This is the original transcript of Maharaji's comments during a training session that took place in Arundel, England, in 1999. The transcript was written by Chuck Nathan, and the only edits that have been done are the replacement of attendees' names with initials, and obvious spelling corrections.

M COMMENTS

UK SESSION #1
7/28/99

I guess you've already done a lot of work and put up a lot of posters. I'm sure you've got a lot of questions. Is it going to be difficult? Yes. Is it going to be easy? Yes. As easy as you make it. As difficult as you make it. There's no intent on my side or the facilitators' side to make it difficult.

What's going to happen? Whatever we do is going to be very confidential. Meaning you don't get to talk to it with anybody. I mean anybody. We have to have that so everyone feels comfortable and safe to say what they need to say.

What other things are going to happen? For emphasis purposes a lot of four letter words are going to be used. There's no mal-intent. They drive the point home, so they will be used.

What else is going to happen? It's really simple. In looking at some of these charts, I'm sure you want to learn something specific. Nothing specific is going to be taught. We have problems, veils, excess luggage. Can we drop those problems and really come together? That's what we're going to do, come together.

There will be times when you will wish you weren't here. Stick with it. Learning doesn't come cheap. Sometimes you have to let go of things. You will be uncomfortable because of you. Sometimes you will feel incredibly stupid. (M laughs.) That's probably because you are. Sometimes you'll feel really intelligent.

What you put into it, that's what you'll get out of it. If you are in observation mode, you'll get very bad reviews. You must, you must participate.

The other thing is, when I ask you a question, you must, you must answer me. It really pisses me off when I ask a question and people don't answer. You must, you must answer. When I ask are you clear, you must answer yes or no.

You must be honest. If you don't understand something, say so. If you have a language problem, ask for help. If you can't hear someone speaking, whose responsibility is it to speak up?

The other issue that's come up with past conferences: none of the facilitators or I are going to trick you. We're not out to trick you. We're not out to make a fool of you. You must remember this. This is not the issue. You must, must, must remember that. This is very straightforward. OK? See, everybody didn't answer that. You really don't want to piss me off.

The chances are you've never seen the other side of me. You've seen the event side of me when I'm on stage. But there is another side of me. If you evoke that side, you won't like it. It's a nasty side. You don't want to see that side. You're not missing anything by not seeing it.

Generally, that's the opening statement. Any questions?

We are all here. Everything has to be done very collectively. Whatever we do from now on will be done unanimously. We all must agree. If we want to have tea right now, we must all agree. If one person says no, then it won't happen. Do you understand that?

You're in good hands. V and T do this professionally. This is a little different training. I've done quite as few trainings. Raja Ji and Ved have been at the last two trainings. We're going to have Sampuranand and B observing the facilitators. We're going to have Chuck taking notes. Notes will be taken and will be passed on. Sometimes it comes in handy and sometimes it doesn't.

These books you have. You must not leave them around for other people to see. You have to be responsible for your notes and for a lot of things in this training. That might appear painful to you, but it's not.

If you want me to give you a hint how to sail through, stay conscious. There will be times in the afternoon when you will want to go to sleep. Even in those moments, you have to plow through and stay awake.

And don't take the observer posture. If you do, I will kick you out of the conference. And you know I have that right. Have I done that in past conferences? You don't know.

Things that happen here -- nothing personal. I might yell at you. I might scream at you. I'm not going to hit you, don't worry. But, nothing personal. The facilitators might scream, might yell, nothing personal. You don't have to feel, why is that person yelling at me? They're not yelling at you, they're yelling at your behavior, your unconsciousness.

I know a lot of you have bitched and complained about how things are obnoxious. They are. We get to change them. We can actually change them. Things need to change. I know that. We're going to change them. Little by little. And everyone is going to agree to change them. When you have a group and only half the group wants to change, nothing happens.

In the last few days, I have come to the conclusion that Miss Clarity has gone on vacation. In France. Or some nice place. I am hoping that she comes back, that she came back last night and got a good night's sleep. The things I've been faced with the last few days take me back to the l973's and 1974's. Can we change things? Yes. Sometimes those changes start with us, not with anybody else. Sounds like fun, right?

So one of the things we have to do and should do: we have this facility, there are chairs behind that curtain over there. Why don't we set up and make ourselves comfortable? OK. Let's do it.

(Chair setup exercise begins.)

(Comments about how to set up the chairs)

(M side comment to V:) Do we have the white poster sheets? (Put in facilitator checklist.)

Are you all satisfied with this? All happy? You are? How many things do you think you've violated so far?

(Comments)
What else did we violate? Did we get full consensus from everybody? No. Everyone just started walking into that room. Did I explain to you that whatever we do we're going to do unanimously.

(Comments)
So here you are, in a very controlled learning environment, I am here, does that mean anything to you? I hope so. That's getting up very early in the am to come there? Is this really what you want to offer me? Doing what M wants personally, I see that written up there. I see passion to serve, I see wish to please him. Enjoying working with the team. I'm sure there are some goodies there too. Challenge to responding to please him. M's trust in us. Put M first. Trust and understand. Clear definition of roles and objective. I believe you wrote those things. Was that this group or another? I like to get that other group in here. Here you are and none of that is happening.

How can we begin? What do we need to do? Don't look at me, you figure it out. You tell the team what should happen.

(Comment: we should have asked M)

This is now the fourth time this issue of asking M has come up.

(Comments)
You do have this if you want to use it.

(Comments)
(In response to someone saying they feel a little nervous being with him) I don't have that effect on people. People say me and say "Oh I'm sorry." That's why I'm stepping back here.

(Comments)
I asked you if you are all happy with this. Are you all happy? Are you happy with the way it is in this room?

(Comments)
(Group agrees on protocol that people stand up when they address the group)

(Group agrees on protocol that people will raise their hands if they disagree with proposals)

(In response to someone asking M what he wanted done:) I'm out of here. I asked you to do a very simple thing. My instructions were very clear. There was nothing ambiguous about it.

(Comments)
We're going to take a 15-minute break. Please do not discuss this out there. You're not going to start talking about how to do this because that will break what? Unanimity.

(In response to someone asking about their notebook:) You're responsible for it. You lose it, and you're going to be out of the conference. 15 minute break.

(Break)

(Comments)
(Group unanimously agrees to have S be the chairperson.)

(Comments)
I explained it, exactly what the violations were. Let me ask you a question. Everything you've done so far, has it been unanimous? Has he (the scribe) agreed to everything? Has he (the chairperson) agreed to everything?

I asked for a very simple thing. I said we have this facility. There are chairs behind that curtain. You found the chairs, right? Very straightforward. I said let's get comfortable. We have this facility. Let's begin. What do you find that is so fucking unreasonable in that? That's all I said. You have now spent two hours. And you are nowhere closer that from where you started.

You're still violating exactly the same rules. You're not doing things unanimously.

You see, when you say you want to follow M's agya, M's direction, it's just a joke. Right? Well, I gave you a set of instructions that are about as clear as -- I know teachers give similar instructions to kindergarten students. And I am sure they don't spend two hours figuring it out.

You cannot follow a very simple set of directions. This is the reality. This is not fiction. This is reality. This is how things operate. "What M wants" is just a nice title. It doesn't mean anything to you.

This isn't even being said by someone else. It's not a second translation. This is first hand. This is about as first hand as it can get. This is not a set up folks. This is real. So we can begin. So we can begin with the training. We need to set up the chairs and get comfortable. And people keep bringing it back to M, like that means anything to you. You tell me, what is so unclear about those instructions?

We do record these things. Audio and video. It's not going to go anywhere. There's a camera there, microphone. Mostly for you. So you can review how great you were. Basically this is your response to what I've asked you to do.

You have a writer, who is no longer associated with the team. By whose permission I don't know. You have a leader who is also out of the loop, he comes in and out. He says "as a participant." You have any idea how long he has been up there? What has he facilitated?

Seats were swapped. Were they unanimous? It's not a reflection on him. It's a reflection on all of you. Because you elected him as a leader. By electing him as a leader, you're abdicating your responsibility. That's why people elect leaders, because they don't want to be responsible.

We have a very sad situation. There are all these posters. You want to serve, do what M wants, all this wonderful stuff. But it doesn't mean a damn thing. "Put M first. Clear definition of rules and objectives." Who wrote that? I want that group.

And that's cute too. Empowerment from top to bottom. I just did. I said it has to be unanimous. That's about as much empowerment as you can get. Everyone in the group is equally empowered. But you decided you didn't want it. You wanted S to facilitate this.

Let me ask you a question. How many of you at the point this was happening, when S was about to come up, how many of you understood what was about to take place? You want empowerment, but you don't want any responsibility with it. Typical premie shit. Give me the power, but if I fuck up, it's not my problem.

This is exactly what happened in the last two trainings in America. Why so similar? Because its premiedom. Same around the world. You realize you are all extremely intelligent people. You're not dumb. But as soon as you come into the premie environment, you abdicate responsibility. And all laughing about it. A group of people who can't follow simple instructions. Knowing that you will be given instructions. You still don't follow them.

Are you being conscious? There are people who agree, those who disagree. I think you've got a serious problem. That's it. I'm stepping back. Continue. Remember I told you how hard it's going to get. Who do you think is making it hard? My instructions are very simple, very clear.

Do you understand the teachers in first grade tell the students this? OK, get your chairs, we're going to do this. Don't talk about this. Take another 15-minute break.

(Break)

(M comment to P during the break:) We should have food, water, soda pops in the room for the facilitators. They need to keep their weight up. (Put in facilitator checklist.)

11:20am
(Comments)
These three can't feel comfortable. They can't see the board. They don't know this. That's what I was doing back there, seeing if they could see the board. Can you see the board now? Clear shot at it?

I think V wants to say something. And T.

(V comments.)

I don't think anybody understood what he said. I don't know what he's trying to fix.

Are you insinuating that the instructions need to be repeated? Are you insinuating that the instructions were not understood by people? Then maybe your suggestion should be that we all eat fish so we improve our memory. Any preferences? Raw, cooked, baked?

(Comments)
Premie shit. That's mild. I have to live with it every day.

(Comments)
I'm just trying to get even. I can't in one lifetime even the score even if I wanted to. It would take several lifetimes, the stuff that I have gone through, that I continue to go through. My one question would be, have we begun? Have we begun? This is it?

(Comments)
V said something right? Do you all understand what he said? T?

(T comments.)

(Comments)
That's not the question. T said something very good. Something inside of us is telling us something. We think all we have to do is accomplish a task. You take the simplest things and you make it super-complicated. You make it hyper-complicated. And then the brain farts start to fly. You know what a brain fart is, right? You fart form this end, you can from this end too.

Is anybody trying to get back on line? Because the idea is, all that matters is accomplishing the task, it doesn't matter how it's done. Step on everybody's heads. Whoever has the loudest voice wins. Why wasn't a woman chosen to be the leader?

(Comments)
Any culture that doesn't acknowledge people as people is sick, it's doomed. Do you want to make the mistakes of a culture that is doomed? People, one of the things that's incredible about these trainings, if you've got shit, it comes out.

There's nothing wrong with being a premie. It's what we assume being a premie means, that's what's dangerous. All of a sudden, would we act like this, would we do this, if this was our job? We'd get fired very quickly. Are you bringing your weakness or your strength?

If for you, being a premie means bringing your weakness and getting away with it, you've got a problem. N starts off, with an incredible statement, in the future. It's like a captain said next time I'm not going to crash the airplane.

What do you mean future? What are we here for?
Aren't you interested in seeing clearly? When things start to be written on this board really quickly, you won't be able to read it. Your eyes aren't made to focus at that angle. Now if you were a lizard then you could close one eye. But the parallax is incredible.

Do you know that stomach has it's own brain? Sometimes you feel that brain type feeling in your stomach? The doctors said that. It feels uncomfortable. How many of you had that feeling? Why didn't you say so? If you were getting raped, would you wait to find the eloquent words? How imp is that to you? Scream, holler, do whatever it takes.

Why were we all laughing, talking? Not going anywhere. I could have taken a break. It still wouldn't be solved. I started this exercise. This is my brainchild. How many of you conceded? I know Y did, for the sake of it, I'll drop this issue. G can't be the only one with the light problem. How imp is it? How imp is it for it to be right? Then why are you conceding? Conceding to what? For something to go on that's wrong? I ask you this.

When does it become acceptable? How can we do this? My brainchild is too good. In India, it took almost a day. I'll cut you some slack. I'll tell you how it should be done.

All you have to do is not listen to me and you'll go around in circles. And you didn't. When did I know you hadn't listened to me? As soon as someone walked into that room to get the chairs.

What was said, was, we have this facility. Not we have this room. People, I did not trip you up. I said we have this facility. And you immediately assumed I meant we have this room. What would it take for someone to say, can we explore what's available? When do you start thinking on your feet?

M told you very clearly. I repeated in the first part, then I repeated it again in the second part. We have this facility.

(Comments)
But who tricked you? Did I? If someone said to you, here we have a car, let's find a spare tire, would it be that complicated. I already told you, we're not going to try to trick you. If the facilitators and I took the posture of trying to trick you, all it would be is a fight, we win, you lose. Nothing would be learned. How many of you study, study, study, pass the test and forget everything. Educators know you will dump more than 90% of the info. It's a game. People go on. This is not like that. It would be of no interest to me.

I know that things have to change. I have tried many, many methods to change it. It has to begin with us, not with somebody sitting across the room. Now you're seeing everything I told you in the first part, it's all materializing. I couldn't have given you better tips. Everything that I said in the first part has unfolded so far.

I said, if you want to sail through, all you have to be is conscious. Were you? So?

Leaders. It's amazing. People have this need. They want to abdicate responsibility. Then there are those who are frustrated and they want to take leadership. And in leadership, are things tainted? Leadership turns perfectly good people who have perfectly good sight and makes them blind.

The only reason people want leaders, is then they can bitch and complain. Before that, they can't.

So folks, I see a lot of unconsciousness. Ladies, are you going to be underdogs? Do you want to be underdogs? If you win by having a loud voice, then have one. Don't wait for the men to tone down their voice, they won't. Not this group. They're all correct all the time.

The only way men work well is if everyone working with them is a yes man. Let's compromise, let's do it my way. That's an extremely, extremely serious issue. Because the objective, to work as a team. And we are as far away in the universe as we can get from that objective.

I know this could go on forever. It really would. The instructions had it. But the instructions weren't listened to. When was there a clarification of instructions amongst yourselves? Isn't that the most important thing to a premie? You don't have the basic ability to listen. Not even under very very controlled circumstances.

Well, proceed.

(Comments)
Can you find a way to find out? You have a team. Can you not unanimously come to some kind of agreement about what to do?

Maybe somebody else can figure out a way to explore what needs to be explored.

Why ask M? If everybody keeps asking M, when M has already given very clear instructions, what is going to happen to poor M? M won't have time to rest, to sleep, to eat. Instructions were already given.

(Someone goes off to explore other rooms)

How can you break the unanimity of the team?

Wait, wait, wait. Jesus didn't have to be anybody divine to figure out somebody was going to betray him that night. As a general statement, that would have been accurate. Somebody said, can we get a couple of people to go look. He didn't say it loud enough. There is already a paper with the floor plan.

The issue is, let's explore. Someone has made a valid suggestion. How many of you listened to it? Why are you not willing to act upon it?

Let me ask you a question. Do you think the solutions to your problems have been mentioned during this exercise? Why weren't they followed? You're smart enough to figure it out, but you're dumb enough not to follow it.

If you come up with an exploration team of 1,2,3,4 people there may be something that's not even on that bloody piece of paper. But you will know.

When Wright Bros. made the airplane, they didn't say let's get the Boeing designs first. They were playing around with bicycle parts. It was an exploration. The solution comes and you don't want to listen. Proceed.

(Comments)
Two have been volunteered. You can't go around volunteering people. We've got to stop that. In America there's this commercial, they've got this character, Mikey, and the others get Mikey to try this new cereal. You can't go along volunteering. In America it's this phrase, "Lets get Mikey to do it." She offered her strength and volunteered to do it.

Everyone has to agree. Shouldn't be 15,000 volunteers for a job that 2, 3, 4 people could do easily.

You already have agreed not to say, "I agree." Pay attention. What you have agreed is to say, "I disagree" if you disagree.

Do you really want to send out a scout that doesn't talk loud enough? I told you, nothing personal here. But I have to bring that out. Would I choose a colorblind person to buy paint for my house? Either she overcomes her problem, or she doesn't go. She has to report back. Who wants to sit there for 15 minutes and say, What I can't hear you? Why send out a scout who can't speak loud enough to give a report?

What if the facility isn't on the map? It is, but what if it isn't?

(Comments)
You were not tricked. You're the ones who decided to set up in this room.

(V comment)

Too small. The problems never went away. But people merely sacrificed themselves. The windows are still there. But they didn't just sacrifice themselves, they sacrificed the whole thing. And they're feeling really good about themselves, they compromised.
At a party at the residence, somebody actually said that to me, why do we need the toilet facility? People are just coming to see you. I'm trying to up the standard for no reason at all.

The posters are up on the walls because I wanted to see them. It has to be a trick. We're the trickiest sons of bitches around.

So what are we going to do? Have we begun? This is another premideom problem. You can explain to everyone this is what we're going to do and this is when we're going to do it, and no one moves.

This is another problem that we have. I'm not going to go beyond that line. Whoops. Well, I'm definitely not going to go beyond that line. Whoops. Well, I'm definitely…. And then we end up on the other side of the room.

What's the big deal? This facility is good. We can make it work. The other side of it is, the conference won't happen. So you've got this meshing. Whenever there's meshing, somebody will be compromised. This is a long story. Last year, I had already told people that we were going to have an event in September in Amaroo. Better than a year's notice. Nobody did anything. I went there and asked for a report. I poked holes in it, Nothing was done. People were very uncomfortable. Compromise is a compromise. Has this not happened? It can easily happen in India, where the cost is cheaper. We have an air conditioned hall. We have a conference with 143 at one time there.

I had already said to people, I want to do microtours and training. Time rolled by. No microtours and no training. People said we can't do microtours, nothing is set up. No training, no training, no training. Then all of a sudden we found a facility. Was it inconvenient? Extremely. What is making you uncomfortable is a consequence.
What we have to do is change the whole system.

We did 2 trainings in the US, 2 here. That's not sufficient. These are the same old faces that have been around for years. If we had a larger facility, we could have more people. It's my time. (For discussion among facilitator team.)

Everything for this year, I outlined last year. In Barcelona, they do an event that doesn't even cover an event that all the Spanish and Portuguese premies.

The only bright side of it is, I hope we can change it. Consequences, we could spend the next six days talking about the consequences I have to suffer, others have to suffer.

Or, best foot forward, we can change.

Those three people haven't even started exploring yet. Those three people know exactly what you want to have in their report right? Who is going to make the report? Any idea what they are looking for? You want to abdicate your responsibility, have them do the dirty work. If this is how people are supposed to explore festival sites, event sites, it's a fucking miracle we ever get an event pulled off.

(Comment)

Sounds good to me. Concise, precise. I'm going to take you where it is. But the way you were headed, I would have taken you to the toilet. He said it, it's lucid.
We need a place where we can all sit, all hear. Is that so difficult? You're' pissing me off when you don't answer.

We've wasted half a day going around in circles.

(M comments to 3 explorers:)

Partition to be removed
Screen, stage, chairs need to be moved in, don't want chaos bringing in chairs, stage, 3-4 to set up Stage
Fire exits
This is the room
Let's get chairs in here
Goldmine

(Back in Garden room)

(Explorers report and questions are asked)

You can always change things. It's not like the chairs will be screwed to the floor.

All we need is four people for the stage. You four, follow V.

Not everyone is going to take their chairs in there. I think the men are all volunteering the women this time.

There's something you need to tell all the participants to do. Take all your personal belongings with you.

(M to people moving chairs and setting up the stage:)
Safety, safety, safety.
Put the chairs randomly. (Said 3 times) (Put in facilitator checklist)

Safety, safety. Watch your fingers (Put in facilitator checklist)

Bring two flipcharts. (Put in facilitator checklist)

They made the stage so big that it comes out too far (V asked M if using just one of the stage sections was too small since it was only about 4' x 8'): No, it's OK.

Give the chair wheels to P. P do you want to keep the wheels?

They didn't decide on the length of the break, so now the team is in a pickle. It has to be unanimous for the length of the break.

(To one of the explorers:) Your leadership is over. You found the facility, It's over.

(Main group takes a break)

(To the rest of the group:) When you buy a ticket to go from Gatwick to Germany, don't you ask them what time it will be? Common sense stuff. How long should the break be? Common sense stuff. She became a leader. She didn't think about how long the break would be? You can trust the leader to fuck you up, sure. Now what do we do? This could go on, ad infinitum. Should you be let in there? When you're going to throw away common sense like that, there's no point to do the training. When you throw common sense out like that. What if this training was conducted in a language no one could understand, what good would it be?

(In the main meeting room:) Why is everyone grabbing a chair and sitting down? What was discussed was finding the room and then you'd decide how to set up the chairs. Why do I have to remember all these things for you?

How many of you think this was obviously a trick? This is what we decided. We'd decide once in the room how to set up the chairs. Why were people grabbing chairs and sitting down?

(Comments)
(M responds to someone asking M if he likes the chair arrangement:) You're not even comfortable with this, why are you blaming it on me?

(Comments)
We have to have you go to lunch because if not you'll be missing. Don't discuss this at lunch because it won't be unanimous. One hour lunch break.

(Lunch break)

2:45pm
(Comments)
If you were comfortable there, they're forcing you to move. You already told them I don't need to move. I'm fine here. Didn't you? So why are you moving? I don't understand this logic. Are you going to be the sacrificial lamb because B says you're uncomfortable? Fuck him.

And are you really ready? I thought it was a proposal to sit down and then discuss it because you weren't sure the chairs weren't in the right place. We have got a problem here. Nobody is standing on two feet.

Nothing personal B. He's not really not going to do that. We have your wife's number.

(Comments)
I was going to give all the tests to these five. If they flunk, you all flunk. They stick out. Don't you feel that?

(Comments)
Do you all think this is a trick?

M to Chuck: There's a utility where you use those keys (the function keys) and assign them to whole statements. (Quick keys)

(Comments)
I think they hold the record now, don't they? Now you've broken the record. Many things I observed. Let's move on. Does that mean that the assignment given to you originally can be chucked out the window? How close do you think you are to that?

You have basically told these three guys, you're uncomfortable, fine, let's just move on. Everything that happens here is really a reflection of what happens in real life.
This is really bizarre. Everybody brings their personality to it. H has been giggling, look at the bunch of idiots. She's in observer mode.

What is the goal? What is the objective? What is your goal now? To move on. This thing of making everyone uncomfortable has become too much of a problem, so let's press on. Even though that was part of the assignment. The assignment was let's get comfortable and begin.

What are we bringing to this? I could lecture you for 8 hours and I couldn't bring this out. One: that you can't remember what you've been told to do, irregardless of by whom. Two: that you can't reach consensus.

The US was a British colony. These little bizarre reps from all these little states that weren't even official, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, they all came together, they were all bitter enemies of each other. But when it came time to sign the declaration of independence, one of the conditions that was placed was that it would have to unanimous. Everybody would have to agree. And they did it. They actually did it.

Their job was far far more difficult than yours, which was just chairs. It's really a simple little task. But what is it that stops you? There's so much abdication of responsibility. There's a pleasure in disagreement. There's a wonderful tendency to forget what are we trying to accomplish. M said it, fine, forget it, let it go.

On the other hand, when it comes to giving satsang, I've heard the word heart, but it comes from up here. Good ideas are brought up but they're not tried, they're killed. Bad ideas are brought up and they're entertained.

I know a lot of you came here to learn something specific. I don't do that. I don't do that in real life. All I can provide you with is a vision, not the details. But you have to have the ability to understand the vision, to share the vision, and to never forget what you are trying to accomplish.

So my vision was really simple. Let's get comfortable and let's begin. Now vision is gone, details exist. And even the details are compromised. Easy to compromise unanimity. I said these chairs are not screwed to the carpet. How far have you taken that?

Surely you could have arranged the room many times over. How many times? Maybe more?

Let's say that you right off the bat listened to the instructions, in the next 20 minutes got the instructions really clear among yourselves, then 30 minutes to get into this room. You could have arranged the room 71 times before lunch, with everyone getting their way.

It's not a question of methodology. It's a question of what you consider your objective to be. There are going to be times when you have to say, I see what I see, but no big deal, let the group move on. And you're going to have to do it. But when it is in direct conflict with what the vision is… I say to people, don't stay up all night long, get sleep. I'm a weird boss. I insist my employees take time off. I insist they have a backup.

Usually a boss thinks it's great when they work Saturday, Sunday. I'm the opposite. I'm sending my secretary back to take time off. Take two weeks. If I need you, I'll call you. I want response, good response. I want people who will take the vision and provide the support that it needs. Not support that is idiotic and stupid and done in an unconscious fashion.

In this training there are a lot of exercises. There's all kinds of goodies planned for you. It's fun. Even outdoors. But, but, they're really going to set you up, you're going to find them difficult if you keep doing what you're doing.

Has anybody tricked you so far? I know there's this little monkey in the back of your head, this is a trick. It's not. I don't know what and how you want to approach the next few days. But the way you're approaching it now, it's severely bad. You're going to find it incredibly painful.

How many of you are sitting there going, there are too many people to reach consensus? The thing is, it isn't hard to reach consensus. It isn't. Every group says, no this is too big. If we just had this number of people. The thing is, the chairs have been arranged and they fit and they fit properly. And they provide plenty of space. It's not like you have to reinvent the wheel. You don't. You've made it very complicated.

How many people look at M's direction, and say it can't be simple? If it's simple, I must be doing something wrong. Here's practical example. How many of you think now this idea of team really sucks? We've got one, two.

So how many of you that think the idea of team really sucks would like to do this all by yourself? How many of you think this idea of team is new? Have you seen pictures of the mahatmas with Shri M? Teams have always been there, because it's too much for one person to do. Teams will be there. You cannot not have a team. Team will be there.

So the teams are going to be there. There's only one option that we have. Get them to work. They have never worked. But we've got to get them to work.

How many of you are taking yourself out of the loop by not participating? I don't want the facilitators to make a comment about you that you're not participating. Don't pull yourself out of the loop.

