EXERCISE: let's see...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 23:35:58 -0400

How about this one?

Take a character that you are working on.

Now, pick a number from one to six.

1. grapefruit
2. watermelon
3. banana
4. tomato
5. grapes
6. kiwi

Okay?  Now, extend that metaphor!  I.e., compare the character with this fruit.  Consider how they get peeled (or don't), the colors, the seeds, the taste, and all the myriad characteristics of the fruit and the person.  If you like, you can even dig into their growing season, the shipment to the store, and other quirkiness that fits your character.

So when someone says your character is a fruit, just smile and tell them how truly fruity they are!

Write!

EXERCISE: The Triad?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 22:33:14 -0400

Hum... our leadership consultant recently dragged in a factoid.  Apparently someone has asserted that there are three major motivations for leaders:

affiliation -- I want a relationship with you (aka the gladhanders?)
achievement -- I want to do great things (aka the sweaty?)
influence -- I want to influence or build networks of influence (aka the pointers? as in "I think I see a way over there")

(In lieu of full disclosure, I will simply note that I added the desires and nomenclature in parentheses)

Apparently there are those who believe that while achievement tends to be the marker that gets you pulled out of the milling masses, to really get somewhere, that influence business is the one you need to pay attention to.

So we had an exercise suggested (we aren't assigned such things, of course) to daily write up some issue/happening in our work, and consider what the achievement solution would be and what the influence solution would be.  Of course, being good little beavers who want to really make it as leaders, the implication was that we would slowly shift from doing it ourselves to influencing others to do it.

It's interesting.  I'm not sure I go along with the simplistic framework of it, but it is interesting.

Anyway -- your job, should you choose to accept it, is to take a character (or three), and consider how these three motivations play out in their life. A sneaky little conflict might be built around their feeling that they want to go out with the boys (or girls) -- that affiliation thing -- while at the same time, if they don't finish that paper tonight, tomorrow's meeting will be a shambles.  And then, of course, you can mix in a little "Tom Sawyer" ploy to get someone else to do the paper?

You probably get the drift.  Inspire them to conflict, and then play out the conflict in the wordy ways.

aka WRITE!

(Which reminds me that my column is due this weekend.  Now, how can I talk someone else into writing that for me?)