Newsletter Archives Index

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® is required to view these newsletters.
Acrobat Reader is available free from Adobe.com.

C.M. Perme & Associates has been publishing a newsletter for more than a decade. You can scroll through our list of Newsletters below, or use our Search function to search for a specific keyword or title.

February 2006
Article: Whatever Happened to Cathy Perme?
Cathy has taken a sabbatical from C. M. Perme to pursue other interests and reports what she has learned from the experience.

May 2003
Article: Beyond the Mission Statement: What leaders really need to change an organization’s culture
What really shapes organizational culture are the systems, structures, technology and skills used to actualize its mission, vision and values.

February 2003
Article: Organizational Culture: What Every Leader Needs to Know
What company culture is and what characteristics of culture predict organizational success.

March 2002
Article: Terrorized! Dealing with Group Bullies
Dealing with the member who is dominating the group.

October 2001
Article: Front Line Leadership
Examining the meaning of leadership in creating our future.

July 2001
Article: When Life Intrudes
Life is not an intrusion, it's life.

June 1999
Article: Agents of Change
Real Change agents are not simply hell raisers-what it takes.
Sidebar: The Anatomy of a Change Agent
The elements, which make up an effective change agent are enumerated.

November 1998
Article: From the Heart
An essay on courage.
Sidebar: Facets of Courage
Four facets of courage are named and explored.

August 1998
Article: Action Calendaring
How to create a comprehensive, near-term action plan in less than two hours, even with complex projects.
Sidebar: Tips for Better Planning Sessions
Four tips for better planning sessions.

March 1998
Article: Seeking the Balanced Life
There may be no such thing as a balanced life, but you can certainly balance your approach to life.
Sidebar: Learning to Balance in the Dance of Life
Dance is used as a metaphor for the balance needed as you move through life.

June 1997
Article: SimuReal: the Power of an Organizational Mirror
SimuReal is a large group method, which effectively holds up a mirror to an organization.
Sidebar: When to Consider SimuReal
Conditions which should be present for SimuReal to be effective and conditions which should not exist.

January 1997
Article: Coping with Super Charged Change
Leaders and staff alike should recognize three basic needs for individuals coping with wrenching change.
Sidebar: Tips for Coping with Change
Five tips for the individual coping with super charged change.

August 1996
Article: Leading and Following
Dance is used to illustrate the responsibilities of leader and follower.
Sidebar: Teaching Leaders How to Lead
The five steps of expert leadership.

May 1996
Article: Real Time Strategic Change
This is a method for very large group interaction, from 40 to 4000 participants.
Sidebar: When to Consider This Approach
Here is a list of good indicators for whether this approach will be effective for your organizational challenge.

February 1996
Article: Open Space: Unleashing Passion and Responsibility
Open Space is a meeting method based on the principle that people who are passionate about something will naturally focus, manage, and hold themselves accountable for progress.
Sidebar: Open Space Ground Rules
The ground rules are simple, but may challenge our notions of how meetings "should be."

October 1995
Article: Becoming a Team Player
A course in improvisational comedy (improv) can teach a lot about being a good team player.
Sidebar: 8 Basic Rules of Improvisation
Because few jobs come with a script, these rules can be handy for the organization.

June 1995
Article: Thoughts on Trust
What does it take to trust yourself and those that you work with?
Sidebar: Building Trust
Eight key elements to building trust for yourself and your organization.

March 1995
Article: Future Search: A New Way of Planning Together
Future Search is an effective method for large group action planning.
Sidebar: When should you consider a Future Search?
The Future Search method is not for every situation. Here are indicators for whether your situation is right for the method.

December 1994
Article: Coaching and Counseling: The Leader as Guide
Coaching and counseling play a necessary role in organizational leadership.
Sidebar: Coaching and Counseling Tips
The "sandwich" approach to coaching and counseling preparation tip.

August 1994
Article: Getting Trapped in Your Success
How a leader can remain vibrant as an individual and maintain a vibrant organization when things are going well.
Sidebar: Are You Trapped?
Self-test to determine if you, as a professional, are trapped by your own success.

May 1994
Article: Leading Your Organization Through Chaos
Here are the steps used by one executive to bring a large organization through rapid change brought about by external forces.
Sidebar: Tips for Steering Through Chaos
Six keys to leading an organization through chaotic times.

January 1994
Article: Teams – Can We or Can’t We
There is more to creating self-directed work teams than telling your workers that they are now a team.
Sidebar: Dos and Don’ts for Building Team Relationships

October 1993
Article: Go Forth and Grow
In an age of continuous change, the successful leader needs to go beyond managing change to building changeability into the organization.
Sidebar: Flying Chaos Factory
This article recounts a workshop experience demonstrating how different types of organizations respond to unpredictable and changing environments.

July 1993
Article: Surviving the Information Age
Leadership does not mean having to know it all. In the information age, leadership is about using the information available in your organization and the knowledge of your people.
Sidebar: Survival Tips
Six tips to help you adjust to the "information age."

April 1993
Article: Creating Your Future
How to use "creative tension" to realize your vision – drawn from work by Robert Fritz and Peter Senge.
Sidebar: How Can You Create Effectively?
Six steps to effectively creating your future.

January 1993
Article: Managing Change in a Changing Culture
Every organization has an "invisible web of values and expectation that bonds the group together." An organization may experience rapid and disorienting culture change. How do we manage through such a change?
Sidebar: How Can You Manage Change?
Dos and don’ts for managing change on a personal level.

October 1992
Article: Boundaries: Defining the Playing Field
Continuing the discussion of empowerment with the importance of managing personal and organizational boundaries.
Sidebar: What do Boundaries Look Like?
Boundaries come in both healthy and unhealthy forms. Here are some examples of each.

July 1992
Article: Empowering Others
What does it take to be an empowering leader?
Sidebar: How do empowering leaders behave?
Common phrases and patterns of speech signal whether a leader is empowering.

April 1992
Article: King, an example of personal empowerment
Moving empowerment from a buzzword to reality in the organization.
Sidebar: What does empowerment look like?
The way we speak signals whether we feel empowered or not -- what to look for.

January 1992
Article: Organizational Courage
Courage is necessary to make organizational vision and values real. This article spells out the elements of organizational courage.
Sidebar: What Does Courage Look Like in an Organization?
Here are two examples of organizational courage in action.

October 1991
Article: Leadership Case Study
Delegate or die! This case study covers an entrepreneur who discovered unknown talents among his staff, when he learned team management and delegation skills.
Sidebar: Reflections on being too tired to smile
Cathy learns the difference between customer service and "people pleasing."

July 1991
Article: Notes from the Trenches
In times of recession and war, when things seem most turbulent, the technique of making strategic choices based on the core vision and values is effective for corporations.
Sidebar: Reflections on One Year in Business
Cathy reflects on the lessons learned in the first year of C.M. Perme & Assoc.

Published Articles

Beyond the Handshake: Practical Strategies for Building Successful Associate Relationships
Practical strategies that have been found to be effective in creating consulting alliances that work.

Building Organizational Courage in Your Company
Fostering organizational courage is difficult -- but the key lies in being true to vision and values while at the same time embracing current reality, despair, and fears.

Whole Systems Change
A case study in the use of large group interventions and OD methodologies to effect change in a local school district.

Yikes!! Valuable and Humbling Lessons about Future Search
Cathy Perme shares her experience with Future Search facilitation.

Contact Us Back to Home