There's a lot to learn. You've learnt a lot. You've actually learnt more in this period of time than you think you have. You don't understand what you've learned. That comes about two days after the training. You get hit by a nuclear bomb.

Look at the possibility. Teams really worked, synchronized, compensating for each other's weaknesses, pitfalls.

There's always been a residence staff. They always used to burn out. Not my doing. When someone became residence staff that was fulfillment of a lifetime. They would go at it, wash the car to the point the paint was coming off. People would fry. When people needed time off, they couldn't have it because their service would suffer.

Then the residence staff went through a training, and now they can take off if they need to see a doctor or whatever they need to do. Every morning meeting - what are we going to do today? Can you cover for me today? I have to do this. Now they have more time off, get to travel to events. And none of the service, jobs suffers.

So team can compensate for our weaknesses. Maybe someone can point out something we've never seen before.

Can teams work? You must realize that teams now are at embryo stage. Around the world having teams, knowing exactly what the next person is going to do, is supposed to do, it could be wonderful. You can walk into events with confidence.

However it needs to evolve it will evolve. And it will be the best. Rather than bringing our weakness, our strength. And finally after all the years - the things you hate - the politics, the bureaucracy, the nonrespect, we can change it. We get a shot at changing it. You get to rebuild Rome w/o having to burn it.

Nobody is saying it's easy. It requires a totally different level. 110% - that's peanuts. Now we're talking about millions, zillions. You literally have to fly. That's what it's going to take.

This is the time I was telling you about. Right? See no tricks. I lay it out very clearly. Let's take a 15-minute break.

(Break)

4:20pm
You want to tell them to move these chairs. They can't figure it out. Those seats, you're going to be responsible for moving those seats. And we're going to rotate. Tomorrow all the back seaters are expected to be in the front.

It wasn't so hard. We've got 3 exits back there. And other exits there, there and there.

Everybody comfortable? How many of these chairs without armrests do we have? What we could do tomorrow is change them.

OK, very good. Time. Are you all aware of time? You're not. We're going to do everything by time. If you're late, you're not going to be let in. Is that extreme? Why not? Why don't we talk about it? What should we do if someone is late? You discussed it yesterday, right?

(Comments)
United Airlines wouldn't wait for you, you're late, you're late. Is that clear? What about coming too early? I have a problem coming early. When I give you a break, maximize that time. A lot of you haven't spent 5 days with me. Clear your head, if you need to get some tea, get some tea. Sugar will make you tired. It gives you a boost, then there's the other side.

This is a safe environment. People are not going to talk behind your back. That's a no no. You can whatever you want to say, within reason.

(Comments)
The idea of coming closer was mentioned many times. But it was automatically assumed that would be a violation of fire and safety codes. Which is a good point. But you can't just assume it. One give away are these bloody microphones. Look where they are now.

I disagree you couldn't have done better this morning. If you had just listened to each other.

Leader means they abdicate responsible. What if the team itself becomes a leader? I've seen it. There's no reason why it can't. The only question is if there's a real sense of commitment and if people are willing to work consciously or not. Why do you want a leader?

M is where M is, and M is who M is. That doesn't change. But why do you want a team leader?

I think it's very clear. People are not paying attention. Everybody agree? When it's already been decided that those who disagree will raise their hands. But as you will see in the next few moments, people don't listen. There are certain qualities a human being has.

Have you ever seen a snake? Keeps popping its tongue out. Why? Because that's its resource to find out what's happening around it. For us, when we come together as a team, it's very imp for us to listen. But we are a snake that doesn't keep popping its tongue out. Yes there are proposals that are made that are garbage, which we call brain farts. But still you have to listen, so when the good proposals are made, you hear them. But people don't listen.

To me a football team - they understand - they go play. -- the referee provides the vision and they go play. Except in this one video, this guy keeps running and running and no one is cheering and everyone is looking in total disbelief. He just ran the wrong way. The ability to stay with it is going to be very difficult for a lot of people. But that's what you have to do.

You are going to be stretched. How many people actually listen? Very few. Not have conclusions. In this group, I'm sure one person is going to be the brain farter of the day. Some people will say just the right thing one day and the wrong thing the next day.

In the last group there was a guy [text missing from transcript]

It is the simplicity of the situation. That wasn't an exercise. That was a real thing. There are those who [text missing from transcript]

It took a lot but you got there. And along the way you learned your pitfalls, your weakness. All the correct proposals were made from the onset. But immediately they are gone. And you will see that all the way through.

There's no lack of intelligence here. No lack of ability to solve any problem. But when it comes to the execution, the team will break down, and as soon as it breaks down, it can't do anything.

If you were sitting theater style, you'd be very disconnected from each other? How would you know when someone is raising their hand to object?

People have been in your situation. Completely out there on the first day. Fuck this team. I am right. They are wrong. All you need is point one percent of that attitude to disengage from the team. I am right. They are wrong. There is no they. It's all us.

And there's no trick. The trick is the trick you're going to play on yourself.

The ability to think clearly. Maybe I can't make this decision because I'm not well-informed. Is that a problem? I can't pretend.

That one analogy. It says, you are driving a bus. 5 kids get on, 10 get off. What is the driver's age? When that is explained, people are taking notes, they forget to write you are the driver. What's essential are 5 kids get on, 10 get off. Those people who were totally illiterate who figured it out. But engineeers and doctors couldn't figure it out.

What did we do today with the simple instructions that were given? It took us over 6 hours to do it. Why? You forgot the instructions.

The instructions get left behind. What's being asked to be done is not that complicated.

(V announces the envelope exercise: once separated it cannot be put back together again)

(Comments)
You have just violated the unanimity law. You have taken an action that was not unanimous. You have also all agreed to stand up when you talk. We know what we have to do. Does everyone know to stand up? Have you been doing that? Does everyone know that you have to be unanimous? Have you been doing that?

The problem is far simpler than wanting a leader. The problem is there being 70 assholes in this room. There are 70 assholes in this room, right? Because you are not an asshole right? Everyone else is an asshole, right?

(Comments)
Now wait you can't use a bomb analogy. If it's a bomb, you don't want to dick with it, you'd want to clear the area.

Does anybody know the translation in Spanish for a riddle? You have to raise your hand and ask for help. Help is here. If you don't ask for it, you don't get it. We have Spanish, French, Italian, we even have Sanskrit available. Proceed.

(Comments)
Unfortunately we have reached the end of the day. A typical problem that exists, that may be peculiar to this group or to Europe. On your ID cards, the names aren't big enough. The pictures are big enough. Obviously the pictures are too large, the names are too big. But the computer is 200 miles away. Why? They weren't given instrucitons not to. I have a particular expression: Shit for brains. Instead of having brains, you have shit. What if somebody got their card wet and wanted a reprint? What would you do then? What if we switch a person? Do you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the computer is needed? So how do we deal with situations like this?

(Comments)
Common sense, is that the solution?

So I gave you that analogy, that was an interesting situation because everyone said that a minimum amount of info was given. But the amount of info you have is relative to your assumptions. Too little or too much. But people are not willing to look at their assumption. They are willing to look at V. You're all assuming. All it is is an assumption. You're split. The listrening part gets a little clearer, right?

We're trying to get together, trying to be a team? I'm going to make it easy on you.

What can we do, what can we bring in to accommodate the functioning of this team smoother? Don't discuss it.

Do I need to repeat it? The team has it. Why don't you ask the team?

You just have to remember there are 70 assholes. Not 71. At any given time just 70. The person who is saying that never thinks they are an asshole. When you make a proposal and someone starts speaking right after you, it's hard not to think they are an asshole, unless you're superhuman.

Today was really light as conferences go. Tomorrow you can count on. We have started the ascent. Got problems, right? At lest the 70 other people do, right? Hard to see it. That is begins with you. All right.

OK. 9am tomorrow? You've been assuming all day, why stop now? This morning, I know I called it an exercise, but it was real. Not a test. Very real. I'm not trying to take a revenge. I should be, but I'm not. I'm not a revengeful person. 9am we'll begin. Don't come too early. Don't come too late. I'm not the one who decided to be out there. I decided to be in here. Lights are here, cameras, mikes.

I don't know why you want to thank me. Save it. How many of you understand that whtever difficulty is placed, is placed by you? Well we'll see. Not a riddle. We'll make it a riddle. Not a problem. We'll make it a problem. Not tricky. We'll make it tricky.

You want to ask a question relative to this team? You will find out. There were so many opinions. Do I agree with you? Be here. Be conscious. That's all you can do. I'm not against you. The fs are not against you. You will make mistakes. You will do things right. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and don't be afraid to be right.

A long time ago Deepak asked me, I'm afraid. I said don't be afraid. He said I don't want to make mistakes. I said, don't worry about making mistakes. Just don't make them again. And he took that to heart.

You're driving along, you get a flat tire. You're complaining about it. And then you go a little ways further and you realize there was this danger ahead and then you're thankful you were delayed by the flat tire.

OK. Enjoy yourselves.

M COMMENTS
UK SESSION #1
7/24/99

M pointed out to Chuck that electric cord for G3 was in the way.

9am
Good morning everyone. So we did our homework? How should we do this?
We've got 71 people, so we need to figure out how to do it most efficiently.

(Someone suggests writing homework on flip charts)

Well that would actually take longer because it would involve writing and saying it. So with 71 people, what would be the most efficient use of time?

(Someone suggests breaking into small groups to review homework)

OK, break down into groups of 10? OK, let's do it.

(Someone suggests all breakouts happening in the main room)

Usually I let you go on the trail until you find it's impossible to do, but I'll save you some time. Maybe I'm weakening. That won't work. It gets very intense with everyone talking at the same time.

How long do you think we need to do this? So is there a picture that has emerged? Is anyone keeping track of the picture that has emerged? Or is everyone just going on with their ideas?

I heard some of the guests actually had some of their chairs removed from their rooms.

(Someone says the team was asked to break into small groups)

Were you asked to break up into groups? Asked is different. Suggested is different. Why are you disagreeing while the guy is still talking?

Well you've already blown 15 minutes and you haven't decided anything yet.

(Comments)
So what was the homework? How to make the team work more smoothly? And you've done your homework. There are going to be days when you feel you've woken up on the wrong side of the bed. He said 25 minutes. According to my watch it's now 22 minutes.

He's wearing a Rolex which are notorious for not keeping good time. It has mechanical gears. When they heat up, the gears don't work accurately. So it's now 22 minutes, 50 seconds.

(Comments)
How many groups are we going to have? And what are trying to accomplish here? Do this more efficiently?

(Comments)
I know V said this word exercise. Is this an exercise? You're not going to find it in any computer, any notes. You're not going to find it in any prior training. I'm just asking you as a normal human being, what is the most efficient way to present your homework. It's now gone to 26 minutes. Now it's become a game. I'm just asking you as a normal, sane human being. But this is good. We'll have to make this an exercise. Anything that fucks you up has to be an exercise right?

We're coming to the point where we could have had everyone individually present their homework.

If I decide to drive on the right hand side in England what would your suggestion be? How about getting on the correct side of the road? Even though I decided to drive on the right hand side, would you have the gall to correct me? Correct me? Yeah, you just did. I tell people to keep an eye on me when I have a left hand drive car. So I said I think that's a great idea to break up into groups.

If he came up with an answer, fucking ducks will all make us work better, that's his opinion. Now don't go try it.

You're obviously uncomfortable. Why don't you say something? So you're just going to remain uncomfortable?

(Comments)
Have you actually every done that? Where each person says one thing and you can't repeat that? The reason is I just had people do that in the Miami training. I had people say one thing and then not repeat what the other people said, but it didn't work. For example, one person could say fuck the ducks, then the other person could say fucking ducks, but it's phrased differently, so it doesn't work for people not to repeat others.

(Someone says M approved the idea of breaking into small groups.)

I didn't approve the idea. I just said it was a good idea. You're now at 34 minutes.

(Comments)
(In response to someone saying they must be bad because M turned on computer while the participant was speaking:) No, no I'm just turning it on. I have to turn it on. The presentation is on there. It has nothing to do with you.

(Comments)
Do we need to take a break? Let's take a 15-20 minute break. No discussion. 20 minutes.

(Comments)
10:10am
(Comments)
Enough is enough. You guys are a bunch of disgusting assholes. This is how you operate. This is how you think. How can you be proud of this? Don't shake your head, you are part of it. You are part of the asshole equation. This is what you offer me. Every single time this is what I get. Do you like it?

Who's doing this? Am I?

Why are you doing this to yourself? You are laughing about it. If I was sitting in one of those chairs, it would be incomprehensible for me to continue to sit there.

So far has anyone, has anyone brought any strength into this team? You have all brought your weaknesses. You know what the facilitator observations are? You are gathering evidence that the team won't work. There's no clear thinking. You never listened to the instructions in the first place. And now you are going on making up your own instructions on what you wasn't to do.

You keep saying to each other, listen but you don't listen. You have no concept of the value of time. You don't care about wasting anyone's time. Half of you have left the process. The rest of of you are going around in circles talking. What are you doing?

You've already made this into an exercise. You are convinced that it's written on some piece of paper that that's not true. You are convinced that we are out to trick you, that this is an exercise. But I already told you that as a normal sane person who has their four cups of coffee in the morning that this is a simple task to be done in the most efficient way.

This is reality. This is how you operate and this is what you offer. Me. Month and month, year after year, this is what I get on my plate.

How long do you suppose you would have gone on? You have no clue do you? And you have no regard whose time you are wasting. You don't care if you waste my time do you?

You're trying to prove the team and unanimity doesn't work. You don't care about M's time, you don't care a fuck about what he's asked you to do. You don't care about other people. This is what you've proven. I think it's a very sad situation. Extremely.

With a task at hand, what's been asked is extremeely simple. You've already been told there are rooms, flipcharts. But you're going around in circles. Do you realize the turns you've been taking? How can you even change a diaper if this how you operate? Where is the teamwork? Whre is the team? This team is out to destroy each other. You don't feel any passion. Not a trace of that. More the time goes by, the more you choke each other.

Do you realize this task requries team effort because each person has something to say? Now let's bring it together efficently. But you don't care about that.

It seems like you have a hidden agenda. You came with that here.

This is a very very very bad situation.

And nobdy put a stop to it. How can this be? How many times has S gotten up and said I agree with C? Anybody count? When we already decided if we agree we shut up. If we disgagree, we say so.

What the fuck is going on here? Uncomprehendable.

I feel that we cannot continue under these circiumstances. We haven't even started the exercises. So far the only exercise we did was with the envelopes. That was terminated. We're just doing real McCoy stuff and you can't do it.

You want to say anything?

It drives me nuts, him saying I agree with her. In a few minutes, I agree with her.

Fuck, he's not even listening to anybody else. I don't get it. I don't know what this game is that you are playing. Then we had a therapy session. Then we had a joke. Is this how we want to spend M's time? Whose time are you wasting?

You know what I was supposed to be doing -- programs in Adubian, Ghana and South Africa and K sessions. I'm here. And this is what I'm putting up with. And on top of that you're wasting that time too. The programs in Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, they weren't ficticious. The halls were booked.

I really don't understand this logic. I tell you a simple thing to do and you won't do it. You want to tear each other apart. You want to prove to everyone how full of shit they are. I've go to to ask myself why I'm here.

There is very serious. Extremely serious.

I don't understand. You're not serious. You already did this yesterday. Do you know how long ago a proposal was made to explore? Any idea? He made it. He said, like yesterday maybe we should explore. Why wasn't S listening to him?

Do you know as part of the setup, you're going to have to break into groups. Do you know you were going to be broken up into groups? What did you do the first day? So the idea of groups was nowhere near your mind, right?

Is this an Irish thing? Your're Irish. The French are assholes, right? The Englsih must be assholes? The Germans. If an Irish person speaks, great.

And he has no clue why we're breaking into groups. He's totally disengaged. Thinking what a bunch of assholes. Is that teamwork?

You want discussion, you want to argue. That's teamwork?

Do you realize what a footballer is asked for? It's his body he's being asked for. He's going to be hit by four 3000 pound gorillas. Have you ever seen them carry people out in stretchers? Do people think the coach is an asshole. What are they going to do, seeing their buddy being carried away on a stretcher? What are they going to do? Go on and play. That's teamwork. They'll compensate for these guys.

And here you here, you're not being asked to tackle anybody, just a very simple thing. And you still haven't done it.

That's really something else. Here we are. Another break time. Let's take a 15-minute break.

11:15am
You don't seem to recall what I actually said yesterday. Don't make the same mistake twice. That's the point of it. Don't make the same mistake twice. You did.

(Comments)
Do you know what you did right? Then why did it go in the direction it did? It's a straightforward question. A pilot comes and crashes and totals the airplane. I don't know what I did wrong. I thought I was doing everything right. Was he doing everything right?

You could have stopped that process from going on. Did you? You made other comments. You knew how to make those. Why didn't you say "This is going in the wrong direction. Let's stop." If that doesn't work, you get up again and say it again.

I'm talking about that specific situation, that we just endured a few minutes ago. It may not apply to other situations.

We had a tremendous amount of brain farts.

So what do we do? I hope I didn't say it out loud, but what you thought you were doing right was wrong. When you do something wrong, when you run with the ball the wrong way, the team suffers, everybody suffers.

So where do we go from here?

(Comments)
You understand what he said? You don't have a problem taking the break. Wbut when a task is placed in front of us, we have a tremendous problem with it. When we take a break, we leave as a group and come back as a group, ready to go.

So what do we do?

(Comments)
I agree that would have been valuable. But whatever you decided would make the team more efficient, you didn't apply. So I don't know if you want to dsicuss that. Obviously it doesn't work for you.

(Comments)
Seems like you're severely lacking any kind of structure.

(Comments)
So you want to make some rules? Operating structure? How many don't?

(One person says no)

So you don't want any help? You don't want any rules? You said rules are just a help, it really has to come from inside.

How many of you think it's important to listen to M? You've just demonstrated that that's not true. You demoed it yesterday, and again today. Yesterday was fun, it was the first day. Today was more serious.

If you know you want to listen to M, why aren't you?

Do you want structure or not? OK, let's make structure. We'll call them rules. How many of you hate rules?

So you don't have any problems with rules? You drive on the correct side of the road?

So, who is going to write? Who has good print?

What we're going to do is take down some ideas. We're not going to make rules, just write down rules.

I don't know why you didn't do it this way, we did it in India and everyone could see really well.
(Facil checklist)

I'll give you a freebee, confidentiality.

(Someone says consensus)

Unanimous?

Speak one at a time, in a loud voice, standing up, how can we consolidate that? OK, respect.

(Someone says put M first)

These are not the rules so don't take this down. These are just ideas.

See you should have thought before you spoke. If you had thought, you would have talked louder so everyone couldc hear you. Like you are yelling at your mother. You are in India, you have no problem, you yell at people, they yell at you. Louder you speak, the more love. You only hit those people who you love.

If you think that she can't write fast enough, then at least wait until she finishes writing. See this is what happens. You're shooting off, not thinking first. We're making rules, and breaking them at the same time. Not good, people, not good.

What if a person is brain farting? Should they not give up? These rules are being made for the team.

Listen is part of respect.

When you take a driver test, is there any part that says stay alive? There are certain things you don't have to put down as a rule.

(someone says be concise)

We have a wonderful rule for that. You get it as a bonus since you've done so well. It's called the 10-second rule. Whatever you have to say, say it in ten seconds. When L would get up and talk, I was like, I can't wait for that rule to come up. That will fix her oats.

Are you talking about being conscious? So when somebody says something people don't just bulldoze it over?

(Someone says don't be afraid)

Don't be afraid falls under conscious. Some people should be, some should be very afraid.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. The guy's got a point there. Did you hear what he said? His problem is he isn't getting it. If he isn't getting it and he's pretending he's getting it, is that honest? We talked about that yesterday. You have to be honest. If you don't get it, you have to say so.

T is happy we have rules now. They're saying now we can get them.

Also no brain farts.

Can someone explain to her about honesty?

A lot of times I'll ask a question. People will say yes. If you didn't understand, you have to say no.

No no no. Never. Never. Never. Those people who want to speak, how to get up. They will never we given an opportunity on a tray. There is a time in a person's life when they have something so important in their life that everything else has to take a back seat. Hoepfully, what we are going to be engaged in, is so important, that we cannot afford to have that luxury to speak softly when something needs to be said. So that what we have to say is important, we've thought about it, it's important, and it must be said. And you get up - if you don't get that opportunity, you get up again. - if you don't get that opportunity, you get up again. Because it's coming from strength, not weakness.

You've seen some poeple have a loud voice, some less so. But when a person is clear about what they have to say, they don't mumble, they speak louder when they are clear.

There's one more rule I'll give you as a freebee, no dark thoughts. Ultimate doubts. No dark thoughts really helps me too. One time I was coming from LA to Miami. They were telling us there were huge storms over Florida. Possibility of airport closure. I was sitting there thinking, what are we going to do, what are we going to do. In Florida, you can't go back, there's ocean on both sides. One thing I was clear about, I'm not going to get into the thunderstorm. And two: what's it going to be like? I don't know until I get there. But dark thoughts were bothering me. Do I have enough fuel? Yes. Threee: dark thoughts are bothering me. What if. What if. Well, I have to see when I get there.

I could alreay see the storms. The dark thoughts, the doubts, the Ravan in us, starting gathering. I just said no dark thoughts. Within two minutes we got a call and there was a good, beautiful, clear shot.

Dark thoughts include negative thinking. You can include everything in no dark thoughts.

Don't be late is included in respect.

Leave your baggage is included in conscious.

What are we doing? We've already made the rules. Are we obeying them? This kid isn't even born yet and you're going to kill it. Now the facilitators have got guns with bullets in them. Have you seen Clint Eastwood movies? He's an amateur compared to these facilitators.
You're supposed to have them memorized.

OK so we have rules. Are you happy with the rules? Anybody not happy with the rules?

The 10-second rule is gong to get you. How many of you like it when the other person says what they have to say short and sweet? Do you like it when people blab on? And you sit there and think, cut to the chase. I find it extremely irritating. I don't think it's valid. In this circumstance, whith 71 people, that's the only way. On a conference call, that's the only way. Can it be done? Yes. Can it be done? Yes. Will people understand you better? Yes. Will your proposals go through because people can hear? Much better chance.

(Someone asks what happens in a group when one person keeps insisting on his idea) By having no brain farts. Because the chances are, that's a brain fart. Brain farts come out much louder. You fart, it becomes loud and clear.

Now that we have rules, we've got to have consequences. What good are these rules, if they don't pose any consequences? The other day coming here, the driver would slow down when he'd see a cop. Why? He wouldn't get a ticket if he slowed down. So, consequences. Sometimes in Sao paulo, they have things on the side of the highway, they'll put a dummy cop on control towers. Sometimes all the police officer has to do is park his car there and he doesn't have to go out there. OK V.

(M side comment to B) You can't hand the envelopes to be passed along

(V explains about tickets: 3 - 3 points; 2 - 10 points; 1 - 20 points; 1 - 51 points)

No tickets, you're gone, out of the conference.

You realize, it's nonlinear. First mistake, 3 points. It's extremely intimidating to have to give up a ticket. You won't like it.

(Can we win points?) You just won 100 points. You all have 100 points. You make a mistake, you lose a ticket. When you speak you'll hear beeps, it's very annoying to me. And you'll hear whistles. This is 10 seconds. "Umm (pause)…."

You don't want a conference full of epople who are just repeating themselves. Very little will be said and done.

These are conference rules that will be used during the conference. We will make up some lifelong rules. OK, we have a structure.

This is a mistake. This 10 second rule. It used to be 5 seconds. No one reminded me. So you have an extra 5 seconds.

Dark thoughts tend to be full of doubt, they bring false feelings. Typical dark thought: this team can never reach unanimity. If everyone thinks the team can't, it won't happen. This task cannot be done in 15 minutes, we need 2 hrs. Why not?

There's a big difference between dark thoughts and conscious thoughts. Your son hasn't returned home. conscious thought - should have been home an hour ago, let me call his cellphone; Dark thoughtt: he's dead. You don't want to cross the threshold into dark thoughts.

When I'm crossing Florida, I check my fuel, I know I have to go an extra 200 miles to find a clear path. Taking on extra fuel in Oxnard is conscious thought. Dark thought is I'm going to crash in Florida. There's a fine line. It can go to the other side. Concern may be a brain fart. Different from conscious thought.

I always take extra fuel. It's not a brain fart. It's a conscious thought. Brain fart can start, what if I have to go back the US on the way to Barcelona. You have to be as conscious as you can be. Life is a navagation. There are lilies, there are landmines. You should avoid the landmines. This is what we have to do as a team as well. We have to remember what our objective is, what our task is, what are the different elements we can bring into it. Whatever V and S went through, this has happened before. The fuckup has happened before. But nobody wants to keep a record of that so that it won't happen again. Here are the checklists. Do you know how long it has taken for me to persist that everybody uses checklists? A checklist is if you are not available, no problem you hand the guy the checklist and he takes over not problem. But people don't want to make checklists. But people just want to get the program over with. Then they want to debrief for 7 hours. I debrief after every flight with my copilot.

My debrief when copilot left for US, "See you later." Does that debrief cover it? There were no problems. To say what happened wrong is not the purpose of the debrief. You get a dedbriefing when yuou get off an airplane. "Thanks for flying BA. Please fly with us again." Do you debrief like that?

"I hope I never see you again" - that's a debrief. Or "I hope to see you soon." - good debrief. "I love you." - great debrief. When you say I love you and you don't hear it back, that's your debrief - you won't be taking your briefs off again.

OK, let's take a 15-minute break. Look at them, they're so happy you have the rules.

(15-minute break)

12:33pm
I want to go through these rules.

10-second rule. You go into a restaurant, sit down and the waiter keeps rambling on and on and on. By the time he finishes, you've forgetten what he said. Then he goes on and on and on again. When you've got a mission at hand, to get the food and get out, what do you wish. KISS. Keep it short, stupid. That's when your wife says "kiss." We expect that. Whne we ask for directons, we want that.

Conscious. Walk into McDonalds. Guy gets your order, drops it on the floor and then gives it to you. You want the guy to do the job right and do it consciously. Walk into a fast food store, the guy says "yes you asshole what can I do for you."

