First AI Session Today

Hi Las Vegas/AI Friends!

I miss you all and am asking you to be with me in spirit today as I do my first AI session with our restaurant staff.  I've come very close to 'chickening out' as we've had some serious problems, issues, turnover and uncertainty hit this week amidst a very busy line up of weddings and events on our calendar.  But, I'm going to trust the process and see what happens!  I want to see how this works first hand, I have nothing to lose and I'm hoping the problems will sift through the AI system toward solutions. Mostly, I want to give this 'gift of AI' to our staff just in time for Thanksgiving.   

Our 'theme' is Being Our Best Together and I've only changed the basic interview guide slightly.  I only have 2 hours with them but it's a staff of just 10 people so I'm hoping to get through all 5 phases.  I am most nervous about the 'create a visual image' part picturing blank stares and no participation from my group!  We do have an artist on staff so I'm counting on him for this!  I really need to stay on track to make sure we get to the final phase of action planning.  

Here's our restaurant website if anyone is interested:  www.5120mn.com 

Thanks again for the amazing time of fellowship during our week together - it was such a privilege to learn from each of you!  

Jami

Agenda:

1. Theme: Being Our Best - Together

2. Inquiry into exceptionally positive moments:  Interview Guide

            1.  Tell me about a time when you felt most alive, most involved, most excited or most proud of your work here at the restaurant. 

            2. What are things you value deeply?             

                        a. Without being humble, what do you value most about yourself as a human being, friend, relative, worker, etc.

                        b. When you are feeling best about your work, what do you value about it?

                        c. What do you value most about this organization/restaurant?  How has working here contributed positively to your life?

            3. What are our strengths as a restaurant?

            4. If you had 3 wishes for this restaurant, what would they be? 

3. Share the stories and collect themes on the flip chart.   From these themes, what do you want to see more of and what would make us be our best together?   Dots/scatter gram?

4. Create a visual image and a word image – develop our real possibilities that represent the desired possibilities.  Provocative Proposition/stretch goal. 

5. How are we going to make this happen as a group and individually?  What will each of us commit to doing in order to bring this to life? 

            What is a commitment that can easily be taken by you without commitment from others?  Offer a gift – offer a talent, resource, ability, access to a resource that you control or possess to another.  Request – what is something you need from another in the group?