Dr. K’s Blog

Here is part two of my four part interview series with Oregon State Representative Peter Buckley. We discuss the state of the legislature when Peter first arrived, what the problem was, how he dealt with it and contributed to a change for the better. We talked about how he stays optimistic in spite of circumstances, what life experiences he brought off the shelf of his inventory and put to work to end the polarization in Salem, his opinion on the intelligence of others, and then I lay on a bit of sincere flattery for a bright guy doing great things.

Here it is:

Two items to add to this post.

First, an apology for being late in getting this posted. I’m working on my next book at the moment, and got so lost in writing that I FORGOT TO POST THIS! I promise to get back on schedule with the next part of this interview posted tomorrow.

Second, there is less than a week to register for the Communication Tune Up teleseminar series that begins next Tuesday. 2 months of a guided training process using the phone and (if you like) your web browser. You get books, you get personal attention and support, and the whole process is guaranteed. Learn more and register at CommunicationTuneUp.com.

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Here, as promised, the first part of a four part interview with Oregon State Representative Peter Buckley, the Majority Whip representing my district in southern Oregon, District 5.

Why Representative Buckley? Why now? Because we’ve been talking about political inconsistency, and Peter is one of the most consistent people in politics I know. If he says he’ll do something, he’ll move heaven and earth to get it done. When first elected, he walked into a polarized situation and worked diligently to turn it around. Talk with people in the state capital and they will tell you that this friendly and enthusiastic guy is incredibly persuasive and gets results by bringing out the best in the people around him. In government, that’s no simple task. Listen, learn and enjoy, and I’ll put up the next part of this interview in my next post.

One more item to mention. The final free preview seminar happens tomorrow, noon pacific time. It’s worth your time (30 minutes,) it costs you nothing to attend (except maybe the dialing in) and it gives you a taste of the kind of learning available in the Communication Tune Up Teleseminar Series beginning on July 29. To find out how to attend the Preview call, visit CommunicationTuneUp.com, and click on ‘Preview.’

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Don’t you just love those expensive and over-produced political ad campaigns where you get to see airbrushed images of a politician in front of the waving flags, hearth and home? To hear that oh-so-caring voice of authority that tells you the story the politician has had written just for you, a story he knows you want to believe is true?

You may be able to catch one of these ads on your teevee right now! But only if your candidate feels his power threatened in the next election. Otherwise, he (or she, though probably he, let’s call him Greg Schmeg) is more likely to sit back, rake in the money from the handful of groups that actually benefit from his position of political power, and do everything he can to avoid getting pinned down in debate and confrontation with angry voters. Then Greg Schmeg will suddenly show up in the deciding time with some splashy appearances in front of hand picked audience (picked for the message conveyed by how they look) and in a SURGE of advertisement, fill the airwaves with so many ads that by the time its time to vote, the story those ads tell is all you think of when you think of Greg Schmeg.

Read the rest of this entry »

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This post is the third part in a three part series of posts on flipfloppery, and the cost of inconsistency in political candidates. I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t help changing up the title, flipflopping as it were on whether to stick with the ‘Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3′ titling formula I began with, or to introduce the new element and violate the expectation created by the two previous titles. And now you have it. As I look at it, I find it disturbing somehow, and yet fulfilling at the same time.

I suppose I should begin this blog post with a confession: I have no problem with people changing their minds. My business is all about the art of change, all about positive change, making things better. I say change your mind, change your life, change your world. I say that if you change the way you look at things, the way things look will change. And I think that flexibility of thought is a healthy thing, particularly in a leader.

Read the rest of this entry »

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This is part two in my blog series on inconsistency in politics. The previous entry can be found here, and it deals with John McCain’s inconsistency on a wide range of issues.