Confidentiality - you order fish, coke, - the guy yells, "do you wknow what this guy orders."

Honesty: The waiter has dropped the food on the floor. You can see lint on it. You ask him did you drop it on the floor. No, no, no.

Why do you have your thumkb in my soup? I've got to keep my thumb warm. What do you do when not serving soup? Stick it up my ass.

From any basic person, when cop stops you and says you were doing 80 and you were doing 70, you expect honesty.

You expect an honest answer from your kid. If the kid is smart he won't give you an honest answer, if stupid …

They train rats by shocking them if they touch the wrong level. If the kid figures out being dishonest keeps you out of trouble..

With my kids, if they tell me a story, I yell at them. If no story, if they tell the truth, no yelling - instead I thank them for being honest.

Participate - what happens on this team if there are people who don't participate? If you want the waiter at the restaurant to particicpate. If you wait for 30 minutes for water …

Unanimous. I'll have chicken. Waiter says no the salad is better. The waiter should say "Good choice."

No brain farts. Somebody asked a waiter once what do you recommend. The waiter said another restaurant. No brain farts. If you're asking for proper info, someone has gone off into other info, that's not what you want.

3 or 4 survivors on life boat - father sing us a song. Fat guy sings "we're all going to die.

Who likes dark thoughts when something is positively going forward?

You expect this from a McD employee, You expect this from a dog. You expect that from other people. Now other people are going to expect that from you.

Don't lose those points. It's intimidating. Don't get into dark thoughts.

(brain fart vs. good idea)

Where is the line? A brain fart is not going to be synchronzied with what is happening. Example; Everything is going along, going, along. All of a sudden, this thought marches in, we haven't been asked to do anything. All we've been asked to do is come up with the method.

If I ask for a glass of water, you say yes. Could I have a glass of water. Yes. The answer is not synchronized. It's also a dark thought. I've already told you, this is a non-sepcific training. Instructions will be given in a very abbreviated way.

In the real world you don't get all the information that you want. You don't. You have to fill in a lot of the blanks. When those blanks are filled in consciously, with knowledge not ignorance, it works out good.

R heard about a cruise, exploration cruise in the South Pacific near the Galapagos Islands. She and her husband decided to take it. They ended up on a fishing trolley. They had one little room with bunks. They were fed bait. They wouldn't let them get off. It got so bad, when other boats went by they'd ask for help. A lot of ignorance was brought into the picture, not knowledge. Research.

What do they tell you on TV? Do your research. Maybe the answers are amongst you. When exercises happen, they're like live situations.

No exercise is ever given that you couldn't do. No rocket scientists are involved here. None of the exercises require you to be a rocket scientist. Any questions about these rules?

Is this funny? What is being asked? How to beat the rules. You didn't mean that but that's what you are asking. What do you think? Is it ten seconds forever?

How many of you are trying to figure out how to beat these rules? One hand there. Honesty. Once you raise you hands later, you're getting into dishonesty. All hands should go up immediately when the question is asked.

We're trying to get the team to work. It's like trying to take clay, mix with water, create the statue and breath life into it. It's just as difficult as that. Will the clay hold itself? It doesn't want to. Right things have to be done at the right time for it to work. Too dry, won't work. Too wet, won't work.

Don't try to beat these rules. They are the only friend you've got. Facilitators are not. It's the only thing that will keep you from going at each other's throats.

Ten seconds. Not nice is it? The rules are afoot. It's happening. That got your attention. I see hairs standing straight up. All right? That one whitele explained the rules.

(V announces "The Spy in the Black Trench Coat" exercise)

Do you know how many people counted off to ten? First it was count to seven. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, it turned to nine. It wasn't clear. Some would count to ten, some would count to nine. You started a process too early, not giving everybody the chance to focus and do it right. You've got to think like a team. What is this team about to do. The first person to cause an action to happen which is not unnanimous (eg. Getting up off the chair = leaderhsip, right) has cost you tickets.

I don't know if you understand these dynamics. If you had just taken a few minutes. The beauty of rules is, when you break one, they all start to break. Ten seconds, conscious, respect, they all go out the window. You are in a group, three people were sitting on the floor. Why? Do you know these floors are filthy? Why did you want to sit on the floor when chairs could have been availabe? Yes?

If you don't hear that person, whose responsibility is it? If you don't hear and you don't speak up, you are going to lose a ticket too.

Very interesting point here. What should the group do? Sitting on the ground context. What should the group do?

(Comments)
No, the passenger insists on sitting on the toilet during takeoff. More comfortable there. In her airline it's allowed. This passendger really hates people and wants to sit in the toilet and close the door and not let people in. The pilot is saying no you have to sit properly in your chair with your seatbelt.

How many of you are going, well, she had a back problem. So it's OK if she doesn't sit. That passenger has a legitimate problem, he hates other people and wants to sit alone.

Are you absolved? Is the group obsolved. At least put the chair there for those people. You don't have to shove it up their ass. But at least put the chair there.

People, let's not go off into our own tangent here. In every training, when it comes to the team, I have to tell you, drop it. Out of the team, be individuals. On the team, drop it.

There's a bus. The bus has ten kids, stupid, rowdy, snotty, haven't taken a shower in a week, obnoxious kids. Anybody see that movie with the female basball players, League of their Own, that kid, ten of those, obnoxious. And ten women, men women, 350 pounds each, huge, massive. And we've got anotheh 30 guys, l80 l90 pounds, strong, muscular, very very strong. The bus broke. They were travelling. They were almost there. Driver gets out. Fixes the bus. But has to take the starter motor out.

The bus driver comes to everbody. OK guys, the bus is fixed. But you have to push it because the starter motor is gone.

Can you identify the team for me? Everyone? Everyone? So what's the team is this situation?

What about the kids? The brats? They're going to tear the bus apart. They're all eating ice cream, they're going in and out of the fat epople's legs. The blubber of the fat people is going up and down.

Let's make it more interesting. Fifteen of the 30 people are standing by the side of the road?

Is the driver a member of the team?

What is the purpose of the team?
Are you guys with this? Can you picture this? Stripes, white, Mercedes. Big fat people. Kids eating ice cream, running around like bloody flies. Blubber going up and down. 30 muscular men, short, buzzs cuts., Marines. 15 are standing on the side, 15 standing behind the bus.

What is the team? What is the objective?

(Comments)
All these things are true or one thing is true?

(Comment)

That's your interpretation, but other pedople have different interpretations.

(Comments)
The fact that everybody got off is good…

When did the team get created? When they got on the bus or when they got on the bus?

(Comments)
Any time people share that common ob jective, they become a team. They get in the bus, they're going to go from Reigate to Birmingham, they're a team. They have a common objective. If the driver fell sick, wouldn't everybody at that time try to do something? Wouldn't it concern them? Any time there is a common goal, it becomes a team. They get in the bus, they become a team.

Total strangers start singing songs. In a restaurant they're huddled together. Incredible camaradarie starts to grow. You ask them, where are the passengers from the blue bus and they all say "Here".

When you go to a plane gate, how do you know that they're on the same flight you are? Sure enough, the flight is called and everyone gets up and lines up and hands their tickets and walk in and look at their seat numbers and sit down. All of a sudden the captain says we're delayed 45 minutes and everybody says Oh. There's a dynamic, a process. A commonality. That's an extremely powerful process. The plane crashes and people are saving each other. Even with no training. So far the purpose is common.

Without even thinking about it, so much of the individuality is dropped. This guy wants to sing Camptown Races. But others are singing something else so he either sings the other song or he stays quiet. He says OK. When his song comes along, he starts singing.

Are you going to let these natural processes of team take place or not? Do you share a common objective or not? If so, why are these violations happening? Anybody who has not accepted to follow these rules?

On the first day I said you are going to have to be very conscious.

I like to study people. Look at people. People get off a coach in Israel, they dress alike. When people share a common goal. One company puts out an advert in America and England and people start dressing in similar ways.

One time I was dragged on to a cruise. The worst week of my life. I was miserable. People start to think alike. So much individuality gets dropped. If we're working for a team effort, do these teams have to interact? Do they have to know each other and interact?

Think about this. There's the pilot, copilot, ground crew, cabin crew. They might not know each other, but there's a synchronicity. Take a lunch break. One hour. Come aback at 2:31.

(Lunch break)

2:31pm
(V asks team to decide how long the team needs to strategize for an exercise.)

Mean, isn't he?

(V announces "The Blind Leading the Blind" exercise.)

(Team strategizes for 5 minutes and then does the exercise.)

2:55pm
Want to watch it? We're selling copies of this. Non-participation. There was a bunch of people who didn't understand the strategy and didn't say it. The strategy was only number one would speak until number two joined. But the team never took the time to make sure that everyone understood that.

That really busted you up. Because then people started speaking on top of each other. You had the time. You could have done it. But you lost time due to the penalties. It's like the typical scenario when a hall has been identified and security, AV, etc., are going to check it out. Except the hall liaison hasn't told everyone they have only two days to evaluate. So everyone is taking three or four days. Not everyone understands what is happening. Or people with the information wait un {text apparently missing in transcript}

Everyone done?

This isn't a difficult exercise. For the first time you have a good strategy. Someone assumed that you could hold hands. V did tell you don't assume what's going to happen over there. Strategy was good. But it was botched up.

So there are people here who have been through a training before. And yet, they are slightly impaired because they can't say everything. But the fact that they've been through a training isn't going to help them necessarily because it's a different team, different situation.

Had you asked are we all clear on the strategy. You know you have people who are English-impaired. Who is going to take the responsibility for that? You didn't, so it cost you. It's very important that everbody is on the same playing field.

Do you realize what you need to say you can say it in even less time than that? How do people communicate? Not by listening and speaking. That's the myth. In prison they communicated by morse code, tapping. When you get to a country when they don't understand Englsih, what do you do? You cut all the crap, you say water, water, water.

Language was invented to communicate. Now we communciate for the sake of communication. Now we're obsessed with how we speak the language, articulating our sentences properly. Misuse of language. You can cut all the rest of it out. Discomfort. Help. Don't understand. If you discovered a fire, you're not going to to go into an explanation of what happened. All you say is Fire. You cut the crap out. That's what you need to do. Cut the crap out. Don't get into articulating. Just say it.

There is another factor you haven't considered. It's not in the rules. It's a conscious and respect thing. After a proposal is made, I think you should allocate a period of time before another proposal can be made. 5 seconds. 10 seconds. Whatever. 10 seconds is a long time.

Things are happening too quickly. Five seconds gives you time to assimilate. Don't ask for half an hour. That's not real. Get the time in which you all feel comfortable to get something done.

I don't know where you're at. You asked for 5 minutes in the last exercise. You walked out of here in 5 minutes. That was brilliant. But then you forget the strategy. You tried to trick the exercise by holding hands. If you had just made sure everyone understood the strategy it would have been OK. You didn't take the proper precaution.

We talked about the language thing yesterday. T told you about that. Ready for second run? Cool.

No, no no no no. You can't object within 5 seconds or K will object to everything. Those 3 seconds or 5 seconds, gives you time to digest what was said. Exactly. A proposal happens. For five seconds nothing happens. Then you can object if you want to.

Do consider, the different between 5 seconds and 3 seconds is 2 seconds. This is where you have to play with it a little bit. What's the different. Very minor. OK, I'm going to let it go.

What have you decided? You have just made a new rule. You haven't confirmed. Is everybody clear on the new rule?

There wasn't even an officiation of this proposal. First it was five seconds, then 3 seconds. Then it never became official it was five seconds.

By the way the facilitators are selling the 3 point tickets, $30 apiece. See this is what I mean. It's a very important proposal. There are times when you cannot afford to have ambiguity.

Five seconds is for the proposal to penetrate the cabeza, OK? When you go pee, you're holding it and holding it and then at some point you let it go. But you've got to be over the toilet. Being in the bathroom isn't going to help you. You need to be over the toilet. Five seconds is so you can understand what is said. But nothing is said, nothing is done before the five seconds.

You have good intentions. But here is something is too important. Clarification can never be enough.

(V asks the team how long they want to strategize the next exercise.)

Oh, R, you didn't have to do that. You've been through this before.

Do you have that luxury in this world to ask for more time than you need?

You still are thinking as individuals, you're not thinking for the team. What benefits the team, go with it. You're so into being right. Should you compete against each other? You don't have to come up with being super smart, do you? Get out of your individualistic hat and see what benefits the team.

So far your response has been above average, believe it or not. Have you heard anything so dishonest before? No really, that was a true answer.

We should have a sign, "Please do not feed the facilitators."

You're really setting yourselves up. I can see it coming. D is not sure which group she is in. A proposal has been made to recount off and you've gone away from it. If you don't take care of this little problem, you won't be fulfilling the instructions that V gave you.

Unless you're multitasking, you can only do one thing at a time. Clarification first. Then move onto the next task.

(Team counts off into groups.)

You know that in the last exercise, blindfold, people started stealing each others's numbers. They forgot they were 16. So there were two people running around with the same number.

Some of you must be getting thin on points. If your strategy to not lose points is to be quiet, you can't because that's a violation of the participate rule.

This is your time. Get things clarified. Obviously things are not clear.

What's so funny? What's so funny? OK<, I like jokes a lot. But when you take a servious issue and make a joke out of it, it means you are not taking it seriously. That's a message to yourself. The message you send to yourself is this is not to be taken seriously. Therefore you won't.

Is everybody going to clap? Don't you want to designate one person? Does that person now become responsible? Does everyone else abdicate responsibility? If one person is going to keep time, are they going to listen or focus on timing? If they don't listen, how can you have unanimity? You appoint one person for 10 seconds, one for time keeper.

Have you decided what you're going to do when you're going to have to fire a member of this team because they've lost their points? Would you like to? Because the way you are set up right now, it's inevitable it's going to happen. It's not question of if it's going to happen, it's a question of when. And you will all be responsible for that person being thrown out of the team. Have you contemplated how you are going to deal with that? That person is most likely going to be in tears. And I'm not the one that's going to tell them they have to leave, it's the team that will have to tell them. So before you get into giggling mood, eat that.

What we are doing is a very serious issue. We accepted these rules. We said we will follow these rules. And we're the ones who are breaking these rules. When as many people clapped as they did, did they not bust the respect issue? And when that person has exceeded their time, have they not exceeded the respect issue? So you're already coming up with ways to get around these rules, right?

I don't know if you remember these rules were made today. The ink isn't even dry yet and already you're trying to get around. Not a good idea. I don't think so.

(V asks the team how much time they want to strategize the next exercise.)

(Comments)
(The exercise is defaulted because tables were used but never agreed upon.)

I'm telling you people, someone's going to end up with zero points. You don't want to be even close to that.

(Comments)
That's why we had everyone write their name on the tickets. Instructors, I mean, facilitators are selling them. You're starting to act like instructors.

We know that. They are history. And you are going to do it.

I think before we go into more violations we better take a break. 20 minute break.

(Break)

4:40pm
Don't hesitate to ask. Even if you have to ask ten times, ask. (M comment to P about her needing translation.)

OK people we definately have a problem. We go around in circles. We have a tremendous respect for brain farts. We actually accept brain farts much more than valid proposals.

(M distinguished between the 9 training rules vs. "understanding rules" like waiting 5 seconds after proposals are made.

Maybe people need to say each time when they start speaking whether it's a comment vs. question vs. proposal. If it's a comment you don't have to listen right? So you get up and you say "brain fart" and then say your comment.

How do you all feel? You've gotten four exercises forfeited. That's a record too. You probably have more violations in a day than any other team. A lot of brain farts are coming from right there. (R) He doesn't know the difference between his good ideas and his brain farts. Everyone says wow that person is smart. And then for five days they do nothing but brain farts. They can't come up with any more wisdom.

You got to really listen to each one and not go on a person's face. Same thing with S, C, Y, A. You guys love a leader. You want a leader.

I know this is awkward. This is like learning to walk all over again. If you are having difficulty, it's not because of the rules. It's because you've left simple sensibility.

The white balance is off on the camera.

(P brings a video to M) OK here we go. Cool stuff.

See what laughter does? An important point never got clarified. It was not clear. She said something. She was unsure, but it was going to go on and off it went.

This will take a little while. But there's ambiguity here.

When you go from one proposal to totally something else?

To how many of you was it completely clear that you were to use the easels? You've got enough of an ambiguity. Because people are not listening. So many proposals. Do you hear that proposal about how we're going to prevent people from busting their tickets.

This American Indian walks into the cheif's tent, Chief Big Feather, how do you name the kids in this this tribe. Big Feather grabged the guy by the shoulder and went outside and said if I see an eagle flying, I name the child eagle in the sky. Why do you ask, Do Not _____.

The reason for that is really very sinister. You're competing. You want to be smart. You want to come up with something, look what I said. Except in this situation you're going to end up eating shit. We are being assigned exercises that I know fouth and fifth graders could do. Nothing hard. Right? Anything anybody has to use a calculator so far? Little kids could do it. Then why are we having such a hard time accomplishing it?

If it isn't for the weakness that we bring into this team.

Have you ever seen baseball players. The guy behind the bat. You know what he's doing. Not scratching his balls. He's telling the ball thrower how to throw the ball, where this guy is at. They've got their code worked out. That's team. They don't start an argument. Not in the middle of the game. They don't say I think your wife sleeps with my friend. You think he does that? No, they just play the game.

You know little kids play baseball. Why can't you do that? Why do you get into competing against each other? Why can't you have a team spirit?

You heard the statement, whoever finishes first, wins. Why the fuck didn't you ask what you win? What if it's to sleep with a hog in it's own pen for one night. Would you like that? But it's like pre-rigged. Win. What is the prize? You know, that can really trip you up. And it did. What was the end result? Nobody won.

Do you know this happens in every team? And I have to point that out. You go to a fair and you win a prize and you get a cobra with its fangs attached. You say "I don't want that." No I insist, its yours.

Why are you competing? When are you going to make a truce? There's nothing to be benefited from competing with each other. I think you better clarify whatever needs to be clarified before we go on. It's already 5:04pm.

I'm just talking with the facilitators. Anything you want to clarify, go ahead.

(Comments)
What do you want to do with that. Let it go. It becomes a rule. A brain fart. Do you care what he just said. What's happening here guys? Everyone on vacation? Are you going to respond to this? People are abdicating responsibility and letting others do the job? Do you know that non-participaation can cost you your ticket?

So what is it going to take to get you to follow the rules and the understandings that you have come up with?

One person wants to come off as saying something smart. So they say something they think is incredible. So they say something and yes it's smart but it's at the wrong time. So it's not smart anymore. It's distracting. It's taking away.

(Comments)
Oh boy. What's going on here guys?

How important is it for you to be here? Are you just saying that because that's what you are supposed to say? I already told you there would be those times when you want to go to sleep.

How good is a good thought that kills me? How safe is a safety device that kills me? So how good are these ideas of yours that are causing you to lose points? The way you are headed -- you get three 3's and how many 10/s? How many 20's? How many 51? And then? It's over. Finished.

I'm guaranteeing you whoever loses their tickets, you're history in terms of being in this training session. I could have been doing an event. I'm here. I could be with my family. I could be resting. There are incredibly important things I could be doing. I think this is important. If I think this is important, and you don't, we've got a conflict of interest and guess whose going to win? So don't challenge me, don't push me.

I would like to know how you rate yourself as far as following the rules. One being you are having trouble following them. Nine being you are following them. I'll give you a minute to think about this. One being it's not clicking in, you're not following the rules. Nine being you are following the rules, 100%. This is a very interesting thing. It shows you where people are at. As an individual. Don't say it too fast.

We should not be afraid to make mistakes. Do you get penalized when you say the wrong thing? You really have no problem. You're creating this problem for yourself. There are these exercises where these reversals happen.

You don't get penalized if you ask. You don't get penalized if you say I think we should leave the easels in this room. Bizarre I know. In a way if you can be as you are and think of the team you won't have a problem. Example: you're a batchelor. One day you fall in love with a woman. Your whole life changes. Once you realize that she has love or friendship to offer to you, you will change. So if you realize that this team has something to offer to you. Like a jack in a car. But if you have a jack, you sure can. And what is a jack. Leverage. By having that leverage, you can move the car. The team can help you overcome your shortcomings. Suc as , no one person may be able to lift the car. But with a team it is possible. No one person may be able to make an airplane but with a team it's possible. One person cannot cook for all these people. But a team can do it. That's what a restaurant is all about right?

Where does the breakdown happen? When people put their foot down and become individuals and say no this is what I want.

The rules are your friends. The thing that is stopping you from following the rules is what you should be afraid of. These are simple rules. If you are driving your kids in a van wouldn't you like a little unanimity? Parents say stop that or I'll pull over.

It's the same thing that makes you forget, booking a hall, you forget that bad experience, and all the same mistakes are made again and again and again. The rules are the only things that stop that chain of errors. In my simple opinion, the rules are good. During my tea break, I tried to remember all the rules.

This is how I want to be. Not how I don't want to be. I want to be very conscious. I want that. I like that. I've experienced it. It's addicting. It's very high stuff. I like it when people give me respect and I like it when I can give other people respect. I like unanimity. This is what we're going to do.

In our family sometimes I say I can't come back home. And I say how would you like your birthday? And we reach a unanimous agreement. If one of the kids wants to do something, OK how are we going to do it? You only rule I wish the family followed is ten seconds. That irritates me.

Confidentiality is a measure of a person's backbone. We admire those people who don't talk behind our backs. That's a very great quality in people. Those people become our friends. These are really things we should aspire for. No dark thoughts. I am the one who came up with that. I'm shocked how so many of the saints have said, trust. I have to put in my work, but I can trust. And brain farts. It really stinks.

Someone said we should do this conference at Reigate. I said that's a brain fart. The issue surfaced again. What's a brain fart? Not a well thought out thought. Not digested yet.

The rules are something to aspire to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nothing to me specifies the 9 rules you're looking at the secret formula for absolute success. And you're afraid of them? I want to get rid of that thing that's afraid of them. The thing that's afraid of them is my enemy. It's simple. It's clear.

Look at some of these attributes. Honesty. Who doesn't like that? You like dishonest people? What is the definition of honesty? I know a person who is so full of BS, every time he comes around I say, where is the bull? But I know he's honest. One of his mottos is, don't let a few facts spoil a good story.

But he's still honest. I trsut him very much, implicitly. He bullshits about everything. And he's talking and you can challenge him and he'll crack up because he knows he's bullshitting.

I don't see any reason why you should be afraid of these rules.

You've got it backwards. You are going to be thrown out if you don't learn it. It's like a pilot saying I don't want to die, so I'm going to get on the wing of an airplane. You will not be penalzied for saying something out there. For breaking the rules you will be penalized. If I start penalizing you for saying something wrong, then you should be concerneed about that. You can actually stand there for 10 seconds and say blah blah blah blah and not be penalized. You know that? Because you have been doing close to that.

When a doctor gives you pills and says take one every six hours you time {text apparently missing in transcript}

I don't think there are any excuses that are going to be considered legitimate. There's a lot of electricians who test things by touching a wire really quickly. They don't hold onto the wire. They just touch it quickly When there is a will to adapt to it, you will adapt. You really have to pay fucking attention. Which you are all capable of doing, right?

When you started driving a car, you held on to the bloody wheel real tight right? Now it's second nature. When you go into new territory you have to be careful.

The ten second rule is very difficult if you don't think about what you are going to say. If you think first about what you are going to say, the ten second rule is easy.

Telling fuck you to the cop on the street doesn't hurt. But saying something wrong to the person closest to you is very painful. And you know you could avoid it by thinking first about what you are going to say.

I realize that. That's why I'm here. I have to have a team. To do it all by myself would be impossible. And you're going to work as a team.

The conversation I just had would lead me to believe that many of you are at 2 or 3.

I think we've got a problem here. You're the only group that has forfeited four exercises in a row and you've way overrated yourself. I would not give myself more than 1.

The more I follow, the better it gets. You should average this out. You are not following the rules. What this is saying is that except for a few people there should have been no violations.

So you have had very few violations right? You also hold the record for violations.

Homework.

P, can you turn off the AC. It's getting quite cold in here.

What strengths do you bring to the team?
What weaknesses do you bring to the team?
And what you are going to do to follow these rules?

4.05 average Very high score for not following the rules, demonstrated.

Why do feel you have no strengths? You mean you do not recognized your own strengths? That's a different thing. You better be positive about your strengths and be real about it.

Do you think you are here and that is a mistake? You must bring something to have ended up here. That's why you are here. You've got to find out what that is. It's not a mistake that you are here. Get a good night's sleep. Hgow many of you think it's been a hard day? How many think it's been as easy as pie?

I think you have the ability. You're not using it. I don't know why. You're very stubborn about it. Others who recognize it, don't want to do anything about it.

If I could tell you you're on the average that would be good. But you're not. You're below average. But you think you are above average The person who is lost, when do they begin to be found? I'm a very strict believer in that.

You know Kennedy died. You know there's a lot of things he could have done to stay alive? But it's all hindsight to create the list. He ain't coming back. Analysis is for the living, not for the dead. Please people don't become history. Because I can tell you at that moment when you are fired from this team, you will find your commitment, your clarity, but it will be too late. And the team will do it. It's not an easy process to kick someone out. 102 violations. That's the record. Maybe we can set up the other team so they break your record.

M COMMENTS
UK SESSION #1
7/25/99

8:55am (before the team was in the room)
Close those doors and tell security not to let people in until I say so.

9am
The front row is supposed to be in the rear. The rear row is supposed to be in the front.

Who's missing? Where is she (P)? It's time to begin and we're missing a person. Why don't you decide what to do?

(Comments)
What happened to our volume? I bet you don't have a whole lot left.

(Comments)
Hello people. This is for real. This is not an exercise.

(Comments)
The doors are closed. You can't close them now.

(Comments)
This is for real. You're not taking it for real. This is a person. There are consequences. There are consequences to the team and there are consequences to that person. There's a real situation. How are you going to deal with it? Wow. Is that how you're going to deal with it? Silence. What are you going to decide? Half of you are gone. You are not even engaged.

(Comments)
What's the if? This is a real situation.

(Comments)
What if she has only got one ticket left? Just a thought. Since you don't know.

