Human services are most effectively provided appreciatively. This basic tenant resides at the heart of Convocation. A short-term focus and a mechanistic, deficit-based view of performance development cause some people and (particularly) organizational leaders to utilize human services primarily to “fix” perceived performance and behavioral deficits. Instead, effective human service programs are built at a fundamental level on a deep appreciation for the potentiality in all of us. We suggest that such an appreciative perspective must undergird any human services program. This perspective is the key to masterful and effective consulting, coaching, and counseling.

What is the nature of such a perspective? In essence, an appreciative perspective concerns a willingness to engage with another person from an assumption of mutual respect, in a mutual search for distinctive competencies and strengths, intending to help them fulfill their aspirations and potential. This simple statement might at first seem to be rather naive and idealistic. However, at its core, this statement holds the promise of helping committed and empowered staff to generate extraordinary results. As we trace its implications, profound insights and realistic strategies emerge.

Understanding Another Person

The term appreciation has several meanings that tend to build on one another; however, as a foundation for providing effective human services, appreciation refers to a clearer understanding of another person’s perspective. We come to appreciate the viewpoint offered by our colleagues or the challenges the other person faces. This appreciation, in turn, comes not from some detached observation, but rather from direct engagement. Empathy is critical. One cares about the matter being studied and about those being assisted. Neutrality is inappropriate in such a setting, though compassion implies neither a loss of discipline nor a loss of boundaries between one’s own problems and perspectives and those of the other person. Appreciation, in other words, is about fuller understanding, not merging, with another person’s issues or identity.