Brilliance by Design

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Summit event sponsored by the Ken Blanchard Companies -- purveyors of world class leadership development programs. This conference showcases client companies' application of the Situational Leadership methodology. The venue was the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California -- a beautiful Spanish colonial set of buildings nestled in the wooded section of this lovely California town -- approximately 15-20 miles North of San Diego.

During the conference I attended a short workshop led by Vicki Halsey, author of the book "Brilliance by Design". This book is an "how to" book -- on how to create learning experiences that connect, inspire, and engage participants. A must-have skill set for leaders and consultants.

Adult learning is an interesting discipline and one that captured my attention many years ago. In fact, I toyed with the idea of attending the Ph.D. program at Columbia University in the early '80's. Unfortunately, my work schedule did not permit me to do so, but I have never lost the passion for the subject.

Workshop design, in particular, is an important skill for organization development practitioners. Much of what they do involves the use of workshops for data collection, analysis and problem solving. I have attended one too many workshops that were poorly designed and ineffective. Some, I might have been personally responsible for. Not proud of that, though! I have struggled over the years to design workshops that connect, inspire and engage clients. But without solid training, I foundered along.

We were given a complimentary copy of the book. I am reading it as we speak, and I have already found much to learn and apply. I recommend it. It easily written and it is chuck full of examples, tables, questionnaires, and hints. It is published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, California. It costs a mere $ 18.95.