(Comments)
How many of you think this is serious? Why aren't you acting on it? So far N, D, J, S, C, couple of those guys spoke, K, that's about it. That's serious? N. Is that what you consider serious? 21 minutes have gone by. This is a real situation. Do you think I told her not to come in? And how do you know that she went to get her pass?

(Comments)
If I were you, I'd grab her hand and tell her come with me, we'll sort it out when we get there.

I have a boat. When I go out on it, I tell somebody about every hour do a head count. I don't want to have somebody to have fallen off. I'm responsible for that. Everybody's responsible for that. That make any sense to you? Is that how you dealt with that situation?
A person is blatantly telling you, I'll going to be late. It's like a person drunk and is leaning over the railing over the boat and you. You know the conference is starting. You know they're going to be late. And you tell them to talk to a facilitator.

What would be the solution to the problem when this drunkard is sitting on the boat? You'd just watch?

The consequence was based on not being here. The consequence was never discussed of not having your tickets. Be a human being for crying out loud.

One time when Hansi was a little boy I was staying at the 47th floor of an apartment in New Jersey. Hansi went out on to the balcony. He sticks his head out and can't get back in. I saw that and what should I have done? As a father what should I have done? Should I have said let me go consult your mother? No. I pulled him back in. Look at the obviousness of the situation.

When you arrive at an airport, when you arrive in a foreign country and you wait and you wait. You arrive in France and they tell you your luggage will arrive tomorrow afternoon. Are you going to stay there? You take care of what's important. If this person is important to you, if you care of the integrity of the team, you take care of that integrity.

So many of us deal with these situations by saying "I told you so". I told you so doesn't do people any good. That doesn't mean anything to me except for my ego. I want to make sure the right people, the right focus, the right elements are there. I could just say, "I told you so." I don't want that. That's too much of a consequence to me.

She turns to you for help. I'm drunk. Help me. And you're saying I told you so.

When somebody takes ownership of a situation that is so great, that has such a consequence to it, you don't just sit down in the chair. I don't why you are saying I'm uncomfortable. When you never demonstrated a connection with that situation.

Very very strange attitude. It's not a team attitude at all. Second attitude is, we made a boo boo, let's just fix it and go on. How the hell did I get to this boo boo? I don't ever want to that again? People came up with a solution. If C had said the solution of 3 points yesterday, I would have understood it. But she might have only one ticket. And I'm kind of stumped too. We'll all take a ticket out. That doesn't mean anything. How many of you have got one 3 ticket left. You'll be pushing them in the tents for the next infringement that they make.

If you don't know how many tickets you have left, that's very serious. I know what will happen when you will lose these tickets. RJ saw a violation and I said no, it's OK. To me it's serious.

I don't get it guys, or folks. This is a real situation. Is anybody happy with your own performance? And you're going to try to accommodate what as a team? And after the training is over you're going to try to facilitate things for them? Whoa. This is just one person. In future you might be dealing with 8000 people. When are you going to start thinking as a team?

In a football team if someone decided I can do this all myself, what do you thank would happen? One person against the whole other team? No way. They'd get killed.

You're still not looking at this as a team, as a serious situation. It's like yesterday never happened and the day before that never happened. You say yes to every question and then you turn around and do the opposite.

We should take a 15-minute break.

(Regarding P asking Chuck whether she should go to her room and get her pass and tickets, T said M said that telling P that the decision was her responsibility was correct but that the facilitator team should have been immediately informed of the situation) (Put in facilitator checklist.)

(Break)

10am
So is the problem fixed? Why do you always take the attitude, let's just fix the problem?

(Comments)
So the way you figure out how close you are to the car in front of me is you ram it and then you back off 10 feet is that right?

He says it's based on experience How many of you have gone bungie jumping? Would you like to go? How can you say that? You haven't tried it?

If someone put you in the cockpit of an airplane

If you have no experience, you become no experience You don't just grab a woman and start kissing her because you like her. You go through a whole procedure. I'm astounded at this mentality. This is a very strange mentality to me.

Stamps his foot. That's what we've been doing for three days. I'm sorry. That's BS. That's the biggest pile of BS I've ever seen.

What do you think we've been doing for two days, wasting our time?

That's what we talked about following the rules yesterday. I thought that was a done deal? Why are we going on and pretending this problem is gone? Is this problem finished?

When you go into areas where you have no experience, you become far more cautious, far more careful to make sure you have all the bases covered. You get in your car to drive somewhere and you think do I have everything? Do I need a pen? A pad of paper? I don't know. More unknown the situation, more cautious you become. If I'm driving in a place I've never driven before, I'm going to get my map.

If I'm going to Dunrite I don't do that. But if I'm going someplace else where I've never been, make the map. So here you are, maybe you don't have an experience of a team. How many of you believe you're not working to be a team? So you all agree you're trying to be a team? And you have no experience of that. So you should be extra cautious.

Remember when you first started to drive? Here's the key, here's the light. Did you drive then like you drive now? No. So cautious. That's how real world is.

When you conduct business with someone you don't know, how many checks and balances are you going to have? Contracts. You don't do that with your wife. Very very important to understand this. But now you want to have commentary. You're out of the situation. And then a comment: I will explain what has happened. If you can explain, then let's all go home. We'll train one person and that one person can train all of you. Is that what you'll been learning, what's on the flipcharts? The learning hasn't been on the flipcharts, it's been here (in the head). So please take care of this problem so we can go on.

(Comments)
That's fine, after you solve your immediate problem. So far as people keep making mistakes and fix them, they will

When are you going to get to the mode when you don't have any problems so you don't have to fix it?

Last night your dinner was delayed for one hour. What if it happened every night and you kept getting a letter of apology every night?

Do you know the contract for this hotel was not reviewed properly? The rooms were not secured properly. The way it was fixed, let's just ask everyone to double up. And you who had booked your single room said OK, I'll do it. Is this acceptable to you? You know, when you say I don't care, you really mean it. You don't care. How can you not care?

One time I arrived in Greece. They picked up me up and I'm in the lobby waiting to be escorted to my room. It was a hectic day. I had to do my preflight. And Greece is not easy, they don't have modern equipment. Someone said we don't have a room. The President is coming and the suite is going to the President. That pissed me off. I had a letter of confirmation. I asked for the manager. He said I can't help you. I said I have a letter of confirmation. I said that's your problem that the President is coming. I'm got my family here. You know what happened. They cleared out four suites for me. You've got to stand up for those standards that need to be set. Why have programs not changed? Because nobody has changed the standard. Unless someone changes the standard, nothing is going to change.

How many of you want to live like that slob pig? Pigs are really clean animals. Only one problem with pigs. They accept that. You are just like that pig, accepting mediocre standards.

Remember I have asked you so many times, bring your strength. Did you bring your strength with her? No, you brought your weakness. How many of you understand the concept that V was talking about that the team should apologize to her? Really, do you understand? Why should the team apologize to her?

You don't act like a team in here at all. Do you really understand it?

All I have to do is remind, remind you. What happens, I give the 5-minute satsang, I reminded everybody, now everybody has the license to fuck up and I can say I'll tell you so. What would it have taken to have the contract crystal clear? How many of you think the hotel is here to provide service? No, they're here to make money.

When I saw the stars and the crowns in front they had 5 crowns. But they don't even have AC. In America, they wouldn't even give it one star.

If you bought a brand new Ford sedan, white beautiful interior and you bought it. And they said come tomorrow and pick it up at 9:30am. And you come and they say come to the delivery center. You walk in and the whole front end is smashed. Are you sure you won't accept it? The guy is saying please sign that there's nothing wrong with the car. That's exactly what you have demonstrated that you would do.

I like this car so much, even if the fucking front end is smashed, it's OK. That's where your standards are at. You can't bring that into any team.

When are we going to learn to put our foot down and say no?

So fix it, right?

(Comments)
That's inconsequential. We'll all come together again and decide what we've already decided. And then when the same thing happens again, we'll all come together and again and decide it again.

Do you realize where you are at? And do you see the parallel with events not improving?

So many people told me that Barcelona and Manchester were incredible. I asked people why. They said because what you said was incredible. What I would have liked to hear was the way the hall was, all the arrangements, everything was so nice and then when you spoke, it was incredible. The surroundings should represent me.

The quality of what M says, if that gets reflected in the materials for new people, would that make any difference? And don't you think the same mentality that is allowing you stay status quo for this problem is the same mentality that is resulting in no changes in events? Then why aren't you changing it?

How an usher reacts, when people start reflecting that quality. We're not talking about changing K, you don't have to worry about changing M. We're talking about changing you. M has already evolved. The quality of the content, the quality of the delivery, the quality of what is represented, it's beautiful. Knowledge sessions have evolved.

Are we old in an new way. new new new old way

The way Knowledge sessions are done is completely brand new.

Nature is incredible. It's one thing that works. Nature works. Nature always evolves. Nature does not ever throw anything out that works. You know that? In the first experiment, nature said we're going to create bodies that derive their energy from the sun. Snakes, lizards. Then nature said we'll create a storage system: Trees. Then once there were trees, creatures could derive their energy from stored energy, ie. Cows, human beings. But the snakes got to stay. Two systems completely different. Snakes got to say and evolve.

And nature knows that what is not capable of evolving, goes.

In Macuau Island off Japan, these monkeys survived ever though too cold to survive. Scientist found that monkeys survived by sitting in hot tubs during winter. Scientists starting feeding the monkeys and the monkeys got sand in the food and they were having trouble with it. One female from one tribe figured out if she washed her food, the sand would be washed away. She understood it and then her kids saw her sand did the same. And that tribe is the healthiest tribe. The other tribes watch, but they don't do that.

In the Pyrenees mountains the eagle drops the bone on a rock ands splits it open and therefore has a new food source that other birds don't have. Crows don't get it.

To evolve is crucial for survival. Do you know how many people have come and said we've got the answer and disippated and disappeared. Every time we evolve we benefit. You know that right? If we would have stayed where we were in the early 70's it would have been a very static thing.

It's amazing. Do you see what evolving can do? How powerful it is? And how you can't be afraid of it. The chance to evolve is a golden opportunity. Do you want to take it or not? So far you've demonstrated you don't care. Can you think of a better time and place to evolve than right now? We're in an environment where we can evolve and learn how to walk with that new evolution and survive. Unless we take that opportunity, it won't mean anything. And you're not taking it.

Yesterday, we did the numbers game, where you were at. After some high numbers were said, I said I don't think you got it. I know it was ambigous all the way until the end what was really being asked for. If one person got up and said could you please clarify that, would it have helped the team? If a second person got up and asked for clarification, would it have helped the team? Of course. Is there a limit to how clear a person needs to be?

But you love ambiguity. Lots of times V gets up and gives instructions and it's not clear. It's clear, but it's not clear. And then people make their interpretations. No one wants to get up and ask for clarification.

V says I'm not going to repeat. Maybe somebody in the group got it. Why not get that clarity? Is that expensive? No, it's free. You get penalized for boo boo ing.

You've got to get rid of this thing, we don't have experience. I'd go around with the rules tatooed. Because it matters.

So please, let's resolve this situation satisfactorily, to everyone's satisfaction. Then we'll move onto the homework and then we can go on.

(Comments)
Why are you bringing up a new proposal when one proposal has been made and it hasn't been acted on?

(Someone makes a comment and then after M asks what they mean, the person says they are making the comment instead of objecting.) If you object, then say you object. They don't know if you are making a comment or having a fucking brain fart.

His proposal was simple enough. We all apologize to P.

(Someone starts apologizing to P.) You can't do that. There's one person who objected to the proposal.

You might have a great idea. But if wrong time. Doesn't help the team.

(Comments)
Obviously you've got a problem. She doesn't understand something. She got up and people said 10 seconds and people said it's OK, it's OK, it's OK. That could have ended the whole training. The sanctity of the rules was compromised. Did it go through your head what she was saying, "It's OK, it's OK." The issue is not resolved.

You're talking about a boat not just with one hole, but with multiple holes. Easy way to discover if there's a hole in the boat, put it in the water and see if it sinks.

Because she got up and apologized to everybody, then nobody had a problem apologizing to her.

The pact that you made yesterday was a sacred pact. We're going to follow these rules. She just got up and said don't worry about it. To me that's the greatest fuck you on the planet earth.

That's like a captain of a plane saying fuck the safety rules when you point out a problem.

So how can there be a resolution?

(Comments)
So everyone should become individuals.

(Comments)
She (K) is the person who definitely figures there's definitely 70 assholes here.

I'm not saying what you did was wrong. That was the proposal that was passed to apologize. But she (P) has demonstrated that she is a loose cannon.

And there is another person who is another loose cannon right there (K), thinking everyone else is an asshole. She will fuck up this team by saying I will do what I feel like, not what is beneficial to the team. You've got two big gaping holes. You've got very serious problems.

Time for another break. I'm going to take a break. 15 minutes.

11:13am
If you wanted to own up to this, you could have stayed and resolved it.

You won't be able to do this by yourself. Everyone has to have that understanding. It's called ownership.

Everything is confidential. The two people who are in that room. One is a doctor and one is R, a technician and they have been through the training. All the facilitators have been through the training. I am here. The doors are closed. This is a safe environment.

Do you own the situation here? Do you feel, do you understand there needs to be a team?

I must also inform you that we are right now in this period, this is a very very dangerous period. The facilitators haven't been saying much. This time is going to be short-lived. Right now, all of you are practicing bad habits. You're busting the 10 second, 5 second rule. There's going to be a point when they will go back into their mode and you will lose all your tickets. I am positive.

Right now you are very very close to this training terminating. You're not getting it. You have a problem, you're not resolving it.

(Comments)
We commit to the rules even though we don't understand them? N's proposal is good and so is C's. I think it would be good to have one before the other. Is there anybody here who doesn't understand the rules?

(Comments)
Very interesting twist. She realized she'd forgotten her blindfold and tickets and went to get them. Right? How many of you are missing your blindfolds? We found two. But they didn't go to get them. But you were asked to bring them here. She didn't leave them on purpose. She forgot too. So you've got another problem. It's not just her. The other ones didn't have it and didn't try to recover, nor said I don't have it and tried to go get it.

(G apologizes) He thought about reminding the team to bring their blindfolds but didn't do it.

Problems, why are problems bad? Do you know? Consequences. Right? So what you have mastered is to fix the consequences, not the problem. The shit is lying on the floor, but you're going to get some cologne and spray it, but not remove the shit.

Isn't the whole team a buddy? Shouldn't the whole team being

It's amazing. Other there comes a voice saying "Hey we're getting away from it, can we get back to the issue." It felt so good. And for the first time, someone acknowleldge the problem and tried to fix the problem, not the consequence. For the first time, he acknowledges, hey I'm a hole too because all I thought of was myself, not the team. That's the problem.

This is who we are. This is how we operate. Having a tool like K in your life is liking having a hyper rocket. You should be soaring. Why doesn't it happen? Because you have always trying to fix the consequences in your life, never the problems. So the problems never get solved.

There are people who go to these banks to consolidate their bills. They get another loan and pay a smaller amount now. Do you know of these people? So now they can go shopping because their payments are lower. So they pile up more bills. These people will never get ahead financially in their lives because they haven't fixed the problem.

People, fix the problem, not the consequences. So you've got a proposal. It's a sound proposal. How many of you don't understand these rules? Isn't that the proposal? Go ahead. Continue. Resume.

I thought of a good example of unanimity. A child is just starting to walk. The parent sees a danger over there, maybe a lake. The child is walking. The parent is right along. And when too close to the steps, the parent guides the child away from the steps. It's very awkward for the parent to walk like that. The parent can't touch the kid. Unanimity, let it go. Allowing the team to learn to walk, as long as there's no harm. You do whatever you have to do, I'll watch you. We take the child and say, no walk this way. You can't do that.

I remember this one kid. She came on the boat. She was a wild cannon. She would walk off, right into the water. The father there is being unanimous with the child saying I'm with you. I'm not going to let you get hurt, but within that, it's fine. Even though I have better ideas, letting the exploring and learning happen. It wouldn't help to force the ideas at this point. It's another way of looking at unanimity.

Honesty is your standard. How piggish you want to feel. Wallow in the mud of unclarity. You like it, you'll sit there and say this is fine. Gee I forgot my blindfold. You have to realize the processes happpening in someone's head. Either you say I forgot my blindfold. I don't want to live in that uncertainty. Did I make a mistake. I told the facilitator, so it's not my problem How does telling the facilitator help the team? Can somebody explain that to me? If you lose your blindfold, who should you tell first?

If you were in a real live situation and you were asked to fax a contract and you forgot to do it, you would tell the facilitator? Let's be real about it. Call V in the middle of the night? Or tell the team?

You've got to fix the problem, not the consequence. How do the fix the consequence. (Addressed to V: Every time someone tells a facilitator a problem, the facilitator shouldn't even listen to it.)

I'm going to go on. Up the ante one, up the standards one. What if the team decided it's dark outside? It's not obviously, but what if the team decided? What would you do?

He says I'll support the team. He says I'll show the team it's not. Everyone's in agreement but you. The proposal is made "it's dark outside." 99% of the people agree.

Could you please all take off your shoes? Any problem? Those of you have socks, please take off your socks. If you have stockings it's ok. Any problems? OK, trake off your pants. Problem. Don't laugh. This is what I want you to understand. This is exactly the point. No harm done. You all have to have a threshhold beyond which you are not going to to go, that you should have as a human being living on this earth. Do you understand that?

To me there's nothing more sickening when a policeman comes over and says I'm just doing my job. Do your job, but have a threshhold beyond which you are not going to go. Your standards. And that's it.

So if the team decides it's dark outside, is it? What's the harm? You took off your socks, shoes. Pants, wait a minute. Isn't pants just like a sock? Just covers as different part.

How can your threshold be so low? What's the harm? Maybe we're going to do an exercise in which we're going to pretend. They do that all the time in flight safety. You sit in the simulator, it's dark. I have never heard a pilot say, wait it's not dark. 100 degrees. In the simulator it's snowing.

You should understand that the team is not going to go off the deep end. The team is not going to form resolutions that we should all get naked and run thru the streets. For simulation purposes all over the world, reality is thrown out the window. I remember going to Panam school, they had as dummy, 747. You get to deploy the shute and jump out. But there isn't an emergency. Is there? They're pretending.

Maybe we're all going to do survival training. Have you ever done it? It's really fun. Right now there's one coming up. I really hope this guy does more survival training for us. I know half of you would have a horrible time. They were taken to Florida swamps, mosquitos, no food. You had to kill the snakes and eat them. True blue survival training. They had to do that. Find the snake, kill it, cut it up. Light the fire. Eat it.

I've sat there and had cattail plants. We impose so many limits on ourselves

There was an airplane that crashed in the Amazon. This girl instact, she was blind, she fell out of the sky. The fall was broken by a tree. She was alive in the middle of the Amazon. She survived. Blind. She got out of there.

Do you have faith, trust that this team is not going to lead you astray?

When you were young, you used to pretend all the time. Pretend it was dark.

Do you have that trust in this team? They're not a bunch of assholes. They're not going to tell you to jump off a cliff without a net there? The team is going in a direction where we're going to jump off a cliff. Your question should be "is there a net?" "What is the safety feature?" It's a one foot drop. OK, let's go. Take care of your concerns. But they don't have to come as a disagreement.

What's the purpose? We're going to take a picture and send it to M. OK.

I know what has been spoken in the last few minutes is very compacted.

Does this mean you trust Y, S? No, you trust the team. I'm not saying everything N says is right. No, she's going to have brain farts. I'm talking about meshing with the team and trusting in that.

You should trust the bus driver. That's a good thing. He's done a lot of favors. He's fixed the bus. If I'm the bus driver in that analogy, I'm not asking you to do what I do. Don't get that confused. You're not replacing me. You're trying to create a team, a tool that can help me. The machinery that we have now is machinery that existed in 1971.

The tools we have now only fix a prop plane. But we need tools to fix a jet plane. Then we can go really fast. That tool is a team.

Teamwork is really really incredible. It's very satisfying. At the residence, kids wanted little chicks when they were little. Somehow the tradition was started. So now we have all these chickens. There's this one rooster who's really big. He's got 7 or 8 hens. Some are RI. Some are from France. He takes care of them. He finds bugs for them. He won't eat them. He finds bugs for the hens. If he feels a threat coming, he calls them and they come running. Teamwork is really good.

You have to have your own personal threshold. That's what the father is doing. He's got absolute thresholds where he's not going to let the child go. But between that, he'll let the child go. Definitely something to think about.

Trusting individuals. That will come too. More you get to know them. But team you should trust.

Let's take a break. A lot has been said. Try to digest it. This morning I said I want to do this about it's dark outside. Take off the shoes….. Absolute thresholds.

Another anology: After WWII there was a tribunal assigned for war criminals. The judge selected was an American judge. There's a movie with Spencer Tracey, incredible movie. He went out and started communicating with local people. He posed them a question, "Why did you let that happen?" First he asked, did you know about this? They said, yes. How many of you knew about it? Well what could we do? He faulted the entire country for that. That was one of his biggest things. He said it wasn't just the question of the officers or other people who signed the papers or judges who sentenced these people, because the judges were on trial. There was one judge who was on trial, who was considered the most honest and fair judge. While all the other judges were trying to get out of it, he actually said no, I should have made it my business to know what was going on and I didn't care.

My analogy here is it was a team he looked at, the country was a team. I certainly hope there are no people here who will have blind faith. I don't need those people. Bring strength, not doubt, not ambiguity. That's not a leader that anybody likes. I need to be clear.

Is it dark outside? "No I object." Wrong approach. "I want to know why we're talking about it being dark outside." Well, we're doing a simulated training putting on life vests. We're going to pretend. So it's so fucking dark outside. Yes sir. No problem.

This is a joke. I heard it yesterday. Two ladies are playing golf. One gets her club and the ball goes flying up. There are a couple of men and they see the ball hit this guy and he crumples to the ground in pain. The lady says oh no I hit him in the balls. The lady goes up to the guy and says I'm a massage therapist. The guy is moaning. He lady puts her hand in his pants and starts massaging his balls. The guy stops moaning. The lady ask how do you feel. The guy says it feels really good but my hand is still as sore as before.

That's what assumptions do.

OK, let's take a 15-minute break.

(During break in facilitator room:)
People need to learn to operate not from absolutes but instead using the no harm guideline.

People react in a training if they perceive you are telling them something they already know.

I see the same dynamics here as in flight training. People try to take what is being taught and put it in the framework of what they already know. "Oh, is that like this?"

The 5 and 10 second rules are really important because they are very concrete. Once people see they can do the 5 and 10 second rules, then it helps them see that they can follow the other rules too. You need to really enforce the 5 and 10 second rules closely. This can provide people with the first step they need to be able to follow the rest of the rules.

12:35pm
OK, let's resolve the current issues and then move on.

I think we're all going to help each other right?

I need for each person to come up and say, "Can you hear me?" Don't speak from here, speak from here, stomach.

That's how you need to speak every time because on the team whoever has the loudest voice wins.

This is serious. This is serious.

So remember that. From now on I do not expect anybody to be violated for speaking too softly. You have all demonstrated you can speak loud enough for everyone to hear. Other people's time is important. What you have to say is important.

Let's see where we are. Homework, did we do that assignment. Let's do this in the most expeditious way possible. Figure out what would be the most expeditious way and do it.
Quickest possible way.

OK. From now on violations are back up.

See when you want to do it, you can do it. Cut the shit, the ahhs, the oohs.

The task is very simple. You've done your homework. You need to present your homework to me. How can you present your homework expeditiously to me so it doesn't waste my time and your time?

First of all, can you decide how long you want to take for this. What would you consider expeditious. Quickly. What would you consider expeditious so my time and your time is not wasted.

You mean the way you wrote it, you wrote it in a way that would abuse time.

The precedent was already set with the first day homework. If I say to somebody, we need a Knowledge center and they go look and never send me a proposal.

I made an observation to the facilitators. The 5 and 10 second rule -- you're doing really poorly with it. Since you can't cope with those two rules, you're throwing out the rest of the rules. I'm getting a little concerned here. I've invested 2 1/2 days and I'm seeing the end coming very quickly. Already we have 7 violations in the last few minutes. We've already got one person with a 10 point violation. We've got a problem brewing.

A suggestion was made we'll take 20 minutes to do this. An analogy was given. This is how we will do it. You could have proceeded instead of going all over the place. But when the individual kicks in, wants to be the smarter of the group, then things happen.

Anybody will tell you if I give you an assignment, write your weakness, your strength, it's not that you have to come up with a long list. Anybody would expect you to write the greatest strength and the greatest weakness. And cut the BS. That's just common sense. Not go on and on. What is your the greatest strength? Greatest weakness?

Unfortunately we have no concept of time. I would have hoped we could have completed the homework before lunch. I know we've got an exercise for you. I know you'll forfeit that too.

It's 1:15pm At 1:30 you should go out for lunch. You leave at 1:30pm and come back at 2:30pm. You take this time and figure out what to do. I see the end coming very soon. The five second rule is catching you. I think you need to fix this. This is crazy. You've been given all the tools but you are not using them. You've got to fix it.

(Lunch break)

2:30pm
OK so what did you decide? Was there a decision reached or any conclusion reached?

OK, so should we resume the task of presenting the homework? OK, let's do so.

(In response to the question should people leave 5 seconds between each person reading their homework:) No because I'm the one who is going to assimilate and I can do it faster than you guys can.

(People read homework)

You're starting to mumble again. Now how do I get across to you that for the benefit of the whole team you have to speak loudly?

(More people read homework)

OK. With a few variations I think we're pretty much in the same place. Not really any different. There are two rules - 10 second and 5 seconds. And there was also a proposal about whether to say where we are headed: comment, proposal, question.

You're having a very hard time with speaking loudly, 10 seconds, 5 seconds. Then there's the fourth thing about identifying your comment, having a header to your comments.

I don't know if you want to do something about these four things.

(Comments)
Yeah, I see the end approaching very rapidly. Time and bust. The facilitators get money for the amount of tickets that they get. For 3 points they get $3. For 10 points they get $10.

I'm only going to give you 5 minutes to decide on this. After that we're going to move on.

(Comments)
That's it. Five minutes are up. She was right. I wasn't going to let you change the 10 second rule. But I would have let you change the 5 second rule. He was right. If something isn't working, change it. OK, we're going to move on. Now you are going to get violated for the five second rule. I guess I'll be going home tonight.

