In this special double-header, Scot Lowry and Jeff Bouwman share their discovery of Appreciative Inquiry and how, through the AiMS Institute, they have used it as a management approach to help companies transform the way they work. Scot is a Managing Partner at Promise One  and a Professor focused on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. He has found great success in applying a strengths-based approach to engage teams and stakeholders in dialogues that value people and unleash potential. Jeff is the co-founder and CEO of The AiMS Institute and helps leaders create transformative change by bringing an innovative new approach to how they run their businesses. They join us to share how they have seen Appreciative Inquiry enable leaders to think, talk, and act differently in a time of unprecedented complexity and uncertainty.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Scot shares how using AI helped him successfully scale his company, transitioning from traditional management to embedding AI into daily operations, which led to increased employee engagement and business growth.
• Jeff highlights two essentials for leadership: being open to diverse perspectives and executing leadership through a strengths-based, appreciative approach.
• They share a case study with Precision Communication. A new owner faced resistance with a traditional top-down approach. By shifting to a co-creative process using AI, the company experienced a transformation in team dynamics, engagement, and business results.
• The owner involved the team in creating a new organizational structure and setting business priorities, leading to increased ownership, adaptability, and the achievement of 90-day goals.
• The company saw revenue growth and an energized team, indicating a cultural shift driven by appreciative practices.
• Scot and Jeff share that true engagement occurs by actively involving people in the process, a simple yet powerful principle that underpinned their success.
• They emphasize that they aren’t changing what is done, but rather HOW leadership is executed.
• They cite AI as a transformative tool for increasing engagement (the emotional connection that motivates employees to bring their best efforts voluntarily) and mutual commitment, moving away from top-down, command-and-control methods.
• Scot and Jeff stress the importance of AI as a management approach that encourages leaders to honor team input and integrate broader perspectives into decision-making.
• They recommend resources such as the AI Certificate Program at Champlain College, "Conversations Worth Having" by Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres, and Jeff Bouwman's Change Maker program.
• Jeff advises using simple, actionable AI-based questions to unlock team wisdom, such as asking what's important, reflecting on past successes, and envisioning future possibilities.
• They both think that the best way to understand AI's benefits is through direct experience.

LIKE AND SHARE

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Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Cheri Warren is a seasoned expert with over 30 years of experience in creating impactful, lasting change. Specializing in innovation and appreciative inquiry, she has led high-performance teams in the electric and gas utility industry, most notably as Senior Vice President at National Grid and later as Innovation Strategist on their Board. Cheri is also a dedicated advocate for women in industry, serving on various leadership committees and mentoring others. She holds advanced degrees in electrical engineering and has a long history of contributions to IEEE, including winning the 2007 PES Excellence in Distribution Award and speaking at the White House. She joins us to share her journey with Appreciative Inquiry and how it has impacted her work, teams, and life.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Cheri Warren discovered Appreciative Inquiry (AI) while working as chief of staff for National Grid’s CEO, and she immediately saw its potential.
• AI was used to redesign a smart grid pilot by involving the Worcester community and stakeholders, leading to a more inclusive and effective initiative.
• A pivotal summit, facilitated by AI, transformed skeptics into supporters and identified nine initiatives, three related to energy and the smart grid.
• The revamped smart grid proposal secured an additional $10 million in funding and led to the creation of a "sustainability hub" in a low-income neighborhood.
• AI transformed performance reviews at National Grid from a negative annual event to a positive monthly conversation, significantly boosting team performance.
• National Grid’s engineers became highly motivated when they saw the real impact of their work on customers, leading to a high-performing team.
• National Grid began leading climate initiatives, achieving top national rankings in energy efficiency and changing industry practices towards sustainability.
• A third global summit focused on transforming the global supply chain with a climate focus, involving key figures like Dame Ellen Macarthur.
• AI principles have had a transformative effect on Cheri's leadership, emphasizing trust, connectedness, and a generative approach to problem-solving.
• Cheri encourages using the question "How might we?" to spark positive change, applying AI principles in both professional and personal contexts.
• To hear more from Cheri or read more about her work, check out this highlight reel from her talk at the 2023 ODN Conference, as well as her article with David Cooperrider in the AI Practitioner Journal.

LIKE AND SHARE

If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Cindy Stull! Cindy Stull is the Chief Revenue Officer at Dealer Tire. Listen in as Cindy joins host Dr. Lindsey Godwin to shed light on how she’s spearheading large change initiatives and moving organizations in inspirational directions through Appreciative Inquiry.

Cindy inspires us to foster a company culture that’s rooted in Appreciative Inquiry and thoughtful questions. She highlights the powerful benefits of hosting an Appreciative Inquiry summit along with how Appreciative Inquiry can improve every aspect of leadership and business.

If you’re looking to drive strategic and cultural advancements across your organization, this episode is one to take notes on!

