Power calimero

We invite you to step off the sidelines and become part of the field. Take the helm and lead your team and organization. Take that responsibility. Do you believe you can change your team and organization, or does a certain thought hold you back? A fun activity to explore different beliefs and their impact on behavior is Power Calimero.

Calimero, the little black chick who finds the world unfair “because they are big and I am small,” is our metaphor for victim behavior. When we feel like victims, things just happen to us. In a disruptive situation, we feel it’s unfair that it happens to us. We blame the organization and the world, thinking it’s beyond our control to change the situation. Believing we can’t do anything about it, we don’t do a thing. This passive attitude, at worst, leads to frustration and complaining to others. The effect is that nothing changes, and the situation remains the same.

Power Calimero, the little black chick with dumbbells, is the metaphor for responsible behavior. When we feel like Power Calimero, disruptive events are just things that happen. We choose how to respond. We believe we can influence the situation, find solutions, improve it, or handle it differently to minimize the negative impact. This attitude offers a fresh perspective, turning situations into new possibilities, opportunities, choices, and options, prompting us to act. We improve the situation.

Do this exercise with your team:

• Take a disruptive situation from practice. Ask the team to think like Calimero for 5 minutes. Write down what Calimero thinks, the underlying beliefs, and the behavior Calimero exhibits. Describe the effect on the situation.

• After 5 minutes, become Power Calimero. Write down what Power Calimero thinks, the underlying beliefs, and the behavior Power Calimero exhibits. Describe the effect on the situation.

• Discuss the differences. Explore what has changed concerning the disruptive situation. Is the problem structurally solved, or can it reoccur? What else can Power Calimero do to solve the problem structurally? A Power Calimero persists until the problem is structurally solved. Think of changed leadership behavior or an adjusted work process. If the problem is beyond Power Calimero’s control, what’s a good way to handle it? Can you still turn it to your advantage?