Resources on Still Waters in general
Here you can find articles on the overall concept of Still Waters and the aspects that should be common, regardless of which service you are interested in.
The Learning Ladder
We have much to learn. No matter how far along life’s path I travel I am always reminded of my ignorance and incompetence. It’s humbling and at the same time extremely nourishing. I find one of the juiciest aspects of my work is to find myself in the company of someone (or a group of people) who still has an appetite to learn, particularly if, like me, they are getting old and grizzled. When this happens I often find a model helps people make sense of their experience and it’s then I usually reach for the learning ladder.
Above and Below the Line
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms; to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” Viktor Frankl. This quote by Viktor Frankl is the heart and soul of the simplest Challenger tool (link) I was taught; above and below the line.
The Confront Model
I find myself using the confront model more and more in my work. There is much that needs confronting and yet it often feels to me like we are becoming less skilled at the art doing it successfully. Too often conversation leads to difference, which leads to debate and then breakdown; with entrenched views, righteousness and ‘othering’ being the norm. The difficulties we have with confronting situations lead to us become either more aggressive in our position or conflict-avoidant. This is the essence of the confront model.
The Four Ps
People use the four Ps tool as a way of developing a clearer understanding about their own attitude in any given situation. It is a simple tool to use but one that people seem to find really helpful as a way of codifying and legitimising how they are feeling, and therefore better able to own and describe their mindset. It also helps people notice whether they are getting stuck in a dominating attitude over time, which in turns can cause a personal breakthrough.
What Are Challenger Tools?
I was introduced to the concept of challenger leadership when I joined Relume (link), who are the well-spring for all thing Challenger as far as I am concerned. ‘Challenger tools’ is a term I, and they, use a lot, but what does it mean? There is no official definition that I am aware of so how here’s mine:- An assortment of helpful devices for accessing and activating the possibility of change.
The Six Keys To Success
I’ve always been a bit resistant to lists of things. Perhaps as a child I was expressing anti-religious orthodoxy, but why not eleven commandments or six deadly sins? Who gets to decide something so definitive? Or later in life was I just playing devil’s advocate when I wondered what the eighth habit of highly effective people was and questioned how Stephen Covey could be so sure there were only seven? And so I am an unlikely candidate for advocating for six keys to success – but here I am doing just that.
Why Before How And How Before What
When I was setting up Still Waters it was all pretty chaotic in my head for a while. I spent several near-sleepless nights (why is it so much more chaotic at night?!) trying to work out the detail of what I was going to do when I remembered Simon Sinek’s ‘golden circle’ model. Focus first on “Why?”, then “How?”, and the “What?” will look after itself.