ourselves. Resources: http://thegenysysgroup.com

Are you a risk-taker? If so, have you found that you become energized by taking increasingly larger risks? Today, we're continuing with our discussion about the six characteristics of serious players that Ray and Brenda discovered after years of interviewing individuals who all self-identified as serious players. In today's episode, we're looking at the sixth and final of these characteristics, called The Third Law of Thermodynamics. Listen in, to find out more. One of the common denominators that Ray and Brenda noticed in the stories told to them by the serious players they interviewed was that they involved taking risks. And all the serious players seemed to become increasingly energized by taking larger and larger risks. Tune in today, to hear what Ray has to say about the Third Law of Thermodynamics, and find out how you can use it in your own life. Show Highlights: Ray talks about his first foray into quantum physics and the relationship between quantum physics and change. The lay-interpretation of the first law of physics is that you can neither create energy nor can you destroy it. You can only change its form. The second law of physics came later. It states that when you change the form of energy, you lose some of it.  The second law of physics gave rise to the conservation movement. Ray explains the Law of Entropy.   Ray noticed that as people got more into their serious play, their energy increased. As the people became more energized, they were able to take on bigger and bigger risks. Ray uses the example of salmon swimming upstream to explain the effect of the increase in energy on a life-force. Ray explains what he coined as the Third Law of Thermodynamics. It is the ability to swim upstream and/or against the tide. Ray gives a personal example of his Third Law of Thermodynamics. The story of John Miller, one of the serious players that Ray and Brenda interviewed, who was paraplegic. Ray explains how you can increase the element of the Third Law of Thermodynamics within yourself. Accessing the support that you have available to you. Links and resources: Books mentioned: The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra Leadership And The New Science by Margaret J. Wheatley  

Did you know that serious players have very high self-esteem? Today we're continuing with our series about serious play, where Ray has been sharing the various characteristics of serious players. Today, we will be looking at characteristic number four, positive paranoia, which is one of Ray's favorite topics. Listen in, to find out what Ray has to share about positive paranoia and serious players. What Ray and Brenda discovered, while doing their interviews and research over four years about serious players, is that serious players assume that if people really understood them, they would value them. So serious players believe that all the things that people are saying about them behind their backs are positive. And all the people who Ray and Brenda interviewed, who described themselves as serious players, had really high self-esteem. Tune in now, to find out about the kind self-confidence that serious players all have. Show Highlights: All the people who described themselves as serious players had very high self-esteem and they saw themselves as truly having value. The serious players all had self-confidence and they didn't have doubts. The serious players that Ray and Brenda interviewed were people who all looked at the glass as three-quarters full, not half full, particularly as it related to them. Serious players tend to get criticized for being arrogant and overly self-confident. Serious players don't take the criticism that's leveled at them very seriously. Ray tells the story of Willy Brown. Because of their positivity, serious players believe in themselves and they can go into places that other people are very fearful of going. Serious players are authentic, they are comfortable in their own skins, they have a high degree of personal integrity, and they enjoy being themselves. Serious players are very happy and they're self-contained. Ray talks about his grandfather, who helped Ray discover his own positive paranoia. How to start tapping into your own authenticity. How learning to accept compliments allows us to discover and appreciate our value. The more we lose and give, the more we will have. Most times, our value is hidden in plain sight and we just don't recognize it. Links: https://thegenysysgroup.com/  

How would you like to have more abundance and prosperity in your life? Today, we continue with our series about serious players. Serious players are people who are doing what they really love to do - and they're getting paid for it! Listen in, to find out what it takes to increase your independent wealth. Serious players get to do what they love. That's why it's called playing. And it's serious because there's value in what they are doing, and there's a market for it. In this series, we are working through the six different characteristics of serious players that Ray discovered after interviewing more than thirty people who identified themselves as serious players. In today's episode, we're talking about the third characteristic, which is independent wealth. Tune in now, for more!    Show Highlights: The way that independently wealthy serious players access what they need. What serious players' relationships are like, with people and with money. An interesting story about a serious player in Bolivia, in the 1970s. It takes emotional intelligence to build serious players' kind of relationships. The power of authenticity. Why people tend to trust serious players. Serious players have an abundance mindset. What you can do to increase your wealth. Some questions you can ask as you move towards becoming a serious player in your life and increasing your independently wealthy status. Human development happens in the balance between challenge and support.  Finding the right support by reaching out to people who know. Your wealth is out there. Go discover it! 

