Effective teams and organizations are infused with possibility. Team members know how to create an environment that encourages innovation and risk-taking and how to have dialogues that build new ideas. Dialogues are a specific type of conversation that allow people to examine their underlying assumptions and mental models and discover new possibilities.

			Below the surface of most organizational teams are often interpersonal issues and differences of opinion on business matters. "Background conversations" cause counterproductive behavior. When we move background conversations into the foreground, we provide a reliable pathway to confront and resolve deep issues of trust, performance and leadership.

			Extraordinary results begin with a powerful foundation of shared, aligned commitments. Asking, "are we aligned?", provides an opportunity to inquire into and test the alignment before rushing into action.

			We usually act as though trust must be earned, whereas real trust can actually be granted or created. By granting and creating trust among our team members, we can come together quickly and align with a shared future.

			Asking the question, "What's Missing?", focuses on issues, not personalities, which open up new ideas. Asking the question, "What's Wrong?", introduces fear and leads to blaming something or somebody.

			This involves having individuals realize that perspectives we all call "the way it is" are from the past. When we put them in the past where they belong, we can see that the future is ours to create. People have a whole new access to power when they are informed by the past rather than determined by it.

			The quickest route to action is through making requests and promises. We rarely make clear requests or promises and then we wonder why we don't get what we want. Making clear requests provides clarity and certainty while significantly reducing wasted time.

			We usually complain to anyone who will listen, not to someone who can do something about it. When we transform the complaint into a request and direct it to someone who can do something about it, we provide time for people to pursue worthwhile activities.

			When we eliminate the attitude of "it's not my job, it's not my responsibility", we can make a remarkable shift in being. Instead of thinking, "I'm doing the best I can given the circumstances", our orientation becomes "We can be responsible for more than we are accountable for".

			Watch people who know how to get things done and notice their ability to acknowledge the people around them. A key practice in transforming an environment of fear into an environment of urgency is the practice of acknowledging people.