(V asks how much time the team wants to strategize the next exercise)

I wonder who the first person is who is going to sing the song (for speaking too softly).
Maybe it would be more interesting if they sing it in the lobby.

You're the timekeeper. Have you seen those big clocks in the city center. If you keep this up, not speaking loud enough, I'm going to put music on. I've got CD's. Pretty obnoxious ones. Woody Allen, Robin Williams, standup. Choo choo trains. Weird music. Jerry Seinfeld. Poison clan. Unpredictable mystical. Let's try poison plant. You know how many times I've asked everybody to speak loudly?

(M turns on some music)
That's what it's going to be like. Pretty obnoxious huh?

(Comments)
(Someone proposes the breakout sessions not using the tables) Why eliminate the tables? (Someone says because there aren't enough for all the breakout groups) It's like a bunch of men walk into the shower and someone has a shorter dick so everyone cuts theirs off. Does anybody know how many tables there are? Yoram come with me to look at how many tables there are.

(Comments)
Are there people who are uncomfortable with this? Why are you being dishonest and not speaking up?

I think the process you are agreeing to is jumping off the cliff without a net.

(Blue Papaya exercise)

There is no conflict. What one group wants the other group doesn't need. There is no problem. But it's very easy to become a hog. I want everything.

But I'm stumped. I'm having a big, big problem with the group going along. Forget about the tables. Going along that we're not going to use flipcharts. How can the group do that?

You realize whatever you need wouldn't be unanimous. There's that concern that R had. Is it dark outside. Here you were walking into a dangerous situation. Resources that could have been helpful were dropped. So I'm having a problem. Which also means here we are on the third day and we haven't really set up the facility yet. For which you also take the record. You're breaking records.

In fact I hinted to you that let's set up and we're going to work in groups. So you still haven't set up yet. You haven't even taken a look at what would be the most optimum. By default in one room there's two groups, three in another room.

I think there are people here who are relying on certain people to take care of them.

Goal orientation is not going to work.

The exercises are representing real life jobs that you would be doing for me as a team. You understand that, right? So in this one, security wants certain rooms in a hall and productions want certain rooms. They don't realize there's no conflict. How many times does that happen?

Last time at Amaroo security requested 250 people not including kitchen staff. And 1300 people were going to stay on the property. 500 of those are staff who are going to be staying there at reduced fees. Did they need that many people? Of course not.

We're faced with the same situation. We're going to be using significantly less people to pull a bigger event together. These exercises are representing what you will be doing out there. If this is how you are going to approach that, it's not going to work.

R will murder you and be happy to go to prison if you go to the shed at Amaroo and just take whatever you need. And I'd go bail him out. He did the right thing. You'll have to spend eternity in the Yamanto cemetery. Pretty lonely place. One horse town.

How many of you remembered that? (to wear shoes to do outside exercises)

They can't take notes, right?

(V announces Acid River Crossing)

(20 minute break)

(Acid River Crossing exercise)

I'm kind of surprised you guys decided to change what I said you couldn't do. No one objected? How come? You object for the wrong things, but you don't object for the right things?

I gave you the opportunity to change it. You didn't. Time was up. I made it very clear that you couldn't change it because time was up. I don't know where you're coming from. Weird mentality. I've never experienced a group like this. No discipline.

Already this is three days that has gone by. We have only 3 days left. Today seeing the progress that's been made it's not very encouraging at all. You have the capacity. But you don't seem to want to put it in the right direction. So I don't know what you are going to do.

(M replays video of the exercise)

I want you to pay particular attention to this one ordeal that you have here. Now you see, they are wanting to try something but they are being interrupted. The task that they're doing, that's an interruption, period. Do they listen to you? No, because they're too busy.

All right, here comes trouble. You watch how close he comes to hurting people. You know that he's just frustrated as hell. That's why he's doing it (lifting the wood beam). He's not doing it in a sane way. So if he's doing it from frustration, what's going to happen? Disaster.

Would that work? The other people standing around will carry the beam? Of course it's really exciting. Like in the beginning, people got excited and counted off and counted up to 37. It was supposed to be 36. But people got really happy. You're right, it's not funny.

We could show this at an event. Just put those square things on everybody's face. Look at how many people are involved here. No one plan. Even if you started with something that took basic things into account. But hesitancy and more plans, hesitancy and more plans, and frustration, at the end of the day, it doesn't help.

It just gets painful after this.

You've done this before, right? He was bringing incredible strength. He could have helped you do the whole thing in a few minutes. But there's still no ability to listen at all.

So you really want a captain who has never flown an airplane. The world respects experience.

But let's say you had to do something like that, cross a river. It's got pirhanas in it. Just as bad. Any critique you'd like to share among yourselves? V said this is just perfect for the bus analogy. If some people had been out of there watching, it would have helped so much. But everybody stayed, complicating the situation many, many fold.

Unanimity would have been no problem had the rest of the people had stepped aside and let the others do the task. You may have had people who didn't want to do it or didn't understand the language too well. You could have watched the whole scene much better and helped more. If you had gotten out where you were, you could have given the most valuable piece of information. I'm not going to tell you what it is.

Actually I have a comment about that set up (for the exercise) (Put in Facilitator checklist). OK let's take a 15-minute break.

(Break)

5:40pm
No, it's not time yet.
OK.
I want to say a couple of things. One is, why are you so defensive?

I understand what you're saying, but that hasn't been the case. I understand that the rules feel constraining, but actually not following the rules is what has been constraining. If a rat can learn push this lever and get candy, and that's just a rat, why can't you learn?

But why are you so defensive? Are you trying to pair off against me and the facilitators.

I don't consider P particularly brilliant. He's smart, but not brilliant. But he taught me something. Driving together, he told me not to turn the steering wheel before the turn. If someone is willing to show me, to expand my horizons, then should I be defensive? Then why are you defensive? But here that's not necessary. Ass-saving hasn't helped with events, with other work. People don't want to go. S is very concerned about the hotel contract. There is no reason to be defensive. If you are going to go into defensive mode, you're not going to learn anything. If you have never made any mistakes, then you can be defensive.

V says you shouldn't have discussed the rules, but immediately the reaction is, no, no we didn't. Who are we helping with this kind of attitude? If you say to me that M yells and screams, that's perfectly normal, it's not. There are circumstances which drive me nuts. Then I scream.

So goal oriented to win, to succeed. Forget the rules. What is the objective of any exercise? To obey the rules. That is it. That is it. The purpose of any exercise given is to follow the rules. That is it.

Fear of failure is the very thing that is causing you to fail. What good would it do to walk away from this training wtihout your horizons expanded, exactly the same as when you arrived? To me that would be pointless. I go to a lot of trainings. I have to go to refreshers. Helicopter training, glider refreshers. In my life to learn is just fun. And I despise those people when an opportunity is presented don't want to learn. I'm still learning. I am.

Do you know that most people don't know most of the things that I fiddle with? I love computers. I open computers. Putting the memory in, making sure all the boards are intact. I know how to open them and I open them. Then when everything is right, start. Erase the hard disk. I know where I'm starting from.

I've done videos, music, fixed cars, fly airplanes, helicopters, gliders, bulldozers, backhoes. Digital photography, regular photography. 8mm, 16mm. I tell people, I give them advice and they don't listen to me. You've seen pictures of me in India. I've seen 72 year old women with disposable cameras make more interesting pictures than the ones taken in India. You can't tell when it was taken. Every event picture looks the same. But those pictures from the 1970s there's some charm about them.

I have operated video editing systems. I edited "Now and Forever" and "Love and Blessings." They're good, classical, nice watching videos. I'm telling you, this is your chance. Don't get defensive. Don't get into this mode of us and them. I'm right. They're wrong. Bad bad scene to be caught in.

All right. We're going to cut you slack.

(V asks how much time the team wants to strategize the next exercise)

(V announces the Puzzle exercise)

(M side comment to Chuck: playing with baby toys again)

I know there are going to be a lot of people in the lobby. You're going to have to sing in front of them. They are going to think it's fucking hilarious. So why don't you speak loud? You've already demonstrated that you can.

(M side comment to Chuck: next time only get black markers for the flip charts. The other colors are too hard to see.) (Put in facilitator checklist)

What did you agree on? That's not unanimous. When did we resort back to satisfying personal requests? Nine of your members are missing. Claude makes a proposal. When they come back, he says "one minute." You break rules when you do this. Just think of the consequences for everybody. You could have done the same thing without losing these tickets. Wait until everyone is here before you make the proposal.

It's like this Air Canada incident. The captain said let's be nice to these guys. They converted pounds to kilos. The fuel guys said let's be nice to the crew. They said let's convert it. So there was a double reduction factor. 4.4 times less fuel. First one engine went out. Then the second engine went out. Luckily the pilot was a glider pilot. They survived. Assumptions. Not being clear.

(Exercise forfeited because the 15-minute strategy time is exceeded.)

How many times have you broken into groups? There was experience, but it wasn't used. Why not keep it very simple, just count off. This is what we have been doing, going around in circles.

Well, what should we do?

From J and G, this side is one group and that side is one group, OK? Your objective is to identify five people in this group and fire them. Fire them. Get rid of them. This group is going to figure out five people and fire them. You figure it out. OK, ten minutes. Get rid of them. They will come back to this conference no more. Not an exercise, this is very real. We'll reform the team after they are gone.

And you asked if this was for real. And I said this is not an exercise, this is real.

You can't volunteer. You can't be a sacrificial lamb.

So you fire people in your business. So you have a standard? And you keep it up? It's never easy to fire people but you know you have to do it. So the world gets better standards than you are willing to have for me, for K, for this work? So where do we begin? Is not the obviousness of it staring you right in the face and you're ignoring it? It's like God's face staring at you through the window.

Maybe that thing that's degrading year after year after year wasting millions of dollars that could be used for Knowledge centers or tours. Do you know that to have a hall that can seat 6-7000 people, air-conditioned, well lit, and I came up with a design, and it really reduces the cost of constructing a hall, is only around $6 million. Which is well within our means. You understand that? To have one say in England, built it, operate it, perfect it, then build one in Europe, one in Africa, one in South Africa, one in Australia, you know what that means, one in America, one in South America. Tour problems are solved. Do a tour, wherever the aspirants, premies are ready. Not based on hall availability. Do you know what that would do for the inspiration of the people? That reality is right around the corner. But we have to do the rest of the walking. It's possible for us to have a 24 hour satellite channel. The acquisition cost is so cheap and broadcast music, programs, broadcast live events. Best cuts of different tours, have news, have specific programs for aspirants, for people who have never heard anything. You know this is within our grasp. Screw the web. Live digital surround sound. Knock your socks off. Come home, turn it on. And record it. Do you know that's within our grasp? It is. Knowledge centers. Knowledge centers can also double up for training and then it can switch from these type of trainings to very specific task oriented trainings. Aspirant team can go through the issues. Completely academic training. Around the world, standardized.

It's possible. Teams around the world specifically created for new introduction. Introducing people to Knowledge. Find the various avenues, the various ways. You can advertise in public libraries, on the web. What can be done to improve the quality of these events. People learn specific techniques, learn what works, what people have done to improve things. All of those people having gone through trainings like this. Stop wasting millions of doolars and use it in directions where it can go somewhere.

We don't lack anything except for the crud that sits at that level and puts a cap on everything. And you have witnessed that mentality in this training. And you can identify why things don't happen the way they should be.
So please resume. You have a task at hand. You have 5 minutes more to do the task.

It's like God staring you in the face saying get rid of the crud, get rid of the things inhibiting you.

Anything not to have to do it. Is it that painful? No one yet has come up with the criteria that would make it obvious. So why don't you get to the criteria? Don't you have criteria when you fire people?

(Time expires - M extends the time a second time)

This is a safe environment. They have been disarmed. We took out their machetes.

All right. Since you guys have gone over the time, this group, you have the chance to fire five people over there. You have ten minutes. [Transcript ends at this point]

M COMMENTS
UK SESSION #1
7/26/99

8:45am
Blue and red are two of the worst colors for video. We should have black pens only.
I arranged the whiteboard at an angle like that to face the camera so the camera can project it and neither camera's vision nor people's vision is compromised.

Academic training:
Survival training
Press type situation simulations
Whole sense of the team operations
Driver training
Development of checklists
This was W's forte - Avis became official carrier for EV - he had people eating out of his hand - In Europe this surfaced in a another training - people were reluctant to have that aggressive approach -- this place isn't air-conditioned.

9am
You were sitting in the back row B. Fix it B, fix it.

Well that means that nobody can fine you. If you violate, we'll take it down and during the break you can go get your envelope. That's such a cleaner way of doing it. Now we know you aren't dying or something. With P everyone was wondering what's going on? Is she OK?

We have some extra blindfolds. We'll get you one.

You shouldn't do that. Your dentist will tell you. You won't be able to drink cold drinks. You'll have to get crowns. And then it bulges and exposes the nerve.

Are we all settled? Everyone sitting comfortable places?

So we have a homework assignment that I hope you've done.

How was this homework assignment for you? What kind of time did you spend on it? What kind of processes do you run across doing it?

I would like to point out one thing. I read your letter D. At first I looked at it and saw your concern and it's a legitimate concern. Everyone has that, some anchor holding them back. His is that he is not a fast thinker. He said that. Two, language problem. Inexperience. Everybody has a little devil that got its hand up our ass holding us back. And that's exactly what we have to get rid of. No one is assuming in this training that you are too dumb to see the obvious. Here's a fellow who does this professionally. He comes into this situation and he feels held back from doing it. A little ghost in the closet. The issue is what it's doing to us.

Regarding your situation, I'm sure somehow it will be OK. The kind of unconsciousness that existed long ago isn't there. There are channels where you can scream and things can be taken care of. It's like a cyclic thing. But it will be taken care of only if you put the best foot forward. But if you don't put the best foot forward, then it's like this person doesn't really bring anything. But if you put the best foot forward, then you can help.

The first time the criteria is not K and how long you have had it. But what do you bring as a strength. So if you have had K for a really long time or short time it's irrelevant. Because that's not the criteria. The criteria is what are you going to bring to this? What are you going to provide? Being a good PWK is fine. Go home. And when there is an intent, a good intent and a will and an understanding that perseverance is not a problem, and push ahead in the right direction, then press ahead.

In Nepal I took a walk and saw these guys working.
L, C, another guy. They looked fried. Run down, fried. I went up to them and asked them if they had had any food. They said no. Nobody offered you any food? No. So I went into my kitchen and had some food made and fed them.

Now if somebody had been concerned, not in a humanitarian way, but seeing that they were doing an important job and they need to be supported, it makes a big difference. When are we going to have that kind of clear consciousness?

There are ghosts holding us back. We have to move ahead. What lies ahead is exciting. I shared part of the vision yesterday. With a good base of people and understanding, it can be wonderful. Yes we have a press situation that's a mess. But that can change. First time in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, there was finally an article that wasn't head bashing. There was a team that worked on it. It had an effect.

Even sky is not the limit. Right now, mini challenges like wait 5 seconds. Would you say that that's a mini challenge? Compared to the challenges of building halls, running these halls, building K centers, to eventually get to a 24 hour telecast. Would you say waiting 5 seconds before the last proposal is a mini challenge? But we're having a hard time with it.

A test is given in schools every day, colleges. It's timed. Now how many of you in school and took your watch and put it on the table? Because you knew you had to turn in that paper in that time parameter. Or you looked up on the clock on the wall. Some time the time would go too fast, sometimes too slow. After how many tests did you finally figured out how to take multiple choice tests. You mark the ones you're sure of. Then you work on the ones you're not sure of. And then you take your best guess for the ones you can't figure out.

When you make a multiple-choice test it's hard to come up with the three wrong answers. They have proven time and time again that you can pass by not having any information.

But you arrange yourself for the test because it's important. So we create some rules. We accept them. If we see other people breaking them we go shh shh shh. But when it comes to us, it doesn't matter. Don't shoo me. That's not taking ownership, that's not taking responsibility. So really it's a very complex but very simple issue.

What we're about to begin with, this is not fun. So from J over is one group and that's the other group. How many people in this group? 35 people in this group and there must be 36 there, right?

So what has to happen, in this group, has to choose 31 people form this group. It's exactly the opposite of firing. Only 31 people from this group. So now you have a criteria, right? So what this group has to do is figure out a way, take all the criteria and boil them down and use that criteria to hire 31 people form this group. And have no specific service. Have no specific service and no specific job. B is not a mechanic. K is not French. Isn't that what your job is?

And you get to hire 31 people. Of course they're probably going to reverse that. The answer might be right here.

How long would you like for this exercise? Five minutes? Yesterday you had 10 minutes without any criteria and today you have criteria, so you just need 5 minutes, right? Isn't that Australian logic?

In Australia they used to give one large bottle of beer to all the employees. The unions were so strong. If you go out on your break, and a drop of water falls on your cigarette, then … That's why God put that country so far away.

(Group 1 fails to hire 31 people)

My watch says the time is up. Should be easy for you, right? You must have sat there and identified all the assholes on that side. So you have ten minutes to accomplish the task.

(Group 2 hires 9 people and runs out of time)

Explain to me how the applied the three criteria that you decided upon. He doesn't even see his strengths. He doesn't even know what he'll bring. Do you know that? He doesn't see it. Here's a guy who says I don't want to fly an airplane. You say I know you can.

Would you consider one of the criteria being does the person want to do this or not? You're doing this exercise extremely arbitrarily. You came up with the criteria and you're not even applying the criteria. And I know what you're going to do? You're going to go to 31 and stop. The last 4 people automatically will not get hired.

I think the sanest thing was said by her yesterday. I wouldn't hire any of you. So what have we got here? Methodology isn't the problem. It can always be devised. You don't have to be a genius to work out methodology. It's the basis on which all this will function. That the people that you hire will truly bring strength. Did you develop criteria that would ensure that? Did you agree on what those criteria should be? Did you leave it three people who are by the way weakest in English to devise the criteria?

And you see, you abdicated the responsibility to three people, Whatever they do is fine. I don't have a problem abdicating to three people. But why didn't you establish the criteria first. And they came up with 3 criteria that could never be assessed.

But people, if this is how we're going to operate, forget it. If this is how we operate, the vision is dead before it's born. Yes?

Eliminate 5 people by number by where they are seated, right? That's what we did yesterday. Where were you yesterday? Yesterday we had to fire 5 people.

Abdication is sweet. You sit back and don't worry about it. For five minutes you went absolutely nowhere. Around and around in circles. People are still not digesting their own proposals. Proposals are being made that are not viable. It's still this thing of I want to say something smart. Would this group hire or fire Sushi? Why? They don't think you are participating.

Why not say I haven't said anything in the last half hour with I'm here, I'm with you and I like the process that's happening. I understand. I don't understand. I'm having a hard time keeping up with what's happening. I'm not having a problem. These are all indications to the team that we're operating OK.

They could put all the gauges for engines where the engines are. Why are they in the cockpit? So you want to know what's happening with each person. And if everything is OK, if your engine is running OK, it's important to know that. On the G3, gauges are green if DODK, yellow if not OK, red if danger.

Criteria we're coming up with are disgusting. You're not even asking the fundamental question, do you want to do this? In a very subtle way, it's like, let's get this over with. Your goal wasn't to finish the task. It was to let the ten minutes expire. Do you agree with that? Over with becomes the task. How many of you think that is exactly the attitude when an event is put up? Let's just get it over with? Do you think that's dangerous? That's the mentality we have in this room. Let's not put up an event. Let's get it over with. Even though so much energy has been put into registration, let's get it over with. The event over with. Security over with.

You could have done this in ten minutes. Had you started with criteria. Methodology is not a problem. Who doesn't want to do this? Ten people raise their hands. Boom, they're out.

The Mier space station. The story is Mier; it goes back several years. Russia had developed a very comprehensive space program. OK the American won the race but we need to continue doing our research. Mier was started but a lot of compromises were made. Oxygen systems shut down. Fires erupted. But somehow, whoever was there had a real will to go on. They had a team and took cardboard and made a model and they told the astronauts how to fix the oxygen problem. Air conditioners broke down and they created their own. A real will. The will was clear. And the damn thing kept on going and kept on going.

Mier became the most incredible launching pad for all these countries to gain real experience in space, India, France, America, everybody. It gave launch to incredible things. Flawed, but it went on and on and on. At one point it was given the name ugly butterfly. So methodology. Intent is another thing. When intent is clear, methodology will be simple to devise. Necessity is the mother of creation. How many of you felt a necessity to fire five people? Genuinely? (Five people raise their hands)

How do you clean up a tangled bush in the jungle? Do you untangle everything? No, you take a machete and chop, chop, chop and you clear it out.

Until you feel a necessity, how is this mess going to be cleaned up? Yeah we're doing exercises and yeah it's safe, but it's very real. I think it's time for a break.

You know what has to be done. Don't just sit there on your ass. Do it.

(Break)

10:25am
I have to tell you that technically tomorrow is the last day with me. And we are nowhere near where we need to be. A lot of people are relying in clocks, this aid, that aid, facilitator, instead of relying on the rules. There's a reason why we're not where we need to be. Until you realize I've got what I need, that survival book.

Guy gets on a liferaft. Typical scenario: someone will come and save me. It doesn't happen. One day, two days, three days go by. Fortunately for this person he took responsibility and set himself up to survive. Went on for a month plus. First the attitude is something will happen and it will be OK. That's what's happening here. Somebody will help me. Until you realize you have what you need (pointing to the rules). In the survival book, he didn't get anything extras. He just had to start using what he had. He inverted the canopy and started catching rainwater. What was a hindrance became what he needed to survive. At first he'd feel the sharks underneath the raft. They were interested. Fish would start coming to the raft. He'd shoo them away. Then he settled down. A whole colony settled under his raft. He was able to catch them and eat them. It dawned on him that he had to take responsibility. Now you're not taking ownership. You're goal oriented. Lollygag around, wasting time. Everything you need has been given. You have the understanding. First day you thought something specific would be given. Now you know that's not going to happen. A lot has happened. A lot has been let go of. I never thought I was like this. When you get out of this room, you stop following the rules. You get a break and fart off.

That's why you have succeeded in so few exercises. Your not taking the rules with you out there. So you know what's going to happen to you, right? You do, don't you? You're going to be out of this training. Another group is coming. Other groups will be trained. Other groups will look at you and say sorry, bye bye.

You want that? Because that's what's going to happen, right? There's obviously going to be an emergence of a greater number of people who are willing to follow the rules, to be more conscious, to bring a greater strength. They will be the ones that will funnel up. They're going to look at you and say fuck off.

The advantage here is if you can apply yourselves, you can all be cream and float to the top. It's up to you. It's really up to you.

(V asks team to decide how much time to strategize)

Do you want to amend that time? Yesterday you took the 15 minutes and brain farted for 9 minutes and 55 seconds. What if you don't have that time? Is time your friend or your enemy? So do you really want to drag it out? Is it a precious commodity to you or unprecious? So if you buy a AMFM radio for $5, same exact model, year, etc. that being sold at another sop for $200, which would you buy? Why? Time has nothing to do with intent. When the intent is unclear, when the objective of being here is unclear, 15 minutes is never enough. When the intent is clear, 1 minute is too long.

(Team decides on 5 minutes)

(V gives instructions)

(Puzzle exercise)

Everybody done? (one group finished) Amazing things happened. Proud? Why?

When you screw up, the whole team screws up. You had quite a few things that your team didn't do. Let me first of all remind you that these puzzles are for age 3-7. So the fact that it took you over 15 minutes shows you are deficient in gray matter. One group actually decided to take the whole puzzle from table to table. The risk factor they were taking, enormous. For two pieces they were risking the whole puzzle. Ultimately even if one person went to each table, one person could bring all the correct pieces to all the correct group. All of a sudden you have two people going around. A lot of common sense got thrown out because of goal orientation. I love this one because people actually feel proud of getting this done. Then I remind them this is for age 3-7. Little brats that shit in their pants.

The more people involved in putting a puzzle together, the worse it is. Because a puzzle is oriented one way. The person on the right, left of you, see a different picture. So what did you do right? I think you made an attempt to follow the rules. It's not clear to you where you were supposed to go. These are things we've done again and again. Should only take 5 seconds to do that. To number off. There's no newness any more. Yes a little difference here, there. How you need to be, to function, that's the same. But it's not becoming a habit.

These are trivial matters. They should not be taken care of.

Let me say something here.
Say we are here (stick figure inside a square) We have come and we want to learn something. I think everybody thinks of that as being here (square in upper left corner). I'll rise. Learn is putting things in perspective. I get off on tangents, assumptions, ideas. Somehow I'm brought back on track. You go for gulfstream training - it's got all these systems - but it doesn't defy nature - everything works because nature allows it - those units that function like ordinary things work, for example a hand pump, a hydraulic pump, much be really sophisticated - a lot of those pumps aren't any different from a hand pump - someone explains oh it works like this and a light goes off and I say Oh I know that. The thing isn't to get here, the thing is to get back on track. That might be here or here or here. This is the wrong picture. In your complicated ways of thinking, you have forgotten common sense. These rules are nothing but common sense.

So that's what you have to get back to, is common sense. So the training isn't to push you up as you might picture in your head. It's to put you on track. And where is the track? Is depends on where you are. If the track is to the left of you, where do you need to move? Left. If the track is to the right of you, where do you need to move? Right. 5 second rule, 10 second rule, confidentiality, all these rules are common sense rules. The task that was given to you was fucking easy. How many of you have caught on that these exercises are quite simple. But they seem quite difficult. That is because the common sense is gone. The rules get thrown out the window. This isn't hard. But this is the typical reaction we have that it has to be hard. This is our Jewish/Catholic/Protestant/Muslim/Italian/French/Indian upbringing. It must be difficult. But it isn't.

You understand what I'm saying here. Idea is to get back on track. If you think there's a particular destination you're trying to get to, it won't work. Is there any rule here that is not common sense?

Common sense. Judges get this. There's a law that's applicable. The judges have to look at what was the intent of the law. What was the purpose of the 5 second rule? So in counting off, do you think you have to digest, #1, #2, #3. The purpose of the 5 second rule is so that.... Do you know that most good speakers use the five second rule? Stop, allow people to digest. Comedians. Great comedians talking about what comedy is about. It's all about timing. You take the joke too long, it's no longer funny. When kids tell jokes they are never funny. Their imagination runs wild and they are watching a movie while they tell it and they get into all this detail. 10 seconds. Cut the crap. Say what we have got to say. This is how we can get your message across. This is also how you can get your message across to those English-impaired.