We're continuing our conversation about the really interesting concept of serious play today. This concept has so much depth and value for all of us, whether we already are serious players or reluctant workers working towards becoming serious players. Tune in now, to find out more! In today's episode, we will be talking about Psychological Self-Employment. This is the second of the six characteristics of serious players that Ray and Brenda identified when reflecting on the results of the interviews they conducted with more than thirty individuals who described themselves as serious players. These individuals were all people who really loved what they did and who essentially got paid just for being who they are. Today, Ray will be sharing some stories about serious players with this characteristic and he will explain how we can develop Psychological Self-Employment in our own lives. Listen in, to find out what Ray has to say about becoming psychologically self-employed. Show Highlights: These individuals, whether or not they were self-employed, described what they did as being in business for themselves. These people talked about working with, rather than working for the people in supervisory positions. They all operated as if they were self-employed. Ray tells the story of Mort Cooke, one of the serious players that he and Brenda interviewed, who was the bell captain at a hotel in San Francisco. The positions of these serious players may have reported to somebody, however, they didn't report to anybody. They reported to themselves. Ray explains what happened when the Dean of the university asked him to become the chair of the department. The kind of relationship that Ray had with the Dean was unlike any other reporting relationship. How Ray's consulting experience changed the way that he saw himself. Serious players know themselves, they understand who they are, and they are committed to being who they are. They are not arrogant, they are just confident. Serious players are flexible up to a point but they cannot compromise who they are. Serious players are comfortable in their own skin and they generally don't try to dominate other people. Some ways to develop the characteristic of Psychological Self-Employment. The two basic questions of life are: 'Who am I?' and 'What am I going to do with who I am?'. Ray gives a key exercise to help you to find out what to do with your life. Serious players think about how they can be of service and benefit to others.   Links: www.thegenysysgroup.com   

We're concentrating right now on a concept that Ray developed many years ago, called serious play. Serious play looks at the characteristics of dynamic people, or serious players, who really get things done in the workplace. Today, we have the third part in the series about serious play. In the first and second parts, we gave an overview of serious play, and we spoke about how Ray came to discover it. Tune in now, to find out more! Over the following six episodes, we will be examining the six characteristics of serious players that Ray has identified, and we will be diving deeply into each characteristic. Ray will give us a detailed description of what each characteristic is, he will share a story about someone who has lived out that characteristic, and then he will explain how others can develop those characteristics in their own lives. In today's episode, Ray talks about the Energizing Principle of Serious Play and he explains the four different ways to manage your energy. Listen in, to find out what Ray learned from serious players about the principle of being energized and energizing other people. Show Highlights: Ray discusses the first characteristic of serious players. All of Ray's interviewees spent at least 60 percent of their time doing what they loved to do. Doing what they loved to do gave the serious players the surplus energy that they needed to do the things they didn't necessarily like to do but they had to do. Ray discovered that serious players were not only energized people, but they also energized the people around them. That's why they called it the Energizing Principle of Serious Play. An example of the Energizing Principle of Serious Play. People can develop the serious player within themselves. Some people actually shifted from reluctant work to serious play. Ray talks about the gentle art of mismatch reduction. Ray tells a story about changing positions within an organization. Ray found that there are four ways to do mismatch reduction, to move into an energizing place. An example of how Ray used stress management as a way to do mismatch reduction. The serious player exists within everybody.   Links: www.thegenysysgroup.com   

