A corporation recently hired me. They needed a single topic AL series, so I went through the standard preparations, including my constant ritual reminders that not only do I not know how this will play out, it is my job not to know. Only then am I prepared to be surprised as the group navigates their own breakthroughs. In this case, our group work began in an ordinary way. Then, in the first intervention, I asked: “What is the quality of our questions?” Their response was anything but standard. Read More

The Action Learning coach brings the power of individual coaching to the group level, but is even more powerful because Action Learning groups work only on real problems requiring real solutions. The action learning coach not only establishes rapport with the group members but also builds empathy and trust between group members. Through the Action Learning process the group members’ self-awareness is not only raised by the coach, but also by virtue of the process. Rather than setting goals for the group, the coach leads the group to set its own goals. Read More

Year 2020 was not just a year after 2019, but a year full of changes in all of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic had brought the “New Normal” lifestyles into all walks of life. As the pandemic continues to spread across the world, more people are being affected physically, mentally and financially. Read More

WIAL Philippines was invited to pilot test the e-Course and Blended Learning Program. It was very timely – the materials were ready just in time for our scheduled 4-day Intensive. We were stoked to test the new format, and contribute to this huge milestone for WIAL. We were even more excited because this was to be our first certification program in close to 2 years, given the global pandemic. And so we wanted to re-launch with a bang! This article presents the personal insights about the experience from the point of view of Cristina Alafriz (MALC mentor) and Audrey Arayata (CALC Candidate). Read More

The first group reframed the problem to “how to quantify the behavior of employees in embracing the corporate culture”. They have reached the realization stage of the project and have some preliminary results.The second group went through problem reframing. The topic became “How to make Mela’s stocking more resilient in the VUCA era.”
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Problem presenters play a key role in the success of our action learning programs. Not only should they bring real and urgent challenges to work on for which they have accountability, they can role model strong questioning to ensure the team is performing at their best. As coaches, one of our responsibilities is to prepare problem presenters for this essential work. I learned the importance of this the hard way. It was 2009 and I had just received my coaching certification. I was piloting an action learning program at Microsoft, where I worked as a leadership development consultant, and we selected a number of senior leaders. Read More

Over the years respective Governments of the Caribbean Region have outlined their vision for a Transformed Public Sector. Earlier this year, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in one of his Speeches on Public Sector Transformation noted: A transformed public sector is dynamic, innovative, and responsive to the needs of citizens and businesses, and embraces technology to improve productivity at work. It is constantly measuring itself, and improving, and sees the citizen as the customer to be served. But why aren’t we having the public sector transformation we envisage in spite of the passage of time? Read More

Robust reflection is one of the core principles of Action Learning. Deliberate reflection on life’s rich experiences allows us to systematically learn from them. In this article, I’ll share some hopefully useful learnings I’ve had as a passionate Action Learning advocate and practitioner over a number of years. My sincere hope is that these learnings, gained from great successes and spectacular failures, might help WIAL affiliates, coaches, and of course our clients. I would invite anyone who is committed to enhancing their selling skills to very seriously consider the questions-based “SPIN” selling process. Read More

I do believe that Action Learning is one of the greatest approaches when it comes to solving a problem, but there is more. Once, about 6 years ago, I was a part of the group of Action Learning coaches that got together to solve a problem one of them had. It was an incredible experience: as if a team of superhumans went grocery shopping. It takes much less than they are truly capable of: but this did not discourage, it did the opposite, it inspired them. There was everything: enough pauses for listening and building on each other’s questions, lots of enthusiasm and grace in living it through. Read More

In recent years, I’ve begun to wonder whether the name of our method, Action Learning (AL), is confusing our clients and the public. It is not surprising, for example, that clients see AL as a form of experiential training. That conclusion would be especially natural for US clients who have preferred experiential training methods over the standard lecture-style training for several decades. When answering the above question, I have often replied that they are both important and that coaches should make an effort to balance learning with action. Further, we have required teams to end each AL session with action steps. Read More