Conscious. Am I helping? Am I contributing? What am I about to do? What have I just done? What's happening? Where am I coming from? Where am I right now? Where am I going to? When you read a read a map, you look at where am I coming form, where am I now, where am I going to. These are the basics of navigation. Consciousness is navigation.

GPS systems in cars. What if a GPS only showed you where you are only? No you need all three elements That's the name of the game of consciousness. What are my mistakes so I can change? How do I need to change my way of thinking?

Respect. There are two ways to get something done. Fear or by respect. There is a statistical base which says that fear is not 100%. You don't get 100% results from fear. You can try to intimidate a person but they might not give in. But respect, you can expect 100% results with respect. So in a team, it becomes crucial, the grease to make things happen. If you slap someone, you've lost a friend. This slapping doesn't help. But respect does.

Confidentiality. We need the confidential to be whoever we are at any given moment and know that we're not going to be judged. It's not going to be broadcast that I had a brain fart. If I feel that it's going to be broadcast, I'd rather shut up, I'd rather not say anything. How many of you have gone into the bathroom and farted nice and loud and long knowing no one else will hear it. But in public you might be holding it or trying to make it silent. Confidentiality is important.

Honesty. Honesty to me is this physical law that needs to be present, it makes the oil surface on the top, it makes the ice drop to the bottom. In salt, even though it's denser than water, it won't freeze as quickly as fresh water so there can be a separation. Little laws that work. Hot air will rise, cold air sinks. Honesty is a law like that. If I'm not honest with myself, I'm completely fooling myself. So honesty, when I don't understand something, I have to say I don't understand. If I don't, I'm denying a very basic reality that I exist in. If I design an airplane with the wings backward, then I'm not being honest. I'm creating something that exists in a fantasy reality. On planet earth, I have to follow nature's laws. It has to be a wing to fly. Something that simply looks like a rock doesn't mean it's going to drop down. A rock is going to behave like a rock. In nature, honesty is required. You can't take a piece of styrafoam and expect it to behave like a rock. So this recognition of reality is called honesty. I'm acknowledging the rule to be this. I can do this. I can't do this. I need help with this. Honesty is letting what's happening inside, letting it be real. You have the possibility of presenting a different image on the outside. Because of this paradox you need honesty as correction filter to resolve the paradox.

Participate. It's like having the gauges in the cockpit not on the engines.

Unanimous. So that there's no possibility of bitching and complaining, people saying I wouldn't have done that. Unanimously you could have said, you put the puzzle together. In premiedom, it's exactly the opposite. I wouldn't have done it. Nobody asks me. They are all a bunch of assholes. Unanimity takes that all away. You're a part of it.

No brain farts. Need that. Without that rule, we'd be sunk.

No dark thoughts. Don't have a doubt. You don't need to have a doubt. Today you did it. You did it in four minutes, you walked out. Fifteen minutes were being asked for. That's a dark thought. Further time could have been saved.

When the time is announced, five minutes remaining, four minutes. Have you noticed how it's announced. It's announced as a negative, not a positive. It's announced as "you're fucked" It sends a panic through everybody. Instead of it being a sweet reality and a reminder it comes off as the famous last words of the doctor, bend over or this won't hurt.

All right? Get back on track. The common sense track. It's not a big deal.

Let's take a 15-minute break. The reason why you feel cold. The temp is set at the same setting, but it's cooler outside. There's only one place that accommodates for external temperature and that's at the residence in Malibu. Go get your sweater. We can take a 20-minute break.

What do you need? Take 15 then.

(Break)

12:00 noon
(V announces Scrambled Puzzle exercise.)

(The Team runs out of time)

Have you ever heard the expression "This is just one piece of the puzzle?" You have to have all the pieces to put the puzzle together.

(M side comment to Chuck) What happened to your computer? You dropped it?
(Put in facilitator checklist)

Any ambiguity about the instructions? Do you hear them differently now?

That was the group of eight? They decided that maybe all the pieces were already here (within the group of eight)?

One thing I've noticed. You've locked onto conscious, 10 seconds,. But when it gets to no brain farts, I haven't heard much. And dark thoughts, I've heard nothing at all. So I think you need to examine that, to acknowledge when you make a brain fart. When you say someone else has a brain fart, you might be tweaking with the respect. If you're going to continue having brain farts, you can't possibly make a rule, we should deal with every proposal. That's not commonsensical.

Because you shouldn't have had one. Well look at it this way. If ever the group decides to hire people with the least amount of points, you'd get hired. I just pray they don't decide the other way.

What about this brain fart thing. They're coming and they're masking reality. A lot of dark thoughts are coming too. How many of you thought there was a trick in the last exercise? You were already told there were no tricks.

How many of you are concerned with time? But you are concerned the wrong way. You take too much of it for the wrong things, too little for the right things. Being aware of time should be productive, but for you it's anti-productive. You took a long time to strategize.

S had a brain fart. It just rolls, nice Southern Irish, it just rolls. He seconded a proposal. It's unnecessary. If you stay quiet, you are. This is the procedure that's established. You don't need to second it. There's no voting. You know how to vote, right?

If a proposal is made, you agree by staying quiet. If you agree and speak, it throws people. There are a lot of little things happening that are throwing you off. I want to add to that. I agree but I want to add to it. Sometimes that's OK, but most of the time, now where is the proposal is it?

But if people were to listen and it's a brain fart they can disagree and it will kill it. But people don't listen. And they get frustrated and angry. And then good proposals come and people don't hear it. You can't allow yourself to get angry, because then you lose respect, conscious, honest. Every time you get frustrated or angry, you break three rules automatically. And then you will brain fart. And brain fart will happen if you say something or not. So, once you get angry or frustrated, dark thoughts come. So look how many you will break… Respect, Conscious, Honesty, No brain farts, No dark thoughts.

You realize there is no order of these. These have the same stature. This is not the last rule. This is not last.

(V announces the Maze exercise.)

A BFG product right? What he's asked for is so simple. You could be finished by now.

(Privately to facilitator team in the marquee:)
One thing you could do would be to have a canvas and paint different colors on the canvas instead of using tiles. It would be a lot easier wouldn't it. With canvas you can roll it up and lay it down. (Put in facilitator checklist.)

MSJ (Ask Mahatma Ji)

In a training facility, we could have marble colored foyer with different colored panels. After they do this exercise, they'll avoid them.

Pretty exposed here. I would have thought you would have arranged one in here, one in the main room. Should have done this in separate rooms. (Put in facilitator checklist)

Very good recommendation from RJ: blow some whistles at random.

M idea for facilitator training (Put in facilitator checklist)
During facilitator training, give each facilitator a different rule to break. Then each facilitator takes turns observing the facilitator team and has to observe how many violations occur.

(In Marquee during Maze exercise:)

Somebody jumped from the side? That was never supposed to happen. Someone stepped out on the side and jumped tiles, that's 10 minutes. Lunch break. Be back at 2:30pm

(Lunch)

2:30pm
Well, you've got he's a bit stumped because you're not acting like normal human beings. At this stage in Miami things went flawlessly. You are not using one iota of common sense. What you're doing here and in the marquee are two different things. Whether you don't want to take it to heart or whether there's a competition, or we defy training, if that's your attitude, let's go home and forget about it.

That particular exercise is not a difficult exercise. It's an easy exercise.

First thing that had been decided here if you had listened to it was you were going to clarify the rules. So many of the groups started strategizing before they clarified the rules. Out of the blue somebody would say I don't understand. So where the fuck were you when it began?

The fact that you wait until people get into strategizing and then you ask for clarification. And why do the others start strategizing w/o checking if everyone understands.

This has nothing to do with the exercise.. This was something that you agreed upon. But you didn't do it. You guys really hate each other. I've never seen a group of people that hate each other so much. Sincere pure hate. And everybody has excepted themselves. I don't have hate. Then why isn't it happening?

I would really like an answer please. Otherwise, I'm ready to call it off. How can that work with a bunch of people who are totally undisciplined. The training is not about discipline. Go join the army. They'll discipline you.

Who the fuck are you talking about? What is this may be we? I'm not asking for analysis am I? When are you going to take responsibility for your own stupidity? What is this we bvus? What is this?

When are you going to take responsibility for your stupidity? Not we, I. Me. I. Not we are not trusting. I am not trusting. Not we are not participating. I am not participating. Not we are not following rules. I am not. Not we are not having brain farts. I am not.

When are you going to take personal responsibility for what's happening here. Each person is responsible when this team doesn't work.
What is this? I don't understand it.

All right, should we ask him to leave then. OK, then I'll leave. This is it. If you're not taking it seriously, what am I doing here? He's not the only one. I know all of you are not taking it seriously.

So they can fix it. They can continue the training. I'll go home. I don't need this. I really don't. I've got a lot of better things to do. I thought if I invested some time it would bear fruit some day. I had a schedule to do events and Knowledge Sessions in Africa and Mauritius. And this is what you give me. And on day four you tell me we're not taking it seriously.

I've talked about the vision. And then you're not taking it seriously? That's really great. I could have spent time giving K to a bunch of people in Africa that would take it seriously. But I've been spending time with a bunch of people that don't even take me seriously.

This is very very bad investment of my time. Cause I was really hoping that today would fly. We've already discussed so many things yesterday. OK, this is serious. Came down to firing and you never concluded that. Do you know that? I know you think you got away with it. You didn't get away with it.

This is very very strange. Why wouldn't you take it seriously? You think I'm spending morning to evening here and the world's waiting for me. To cancel events. It never happens unless it's serious. TO ME to cancel events and be here, how serious do you think I take this? And have you reciprocated even 1% for me. I don't understand it. I'm not stupid.

That's ended the conversation. If you're not going to take me seriously, that ends the conversation. You're not taking me, the rules, the facilitators, this opportunity seriously. End of conversation. What else is there to say.

What are we going to do about the last four days. There is no such thing as sorry in my book. It doesn't fix the last four days of my life. Cause if you're not taking me seriously and you've given me no indication that you will take it seriously. The last exercise was a child's exercise. Children play this game. And you couldn't do it in time.

The only thing you can do is fix four days of my life. They'll have been a waste. The team is nowhere close to where they're supposed to be. There's distrust in the rules, in the exercises. As soon as a facilitiator sees you pulling a trick, we'll do anything to sabotage you because you've gone in the wrong direction. One group got smart and said we'll leave little pieces of paper on the tiles. I was going to turn on the fan. Because you didn't need to. It wasn't necessary. How difficult was it to leave a trail behind. Then someone said let's mark the ones that are no good.

I'm sorry, This does not work for me. I sincerely think I should leave you in the hands of the facilitators and I should call it a day. Your attitude is let's get it over with and finish the next two days. It's like you're stuck in a pit and you say give me a hand and I say OK and you say I don't need help. This is bizarre.

Not a good way to spend it if this is the most important week of your life. If it's the most important week of your life there would be incredible care and concern that you put into this.

Did you know I do the most talking, the most standing up? More than these facilitators? And then it's not serious. So I don't think we have common ground. I'm serious. I'm really serious. I go back, I think about it. I review the notes. I review the notes from other conferences. I'm really serious about it. But if we don't have a common ground, it's not going to happen.

That's what I've been trying to do. But you've got to take it seriously. You want to play tricks, fine. Lay tricks on them, (the facilitators). They do this professionally. They're good at it. I like sincerity. I have never and will never penalize anybody for being ignorant. Stupidity I want to change. You want to play tricks, these are your people, not me.

I started that on day one. Do you know how much help I gave you on day one in that bar room over there? I told you about responsibility, about taking the ownership, all of these things.

What happens to my four days? I'm not an unconscious person. I want to spend every minute of my life doing what I want to do. What is the point of learning when you're not going to take it seriously. What's the point of learning a little when a large amount is being offered.

I just feel I can't continue on and you have been playing tricks and you haven't been taking it seriously. We don't have common ground. Common ground is you're into what I'm into. But we don't have common ground. You're not taking it seriously.

So you're going to have excuse me and I'll leave you in the capable hands of the facilitators. With me out of the way holding them back, they are going to love this.

I'm going to have to turn it over to them. We don't have common ground.
All of a sudden you decide you haven't been serious. Because you're not serious, I can't continue. I am not going to play this game.

I don't want to win at your cost. That's the wrong kind of winning. I'm not competing against you. I'm not trying to show how smart I am by showing

When they tell me this exercise has to be terminated

You want to win w/o me. I want to win with you, not w/o you. This is what I was trying to do, shape, mold, unfold, being extremely patient. If I had to repeat something, I had no qualms about repeating. We have no common ground.

What are you going to do with the past four days?

Technically tomorrow is supposed to be the last day with me.

Then why was the exercise forfeited. It's not good for your morale to keep having these exercises forfeited. We gave you this exercise for ages 3 to 7. That's a hands down winner. We could call hotel staff in here to do it.

Analogy I have wolves belong with the wolves. You have become wolves by saying this is a trick. So fine. You'll be happy to behave like wolves, won't you?

I know that in my life if somebody gives me what I've been given. If it's 1% of what I've been given, I'd take that person very seriously. Extremely seriously.

Well, I guess it's one of those things. Master comes, says what he says. His great little students fuck it all up. This wouldn't be the first time, right? There's a precedent for this repeated in history. This the first time there's been an attempt to change that. But it seems to be predestined. Seems impossible to break that mold.

I know that all of you are guilty of not taking this seriously. We've blown 80% of my time out the window. That doesn't work for me. The thing is, I know you don't take it seriously. While they were setting up the exercise, you were all talking about your deficiencies. I thought it would be no problem. On that particular exercise, I help everyone. Do you know the language problem is nothing compared to the Indian conference. There were people who only understood English or Hindi or their language.

In Miami there were people there who spoke Spanish only from Mexico, South America.

I don't know what excuse you have. There were people from Quebec. Who didn't speak much English at all.

In fact, I would say those of you from French background here speak better than the people in Miami.

When people follow rules, I give them the next several tiles free. When you don't follow the rules, I can't. I have been on your side all along. I can't continue to take the same posture that I have because it's not happening.

What is being asked is neither unrealistic nor impossible. It has been demonstrated that it does happen. Language is not an issue. Ignorance is not an issue. Stupidity is always an issue.

Do you know in this universe there is no school that will fix stupidity? You can be brought from darkness into light but there is no cure for stupidity? When people who are not stupid decide to act stupid, I really have a problem.

But obviously that's what you've chosen.

Like I said, I'm not stupid. I'm not going to sit. I am one person in this training, I have not been waiting for the end day. I'm not waiting for this to get over, I'm not. I like to work hard. They all work hard. You all work hard. But we don't have common ground. But for you it's a nice joke.

Well, that's all very nice. But I would only stay if you were going to take me seriously. I can't give you a test and see if you're serious. There is no test for sincerity.

If one of you doesn't take me seriously, it's not going to work. You'll see this team go flat on it's face again and again and again.

I have already told you what displeases me. It's not your mistakes. It's when you do those things on purpose. When you know what rule you should be following and you don't follow it.

Someone asked Ram what pleases you. He said, not the cleverness of my students. That does not please me. The student who follows my direction. He's the one or she's the one that pleases me. All you've demonstrated is our cleverness and it's blown up in your face left and right.

The first two days you farted off. I don't mind. That's part of the training. Third day. By the fourth day, if people take me seriously, they fly. That's what I've seen training after training after training.

It's not a good situation. These rules might seem all new to you. But this should be the code of conduct of a PWK. This should be the code of conduct for a human being.

Well, let's take a 15-minute break.

(Break)

(M talking to facilitator team during the break)
Discussion of firing exercise
Discussion of team turning the corner and clearing the air and I will not judge you
It would be good for the group to divide up on the telephone, using a totally different medium of communication. (M gave example of toy in India where you could set up a phone network with several kids being able to talk and listen to each other). People firing phones at one another. They would see that there need to be protocols. Even if they didn't work out the protocols, they could do that later.

G is now working with us. He's going to set up computer classes on different softwares. G could help set something up on CompuServe and First Class Client.

People could be briefed on the pitfalls of the internet, safety in communication.

A or you could brief people on legal stuff, what not to say.

The last day of the conference can't become too specific at the end.

3:35pm
Close that (door).

What I'm going to do. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled as usual. If I see you not taking it seriously, I'll leave. So it's up to you. Now what we need to do, will the back row move back foot, foot and half back?

So we've been here for a few days. Some of you know each other, even before this team. Some of you have come here and are part of this team.

Things might have happened that were obnoxious. This will be our opportunity for what I call clearing the air. So we'll divide in half and what will happen is, a person will come to you, you stay seated and say whatever it is their grievance is. You don't have to say yes, you don't have to say no. May be somebody said something or slapped somebody on the wrist. It has to be done with respect, no malintent. Whatever you've got sitting inside, you can let them know. Once this side is finished, this side will approach this side. And then it will be within each side.

You look them in the eye. You say whatever it is. Then you go to another person and say a grievance to another person or you go back and sit down.

He doesn't respond to it. He just listens to it. Once I'm finished I go sit down.

When you guys are finished talking to this group, then this group goes and talks to this group.

Facilitators are not included. But you should have the opportunity to talk to that person. That's not an issue.

I hope I don't have to tell you to breathe as well. Then after that maybe a person wants to say something back to me. Like I didn't mean that or I'm sorry or I didn't know.

There may be people here that you have to queue up for. Then stay seated and go to that person when they are available.

Once everyone is seated.

Please people, don't sit there and waste time. All of a sudden, just towards the end, they get up and decide to talk to someone.

I'll give you a minute. Look over there.

You don't kill them; you just talk to them, OK?

Has to be done with respect, no malintent. You're clearing the air. This is not an exercise. This is real. This is not for revenge. This is an opportunity to get it out of our chest. And the other person who may have not even known, somebody says something to us, and we don't even know we've hurt that person.

3:48pm
Clearing the air starts

When you come up to the person, don't crouch down, stand up, make eye contact. Don't respond to the person. Don't shake your head. Don't nod. This is not a therapy session. Whatever somebody has in their bag.

4:05pm
There comes a time when we have our differences, our problems, whatever we have. As human beings we go around and judge everyone all day long. Yet somehow even though most of us succumb to that nature, there's an opportunity to rise above that and to take something very, very seriously. And one thing we can offer somebody who we want to work with, is that we will not judge them. And to be able to say that from the deepest, most sincere place inside of you. Not something superficial, but very very real. Be able to look in the other person's eye and mean it. That can be an incredible bridge. Really come from a very very sincere place.

So what we're going to do starting from H. Look the person from the eye. Not a two way conversation. This is a declaration that you are making. Say "I will not judge you." That's it. You have to mean it and it has to come from a very deep place.

OK. There's one more element that remains. What you're about to do, you have to take it in the right light. There are certain people when given a freedom they take it the right way, and some people in the wrong way. What you're about to do now is to be productive, not destructive. Now you have to tell yourself, you will not judge yourself. But that doesn't give you license to make mistakes Hopefully it will give us a fresh start to cut all those chains, holding us back. So will you please tell yourself, "I will not judge me." And mean it.

OK. Well, that's that part of it. How do you all feel? A little lighter?

Lets take a 15-minute break and we'll resume. Could you please move the chairs back to where they were?

(Break)

5:27pm
(V announces the Maze exercise)

Who has done this before? You can participate but you can't talk and you can't point.

Anything else you need to resolve? Who doesn't know anymore what number they are?

Who needs clarification?

Don't think. If you start thinking you're... All the exercises are based on common sense. When you see a snake, you back up. That's common sense. You don't need to see what gender it is?

Any language problems where you didn't understand the instructions?

The thing it is. It's so fucking simple. It's not that hard. What's hard is when you start going into dark thoughts and brain farts.

35 rule violations, mostly:
5 seconds
unanimous
respect - talking on top of each other

(Maze exercise)

6:52pm
How was it for you? You realize there are some dynamics involved here. One, you need a team. So it's imperative the team be a team. And the rule of not talking on top of each other becomes imperative. And the responsibilities have to be taken care of. Most probably, it's a controlled mistake. So far, the whistle has been an enemy. But now the whistle Is helping us. When the whistle blows, you have just discovered the tile that you should not step on. That's not a mistake.

This is much more akin to what happens in real life. You have to take risks. But all risks should be reversible. If the risks are reversible, then there are no consequences. But if it's not reversible, then there are consequences.

Group #4, did incredibly well. They followed the rules. They finished first, which is not the point of the exercise. They impressed the shit out of V. So rules work. And how important are they? Whenever you start breaking the rules, things start breaking down. Got it on tape. Then group #2, in same marquee, not good, not so good. Not following rules. Not having clear strategies. No unanimity. What I observed. In one group I observed that there was a system that was working but then there was a proposal to change it. Overall, I hope you saw some demonstration that teamwork it works. And if you follow the rules, how smoothly things go. I really want you to see group #4 in action. You get by group #4 and you actually felt good.

But your weakness is not your problem. Is weighing 350 pounds a problem? Problem isn't being color blind so far you stay out of the way and be helped by the team. So far those women were standing by the side of the road, no problem. So far those other 15 strong men are standing by the side of the road, no problem. Let those first 15 strong men push the bus and put their body eight into it.

With a team, if you stutter, it's not a problem. But don't be the negotiator with the hall or the press liaison. If you stutter, you stutter.

It's not so difficult. If you can get from here to where the marquees are. But everybody stopped. Throw too many numbers and it's no good. Am I eighth or am I four?

So all in all, not too bad.

Oh absolutely, you wasted four days. But we'll see if you can keep it up. I feel a little hopeful now. I think you've taken the corner. If you have sincerely taken the corner, then good. We'll find out.

I don't know about patient. I feel you took a turn. I hope you think so. Then you gotta stay with it. I'm not going to give you any homework. Don't drink too much. Enjoy yourselves. Relax. Have a good night.

Tomorrow if I were you, I'd be extremely careful. There will be a lot of exercises, a lot of opportunity for breaking the rules. Tomorrow will be a really good day or the worst. Don't make a U-turn. Good night. 9am. Do you want to start at 9:30am. Don't answer a question with a question. I'm asking what you want? Don't you want to be quality time? Take that extra half an hour, sleep in a little bit. 9:30am it is then.

M COMMENTS
UK SESSION #1
7/27/99

9:30am
You ready for today? You just have to stay with it. Today's going to be a difficult day. It doesn't have to be. It's up to you. There are a lot of exercises that you forfeited. We've got all this goody bag that you forfeited.

What is the purpose of any exercise? Do you all concur with that? Follow the rules. That's what you have to do. Stay with it.

Most of these exercises can't be done by yourself. It requires a team effort. It works if everybody is following the rules.
There are personality differences that have to go away. OK?

You have to make an effort to speak up and speak quickly. Yesterday you were well, and we were all waiting. Can we get going?

And you can't get into this person said that or I don't know what you have to do. Growing up means kind of becoming like an elephant. Right? No. Have you seen an elephant. Dogs are barking. They keep on going. They don't care. Have you seen little dogs and big dogs come by and they get scared. Scared by this, scared by that. Elephant doesn't care. Knows where it's going.

She has to become like an elephant too. Elephants don't tell dirty jokes.

So that's what's going to happen. We don't have to make this difficult. The facilitators are going to do at everything you do wrong. That's their job. I know a lot of you have looked at the facilitators and w but they have helped you.

In the puzzle exercise, some joker group puts the puzzle on a notebook and walks around with it. R's group did that. I tried to make that point. People think, I can do this. Just a learning experience. It's not personal. There's no ego involved here. It's just to make a point. In that exercise with the puzzles, if one rep from one group brings their two pieces to the other group, sees if they want it, goes to the next group, eventually everyone will get their pieces. But it's this thing of everyone has to do something. I want to be involved; I want to do something. But it's that bus analogy. Being available, but being willing to stand by the side of the road.

There's a difference between unanimously choosing a leader vs. choosing someone to execute a task. In the firing scenario you elected leaders. It would have been OK if you had unanimously decided the criteria and then chosen people to execute the task.

We don't want to create leaders and abdicate responsibility to them.

When you start these exercises you will start very conscious, but then you will start forgetting the rules. Brain farts will start.

Also I saw some confusion about the 5-second rule. The intent of the 5-second rule is to digest information. If someone farted, there's nothing to digest.

There was a lot of help yesterday. I came around to the groups. There was a lot of dark thoughts from P. They manifest and you see, there's this tile, that tile. You said it's not going anywhere with this tile, but you said it's not going anywhere.

(M shows the solution diagram to the tile exercise)

Change it.

The other thing is, this kind of thinking, you've got to move this way. Lots of times to go forward you might have to make a 90-degree turn. Do so. That may be the only route.

OK?

Any other comments, thoughts, suggestions? Watch your brain farts, though?

[text missing from transcript] asset because of the way it was done. You've got to be very precise in giving instructions. We have gotten people and said OK you're the national contact. What am I [text missing from transcript]

In Amaroo I saw a person I thought was very competent to organize the teams in North America and he sat thru two trainings. Second training he was observing. I've given him a free run. OK You pick your team, figure out what needs to be done, get it done.

So I was asked yesterday do we need to have a person in Europe do that? And what do you think what my answer was? This is what I said. I'm neither going to create a position. If someone strikes me as that competent, then I'll create that position. That seems backwards. But to me that makes sense. That's how incompetence is created. Supervisor after supervisor after supervisor.

What is so difficult in figuring out a numbering system? What is so difficult, since all of these facility setups are identical, what is the difference to consciously move from here, being aware of who your group is, and go to whichever table is empty? You're compensating for a mistake that you made here. Let the first group go. Everyone gets up at the same time. Then you need systems.

Whatever methodology you come up with, make it simple so it works. Simplicity is not in a system. It's in a person. If the person is simple, it doesn't matter how complicated the situation is, they'll look at it simply. If you want that simple approach, use that simple approach.

So let the first group go. Then let the second group go. Then the third gorup. It's not like the chairs are custom molded for your body. But all the other things start mattering when you compensate for mistakes that happen here.

If I go for a walk at the Reigate residence, do you think I should start at a particular place? It doesn't matter. No, I'm at my house.

