<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[CTLabs]]></title><description><![CDATA[CTLabs]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/insights</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 22:19:24 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.ctlabs.ca/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[12 Useful Things—An Easy Starting Place….]]></title><description><![CDATA[So you want to solve one of the world’s wicked problems? Cool! Give us a call – that’s our schtick. Oh – you want to know HOW to solve one of the world’s wicked problems. Alrighty – here’s a start…but only a start. If we told you all the secrets, we’d have to hire you! Ask the right question Engage any and all stakeholders who care Make great effort to invite the people who will make the conversation awkward Trust in the intelligence of the human system Chaos is fundamental to change –...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/12-useful-things-an-easy-starting-place</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a870d6508db5b5a060e30a6</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:23:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_6f06b66837ca44e3b2b5c1a98d5ceb6a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Complicated is Easy]]></title><description><![CDATA[We recommend to our clients that they not engage us on their complicated projects. Because we’d prefer to work on the complex ones. So…what’s the difference? Complicated, complex…whatever, right? Complicated…assembling automobiles is complicated. Thousands of moving parts, all needing to be fabricated to the right specifications, assembled in the right order, built to the right quality. It’s complicated – to be sure – but it’s dependable. More than that, it’s repeatable. Same process, same...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/complicated-is-easy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a862b34e087e30b37e50ed2</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:17:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_221bc391948141faa13193c681e7f528~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LegoLand in LotusLand]]></title><description><![CDATA[Alright. Hands up, everyone who thinks it would be pretty cool to spend a week learning how to use advanced 3D modeling techniques to build conceptual models of complex human systems, testing possible future states for hidden weaknesses, in order to develop optimal strategic plans? One…two…three… okay, just about half of you. So, hands up, everyone who thinks it would be pretty cool to fly across the country and spend a week playing with Lego in a resort town south of Vancouver? Just about...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/legoland-in-lotusland</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a832cb9ba66df2a74dc45cc</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:46:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_7585fcb3199a4497996eb4872f1f23b5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[On Becoming a coLead]]></title><description><![CDATA[We assemble a CTLabs team for every engagement that we do.  This team includes at least one Collaboration Lead and one coLead.  While the Lead is responsible for the overall solution design, the coLead plays an important role in realizing the design during the event by being available to support the Lead, the client, and all of the participants in a variety of ways. As a number of bright young minds have discovered over the past decade, the first step in joining the CTLabs team is becoming a...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/on-becoming-a-colead</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a832c5bc3cef5dd4ab3a0b7</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:45:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_123313e67feb40bbb0b0a01eeca4a547~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The ‘Go’ Moment in Complex Collaboration [Video]]]></title><description><![CDATA[How often do hundreds of people from various walks of life take action at a moment’s notice? Whenever a clear common purpose is established and passionate people are engaged in true collaboration. When people are truly passionate about what they are working towards in a collaborative system, they jump on the opportunity to offer their views and to better the current situation. People go straight to work. Whenever we start a large complex systems engagement, the instruction given to...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/the-go-moment-in-complex-collaboration-video</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a832ab60c311159648e2b39</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:38:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I9XQ-TMKWQ" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Design a world-leading strategy – with the power of Lego Serious Play]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lego-based strategic planning is being used around the world to get 100% engagement in collaborative conversations that lead to insight and commitment from the entire team.  These modeling tools and planning process are being used successfully by the likes of Microsoft, NASA, Google, Kraft Foods and many others. You will be in good company. Developing strategic plans and visions for the future with Lego is a much more effective process than ‘standard’ approaches. Which means it’s a fantastic...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/design-a-world-leading-strategy-with-the-power-of-lego-serious-play</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8328706f644c8dfb45e3be</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:32:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_1a88a5cee4354a9db9977665bf3d726a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_300,h_211,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Seriously Playing with your 220 Best Friends]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lego Serious Play (LSP) is a wonderful process that was designed to enhance deep, innovative conversations among intimate groups of 8-12 people. As a creative problem solving process for small teams that are solving huge challenges, it is unmatched in its support of lateral thinking and metaphor building. So what were we thinking when we designed an LSP workshop for over 200 participants? Not exactly the most intimate gathering. But we’re accustomed to taking groups of 100 or more towards...