Condition of Transaction: Assessment
Transaction For Assessment
Use the following as a guide for your thinking for the Condition of Transaction in this Study.
Step One:
Articulate your Chief Aim (or that of your enterprise).
To build an enterprise with $19M in value by 2020
Step Two:
Describe how you (and/or those accountable) Evidence the State of Mind of an Ambitious Adult
John – I continue to make invitations, offers, requests, judgments, assessments and assertions to produce my aims. I am continually seeking new pathways to produce the aims – and training others to produce the work & action to produce the aims.
Describe how you Prove Fitness in the practice and application of this Condition of Transaction.
Evidence your fitness in the domain of assessment and inquiry – as well as organizing the effort of others in this process.
John – I have managed a $4M operation for 3 years – and helped grow that enterprise. I have NOT managed a $15M operation and would consider that I am not fit for that size enterprise. I am studying specialized knowledge to operate at that level – but would consider a replacement CEO at $5M to manage us into $15M. I don’t think I care to manage the operations of this size company (as it would likely disrupt the satisfaction of other COLs, but am open to inquiry).
MY FITNESS – I have, however, managed over 120 program leaders over 15 years to continually assess their performance and how they might meet the required metrics. I have myself proven to understand the metrics required (in a program) and how one leads to produce them. I have done this in 4 different programs with very different kinds of customers and result requirements – and did so reliably and effectively. I call this “leading from the measures” and hold specialized knowledge that I continue to demonstrate to Kirkland (an he acknowledges such) so that we can a) produce the performance metrics we seek and b) offer these metrics as both evidence of our program benefits and the requirements for other Program Leaders to lead the FOT (and other programs).
Step Three:
Demonstrate Accurate Thinking in General Knowledge in this Phase for your offer. Consider what General Knowledge must be demonstrated to gain the trust and acceptance of your specific customer? (Vendors and other strategic alliances are included if applicable to your offer.)
I have demonstrated the successful completion of thousands of programs, offers, and transactions over my career. In general, these are not piling up as a bunch of incomplete things, but rather, they are completed, both statistically and otherwise – and archived as part of a history of accomplishment.
For example, I have spreadsheets dating back to 1992 that list every Introduction to the Forum I have led, the number of guests, the number that registered and the effectiveness as a moving and cumulative statistic. I have the same documentation for all programs I’ve led and have demonstrated, generally (and specifically) that I can complete and assess a transaction for improving future performance.
Step Four:
Demonstrate Accurate Thinking in Specialized Knowledge in this Condition of Transaction for your primary offer. Consider what Specialized Knowledge (and/or knowledge of consequence) must be demonstrated to gain the acceptance of your specific customer to rely on your expertise in this area. (Vendors and other strategic alliances are included if applicable to your offer.)
In every program I led and with every program leader I managed, we had a completion and assessment process. I not only led hundreds (thousands?) of these such meetings/transactions, I trained other people to lead them.
In fact, in helping KT distinguish Satisfaction Metrics from Completion – I distinguished for him that RESULTS – NARRATIVE = FACTS – and assisted in the articulation of these distinctions as we now teach them. The facts, looked at separated from any narrative, allow you to see something for what it is / is not. This is the foundation for inquiry – starting with the facts and suspending any new decisions, choices or new directions until the facts are all made obvious as facts.
Inquiry into ‘the source’ of these facts leads one into new possibilities that begin the transaction anew.
The source of these facts is not simple and is often a combination of both narratives, actions, mechanics and moods/ontology.
Step Five:
Identify Your Personality and Transactional Behavior.
JP – as an inventor, I love reaching back into the facts to inquire into possible futures. I could not stop doing this if you tied me to a stake. It is constant, all pervasive and won’t stop (and sometimes I wish it would).
As a Transactional Behavior, I demonstrate inquiry both in private and from the front of the room; as an inquiry and not a pretense of inquiry. I am fascinated by the discovery of new territories / domains / language that falls out of these inquiries – both for myself and for those I lead.
DA – as a judge, I can’t help but assess and notice and link actions to results. The fun part is working with an inventor to take these observations and ideas and help them manifest in reality. We are wonderful at noticing what should be done (but don’t always get them done).