If you're really familiar with where you live, and you see a traffic jam. No problem. You know the other roads. But the tourist, oh shit, because they don't know other routes.

In Dehra Dun, if you were in a rush, if you wanted to arrive a little later, if I wanted to go for a drive, there were options, many different routes. Where there's K, there's light, there's options. Where there's ignorance, there's dark, there's no options. As a human being, you need light. Other creatures don't need that. You need a minimum amount of light to see. You have to live with that rule. You can come up with 100 different systems to compensate. But if you do it simply, well organised, it's fine. If someone has to go to the bathroom, just hold it for two more seconds so everyone knows which group they are in.

It's like, people put a door in the house to close it and then they put a lock on the door to keep the burgler out and then they lose the key because they put it under the mat and the whole purpose is defeated.

I just feel in my pocket to check if I've got my hotel key before. I take the sitting room key because that's what I use the most. At night I put the key by the door in an uncluttered place so I don't forget it in the morning.

(V announces plane crash exercise)

What was N's proposal? To ask if anyone needed clarification? Whose responsibility is it to get clear on the instructions? What if N gets sick or decides to have another baby and is not available? This is an example of personal responsibility, that each person should take individual personal responsibility to make sure that they are clear on the instructions.

No dark thoughts and no brain farts. There was a very clear set of verbage used.

(Plane Crash breakout sessions)

Look guys this is really simple. But you break rules. D had a brain fart and said the time is up. Another group had another brain fart. They took longer than 5 minutes for the first step and then still gave themselves 25 minutes. Please people, that's breaking the rules. You can't do that.

No dark thoughts. See that light right there. All right, but lets finish this. Bring this all together. Reach a consensus.

Is that the exercise? Then why are you modifying it?

Who's going to do it? Great idea. But let's go. Airplane's going to leave. People. Get it. All right people. Let's do it. Get this show on the road. OK, let's go.

Does everybody need to see? Can this be done if we eliminate everybody except for one person from each group? Which is how we're going to do it right? Go, go, go.

Add all that and get the average. Why don't you write down the total? And then you can have another column and write the average.

How many of you said the insect repellent was #1? Read the text. In the text it talks about the insects. When do insects come out? What do you put on at night before you go out in an insecty place?

Whilst they're doing this calculation, let's take a 15-minute break.

(Break)

What are you waiting for? What am I supposed to do? You still have to write it in that column. You have to take these numbers and decide. I already gave you an assignment. If you're going to wait for me to proceed, this is not going to work, is it? Finish it.

Start from the top. Just call out what it is. What is the first aid kit?

So what's the logic here? There is none. You're supposed to put rum first and pistol second so you can get drunk and shoot yourself. Is there a problem? You're all dead. Are you all dead? Are we having dark thoughts? Why are you having dark thoughts? In survival situations should people have dark thoughts? What is the purpose of these things? To survive. So how did that blind girl survive? Common sense. These items are just aids to make life more comfortable, that's all.

When are they going to come looking for you? Are they going to come looking for you? When? When the rain stops. So when the rain stops when they come looking for you, how are you going to tell them where you are? Make a fire? Light the plane on fire. That will make a big fire. On the canopy of the trees, there's rain water. What's going to drive you insane? Insects.

Once I went on vacation on Heron Island. It was just like a day trip. One thing I couldn't believe, in the water, they were teeming with life, sharks, stingrays and they had no inhibition as human beings They had so little contact with humans. Most of the creatures we come in contact with have evolved with the humans, moved in with humans and found them to be good food. Humans moved out of caves and into houses and they moved in with us. Microscopic beetles , 1000's of them live on the bedsheets and live off your dead skin.

There's nothing you can do to get rid of them.

These bugs are not inhibited. They come and eat you alive. They haven't got it in their sense that you can kill them. They will eat you alive. It is one of the most intolerable things there is. Survival is not a weird thing. The most important thing that you need is not on here. Remember this one. Remember the clue. Get to the river. Once you get to the river you will be saved. The rivers are used by natives for transportation. You have to be careful of the rivers because of flooding. A lot of judgement has to be used. Rivers are like the highway. There are natives. They are available. They will help you. The most important survival info is not on here. It's an item, an object. If there were a woman on board, they'd have it. A mirror. The mahaguru of survival was asked once, what is the one item you'd want. A mirror. Pluck out things from my back , use it for signaling, if you have a wound, maggots will set in very quickly.
A live maggot will eat you, you have to cut them out. Space blanket is one of the mot incredible things. I just want to show you something.

Survival is common sense. Survival is not that difficult. Radio is not going to do any good. Especially with thunderstorms, all you will hear is cracks.

Read your text. Do you know what general direction the rivers are? Read on. So whichever way the airplane is headed when it crashed, go towards the tail and that's where you saw the rivers. P will you get my survival kit from my briefcase. You don't have to be genius to figure this out. This is more of an academic exercise. You don't have to be a rocket scientist for any of these exercises.

Every survival situation is different. The thing of just leaving the site of the accident is not what you want to do. There was a plane crash in Peru. The crew, 10-11 people. Half of them decided to go. When they were rescued, those who had stayed with the airplane were picked up because the plane acted as a big flag. The others died.

This is what I carry. Toolkit, compass, sharpening stone, canteen, matches, lighter, battery with wire, tool kit with pliers, steel wool, alumniimum foil, signalling mirror, space blanket, water purification tablets, tylenol tablets, motion sickness tablets. Custom made.

So this is good to have. Hopefully never have to use it. OK. Next.

A lot of brain farts. People weren't keeping time. Which is not a good situation. Making up their own time. Anything else, add, subtract from that?

11:44am
(V announces Silent Paragraph Reconstruction exercise)

We need to pick up these sheets from the last exercise. Everybody handed their survival exercise over?

How many A3's are there? How many A4's are there? Yeah but she's Indian. And she's a woman, right? So it doesn't matter, right? Are you taking care of your woman here? Do you feel that you are being left out? You feel fine? You feel respect? Let's clarify things and get started. Time is burning up.

People are starting to have dark thoughts.

[text missing from transcript] is. Now you're already formulating the exercise in your head. That exercise you are formulating in your head is not the one you are about to do. Are you already considering that we are going to make your job so difficult, so tricky. Have you come across any such exercise thus far?

(Silent Paragraph exercise begins)

(Break)

12:35pm
(V announces Silent Paragraph exercise #2)

A4 group got one of the only two faxes available but then took 6 minutes (of the 20) to discuss things before sending on the fax to other groups.

Group agreed to address the fax to A3, 2 and 1, but when it was worded, it ended up being addressed only to A3. They rushed to send off the fax. By rushing they made a mistake. A minute later someone wrote "hopefully A3 will send on the fax to A2 and A1."

[text missing from transcript] only do that if you thought it was a trick. Think about it. Because it's futile. You couldn't have done it. It's not possible.

So how many of you agree that the whole group had all the info? Those of you who do think that are 100% correct. It's not a trick. You have two faxes. How many faxes do you really need? One. How can this be done? Very very simply. So in this group you have all the words you need. You have two faxes and only needed one. And you have at least one person who knows exactly how this can happen. You have the means, the resources. Do you think you had enough time to do this? So why did that not happen? A simple thing.

Why were you all trying to send individual faxes? Why? No trust. If group A1 had sent their fax to group A2. Then what does group A1 do after they send the fax? Relax. When you finish your job and go home, what do you do? Relax, There's nothing more to do. Then what does A2 do? Copy their words and send it to A3. What does A2 do? Relax. …. Then A4 needs to copy all those words and start putting it together and send it back to A3, if they want to. Although A4 is capable of doing the job. But where is the trust? In real life you trust, don't you?

How many of you buy items from these warehouses and they send it to you? So you can trust total strangers. You can, right? You do. But you're not willing to trust these guys? Each other? But you didn't do it.

So A1 is writing their fax. What should A2 do? What should A3 do? Wait. But when everyone gets excited and starts grabbing the faxes. Because there is no fax. How many thought there were no faxes? But actually 2 faxes is 100% more than you need.

So we went through yesterday and I think something happened. A weight was lifted. It wasn't that we were working with strangers any more. There was some commonality. People we could trust. But as far as brainfarts are concerned, they always come first. I guess farts are precursors to shit. So I guess you like the smell, and then you wait for the shit. After the shit there's the fan and the shit goes all over the place.

You've got to trust. It's so simple.

Group A3 could have saved the day. You had two faxes. They were hogging them, so nobody else could have them. Hogging them. B can explain it to you. Expression comes from Kansas.

The way Group A4 wrote the fax, they almost covered. Not enough room for everyone to write their words. See this note here? This note was going to go down here. After a few thumbs up, I kept clearing my throat. You take more space and you're going to make matters worse.

What I'm going to do. I'm going to get you to do this exercise again. A1, B1, ask for the fax. Put your words down. Send it to group two. Put their words down. Send it to three. Put your words down. Send it to group four.

Trust is really trust. So many times someone goes missing. Someone says you stay here and I'll go look. When one person goes away, there are two people lost. The third person figures I better go look. He goes. The second person comes back and says I couldn't find the first person, so he goes looking. The first one comes back and seeing no one there, goes home. It's a comedy. Of course it's an issue of trust.

Under the circumstances of this training, it's an issue of trust. What good is it for everyone to be responsible, but nobody trusts each other.

That's not good. Train the person, brief the person, get the person so they are trustworthy and then trust them.

So you don't need to speak this time, do you? Ten minutes is all they need. Wait. What are you doing? Who should go? OK. All I want to see is A1 leaving. If A2 gets up I'm going to shoot them. B2, A2. So much less confusing. So much smoother. OK, 3. 4.

It's almost time for lunch. Obviously the debriefing needs to continue afar beyond lunch. I think we have an accountability issue here. In the A Group, they decided that S, N, P, L and P and A and J, they all decided that S and J are the only ones to work on this because the rest of the guys don't know English. What did Group A1 have to do? Copy. Could he copy? Could P copy? Could A copy? Could P copy? What did group A2 have to do? Copy.

I went to Senegel once. The immigration guy couldn't read. The guy copied. It took 45 minutes, but eventually he got it.

I think you have an accountability issue. That was one of the suggestions I had made. You can send the fax back. After lunch, I think you need to hold these people accountable. Because you trusted them.

This is a simple exercise. (M reads the message:)

How many of you have heard that before? All of you. It's from an event. You couldn't put it together. Not a good situation. Have lunch. One hour. 1:38, 2:38 please.

(Lunch break)

2:38pm
So we were dealing with the accountability issue.

I think group four, A4 and B4 needs to explain to the team why whatever happened, happened. P?

That's a personal perspective. I'm glad you see what you saw and I'm sure that will help you. But the accountability is towards the team for that particular group.

Because you want to abdicate, get out of this. You did the puzzle exercises and the fewer the people the better. But in this exercise. If 6 people had said or 4 people had said we'll do the copying and 2 people decipher, then I would have let that go on. And the hogging of the fax. That could have gone either way.

By that team took 6 of their members and threw them out. If they realized they had English language impediment in their group. But one you hog, then two you have completely incapacitate yourself. And I think that group should explain or do something, even if it's an apology, even if this a bit of a setup, but I should think that group should apologize to the rest of the group.

If those kids in the bus analogy started running in the road and distracting everyone and the 350 pound people decided to sit on them, then OK, at least you're preventing the kids from distracting everyone.

(Group A4 apologizes)

Now from the rest of the team, do you accept their apology?

Do you accept their apology? One simple question.

Why do you accept their apology? If you have a daughter and someone rapes your daughter and then they say well I really love you daughter and I'm sorry, would you accept that?

So B4, you can get up and apologize to the team. Hogs. Are you unanimous in apologizing? OK, so apologize.

So, does the team accept their apology?

You go to the gas station and ask which way is Arundel? And then this guy says you know my wife has these knockers this big. And she was constipated the other day and … Do you want to hear all that?

This is a question of respect. When someone asks you as question, you answer them. So, do you accept their apology?

I think it's fundamentally wrong to accept their apology. Once you have accepted their apology, you have abdicated, OK, it's fine, It's settled, we can all go home now. Is it settled? There hasn't been any consequences. Everthings's OK. We can go fuck up again.

Anyone want to bet? Bet? Bet? $100? $1,000,000? So, this is again the same issue that prevented us from completing the firing thing we were going to do. Notice I didn't call it an exercise. Look guys, you made a turn yesterday. Now that you've made a turn, the territory in front of you is unfamiliar. But you can't have it both ways. You can't go into unfamiliar territory and have familiar scenes. The scenery is going to change.

When I was driving here this morning, sitting there very quietly, looking at the scenery change. I remember this. I think we're about half way there. The scenery is going to change. If you take that turn and you don't want the scenery to change, your're in trouble. Question of respect, are you thinking about the other groups? What are they going through. So stay with it. That was an easy one.

Now I know why he said yeah we should accept that apology. A lot of times I used to do this thing with my kids and they'd do something and come to me and say "I'm sorry" and I'd ask them "Why?" Very calm. I'd sit there and go "Why?" "Why?" And after they got out of that age, I asked them what they thought of that. They said the why thing was the most painful. Much worse than being yelled at. It was the most confronting thing. We need to be confronted. Apology is simply not good enough. Unless team tells you a remedy and you apply it, fine.

So reflect on that for a minute. While we figure out what kind of headache we're going to pick for you. Depending on where you are, we've got different types of headaches.

[text missing from transcript] re in Amaroo who did this exercise shall not participate verbally. OK?
[text missing from transcript] t's it.

(V announces River Crossing exercise)

Has anybody else done this exercise before besides the Amaroo group?

Now you are starting to repeat yourselves. If you are smart enough to write the instructions, then be smart enough to tick them off as they are said.

You could just choose one person to represent you and I guarantee you that poor asshole will never make it. Asshole, is that male? That's male though, no? Do you think of a male when you hear that word?

Leave your notebooks here. You won't be needing them.

(River Crossing exercise begins)

V made it [text missing from transcript] purpose of the 8 groups is for accountability. You are supposed to work as a team? So why are you still meeting in 8 groups?

If you pick up a mat, you're going to have to have a mat anyway. This is very much like don't know how to do it right? Just don't make any mistakes. Don't touch the rope. Don't touch the acid. Don't step for more than four seconds. And don't touch more than one mat. Real live stuff, right?

It's fine to pick up a mat. Because they want to see a live demonstration.

Start by standing as much on the corner of it as you can, without stepping off.

[text missing from transcript] a handrail bridge.

Are you afraid these [text missing from transcript] them. So why don't you all take a mat and get rid of that problem. Now get organized that everyone has a mat and can hear. Now please back up so people can experiment in a space. If you want, you can sit down on your mat. Give enough room so the experimenters can experiment.

You end up with the same problem.

They already rehearsed that.

Can I make a suggestion? Maybe I shouldn't. R had the right idea. The very first idea you came up with was bang on. But dark thoughts got in the way. There is no risk free solution. To save you a lot of headache, he had the right idea. But now I'm not going to tell you anything more. Do you remember what your idea was? He forgot.

You don't need to do any of that. Don't do anything fancy. Just stand right at the edge. People have done it with much bigger feet than mine and yours.

Put your mat over there. Now go stand on it. Pick up your mat. You can't stabilize for that long. There, that's it. That's how it works. You have to do it slowly. You don't have to hold anybody. This is not sexual training. Do you get it? Have you been following all the rules. 10 second rule would have allowed multiple ideas to be tried. But when the 10 second rule isn't there, there's no time for more ideas.

Follow the rules and I'll give you a time extension.

Is it only two people at a time? It's going to be more, right?

What really needs to happen? He stays. Stay on your mat. Now another person go. Cool. Now another person go. Cool. God, you guys are genius. How the fuck did you figure that out. What is the key to this? Go slowly. There are ladies present, so the mats can't be that far apart. Now you need to try a turn.

Now this is a turning point. So you have to give enough room. See you put that too far. Another person please. When you come here. You can do a 90 degree turn. So you can have the line go exactly down the center and have the lines go in both directions at the other side. Now you're going to go because you're the last person.

When you go 90 degrees, you have to make sure it's not too big of a step so you don't cross the 4 second threshold.

Is everybody unhappy with that?

Yeah, it's much better to start in the middle. Shh, shh, shh, shh.

Don't be in a rush. That's when the mistakes happen. Then everybody has to go back and problems come.

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three …

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three …

You can't scooch so just stand at the edge. It's all right.

One thousand one, one thousand two, …

(Side comment to V: Maybe we should have the people from Amaroo just peel off.)

(Side comment to Chuck: No that's too close (to the rope). They're going to jump.)

(Side comment to Chuck: No not there. They're going to have to cross the line there.)

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four

No, you can't scooch.

One thousand one, one thousand two …

Do these people coming know that they have to be a lot tighter to fit in?

How many left? They'll work something out right?

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four.

R is here.

Have you got plans? Have you got a strategy? I'm sure the Amaroo staff, the people who were at Amaroo have the solution.

I think your proposal is good. They should go with it (J's proposal). It was just dark thoughts that prevented it from being accepted.

One thousand one, one thousand two

They've got it.

(Break)

R had the solution, but you need to be more confident.

One thing I have to hand you. Your execution was better than most groups.

The next exercise, people from Amaroo, shut up. Only if you have a brain fart can you speak.

(V announces envelope exercise.)

Ahem, ahem. I'm just clearing my throat.

Now you know why French never made it as the international language.

You know one group figured out a way around the 10-second rule. One guy would go "and." They only did it for the good ones. Good ideas.

That's why French is not the international language. A lot of people had the same comment, "What?"

So this is an example of unity. Once you break that team unity, it cannot be put back together again. That's what you meant, right?

Nobody is saying "and" to you.

How can a scholar of Sanskrit be ever wrong? (Said to G)

He talks like Captain Pickard. #2, make it so. (Said to R)

It reminds me of a story. There were a couple of ladies teeing off. There were a couple of guys standing on the side. The ladies teed off and then watched as one of the guys doubled up in pain.

Well, let me tell you another story. You ladies might want to put your fingers in your ears. This circus owner put an ad in the newspaper, "Looking for lion tamers." The next day this old woman and old man show up for the job. They say we're lion tamers. The owner says let me see what you can do. She change into her costume, beautiful black robe, stark naked underneath., black whip and black boots. She whips her whip into the air. The lion comes up to her. She opens up her private parts. The lion starts to, you know. This really impresses the owner. He turns to the old man and says can you do better than that? The old man says, well yeah, just get the lion out of there.

See if you can find a parallel. I told you to put your fingers in your ears.

(Comments)
You just passed the proposal. Nobody objected to it. So what are you going to do now? Do you want this to happen?

Is he a brain or a hand? Which do you want these two to be? Brain or hands? Hands can give you a report, right? Hot, cold. Then the brain decides.

Do you want to look inside of it? You can hold it up to the light.

(M comes out with a flashlight.)

It's from Dr. H. It's been up 100 rectums. I'm going to wash my hands.

He gave you the biggest clue. You just didn't listen to him.

By the way, how's your eyesight? He's got these big thick glasses he wears.

Now wait a minute. One time you were going for it. Now you're going the other way. You said the word "riddle." It's not a riddle. There is no riddle.

There you go. You want a chair? OK

See how good a magician I am?

Four don't (four envelopes).

[text missing from transcript] s ago? Everything you do has to be irreversible. Work it on your accent a bit. You've got it.

Go ahead, they don't object. No one objects anymore.

I don't think those envelopes have ever been squeezed before. They're going to fuse together.

OK, so you're convinced now. You're trying to go into an area where you need to be a lot more definitive than just shining a light on the envelope. I suggest that you do something that is irreversible.

The order is very very important. That would be irreversible There is a very simple solution to it. No, numbering the envelopes is irreversible. That will work. That's reversible. Whatever the content is, you could take it out and put it next to the envelope, right? That would be reversible, right?

It's unnecessary (to write the words on the flip chart). The first thing you want to do is line them up in order. Are people keeping track of the order of the envelopes? Are you helping them? Are you helping the hands?

I'm very glad S you didn't drop your voice and you didn't drop your proposal.

Very important to do your research thoroughly. The person just told you they haven't completed the research.

It's like somebody loses something in a car and you send someone to search the car. They come back and tell you I looked everywhere except the trunk. Have they finished the research?

The chairs are your biggest obstacle right now. Do you need some more people? Qualified people? People who won't rush and mess it up. S should help. She should have the honors.

Now that we are this far along. Should I tell them? One piece of paper has a code and one has a word. If you separate those two, you'll never know where the word goes. You want to take a break. They can work on this. It doesn't take long once you figure it out.
Let's take a break. How long do you want?

(Break)

You look like Pickard, talk like Pickard. But yuou don't smile like Pickard because Pickard doesn't smile.

All right, how do we include this. If you want to use that easel, flip chart, you can. You don't have to.

Now you don't need to worry about the envelopes, right? What can't be separated are the two pieces of paper. You don't even need to use the flip charts. Envelopes don't matter anymore. What can't be separated and put back together are the words and the codes.

If you've decided to use the flip chart. OK, find 001.

How's your English? You can read?

Just write creators.

Now it's just academic.

Creators are an enigma to many people because creators seem to tolerate apparent contradictions quite easily. To creators however, these are not contradictions but opposites that need to be balanced continually as a bicyclist continually shifts weight from left to right to maintain balance with the least amount of effort.

You have to be very precise. Creators or creator? You don't have to write this down, do you?

OK? That's it. Hand the envelopes back to Mr. V. You should have started from there to know which is the top one.

I have to tell you not too many actually get to this part of the exercise. That one hour session prior to getting this done usually goes two hours, three hours.

Well, OK, next exercise I won't help. I don't know if you are complaining or not.

(V asks the group to pick the 25 smartest people in the team.)

I see D feeling a little uncomfortable with this.

No, you have to choose them. Here's a task that requires 25 smartest people. They all volunteer, secretly, they have all volunteered. Why are you sitting down (to P). Choose the 25 smartest people. Yeah you choose them and maybe everybody will agree. She likes this. 25 smartest people. Smartest. OK, you're taking too much time. Sit down.

For the exercise we need the 25 smartest. Don't go into dark thoughts now. Like going from one country to another country you go through a zone.

But no one objected to his proposal in time. Start from there. No one objected to any of these proposals. Now the Italians say this is OK. Multi bene. So far as I'm smart, it's OK.

(V starts the Mission Possible/Bucket exercise by asking the group to pick 20 of the least smart people)

(V asks the rest to divide up into five groups of as much as equal size as possible)

Amaroo people, you are just dumb, OK?

(V asks the 20 to divide into 5 groups of equal size)

(V asks the 20 least smart people to put on their blindfolds and he takes the 25 smartest people out of the room.)

How are you all doing? Feeling OK with your blindfolds?

Anybody want any water or anything? You want with vodka or without vodka? That's with vodka. Want some more? Music? Obnoxious or good?

(M tells a joke)

All the people with the blindfolds OK? It's OK, there's a big monster behind you. Big claws about to slit your throadt? Have you seen Friday the 13th? So far you're blindfolded it's OK.

Do you have to go to the bathroom? Well that's not your chair anyway, go ahead. Be back this century OK?

OK, I'll keep them entertained.

(M tells a joke)

Everybody still comfortable?

(Everyone comes back)

How was it over there?

OK, I don't know if we need to debrief.

Tomorrow morning when you come you need to sit exactly like this. Or someone can take inventory where everyone is. That's a hint. J is 1. P is 71.

So you all know your numbers now. So you can sit like you would normally tomorrow, front to back, back to front. Write down your number so you can go back to the seat you are in now.

There's a lot to brief and a lot not to debrief. I'll see you at 9am tomorrow morning.

M COMMENTS
UK SESSION #1
7/28/99

9am
Good morning.

You haven't spoken anything have you?

Timewise it's pretty much finished. We'll do a couple of exercises today. And hopefully create the Lifelong Rules.

It's time to make everything very real. You have to remember when you go out of here, it's not going to be easy to implement everything that we learnt. One issue that was brought up to my attention is leadership. You've got to stay away from that leadership role. That's just allowing other people to abdicate responsibility.

It's very easy to become a leader, especially if you have passion for what's being done. If things aren't coming together, you become a leader, you do this, you do that. But that's exactly what we have to change. If we don't change that, we'll keep falling in the same pitfalls. You may think it helps me when you become a leader, but it's really a disservice.

Swiss air crash. We don't have time to fix that electrical problem. So let's just put a fire extinguisher in the cockpit. And that's that. Becoming a leader is becoming unconscious. Somebody becomes a leader. It comes out of passion. I'm sure S was saying inside. Let me facilitate this. It's not happening. Mistake number one.

So you get up there, no reflection on you S. Because every group has one. It comes from a passion, a want to continue, not go around in circles. The intent is really good. But what needs to be fixed is exactly the thing that allows leaders to be born. Once there's a leader, then everyone else can go unconscious and stop following the rules.

It's like two males trying to copulate and have a baby. It won't work. It's possible for a male to get pregnant, but a female would have to provide the egg. Female has to get involved somehow. Those are the dynamics, weird, aren't they? There are people here who want to become leaders, have leadership qualities. And probably would make great leaders. But what we're trying to accomplish goes far beyond any one person. This has to continue. Far beyond me, far beyond anybody. The system has to be there for the first time that works.

When it's based on the team, it will work. When it's based on leaders, when the leader goes, it collapses. Big problem. When teamwork is in place, it's not an issue. When a leader is in place, you have issues. There is a leader, that's the Master. That Master should be able to come down and say the stage should be on the left side, not the right side. Or I don't want to do events in the Barcelona hall. Or I want to go around the world and do K sessions. OK, that's what's happening.

And that's how it should be. Rather than, you really ought not to do that. You can't do that. We don't that facility, we don't that this. You've go to stop that. It's been going on too long. Chaos. There's no mistake that's time sensitive. Wine will go bad. Mistakes don't. Tomatoes will go bad. Not mistakes. No mistake is time sensitive. Our bodies are time sensitive. Mistakes can repeat themselves 200 years later the same exact same way. The mistakes, when pilots used to fly mail runs. In the beginning of aviation, that was what aviation was being used for. They had small airplanes and they would fly mail runs. They didn't have maps. Maps hadn't been developed yet. But they would follow the railroads going to the different destinations. They'd get into IFR, cloudy weather and crash. Now US has been charted many times over. There are digital maps. You can see where you are and where you're coming from. And where the airports, highways, railways, are. You can fly along and watch your progress on the map. Even restricted strips like airports are shown. But those IFR related crashes still happen. Same mistake that the mail run planes used to make. Mistakes have no time limit on them.

