Business Basics for the Brink of Extinction

I was a little surprised to see this text that a conference organizer “helpfully” added to the description of the workshop I would be offering at his event:

“This is a practical course and not a discussion of theory. You exit this 90-minute Workshop with new knowledge, a step-by-step plan and tools you can use when you return to your leadership and coaching work.”

This conference organizer is also a friend and colleague, so I sent him a candid reply.

“I’m uncomfortable with the final couple of sentences you proposed,” I responded. “I find that theory and philosophy are underrated. That isn’t to say people won’t leave with concrete stuff to do, but I don’t like workshop and conference claims that boast — in male, chest-thumping ways — about being practical tools, in six easy steps, for real-world, concrete blah blah and not useless theory, discussion, philosophy. This whole orientation is part of what’s wrong in the world.”

This view of mine is predictably counter-cultural. But in my experience, methods and techniques are a dime a dozen. Packaged with a shiny bow. Promised to work, just add water. Yet it’s never that easy, is it? Doesn’t work in your context. Maybe you’re not as charismatic as the original guy. Maybe your team isn’t fully on board. Maybe you didn’t read the small print…