Would you like to know more about what it means to be a serious player? In our last episode, we introduced the idea of serious play. In today's episode, Ray and Amy continue with their previous conversation, where Ray started discussing the four-year series of interviews that he and Brenda conducted with people around the notion of serious play. Listen in, to learn more.  The concept of serious play is about the way that people approach their life and work as serious players. Today, to create a deeper understanding of what serious play means, Ray and Amy have a discussion about the common themes, patterns, and characteristics of serious players. Tune in now, and be introduced to the six powerful characteristics of serious players. Show Highlights: Using the process of phenomenological research to unpack the stories of various serious players, in order to postulate a theory of serious play.  It took Ray and Brenda four years to interview a minimum of thirty people who defined themselves as serious players. Their first interview was with Frank and Mike, two morning hosts, from a radio station in San Francisco. Serious players love to talk about themselves and their lives. They ended every interview by asking for suggestions for between one and three serious players that they should talk to next." Ray talks about his experience talking to Richard Symmons, the really eccentric exercise guy. They even talked to Hobie Alter, the inventor of the Hobie Cat. Ray shares the six common denominators that he and Brenda identified and named, that were the characteristics of all the serious players they interviewed.  Serious players energize the other people in their presence. The key to serious players is that they are committed to being in a place where they are energized with what they are doing. Serious players are really in charge of their lives. Ray talks about his principal of Psychological Self-Employment. Serious players are independently wealthy.  Ray talks about the attitude behind serious players being independently wealthy. Serious players have high self-esteem. They have high internal confidence and very little fear. Ray and Brenda called this characteristic Positive Paranoia. Serious players are prepared to swim against the tide. Ray and Brenda termed that principal The Third Law of Thermal Dynamics. Good things continue to happen to serious players. Ray and Brenda called this principal The Positive Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and this relates to visualization. When we believe that we can work around the obstacles, we will work around the obstacles. Links and Resources:   If you'd like to learn more, visit www.thegenysysgroup.com. 

Are you familiar with the concept of serious play? Today, we're shifting gears and moving into another element of transformation. We will be introducing the idea of serious play, which has become a hallmark of Ray's approach to his work. Listen in today, to find out how serious play relates to transformation. There's a lot of depth to the characteristics and key principles of the story of serious play. In today's episode, we unpack this concept and we look at the way that it relates to transformation. Today, Ray also explains how he came up with the idea of serious play, and how he started to bring this whole concept together. Tune in now, to find out how creative energy fuels transformation. Show Highlights: The story of serious play is Ray's philosophy of work. Ray explains how he started to bring the concept of serious play together. Ray explains what caused him to became disillusioned, as a student teacher, when he was working with gifted kids. Ray and his friend, Gary, concluded, after two years of conversation, that the majority of the teachers were not expressing who they were, in and through what they were doing. Ray talks about the course that he and his friend developed, called The Development of the Creative Teaching Personality. Most people don't understand that teaching is a creative kind of endeavor. Ray shares the questions that he would always ask his students at the beginning of his course, and what he would tell them after hearing their response. Ray explains why he postulates that the most creative person in our society is the four-year-old. School provides children with very little opportunity to use their imagination. Ray explains what he spoke about in his course, which was designed to help people discover their own creativity. What Ray's students would discover about the creative process, in his course. Where the whole idea of serious play emerged. Serious players know that they are creative. Ray discusses the key class-session that he taught in his course. Ray talks about what he discovered about the connection between tapping into the imagination and creativity, and between serious play and authenticity. The creative energy that comes out of serious players is what fuels transformation. Resources: For more information about The Art of Facilitation or any of the Genysys products or services, follow us, The Genysys Group, on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Our website: www.thegenysysgroup.com

