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IDEAS, NEWS AND RESOURCES | June 2018
We hope you enjoy receiving our newsletter which includes constructionist ideas and practices as well as news and resources from the Taos Institute.
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Brief Encounters with The Taos Institute
June 2018
This month we welcome Harlene Anderson, PhD, Taos Institute Board member and co-founder, as she shares aspects of the keys to success in.....
Handmaidens to Power
Advice from Executive Assistants on Keys to Success
By Harlene Anderson, PhD
In a conversation with Jane Seiling, Taos Institute Associate and author of
The Membership Organization,
our talk drifted to the topic of executive assistants to CEOs. The conversation sparked a curiosity about what we can learn from these "experts" who perform such vital behind-the-scenes work. I spoke with
executive assistants at the peak of their careers, all women working with high-powered executives in industries including oil and gas, banking, higher education, and media. I asked about their histories, roles, and advice for those on this career path and for executives.
Consistent with my collaborative-dialogic practice orientation, I began with broad questions to invite them to share what they deemed important. I participated in their storytelling by exploring the narrative fragments of their stories with questions and comments, encouraging them to expand and help me understand. Following are selected themes, illustrated with italicized quotes.
Trust and respect:
Trust and respect must be mutual features of an executive assistant-executive relationship. Showing it invites it in return.
Trust and respect are more important than material gifts, but you have to earn it.
Give me a project and let me run with it.
Pride:
Pride in the executive, the organization, and the executive assistant's role is essential.
Take pride in your boss and organization and in your position and accomplishments, but
be prepared to not be the one to receive the accolades.
Relationship skills:
Building and maintaining good relationships with the executive and members at all levels of the organization is crucial.
You are the link between your boss and the rest of the company.
I think I learned early that if you want to be treated well by everybody, then you treat everyone well, whether it's the janitor or the CEO.
Professionalism
: Confidences, discretion, and good social judgment are vital.
Do not share confidential information under any circumstance.
You can go to lunch and happy hour, but you must not get involved in gossip.
Information:
The success and life of the organization depends on communication. I
nformation is critical to bridging relationships and accomplishing goals. The executive assistant is often privy to information that the boss is not, and must know how to use it astutely.
Familiarize yourself with everything that comes across your desk.
Need to control the flow of information...store it and use it when appropriate.
Partners:
The executive assistant-executive relationship is a collaborative partnership.
He used the speakerphone a lot so I heard both sides of the conversation. He called me
his partner. We were completely in step and I was doing things before he hung up the
phone. I would hear the conversation and anticipate what needed to be done.
Self-awareness:
The executive assistant position is demanding. Successful executive assistants know their strengths and when to exert them.
I've learned that my perfectionism is a key to success at work but not at home.
Networking
: The executive assistant is a key link between the executive and members of the organization and must build networks of trust.
You need their [other employees'] support, especially the support of other women.
Treat each person as kindly as you do the president.
Stress management:
The executive assistant position requires the ability to manage a demanding schedule and to balance business and personal life.
I will stay here until midnight and be back at 7 if that's what it takes.
If he calls you from London at 2 am, you need to be there.
Attitude
: The executive assistant must have a personal investment in the success of the executive, the organization, and themselves. A positive attitude is 100 percent critical to this success.
Do what it takes to get the job done.
My attitude about work is always if it's there work to be done, let's do it.
Successful executive assistants are forward thinkers who have the "gift of anticipation." They take enormous pride in doing a good job and thrive on challenges. They have extraordinary organization, time management, and people skills. They know when to say "yes" and when and how to say "no" diplomatically.
The women I spoke with challenged the negative view of the executive assistant (or any woman in a "pink collar" position) as a sort of "vessel," an interchangeable figure that has no expertise or value of their own. To the contrary, the women I talked with were strikingly invaluable to the success of their bosses and organizations. They had expertise and power and knew when and how to use it.
