Fact Company Article, "The Power of Words", by Harriet Rubin, January 1999.

Liberating People Doesnt have to be Cruel

The article followed the process Fernando Flores uses as a million-dollar consultant in helping business leaders turn their companies profitable. Flores uses intentional speech and purposeful actions as his tools. During his sessions, Flores teaches people how to keep each other accountable and avoid making excuses through a scripted conversation. The concept I support however, the cruelty I do not.

The script goes something like this:

Facilitator asks groups to assess one group member.

Whatever the group member hears, he or she answers, "Thank you for that assessment. I appreciate your sincerity. I would like to have further conversations with you about that topic."

Then the assessor responds, "Thank you."

Person assessed, "Youre welcome."

The respectful nature of this script could be very useful to our work in clusters in Extension. Holding each other (and ourselves) accountable can be a challenge. We tend to let things go or talk about the problem to other people. This script could help us work through accountability in a polite structured fashion. It would still be very difficult, but there would be parameters to work with.

What I dont like is the cruel and demeaning way some of the assessments sound in the examples given. For example, "Tomas, you are blind, egotistical, and inwardly focused." I dont see where name-calling can be constructive. Flores feels that if people make assessments such as this, the person will see they can come through the assessment period safely and trust will be built. The open atmosphere will not allow the person assessed or the assessor to hide from what is really happening. I feel openness can be achieved without demeaning people.

Flores believes in the magic of transformation. There are three realms according to Flores: What You Know You Know, What You Dont Know and What You Dont Know You Dont Know. The final realm mentioned is to "notice opportunities that have the power to reinvent your company".

In a conversation with two co-workers, we talked about how people dont know what they dont know. And how our job in community education is to help people learn what they dont know they dont know. Often, this is what prevents people from coming to a workshop or other forms of education. Bringing the community along can take a significant amount of time to build the support, network, and eventual educational campaign.

For example, we have been working with violence prevention in Traverse County for five years with awareness campaigns, media campaigns, decision-maker collaborations, teacher in-service, and student programs. I thought we have been very successful and come a long way. However, in a recent meeting three individuals had no idea what has been happening in the community around violence prevention.

In summary, I think Flores is on the right track in concepts. However, I differ with the procedures, which I view as cruel. I believe openness, trust and transformation can happen without demeaning members of the group.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 1999

Answers

Melissa Persing,

Thanks for your discussion on "The Power of Words." I agree with your take on this as being a cruel method of communicating. Communication is one of the most essential components of our worklife, and it is critical that we use constructive methods that focus on behaviors that can be changed. Well written.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 1999