As a Transactional Behavior, I work to bring a mood of creation with the assessments whenever I can. I want to generate not stop. Many judges, its’ all about “no”.
Identify the Personality and Transactional Behavior of those accountable for this Condition of Transaction. Include in your answer your/their strengths, weaknesses or other concerns in which you must be mindful.
JP – strengths / weaknesses – my biggest weakness is that after so many years of leading programs, blah, blah, I can see things that allow me to bring insight, clarity and accurate thinking to the completion of a transaction – however – I don’t always give language to and inform others of what I am seeing, thinking or stewing over and this leaves others wondering – or excluded – or wondering if I was doing anything about it at all (so much happens in my head, not in dialogue or on paper). I know Jack always wants the blow by blow of a conference, for example, but I have already moved on. For him (or others), they need to pull the past apart to say why it went that way or what we have learned from it – and I would rather ring alarms about the dangers I see coming our way because something did or did not happen.
As an example, I see danger now for the FOT target and it’s a big danger that is not being impacted – and because of the MYMC big results, most will relax like something just got handled. The double whammy of big results plus trending down FOT sales is a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. This is obvious to me, clear, unmistakable – needs urgent attention – but I have difficulty in sharing this urgency with others in a way that ‘wakes the dead’. Need to develop skills in presenting facts that wake the dead.
DA – struggles with making the invitation to hear a presentation of the facts that inform the high-side of actions that must be taken to alleviate breakdowns.
What asset or liability do you see your Personality Type causes in this transaction.
JP – Asset, I can assess quickly. Liability, I won’t talk about that out loud, give voice to it or share it with others. Thinking at the speed of speech.
I invent without any input from anyone else; I assess, reinvent and enact without including other perspectives.
I also don’t request assessment from my judges, I simply expect them to know what I am thinking I need – as in, “it’s so obvious to me, why not to you?”
DA – Asset, I can’t help but assess, Liability, my assessment about what needs to be done is not what ‘really’ needs to be done. I need to bring in inventors/performers to invent what needs to be done (or how).
JP about DA, your capacity for giving all the other personalities room to ‘be’, is fantastic and something I find very uncommon. You bite your tongue well.
Your immediate assessments start with facts, not possibilities – so you come to your assessment very objectively. It’s a physical universe relationship to the facts and the breakdowns, not a narrative relationship to the breakdowns.
The liability is that sometimes the breakdowns are narrative driven and are more ‘context giving action’ than action in a vacuum. I fail to consider the narratives driving the action/inaction.
Are ALL of the four Personality Types represented in your offer? If no, what is missing?
Yes.
If all four are not taken care of, describe or speculate on what actions you will need to take to care for this weakness.
The invention of the work and action of the transaction for assessment is something I’m articulating – and will be produced by our admin on our behalf. In the dialogue with them I always listen for the ideas they have for simplifying, etc.
Step Six:
Articulate your Solution to a Substantial Breakdown in a Specific Ecology.
Identify or describe the Specific Ecology for which your offer is a solution.
Specific Ecology – the management of IE (including staff, program leaders, etc).
Substantial breakdown – collapse of function in multiple COLs
Work (labor, what we do with our minds/bodies) – we work hard to do what might get done easier/simpler, etc. We may miss opportunities to assess new actions/narratives/mechanics that might alter the kind of work we do.
Money – as with most transactions, people ‘leave money on the table’, having a captive audience for six months to upsell them into other programs, offers, add-ons, etc – is something to take advantage of. If we don’t lead the program from this opportunity, we leave money on the table. As an example, the last FOT program was a substantial downtrend in next participation and we don’t have an accurate assessment as to ‘why’. We can guess, but without the T for Assessment, we’ll simply try harder, press harder, do more, work more, etc.
Also, the possibility exists for other ways to make money; e.g., tuitions based on monies earned, etc. So without assessing, again, we may leave cash on the table.
Career – Our identity lives in our brand, visual brand, the authority we hold, the way in which we exemplify our offer, etc. We may not tend to the transaction for career as a strategic and calculated move to produce new or elevated identities with our customers or prospects. Without the T for assessment, we may miss opportunities to reinvent how we present and transact for our marketplace identity.