Cindy Stull is Partner & Chief Revenue Officer at Dealer Tire in Cleveland Ohio. Dealer Tire is a value-added distributor that manages tire programs for over 20 automotive manufacturers. Cindy joined the company in 2006 and is responsible for leading a team of over 500 people who help auto dealerships to be more profitable and drive customer retention. Previously holding the positions of Chief Sales Officer and Chief People & Strategy Officer, Cindy plays a key role in shaping the strategy and culture of Dealer Tire, while ensuring top-notch execution.

Episode Highlights:

• How Cindy uses Appreciative Inquiry to solve problems, increase engagement, and achieve long-lasting change in organizations like Dealer Tire.
• What is an Appreciative Inquiry summit and how do these AI summits impact employees and customers?
• How Appreciative Inquiry can improve talent management, safety programs, and diversity and inclusion in leadership.
• Why  Cindy choose to adopt an appreciative approach to leadership

Resources Mentioned:

• Co-Creating Roadmap for Inclusion: Dealer Tire’s Inclusive Leadership (COIL) article 

Inspiring Quotes:

“If we’re asking questions that are more focused on the strengths and what we want to be and how we grow, then we find that we accelerate the pace of change and the change is actually much more long-lasting.”

“Learning more about Appreciative Inquiry has given me the structure and science behind why it works and helped me to leverage new methodologies, new tools, take what might have been a natural collaborative style to just a whole different level based on the research that’s out there.”

“I can envision that we are probably going to have a real opportunity to have a summit around the customer experience and ensure that we are galvanizing our leaders to every level, including our frontline technicians.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Tojo Thatchenkery! Dr. Tojo Thatchenkery, PhD, is a professor, author, and Founder of the Appreciative Intelligence® Model, which is based on Appreciative Inquiry and mindfulness. Listen in as Tojo joins host Dr. Lindsey Godwin to detail the concept of Appreciative Intelligence and share how you can develop your own Appreciative Intelligence® with just three simple techniques.

From doctors to economists to parents, everyone can benefit from growing their Appreciative Intelligence®! Tojo says a big part of that is practicing mindfulness and positive reframing. Tune in to learn more about the power of Appreciative Intelligence® and even how it  helped Tojo transform his relationship with his daughter.

Tojo Thatchenkery, PhD, is a professor and director of the Organization Development and Knowledge Management program in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and educator and is featured as one of the leading change thinkers in the Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Thatchenkery’s research has been funded by agencies such as the United States National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, and the U.S. Postal Service. He is the author of more than a dozen books and hundreds of articles.

Episode Highlights:

• The difference between Appreciative Inquiry and Appreciative Intelligence®.
• How leaders, individuals, and organizations are using Appreciative Intelligence® (plus their results).
• Why reframing is a crucial part of Appreciative Inquiry and Intelligence.
• How to develop your Appreciative Intelligence® and reframing skills.
• The 4 qualities of people with Appreciative Intelligence®.
• How Tojo has used Appreciative Intelligence® and reframing in his personal life.
• What is the circular economy and how do you see it as reframing in action?

Resources Mentioned:

Inspiring Quotes:

“Appreciative Inquiry is a systematic way of building on those core values, competencies, assets, etc. thereby creating a much better and healthier organization.

“We also find mindfulness as one of the best examples of a practice for reframing and seeing the positive because in mindfulness, you are accepting the present as good without judging.” 

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Jacqueline Wong! Jacqueline Wong is a Singapore-based Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner and Founder/Managing Director of Sequoia Group. Listen in as Jackie shares with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin how she’s been integrating Appreciative Inquiry into Singapore’s labor movement, healthcare system, community engagement, and more!

In this episode, Jackie sheds light on the powerful impact of intentionally seeking where things are working and asking new questions to figure out how we can sustain success together. She breaks down some prime examples of how she has used this Appreciative Inquiry methodology to bring positive change to the people and systems of Singapore (and how you can, too!).

Jackie Wong is an Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner and Founder/Managing Director of Sequoia Group, a management consultancy specializing in Leadership & Organizational Development (OD). She is the Founder of Imagine Singapore and board member of the International Appreciative Inquiry Journal.

Episode Highlights:

• How Jackie first used Appreciative Inquiry to help transform Singapore’s labor movement.
• The behind-the-scenes of Imagine Singapore, which aims to create hope and possibility through AI and meaningful conversations.
• Reimagining Singapore’s Healthcare: How Appreciative Inquiry fueled a quest for a sustainable, relationship-based healthcare system.

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Imagine Singapore: https://www.sequoia.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Synopsis_on_Imagine_Singapore_Age_Unlimited_Inquiry_Summit.pdf

The Sequoia Group: https://www.sequoia.com.sg/about-us/ 

Imagine Chicago: https://www.imaginechicago.org

Inspiring Quotes:

“I have infused Appreciative Inquiry into every single intervention.”

“I want to say how important it is to understand the principles of AI, not just the tools and the techniques and the questions.” 