Would you like to know why organizations need to use assessments? Lately, Ray and Amy have been talking about the new products that the Genysys Group is releasing and they recently did an episode about the Organizational Health Assessment. There is still one more assessment that they are preparing to launch, called The Change Readiness Assessment. Listen in to find out more about it. In today's episode, Ray and Amy will explain what the Change Readiness Assessment is. They will also talk about why organizations need assessments and why they are such useful tools when it comes to organizational health and organizational transformation. Tune in now, for more. Show Highlights: Ray explains why we need assessments and why these tools are helpful when it comes to organizational transformation. An assessment shows how strong the foundation is for change within an organization. A lot of good ideas fail because we are not ready for them and we don't know how to determine if we are ready, or what we need to do in order to become ready. A good assessment is a catalyst for a conversation about reality. An assessment gives us a basis for where we are before any kind of change takes place. A post-assessment shows us where we are as a result of a change. What the Change Readiness Assessment that the Genysys Group has developed measures, and what sort of feedback could be expected from using it.  Ray talks about the eight dimensions of the Change Readiness Assessment. The first dimension is the dimension of catalytic leadership. Ray gives a recap of what catalytic leadership is. Without good catalytic leadership, good ideas may never get off the ground. What the dimension of Opportunity For Change deals with.  The fourth area deals with transformational leadership, the kind of leadership that is able to sustain change. The fifth area is the area of lead energy. The sixth area is planning. Choosing our focus and having clear, outcome-related roles. The seventh area deals with partnering, or who we know that we need to partner with.  The eighth area deals with generative leadership. It looks at keeping the mission in play. Generative leadership is about the long term. The difference between a river organization and a puddle organization. Generative leadership is essential for sustained change. The value of the Change Readiness Assessment. The relationship between the Organizational Health Assessment and the Change Readiness Assessment, and the kinds of needs that each one fulfills. Ray has found that one of the key elements for being able to have meaningful transformational change is tied to the extent to which the organization is healthy, to begin with. The Organizational Health Assessment uncovered significant organizational dysfunction. Organizational health is foundational to organizational transformation. To find more information about the Change Readiness Assessment, go to www.thegenysysgroup.com.  Assessments help us deal with the reality and they help us to challenge some of the assumptions that we are acting upon before clarifying the reality. Links: For more information, go to www.thegenysysgroup.com  Or follow us on social media at Genysys Group on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Welcome to another episode of How to Transform. Today our guide Ray Rood talks about the art of facilitation and the key elements of being a successful facilitator. Your host, Amy Hoppock, and Ray discuss how to find your role within a group, sustaining engagement, utilizing awareness, and how to integrate appropriate challenge. To learn how you can balance support and challenge while implementing lucrative facilitating skills join Amy and Ray in this episode of How to Transform.  Show Highlights:  Why the facilitation course is a good investment  Helping individuals find their own solutions and to identify what they know  Developing a productive sense of harmony  Balancing challenge and support  The importance of continually asking questions  Setting up expectations and a flow  Leaving room for people to have their own dialogue and freedom  How to facilitate different types of personalities  Personality types that are more inclined to be facilitators  Why being directive isn’t quite as effective as facilitating  Getting people to do things willfully and not out of obligation    Links:  https://thegenysysgroup.com https://thegenysysgroup.com/category/podcast-how-to-transform/

Did you know that facilitation is really important for organizational transformation? We've just completed an overview of the entire organizational transformation model, containing all the ingredients for organizational transformation that Ray and the Genysys group have identified over the years.  The secret ingredient to organizational transformation is really how information is presented, or how it is facilitated. So simply knowing the information is not enough. In today's episode, Ray and Amy talk about the art of facilitation, and they also discuss developing the skill of facilitation and why that really is so important for organizational transformation.  Show Highlights: Ray explains what the art of facilitation is.  It takes a minimum of three years for change to become a part of a culture, so you need to have sustained engagement from the people. Patience and persistence are necessary, but sometimes contradictory with each other when guiding the process of sustained engagement. Guiding the process of sustained engagement can be likened to conducting a jazz ensemble. There are many different elements, which are all different all the time, involved in the process.  Are people born facilitators? Or is it a skill that can be learned? Ray explains. The change often comes with the letting go of the facilitator.  Why engagement is a part of facilitation.  Some of us are wired to be more patient and some of us are wired to be more persistent. Managing one's own personality is vital to facilitation. Someone who is keeping their eyes open makes a successful facilitator. Rhythm is a big thing, and change has its own, unique rhythm.  Why learning the skill of facilitation is important. With change comes ambiguity. The neutral zone. Being clear about the vision and related roles. Looking at patience. Ray announces the course, in the art of facilitation, that he and Andre have been working on. And it's really for everybody! What's to be found in the course that they have developed. Why Ray thinks the majority of people are 'engagement agnostics'. How understanding how human development works really builds engagement. How facilitation really matures and develops an organization, and keeps it healthy and energized. Links: For more information about The Art of Facilitation or any of the Genysys products or services, follow us, The Genysys Group, on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Our homepage: www.thegenysysgroup.com