Other things to consider in the T for Assessment (some examples):
· The time of day we offer our programs
· The duration of our Virtual Sessions
· Changes to the Virtual Session structure
· Who or how a program is led
· How we train someone to lead the FOT
· Assessing what works and doesn’t on the sales side
A substantial breakdown means a collapse of function in one or more Conditions of Life. What breakdown exists or will exist in one or more Condition of Life for the members of a Specific Ecology if they do not accept your offer?
The management of IE never quite reaches our aims for money, career, work, etc.
The customers of IE, at some point, lose interest, move on, etc.
Step Seven:
Specify your Customer.
Can you name the top 25 people for whom your offer is a solution to a significant and substantial breakdown?
YES
Describe any concerns or threats you see constitutive of, or directly related to, the concerns of your specific customer. (Liabilities, costs, or threats for example.)
External – That some people may, as they continue studying with us, say to themselves “I’m tired of studying the variations on the theme – the transaction cycle”.
Are there financial / other results on a continued upward trajectory?
The formal assessment of FOT will allow the staff/program leaders the opportunity to understand both the critical and the positive feedback of our customers. While mostly ‘wow’ feedback, there are criticism of our methodology or delivery systems that people report ‘tolerating’’ for the sake of the education. (Some of which the LMS will correct), but many would prefer 90 min calls, more Q&A, examples/templates/models are constantly begged for, etc – so addressing these concerns as new offers/tools/etc – will stave off the threat of people eventually saying – “love the education, the company blows”. We always run this risk as we are confronting the naivety and the conceit of our customer – but they may confront ours and we won’t know until they are gone. i.e. Aji and the Financial Services group; most of the senior leadership at LE, etc. As we continue to build a more cohesive group of ambitious adults moving as a swarm/pack, they will move where they move and we may not be able to have them go where we want them to. They will talk to each other, they will assess us together, they will form opinions, they will find evidence – they’ll attempt to talk with us, not get heard and then talk to each other – and move away.
If our customers’ Specific Ecology continues to ‘go higher’ (as in wealthier, savvy, sophisticated, etc), we will need to match its expectations or never gain their compliance. They’ll simply go where they think (even if incorrectly) that they can get the ‘service they deserve’. Remember identity is not what we say it is…
Internal – DA – I am concerned that my high-sided partners may not be aware of some of the operational breakdowns behind the scenes. Where the CEO does not have his eyes on the staff (remote, mid-mgmt) there may be threats / breakdowns that we are not aware of (if we don’t stop and assess). When I try to figure out on my own I miss the creativity brought by the team. If we don’t assess we simply miss the opportunity to identify the breakdowns and threats…otherwise they are in the background doing damage.
JP – formal opportunities to assess give us the room to question each other and ourselves. Without these opportunities, the assessments may be taken personally vs. professionally. As we have a culture where we are all not adept at offering assessment and judgments for the betterment of all, there are still cautions that would be alleviated with formal assessments.
Step Eight:
Invent the Transaction for ASSESSMENT. (USE SECTION ON STEP EIGHT BELOW)
Invite – the right people have been invited to hear the presentation of the “assessment offer”
Present – here is the t, the facts, what there is to do is to perform an assessment of these facts – do you accept.
Contract – agreements – meeting, meeting time, rules of assessment (suspend action, conclusion), prepare to attend with having studied the facts, etc.
Fulfill – completing the five steps of the pattern of inquiry
1. Identity the problem or breakdown as an inquiry
2. Clear articulation of the problem
3. The determination of a problem/solution
4. Reasoning (setting up a series of idea tests – before action, perform intellectual tests of these ideas)
5. Testing (from inquiry into an experimentation (and moods of experimentation))
Satisfaction Metrics – We have articulated the results of the pattern of inquiry, are satisfied with the work done and are satisfied that all involved acted as agreed to.
Completion – Report the facts of this assessment to those accountable/involved.
Assessment – Assess the utility of the transaction –
Reinvention – reinvent the transaction (the process – in writing) as needed.
Apply Weapons of Influence for each Move and Phase of the Transaction for Assessment.
Show up or get out.
The opportunity to act with rigor here – is the exemplification of our offer and therefore commitment and consistency will play a big role in how people come this transaction and how they participate while in it.