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Dr. Ame Lambert! Dr. Ame Lambert is the Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Portland State University (PSU). Tune in as Ame speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about the generative power of Appreciative Inquiry in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion at universities and beyond.

Ame describes how Appreciative Inquiry helps bring diverse groups together across cultures, races, and ethnicities, making it a powerful tool for seeing the universal humanity in all of us and bringing out the best in each of us.

You’ll learn how Ame and her colleagues are using an appreciative approach to co-create a racially just and equitable future for the Portland community. She notes how the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with a similar tragedy at PSU, fueled her action-focused diversity and inclusion summit called Time to Act. Listen in to learn about the powerful impact of this summit and the work that continues to unfold at PSU.

In her role as  Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Portland State University, Dr. Ame Lambert  leads the embedding of equity into all university operations, and supports the thriving of minoritized students and employees. Her goal and core purpose is to close the gap between potential and thriving for students and the university as a whole.

Episode Highlights:

• What pushed Ame to use Appreciative Inquiry in her diversity and inclusion work.
• How to use Appreciative Inquiry to fuel action in people who feel hopeless, angry, and frustrated.
• The Appreciative Inquiry framework that informed the design of the Time to Act Summit.
• Dream and Discovery questions that encourage people to imagine a more inclusive, equitable future.
• Goals and action items of PSU’s Time to Act Plan.
• How PSU is infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion into leadership and infrastructure, student education, scholarship and service, and the performance review process.

Resources Mentioned:

Time to Act Summit: https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/equity-summit

Inspiring Quotes:

“I see AI as a methodology that really activates the best in us to work for the best of us.”

“Every year we’re getting better.”

“What pain and anger of frustration actually are communicating is that in my core, I have a sense of how it should be.” 

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Pru Sullivan! Pru Sullivan is the former Director of Continuous Learning and Organizational Development at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Tune in as Pru speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how to integrate Appreciative Inquiry principles into the core of your company and with employees.

Pru sheds light on how Green Mountain Coffee Roasters leveraged Appreciative Inquiry to grow from a small shop to the billion-dollar company it is today. She describes the different ways you can adopt an appreciative approach at a growing organization, from leadership onboarding and project management to accelerating employee and collective performance and beyond.

Pru Sullivan is a Founding Partner of The Change Factory and a Practitioner in Residence Emeritus at David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College-Stiller School of Business. For over a decade, Pru has been co-creating, designing, and delivering strength-based growth initiatives based on Appreciative Inquiry methodology. Her mission is to be an inspirational catalyst for personal, team, organizational, and community breakthrough growth and strength-based transformation.

Episode Highlights:

• How Bob Stiller’s philosophy of strength-based Appreciative Inquiry impacted Green Mountain Coffee’s culture.
• How Appreciative Inquiry creates shared ownership in organizational change.
• Green Mountain’s AI Summit: Where their core principles were born.
• Tips for onboarding new leaders and ensuring they’re aligned with your organization’s core values and culture.
• The critical impact of appreciative training for frontline supervisors.
• How to use Appreciative Inquiry in employee performance reviews to accelerate individual and collective performance.
• Building Appreciative Inquiry into project management and product development.

Resources Mentioned:

The Joy of Appreciative Living by Jackie Kelm: https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Appreciative-Living-Happiness-Incredibly/dp/1585426601

Inspiring Quotes:

“What’s wonderful about Appreciative Inquiry is that when you make that shift, the evidence shows up.”

“A performance review cycle often acts as a demotivator and an upsetter that takes months to often recover from. And so, we formed a cross-functional team… to say, our task is to redesign this process and redesign the software that’s coming in to reflect how we want performance management to be managed.”

“It’s not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have if you want to be a high-performance organization that is making a positive difference in the world.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Ellen Drolette! Ellen Drolette is an appreciative educator and expert on early childhood education. Tune in as Ellen speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about the transformative impacts Appreciative Inquiry has on the mindsets and behaviors of early childhood teachers and students.

Ellen breaks down how Appreciative Inquiry can help educators reframe and change negative behaviors and perspectives, from kids’ biting habits to the dread you feel about Mondays. She emphasizes the power of using AI to dismantle and avoid negative self-fulfilling prophecies and even improve your interactions with co-teachers and parents.

Ellen Drolette is a certified Appreciative Inquiry practitioner and has found innovative ways to work AI into the practices of early childhood education. She earned her certificate at Champlain College under the direction of Dr. Lindsey Godwin. Ellen brings nearly 30 years of experience to the early childhood field. Her enthusiasm and passion for working with young children and families are as enormous as her passion for working with early childhood teachers, directors, mentors, administrators, and the entire team of early childhood educators. Ellen’s first book, Overcoming Teacher Burnout in Early Childhood: Strategies for Change, was published in 2018 by Redleaf Press and focuses on how early childhood professionals can battle burnout and low morale in the workplace.

