The 2021 Performance thinking® Summer Institute
Sadly, COVID-19 compelled us to cancel the 2020 Six Boxes® Summer Institute. We're currently rolling out important new products, services, and changes in our program names, including for The 2021 Performance Thinking® Summer Institute. This name for the Institute better describes our work than Six Boxes®, which is only one part of the overall performance improvement process that we teach.
We can hardly wait for the 2021 Performance Thinking® Summer Institute, our 11th year hosting it at IslandWood on beautiful Bainbridge Island near Seattle.
More Design Thinking, Executive Coaching, and more...
Bainbridge Island, WA USA – June 13 - 17, 2021
Our next Summer Institute will be more exciting and dynamic than ever. Check out comments from some of previous years' participants here.
Here's a tentative list of sessions and programs for our 2021 Summer Institute. As usual, we develop and refine the program based on recent discoveries, insights, and developments in the Performance Thinking® community. This list is a beginning and will give you some idea of the scope for our 2021 gathering.
Our friend and colleague, Surya Vanka, of Authentic Design, is going to join us again at the 2021 Performance Thinking® Summer Institute. We're planning to extend our groundbreaking 2019 collaboration, exploring synergies between Design Thinking and Performance Improvement, and as always, add new topics and mini workshops to our agenda. We're going to highlight work in Executive Coaching, Sales Enablement, Change Management, and the work we've begun with HR Business Partners, a group of professionals with whom we've always wanted to collaborate. We'll go into topics such as Culture Change, Communities of Practice, Sustainment of Performance, and the meaning of Leadership vs. Management.
For those new to Performance Thinking®, we will again offer our Performance Thinking® Coach program (under a new name). And for experienced Performance Thinkers, we'll devote a day to our almost-ready-for-prime-time Executive Performance Coaching process.
The Summer Institute offers a unique opportunity to learn and network with like-minded professionals. There is plenty of time and a relaxed setting to reflect on new ideas and their applications. It's a blend of user conference, hands-on workshop, and professional retreat in a venue perfectly suited for the purpose, at a beautiful time of year in the Pacific Northwest.
We invite performance professionals at all levels of experience, including those new to Performance Thinking® as well as very experienced users. The agenda will include opportunities to learn, practice, and discuss. We do it all in a stunning location tucked into the woods on an island in Puget Sound, a beautiful ferry boat ride from downtown Seattle. Some of our colleagues have returned 8 or 9 years out of 10! And some come early or stay late to enjoy Seattle and the region.
It’s unlike any professional gathering you’ve ever experienced.
We invite everyone to share questions, insights, experiences, and discoveries. Performance Thinking® programs and tools rely on two simple models and a plain English vocabulary to let people from many disciplines, industries, and roles communicate effectively and precisely about human performance, and take steps to continuously improve it. (The only prerequisite is to hold back our professional or industry jargon and speak in plain English.)
As this global community of practice grows, we learn more and more with and from one another.
You'll also learn about Performance Thinking® programs – the Coach-Manage-Lead family, the Practitioner Program for staff professionals and consultants, and our emerging Executive Performance Coaching, Performance Thinking® for HR Business Partners, Sales Enablement System, and Change Management with Performance Thinking offerings. In various combinations, these programs have the potential to engage everyone at your organization in actionable discussions about accelerating productivity and engagement. You'll see how everyone can contribute to continuous performance improvement.
We all share a passion for performance improvement. We design the agenda to address your needs and interests – whatever your level or function. There will be others who have faced the same challenges. And this year we'll continue our exploration of synergies between Design Thinking and Performance Improvement for disruptive innovation on demand and implementation for sustainment.
We keep the group small enough so you can get to know almost everyone, yet large enough to include a diversity of perspectives and experience. We promise to send you home with new ideas, new capabilities, and a group of new colleagues.
One of the more nerdy (but fun) things is that we encourage people to write down new or important ideas they pick up at the Institute. Last year, one person had over 150 new and important ideas by the end – definitely an all-time record!
