{"id":1698,"date":"2014-01-23T04:10:30","date_gmt":"2014-01-23T09:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terrencemetz.com\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:54:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:54:40","slug":"design-thinker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/design-thinker\/","title":{"rendered":"A Facilitator\u2019s Profile is Much Like an Innovator\u2019s Profile &#8212; a Design Thinker"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\u201cContrary to popular opinion, you don\u2019t need weird shoes or a black turtleneck to be a design thinker . . .\u201d so goes the article from Harvard Business Review<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span>. The author suggests five characteristics found in design thinkers (i.e., innovators) that relate directly to the core competencies required for effective facilitation. Included (in alphabetical order) are Collaboration, Empathy, Experimentalism, Integrative Thinking, and Optimism.<\/h2>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8068 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_289995443-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Facilitator\u2019s Profile is Much Like an Innovator\u2019s Profile (Design Thinker)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_289995443-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_289995443-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><b>Design Thinker: Collaboration<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The increasing complexity of options and <a title=\"Decision-Making: Stay Focused on Strategic, Operational, OR Tactical Issues\" href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/decision-quality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">decision-making<\/a> demands the involvement of many, rather than one. Lone genius has been replaced with cross-disciplinary subject matter experts. Select subject matter experts have the talent to succeed, the initiative, and the motivation to succeed, but frequently do not know how to succeed in a group setting. Many are subject matters across disciplines with experience drawn upon multiple backgrounds and organizations. At IDEO for example, they engage engineers, marketers, anthropologists, industrial designers, architects, and psychologists, among others.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Design Thinker: Empathy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Understanding that there is more than one right answer, seeking the best among multiple perspectives lends itself to creating an answer that did not walk into the meeting; but rather one that is created during the meeting. To support creation, empathy in the form of active listening with a neutral session leader becomes critical.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Design Thinker: Experimentalism<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Challenging subject matter experts to make their thinking visible, from the heart, can advance the rationale behind their thoughts that breed both consensual understanding and breakthrough solutions. Through observation and <a title=\"Avoid Asking \u201cHow Do We Solve Global Hunger?\u201d with Improved Methodology\" href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/how-to-develop-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">questioning<\/a>, session leaders can inspire and transfer ownership of the meeting output.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Design Thinker: Integrative Thinking<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">While analytical methods are certainly helpful, integrative approaches support innovation. A neutral facilitator can help a group understand multiple perspectives and build a solution(s) to reconcile seemingly contradictory points of view. For example, one participant may prefer black and another prefers white. Instead of viewing them as opposing thoughts, how can we integrate both black and white? Immediate answers include options such as two-tone, plaid, polka dot, shades of grey, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Design Thinker: Optimism<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Successful session leaders rely on confidence in method rather than expertise around content to generate higher quality solutions. Practically speaking, however, optimism and confidence come from experience, so don\u2019t forget to try, practice, and some more. There is usually more than one right answer. You may not be the best facilitator in the world, but you are the best facilitator your group can find.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Trust that in the role of session leader, they need you more than anything else, to lead with Collaboration, Empathy, Experimentalism, Integrative Thinking, and Optimism. With this technique, you can open the doors of perception that make it easier for your group to develop breakthrough solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>~~~~~~~<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> June 2008 (pg 87)<\/span><\/h2>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>______<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Don\u2019t ruin your career by hosting <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/bad-meetings\/\">bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260106090117\/https:\/\/mgrush.com\/\">MGR<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">USH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities every day during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cContrary to popular opinion, you don\u2019t need weird shoes or a black turtleneck to be a design thinker . . .\u201d so goes the article from Harvard Business Review\u2666. The author suggests five characteristics found in design thinkers (i.e., innovators) that relate directly to the core competencies required for effective facilitation. Included (in alphabetical order) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[453185961,453185956],"tags":[453190881,453189029,453190630,453192210],"class_list":["post-1698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decision-making","category-problem-solving","tag-design-thinker","tag-facilitation-skills","tag-innovation","tag-innovator"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Facilitator\u2019s Profile is Like an Innovator\u2019s Profile -- a Design Thinker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"5 characteristics found in a design thinker or innovator are Collaboration, Empathy, Experimentalism, Integrative Thinking, and Optimism.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/design-thinker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Facilitator\u2019s Profile is Much Like an Innovator\u2019s Profile -- a Design Thinker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"5 characteristics found in a design thinker or innovator are Collaboration, Empathy, Experimentalism, Integrative Thinking, and Optimism.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/design-thinker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MG RUSH Facilitation Best Practices Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacilitationTraining\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacilitationTraining\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-01-23T09:10:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T17:54:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_289995443-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Facilitation Expert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TerrenceMetz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@terrencemetz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Facilitation Expert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mgrush.com\\\/blog\\\/design-thinker\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mgrush.com\\\/blog\\\/design-thinker\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Facilitation Expert\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mgrush.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/33b05e43036ff09de0ddfccfef9a4497\"},\"headline\":\"A Facilitator\u2019s Profile is Much Like an Innovator\u2019s Profile &#8212; 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However, he also observed meetings that worked. What set them apart? A well-prepared leader who structured the session to ensure participants contributed meaningfully and achieved clear outcomes. Throughout his career, Metz, who earned an MBA from Kellogg (Northwestern University) experienced and also trained in various facilitation techniques. In 2004, he purchased MG RUSH where he shifted his focus toward improving established meeting designs and building a curriculum that would teach others how to lead, facilitate, and structure meetings that drive results. His expertise in training world-class facilitators led to the 2020 publication of Meetings That Get Results: A Guide to Building Better Meetings, a comprehensive resource on effectively building consensus. Grounded in the principle that \u201cnobody is smarter than everybody,\u201d the book details the why, what, and how of building consensus when making decisions, planning, and solving problems. Along with a Participant\u2019s Guide and supplemental workshops, it supports learning from foundational awareness to professional certification. Metz\u2019s first book, Change or Die: A Business Process Improvement Manual, tackled the challenges of process optimization. His upcoming book, Catalyst: Facilitating Innovation, focuses on meetings and workshops that don\u2019t simply end when time runs out but conclude with actionable next steps and clear assignments\u2014ensuring progress beyond discussions and ideas.","sameAs":["http:\/\/MGrush.com","http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacilitationTraining\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/terrencemetz\/","@teammetz","https:\/\/x.com\/TerrenceMetz","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j4x3-Qo9Ez4"],"birthDate":"1955-09-23","gender":"male","jobTitle":"Managing Director","worksFor":"MG Rush Facilitation","url":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/author\/teammetz7\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_289995443-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}