Attributes of a Contributive Group
Each Group is intended to be composed of well-functioning CEO's who seek greater competence and growth for themselves, their relationships with others, and their business.
We do our best to select CEO's for these groups with the following attributes:
(1) Able to send and receive communications with a minimum of distortion.
(2) A relatively high degree of self-awareness and self-acceptance.
(3) Ability to accept the positive, interpersonal exchange of perception, attitude and behaviors.
(4) Well intentioned and open in their relationships with others.
(5) Possesses a fundamental belief in their group as capable of trusting each other in confidences shared.
(6) Willing, after receiving feedback, to openly examine their own beliefs.
These intrapersonal and interpersonal pre-requisites are the attributes positioned in every one of our successful CEO groups. The group's energy is focused on addressing issues with a constructive goal in mind—or enhancing the social skills and attributes of its members by simply being a part of this process.
Member Attributes That Enhance Any Group
The personality attributes of any good group is not unlike a group of close friends that stays together for a long time. If any of your members have these attributes, and to the degree in which they exist, will serve to enhance the cohesiveness of your group, enrich the experience, and extend its duration.
Positive CEO Member Attributes
(1) Consciously protective of the group—serves as a major supporter to others.
(2) Upbeat—fun to be with and be around. Members enjoy him/her.
(3) Known for presenting great input—stable—steady—a respected analyst.
(4) Lives an exciting, unusual, or simply different life style—expands other members' viewpoints and perspective.
(5) Totally open, trusts everyone to the point of being first to disclose any issues with absolutely no apparent fear. This person clearly sets the disclosure standard for other members to follow.
If at least three of these leadership attributes exists within the members as a whole, you have the makings for a cohesive, well-bonded group.
Member Attributes Detrimental to a CEO Group
1. Any member unable, for any reason, to follow the meeting protocol/rules.
2. Makes negative or demeaning inferences that have little or no contributive value.
3. Unresolved personal issues between two or more members, noticed by the group, that adversely affects the member's constructive and open interchange.
4. Personally unable (for any reason) to fully disclose their own feelings. Their difficulty with open disclosure is obvious to others. (The other members full and open disclosures earns the trust of the group, and they expect reciprocation)
5. An historic past that overwhelms their comfort level with the openness of others. If not clearly identified prior to joining, any member that senses a great discomfort during these open meetings, for whatever reason, should be encouraged to exit.
These attributes are detrimental to the supportive growth of any group already committed to full disclosure shared by all its members.
Corrective Action
Typically, these issues are readily identified, by the moderator or the group as a whole, as being detrimental to the group. These issues need to be addressed early on and always most effectively by doing this outside of the meeting. Approaching any of these behaviors in a positive, reinforcing and supportive manner is not only constructive to the group, by correcting the issue, but extremely constructive and beneficial to the member. Quite often, these behavioral characteristics are unknown to the member, or unconsciously habitual, (i.e. having not been effectively challenged. by peers, in the past or coming from a belief that does not encourage or reward openness). Given the safety and confidential nature of these meetings, that handicap, if corrected, could greatly enhance this member's contribution to the group, and their overall well being, in general.
If any member cannot accept these conditions, she/he must be terminated to maintain the integrity of the group. Members can never be allowed to serve to the detriment of other members, no matter the reason. Although somewhat rare, every group that has terminated a non-compliant member immediately increased their contributive effectiveness. We trust these expectations will preclude those from joining a group so committed to this process and these rules.
|