I've gone through life believing in the strength and competence of others; never in my own. Now, dazzled, I discovered that my capacities were real. It was like finding a fortune in the lining of an old coat.

Joan Mills

• What if they could see their own true and deep strengths?
  
• What if the most valuable resources your employees valued were their peers?
  
• What if a team or entire function began to value each other as people and respect their individual strengths?
  
• What if these teams and entire functions took it upon themselves to spontaneously reward each other for actions that supported the values and mission of the team and the company?
  
• What if these teams and entire functions started valuing the unique opportunities under their feet rather than constantly looking at greener pastures?
  

Acres of Diamonds

This workshop helps participants to see past the wrong-minded thinking that the opportunities are somewhere else, at some future time, with someone else; and to see the truth that the greatest opportunities are here, now and within ourselves and those we are working with.

The Program
The Acres of Diamonds program is about valuing and connecting to our strengths and others, valuing their contribution to us, unearthing the values that motivate them and hearing the stories that bring these values to life. The participants go through a process, as well as a series of exercises that will ensure that they not only deepen their connection to one another and the organization's values and purpose; but they also start to spontaneously act and visibly reinforce these values with one another.

Within the Acres of Diamonds workshop, the participants mine their individual experiences to unearth values and motivations that they then translate to commitments to team and organizational values, purpose and mission. This three to six-hour facilitated program leaves them with seven Diamonds that will be used at the workshop (and/or can be taken back to their workplace) to spontaneously reward others as they put their values into action. Acres of Diamonds is a profound, fun and lasting experience that puts your organization's values into action and bonds the participants as individuals and colleagues.

Learning Outcomes, Ideas and Concepts
The program will explore the following ideas and provide both tools and a process for applying the team's shared values back on the job:

• the greatest opportunities are here, now and within ourselves and those we are working with;
  
• the team will develop a shared understanding of, and commitment to, a clear and guiding set of values (perhaps ones you have already developed or ones that they will develop together in the workshop);
  
• without problems, businesses wouldn't be required. People are the only solution;
  
• team relationships will be strengthened through experiencing the Diamond Mapping storytelling exercise;
  
• they will leave with a set of tools and a process around bringing their values to life through consistent actions - teams that are consistently applying their values simply find ways to win together.
  

Take Away Materials
Acres of Diamonds is accompanied by a wonderful color poster and set of pins that each participant takes away and actively uses to bring the values to life back on the job.

Mining for Diamonds (Follow Up ActionPact™)
Mining for Diamonds is a powerful, customized learning ActionPact™ which builds from this initial experience. It supports an intact team in the development of follow-up action plans to embed and leverage focused action with core values in achieving business results.

Background of Title: Acres of Diamonds
Acres of Diamonds is a Russell Conwell short story (1800's) about a man who left everything (wife and family and a dirt poor ranch) and travelled the world in search of riches. He returns years later to find the ranch sold to someone who, while strolling by the small stream on the property, found something gleaming in the water. The ranch was now the site for the largest diamond mine in Africa.

A majority of people spend much of their time, like this journeyman, looking elsewhere while Acres of Diamonds could lay hidden under their feet. The events that we will remember years hence will all come from the people around us, from the richness of the relationships that we can chose to mine now, rather than from constantly looking for other 'better' opportunities.