The
words ‘guru’ and ‘teaching’ are not often uttered in the same breath.
Neverthelss, training gurus do exist if you look hard enough, so here’s our
express guide. Â By Alison Thomas
Tim
Gallwey
Age: mid-60s
Occupations
Former tennis professional and coach. Now a consultant, lecturer and business
coach
Claim
to fame His best-selling classic, The Inner Game of Tennis, sets out
principles and methods for learning and coaching that have since been applied
to support learning and peak performance in the fields of education, health and
business
Key
messages People are prevented from achieving their full potential by
interference, both external and internal. In a business context, external interference
might be a domineering boss or inadequate resources while internal interference
could be fear of failure, procrastination or resistance to change. By promoting
non-judgemental observation and self trust, a good manager or coach will
eliminate interference and encourage the learner to focus on one critical
variable at a time
Real
world experience Has worked with a variety of corporations and non-profit
organisations to develop the coaching skills of managers and create a working
environment conducive to learning and professional excellence. Long-term
clients have included AT&T, IBM, Arco, Anheuser Busch, Apple Computer and
Coca-Cola
Buzzwords
Inner game. Outer game. Performance equals potential minus interference (P
= p – i). Too much challenge plus too little safety equals fear. Too much
safety plus too little challenge equals complacency
Read
The Inner Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Work, both published by Random
House
Lecture
circuit Gives lectures, runs seminars and workshops worldwide. Spoke in
March at an Industrial Society one-day symposium in London and at a three-day
business coaching workshop last week
Cost
$10,000 to $20,000
Why
His ability to tap people’s intrinsic capacity to learn is impressive
Stephen
R Covey
Age: 70
Occupations
Author, lecturer, teacher, executive mentor and organisational consultant.
Co-founder/co-chairman of Franklin Covey Company
Claim
to fame The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which sold more than
12 million copies in 32 languages and 75 countries, was named the most
influential book of the 20th century by readers of Chief Executive Magazine
Key
messages Fundamental human values and principles that have governed our
actions for thousands of years become empowering drivers for success when harnessed
appropriately. Key qualities include responsibility, integrity, respect, mutual
understanding, patience and purpose
Real
world experience Has consulted with the world’s top corporate and political
leaders. Invited to Camp David by President Clinton, facilitated training with
the parties implementing the Good Friday Peace Accord in Northern Ireland. Has
also created his own success story with Franklin Covey, which boasts over
two-thirds of the Fortune 500 companies among its clients and brings in an
annual revenue of $500m
Buzzwords
Be proactive. Begin with the end in mind. Put first things first. Think
win/win. Seek first to understand and then to be understood. Synergise. Sharpen
the saw
Read
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Principle-centred Leadership,
which applies the same principles in a business context (both published by
Simon & Schuster). First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave
a Legacy focuses on how to distinguish what really matters from what is merely
urgent. (Fireside)
Lecture
circuit International. Tireless
Cost
From $50,000 for a keynote address, more than $75,000 a day
Why
Based on common sense, Covey’s message strikes a chord with people at every
level
Peter
Senge
Age: 55
Occupations
Renowned theorist and writer. Senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), chairman of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL),
founding partner of Innovation Associates (now part of consultancy Arthur D
Little)
Claim
to fame His bestseller, The Fifth Discipline, revolutionised the practice
of management by popularising the concept of learning organisations. Harvard
Business Review named it as one of the five ‘key business books’ of the past
two decades
Key
messages The capacity to learn, adapt and change must be woven into the
very fabric of the organisation. Achieved through embracing the disciplines of
personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision and team learning, with
systems thinking as the fifth discipline and cornerstone.
Real
world experience Has worked with leaders in government, education and
healthcare and global corporations
Buzzwords
Learning organisations are… organisations where people continually expand their
capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive
patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and
where people are continually learning to see the whole together
Read
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization
(Currency/Doubleday), The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for
Building a Learning Organization (with four co-authors, Currency/Doubleday),
The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning
Organizations (with four co-authors, Doubleday)
Lecture
circuit Lectures extensively throughout the world
Cost
$20,000 and upwards for an address
Why
In an age of rapid change, companies that fail to foster a culture of
continuous learning cannot evolve and fall by the wayside
Reg
Revans
Age: 95
Occupations
Educationalist, thinker, author
Claim
to fame: Pioneer of Action Learning, one of the most important concepts in
management and organisational development to emerge in the last 50 years
Key
messages Action Learning requires a willingness to recognise what you don’t
know followed by searching, questioning and deep reflection. This is best
achieved in small ‘sets’ of people united by a common desire to resolve real,
work-based problems. Revans’ aim is to empower the learner and he has no time
for third party ‘expert’ consultants who "hide their ignorance under a
veneer of knowledge"
Real
world experience The seeds of Revans’ ideas were sown in the 1930s when he
worked with Nobel Prize-winning physicists at Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratories
and was inspired by their humility and willingness to collaborate. After the
war he was education and training director of the National Coal Board before
becoming the UK’s first professor of industrial administration. He has since
worked with a wide range of public and private sector organisations in the UK,
Europe, Africa, India and the US
Buzzwords
L=P+Q (Learning equals programmed knowledge plus insightful questions). There
is no action without learning and no learning without action. Learning is voluntary.
