Creating a Company Wide Solution Focus Culture

Lance Fortner & Tara Gretton

Introduced by Tara Gretton

Lance Fortner’s voice and tone testify to his deep empathy and respect for others. The topic of schools, especially the challenges faced by children and young people, can be daunting. Yet, Lance’s approach is marked by a profound understanding of everyone he speaks about, a quality that shines through in his role as a solution-focused counsellor in a school in Heidelberg, Germany.

Lance’s presentation has so many aspects that will inspire you, whether you work in schools or not. Lance speaks to all organisations and how together, we can be ‘happy’ at work and have ‘happy clients’ by ‘creating a company-wide solution-focused culture’.

Lance speaks to the simplicity of change in a complex setting. You feel inspired that change is possible, that we can truly have ‘happier staff’, and that we can achieve this by ‘looking beyond the problem, by seeing capacity and potential’. When we focus on ‘skills’ , we have ‘happier staff’, which means ‘happier clients’; a simple concept, however, one that is profoundly important and needed.

Lance shares a story of a 15-year-old named Troy, who is facing challenges in school. During a problem-focused meeting, Lance asked Troy, “Who do you trust?” This simple question shifted the focus of the meeting from the problem to meaningful relationships, skills, and hope.

The above is just the tip of what Lance shares with you! His presentation is packed with gems of how to work collaboratively in schools and any organisation. Lance speaks of Ben Furman’s ‘Kid Skills’, how a skills focus can change the landscape of a school, and that it can involve all school staff and parents and trusted key people in the young person’s life.

It was music to my ears as a solution-focused practitioner in schools to hear Lance talk about how a ‘skills focus’ supports self-regulation and connection with others. And that what is important in a school is giving students ‘agency’; that they are the centre of ‘the wagon wheel’, where others move around them based on each student’s best hopes for change.

From my experience watching Lance, the written word does not do justice to the care, tenderness, and depth of knowledge and experience he shares. So, make yourself comfortable and prepare to be truly inspired as you watch Lance’s presentation.

Summary of talk

Lance Fortner, a whole school counsellor at Heidelberg International School, delivers a talk emphasising the significance of cultivating a positive organisational culture through solution-focused practices. Though he uses examples from his educational background, Lance continually relates his thinking to other types of organisations, ensuring everyone can benefit from his talk.

Lance reflects on how organisational teams perform better when they appreciate each other’s contributions, citing insights from Anina Wooley of Carnegie Mellon.

He introduces the concept of solution-focused practices by detailing his initial years at Heidelberg. By focusing on skill-building rather than problem behaviours, Lance and his colleagues were able to foster a more supportive and effective learning environment.

He illustrates this with two case studies: a 10-year-old boy who improved his academic performance through a research project on caffeine and a six-year-old girl who learned to manage her emotions with a meditation corner centred around her interest in the solar system.

Lance advocates adopting solution-focused approaches in various organisational settings, emphasising that focusing on strengths and capacities leads to better performance, collaboration, and overall satisfaction.

He concludes by highlighting the importance of empowering individuals to perform better, fostering a happier and more productive organisational culture. Through real-life examples and practical strategies, Lance demonstrates the transformative impact of solution-focused practices in educational and professional environments.

Download the slides and the slides with notes, below

Presentation slides & Presentation slides with notes

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