Episode Highlights:

• How Appreciative Inquiry guides her through difficult moments as an educator.
• Ways to integrate Appreciative Inquiry in early childhood education + examples of AI questions to ask young students.
• How to use Appreciative Inquiry at parent-teacher conferences.
• Understanding, reframing, and correcting children’s behaviors, like biting, with Appreciative Inquiry.
• How to stop dreading Mondays.
• How to work more effectively with your co-teacher.

Resources Mentioned:

National Association for the Education of Young Children: https://www.naeyc.org

The Joy of Appreciative Living by Jacqueline Bascobert Kelm: https://appreciativeliving.com/the-joy-of-appreciative-living

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dwek: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400062756/sociapsychn0f-20 

Research on Growth Mindset: https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/

A summary of Barbara Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions: https://positivepsychology.com/broaden-build-theory/ 

Summary of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and the Pygmalion Effect: https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-fulfilling-prophecy.html

Inspiring Quotes:

“Once you learn about Appreciative Inquiry, you can implement it so deeply in all of the different places of your life.”

“I realized in that moment, it had nothing to do with the children. It had everything to do with me and my attitude and how I was showing up for that day… That really was very impactful for me.”

“If you know your co-teacher’s not a morning person, don’t try to engage with them in the morning, but also, recognizing what is going well with that teacher… that can go a long way... when you say that you appreciate the way someone did something, it’s so powerful.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Jenny Bloom! Jenny Bloom, Ed.D. is a co-founder and leading expert on the Appreciative Advising and Appreciative Education movements. Tune in as Jenny speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how appreciative advising can help students and advisors make inspiring impacts on themselves, each other, and the world.

Jenny shares insights on how Appreciative Inquiry helps you reframe challenges into solutions and visions of success and how appreciative advising can increase retention and GPAs in college students. Then, she shares her vision for how Appreciative Inquiry will evolve into the future of education.

Dr. Jenny Bloom joined the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at Florida Atlantic University in August 2015 as an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Higher Education Leadership Master’s Degree Program. As a co-founder of the Appreciative Advising and Appreciative Education movements, Jenny established the annual Appreciative Advising Summer Institute, the Appreciative Education Conference, an online Appreciative Advising course, the process for Certifying Appreciative Advisers, and other exciting initiatives. Jenny has co-authored 6 books, 6 book chapters, 31 articles, and even co-founded and serves as a section editor for the Journal of Appreciative Education (JAE).

Episode Highlights:

• How Jenny discovered Appreciative Inquiry over 20 years ago and what inspired her to enter the field of advising.
• What it takes to integrate Appreciate Inquiry, advising, and education.
• The 6 phases of appreciative advising + example questions you can ask students.
• Shocking stats that show the impact of appreciative advising in higher education.
• How appreciative advising grew into a movement that inspires impact.
• Research studies that inspire Jenny the most about the impact of advisors adopting appreciative advising methods.
• The biggest impact appreciative advising has made on Jenny herself.

Resources Mentioned:

Incorporating Appreciative Inquiry into Academic Advising by Jennifer Bloom and Nancy Archer Martin (2002) https://journals.psu.edu/mentor/article/view/61701/61346

The Appreciative Advising Revolution by Jennifer Bloom, Bryant Hutson, and Ye He: https://bit.ly/46defYH

FAU Office of Appreciative Education: https://www.fau.edu/education/centersandprograms/oae

Inspiring Quotes:

“90% of the people who’ve met with an appreciative advisor, and this was a voluntary thing… were eligible to return the following semester after they’ve come back off of dismissal, versus 33% of the other students who did not meet with an appreciative advisor.”

“The sustained impact is, I think, really important. It’s not about a one year blip going up… it’s looking at this data over time that really matters.”

“Appreciative advising is not just a powerful framework for enhancing interactions between advisors and students, it’s a framework for how you build good relationships with other people, whether they be students or your supervisor or your colleague.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Luc Verheijen! Luc Verheijen is a Partner at Kessels and Smit, The Learning Company in Belgium. In this episode, Luc speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how to use Appreciative Inquiry and learning networks to address challenges, improve performance, and create energized workplace environments.

Luc emphasizes the power of storytelling and leading with questions instead of answers, noting how different questions can lead to different realities. He describes how to use appreciative inquiry in large groups and learning networks to foster collective intelligence and inspiring impacts.

Luc Verheijen is a Consultant and Partner at Kessels and Smit, where he focused on process guidance, appreciative inquiry, leadership, organizational and social development, and positive education. He believes that if we can change the conversations, then the organization changes.

Episode Highlights:

• How Luc utilizes an appreciative inquiry approach to work with large groups and bring diverse views together to tackle challenges head-on.
• Collective Intelligence: When people come together around a shared purpose, they can take on challenges and create positive impacts far beyond what they could do alone.
• The power of the question: “Whose voice do we need to hear at this moment?”
• AI learning networks to learn about and apply appreciative inquiry to a large group’s work around a shared topic.
• What does it look like for people participating in a tourism-focused appreciative inquiry learning network? What’s been the biggest impact of the learning network?
• How to bring feuding companies together through appreciative inquiry.
• Advice for using appreciative inquiry: AI itself is the learning. It’s a tool for continuous discovery.

