“Either/or” problem-solving alone is not up to the task of addressing many of the complex “both/and” challenges that leaders, teams, and organizations face. The “Polarity Approach” distinguishes solvable problems from those situations that are by their very nature, unsolvable. Often, it’s Facilitators who end up front-and-center to help address these unsolvable situations that have been misdiagnosed. The Polarity Approach is a powerful tool Facilitators can use to convert resistance into a resource for sustainable change, harness “wisdom in the room,” and leverage the best possible outcomes from these tensions.
Cliff Kayser and Jean Porto will help familiarize you to the Polarity Approach by using it to "turbo-charge" a model many Facilitators are familiar with -- The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (the four dichotomies of which are polarities!). From there, they'll dive into polarity challenges Facilitators and Clients commonly experience in facilitation engagements.
You’ll leave this session with a clearer understanding of:
1) What “Polarities” are and how they show up for Facilitators and Clients;
2) How the skill of Facilitation can be supplemented and enhanced by seeing and leveraging key polarities inherent to the profession;
3) How Facilitators can support Clients to be more successful by seeing and leveraging polarities; and,
4) How measuring and tracking polarities as part of facilitation engagements can enhance the value of the Facilitation, and the reputation of the field.
Jean M. Porto is the founder and principal of Inner Inspiration LLC and is an experienced international facilitator and coach with a background in leadership and professional development, adult experiential education and team building in the federal, corporate and non-profit sectors. She also works as a facilitator at The EDGE, the Mason Center for Team and Organizational Learning at George Mason University. Jean has an MS in Social and Organizational Learning from George Mason University and a BS in Environmental Education from Rutgers University and is Step III certified in the MBTI as well as a Master Practitioner.
Cliff Kayser is a certified MBTI practitioner, as well as an expert facilitator, coach, trainer and workshop leader. Cliff is an Owner/Partner of Polarity Partnerships, LLC and is the Founder/President of Xperience® LLC in Washington, DC, offering Organization Consulting, Executive Coaching, and Leadership Training services to U.S. public, private, non-profit, and international clients. Cliff holds two Master’s Degrees, one in Organizational Development from the American University MSOD program (and the other in Human Resource Management, also from The American University. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Business from Lenoir-Rhyne University and is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Coaching program.
