Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

How to Prepare Your Organization for the Evolution of Work

“Great organizations have one thing in common: great managers.” This was the finding on a research by Bain & Company circa 2008. The authors reported four management principles that are essential to achieving breakthrough performance. If you're a nonprofit manager (it hold for companies of any kind), they found your 1) costs of serving should always decline; 2) market position determines your options; 3) clients and funding pools don’t stand still; and 4) simplicity gets results. My (then) take that those principles apply to the evolution of business with the introduction of social media dynamics holds up well. Remember it... Read more →

Could the Story You're Buying Be Hurting You?

Ever since Joseph Campbell wrote it (1949), The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the hero has grabbed the collective imagination. Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke used “Journey Beyond the Stars”# as a working title for the screenplay that would become 2001: A Space Odyssey. The hero's journey is alive and kicking in modern speeches and presentations. The tension between ordinary and special world is irresistible. But, what if this way of organizing story is wrong? What if the stories we tell could be more interesting and captivating? What if the stories we buy are wrong for us? Stories aren't... Read more →

What if Conversation is the Transformative Activity?

At the end of the term, every person got a complimentary gelato of their choice. Children, instructors, and practitioners. I was six, in animated conversation with my table mates. Everyone was excited as they remembered the past few weeks. We took turns in mimicking and exaggerating each scene. It was magical. Until my gesture spilled the water carafe. Enthusiasm was high. A small spill was a first lesson in senseless rules interrupting sense-making. The instructor informed us: no gelato for this table. I still bristle at the memory. The reaction felt off the mark. Probably nobody else noticed. But it... Read more →

How to Discover the True Power in Your Organization

“No one can teach you to win. But only give you the tools to learn how to do it yourself. And until the lesson gets into your head, defeat can also taste good. It can even be the best flavor you've tasted up to that day.” Marcell Jacobs just won the Olympic gold for the 100 meters in Tokyo. He broke a speed record. Jacobs had always been fast. But something kept him from breaking through. You know the sensation: doing things halfheartedly. Even talent and skill cannot make up for lack of heart. The brain hides the secret well.... Read more →