Marcella Bremer's Blog: Marcella Bremer's blog, page 14

Position Power Over Others versus Personal Power With Others

A few recent experiences with large corporations made me think about power. I had to comply and adjust to one organization’s procedures – or they weren’t allowed to hire me. In another case, my contact insisted on a late-night Skype meeting even though it was very inconvenient for my schedule, and I had repeatedly told them I couldn’t make it. In all cases, my contacts were a bit indignant that I did not comply. Even though I tend to be flexible, I also have to manage my time and energy to deliver good work. Sometimes this means saying “No” – even when I thus miss out on earning their money. My prospects were stunned, to say the least. With the corporate power and money behind them, they were used to […]

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Do you want to make a Positive Difference?

Do you want a positive difference? If your answer is yes, positive leadership is your starting point. Positive leadership aims for the highest potential of an organization – instead of returning to “normal” after solving a problem it inspires people to go even further, into the realm of “positive deviance”. It often supports people to deliver beyond and above expectations. That’s exciting, right? But it doesn’t mean “pushing for positive performance”. It means enticing people to give their best because you are kind, open, trusting, compassionate and supportive. You are a positive leader when you are virtuous and optimistic. Professor Kim Cameron did extensive research and the evidence is clear: if you implement virtuousness, organizational performance goes up. Cameron’s interest in positive leadership began when the studied downsizing: almost all […]

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Positive Leadership toward Reinventing Organizations

Positive Leadership, based on positive psychology, makes a tremendous difference in any workplace no matter how hierarchical its structure may be, or how plain the tasks at hand. Because you can’t reinvent your organization overnight to become one of those self-organizing, vibrant, fulfilling and energizing workplaces doesn’t mean you are powerless! You can always apply positive leadership. What is Positive Leadership? Reinventing organizations is hot. And rightfully so. But there’s something you can do right away to develop your workplace for the better. Apply Positive leadership and kindness, whatever your role is. Positive leadership departs from faith – from an abundance mindset. It is looking to enlarge the pie instead of dividing its parts. Instead of going back to or staying at the default baseline at zero: “There are no […]

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Reinventing Organizations at Eye-level?

“Leaving the 20th century behind, I think we are ready and hungry to feel aliveness and connectedness – at work and at home”, said the German consultant Ulf Brandes during our interview. Together with four others, he created the documentary film Augenhöhe (German for eye-level) to show that it is possible to work at “eye-level” in organizations, instead of at different levels in an organizational pyramid: looking down on direct reports, looking up to your boss and, maybe, looking suspicious at the co-workers next to you… Ulf shared that in Germany, many people have pretty rigid ideas of what work has to be like. “We struggle with issues like dominance and obedience. Bosses need to be bossy and employees have duties. We have hidden beliefs like: If I don’t suffer […]

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Webinar: Dialogue, Organization Development and Culture

Or: why Information & Energy need to flow freely… Do you know those few, famous examples of extraordinary workplaces where people thrive… versus the Dilbert-like top-down hierarchies where people suffer or survive? I bet you do! But how to turn such an energy-depleting hierarchy into a thriving, dynamic workplace? And, why would you even try? Well, most organizations must become more innovative, agile and change-responsive – if they want to survive, let alone thrive. And that is where dialogue, organization development and culture come in. Join the free webinar on March 25 with Marcella Bremer to find out more…. Information & Energy Most modern organizations operate in a complex, even volatile context (their outside influences) and they are becoming more complex systems (their inside-out influences). As complex organizational systems, interacting […]

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Are you Separated or Connected?

Are you a change practitioner or an activist? Are you a leader or a learner? Interesting enough, these labels are starting to look like synonyms. You are a leader and a learner and a change maker and an activist. There’s a new spirit wandering the hallways of large office buildings, interfering in online discussion forums, hiding under the desk in prestigious board rooms, inspiring rebels and leaders, coaches and consultants alike. Consultants are spreading tolerance like wise men. Wise men are doing business, enhancing connection and collaboration where they can. The new spirit smiles silently… Fragmentation and isolation More and more people, whether they are part of the established elite or survive in the margins, are acknowledging that we can’t infinitely go on like we did before. Our workplaces hardly […]

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Webinar: Reinventing Organizations with Frederic Laloux

Can we create organizations free of the pathologies that show up all too often in the workplace? Free of politics, bureaucracy, and infighting; free of stress and burnout; free of resignation, resentment, and apathy; free of the posturing at the top and the drudgery at the bottom? Is it possible to reinvent organizations, to devise a new model that makes work productive, fulfilling, and meaningful? Join the free webinar on March 4 with Frederic Laloux to find out how…. Can we create soulful workplaces―schools, hospitals, businesses, and nonprofits―where our talents can blossom and our callings can be honored? Can we create organizations that help sustain the earth instead of depleting its resources? Many people might dismiss this as wishful thinking. “We have egos, we play politics, we like to blame, […]

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How to increase your impact in change projects?

As a seasoned change practitioner, do you have assignments where everything seems to go naturally and you really have an impact? As opposed to those where your client keeps misunderstanding you and the change projects stalls…? Daryl Conner, a long-time change professional, wondered why some change practitioners get it done – and others – with the same toolkit and experience – don’t accomplish much. He found an answer in our character and presence – WHO we are – that defines our unique contribution and whether or not we can impact this particular (client) organization. Practitioners themselves are part of the intervention with clients. Ready to raise your game? Then sign up for the free Webinar on February 18 (via http://nexus4change.org/event/landcma...). Daryl Conner is concerned about the change profession. “We’ve become […]

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Do you lose Energy?

How are you? In a hurry, scanning this text for news? Are you hunting for stimuli? Do you notice restlessness when you’re already tired? Maybe you live by a schedule that doesn’t leave space to slow down and to be mindfully aware of what really happens. But why would you bother to be mindfully present? Because you’ll waste your precious energy if you don’t… Well – I can’t speak for you. But I know that I need some time for silence – to be my best self again when I work with clients. When I don’t – I am less present in the moment. That means I might miss subtle but important clues that I only notice when I’m mindfully aware, with my presence in the here and now. Missing […]

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Are you awake?

How are you? Busy? Relaxed? Energized? Tired? I notice a pattern in modern life. I’m going too fast and packing too much in my days. I’m hunting for stimuli – or at least I’m distracted by them. I notice restlessness when I’m already tired. I see most people around me living by schedules that don’t leave space to slow down and to be mindfully aware of what really happens. How do you wake up to the present? I’m lucky though. Since I am self-employed, I can schedule time for contemplation. I know that I need some time for silence – to be my best self again when I work with clients. When I’m going too fast – I am less awake, less present in the moment. So I’ve started an […]

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