Step Ten:
Demonstrate how you (or the enterprise) apply Concentration and Focus to this Condition of Transaction.
Focus on the facts – as facts – and use them to enter into a specified meeting of those involved for the specific purpose of assessing “A” program – and after every program.
Define Concentration
Remove diluting elements.
Define Focus
Answer
What are the biggest challenges (if any) you face personally in the practice of Concentration in your:
Study
My biology sends alarms to ‘go into action’ about incomplete items and threats to long and short term futures. Study goes back burner to threats.
Work
Bringing focus to the task at hand – however, I’ve gotten pretty good and removing distraction, turning off email, etc.
What are your Specific Accountabilities related to the Transaction for Assessment?
I initiate it, lead it and manage the actions as a result of it.
Step Eleven:
What practices are in place to Build and Expand the Influence Ecologies and Cooperation of others to speed up the Transaction for Assessment?
As we build the team of program leaders and staff, the practice and process of assessment will be standardized so that the help we are to each other in this assessment can continue to provide an evolution to the offer and value it provides.
What practices do you speculate might be put in place to Build and Expand the Influence Ecologies and Cooperation of others in the area of Inquiry for your Transaction for Assessment?
Scheduled meetings
Policies for when Assessment must be completed, submitted, etc.
Step Twelve:
Study the Current. What are the Current narratives about assessment, evaluations, and concerns for inquiry in your general or specific ecologies? In your answer describe the general ‘outlook’ or narrative you recognize, in the general and/or specific ecologies in which you transact, about “inquiry”. Consider for example, is your industry oriented and practiced in “inquiry” – that is, is it customary to find the leaders, high profile or centers of influence in the industry committed to and practices moves of assessment? Is there a high of performance standard (as in the legal or medical professionalism) and grounded assessments – or is the industry prone to hype and lip service in seeking qualified feedback and engaging in proper inquiry and assessment?
Generally, the narratives applaud primarily back end / objective narratives. Specifically, we are just beginning to engage in the transaction for assessment and it is a weakness for me and for our staff.
Are there associations or social organizations that recognize certain accomplishments (results) or cause consequences in your discourse or industry? If Yes – would it serve you to consider participating in the social constructs of these associations, memberships or the like? If you are already involved in certain associations or organizations, speculate on how you might further contribute with an offer of significant help.
I don’t know. I think that having a ‘honorary board of directors’ of some kind – that allow us to offer assessments that could be accepted, countered, declined – this may challenge or strengthen our offer.
Step Thirteen:
What is the Plan for Reinvention in this Phase?
To assess the Transaction for Assessment at the end of each year.
What (if any) are your speculations, plans or structured agreements concerning your personal exit from the offer or enterprise? If you do not have an answer to this question – please indicate what would be the ideal situation for you to begin to inquire into the “possibilities” for your exit.
Speculations include the sale of the company to those under us – sale of the company to a larger educational enterprise – sale of the company to our employees in general – and remaining on the payroll as founders/honorary roles.
The contractual agreements for exit includes buying the other out – or a direct sale to outside sources.
Inventing Transaction for Completion[/vc_column_text]
Inventing Transaction for Completion
As we have stated, you are doing the detailed and deliberate work required to articulate the Invention of all of the Moves and Phases of your Primary Transaction. Every Move and Phase is a transaction in and of itself.
You will rely on and edit much of the Work you have completed in previous Studies as a result of the new knowledge and insight you gain from this Study.
If you are working with a team and are not accountable for the Condition of Transaction in this study as part of your role, position or function in the enterprise, please consult or work with those who are accountable to complete this Worksheet.
Instructions for Inventing the Transaction for Assessment:
Use this Worksheet to organize and structure your Work to produce the articulation of your Transaction for this Study. Keep in mind that there will be many factors that apply to your particular offer not addressed in our Study. Use this as a guide for your thinking and work deliberately.
To the best of your ability and current understanding, articulate each of the Moves and Phases for the Transaction for Assessment.
Invitation for Assessment (“A Possibility”)
Invite – the right people have been invited to hear the presentation of the “assessment offer”
Present – here is the t, the facts, what there is to do is to perform an assessment of these facts – do you accept.