Our venue is IslandWood, an outdoor educational facility on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, WA. The facilities are rustic but comfortable, with 255 acres of forest and miles of trails for hiking, strolling, or running. The food is fresh and delicious! We strive to create an environment where you can learn and interact more deeply, in a focused and relaxed way.
Here’s what a few participants from years past had to say:
"The Summer Institute was the best conference or seminar type of learning opportunity that I have ever attended."
"Amazing experience. Fun, educational, universal approach that you can apply to most situations and environments. Very engaging; I learned a lot."
"A great environment to learn about, discuss, and explore the applications of the Performance Thinking Six Boxes approach. Good balance between thought leadership and application. Small enough so that you don't feel like 'just another conference participant.' Truly have an opportunity to engage with Dr. Binder and other thought leaders, and thought-provoking conversations with other participants. All in a great atmosphere - peaceful, quiet, away from the busyness of the city/work, with great food and accommodations."
"The networking was incredible and the learning never stopped!"
"Well designed content and presentations by the developers of the models; incredibly smart participants from diverse backgrounds who are inspired to contribute with their own examples, experiences, questions, and insights."
You'll find below:
Program: TWO Ways to Participate
Option 1: Summer Institute + The Performance Thinking® Coach
(Monday through Thursday – Required for those new to Performance Thinking®)
This option includes The Performance Thinking® Coach program (formerly Six Boxes® Performance Coaching). It is the required option for those who have not completed any other Performance Thinking® program, and introduces the models and logic of Performance Thinking® as a prerequisite for participating fully in sessions with those who have previously completed one or more of our programs. It teaches a flexible, accomplishment-based coaching process that anyone can use to help others continuously improve their performance. Experienced Performance Thinkers who want to learn performance coaching or sample this program for possible adoption at their organizations might also choose this option.
You'll participate in this program all day on Monday and in the mornings on Tuesday and Wednesday, joining the whole group Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings, and all day Thursday.
Option 2: Summer Institute + Executive Performance Coaching
(Monday through Thursday)
For those who have previously completed one of our Performance Thinking® programs, we're offering an introduction to our new Performance Thinking® Executive Coach process. This fresh approach to executive coaching applies the tools and models of Performance Thinking® to help senior leaders set priorities, delegate, examine the impact of their performance on teams and processes in their organizations, and make smart decisions for continuous development. It offers additional tools for existing executive coaches and can enhance performance consulting while driving Performance Thinking® from the top down in an organization. You'll participate in this program on Monday, have sessions with other experienced Performance Thinkers on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and join all participants on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings, and all day Thursday.
We'll have detailed program information in the coming months, as the details emerge from meetings and further design conversations with contributors.
Registration OPENS SOON!
REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!
LOGISTICS & COSTS – will be updated for 2021
Location
IslandWood Educational Center
www.IslandWood.org
Bainbridge Island, WA
(a 35-minute ferry from downtown Seattle)
Accommodations & Meals
The Summer Institute is a residential program. The program cost includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and beverages. Meals are healthy and delicious (you will rave about the food, we guarantee it), and include vegetables from their organic garden. They gladly accommodate any adjustment you might request (vegetarian, non-gluten, non-dairy, etc.) Lodging is provided in simple but comfortable rooms with a private bath.
Program Costs
Option 1: Summer Institute + The Performance Thinking® Coach (4 days)
$TBD before April 20 $TBD after April 20
Option 2: Summer Institute + Executive Performance Coaching (4 days)
$TBD before April 20 $TBD after April 20
Lodging
Single room $TBD per person per night
Shared double room $TBD per person per night
Shared triple room $TBD per person per night
"I stay at hotels far too often and prefer something a bit different. IslandWood met this criteria perfectly. Food was healthy and delicious. Staff was friendly and welcoming. I was able to get outside to run, walk, and enjoy nature."
DISCOUNT DEADLINE
The deadline for the early registration discount will be April 19. Please note that we have a limited number of rooms available so we recommend registering early.
After June 5, you will not be able to register online.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please call 206-780-8578, or email us an summerinstitute@sixboxes.com.
REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!
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