Strengthening Individual and Group Capacities for Consensus and Collaboration. 

On this page I’ll give you a sense of values and beliefs that guide my work, how I work with organizations and individuals, and how Sierra Circle Consulting differs from other consulting firms.

Expect Results

When you work with me you can expect to see desirable and sustainable changes in your group’s performance and productivity. Expect a clear focus to the group’s work and a detailed plan that captures that focus.  Expect a strong commitment to implement the work they have planned, both individually and as a team.

Along with these results that will impact your bottom line, expect to experience the strategic impact of these “soft” results: new energy, creativity and a new sense of unity among the group. Strengthened teams and emerging leadership. Expect more open and honest communication between people and between units and levels within the organization.

Some Values and Beliefs That Guide My Work

Collaboration and consensus work for the good and well being of individuals, organizations, communities and society as a whole – and don’t we need more of this?

Challenges in today’s complex world call for a system-wide response.

The wisdom, expertise, judgment, and intuition to resolve the issues facing an organization reside within the organization, often needing only a structured participative process to access them.

Involving people in the decisions that affect them and their work taps enormous motivation and energy to implement the decisions and plans that they own because they have created them.

Inclusive participation with profound respect ensures that every voice is heard, every insight is considered, and every individual feels accepted and honored in the group’s work.

Each person has both rational and intuitive capacities which when accessed in meetings can result in awesome group creativity. Teamwork and collaboration help organizations get their work done effectively and efficiently.

Regular reflection as a group on their work helps groups access and share deeper insights and learnings about their work and how they work together. This helps teams learn, grow and develop, thus improving the organization.

Facilitation is rapidly growing as a profession. I am one of the founders of  the International Association of Facilitators (IAF),  and I follow the IAF Code of Ethics in all my work. Click on the link to read about the IAF and the Code of Ethics.
 
I work in two ways:

1. As an professional group facilitator guiding your meeting.
2. Providing facilitative leadership training and coaching.

A good way to find out more about my approach is to subscribe to my newsletter, Participation Matters! Sign up now in the form in the column to the left.

As a Professional Group Facilitator . . .

1. In a design conference I work collaboratively with you to identify the critical issues to be addressed by the group, discern the priority focus for the meeting and the outcomes you need. 
2. I propose an overall design for your meeting that will meet your objectives. I go over it with you and fine tune it, if needed. We agree on our respective responsibilities to ensure successful event.
3. I design in detail the workshops, processes, timeline and materials for the meeting and use them to facilitate your meeting as an objective presence neutral on content but guiding the process and keeping it on track.
4. I document in both prose and visual images the major discussions, decisions and products in a very short turnaround time and in the hands of all participants so work can begin immediately with everyone moving forward together.
5. When implementation support is indicated, it is built into the project, not left to chance. I will follow up with conversations or meetings that we have agreed on to ensure implementation.
6. I am flexible. The methods I use are adaptable to different sizes of groups and various time frames. I facilitate meetings of very small groups and large ones of 100 or more participants.  I will work with you to craft a way forward that fits your budget and time restraints.

  

  

  

  

  

What makes my facilitated sessions unique?

I assume that practical solutions to a group’s challenges are to be found within the group itself. I don’t analyze your organization and leave you with my recommendations. My expertise is in designing and facilitating processes for interaction that increase your group’s capacity for creative strategic thinking, consensus decision making and action. 

I ask crucial questions to draw out the wisdom and experience of participants with diverse perspectives. I balance logical and rational processes with intuitive and creative ones that honor diverse thinking styles. I orchestrate discussions to thoughtful conclusions which build consensus resulting in shared ownership of plans built by the group itself.

Some consultants work with a small group of senior leaders and look at the whole of the organization. And I think they miss valuable input from the front lines and mid-levels and don’t get a complete picture of the organization. Or, they work with a segment of the organization and look at a specific function, such as marketing, or operations. Then the client may become confused, frustrated, or discouraged when the work of other functions doesn’t align with or support the new effort.

I do the opposite. The focus of my work is a mission-critical business issue that must be dealt with. I help you phrase the issue as a question that must be answered by the group. Examples: “How do we expand our markets in the face of the new governmental regulations?”  “How can we work together to provide positive, effective leadership for increasing economic development in [municipality name] over the next five ears?”

I get the whole system in the room, entirely or by cross-section representation, and look at the future of the whole system in relationship to that focus. Input comes from all levels and functions working simultaneously and collaboratively.