When an FOT Program is scheduled, the Assessment Virtual Session is scheduled for X days after the completion of a program – and the Staff/Program Leaders accountable have, in advance, agreed to attend this session. These VS’s can be put into the Master Calendar.
Send an email to the Staff and Program Leaders for an FOT Assessment Virtual Session.
Include all FOT Program Leaders so that all can learn from the Assessment.
Include the Admin/Finance/Registration Staff so they can understand the impact of their conversations on the final result.
Presentation of Assessment (“An Intention”)
Present – here is the t, the facts, what there is to do is to perform an assessment of these facts – do you accept.
People see and respond to the email
Email:
FOT25 is now complete. The Final Virtual Session was July 15 and the NPR ended on August 15.
I invite you to consider the facts presented below:
FOT25
Program Facts
Program Leader(s)
Drew Knowles with John Patterson & Kirkland Tibbels
Start Date Feb 11, 2013
Comp Date Jul 15, 2013
10 Starts
10 Complete
0% Removed / Transferred
Participants Sales Source NPR
1. Chee Choy Kok SAT INV/JP
2. Dianna Coop DKN INV/JP
3. Gary Ward SAT INV/JP AMC
4. Iosefo Tapusoa SAT INV/JP
5. Judith Eastgate DKN INV/JP
6. Kim Ball SAT INV/JP
7. Les McLeod SAT INV/JP
8. Matt Jackson DKN INV/JP
9 Stephen Kamarudin SAT INV/JP
10. Trisha Tyler JPA OTS/KT/JP MEM, MYM, AMC
FOT25 2013 Avg 2012 Avg
Health 58% 70% 56%
Money 106% 79% 72%
Income 49% 44% 53%
Top Income Earner Matt Jackson 154% Auckland, NZ
Continuing Participation
MEM 10% 16% 20%
PIP 0% 4% 5%
AMC/MYC 20% 24% 25%
% of Revenue earned above FOT tuitions
FOT25 2013 Avg 2012 Avg
9% 37% 23%
Other facts to consider:
• Second lowest NPR in 2013 at 30%, the lowest was FOT24 at 23%.
• No people were removed or transferred from this program; this has never happened (and ought to have w Les McLeod who did not submit SP 9,10,11,12).
• Only program ending in 2013 not to produce a MAP registration.
• Second highest Money measure in 2013.
• Only one program in 2013 is higher in the income measure – at 86%.
• Exceeded health and money measures against 2012 standards.
• First program fully led by Drew Knowles with JP and KT.
• Total Tuitions earned $47,500, total revenue plus NPR is $51,900 (this is based on program tuitions and not actual invoices).
LINK TO THESE STATS https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj2NkqRBdaSIdEp4MFQzZnFDUERhTDNXQ0lfa2NDSGc&usp=sharing
I will send a one-hour meeting invitation for the ‘Transaction for Assessment’.
This meeting is new to our company program delivery mechanics.
We will review the facts and assess these facts by inquiring into what they mean and how they might inform us of new possibilities for FOT.
If you have any questions about these facts or requests about this email or its’ contents, please reply to me.
NEXT ACTION: All, please save this email and your questions/requests for our Assessment Meeting. Mariekie, please archive FOT25.
The Contract (or modes of agreement and compliance) for Assessment (“Commitment”)
We agree to enter into the work and action of assessment not drawing conclusions, but rather as an inquiry – knowing that we’ll come to an agreement of the source of the results and their meaning in the completion of the T for Assessment.
Overall Fulfillment Plan for Assessment (“Work/Action”)
The conversations for the possible source of each result – and what those results could (as a possibility) mean.
Idea testing
Satisfaction Metrics for what must be ‘produced’ through the work/action of Assessment. Keep in mind that what you will collect and manage are the consequences that are brought into existence through your work in Fulfill. (An example might be that you committed to hold a set of meetings with a category of customers and from that work and action specific results were produced (ratings, scores, etc.) That set of results and any consequences produced through the actions taken must be anticipated in order to be captured.)
That the participants in the Transaction for Assessment state the transaction met the agreed commitments for outcomes.
Completion of the Transaction for Assessment (“Facts”)
This is an email that states the facts about the actions/outcomes of the Transaction for Assessment.