Establishing solid and serviceable relationships is lucrative to the transformation process. Today’s conversation explores the basic components of creating partnerships and the fundamental elements of developing an operative team. Dr. Rood also shares the necessary steps to help individuals evaluate how to divide and dedicate their energy. Tune into this episode of How to Transform with your host, Amy Hoppock, and Dr. Rood as they discuss the important aspects of constructing fruitful partnerships that often get overlooked and how you can implement this process into your own life.    Show Highlights:  Identifying partnering as an essential step in the transformation process  Vision based strategic planning  How to work with another group that has a different vision  Helping individuals develop a relationship with the community  The process for building strategic partnerships  Identifying critical relationships  Engaging your partners in your vision  Managing change and differences between people  Implementing the notion of active listening and empathy  Evaluating and celebrating progress  Finding common ground with others  Establishing a foundation of values  Taking advantage of differences and similarities  The art of team building and team development  Creating an effective team  Using conflict as a learning opportunity  Looking at conversation as a tool for self-development  Links:  https://thegenysysgroup.com http://theartofpoweringdown.com

How intentional do you want to be for creating your future? And are you aware that the more intentional you are, the more responsible you have to become? Today, we continue to move through the Organizational Transformation Model (OTM) that Ray has developed over many years of working with organizational and personal transformation.  In today's episode, we will be discussing the element of planning. Ray will be giving us an overview of planning and he will talk to us about the connection between planning and transformation. He will also share some stories with us about the lessons he has learned along the way about the importance of planning.  Show Highlights: What planning has to do with transformation. What Ray has come to learn about planning. Planning is critical for you to be able to achieve what you seek.  Learning from Elise Boulding about the power of vision, back in the early '80s. Seeing a pathway to the future from a visionary perspective, as a basis for your plans. Ray gives an example of using a visionary pathway to the future as a basis for planning. Integrating vision work into long-range planning. Ray has learned that planning is probably one of the most powerful intervention tools and it engages people to the point of ownership of the vision. The four aspects of planning. Our goals give us direction. Identifying the critical objectives of your goals. Assessing, re-assessing, and aligning how you are operating. Ray talks about one of the great mistakes that are made in organizational life. Employee engagement in the planning process is essential. The importance of evaluating and celebrating progress. The benefits of drawing everyone in with the different elements of planning. Creating a culture of learning in organizations.  Learning comes out of planning.  Ray explains why he has amended the notion of living in the first year of your plan to living in the first 90 to 180 days of your plan. Choosing to be intentional means having to be responsible.   Links: Ray's website: https://thegenysysgroup.com/ Amy's website: www.theartofpoweringdown.com 

It doesn’t have to be difficult to get out of bed every morning. Finding what energizes and excites you to reach your potential will have you motivated beyond belief. But how to achieve that is what we’re all searching for. Todays’ episode takes the mystery out of finding your energy by introducing methods to identify misalignment and how to fuel your motivation. Tune into this conversation between Amy Hoppock and Dr. Ray Rood as they discuss this aspect of the personal transformation model and share insight on how you can embody all the positive energy in your life.  Show Highlights:  What is energy and what makes it necessary for the transformation process  Personal preference related to expectations in a given job   The vitality of having a perception of support  What feeds and drains your energy source  Consulting experiences which energy  The danger of misalignment  How to identify if you are in or out of alignment  Exploiting ally relationships  Finding congruency between your goals and work goals  How to deploy and know ourselves in a meaningful way     Links:  https://thegenysysgroup.com http://theartofpoweringdown.com

