What’s the history of Pecos River?

What does Play To Win! mean?

We heard you do these things called “Ropes Courses.” What’s a Ropes Course?

Emotional Intelligence is a big buzzword these days. Do you address E.I. in your programs?

Why do you use the term “Change Leadership” instead of “Change Management”?

What’s a “Change Architecture”?

What's a “Cultural Strategy”?

What's a “Blueprint for Change”?

What does Play To Win! mean? Playing To Win is terminology we use to describe one of two fundamental approaches to work and life. It contrasts with an approach we call Playing not to Lose. When we are Playing not to Lose, we are usually avoiding situations in which we may fail, be wrong, be emotionally uncomfortable or be rejected. It’s about hiding, playing it safe and seeking security and relief at all costs. On the other hand, Playing to Win is “going as far as you can using all you’ve got.” It’s life lived in pursuit of a vision of service and contribution. It’s purposeful risk taking for the good of a cause which is bigger than oneself. It’s the only route to a fulfilled life and career. And it’s the way leaders really lead. As Peter Block has said, “There is no safe path to greatness”— for individuals or for organizations.
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We heard you do these things called “Ropes Courses.” What’s a Ropes Course? Some Pecos River experiences do include the use of a ropes course. A ropes course consists of a variety of events ranging from on-the-ground problem-solving activities to individual or team challenges that are built in the air and require participants to climb anywhere from five to 45 feet (using safety gear, of course!). A low event might be something like a team having to move from one side of a simulated river to the other side using only the boards and bricks that the facilitator indicates are available. A high event might be something like a simulated rock climb similar to what you would find in a climbing gym.

It’s important to realize that a Pecos River session is much more than a ropes course. Whatever experiential methodology we use — theater, service projects, ropes courses, or adventure experiences — is designed to support the overall transformational effort in your organization and not to be an end in itself. We use experiential technologies because we believe that creating change requires engaging people physically and emotionally, as well as intellectually.

In any program that includes an experiential component, participants have the opportunity to determine the level of participation that is appropriate for them.
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Emotional Intelligence is a big buzzword these days. Do you address E.I. in your programs? Emotional intelligence is a term coined by Harvard psychologist Daniel Goleman, and it has certainly gained popularity in the last few years. The term seems to resonate with a variety of folks from HR specialists to high-powered executives. Pecos has been helping people develop emotional intelligence for years — we just don’t call it “emotional intelligence.” In fact, much of the strength of our classroom work is in the concrete skills and tools we offer participants to develop their emotional intelligence. Lots of programs talk about it; few programs offer concrete tools for building and developing it.
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Why do you use the term “Change Leadership” instead of “Change Management”? We define change leadership as the act of creating a cultural mindset that change is an opportunity for growth, learning and improved performance. Some organizations use the term “change management,” but “change management” is really a misnomer. No one can manage change — change must be led. It must be led through inspiration, communication, trust, accountability and support. Pecos River helps organizations build change ready cultures by developing change leadership capacity.
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What’s a “Change Architecture”? A change architecture is simply a well-thought out plan for leading change in an organization. Think about a change architect like a building architect. It is an architect’s job to translate his or her client’s vision for ideal living space into a workable and feasible plan that can be carried out by someone else. When an architect is trained, they learn the basic design principles for building a structure — a building must have a foundation, walls, internal support, a roof, etc., AND they learn the multiplicity of options with which those basic structural elements can be designed. A house can be built from wood, brick or stone. Roofs can be at various pitches and made of different materials — but there must be some kind of foundation and some kind of walls. There’s no negotiation there. An architect uses her or his creativity, skills and knowledge base to translate a vision into a concrete plan for their organization.

A change architect does the same thing. Taking basic principles of what makes large-scale change successful, change architects build a blueprint for change in the organization. By combining basic principles with creative and customized processes, change architects build a coherent plan for their organization.
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What's a “Cultural Strategy”? A cultural strategy is a well thought out, articulated and communicated plan that gives an organization objectives, strategies, plans and actions to create and maintain a committed, energized and focused workforce. A cultural strategy should be developed to support an organization’s business strategy.
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What's a “Blueprint for Change”? A blueprint for change is an actual document detailing the steps an organization will undertake to create change. A blueprint is built on the principles of the change architecture.
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