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/seriously-playing-with-your-220-best-friends</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a83273640f3daf10ba7e632</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:27:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_eb3836090b1f4ea19b7610bcea72a1bf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[And Now Introducing: Nobody?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Introductions are a natural jumping off point at many meetings. They are a calm, polite way of setting a tone, letting everyone speak, and ostensibly, getting everyone to know everyone else. However, it has been my experience that introductions can also be insidious little time wasters on many occasions, and they have the bad effect of slotting people into roles – something that is seldom useful, and often detrimental to doing real work . A case in point: at one Open Space-type event I...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/and-now-introducing-nobody</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8326f26bc412439de232e8</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:21:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_64b3718141e6469dba242fbbce5b2d68~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sincerity is Following Through]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sincerity, like love, is NOT an emotion. It’s not a feeling. It’s not something you can promise. “Sincerity”, in the words of a wise old Zen master (is there any other kind?) “is following through.” You can’t promise sincerity – you can only demonstrate it through your actions. Pounding on the table, stating that this initiative is at one with the beating of your heart and that you will see it through to the bitter end is wonderful drama, but it isn’t useful, and it certainly is not sincere....]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/sincerity-is-following-through</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8326c8c3cef5dd4ab39571</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:20:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_475dfe6f3abf43feb95810533b2f8be7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[One-Third Structure, Two-Thirds Chaos]]></title><description><![CDATA[I recently attended some wonderful visual facilitation training at the Grove in San Francisco. An exceptional experience, highly recommended to any facilitator. Contact me for details where to stay, and where not to wander! Anyhow, part of the fun was spending three days batting around ideas with like-minded colleagues from around the planet. One of the oddest things, to the ears of our newfound friends, was our recipe for success: one part structure, two parts chaos. Many of our fellow...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/one-third-structure-two-thirds-chaos</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a83261a713f192ba0593807</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:19:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_ddb6dbfde58740fd8bd4be72cfa0d181~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_960,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[On Open Curiosity…]]></title><description><![CDATA[In life, I’ve always enjoyed the role of enabler – helping others to achieve exceptional results. I’ve done it many ways: as a teacher, a leader, a mentor, even in sales roles. But the place I’ve found the most joy is in my work as a facilitator of complex collaborative efforts. In my opinion, facilitating done effectively is a vocation. It’s not something you can do part time, and it’s not something you put on with the morning coffee and take off with the evening meal. I will write at...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/on-open-curiosity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a832599f59f6f7f10680c5a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:16:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_2bed187ec7b94c3590e948ebdfad53af~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Principles]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I walk into a room to work with a team, I come from a certain point of view, and I run events under certain assumptions. I thought it might be handy to walk through some of them, for those who’ve never been through an engagement with our team. First: the people. I make two assumptions. One, I presume that each individual gets up in the morning expecting, hoping, to do good work. I’m not naive enough to presume everyone is, but you’re presumed to be a positive force until you prove...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/the-principles</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8324e40d24f7afd0f596d5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:15:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_32df4b55077d4884a29631343db07dd0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Impact of Visual Facilitation]]></title><description><![CDATA[I recently mentioned some wonderful visual facilitation training that we took in at The Grove, in San Francisco. Well, we were hardly back and off the plane before I had the opportunity to put some of the training into practice. We were facilitating a two-day planning meeting for a client group, and it was imperative for each manager to “tell their story”, so that all attendees would have a richer understanding of what their peers were doing in service of the common goal. An image seemed a...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/the-impact-of-visual-facilitation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8324c76f644c8dfb45dd52</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:12:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_3a23b7059a624c0e825a98062d791f7d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do you REALLY want the answer to that question?]]