We're here again with Ray Rood, the architect of the Organizational Transformation Model that has been central to the work of Genysys and we have another conversation with him about organizational transformation and how to transform. Today's episode is all about Vision, and how to use it to create your future reality. Listen in to find out what Ray has to share about his process called Strategic Futuring, which requires using your imagination to create your future. "Do enough people in your organization share and own a clear and compelling picture of the organization thriving in the distant future?" is the key question that Ray uses in the Genysys group when it comes to discussing Vision with organizations. This is a great question and it's also a really significant one to ask. Listen in today as Ray unpacks the question and explains how important it really is for creating a shared vision for the future.  Show Highlights: Ray explains just how important this key, organizational question really is. The more that people are able to share a common picture of themselves in the future, the more likely transformational change is to take place. Why individual agendas within an organization are likely to conflict with each other and cancel each other out.  Ray explains how an organization, or a group of people, can get a shared vision for the future. The results that can occur when people are able to rally a shared, common vision for the future, within an organization.  How Ray shared his Vision approach with the director of a library. Identifying the stakeholders who are to be part of your shared vision.  What Ray means by stakeholders. Ray has found that about eighty percent of what people come up with, as their vision for the future, is very similar. The way that Ray's Vision Process works with groups of five or six people. Ray is always surprised to find that people tend to come up with a similar vision for the future. One of the greatest sources of organizational energy is a shared vision. A shared vision becomes like a magnet, pulling you into the future. Why imagination plays so much into vision. Why so many adults find it difficult to use their imagination in a positive way. Some important aspects of vision, both within organizations and for people personally. Vision work starts with your history and your vision is a part of a story. Creating a vision is anchored in who you are at your core. Questions are really important for Strategic Futuring because they frame what you want to focus on, using your imagination. Many organizational leaders tend to confuse mission and vision. Why you have to go beyond five years with a vision. Links: The Genysys Group website: www.genysysgroup.com  Amy blogs and writes at www.theartofpoweringdown.com    

We've been working through the Genysys Group Organizational Transformation Model and discussing the real elements that are vital for both organizational and personal transformation. Ray Rood is the architect of the Organizational Transformation Model that has been central to the work of Genysys. Listen in to find out what Ray has to share on the show today. In this episode, we are going to be dealing with Generative Leadership, which is the final element of transformation. The Generative Leader is a very significant kind of leader and this model was Ray's last discovery in terms of the Transformational Model. Ray often has an unusual take on things which causes people to think a little differently, so listen in today as he explains what he means by Generative Leadership, the skills that are necessary for a Generative Leader, and how Generative Leadership works within the process of transformation. Show Highlights: What Ray means by the term Generative Leadership and how it relates to transformation. We have talked before about Catalytic Leadership, which is the most dangerous type of leadership because it is disruptive and it initiates change. Transformational Leadership is the most difficult because it deals with time, patience, and perseverance, in order for that change to become rooted into an organizational system or within a person's own self. Why Generative Leadership is the most important kind of leadership. Ray believes that any person can develop skills and understand some of the skills and tasks that are involved with the three types of leadership. Some of us are more wired, in terms of our temperament and experience, towards one specific form of leadership. Why Generative Leadership relates to wisdom. Ray explains the skills that make an effective Generative Leader. Ensuring the relevance of the soul of an organization, or of a person. Asking meaningful and relevant (and sometimes irritating or uncomfortable) questions is probably, on a functional basis, the most important thing that a Generative Leader does. Ray tells a story to illustrate the role of a Generative Leader. A Generative Leader is a mentor- and a mentor askes the mentee questions. The third skill of a Generative Leader- capturing, modeling, and applying learning - is the most difficult.  The Generative Leader is really the ultimate learner. Until you understand something fully, you can't use it. The fourth skill is about the future. It's the task and the knowledge that is necessary to ensure and prepare the leadership for the future.  The future leadership is likely to be of a different form to the leadership. Why it is so challenging to be a Generative Leader. Ray's biggest challenge, and his greatest joy, as a Generative Leader. Development takes place between challenge and support. The role of the horse, in Ray's story of the Golden Feather, is a Generative Leader. Links: The Genysys Group website: www.genysysgroup.com  Amy blogs and writes at www.theartofpoweringdown.com  

