Michelangelo didn’t just have good Paintbrushes. Here’s why I won’t give you many Tools in CASE© Workshops

One of the first things that marketing experts tell you when you prepare to sell trainings in my field (say leadership, to make it short) is: you must specify which instruments you will give that they can immediately implement back to their next day at work. I have decided that I won’t give you many instruments in my upcoming workshops from now on. Is it only due to my “rebel” tendency to refuse to do what others tell me that I must do? No. And I will tell you why.

1. Telling you that you will take a training, learn a tool and your life will change forever is a blatant LIE.
   This statement must be motivated, I acknowledge, since it is very bold. Well, whatever the instrument or tool that you have at hand, the outcome of using it depends on the user. I could have at my disposal all the best colors, paintbrushes and you-name-it-painting-tools, everything that Michelangelo used, but I will never be able to paint the Sistine chapel. Actually, I could hardly draw a circle using a compass… There is no “magical” instrument that you can use to solve your problems. Because you are the origin of those problems. I mean, the way into which you have looked at those problems until the present moment. What a real and honest training, coaching or mentoring can do best for you is to help you acquire a new point of view on your life, thus change your behavior and, finally, the outcome of your actions.
2. Since statement 1 is true, the fact that you must accept is: it is not “what you do” that matters, not so much at least, but “how you are” and “WHY you do it”. This means that in order to really change the context of your life, be it general or specific, you must change profoundly and this takes a little time. If you have ever read Zen stories the enlightenment moment can take just a hit on the heat of the disciple, but before the climax there have always been years of diligent training. I am not saying that you must wait years to see changes in your life, but certainly big changes need time, commitment and work. You will slip, from time to time, and follow back. Then, if you are committed, you will raise and walk forward again.
3. A few days ago a reader of my articles asked what would be the difference between my CASE© Method and DMAIC or A3. Oh my God! These are tools, processes to follow with boxes to tick (especially the A3). CASE© is a guideline to a paradigm shift. It is the signpost to a new, completely revolutionary way of determining “how” you see your life and that of your organization. It’s a pointer to your real purpose. Once you have grasped its profound meaning and the value upon which it is based, you can use whatever methodological approach to procede with your processes. CASE© also provides a very flexible flow structure, but it does not really matter once you have understood that the purpose of your life – as a person – and your organization – as a leader – is to satisfy some of the Basic Needs of your Stakeholders. At that point you can use whatever tool you prefer and that better suits the processes you have to perform. BTW I am sure that, if you are a leader who popped up at a CASE© training you have already plenty of tools.
4. Then what will you learn in a CASE© training? You will reflect upon your communication and relationship approach and get to know your strengths and weaknesses (All right, it will be a bit like a SWOT analysis, but not really, ok?!). You will see how you are at the origin of your relationships quality. Then you will learn how to approach problematic situations by assessing the actual situation and finding out the root causes (Ok, it will somehow look like a RCA, but is is not just, right?!) You will comprehend the relationships between your organization and its galaxy of stakeholders, where are frictions and waste (yeah, somehow like in LEAN, but not exactly…) and where is the potential that can offset the threats (the OT of SWOT,  but somehow more…), you will learn how to define strategies that make yourself and your organization sustainable and implement them all down the line, while continuously improving your performance (DMAIC, PDCA, TQM… yes, but not identical…). Can you see it’s not a simple process or a tool? In a nutshell, you will understand what you have always wanted to: what is to be a real leder, and what is your purpose in life as a leader. Now go and use your instruments as well as Michelangelo would do himself!
5. Once you have gone trough this king of training, you will feel free to use whatever tool or instrument you want in your life. I cannot guarantee that you will paint a new Sistine chapel. It’s up to you, in the end. But certainly I can assure you that you will handle the paintbrushes of your trade with a totally different awareness. Whatever you will paint, it will be yours and one step forward towards the full expression of your potential and that of your organization (and the people within!).

Feel like taking the challenge? Let’s discuss how you can take a CASE© training in the real world: email me directly or reach me through Linkedin