></title><description><![CDATA[All of our client engagements are guided by an intention question. In fact, I’d recommend to anyone that every meeting you hold, short or long, will be more useful if it is held in the service of a question. It lets people know why they are there, and that their input is possible – and more important– valued. In a recent engagement, one of our client groups decided that never again would they call a meeting, except in the service of a clear question. Plagued by incessant, pointless meetings,...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/do-you-really-want-the-answer-to-that-question</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8324939a57155f64b0923c</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:11:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_baad217c9e0242cca4519f568eb97779~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Better Information; Better Decisions]]></title><description><![CDATA[I think it’s safe to state that better information makes for better decisions. Or, more specifically: comprehensive, timely information that is readily available in a useable format can enable more useful decisions. But I tend to wonder why we tend to focus on computer information systems and their data when talking about information and decision making. We can ask the same (and far more complex) questions of human information systems. First off, human systems are WISER. Wise computer systems...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/better-information-better-decisions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a83244a6f644c8dfb45dca1</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:10:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_a357721339c34530909b8c1d3940fde2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How do you make Organizational Transition work?]]></title><description><![CDATA[How do you change an organization? No, how do you REALLY change an organization? Organizations, human systems, are in a constant state of flux – change is one of the few constants. But organizational transition speaks to a whole other level of change – it speaks to what we often refer to as “culture change”: changing the fundamental attitudes that support the choices made on a moment-by-moment basis by the stakeholders within the system in all of their core activities and functions. That’s...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/how-do-you-make-organizational-transformation-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8323360fc3a56d442c3f23</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:08:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_33c75f829b0a4b8baff72b89170b7665~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Holding Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the many and varied jobs of a Lead is what is called “holding hope.” It is a challenging habit for some to acquire, because it is quite easy to fundamentally misunderstand the role in either of at least two directions. This particular task is to hold hope for a human system that is going through the multi-day event process. It’s a tricky one. You could misinterpret it to believe that you as the Lead can always step in to “save” them, offering solutions in their darkest hour. See the...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/holding-hope</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8322ddc3cef5dd4ab38e44</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:04:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_21e3146a06de46ec8d8bcbfbed19516d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_680,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Death a Day is OK]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the lessons I’ve tried to pass along to my co-Leads as I mentor them in the art of facilitation is simply this: It’s not about you. It’s never about you. You are there in the service of a human system, and at the end of the day (or the year, or the contract), you leave. The people working within the system understand how their system works.  They understand the unwritten rules. You can question into them with open curiosity, but you cannot CHANGE them to suit your needs, your beliefs,...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/a-death-a-day-is-ok</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a832280e83af8acb86ea011</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:03:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_8ccf5acb932b4105b1e7c6da447b0123~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_853,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Don’t Want a Note-Taker]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes, when we are doing a smaller engagement for a client group, they like to manage their investment (or cut costs) by offering us a “note-taker” to support our work on the day of the event, in place of one of our coLeads. And when we say that we offer something other than facilitation, perhaps this note will help illustrate what we bring to the table. Here’s (minimally) what we expect from a coLead – who will put in roughly as many days as a Lead Facilitator will, in the process of...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/you-don-t-want-a-note-taker</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8322083a73f167659b9004</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:01:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_62591a206dbc4d749421b0f54c6d7db4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Being of Service]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the guidelines that I use to approach my day is to leave things better than I find them, whenever the opportunity presents itself. When we work in a rented space, we remove all trace that we were there, and often go the extra step to clean up after others or do minor, needed repairs. I remember one facility we used, the toilet seats were screwed down so loosely that I found it hard to believe anyone had successfully sat on them in months. Despite the fact that there were only two...]]></description><link>https://www.ctlabs.ca/post/being-of-service</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8321b0ba66df2a74dc305d</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aa69de_d3a40d95b29f4e6bb95c03828c166eeb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Culhane</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>