I took part in a week-long course, Problem Solving Leadership (i.e. PSL) with Esther Derby and Don Gray in November 2017. As a result, I have acquired “THEMSELVES LEADERSHIP” award upon successful completion of the course for being courageous to stand up to my values, self-awareness of my disrupting & humorous nature, & adapt to others’ leadership style. I was fortunate enough to meet from one of the originators of PSL, Gerald (Jerry) Weinberg as well. The rumors are that the PSL course is going on for almost 40 years.
I wrote a blog post about my experience in the course, Ask Questions, Please! which I suggest you read. I shared more about my journey through and within the whole week.
Course Description
Manage change and practice innovation by becoming a problem solving leader.
Learn and practice a leader’s most valuable asset: the ability to think and act creatively We believe that leadership is the key to building a healthy organization that can deal effectively with change. We teach that leadership is the ability to create an environment that enables everyone to contribute productively. We focus on process rather than procedure, on personal effectiveness rather than prescriptive strategies.The Problem Solving Leadership workshop has been growing and changing since 1974 to meet the changing needs of people in the workplace. The fundamental principle, however, remains the same: a leader’s most valuable asset is the ability to think and act clearly, creatively, and congruently. This is what we teach.
Course Objectives
Work on issues of most interest to you…and your organization We have designed this workshop to be practical and applicable to the modern workplace. Your problems and concerns provide a frame of reference for all the workshop activities. At the end of the workshop, when you review your original learning objectives, you will discover that you have reframed the original problems and gained insight into the actual issues.
You will learn:
- to be a leader while being a member of a team
- to focus your thinking while in chaos
- to make change a productive, creative event
- to build truly effective teams to design projects people really want to work on to observe exactly what is happening
- to use tools of effective communication to handle conflict in problem solving groups
Benefits
Develop your own problem solving style PSL is built on sound principles of adult learning theory, general systems thinking, group process concepts, creativity and congruent human interaction.The simulations and other activities are designed to involve you totally in the experience of improving your problem solving effectiveness. You will take away an increased awareness of your own problem solving style and an understanding and appreciation of the styles of others. You will see how valuing differences can enhance innovation and increase, rather than constrain, your problem solving options.
Course Outline
Because of the experiential nature of this workshop, there is no detailed outline. However, this is a taste of the models and topics we’ll cover.
- Learning Groups and Learning Objectives
- Solving Problems in Groups
- MOIJ Leadership Model
- Preferences and Differences
- Observing Process
- Designing Problems for Other to Solve
- Working in Groups
- Wrap up and further learning