In my experience, this mission-focused approach greatly expands the possibilities of creative solutions and integrated strategies that are owned and supported by the whole organization instead of by individual departments, managers, or senior leadership.

This mission-focused approach helps a group make better informed decisions a lot faster than usual, saving time and money, and my clients are happier. You will be amazed and pleased at the amount of work you can get done in a short time, the quality of your decisions, and that “egos didn’t get in the way” as one manager told me.

I’ve een to a lot of meetings in my 32 years at Lockheed… …I’ve tried to compare what came out of those meetings to what we’ve accomplished in the last two days.  The kind of words that come to mind are ‘awesome’ and ‘mind-boggling.’  How much productive work we accomplished in two days!  It’s really an amazing thing.”    Joe Reagan, VP and General Manager, R&DD, Lockheed

Participants begin to re-image their work. They see the big picture. They begin to see possibilities instead of problems. They are energized by having a shared vision of where they are headed and their role in getting there.

Additionally, what happens is a shift in attitude regarding the organization and their individual role in it because their work has become more meaningful to them. Once the tough decisions have been made, the spirit of collaboration and trust that went into those decisions grows within that group and spreads to others. You can read about some amazing results our clients achieved working collaboratively to plan and implement new strategies. Case Studies and Testamonials

  My Transformative Training

Leaders gain confidence in their ability to support participative approaches and strategies in their organization or community. They not only learn new facilitative leadership skills but also practice using them in a comfortable setting with feedback from participants and trainers.

What makes ToP® training unique?
In the basic training, ToP Facilitation Methods (TFM), you learn to use three powerful group methods to lead three of the most common group activities – conversation, decision-making, and planning. The faculty is well trained and has years of experience training and facilitating with the methods. The sessions are very practical and interactive.  

1. We demonstrate each method with the workshop participants.
2. We do an interactive review of the steps of the method and your experience of it.
3. We lead learning exercises focused on the methods.
4. You practice using the methods in small groups with constructive feedback from trainers and peers. This practice is often mentioned as the most valuable part of the training.
5. You receive a 80-page manual to use in the training which becomes a valuable reference after the training is over and you begin to use the methods in your work. It contains step-by-step procedures for using the three methods with additional information, hints and tips on facilitating group participation.

 

Most participants get a new image of what it means to facilitate with inclusive participation and profound respect. This leads to a change of attitude about facilitating a group. Along with the practice sessions, this “imaginal” aspect to my training is what makes it transformative.

Read what these participants say about their experience with the ToP methods training.

“…There was actually practicing the methods being taught.  And so, I think practicing, having someone step out of their comfort zone of just sitting, listening, and hearing information, but actually doing, their attitude about facilitating a group changes.”  From a ToP® training participant survey response

“Thank you for the great training…You are such a terrific resource! You have so much knowledge, wisdom and practical experience with the ToP methods.” Don Ferretti, Eldorado County Dept. of Health

My Catalytic Coaching

Facilitative Leadership Coaching  - I support leaders in developing a facilitative style of leadership.

ToP Methods Coaching - online support for people who have taken the training and use the methods

• Group Leaders (managers, project leads, team leaders) who use the ToP methods in their workplace.
• Consultants, facilitators and trainers who use the ToP® methods with their clients.
• ToP Trainer Network members who want to strenghthen their knowledge of the methods applications and deepen their theoretical understanding of the ToP® approach to participation and facilitation with a Mentor Trainer.

Strategic Action Coaching - support for solo entrepreeurs and independent professionals to align their mission, vision and strategy and develop a strategic action plan.

Coaching can be done face-to-face and by phone. Regular check-signals phone calls to look at what has been accomplished, what hasn’t, and next steps keep momentum high. A 90-day Reality Check includes a celebration of accomplishments and an updated plan.

“Your willingness to provide just-in-time consultation on the phone gave me the confidence to experiment with the methods from day one. I have used them with physicians and controllers in strategic planning and hospital administrators in offsite planning and with many groups in evaluating learnings.” Laura Peck, OD Consultant, Kaiser Permanente

My facilitation, training, and coaching are based on the valuable Technology of Participation (ToP®) methods that support diversity, participation, creativity, teamwork, reflection and action. 

“I would encourage any individual or organization to consider using Patricia Tuecke and Sierra Circle Consulting for planning, training, development of strategy, team and leadership skills.”  Phyllis Grupe. Retreat Committee Chair, San Joaquin A+

Now that you have a better idea about the results you get in working with Sierra Circle Consulting and how we approach our work with clients, go to the Services page to learn about specific services and programs Sierra Circle Consulting offers.