Intended Audience

Seasoned change practitioners who, although already skilled in their craft, are committed to raising the level of their effectiveness, as well as that of the change execution profession, and want to do so by focusing on who they are, not what they do.

Seasoned — Participants must have several years of experience facilitating the execution of significant change and the scar tissue and lessons learned to show for it.

Change Practitioners — The program is intended for any professional whose primary focus is fostering individual, group, organizational, and/or societal levels of change.

Highly Skilled — Participants must be proficient in the application of one or more change execution approaches. (It doesn’t matter which ones.)

Committed — This program is not for the casually interested, those who stand on the sidelines and observe, or anyone unwilling to complete the preparation assignments.

Raising the level of their effectiveness — Cohorts will be comprised of highly skilled change professionals who believe there is still much more for them to incorporate into the range and depth of their capabilities.

As well as that of the change execution profession — Those attending should relate to their work as a “calling,” not a job, and be invested in advancing the overall field, not just their own capabilities.

By focusing on who they are, not what they do — It is assumed participants have access to and are proficient in the use of various implementation methodologies, tools, and techniques and now want to raise their game by making “how they show up” a developmental priority.

Selection Criteria for Candidates

The following key terms/phrases serve as selection criteria for candidates of the program.

Three Domains of Learning

Offerings that focus on technical development are “what-I-do” oriented. (What is the right tool or technique to use in certain circumstances?) Offerings that are introspective and generative in nature are “who-I-am” oriented. (What is my true nature as a practitioner, how does bringing my full self forward impact clients, and what is my potential that has not yet unfolded?)

All three types of learning—technical, introspective, and generative—are essential to furthering your capacity to provide value to clients, but they are not all readily available. There is an abundance of technically oriented development opportunities for practitioners who want to sharpen their methodology, tools, and technique skills. However, there are few learning environments for change professionals that are designed specifically for introspective and generative discovery.

What is called for is an atmosphere where introspective and generative discovery can be explored in a safe but challenging setting. Raising Your Game is offered precisely for this purpose. This two-day program is for practitioners wanting to examine what is true at the core of who they are that either aids or encumbers them from increasing the impact they have with clients.

Program Content

Central to the program is exploring the relationship between a practitioner’s character, presence, and the impact he or she has with clients:

Your true nature is synonymous with “who you are” and it has an epicenter called your character, which is conveyed through the presence you cast. The kind of impact you have depends on how well your character and presence match with what resonates with clients.

• Of all the things we draw on to create leverage with clients, our true nature is the greatest asset we have. Only when we see it as core to the value we provide are we able to live up to our full potential and help others do the same. It is who we are, not what is in our bag of intervention tricks, which ultimately determines whether we generate meaningful benefits for clients. This means that, as change practitioners, the secret sauce isn’t in our heads, it’s in our hearts.
• Character is the essence of who we are and isn’t directly accessible to anyone but ourselves. Our interior character needs a “voice” in order to be expressed to the exterior world. Think of the presence we extend to others as that voice. It is like a force field we create when we convey who we are and it serves as the functional link between our character and the impact we have with clients.
• Character is like clay in the shape of our inner nature. Presence is a reflection of that shape in a mirror. Impact is the positive or negative experience clients have when exposed to the mirror’s representation. If you want a more positive impact with clients, work the clay, don’t reach for the mirror. It is only through embracing and positively leveraging the innate character we have to work with that our presence can mature enough to have the impact we aspire to.
• Character and presence is what separates change technicians who submit deliverables and meet timelines from masterful  practitioners who provide clients with valuable insight and wisdom.