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Taos Institute Events and Gatherings
The Many Ways to Get Involved.....
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The Taos Institute Silver Jubilee
Exploring 25 Years of Innovation in Social Construction around the World
A Conference and a Celebration!
November 8 - 11, 2018
(Pre-conference Nov. 7-8)
Cancun, Mexico
Join in as together, WE:
- Celebrate the Taos Institute's Silver Anniversary
- Explore 25 years of innovation in social construction theory and practice
- Meet colleagues and friends from around the world
- Welcome a new generation of scholars and practitioners
- Create opportunities for dialogue, sharing practices, performance and fun!
We hope you will join us and bring along with you someone new to social construction and relational practice - student, colleague, co-worker, friend!
Let's co-create the future and engage with the next generation!
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Click on the image to watch the video as two of the Taos co-founders Reflecting on the Exciting Things Happening |
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Taos Workshops
- Social Construction, Relational Theory and Transformative Practices, with Sheila McNamee and Harlene Anderson
Taos Online Courses
- NEW - An Inquiry into Relational Leading Practice, an 8-week online course, with Ginny Belden-Charles
- Social Construction: Premises and Promises - a 6-week online course, with Celiane Camargo-Borges
Friends of the Taos Institute Workshops and Events
- Appreciative Inquiry Community Jam! Lifting the Appreciative Voice and Choice Everyday.
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Summer Leadership Lab
Creating new knowledge and new models for the visionary leadership of the future together with leading researchers and practitioners
Tue, July 3, 2018 -
Wed. July 4, 2018
Søhuset, Hørsholm, Denmark
For all the information and to register, visit:
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Relational Welfare
An International Conference in Collaborative Practices and Human Centered Governance
Relational Welfare and Relational Leadership
June 27 - 29 2018, Aarhus, Denmark
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The Taos Institute's International
Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practice
Pursue Your Dreams
- Earn a diploma for pursuing a project that excites you - writing a book, studying a topic, learning about new practices, engaging in action research, developing a website, creating a video, and more...
Travel with a Thought Companion
- Enjoy the company of a PhD scholar-practitioner in your pursuits, stimulating reflection and creativity.
Choose Venues for Learning
- Select from a range of on-line courses, or conference experiences relevant to your pursuits.
Join a Creative Community
- Participate in a global network of engaged scholars and practitioners.
Earn a Diploma of Distinction
- Become the recipient of a diploma from the Taos Institute, a non-profit, global organization, offering meaningful education experiences for over 25 years.
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International Relational Research Network
Third International Virtual Symposium:
Challenges and Opportunities of Doing Research from a Relational Perspective
Save the Date:
September 25-26, 2018
Poster sessions online from Sept. 21 - 28, with live conversations and keynote talks Sept. 25-26.
In different settings:
- Academia, Community, NGOs, Indigenous communities
All the information will be available soon! Please visit the Taos Institute website at:
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NEW Book - First Appreciative Inquiry Book for Kids!
STAN AND THE FOUR FANTASTIC POWERS
AVAILABLE NOW!!
Meet the main character, Stan, and hear all about his adventures with Appreciative Inquiry. The book translates the research and application of appreciative inquiry in schools into a book for and about children. Meet the intergenerational team, comprised of an Appreciative Inquiry expert, Nationally Certified School Psychologist, two middle school students, and an artist, and learn about their journey co-authoring the first ever appreciative inquiry book for kids.
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WorldShare Books includes publications in English, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Arabic, and even Farci.
Donate to the Peggy Penn WorldShare Books Fund
This fund helps to cover the expenses of offering these online books free of charge to anyone in the world.
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Paths to Positive Aging: Dog Days with a Bone and Other Essays
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by Mary and Ken Gergen
Mary and Ken Gergen are devoted to the cause of reinventing aging. To focus on the gains of aging is to realize that the later years are among the richest and most rewarding of one's life. In their dedication to this reconstruction, the Gergens publish the Positive Aging Newsletter, an electronic newsletter, available in seven languages (
www.positiveaging.net).
