In the last lesson you were asked to demonstrate your skill in PTO. Now check if you were able to PTO as instructed.
The orange you were asked to peel was:
Resolve the PTO paradox in 111 words.
The most important instruction for you to follow in this PTO was the specification of 111 words. You were not to know that, of course. In PTO one never really knows because one doesn’t get the opportunity to discuss things, as one does in normal situations.
One of the benefits of PTO, provided you have a skilled leadership team, is that anyone in the team can give anyone else in the team a PTO and it is done without question or discussion. This has advantages of speed, efficiency and effectiveness when the team is striving for a mutual objective. But it is not easy and does take PRR to produce a high level of PTO skill.
Obviously, so early in a leadership training sequence, one is not expected to get the ‘right’ answer as much as one is expected to just try and practise the skills.
DFQ #15:
What is the biggest insight about PTO that you have had so far as you’ve been doing these past few lessons?
Although intuitively I knew that the 111 words was important, I did not check for the accuracy of the number of my words, so I do not know if I failed. That in and of itself is a problem, in the area of PTO. Evaluation and arrival at the required solution is important. Almost as important as following the directions of the leadership to PTO without question. It, however, brings me back to the initial belief that although one should carry out the orders/directions of a proven leader without question, one must always continue to think through ones actions.
I have always been the one to ask, “Why are we peeling the orange this way?” It’s hard for me to just do as I’m told without being in agreement with the actions….. To be a part of a team requires one to give up “Why” and just do the project.
I caught the 111 words…. so I had to keep counting the words to make sure I was getting the right numbers of words….. Plus try to give a reasonable answer.. Trickier than I thought….
follow directions and do specific tasks to the letter the way you are told.
It has benefits.
The insight which has hit me is that whilst I train students in Martial Arts I am creating a person with those same skills which has brought me to where I am today. And yep, how we treat people is vital. How we speak to them and act with them. Should it not be important, sharing my power would be a mistake. And so we ask for a particular move from a student to demonstrate the consequence. And they do something else. No whoops. They did not follow the instruction.
I can summarize it in the famous words: ‘Just do it’
of course the connotation changes a bit when it comes to PTO as it those in the commercial.
in the leadership training I learn more the gain the experience so I will be able to apply as well,
if I don’t go through the process, I can’t expect someone else to carry it out.
but as you point out above, it becomes easier, when there is a common objective
I noticed the PTO 111 and decided it was not important as what I had to say I felt I could say in the concise way I did. I have learnt that without a consequence, people may still whatever they wish. There is no ‘real’ consequence to the requests so people may feel more freedom to try and practise and fail but not neccessarily PTO.
Pay attention and make sure you are doing what was requested!
Unfortunately I did not do L – MHG- 14 as I was preoccupied with my programmes. It was a blessing in disguise.
The biggest insight about the PTO is:
One should always focus and concentrate on what ever the work he attend.
P.Vijayachandran.
although i read the 111 words part, i was unsure of what was implied.. exactly 111 words or under that word limit..
I think what i have learnt most.. especially from this last dfq, was that leadership is built from (among other things) getting the experience of a different point of view.. and in this case the point of view of the person giving you orders, or the people you are giving orders to..