Timing practice #1: Diagnose, predict, and prescribe

Timing
At Conversant, we’ve developed a tool called the Cycle of Value Diagnostic to help guide timing conversations through three phases: (1) diagnose, (2) predict, and (3) prescribe.

Using this tool, gather a few crucial participants in your vitality imperative and do the following:

  1. Diagnose
    • Agree on the original purpose and results of the challenge. Write that in the top box of the form as the topic of your conversation.
    • Briefly explain the Cycle of Value: align deeply, act quickly, and adjust often
    • Ask people to individually assess each of the eight conversations within the cycle (three align conversations, three act, two adjust) as on-track, weak, or completely off-track. In the margin next to each conversation ask them to write a few words answering, “What makes you give it that score?” It is important to have people first do this individually if you want the true intelligence of the group.
    • Have each person explain their ratings with the following rules:
      • Everyone listens to learn. This is not a battle over who is right. This is a chance to learn from what each other sees and believes.
      • Ask questions to sponsor a fact-based (accurate) and purpose-driven (authentic) inquiry. Accuracy questions revolve around who, what, when, and where. Authenticity questions look like, “For you, what is important about ________?” and, “For all of us, what is important about ________?”
  1. Predict
    Have people answer and discuss these questions:

    • What trends do you see?
    • If things keep going the way they are, what do you predict will happen? Positive trends and predictions? Negative trends and predictions?
  1. Prescribe
    Then, with your knowledge in hand, ask:

    • What is it time for now?
    • What are the most valuable actions to take?
    • Who is promising to do what and by when?