Resources Mentioned:

Kessels and Smit: https://www.kessels-smit.com

AI Practitioner - International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry: https://aipractitioner.com

“Appreciative Inquiry as a Daily Leadership Practice” by Luc Verheijen, Saskia Tjempkema, & Joeri Kabalt: https://www.amazon.com/Appreciative-Inquiry-Daily-Leadership-Practice/dp/193855275X

Inspiring Quotes:

“Every participant who joins and learns about AI, we get tens and tens of projects using AI to support the mission of everyone deserves a holiday and we strengthen the interrelationships between all these network parts.”

“For me, the essence is a practice of inquiry, a practice of being curious every and each time, again and to see the wonder in everything you meet during a day.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Liz Vogel! Liz Vogel is the Senior Director of Organizational Development at Moffitt Cancer Center. Tune in as Liz speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how she and her team are using Appreciative Inquiry to transform patient experiences while envisioning and planning the future of cancer treatment.

Liz breaks down her approach to integrating multiple diverse perspectives through appreciative inquiry and the importance of integrating the whole system in organizational development. She touches on how Appreciative Inquiry can improve skills, like communication and problem-solving. Then, Liz shares how her experience as a Moffitt patient has informed her work within the organization.

As Senior Director of Organizational Development for Moffitt Cancer Center, Liz has provided strategic insight, solutions, and organizational design across the organization. She has transformed the OD department to operate as a professional service model. She is responsible for Moffitt's executive development to enable long-term business and financial stability for the organization and leads the VP tier in cross-collaboration and advanced understanding of integrated hospital operations.

Episode Highlights:

• How Liz utilizes appreciative inquiry to create an energizing and psychologically safe environment for stakeholders to share ideas for improving the patient experience.
• Why is it so important to engage the whole system in organizational change work?
• How to use the “yes and” technique to create an appreciative space for different perspectives to be honored.
• How appreciative inquiry helps us approach challenges in different ways.
• How Moffitt Cancer Center is using AI to envision and plan the future of cancer treatment.
• Liz shares her experience being a cancer patient at Moffitt and how that influences her organizational development work.
• The importance of businesses having tough conversations instead of avoiding conflict or difference of opinion.

Resources Mentioned:

Moffitt Cancer Center: https://moffitt.org

Inspiring Quotes:

“Without a voice, without a certain perspective, there’s a risk, there’s actually sort of a business risk when you’re looking at solutions to missing something.”

“In all my years, I have never worked so closely with this tier who got along so well, where you do have differences of opinions. People can kick the tires and say, ‘Is this the best answer or is there another answer we should be looking at?... That doesn’t always happen at every organization.”

“I was talking with one of our executive leaders a year ago and was humbled by her thanks for being able to have the tough conversations that businesses need to have, being able to facilitate those so that we get the answers that we need. So, I think this process is just invaluable to businesses.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson! Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, PhD, is an award-winning scholar, executive coach, organizational development practitioner, and thought leader. Tune in as she speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how she’s using trauma-informed Appreciative Inquiry to create resonant transformation in organizations.

Yabome sheds light on how Appreciative Inquiry can be used across a diverse spectrum of situations – from sparking innovation to solving conflicts to creating positive transformation in the face of dysfunction. She busts the misconception that Appreciative Inquiry can’t be used in difficult situations or where people have had trauma. Then, Yabome shares real examples and stories that illustrate the inspiring impact of this work.

Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson is an Organization Development Professional [Leader, Consultant, Executive Coach, Facilitator and Scholar] with a mission to inspire the development of people and groups through transformative learning. Her passion and expertise is helping leaders, teams, organizations and communities make progress in uncovering possibilities and igniting transformation in the complex issues they face. She has worked with corporate, non-profit/social profit and public sector organizations, internationally. She is also adjunct/sessional faculty for undergraduate and graduate courses in her areas of expertise.

Episode Highlights:

• How Appreciative Inquiry can be used in difficult and traumatic situations.
• Creating resonant transformation through Appreciative Inquiry – Why should we focus on resonance?
• How Yabome first discovered the power of resonance in Appreciative Inquiry.
• Trauma-Informed Appreciative Inquiry in Healthcare: How to shift a group into a positive future mindset through group disclosure and collective processing.
• Questions you can use to create resonance through trauma-informed Appreciative Inquiry.
• How Yabome & We Will Lead Africa are using storytelling to solve challenges and unlock the past, present, and future of African leaders.
• Advice for using Appreciative Inquiry in your organization or personal life: You must first ask yourself resonance questions before you ask others. Don’t be intimidated. Learn as much as you can. Use your resonance to chase the possibilities.

