impressedI have a huge amount of background in problem-solving and self-improvement/psych sorts of courses, enough that I am familiar with the sorts of material that works and that doesn't work. I can see how you could make lots of allegations if you have vested interests in resisting change. Very frankly, most people prefer to stay stuck and cynical. To quote my brother on something else: it may not be healthy, but it's familiar. I can see how you could use this stuff to achieve cultish ends, but it's like any dynamic tool: it's neither good nor evil, but could possibly be used that way, in certain hands. (Sort of like internet technology.) I also have extensive background in how establishing cult patterns actually works, and this isn't it. If CIP (the work version of self-improvement) and, say, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People are cult movements, then maybe this is. But then, maybe I'm already indoctrinated in that mindset, that "Be all you can be, even if it's scary!" thought process. Bring it on!
It's much more useful than, say, exploring druidry, for which I've also shelled out a few hundred bucks. I can see practical applications to their system, which can also be applied to things like work, as well as life in general. I'm a big fan of processes and life-tools that WORK. And what I was seeing I found exciting, because I could SEE how it could redirect your mental energy away from what wasn't working and into what was. I also liked when one lady retreated into the "I am powerless in the face of..." 12-step sort of stuff, the facilitator confronted her on it, and said "No, the ONLY power you have is over *yourself* and *your attitudes*!" Right on! Maybe it's the fact I have Facilitator training in my background.
See, they've got me already, chuckle. What can I say? I enjoyed the D.I.S.C. seminar that determined your work patterns and attitudes, and guided you on how best to use them to advantage. (My traits graph was...interesting. And I scored so far into the corner of the "Jungle Fighter" style I was almost off the chart. A few general traits go with it. We view the environment as inherantly hostile. Our objective is to overcome opposition to achieve results. We constantly challenge ourselves. We work best solo.) Hmm, this may be why I like the Landmarks approach, it fits my DISC profile.