Did you know that Transformational Leadership is not an individual task? It's the task of a team, a community, or a committed group of people because it requires a conspiracy. Today, as we are working our way through the Genysys Organizational Transformation model that Ray has developed, we are going to be talking about Transformational Leadership. Transformational Leadership is difficult. It results in a deep form of change and in people thinking and behaving differently. Listen in today as Ray explains what the role of a Transformational Leader entails. Ray's description of Transformational Leadership is a little different from the one we usually think about. In today's episode, he defines his model of Transformational Leadership and he discusses the role of a Transformational Leader in a process of transformation within an organization. Listen in to find out more. Show Highlights: Ray gives his definition of Transformational Leadership and he explains the role of a Transformational Leader in a process of transformation, within an organization. Ray identifies the three different types of leadership that are critical in the process of transformation. Transformational Leadership is the kind of leadership that Ray has identified as the most difficult. Transformational Leadership is the kind of leadership that is necessary for the kind of change that is to be sustained until it becomes a part of an organization or a culture. Why Transformational Leadership is so difficult. The results of Transformational Leadership. Why it takes a minimum of three years for a change to become rooted in a culture. There are more attributes necessary for Transformational Leadership than there are for Catalytic Leadership. Some of the qualities and attributes that are necessary for Transformational Leadership.  Vision really drives Transformational Leadership.  The job of the Transformational Leader is to make the vision as visible as possible so that the vision is reinforced and planned for. The aspects of Transformational Leadership. What makes up a transformational team. A Transformational Leader is really the carrier of a vision. Ray gives examples of really good Transformational Leadership, from his own experience. Ray discusses whether Transformational Leaders are chosen, identified, or self-selected. Why it takes a critical mass to bring about and to sustain any kind of change process. Two questions to ask yourself when getting started on the journey of becoming a Transformational Leader.   Links: You can find out more about the work Ray does at www.thegenysysgroup.com You can find Amy at www.theartofpoweringdown.com Our online course for Strategic Futuring will be released soon!  

Do you know what a catalytic leader is? Today we have a really special episode where Ray will be sharing the story of the Golden Feather, based on a Grimm brothers' fairytale, which relates to catalytic leaders. This is a story that Ray has told many times before, and he often uses it as a metaphor for the work he does. Listen in to find out more. In a recent episode, we discussed catalytic leaders and explained what catalytic leadership is and how it works. So it really made sense to share this story today, in order for you, the listener, to understand what references to 'the feather' mean when listening to future episodes of the podcast. Listen in to hear the story. Show Highlights: For years, Ray taught a graduate course called Leaders As Agents of Change. Ray explains the moral to the story. What we can learn from the story. We can experience transformational change with the right kind of support. The choice that Ray would give his students. What picking up the feather would bring about for the students. It was always interesting for Ray to see how the students reacted to the choice he gave them. How the story relates to catalytic leaders. Most of us don't have enough courage or support. The wise horse is a mentor or someone significant who will tell you the truth without running away. Seeking the truth will lead to a significant challenge. Links: You can find out more about the work Ray does at www.thegenysysgroup.com You can find Amy at www.theartofpoweringdown.com Our online course for Strategic Futuring will be released soon!  

Leadership is a key element when it comes to transformation.  Ray is the architect of the Organizational Transformation Model that has been central to the work of Genysys.  On the show today we are going to start looking at this model, which is key to transformation within any organization. Listen in to find out more. There are three different kinds of leaders that Ray identifies in the organizational transformation model. Today we are going to be looking at the first type; the catalytic leader.  A catalytic leader is the the kind of leader who would initiate the process of change within an organization. Listen in today as Ray explains what catalytic leadership is, and how it works.  Show Highlights: Ray explains what a catalytic leader is. Catalytic leadership is the first element that Ray discovered that is critical to change. Why catalytic leadership is the most dangerous kind of leadership. Any kind of deep, serious change is disruptive to the status quo. The four aspects that make up a catalytic leader.  It takes a minimum of three years for any change to become part of a culture. It takes courage and willingness to disrupt things. Strategic initiative is a quality of the catalytic leader. What is meant by strategic initiative. Some common characteristics of catalytic leaders. It really works well when other types of leaders stand beside catalytic leaders and assist with the transformation process. Catalytic leaders can also morph into transformational leaders. What it means to be a catalytic leader in your own life. In and of ourselves we are not sufficient. We really work well when we work together.  Why people are reluctant to take on the responsibility for launching into something new. Links: You can find out more about the work Ray does at www.thegenysysgroup.com You can find Amy at www.theartofpoweringdown.com Our online course for Strategic Futuring will be released soon!   Resources:  The Glendora Castle  