IFR means Instrument flying rules - can't see outside the airplane.

So those things happen. Remember that flight that took off and they were flying across the Andes in a propeller airplane and they crashed. There was a famous book and movie about it. They ended up eating each other. The same exact type of crash happened with a DC10. Mistakes are mistakes.

Same thing, it went right into a mountain. Couldn't see it. That's flight that goes out of NZ and circles the S pole. It's a tourist flight. That mistake was so incredible. They had loaded, Air NZ had loaded the flight plan wrong. Left turn instead of right turn. Captain knew that route but still he turned the wrong way. They opened up the investigation. But then they opened the investigation again and the judge found out how it happened. A bunch of people got fired. It really was a cover up. Pilot couldn't see. There were clouds.

So now more comments, questions. How are you all feeling? How are you faring with these rules?

A lot of people have personalities and they get into team environment and these personalities really come out. For a team to work properly, those personalities need to be put to the side. You've got to stand at the edge, possible edge that you can. You cannot afford even 1/4 inch. A lot of people get into experimenting. I'll stand like this. That's a very unsteady way. They think they are doing something good when they take a risk. But if someone comes and pushes you, boom... you're gone. Every part has to work.

It's like a clock with all the gears. Little gear here, little gear there. If the second hand is going faster, that's not the point. What good would it be for a watch to be really precise on seconds but not precise on minutes? So everything has to work.

Apply that and the learning should not stop. This training is just a launch. It's a different way of thinking, behaving, perceiving. What you should perceive hasn't been given to you. This is very much a seed that has been placed. Now you have to let it germinate. Training should be evolutionary not revolutionary. I've been to revolutionary training. 4 weeks of flight training. The instructor goes on and on and on. The student has to sit there because it's a required FAA course.

But this is not that kind of a training. Something evolves. Who's Georgy. You have a ghost in a closet. And you've made an attempt. We all have ghosts. If we have an accident in a car, that doesn't mean we stop driving. Our ghosts are not all the same. But nonetheless, they are all ghosts, because they impede our progress. So what we really have to do is try, that's what being a lover is all about, you get to move on to newer, more exciting things. Those are the people that take advantage of this life. People who allow themselves to go ahead and evolve.

So many people who go to prison, they come out and go right back. They have so much hate, anger and instead of evolving that want to express that hate and anger We all have ghosts. We can't just leave it there. We have to go on. We don't have to slaughter the ghosts. That's very difficult. But to go on, to move on. That's very difficult.

The help can be a very dangerous thing. Because some people get into it. Somebody is crying. Maybe they are just exercising something, letting go of something. Next thing you know, here comes the tissues. It's OK. What the fuck do you mean? I shouldn't let go of this? It's OK, it's OK. It sounds really good to say let us remind each other of the rules. But how far are you going to take that? Because so far, everytime someone says Remember the rules, it really bothers me. Because it's not coming from a specific place. Don't do that. That's breaking the rules. That's specific. Like a back seat driver in a car. Don't do this. Don't do that. It's very easy to become a back seat driver. Don't do that.

Yes the help should be there. But the help should be asked for. If Somebody is having a difficult time, on the edge of burning out, please don't ignore that. Because the whole team is going to be accountable for that. You've got to be honest. Hey, I'm not getting enough sleep. And it happens. The teams stays quiet. The leader will take care of it. Because the leaders are imbedded. The leaders are subtly there. Knowing we can't have leaders. It's this strange compromise.

The neighbors dog comes and shits on your lawn. But the dog is too big and the neighbor is hard to tackle. So it's easier to just go to pick up the shit. So compromise. That's the same thing the Amaroo team did. Let there be a leader. And this guy is getting fried. I need help, rest. And people are saying the leader will take care of it. And this guy ended up getting burnt out. Can't have that.

Got to be very honest. When so many proposals come. They were not well thought out. And that needs to be expressed. I haven't thought this all the way thru yet. But this part, I see this will work. And half of the solution can come from one person and the other half from another person. Because he could feel really good about it. But remember what the team had already done. Rejected his idea. So when a team accepts an idea, it's like the whole team coming up with the idea. Did they buy you drinks yesterday?

One for you, one for me. One for you, two for me. One for you, three for me. Let's share 50 50 . OK. Bugs Bunny.

(V announces continuation of the Mission Possible/Bucket exercise.)

People you really have to ask why. He disagreed. He's half way to Barcelona. Ask him why he disagrees. It's not a problem, is it? He can easily be told this is not about the whole thing. So instead of thinking he's really stupid, offer his some help. Ask him why and then offer him some help.

(To V: ) You have to remember the distinction between a wife and girlfriend. Once she becomes your wife, she's no longer your friend. There are a lot of ceremonies that happen: Circumcision, death, marriage. Those are the most popular ones.

So then withdraw your objection. So there's a proposal of ten minutes. Has it been passed?

So what you're telling me is next time you screw up my meal on the airplane, you're history. I'll be happy to do that, no problem. What do you mean, you're not sure? This is the final day of the training and you're not sure? Do you think it's a dark thought? Why's are very powerful.

We still have a ten minute proposal. What are you going to do? Oh, that was smelly. Hey P, would you please make sure we have better ventilation. It gets smelly in here.

Are you going to show your maleness off? And B comes and … (said to W)

So now there's 3, 4 groups here? One group left, right? Rodney Dangerfield. That's a good name for him. Sometimes people don't have matching name. Some people are named John and are named John. Like R, he doesn't look like a R. Much easier to cal him Captain Pickard. He looks a little like Captain Pickard. Talks just like Captain Pickard. Number two, make it so.

Today is the last day of the conference. The second one starts in a few days.

It's been a long long long evolution First it was the instructor training. Then there was a real need because the people who were there, pretty much leaders, just wasn't cutting the mustard. However big their vision was, that's what was happening. Then they left slowly as things evolved. Broader vision was needed. A lot of cleaning up done in the 80's really boosted propagaton. Then the same thing started happening. Leaders evolved and the same thing happened. Things were limited by their vision. When you get a bigger family, you have to get a bigger car. And then when you get a bigger family, you need to get an even bigger car.

So instead of dealing with this with leaders, we have to do it with teams. There were a lot of people who were there in the background that were really carrying the load. Now it feels a lot better. A lot more people get involved. I don't get to be in contact with a lot of people. This is a wonderful way. Because when I go to event, I come out of the curtain, and an hour later I'm gone.

Teams are at an embryo stage. I don't see them functionioning yet. Once these teams really start to come together, to get their academic. Hopefully G being a computer genius that he is. But hopefully he can not only do that so people need training in computer, pitfalls in interest net, security, Compuserve vs. First Class vs.. …

To J - N sent me an email. All the drawings and stuff. He sent them to me in the wrong format. The ones you sent I got those. I spent half an hour trying to open it. People Dos Washer, Mac Link Plus. Convert theme into a DOS document. The headers are what's missing in a lot of PC fields. Mac Link Plus has to look for the header. So I was going to stay quiet and not do anything. Because he knows how to send them.

There's not very good logic that has been put into the parking lot. Separate the buses from the cars. Take care of that traffic jam problem. I want to separate service traffic from people traffic.

There's a lot of Indians who used to work with the railways, engineers, mechanics. We don't want a noisy one, we want a quiet one. Not electric. Diesel. Not a train diesel engine. Most trains the engine they use is the MDU 98. They put four or five of these diesel engines. They generate the electriciy. Then the train uses the electricty. A lot of the cruise liner ships run that way too. Deisel engienes create electricity and then the eletricity drives the propellors. That way one engine shuts down, not a problem. Four diesel engines. Doesn't matter which one shuts down.

They only a single screw, big propellor. They can't afford to have just one engine. That's how their achieve their redundency. Kind of a strange system to use diesel to generate electricity.

I was all set to go to so Africa. I wanted to go. But the top team there, really screwed up royally. Any water, tea, capaccino? Irish whiskey?

Mahatma Ji, tell them jokes.

(Mission Possible/Bucket exercise)

When you said "Hold it" to the blind people, all they could do was pull back on the rope. They had no way on knowing you meant for them to stop.

You never clarified what you were going to do with the blindfolded people. You never clarified it. They were strategizing among themselves but they never shared their strategy.

11:25am
What did you think of that exercise? A lot comes out.

Leadership comes out. Lack of planning - we've got the bucket on there but what are we gong to do now? Making comments at the wrong time, right R?

This is the most interesting one so we'll show this one first. Too interesting. So they get it. "Hold it." Do you get that one? So interesting. They're blindfolded. They're not seeing what you're seeing. They've got this incredible amount of tension in the rope. Someone says "hold it" and that's what they're going to do. And that's what screws you guys up.

The strategists are supposed to tell them that it's gone. There was clear set of instructions. Those clear set of instructions were not even being followed. Wasn't the strategist supposed to tell you what to do next, what to do next. But the guys helping the blind people took over. They stopped listening to the strategists.

The fact that the blindfolded people were sitting here for the longest period of time, yet they were the only ones who could actually touch the equipment.

What would you do differently in retrospect?

So who are the blind people in real life? People doing service, right? Ushers that guide people. And how clearly are the instructions explained to them? Global perspective. What we are trying to achieve. What specifically is requested of them. Instead of you are doing ushering. Go stand over there and tell people where their seats are.

At Amaroo, God is was good [??]. People started coming into the amphitheatre. One person decided that it was a disaster and tried to fix it. And started doing amazing things.

Why do we have those cycles? Why do we have this? Wouldn't you want to know as much from those people who could tell you the most? How many times when info comes down about an event, how many times do you ask what type of event was it, what was bad last time, what could be improved this time?

Well those rehersals started happening because teams were being made. But still do you think the info that goes out is sufficient?

Yeah because you're a PWK. You're not supposed to question those things. You're not supposed to ask who said this.

After the exercise was over you were still sitting there blindfolded quite a while, while everyone else was farting over. Uncomfortable to sit on that mat. You were tired. The executive committee hasn't gotten over and seen that it's over and hasn't decided to tell them right away that we'll take these blindfolds off so they can be comfortable. The least you could do is figure out how to take care of these people?

How long do debriefs last? How many of you like these forever debriefs? I know C does debriefs. He's kind of a leader. Who is this demon that makes these debriefs go on forever? It's not the people doing the debriefing. It's not you. Who is this ghost who makes this debrief go on forever? I already told you what my debriefing in the cockpit is, right? See you later. Unless something is needed. Sometimes something is not working right. So we'll debrief that.

What is the purpose of a debrief? When you have a professsonlal doing their job, you expect a certain level of performance. When that performance level has been provided, that's nothing new. That's nothing to get excited over. One word is sufficient. That was good. Good job. And these things were wrong. Everyone has to know what they're doing. If you have a bunch of people who don't know what they're doing, then you'll like have to compensate for stupidity.

Now we're going to something very interesting. We're going to make lifelong rules.

P, we need a video switcher that puts together that, this, that. This thing seems to be useless.

There is a written test. I forgot to tell you. It's not a long test. Only 100 questions. Some essays, some multiple choice, some fill in the blanks. One of the things is you need to know the order of these rules.

I think they have served a wonderful purpose. They are not to be thrown away, I think. So now let's make some lifelong rules. Now let's make some lifelong rules.

Let's consolidate all this. So we can remember them like this. So we can wake up in the morning and not go, what the hell was that?

OK, so any suggestions. Basically one-worders. Put them up. Whatever you want.
That's not the final one. Final one will go up on here.

Amateurs get things done in a very good way too. One dictionary definition is that professionals get paid for it.

P and K need to explain to the team, accountability, right? They killed the proposal. Please explain yourselves, what you did?

(To K) Why? Why? You are exhibiting the quality that is quite contrary to what you are proposing. Why? You know. Here they are again, 10 second rule, respect, conscious, no brain farts, honesty. On the last day? Is that being honest on the last day?

P?

How tolerant should we be today? So what should we do? That's all? Is that sufficient for you, just ask for an explanaton. In Texas they have a contest among the cops, who has the best story for speeding. The award went to this guy who said he was too fat and it really bothered him getting a ticket, so he drove fast to burn his calories. Is that all you need.? (Consequences) What? (Tickets) Is that a brain fart? Would you like to ask him why he had a brain fart? Why? There's the rule, conscious. How can we go on to life long rules, when we 're not even there?

OK, people, let's move. We need to hold people accountable. How are we going to do that?

(Someone suggests the violater come up with the consequence) He'd like a blow job.

For which problem? If you were at work and he burnt down your bus, you'd give him 3 warnings and kick them out then? So not following the rules, how serious is that? How serious? So if he shot you in one leg, you wouldn't kick him out. You'd give him 3 warnings. Another leg? Another arm?

I think there is something very serious happening here. Wee're about to go on to lifelong rules. There's only one exercise left to go. We've got very little time to do this in. Then that's it. I'm out of here.

What are we going to do about this? (Someone says fire anyone who breaks the rules) You agree? Disagree?

We're almost finished with this. It's like let's get this over with. If you are sleepy and you are driving home, at what point while driving can you go to sleep? You mean you have to wait until you get home to go to sleep? You can pull over and go to sleep? But while driving you can't go to sleep. So you can't get into this thing, the conference is almost over, it's not fire anyone

What is excellence all about? When you see these guys running, running, running. Do they just all of a sudden say I'm going to win because of luck so I can just stop? Wouldn't you want to impress me? Has anything you've done really impressed me? Now that this is the last day, wouldn't you want to impress me. This is the last kiss of the day. Don't you want to leave me with some good impression. So I don't walk away from here thinking I'm not to trust these SOBS ever?

I want you to go speeding on M25 and try that on a cop. Officer, I'll write you an essay. I want you to enter 10 Downing street and get arrested and tell them I'll wrire an essay.

How can we fire him? He's a volunteer. We can't hit him, fine him, take away his glasses. We're certainly not going to give him a blow job. We're not going to make him shine shoes for us. We're not going to cane whip him, send him to Timbucktoo. How can we punish him? How do you punish a volunteer?

That's not punishment. That's saying thank you very much.

To you as a person does it mean anything to be part of this team? Or any team you might end up in? Now we have come to a point where we don't have any consequences, so all these things are happening.

What good is accountability is there's not going to be any consequences.

(Someone proposes that if someone makes a mistake, the team agrees that the person will turn in their resignation) What if somebody doesn't resign? What if they don't resign?

Two more? How many rules can you break on this list without breaking another one? So when you say two, you mean more than two. Breaking many rules two times, right? Because you can't break one rule and not break the others. So what you're saying is break many rules two times.

May I ask you a question? Captain Pickard. You didn't say yes. Let's say this is sea level. And there is a rail like this. And it's one inch high. Then this level here is 1000 feet. This is 100,000 feet. OK? You're trying to walk this rail. It's only one inches high. You slip. And problems? Same rail 1000 feet high. And you slip. Any problems? And the same 100,000 feet high. Any problem? I would say after a few hundered feet it doesn't matter. What I'm trying to ask here, is where do you think being in the team is, relative to this chart? I'm going to start drawing up and you tell me where to stop. M draws a vertical line and team says to go past 1000,000 to very top. So if it's being here, being on the team, how many mistakes can you afford?

This is a very serious issue. We're setting up accountability. And we're setting up a consequence. Who are we doing this for? We forget. We're thinking for ourselves. We forget what we are accepting. What has M brought us in our lives?

Excellence? Be conscious? Live this life to the fullest? So what do we want to offer this person? What has K brought in our lives? Joy, consiousness. What do we want to offer K?

And we're setting levels down here. Are there people who cannot afford to make mistakes? And they know that? And they accept that? And they go on with it? So when are you as a human being going to accept the challenge of not making mistakes. The world told you don't worry about being miserable. It's part of life. And M told you, that's not true. World told you you will always make mistakes. M told you, you don't have to. Which do you want?

Why are we having a dark thought that I'll always make mistakes. Why should we? I have a team. If I'm not clear on something, all I have to do is say I'm not clear. I'm tired. I can't function. Is that so considered a mistake. I'm having violent bowel movements. Is that considered a mistake? That's not considered a mistake. What world considers a mistake, here is not considered a mistake. To say "I don't know." Is not a mistake here. There's no reason to go into dark thought and say I'll make a mistake.

Hey I don't know how to type. And guess what. I'm not about to learn either. I am one of those people, I work very logically. Spelling is a real problem for me. Is that a problem? I have a spell checker. I have a secretary. I love flying but I don't have time to fuel the plane. I've got a mechanic.

The things that you think, "I'm going to make a mistake." But being a human being, being honest, being clear, there's no reason you would make a mistake. That's what's being offered here. But when you pretend to be clear. One foot in M's world and one foot in the world. You're going to end up with split pants.

So far I'm concerned it's pretty straightforward. Whether we want to take or accept that challenge or not.

So we should finish this. We're about to make a new set of rules. Finish this. Accountability? And consequences? Accontability? Yes? What?

He just said "and" so continue.

Instead of end of conference for everybody, it would be end of conference for that person. What happens at the end of the conference.

(S gets up and almost speaks but then stops himself) See that's not a mistake. Rules just saved his ass. From becoming very much like grass.

We still have J's proposal. That hasn't been dealt with. G's propsoal that hasn't been dealt with. R's proposal which turned out to be J's proposal.

So what's the consequence. The conference will be over. But we need to have a consequence that will go on.

We need to decide what the consequence is going to be so we can move onto these lifelong rules.

J has already made that proposal.

Here's a guy. We can't let this go on. Here's a guy who's convinced we're going to fuck up. He's absolutely convinced we're going to fuck up. If you were going to climb a 2000 foot mountain, would you like him on board? I would never take you on that team? You're saying the team is going to fuck Up? Why?

If we're convinced the team is going to fuck up , then we'll set up systems to allow for that. Like G's proposal of TWO rules and you're out. So we are sending a message, it's OK to fuck up.

If you go to a BA crew and ask them if they're going to crash today? And they'll say no. You could say what a cocky crew. But do they mean that?

There are pilots, and they're going to go into enemy territory. They expect to come home. They really do. One of the things they say is "Keep that beer cold." Talk to you in 20 minutes. Is that crazy?

What? What are you going to tell me?

I'm saying there have to be consequences. I don't expect anybody to invade my house. But I've got a fence And I don't expect anybody to walk into my bedroom uninvited. But I lock the door.

And therefore, if you're not going to fuck up. The idea of firing that person should be very comfortable. There should be no hesitation. Not an issue. Race car drivers don't bring their coffins to the racetrack, do they?

So, what are you going to do? What's the unclarity?

And? What's the difficulty? And? What J's proposal is, there's no conflict with it. You don't have a fence around your garden? Having a consequence that you will get fired is the most beautiful precaution. Because it's there, it's very ultimate. It's very clean.

And it will never be visited. Right? So what's the difficulty? Because we're not going to fuck up, right? We don't have to, do we?

That's the only settlement I can make when I look at these rules. I need to be conscious. Because I know the consequences will not be to me but to M.

How many of you know that the steering wheel is important? Should the steering wheel ever be placed so that it's loose? But in Mercedes, there's a flaw placed so that it moves because otherwise it can come and kill the driver.

They put a weak point in the steering system. What looks very unsafe can save the driver.
How many of you realize your fuck up is going to affect M. So you've got to put a weak point where it won't go anymore. Once that steering wheel is gone, it's gone , you can't fix it. That's what we're trying to do.

Better finish this up quickly. We've got to get out of here?

(Someone proposed people fired if they break the rules)

(No objections)

When does this rule go into affect. It's really an understanding. It's gone into affect? You'd better be careful. Even having a dark thought.

Now we have this rule in place, you better be careful.

Let's take a 15-minute break.

(Break)

1:05pm
OK. So we need to finish up the lifelong rules. We have one that never got on there that started the whole thing.

I asked T's question. Because I'm sitting next to a very intelligent, genius person. T said "what the fuck difference does it make." T has spoken.

Are you being dishonest about honesty? So do you have respect, excellence, honesty up there? Do your writing, boy.

May I just remind you, we're not going to throw out thee rules, right? These rules have helped us. It made the conference happen. You realize, you actually have acquired a way of saying things very quickly. Which you didn't have the first day. This includes people who don't know English. So we're not going to throw these out. We're going to keep these somewhere in the back of our minds. These are still true. But we don't need to replicate these over there.

You're going down the warpath. Now you're going to break the rules.

I was not the one tricking you. They were. What you said was very easy to understand.

How many have you got? Do you really want all these rules? God forbid I ask you what all these rules are.

I must say, regardless of the content of what you are saying, presenting what you said it's a far cry from when you started. Now you can think about what's said. It's not taxing. It's there. So that was good. (Said to I)

All right, all right. Let me put it this way. You have checklists, you have seat belts. Why do we do these things on the airplane? Safety. Safety actually covers, embodies so many elements. Even though there's no sign saying be careful going down the steps, you will if you understand safety.

It's a safety issue. It wouldn't be good. Safety embodies something.

What does M mean? Is M the name of a person? This is not a trick. Who inspires you to be conscious? Who says that we should respect each other? Who inspires the excellence? Who are we going to be accountable to ultimitely? So seems like, M embodies a lot in it. To practice K, to be conscious.

M is not the name of a person. M is a title, a respect, a recognition of these qualities, of these elements. That's what M means. This is something that the PWKs call that person who embodies these qualities. It's not the name of a person but the recogniton of these things. You understand? It covers A to Z. All the rules you couldn't think of. It covers it.

It's like in many places safety first. By saying that, they don't have to always don't cut your finger, this, that. Safety first. And that's I think what you are driving at.

So what do you want? Who tells you not to have dark thoughts? Who gave you all these rules?

Just M, that's all you need. M.

Any other objections? Going through then? OK. One of you can write that on this.

That's it. We are done?

OK, so now we're going to go to lunch and we'll have our last and final exercise. Maybe not the last, but the final. They'll come up with something for your refresher. Very very simple to stay with the rules. I cannot overemphasize. Because now there's a fence.

The amazing thing is that 99% of the people feel more safe with a fence Children like to have consequences. Children feel safer. When there are no consequences, they don't like it. They feel much safer having consequences. So there are consequences.

So the fact that you have a fence doesn't mean you go pushing it around to see how good it is. You leave it be, make sure it is strong.

When you come back, this is one of those exercises that can bite you. Exercise is very conducive to having leaders, followers, brain farts. In a away this exercise brings this training to a complete circle. Because it starts with the bus analogy and kind of ends with the bus analogy. So don't become leaders. Don't become followers. Don't become individual. Stay as a team. As a team you can do this. But if you are not a team, you won't be able to pull this one off.

OK? Happy lunch. Bon apetit. We'll call it 1:30, be back at 2:30pm

(Lunch)

2:30pm
OK.

You don't need pads, pens, underwear. All you need is a roll of toilet paper.

(V announces Trolley exercise.)

Is there acid?

B you want to do this? That will take one person out. It will make it easier to divide up in groups.

What are we doing here? You're going to get fired.

What if she's in the middle of a massive heart attack. She's emphatically said she doesn't feel well. So that's H's department now. He can examine her and tell her to rest in her room.

(In Marquee to one of breakout groups)

If someone in your group has a brain fart, you have to hold them accountable. You have to ask why.

(One of the facilitators pointed out that in picking up a plank that someone touched one of the ropes from a third plank and asked if this was a violation)

It's a violation to touch the other planks, not the ropes. You're going to get the back seat in the plane next time. The seat that doesn't recline.

Are the planks facing the right way?

Do you want to watch or impede (said to the main group as they watched one group doing a test run and didn't get out of the way).

Anybody keeping tabs on time? On a graduation exercise? You don't get an extension on a graduation exercise, do you?

When did the solution come up? Within 10-15 minutes? If people brain fart, you've got to hold them accountable. Isn't that what we agreed on? I guess we're going to have to leave it in the hands of the wise ones. The three wise ones.

I think we need to go back, or what do you want to do? You can take a couple of steps and try it.

There is a risk involved in everything. You don't stop doing things because there is a risk.
Don't have dark thoughts.

Once you divided into groups, you abdicated responsibility for the team.

Once you figured it out there, you could have sent someone which you did, but why did it take so long to get the demonstration underway? The fact that you didn't started the demonstration until now shows to the other groups. Your indecision really sunk the boat. Your indecision to act, to start the demonstration.

Let's go talk about it. But I don't know what there is to talk about.

3:45pm
OK. So, interesting. There's not a whole lot to say. I think you understand. I don't know if R understands what we were talking about back in the tent. The solution had already come within 7 minutes in one group, less than that in another group. That would have left you close to 30 minutes. That would have left you 10 minutes to rehearse. You could have easily done it.

I still think there was a lot of accountability that was not being taken care of. People are having brain farts but people were not addressing that.

When you break up in little groups, you abdicate. You are all going to be working in small groups.

Anything else you want to add, subtract, T?

Well I don't think the rules anywhere say too respectful. But that's just a brain fart. Then K grabs S. Did she grab you, when you were stepping into? How did that feel? What about methodology? (could have been a bit lighter touch) Absolutely. With respect. Did you hold her accountable?

Well, you know and I know we can only go so far with it and I think we've done that. Whether or not you decide you want to have that and accept it, it's up to you. I think I've done my bit as much as I can do. If I was here another week, it would be just a repeat. You have K.

You've really got watch out for those brain farts. For that unconsciousness. It's no joke that we get hit by rules that we have a hard time with. Of all the things that could have been selected as rules, you get hit by these rules. But we can't keep to. That should tell you something. It's not just an accident that these rules appeared that way. They address a very common problem. Don't they?

They are simple. I'm sure we could have had a rule like get dressed every day. But we didn't get that rule. We got these rules that really think twice. Every one of them.

Well, I hope you enjoyed yourselves. There are still things to discuss. I don't have much more than that. So far that exercise is concerned , you ran out of time. The point of any exercise is not whether you complete it or not, it's whether you follow the rules.

If you had followed the rules, think as a team, take care of the team, you would have had it licked. Can anybody not see that? That if you had acted as a team, you would have had it licked? You would have had time to spare.

I'm not gong to waste our time. I hope I'll see you around soon.

3:55pm
(V announces Strengths/Weaknesses/Area of Interest Form)