With Obama, we have a different kind of inconsistency going on. Two kinds, actually. The first is a more nuanced version, the sort of inconsistency you might expect in either a deep thinker who understands that issues aren’t really black and white, but come in a variety of shades of grey. The second kind is with the expectations of his base, the ones who brung him to the dance (pardon the word brung, but it is the correct spelling when used in the colloquialism in which I found it!)

What do I mean by nuanced? He says yes unequivocally to universal healthcare, but as to the details, sometimes yes on single payer, other times no. He says yes unequivocally to leaving Iraq and ending the war as soon as possible, but says that his position on how and when is subject to ‘refinement’ based on changes on the ground.

Obama’s seeming changes in direction are harder to pin down and interpret than McCain’s, in large part because they are so unexpected. When McCain changes his position, you get the sense of who he is trying to appeal to with the change. But with Obama, it’s just not that obvious. Consider these examples.

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What the heck! After the last time, I said I’d never do it again, but now I’m going ahead and coining another new word. Flipfloppery: (noun) political inconsistency as expressed through changing positions on issues

Today’s post is the first part of a three part examination of flipfloppery in the Republican and Democratic candidates for US President. Let’s begin with age before beauty. How doeth John McCain flip flop? Let me count the ways. Here’s a video that says it all.

Or, just read this incomplete list:

TAXES AND FINANCE: Only three years ago, McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts because they were “too tilted to the wealthy.” By last year, he was denying that he ever said that, while insisting that his problem with the tax cuts was due to increased government spending. Oh, and now he’s in favor of making the tax cuts permanent.

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From time to time I hold teleseminars to dig deeper into The Art of Change communication challenges that I hear about from my clients and client organizations.

It is my pleasure to invite you, my blog reader, to join me for the Communication Tune Up teleseminar series coming up at the end of July.

The five session Teleseminar series begins on July 29th, 12:00pm PST, 3:00pm EST, 8:00pm London time. With limited space available, it’s first come first serve. Join me in this series of one hour training sessions spread out over two months, as I break the greatest challenges of communication into just five easy-to-learn pieces, and then help you upgrade your skills and abilities to deal with them.

Advantages of Teletraining

Teleseminars are the next wave in training, and offer many advantages for people ready to learn. Read the rest of this entry »

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Perfecting your communication skills prior to presenting a persuasion proposition—delivering a successful transition—has been my recent theme.Here are the previous posts in the series:

Types of Transitions:

1) Asking for permission here

2) ‘Claim the bridge’ and ‘One Step at a time’,here

3) Thought provoking statements here.

4) Ask for a ‘yes” here

The theme of my recent posts has been exploring how transitions help you prepare your persuadee to be open to your positive persuasion proposition.Today’s topic is another transitional opener: a short story

“Let me tell you a story about someone just like you who overcame numerous obstacles and changed the world.”

Stories involve people just like you and me having Read the rest of this entry »

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You can read about the change management program I conducted in Trinidad by following either of these links.

http://www.southfloridacaribbeannews.com/story.asp?ID=4088 

or

http://www.news.gov.tt/news/article.aspx?id=7677 

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Here are some additional thoughts on the power of change. Perhaps the best way to get a handle on the new change paradigm is to think bigger! In fact, big picture thinking is the essence of the new paradigm. That’s because starting with the whole and then working your way to the particular is the most economical way of problem solving, and we’ve got a lot of problems needing to be solved.

Big picture thinking helps you to see that change happens more as a side effect than a direct effect of the choices people make. You know how this works:

• For want of a nail, a shoe is lost.
• For want of a shoe a horse is lost.
• For want of a horse, a soldier is lost.
• For want of a soldier, the battle is lost.

Waves of Change

Side effects set in motion waves of change that consistently surpass the imaginings of previous generations. The venerable saying still holds true: Feed a person a fish, and they eat a fish. Teach a person to fish, they fish until they catch one, and a now-well-fed child grows up to discover how fish oil cures disease.

As the paradigm shifts, the person who wants to ride the waves of change must Read the rest of this entry »

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