What Stood Out for You?

Johanna: I am always struck by how well the participants create working groups and work with those people throughout the week, learning and solving the problems they encounter. Every class and every team in the class is different, and they all learn what they need to learn.

Jerry: Maybe I shouldn't reveal this, but the number one secret of PSL is the way we "trick" the participants into doing most of the teaching of each other while we sit back and watch. It makes sense, because of the high quality of the participants, in every class. I personally have taught PSL twice in Sweden, in-house for an Ericsson subsidiary, so I look forward to finding the same high quality again.

Esther: What stands out for me is the endless creativity of the people I've encountered in PSL. They come up with amazing approaches that would never have occurred to me. And that's why we don't have a bulleted list of "learning objectives." Creating that list would actually limit what people can learn.

Where Were You Challenged?

Jerry: My biggest challenge is keeping my mouth shut and letting the participant teach themselves and each other. The challenge is that much greater because Johanna and Esther always have smarter things to say than I do.

Esther: My biggest challenge is getting enough sleep and keeping my energy up. I'm a pretty introverted person, so interacting with a large (to me) group of people all day is draining. Yet the people are so delicious, and the activities and conversations are so engaging that I don't want to miss a minute of it. So I stay up late and attend to my sleep deficit when I return home.

Johanna: I prepare my introductions to the topics I lead in advance of PSL. And, so far, I have not delivered the introductions I want to. I’ve improved, but I’m looking for perfection. I might keep looking, but I will keep improving.

Where Were You Surprised?

Jerry: In a way, nothing surprises me - and everything surprises me. That is, I know I will be surprised by the brilliant solutions the classes keep coming up with, so I'm not surprised when they do something surprisingly brilliant. But I'm always delighted.

Esther: Like Jerry, I expect the unexpected in PSL, so nothing is really surprising. I would be surprised if a PSL class turned out to be dull.

Johanna: In advance of the workshop, some people ask me what the workshop is, and what they can expect to learn. I answer, “How to solve a wide variety of problems.” The potential participant then asks, “Well, what about the builds? Will I learn how to solve or build problem?” I answer, “Yes.” “How do you know I will learn that?” I shrug and reply that the build problem is similar to other problems the participants will solve in the workshop. What surprises me is how much the participant is surprised when they arrive with the build problem, and realize that’s not the problem at all. Deep inside, that person knows the technical problem is the manifestation of some other problem. And, that person leaves with more alternatives to solve the real, underlying problem. I love that feeling.

What Insights do You Have?

Esther: This is the work I want to do - help people learn about themselves so they can be more effective leaders and more effective contributors in their organizations.

Johanna: I’ve been teaching experiential workshops since I took my PSL, back in 1996. I’m thrilled with how much fun it is, and how much I learn about how to generate more alternatives to teaching experientially. During the most recent PSL, I learned how to generate two different types of problem when our planned-for materials were missing.

Jerry: In the most recent class, I learned how much fun powerpoint shows can be - as long as you don't take them seriously. (We don't use them in class, but the class made a group show, with each of us contributing one slide about what we learned in class. It was hilarious.) Perhaps my biggest insight, over the years, is that I never tire of teaching PSL. Every class is unique, and uniquely wonderful. I had to stop for a while, and I learned how much I missed it. I don't know how long I'll be able to continue - because I don't know how long I'll be alive. But as long as I am, I'll be in PSL.

What one thing will you do differently?

Johanna: Change the copying instructions! Jerry developed a database of all handouts, with instructions. And both times I’ve copied according to the instructions. The first time, with Jerry standing there, it all made sense. Of course, the second time, without Jerry, some pieces didn’t make sense. Murphy’s Law at work.

Jerry: I'll do everything differently. I always do. Oh, but that means I'm always the same, so maybe the next time I'll do everything exactly the same as I did last time. (Just kidding. There's no way I could do that, even if we had the same people coming back.) But everything is different because our task as leaders of the workshop is to respond to whatever happens, not to play out some fixed agenda. That's one of the things we try to teach, and we do try to practice what we teach.

Esther: Well, it's hard to predict what I will do differently, since the new
participants will bring their own dynamic.  I predict, though, that I will
not buy cowboy boots while I'm in Sweden (I'll buy something that reminds me
of Sweden).

What do you like best about Sweden?

Esther: I've always had a special place in my heart for Sweden. My grandparents, who died before I was born, immigrated to the Minnesota from the south of Sweden. The legend is that Minnesota reminded the Swedish immigrants of their homeland, and Swedes settled there in large numbers. They must have stoped in summer, because the winters in Minnesota are much colder than winters in southern Sweden. Every part of Sweden I've visited has been beautiful. I love real Swedish meatballs, lingon berries, cloud berries and sandwiches for breakfast (sandwiches are usually for lunch in the US).

Johanna: The coffee! During my first trip to Sweden, I had a cup of coffee after dinner. It was delicious, so I had another. And another. And another. At 2am, I was vowing to drink the coffee during the day so I could sleep at night, but I didn't stop drinking the coffee. The Swedish coffee we can get in the US is not as good as the coffee in Sweden. I was also so amazed that there were trains to bring me everywhere I needed to go, as well as clear directions on how to buy my train tickets and when to get off.

Jerry: Ever since I was a little boy, I've felt an attachment to Sweden. My first love, when I was in first grade, was a Swedish girl who taught me a few words of Swedish. I always "looked Swedish" (until I lost all my blond hair), and my nickname all through school was "Swede." I spent a lot of time in Sweden in 1984 and 1985, and loved pretty much everything about the country (except lutfisk, I have to say). I love the cities and the way the country is far more civilized than the USA. I know Sweden has problems, but I love the way they're being addressed. I love the smoked salmon, a lot, but most of all I love the people.

More About PSL

• PSL Sweden 09

• Becoming a Problem Solving Leader