Resources Mentioned:

We Will Lead Africa: https://wewillleadafrica.com

• (Book) Transformation after Trauma: The Power of Resonance  https://www.amazon.com/Transformation-after-Trauma-Power-Resonance/dp/1433172178
• What's Trauma Got to Do With it? Facilitating our Giant Leap through Resonant Transformation and Trauma-Informed Appreciative Inquiry: https://tinyurl.com/5bub3rw3

Inspiring Quotes:

“Where I’ve used [Appreciative Inquiry] often is when, very intentionally in that space of innovation and transformation, where I’m not just looking for a positive future, but I’m looking for a positive future that’s radically different, that’s transformative.”

“[Resonance] is about connecting to a core identity part of ourselves that when we connect to that core, we find a place of internal inspiration and motivation that is not easily shaken.”

“Appreciative Inquiry is about asking different questions that open up the possibility of us looking at the challenges we’ve faced in new, different, and positive ways, but that search starts with us.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Dr. Henning’s career in higher education spans nearly 25 years in both the United States and Canada, as well as serving as graduate faculty in New Zealand. She currently serves as the Director of the UNCW/3C Collaborative and is a professor of Community College Leadership and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s, Watson College of Education. Born in Creek County Oklahoma, Denise is Cherokee & Mississippi Choctaw. As a committed educator, she believes in equity and inclusion, and shared leadership for administration in higher education. Her philosophy as a leader is based on building relationships through a collaborative and team-spirited approach, energizing people to think outward while focusing on the needs of every student and the organization. She has earned a reputation for cultivating and sustaining positive relationships, building collaborative teams, and energizing people in ways that foster their innovative spirit. She joins us to discuss her experiences using Appreciative Inquiry in higher education and with indigenous populations. In addition to her consulting group, Kiona-Oxendine & Associates, Denise is also a co-founder of Women Honoring Other Women, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower women and create change using strengths-based approaches for leadership development.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Denise shares how her dissertation, rather than studying problems to death, focused on success factors.
• Instead of asking what they can do to better serve their students, Denise encourages higher education leadership to look for what are they doing well right now, what is working, and what might their students look like at their best?
• She uses Appreciative Inquiry to create trust between educational institutions and remote rural indigenous communities.
• She shares stories from her work building bridges between indigenous populations and higher education institutions, focusing especially on dignity and the value of indigenous customs.
• At one particular engagement, the nature and success of the work completely changed when they invited the people they were serving into the room and into strategic planning discussions.
• She talks about the importance of appreciative language and the power she has to kindly disrupt the conversation and share the etymology of certain phrases that can often be carelessly thrown about.
• She shares how Appreciative Inquiry taught her that, for the most part, people want to do the right thing.
• An appreciative approach has had a meaningful impact on her ability to grandparent and when dealing with personal loss.
• Denise believes that when we make room for hearing and sharing stories, people feel significant and valued. This changes their encounters with institutions in which they traditionally felt marginalized.

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Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? It’s Dr. Ronald Fry! Ronald Fry, PhD, is one of the co-creators of the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) theory and method. Listen in as he chats with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about his perspective on impactful storytelling and the true power of the Appreciative Inquiry approach.

Ron highlights real life examples that illustrate the power of storytelling in breaking down barriers and helping us solve complex problems. From drastically improving safety for hundreds of employees in a steel mill to having more open conversations with family at the dinner table, it’s easy to see the inspirational impact storytelling can play in both our professional and personal lives. We’re certain Ron’s insights will encourage you to think deeply about the questions you ask, how every question is really an intervention, and what it takes to ask meaningful and impactful questions.

Dr. Ronald Fry is an author and professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. As the co-creator of Appreciative Inquiry, Ron works with groups, organizations and institutions around the world to increase their cooperative capacity to engage the whole system in strategic thinking, planning and change.

Episode Highlights:

• Ron’s definition of Appreciative Inquiry.
• The scientific research and data behind the impacts of Appreciative Inquiry and storytelling.
• Why storytelling is a crucial part of Appreciative Inquiry.
• How storytelling is used to create meaningful and measurable change in organizations.
• The greatest lesson Ron has learned about leading change with Appreciative Inquiry.
• The transformational impact that Appreciative Inquiry has had on Ron’s personal life.
• Advice for using Appreciative Inquiry in your organization or personal life: Try to be it before you do it. Watch your thoughts, language, and tendencies. It’s a constant practice because we’re human!

Inspiring Quotes:

“We know scientifically that when people connect to shared strengths, they immediately see new possibilities.”

“Strangers could interview each other, find commonalities in their different stories, and you can see the bond or you could experience the connective energy of that. It relates to inquiry. You’re listening to someone’s story, they’re listening to your story, and then together, you’re inquiring… Are their commonalities in our different experiences? And lo and behold, there always are.”

“The power of stories to connect people – no matter how familiar or different or strangers they are to each other – I just see that over and over. Start with stories, never start with what we call a list question (what do you think about…).”