In this episode we talk about how Ray's model for organizational transformation has evolved over time. Ray sees himself as an explorer. This show is his “report back” about what he has learned about organizational transformation on the frontiers. Listen in today to find out about the history of how Ray went about discovering the elements and key aspects of the nature of the process of transformational change.  Today, on the show, Ray shares some teachings and some stories from the many years that he spent developing his model. We explore the difference between organizational transformation and organizational development. When Ray realized the fundamental difference he shifted his consulting practice to focusing on deep, long-term change. Listen in today as Ray explains. Show highlights: How Ray discovered the model that he uses in all of his work with Genysys clients for transformation. The nature of organizational change. The difference between efficiency and effectiveness. Ray explains his vision. Ray was asked at one point if vision-based change could also relate to corporations. Working with a Biotech firm that had lost its vision. Developing a vision for the future. Discovering other elements that also related to his vision. Working with a friend who was using an assessment that he developed, called 'The Job Person-Environment'. How a vision can drive long-range plans. Realizing that the place to begin the process was also where the opportunity for change lay. The importance of collaboration. Why transformational change differs from organizational effectiveness change. A quick summary of the eight elements of Ray's organizational model. There were initially only five elements to Ray's organizational model.  How a leadership development program that Ray was asked to develop for a bank became a clarifying process for him, in terms of kinds of leadership and change.  The three different kinds of leadership. Why transformational leadership is the most difficult kind of leadership. What generative leadership brings about in an organization. What makes up the sufficiency of catalytic, transformational and generative leadership. The time that it takes to transform an organization. A book that made a big impact on Ray- Deep Change by Robert Quinn. Ray has an assessment called The Readiness For Change. You can take the assessment and work together with him to increase your readiness for change for the process. Resources: The Genysys Group Change Readiness Assessment Books:  In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters Deep Change by Robert Quinn    

How do you have an active influence over your future?  Did you know that you really can play a part in creating the kind of future for yourself that you could previously only imagine?  Towards the end of last week's episode, Ray began talking about his concept of the Four Approaches to the Future, as it relates to transformation- both for individuals and for organizations. On this episode we focus on what we call the Four Approaches to the Future. This is a concept that Ray has used for year and has daily application for everyone. These are theoretical tools that have a practical application for every individual. Listen in today to find out how you can get unstuck and shift your approach to the future to one that you'd really prefer to have. The Four Approaches to the Future is a really powerful tool. It forms a framework for the way that you look at the world and for the way that you make choices and decisions in your life. We're really excited to be sharing this with you today because it can be used by individuals looking to transform and change their approach to life, and also by organizations, to help them to dig deep and think about the way that they intend to approach the future. Listen in today to find out all about The Four Approaches to the Future and how they can really help you to transform your life, or your organization.   Show Highlights: Ray gives an overview of The Four Approaches to the Future.  How the Four Approaches to the Future can help in dealing with change. Ray explains that the first approach is reactive, based on stimulus-response. A reactionary response is a very common way of dealing with change. The first approach may be the most important approach because its outcome is survival, but it has its limitations. The second approach, called the responsive approach, is similar to the first approach. The difference between the responsive and reactive approaches is a pause.  The importance of the quality of the pause that precedes a response. The third approach is the pro-active approach. The pro-active approach is anticipating the future before it arrives so that you will be ready to deal with it. The inventive approach is the fourth approach to the future. The fourth approach is based on the assumption that we can influence the future by envisioning it and then acting on what we envision. Looking at the percentage of your time that you give to each of the four responses, realizing that they all have value.  The proactive and the inventive approaches are both strategic in nature, whereas the reactive and the responsive approaches are operational. The cyclical nature of the process. How having a vision can start changing your reactions. The change takes place in our actions. How Ray makes use of The Four Approaches to the Future when working in an organizational context. Ray shares a few stories about how some organizations have used the four approaches to help them to initiate change. Links: You can find out more about the work Ray does at www.thegenysysgroup.com You can find Amy at www.theartofpoweringdown.com Our online course for Strategic Futuring will be released soon!