More attendees. More choices. Yet, as one attendee remarked, a lot of similar content and repetition of presenters. There is a small hint of an "inner circle" and comfortable schools of thought.
None of that detracts from some stellar panels and papers. It does make my circle read the program more carefully and rethink some of our earlier choices.
Tonight's debrief at the bar (which was more about convenience at the hotel and less about the liquids) focused on the type of papers we would like to present. Theory needs to be balanced with practice - and not just the academic working world or the consultant world view, although those are fertile grounds for new thought and experimentation.
Today though saw some repackaging of decades old discoveries: that trust is a key leadership need for change adoption; online forums can't replace face to face relationships; women are not succeeding in the leadership space as well as men....
The forums are more competitive than collaborative; there is more emphasis on being "right" or 1st than there seems to be in driving to share knowledge across forums and institutions. Which is why my afternoon discussion, facilitated by Martha Miser of Aduro Consulting and Richard Warm from the Center for Wisdom in Leadership, was fascinating. They truly opened the floor and a few minds.
Tomorrow, I think I will move away from the leadership theorists and listen to some issue-based material (gender, arts, interdisciplinary approaches). Plus there is a book room where I am sure more treasures and finds await!
No comments:
Post a Comment