“Before you can authentically help others or urge others to look for the best and then work from there, I think you have to see it in yourself.”

Resources Mentioned:

• AI Practitioner Journal article "Improving Safety in a Steel Mill" by Ron Fry https://aipractitioner.com/product/improving-safety-in-a-steel-mill/
• How Stories Change the Brain https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain 

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn how to unlock the power of "the other AI" - Appreciative Inquiry - with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin.  AI is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Apple, The Cleveland Clinic, and the United Nations.  In each episode, we’ll hear from leaders and experts who have achieved astonishing results at their organizations, from improved teamwork and productivity, to increased engagement and revenue.  Get inspired with "Inspiring Impacts," brought to you by the Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College.  The first two episodes air on June 14th, 2023!

Ever since he joined British Telecom (BT) as a senior executive in 1998, Joep de Jong has been using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to lead, coach, and facilitate change and innovation in organizations . He consults and leads lectures on leadership, change management, organization development, and intercultural work at organizations ranging from the UN’s World Food Program, the European Space Agency to small and big for profit organizations. He is particularly interested in the sustainability of AI in organizations and in the use of it in every day processes (strategic planning, facilitation, coaching, appraisals etc.) in order to achieve the best possible results. Core in his approach is a strong belief in the possibilities and potential that resides in us all. He joins us to share where he has seen AI have a big impact. From mergers, to layoffs, to domestic violence, he demonstrates how AI, and the power of storytelling, can make a meaningful difference.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Joep shares how one of the most powerful invitations in Appreciative Inquiry, that of storytelling,  immediately “sold” him on the approach.
• He notes how during a technical merger between two companies, storytelling was an integral part of building trust between the two teams.
• Joep talks about his favorite go-to tool for co-creating visions and values: The Wall of Wonder.
• Using an appreciative approach and truly walking the talk of his belief in relationships helped Joep during a particularly difficult round of layoffs 
• He shares how he helped facilitate discussions around domestic violence, using Appreciative Inquiry to help them focus on peace in the house.
• Joep is credited with the quote, “A problem is nothing but a frustrated dream.” He challenges us to prove him wrong.

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If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Dr. Claudia Gross is a soulful Business Humanist, Organizational Visionary, Consultant and Trainer. For over 20 years, she has facilitated transformations in organizations, teams and individuals mainly in the Maghreb, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa and now online around the world. She trains and offers consultancy regarding a wide variety of topics within the areas of HUMAN futures of work*ing and collaborating. She supports teams in transforming, healing and ultimately liberating their day-to-day work and their truly living organizations. She facilitates purpose-driven planning workshops, team building retreats, multi-stakeholder processes and a variety of interactive and inspiring events. She joins us with stories about global appreciative impacts, from Pakistan to Yemen to Sri Lanka. She also shares her speakGreen work and how appreciative micro practices can greatly enhance your daily life.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Claudia shares with us how she helps groups of people envision a future that they want and take steps toward bringing that future to life.
• She tells us about work she did in Pakistan, helping them envision a world where hospitals were no longer needed because public health and community development was so strong.
•  A team in Yemen envisioned no more children begging in the street because there was such an increase in food security and food sovereignty that children could now go to school.
• Her work in Sri Lanka was with a number of small business owners who were seeking to broaden their network of trade associations, support companies active in regenerative economies, and better represent themselves at trade fairs.
• She highlights the cross-cultural relevance and global applicability of Appreciative Inquiry.
• Claudia shares her work as author and founder of speakGreen, which seeks to increase awareness of our language and encourage more conscious and intentional word choices.
• She shares her favorite examples of where intentional word choice makes a meaningful difference.
• Claudia shares her advice that embedding these micropractices into your daily life can infuse your life with gratitude and have a profound impact on your life and your relationships.

LIKE AND SHARE!

If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Dr. Nicole Bossard helps community and social service agencies align organizational values and business practices; strengthen accountability processes; improve collaborative partnerships; improve employee engagement and dramatically expand leadership capacity throughout the organization. With over 25 years experience helping social and human service providers make the shift from compliance-driven practice to real impact for individuals, families, employers, and communities in urban, suburban, rural areas, and Tribal nations across the United States, Dr. Nicole understands the pressures to perform and deliver results in a systems context. She joins us to share her journey with Appreciative Inquiry, where she has seen it have real impact in child protective services, and how she thinks organizations can tap into their best resource: the full engagement and inclusion of their employees and customers! 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Dr. Nicole shares how she discovered Appreciative Inquiry and what pushed her toward taking a deep dive in applying it in her work.
• She shares her commitment to making our relationship accountability objectives as important as our systems change objectives.
• Appreciative Inquiry challenges the faulty premise that we have to focus in on the problem, which only pigeon holes us to the presenting issue.
• Dr. Nicole’s work leading systems change in child welfare services meant gathering a whole system of stakeholders, including among others, birth parents.
• She shares how she helped create safe spaces for people in a system rife with secondary trauma.
• She walks us through the process of how she ran a Summit to improve system outcomes for child welfare services.
• There is a transformation that happens when you invite people to see themselves as leaders.
• Dr. Nicole shares the story of Sherry Tomlinson and how important it is to include big loud, sometimes scary, voices.
• She leaves us with the takeaway that this approach to human systems allows for a soul blossoming that creates so much value and the kind of collaboration needed in the world today.