In this book, the Gergens share ideas and experiences designed to inspire others as they age.
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Communicating Possibilities:
A Brief Introduction to the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM)
by Ilene Wasserman and Beth Fisher-Yoshida
Communicating Possibilities is an introduction to the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM), a practical theory which at its roots, is an approach to looking at our social interactions. In the process of stepping back to look at our interactions and how we construct our social worlds, we open possibilities of alternative paths and outcomes. CMM offers tools and frameworks to use so when we pause and notice what we are making together and how, we open up spaces to make better choices with more desirable relationships each turn of the way.
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Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM): A Research Manual
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by Natasha A Rascon and Stephen Littlejohn
Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM): A Research Manual invites those who are interested, intrigued, or invested in CMM to explore the theory as method. Through conversations, Rascon and Littlejohn discussed the many research possibilities and created a manual that offers several frameworks for practical research. The manual provides contexts for applying CMM tools and models as well as many examples from researchers and professionals. Those who have been introduced to CMM and are interested in discovering possibilities for their research and practical interests at any level should enjoy the offerings of this book.
For more information
→
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By focusing on the positive aspects of aging, and the availability of resources, skills, and resiliencies, research not only brings useful insights into the realm of practice but creates hope and empowers action among older people. By moving beyond practices of repair and prevention, to emphasize growth-enhancing activities, practitioners also contribute more effectively to the societal reconstruction of aging.
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Join the Taos Institute NING Online Community website
Participate in online conversations, share resources, ask questions, connect with others doing similar work. Also, we feature special events on this community website.
Join in many different forums, groups and conversations:
1. Taos Institute Europe 2. Collaborative Governance 3. Relational Learning 4. Relational Research 5. Taos Latin America 6. Intergenerativity and Innovation
and many more at:
http://taoslearning.ning.com/
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Welcome (Bienvenidos) to the International Journal of Collaborative Practices. The Journal brings together members of a growing international community of practitioners, scholars, educators, researchers, and consultants interested in postmodern collaborative practices.
Sponsored by Taos Institute and Houston Galveston Institute
I
ssue 7- Available Now in English and Spanish -
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AI Practitioner - An Online Journal
We invite you to discover an appreciative world in 2018 by taking out an individual subscription for AI Practitioner. Support the future growth and vision of the online journal and the continued publication of articles written by and for practitioners and scholars of Appreciative Inquiry and related disciplines. As a member of the Taos community, you are eligible for a 25% discount when you use the coupon code - taos25% - when you sign up for your subscription.
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World Positive Education Accelerator and Appreciative Inquiry Summit on Education
June 25- 28, 2018, Fort Worth, Texas
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You can help to make a difference...
These are challenging times, and you can make a difference by supporting the Taos Institute's efforts to bring about more promising futures.
Help us to continue our work in:
- Creating and Expanding Collaborative Practices Globally
- Promoting Dialogic Means for Reducing Conflict
- Providing Degree Opportunities for Practitioners
- Offering Cutting Edge Publications in Multiple Languages: Free or at Low Cost
- Generating Resources for Positive Aging
- Creating Global Forms and Conferences for Constructing New Futures
Given the perilous global context into which we are moving, we feel the work in which we are engaged is more important than ever. We hope you can join with us as we continue to develop resources to aid the global community in co-creating more viable futures.
The Taos Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and all donations are tax deductible in the US.
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The Taos Institute's mission is to bring together scholars and practitioners concerned with the social processes essential for the construction of reason, knowledge, and human value.
We are committed to exploring, developing and disseminating ideas and practices that promote creative, appreciative and collaborative processes in families, communities and organizations around the world through a social constructionist lens.
We look forward to your participation in the dialogue.
Keep up with our updates!
Dawn Dole, Executive Director
The Taos Institute
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