Prize giving and Graduation

Management Consultancy International held our annual prize giving ceremony to acknowledge the efforts of learning and development managers and also to reward excellence that was displayed by candidates.
Prize winners included:
Daniel Fluckiger from Allianz Insurance as training manager of the year. Daniel is committed to training and passionate about everything he does. He has introduced new training programs to the business and these are positively received and are making a big impact.
Learning and Assessment team of the year went to the L and D team from Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics. They put together superb TAA portfolios and showed their commitment to the process.
Program of the year went to Perisher Blue where they have been working towards their Certificate 4 in Frontline Management. The portfolios received were of a very high standard and the group participation in the program was excellent - what's more they are applying the skills acquired.
Other prize winners include Tanya Mittaga from Toll Personnel as Training Administrator of the Year for her skills and commitment to rolling out a national program in Frontline Management.
Students recognised for the high level of their portfolios of evidence include Andy Harcombe from Tyco, Matthew Attard from Sensis and Spiro Tzvaris from FujiXerox.

Lego Serious Play

What a remarkable response to the introduction of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methodology into Australia!
We held our first breakfast session where we did a demo of the process to a group of 20 participants who were actively participating. All responded in a positive way and many comments included:
"This could be really useful for my organisation when a new project team gets together"
"I would look to use this to offer a different way of ensuring that people listen to OHS messages."
One of the activities of the day included a surprise instruction that involved change. The reaction from some of the participants was really interesting as they grappled with including the changes into their models. The looks on their faces were in some cases anxious to say the least and one participant commented angrily: "Why couldn't she have said something a lot sooner!"
This highlighted to the group just how tough it can be to introduce even the smallest changes that unsettle the team and create a range of responses - not all of them positive!
The use of the bricks in telling the stories of what is currently going on in organisations was also so interesting - one participant used the red transparent bricks to show the "blood that is flowing in his organisation". The bricks become a powerful metaphor that is readily shared and understood - we sure felt his pain!
Have a look at some of the amazing models that were built during the session which reflect challenges that participants are facing at work.

LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

Yesterday I ran a highly successful session at a major publishing organisation using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methodology as a basis for a Creative Thinking program. The participants included managers and team members from a range of different divisions including marketing, conferencing and editorial.
The day covered areas such as how to use imagination in different ways; how to involve a wide diversity of team members in generating ideas; how to work with the concept of 'flow'; how to create challenges through change; practical application of the 6 hats thinking concepts and action strategies for reviving and refreshing teams who are feeling 'flat'.
The outcomes from the day were some very useful designs for the way forward as well as some deep insights into how the team could function more effectively moving forward.
The participants are so keen to spread the word in the organisation that they want to start a legolution!
Comments from the day indicate just how much the participants benefited from the session:
"Everyone in this business should do this program!"
"I saw different ways of thinking and of imagining."
"I learnt about the various creative thinking techniques and how to improve my team's creative discussion"
"Loved every minute of it! A very warm and accepting environment to take risks and explore new ideas and ways of thinking."
"Helped me to understand methods for unlocking creative thought"
"Lots of fun. Very inspirational"
"Took me out of the doldrums in terms of leading my team through changes"
"The course covered a number of strategies that I can use on a regular basis with my team."

School Business Week

I was asked to mentor a group of school children in Year 10 who are participating in Business Week. The aim of the week is to encourage children to understand the world of business and they work through a business simulation activity.
I felt it really important to be there as there were no other female mentors participating - this sends the signal to girls that the world of business is only open to males.
The group was working on the launch of a hotel and had to fulfil various functions such as setting a budget, launching a marketing campaign and issuing shares.
One girl in the group was in tears as the 'CEO' of the team had spoken to her harshly. A fellow student came to console her and I listened in to the conversation. The fellow student spoke to the tearful student with such a high level of emotional intelligence and with a maturity beyond her years. She showed her how to use empathy and see things from someone else's perspective.
I was really impressed by the use of this skill and asked the girl who provided the counselling what her role was in this hotel launch.
I am the HR Manager she said! Well, of course she was...

Video - LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

View this video to get a sense of what is possible through a LEGO SERIOUS PLAY session and imagine how you could use this methodology to suit the needs of your organisation.

Adapting LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

The great thing about LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is that is has so many adaptations to a range of different organisational situations. This is the first time that Australian businesses have use of this methodology through the official LEGO-r channels and what an opportunity it is!
We are currently using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY in the following cases:
1. We are delivering training to an organisation that needs to become more innovative and generate a culture of innovation in all teams. We have designed a day that includes De Bono's 6 hats thinking as well as some of the key principles of the LEGO methodology - working with hand-mind connections; inclusivity of all those in a meeting; effective brainstorming that moves from the individual to the group; differentiating between the different types of imagination and how these could be used effectively and also setting guiding principles for the facilitation of future innovation meetings.
2. We are also working with teams who are in a range of functional areas and who don't always see each other. How do they feel connected to the business goals and how do they establish a network amongst themselves so that they feel supported and not isolated. LEGO SERIOUS PLAY's real time team strategy day fits perfectly with this purpose and ensures that there is no more 'Lonely Guy' syndrome. Everyone becomes part of the system and feels that they are an important player in maintaining the system.
3. We are designing sessions that relate to culture change. One of Australia's top businesses wants to improve the team members' attitudes towards customer service. At present customer service representatives don't see the importance to the business of a strong customer service ethic and don't know how serving a customer better could in fact give them a more perfect day at work. They are currently stressed and face a range of conflict situations with no skills to resolve them. LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is going to be integrated into changing the outlook of the team members and their coordinators through a range of activities. These include allowing the team members to have a basic understanding of the Johari window and how these perceptions of themselves and how others perceive them are integrated into their total personality. There are also activities designed to allow the team members to build their own versions of team strategy and to feel how incidents from the outside have an impact on this strategy - they have the opportunity to act out how they would react in these situations and set their own team wisdom should these events occur.

LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

I spent the most incredible week in the USA with an amazing group of participants learning how to facilitate a range of sessions using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methodology.
Watch out Australia as Management Consultancy International incorporates this powerful tool into a range of applications for business. We will soon be updating our website to include more information and demonstrate the strong impact that LEGO SERIOUS PLAY has on team development and strategic thinking. Management Consultancy International has acquired the licence to use the process in Australia and we will soon bombard you with lots more detail.

The process incorporates story-telling and is inclusive of all participants. No more meetings where few contribute and no overall buy-in achieved. Using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY ensures full participation and the possibility of accomplishing more in 1 day than is otherwise possible. There are many other advantages as well as so many different ways of applying the methodology as required by teams and the outcomes they are seeking to achieve. It is a great tool for team building as well as development of

There were participants on the training program from just about every continent and as the group grappled with the process, firm bonds formed - yet more proof of the effectiveness of the tool in so many settings.
It was interesting being a participant instead of a facilitator and certainly the same old principles of learning apply - you get out as much out of the training as you put in and you learn so much from your fellow participants.

To give you a preview of what we learnt, have a look at some of the photos of the group in action: