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What can we say: Mike and Mark and the rest of the team are putting on a great show. Nearing the end of the first half and they're still going strong.
A couple of great touchdowns, no foul play and great coaching from the touchline. And the crowd (all 50+ of them) went wild.

In eager expectation of day 2....

On behalf of (we're sure) many other Amsterdam delegates,

Diederik and Jonathan

WillDuke's picture
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Make sure Mark gets his lemon water early. In San Antonio he had a hard second day. :)

kmcgowan74's picture

I just noticed that on Linkedin www.linkedin.com High "DI" Mark (note the I) has less contacts than High "DC" Mike! (115/119) ;) - It seems more of the I is rubbing off on Mike!

Thanks again for a great day so far on the European Conference guys, it approaching midnight and I'm still making notes!

rachaelip's picture
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Just got back and am going through withdrawal from being accustomed to being in the company of such energetic and inspiring folks.

cwatine's picture
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Folks-

It is just 5 to midnight, I am just back home after 4 and a half hours of driving and I must say something before I go to bed ...

This was definitely the best conference I have attended. Incredible energy level. Unbelievable attention to each of us from Kate, Mark, Mike, and Michael. All questions were answered completely and carefully. The practice part was terrific ...

And it was a great pleasure to meet so many people from all countries with the eagerness to learn more and do better as a common point.

The forum and podcast are incredibly effective tools, but if you can't attend a conference, you are definitely missing an important part ...

Thank you guys (MT people AND other attendees) for charging up my batteries like you did ... Well am I going to sleep, now ? :roll:

Ced.

gernot's picture

Hi

me and my two fellow colleagues also drove 4 hours back - and we kept shouting "GREAT" all the time.

It was an outstanding unique experience.

Energyzed from Marc and the Team (Tank you Kate, Mark, Mike, Michael and PierG) the whole audience contributed to a learning process which will have a great impact on each life.

Thank you all - and remember to stay in touch :)

On Wednesday I got up at 5:15, and now I am still don't not want to go to sleep...

oskar's picture

Well… I have to be honest. I’m stunned…

Voices of Mike and Mark have been hunting me in a car, plane, etc. for 2 years. Every time I think I need to do something useful I turn on their voices.
So 290800 Jan I sit down in a conference hall. And guess what… All of the sudden these voices have faces. I did not believe this is happening to me.
I really love to talk but just could not open my mouth… to ask questions. I just had to listen and swallow every word coming out of their mouth.
I thank others who felt like asking! You made the event an unique experience!

PierG! Man with the coolest job in a World! Two tumbs up!
Kate! No ideas what it takes to to get rockets fly! But I’m willing to bet You have it! Good Luck!
Michael! You are no third! Dial in to their casts!

MIKE AND MARK! “Sadly” YOU no longer are voices in my head. YOU ARE REALLY GREAT PEOPLE WHO REALLY CARE!
The energy you create… well I feel like Duracell Bunny. No Ideas how to thank You enough!

Next time we meet Your passion is my passion. Over the hump!
I just want to get back to my people!

: )
Ozz

Bamsematt's picture

[quote="cedwat"]

Thank you guys (MT people AND other attendees) for charging up my batteries like you did ... Well am I going to sleep, now ? :roll:

Ced.[/quote]

:D
It sure took a while before I was able to fall a sleep... I will keep the energy level you created for a [b]long, LONG[/b] time!

Having said it before with other means, it can't be said enough times: Thanks guys! This was the best learning experience I think I have ever had! Not only the actual learning, but also the genuine sincerity you show that you really [b]want [/b]us to become better at what we do is just amazing. It makes my eyes wet. :D

Would I recommend the MT conference to colleagues and/or friends?
Does my daughter like Santa Claus? :D
[size=18][color=darkred][b]YES![/b][/color][/size]

Mike, Mark, Michael, PG & Kate: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Bjorn

PierG's picture

I have to thank you guys: it was GREAT !!!!
Hope to see you all soon!
PierG

wendii's picture
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I'm so glad you are so much more articulate than I am. I havn't got past being awed yet.

And definately thank you to all those who asked questions - even when I didn't think I wanted to know the answer, there were some which tilted my world and I appreciate that you gave me that experience.

Wendii

nguigon's picture
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Hi all,

Thank you all and the MT team! It was inspiring and energizing. It was a real breathe of fresh air to be with this group and such great presenters. I did not think I would feel this emotion during a training. Amazing no?

Cheers,

Nicolas

rachaelip's picture
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[quote="oskar"]Well… I have to be honest. I’m stunned…

PierG! Man with the coolest job in a World! Two tumbs up!
Kate! No ideas what it takes to to get rockets fly! But I’m willing to bet You have it! Good Luck!
Michael! You are no third! Dial in to their casts!

[/quote]

I agree. Even thought the M&M dynamic is great on the podcast it would be pretty cool to have M #3 or PierG guest host every now and then.

DCochrane's picture
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As a very quiet member of the audience I too want to thank the MT team for an energetic and learning-filled 2 days. It was great! One big take away for me was how the team acknowledged that they were teaching in ways which were people-orientated and time-consuming because they had learned that that was the approach that actually worked! That's a big lesson for someone like me who is High C and Low I. The material on ways of increasing Influence was particularly helpful but the Feedback teaching and associated practice was brilliant.

Good luck Amsterman attendees in implementing this stuff and Thank You MT Team. I'll definitely send some DRs when you present in London.

David

US101's picture
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During the trio feedback practice, does the observer give feedback to the practioner using the feedback model too? Or does the observer just give "normal" input?

cwatine's picture
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I used the "feedback model" : more practice makes it more "natural", doesn't it?

One little bias with language : each time I wanted to give feedback to employees, the ENGLISH words came to me!

We could have tried to practice in langage groups ... I have done that a little bit during the conference, but not enough.

Maybe doing that would improve the effect of the training? What do you think, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Austrian and Estonian (etc) guys ?

wendii's picture
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Cedric,

on the aeroplane on the way home.. I was reading a magazine..and in the corner of the letters page it said 'How to give feedback'... and my brain went.... Can I give you some feedback? When you... here's what happens...What can you do differently?. I'd gone through the whole thing before I realised that's not what they meant!

Wendii

cwatine's picture
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Wendii-

:shock:

Do you mean we may have been BRAIN WASHED ?
Well maybe we needed some dirt out of our heads, anyway ... :wink:

Ced.

gernot's picture

Cedric,

concerning the language issue:

I was also working hard to get the english words out of my head yesterday, AND I thing it is better to practice in English.

The discussion at the conference is in english, so everyone could participate in the answers of your questions, and you have contributed by asking a lot of questions, havent you? :)

The podcast are also in english, so you can attach your conference experience directly to the podcasts.

Maybe it will take a few day to turn the "Hey can i give you some feedback" into, "Hallo, kann ich dir mal Rückmeldung geben", but switching back and forth while learning maybe even harder that means less effective.

The last words from Karsten today leaving the office were. "How do you feel?"

There was only one answer "GREAT".

You should have seen the faces of the other colleagues... ;)

cwatine's picture
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"Rückmeldung" I like that !

I am still fighting to find a word that sounds good in French : remarque ? observation ? commentaire ? retour d'information ?

Well ... Maybe "feedback" is better ...

andersbirch's picture
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Hi Everyone,

Thanks to the MT team! It was great meeting the persons behind the voices. I feel energized, motivated and not least inspired in a way I have never felt before after a conference! I will focus on improving my 03's first and have already been giving feedback... and guess what... it works ;-)

It was really great meeting all of you fellow managers and MT fans ;-) I hope to see you all again sometime later this year or next.

If anyone of you are visiting Scandinavia at some point or wants some local insight, please contact me :D

Anders

juliane_kaestner's picture

Dear colleagues,

These two days in Amsterdam have just been great, extremely informative and I met a lot of wonderful people.

The energy, the honesty and frankness of all people impressed me.

I am listening to Mikes and Marks podcasts since about 1.5 years and it was a special moment seeing the face behind the voice.

Imagine, I gave just feedback the other day. And it has been amazingly effective; what is no surprise, since this is based on Mike and Marks experience.

I was pleased to find some of the attendees in the XING network, and hope, I will be able to stay in contact to all the others.

Thank you Mike, Mark, Kate, Micheal and PG - AND - all colleagues!

Juliane

tlhausmann's picture
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[quote="cedwat"]"Rückmeldung" I like that !

I am still fighting to find a word that sounds good in French : remarque ? observation ? commentaire ? retour d'information ?

Well ... Maybe "feedback" is better ...[/quote]

I suspect "feedback" is a modern word.

When I hear the word feedback outside of the managerial context I usually think of interfering sounds when communicating electronically. "Feedback" in such a context has a negative connotation.

Would it be more accurate to find a French word for "feedback" akin to "verbal input to increase output"?

What is the French word for turbocharging? :)

DCochrane's picture
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Dunno if anyone has mentioned this but the Manager Tools/Lands End bag we were given at the start of the conference looks really good. 8)
It's now a prized possession!

David

cwatine's picture
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[quote="tlhausmann"]

I suspect "feedback" is a modern word.

When I hear the word feedback outside of the managerial context I usually think of interfering sounds when communicating electronically. "Feedback" in such a context has a negative connotation.

Would it be more accurate to find a French word for "feedback" akin to "verbal input to increase output"?

What is the French word for turbocharging? :)[/quote]

Well, I also heard "feedback" during my studies, on the courses about communication, anthropology and psychology.

I like "turbocharging" , but I still don't find equivalents :D

I guess, "commentaire" (comment) is the best term, even if it is less meaningful than "feedback".
Isn't a "Feedback" a comment on a behaviour you have observed ?

cwatine's picture
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[quote="DCochrane"]Dunno if anyone has mentioned this but the Manager Tools/Lands End bag we were given at the start of the conference looks really good. 8)
It's now a prized possession!

David[/quote]

You are so right David ... I now have the little cards about the Horstman laws on my desk. And ... One of them has nice handwritten comments from Mike and Mark.

PierG's picture

Cedar,
it would be great to train in our own language!
PierG

cwatine's picture
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We would need to grow up the French speaking team !!!

rachaelip's picture
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[quote="jonp"]During the trio feedback practice, does the observer give feedback to the practioner using the feedback model too? Or does the observer just give "normal" input?[/quote]

I am not sure how other groups did it, but in our group the observer used the feedback model too. We viewed it as double practice.

mdenheld's picture

Thanks for making me want to be a better manager.

The tools we have explored and practiced are sure to contribute to making me a better manager.

What a great event and thank you for giving your podcasts an European touch by having our Italian connection (PierG) present.

It was great meeting all the podcast voices but even better meeting fellow managers, if any one of you ever need any customer process advice you know where to find me.

Marc den Held

sethn's picture
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Just wanted to add my support to what has been said already – the MT Conference in Amsterdam was amazing and inspiring…

The word “conference” doesn’t do it justice.

I left there with re-kindled enthusiasm and excitement about being a manager - and a lot of practical knowledge I didn't have going into it.

Anyone who wants to improve how they manage people should consider attending one of the conferences – it will be worth it.

Seth

fjf's picture
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Mike, Mark, Michael, Kate, PierG,

Thank you for giving and giving. I was blown away by your your commitment, energy, desire to share the insights you've worked hard at gaining, which I'm sure haven't come easily. I feel enriched to have met you and learned from you. And the great thing is: the learning continues! Only a week on (after I reckon a pretty draining performance) and already there's a new podcast. Mark when you described yourself as a servant, you spoke the truth.

A huge thank you also to all the participants. Where else do you get this kind of participation, eagerness to learn, eagerness to share?

Mark, Mike, you've created a great community.
Thank you

Floris

oskar's picture

hei!
well week into the life and i can report some progress...
As discussed with many of you the word feedback in estonian is terrible. It is just useless if you actually mean to give feedback in MT way.
But thanks to amsterdam i now have found my way. It really was not about the words you use but the thing you communicate.
My 2 and 4 year old boys at home both look a "little" confused by the amount of feedback they have been getting last week. ; ) And i will not try that on my wife.
Effect at work is jet to be seen!

Br,
ozz

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Thank you all for your kind words. It was an honor to meet all of you and to work for you in Amsterdam. I hope you had as wonderful an experience as I did.
Kate

sklosky's picture

tlhausmann,

I think MT feedback is very analogous to feedback in audio systems. The interesting thing is that when you're hearing nasty sounds coming out of the speakers, feedback is not working with you, it's working against you. :) I'm certain if one manages and adjusts the controls incorrectly (thus producing the equivalent of nasty sounds), there is an equivalent effect in their organization. Just some thoughts. :)

Cedar,

I think another appropriate analogy is how a rocket guidance system work. Rocket guidance systems actively use a type of feedback to keep the vehicle on course. From what I understand, the guidance computer measures the desired course and the actual course. Based on the differences, the guidance computer sends course adjustments to the flight control system. In a similar fashion, the MT feedback message is providing course corrections (both positive and negative, both left and right) to direct reports. Somehow, my interpretation of the MT feedback model is that by using proper feedback, we can turn potentially loose cannons into laser guided missles. Not sure how this model translates to your vernacular, but I like analogies and thought I would share my perspective.

Regards,
Steve

stehow's picture

I’ve taken a week or two to reflect on the course and even now I am still enthused. The two days taught me a lot about what I knew, what I thought I knew and what I really didn’t. I’ve taken a lot away and plan to start (or restart) with some of the basics again with my team.

Thanks to everyone presenting, supporting and participating. It felt like a family party rather than a conference. Great material, great company and great friends.

thanks

Steve

Mark's picture
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All-

Sorry I've been absent.

It is so wonderful reading of your enthusiasm and energy at becoming better managers. This will help you, your family, your directs...and humbly submitted, the world.

Regarding the word "feedback" - let's try to separate the teaching of the model from the fundamental premise.

The fundamental premise is that organizations do better when performance feedback is frequent, and managers are clearly the most ideally suited person to deliver that feedback. Further, we have found that managers "don't know how" and don't know the underlying issues. These are the blocks that the model addresses.

At this point, we could easily say, "so, if you are giving your folks feedback regularly about their performance, then you don't need our model."

Would that it were so.

Managers tell us all the time that they give lots of feedback. And their directs tell us they get almost NONE. And what the manager classifies as feedback is either punishment, or disdain, or disappointment. it's about the PAST.

So, our model gives managers something that absolutely will WORK. Is it the only thing that will work? Of course not. But I'll bet one random manager from a random sample of 100 that whatever it is they're doing is NOT working, at least in terms of improving performance as much as this model will do.

And if you choose to keep doing it your way, when this way is proven to be better, the manager's the problem.

So, does the PURPOSE of feedback hinge on the word? No.

Does the MODEL hinge on the word? No.

Does the model hinge on repetition, using a phrase the clearly indicates that "we're about to talk about your performance (which is the contract we agree to as professionals anyway)?

YES.

So don't get too worried aobut the word...OR the word in your native language. Worry abou the purpose of the feedback, and the purpose of the model, and the need for repetition.

Can we talk about your work?

Can we talk about what just happened?

Can I share something with you?

Can I share an observation?

May I give you some feedback?

May I give you some ruckmeldung?

To teach the model, we've narrowed the scope. But don't let the words obscure the purpose.

Good to be back.

Mark