LIKE AND SHARE

If you liked this podcast, please SHARE an episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn more at appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu.

Ignacio is an Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a joint position between the Business School and the Institute for Sustainable Development. His research focuses on the foundations and practices of appreciative organization development and change, the study of teams in organizations, the integration of sustainability into the business strategy of a firm, and the potential of inter-organizational collaboration to tackle grand challenges. As a consultant, he has specialized in implementing appreciative approaches; embedding sustainability as a way to create competitive advantage; and developing value-based cultural transformation programs. He shares with us his discovery of Appreciative Inquiry, his inspiration and work  to shift the educational paradigm in Chile, and the impacts of some of his consulting work and research. 

Fran Stoddard is a journalist and consultant who has been involved in education, public relations, media production, facilitation, and strategy development for more than 30 years. With a deep interest in helping organizations and communities move forward, Fran has used Appreciative Inquiry to help inspire impacts in towns and communities across the country.

Dr. Jackie Stavros is globally renowned as the thought leader behind the SOAR approach to strategic planning, revolutionizing how organizations approach their future with generative conversations that yield tangible results. With her new groundbreaking work on 'Conversations Worth Having,' Jackie exemplifies how to seamlessly integrate AI principles into everyday life.

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? It’s the one and only, Dr. David Cooperrider, the first person to coin the term “Appreciative Inquiry”! David Cooperrider, PhD, is a professor and Founder of the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. As we wrap up Season 1 of Inspiring Impacts, David joins host Dr. Lindsey Godwin to share his definition and perspectives on three decades of global f Appreciative Inquiry work.

David shares stories of how  Appreciative Inquiry first developed, how he’s applied it in his own life, and how he’s seen others use AI to create positive change in their lives and the world for over 30 years. Highlighting many of the themes we’ve discussed throughout this season, he answers questions you’ve likely been wondering. He also details the powerful role of language in bringing people together in a creative mode, practicing Appreciative Inquiry, and realizing transformation.

David Cooperrider, PhD, is the Fairmount Minerals Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. Currently David serves as Faculty Director of the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. David is best known as the co-creator and creative thought leader of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). His founding work with AI is creating a positive revolution in the leadership of change; it is helping institutions all over the world discover the power of the strength-based approaches to multi-stakeholder innovation and collaborative design. Cooperrider’s work is especially unique because of its ability to enable positive change, innovation, and sustainable design in systems of large and complex scale.

Episode Highlights:

• The origin story of the term “Appreciative Inquiry”.
• Why the “whole system” approach is so important in the Appreciative Inquiry model.
• “Words create worlds.” – What is the meaning behind that phrase?
• Reframing as a core principle of Appreciative Inquiry & how David brought reframing to life in his own health journey.
• Why storytelling is a powerful tool and a core part of any appreciative process.
• Appreciative questions you can take with you into work, relationships, personal health, and more.

Join us next season for more conversations, stories, and guests who are Inspiring Impacts all over the world!

Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Resources & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

More about David's work and writing: https://www.davidcooperrider.com 

David's commentary on the original AI article he and Suresh Srivastva published https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S1475-9152(2013)0000004001/full/html

UN Global Compact Appreciative Inquiry Summit: https://aicommons.champlain.edu/educational-material/united-nations-global-compact-leaders-summit/ 

Making Change Easy: The Tiniest Ai Summit in the World.  This article details David's personal health journey using AI reframing as an approach

AI and the United Religions Initiative (URI) http://www.theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2019/5/13/appreciative-inquiry-and-the-united-religions-initiative

Ame Lambert: add link when live

Jackie Wong: add link when live

Liz Vogel: https://bit.ly/43IjfSz

Luc Verheijen: https://bit.ly/43KO7Sg

Tojo Thatchenkery: add link when live

Ellen Drolette: https://bit.ly/44HAgOc

Yabome Gilpin-Jackson: https://bit.ly/47aQjWc

Ronald Fry: https://bit.ly/44GXN1F

Inspiring Quotes:

“Appreciative Inquiry is all about the search for the true, the good, the better, the possible.”

“We grow and we become what we most deeply, frequently, and most powerfully ask questions about.”

“There’s a big difference between eliminating something and enabling something and you can’t enable what you can’t talk about it.”

“We’ve underestimated the role of the positive in human systems… What good is hope, inspiration, and joy as it relates to growing into a changed person, growing into a transformed organization?”

“People don’t resist change, they resist being changed by others. We are hardwired to love change when it’s done in a way that brings forward hope… joy… learning.”

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.