Learning is cradled in the task. Instead of hiding our ignorance, we should be
bartering it.
Read
ABC of Action Learning (3rd edition Lemos & Crane), The Origins and Growth
of Action Learning (Chartwell Bratt)
Lecture
circuit Retired
Cost
Videos can be obtained from the Revans Centre for Action Learning &
Research, University of Salford http://www.ais.salford.ac.uk/publica/speccoll/rwr7.pdf
Why
In a rapidly changing world, the ability to adapt is fundamental.
"Adaptation is achieved only by learning, by being able to do tomorrow
that which might have been unnecessary today." (ABC of Action Learning)
Fons
Trompenaars
Age: late 40s
Occupations
Consultant, author, speaker. Founder and managing director of Trompenaars
Hampden-Turner, specialising in cross-cultural management and training
Claim
to fame Development of the Seven Dimensions of Culture Model. 1991 winner
of the ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) International
Professional Practice Area Research Award
Key
messages Different cultures present mirror images of each other’s values.
The only way to forge successful partnerships is through reconciliation. This
requires an awareness of your own cultural mindset coupled with an
understanding and respect for that of your partners
Real
world experience Grew up speaking French and Dutch. Started his working
life with Shell, handling operations in nine countries. As a consultant he has
helped multinational organisations (including Philips, General Motors and Nike)
to reconcile cultural differences and achieve ‘world class’ business
performance
Buzzwords
Universalism versus particularism (relative importance of rules and
relationships). Individualism v communitarian-ism (respective roles of the
individual and the group). Specific v diffuse (the separation or fusion of
different roles). Affective v neutral (showing emotion); achievement v
ascription (how status is determined). Sequential v synchronic (tackling tasks
one at a time or doing several things simultaneously). Internal v external
control (controlling the environment or adapting to external circumstances)
Read
Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business
(Nicholas Brealey Publishing), Building Cross-Cultural Competence (co-author
Charles Hampden-Turner, John Wiley)
Lecture
circuit Addresses global audiences in English, French, German and Dutch.
Due to speak at the ICEDR Forum in Mont-PÅ lerin, Switzerland, 10-13 June
Cost
Undisclosed
Why
Cross-cultural competence has become a critical skill in the new global economy
Peter
Honey
Age: early 60s
Occupations
Chartered psychologist, management consultant, prolific author, broadcaster.
Founder and chief executive of Peter Honey Learning, he designs and conducts
programmes on developing interactive skills, creative thinking and problem
solving
Claim
to fame Respected authority on learning and behaviour. Made his name in
1982 with the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire
Key
messages The key to effective learning is to understand the process we go
through when we learn and recognise the impact – positive or negative – of our
preferred learning styles. Basing their conclusions loosely on Kolb’s learning
cycle, Honey and Mumford identified four types of learner:
–
activists, who like to have a go and learn through trial and error
–
reflectors, who prefer to observe and analyse before proceeding
–
theorists, who think problems through first in a logical way
Real
world experience Worked for Ford Motor Company and British Airways before
becoming freelance in 1969. Has helped many large organisations develop
learning approaches including the Bank of England, ICI and the Automobile
Association
Buzzwords
You are what you learn. Learning to learn is your ultimate life skill.
Learning is only effective when you convert it into improved performance.
Learning is the only skill that can never become obsolete
Read
Visit www.peterhoney.com for a range
of self-development resources, off-the-shelf training manuals and e-learning
solutions
Lecture
circuit Delivers keynote addresses and after-dinner speeches. Runs
workshops in the UK and abroad
Cost
Daily fee £5,000
Why
In the age of lifelong learning it is important to understand the stages in the
learning cycle
W.
Edwards Deming
Age: 93 when he died in 1993
Occupations
Statistician, consultant, lecturer, musician
Claim
to fame Legendary for his work in Japan after World War 2, when he
transformed the UK’s economy by persuading firms to up their game and focus on
quality
Key
messages Adversarial relationships should be replaced by co-operation. The
workforce cannot be held responsible for low quality or productivity when the
system is to blame. Developing trust and teamwork are more effective ways of
pushing up quality than setting targets or encouraging people to compete
against each other. Everyone in the organisation should be able to work with
joy. Organisations and suppliers need to work together to optimise results for
both parties
Real
world experience Consulted with public agencies and private concerns all
over the world. Clients included manufacturers, freight carriers, telephone
companies, railways and many more
Buzzwords
‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ (the Shewart/Deming cycle). Fear invites wrong figures.
Bearers of bad news fare badly. To keep his job, anyone may present to his boss
only good news. The transformation is everybody’s job. A company cannot buy its
way into quality – it must be led into quality by top management
Read
Out of the Crisis includes his famous 14 points or key actions that
managers must take to ensure quality, productivity and success. The New
Economics for Industry, Government, Education outlines his System of Profound
Knowledge. Both published by MIT Press
Lecture
circuit N/A. Videotapes and online courses available from the Deming
Institute and MIT. See http://www.deming.org/resources/index.html and
http://caes.mit.edu/deming/tdv.html
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Cost
N/A
Why
The ultimate quality guru. His ideas are more relevant than ever in the
fiercely competitive world of global business
