I hope you are looking forward to the new year with as much anticipation as I am. Today, we have several updates for you related to the Certification Program. Please take a few minutes right now to read this entire message, it is both important and timely.
The certification process
I may seem very informal about things — and experimental in the moment as I facilitate my retreats — but this Certification Program is actually rigorous. Maybe the rigor is hidden, but it is embedded in the design of both what you will deliver and the Certification Program itself.
In the past, I have prepared people to facilitate this work exclusively through an apprenticeship that spanned considerable time with deep study and many shared experiences. (Pam was the last person to complete such an apprenticeship.)
I have also prepared facilitators to work within organizations, with excellent results. Those were also intensive long-term relationships with a great deal of consulting support and other contacts.
As you know, you’re the first group of facilitators outside of those apprenticeship and organizational settings. I believe in you so much, and want you to have everything going for you — just as much as other facilitators have had.
Beyond that, I’m entrusting you with my life’s work, because I believe in your capacity to carry it forward.
That’s why I ask you to respect the process and the requirements of the program.
All of this if for your benefit. Your success and “quality control” are built into the design we’ve provided to you. It’s in your best interest to resist the temptation to freelance the design. Pam and I say, only half-joking, that the design is “laminated.” It’s definitely proven.
I know (and hope) that my students’ grasp will exceed mine — eventually. For now, I ask that you focus on the fundamentals. Your creativity and enhancements will be in the personal stories you tell, which are built into the design.
When I took sculpture, my instructor told me to focus on creating an egg shape before trying to sculpt a bust. Begin at the beginning.
So please take a moment to review “The 6-Step Certification Process” on the program description page. (Click each item to expand and see all the details.)
As you will see, there are steps to complete before you (and we) can hold yourself out as a certified facilitator. We are here to move you forward through the process as quickly as you desire.
We will provide more specifics soon about how to complete all the steps in the process, all of which are required for certification, so you can see clearly where you are in the process and what you have left to do. Because of the personal quality of our relationships with y’all, how much we respect you, and the degree of contact we’ve enjoyed, it can be easy to overlook steps that are essential to your long-term success with this work. It will serve you best to be systematic about this.
For today, we would like to draw your attention to the two-hour strategy session described in Step 4 of the process. Please set that up before you get into offering your first workshop. We would be glad, in fact recommend, that we split the session into two one-hour segments.
Among other things, we’d like to advise you about selection and invitations for your first workshop, and seeking nominations. We have a wealth of experience that is likely to be useful to you, including criteria for you to consider in selecting who you invite and your overall strategy for your first offering.
Communication
Because “words create worlds,” we’re very thoughtful about the conversations we convene and how we participate in them. As you’d expect, right?
We’ve had requests for a shared online forum (Facebook group or the like) for this program. Here’s what we’ll be doing instead.
If you have questions about any aspect of the Certification Program, including preparation for your retreats or workshops, we ask that you direct your questions to me (instead of asking each other). Simply send your question to programs@leadershipphilanthropy.com and we will put our heads together and get it answered.
We will then share the question (removing any personal details if you so desire) and our response with the entire group — so all can learn together and create a body of knowledge.
We also encourage you to send us your successes and high points, so they can be shared with everyone.
Why this means of communication rather than an online forum? We have experimented with a forum in the past and have found it does not serve well for this purpose. (By the way, our thinking about this may be useful to you in other contexts.)
- Facilitating an online forum requires constant attention to keep it from going off-track. This does not fit into how we manage our time.
- We can end up being seen as “correcting” people in a shared forum. As you know, we prefer to encourage and lift people up.
- Misunderstandings and even hurt feelings can happen too easily, despite everyone’s best intentions.
- It’s easier for many people if they can ask questions privately (especially the “embarrassing” questions, private doubts, and the like). This is true even in a close and friendly group.
We want you to be connected, of course, especially on a personal level. But for now, please direct all questions about the program and related professional matters to us.
Schedules and availability
As much as I would like to be immediately responsive to you 24/7 (smile) I would like to set some more “realistic” expectations. I am in Eastern U.S. and generally am available 10 – 7 M-F and in special circumstances on the weekend. Emails can be sent at any time.
While you may reach out at other times, it may be a while to hear back. Also, please allow 24 hours for an email reply. (We’d like to say more about time management for you, too, at some point … so important, right? The one resource that is truly finite.)
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Whew! That covers a lot of ground, but it all seemed important to say. Most of all, I want you to have complete confidence that I and the entire facilitator community are behind you.
Jim