Wow… 40 Years in business and Still Going… | Gary Rush, IAF CPF | M
We started MG Rush Systems, Inc. now MGR Consulting, Inc. on February 25, 1985. For those of you curious to know ‘how’ it all began, I thought I’d share some thoughts of my journey.
The Impetus…
In December 1984, I was working at Exxon at their corporate headquarters in New Jersey. I was working on workshops to develop IT requirements and productivity measurements but because there was no career development growth, I went to my boss and gave him two months’ notice, with no regrets. I then spoke to several companies I knew but I wasn’t enthusiastic about the prospects, so that’s when I decided to start my own consulting business.
A friend, Howard R, independent consultant, said that he could get me a gig implementing an ‘IT Development Center’ within an insurance company in New York working 6 days a month for more money than I was making – a no-brainer.
Millie, at the time, was working as an executive secretary and decided to quit her job so she could support my effort. We spent January and February 1985, planning our business and set-up with our lawyer; I would consult, and Millie would manage the logistics, administration, accounting, editing, and our two young sons. Our spare bedroom became our office. We purchased a copy machine and a luggable Compaq computer, filing cabinets and desktops made to fit over them. We sat at our dining table and designed our logo, flyers and stationery and handed them to a graphic artist / printer. We found a smart lawyer and accountant and on February 25, 1985, our business venture as MG Rush Systems, Inc. began…
In the Beginning…
From 1982 – 1984, I was active in the IBM User group, GUIDE as part of the Development Center (an IT productivity concept), productivity measurements, and Joint Application Design (JAD) committees. I had contact information for over 250 other members – they were the first people I contacted about my services. Some asked me to run workshops to define IT requirements – the initial focus of JAD. Tidbit: Until mid-1985, we were called Session Leaders or Process Leaders. Bill Staples of ICA coined the title “Facilitator” in 1985. Some asked if I could train them ‘how to’ run the workshops and I thought that was an excellent idea and gave me a new core product to offer. In 1985, there were fewer people who trained the ‘how to’ of facilitated workshops: IBM and IBM Canada did some training. The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) focused on communities. Dr. Burner in Washington with WISDM did some requirements workshops, although in a different way. Performance Resources, Inc. (PRI) also did some requirements workshops. These were your choices in 1985.
My Initial Facilitation Gig in 1985… If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again...
My initial facilitation gig was for Tony Crawford, who was now on his own. He sub-contracted to me to facilitate a workshop for a company out of Canada. I spent 2 days interviewing the participants. We held the workshop in North Carolina near IBM’s campus at a hotel with dividable ballrooms. I had magnetic visuals that required a metal board so magnets could stick – the ballroom walls were carpeted. Thankfully, one of the attendees knew of this and brought eight “magna-hold sheets”, very thin steel the size of a flipchart, laminated in paper. We taped them with masking tape to the carpeted wall and covered them with flip chart paper to write on so we wouldn’t ruin the magna-hold sheets.
I presented my agenda and ground rules and placed them on the wall where they could easily be seen and referred to. My agenda was the basic JAD – Joint Application Design (plan, receive, report receipt, assign, process, report activity, send, review). I asked the participants, “What do you plan?” The response, “Nothing.” I then asked, “What do you receive?” The response, “Nothing.” I followed with, “You don’t report what you don’t receive?” The response, “No.” So, I’m 5 minutes into the workshop and already on step 4, when I realized my agenda was not working. On top of that, the magna-hold sheets with the visuals came crashing down. I turned and said, “That’s where they belong.” They were a bit taken aback, I then asked, “So, what do you do?” We spent the next 20 minutes discussing and I used their answers to develop an agenda that worked.
Focusing strictly on Facilitation Services and Facilitator Training…
I was asked to facilitate other sessions and asked if I could also train them ‘how to’ facilitate. That was when I created my own facilitator training technique, “FAST” – Facilitation Application Specification Technique, after an article I wrote for Computerworld titled “A FAST way to Develop System Requirements” published in September 1985. I focused on process, and I hired others to assist with the people skills. Also, in September 1985, my first ‘FAST Session Leader Workshop’ class was held in Arlington, Texas.
Shortly after, EDS contacted me to register 10 people for my next public class in December. After that class, EDS also contracted with me to build a robust facilitation technique and training program for them granting me the right to utilize with my own program.
FAST Facilitation Technique…
FAST then became the pre-eminent structured Facilitation technique so much so that when the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) was formed in 1994, in their application, it asked, which facilitation technique you learned from and listed two options – (1) ToP™ (Technology of Participation from (ICA) Institute of Cultural Affairs) and (2) FAST (Facilitated Application Specification Technique from MG Rush Systems, Inc.).
FAST evolves into FoCuSeD™ 1st Holistic Structured Facilitation™ Technique | Gary Rush Facilitation
In 2007, I created FoCuSeD™ the 1st Holistic Structured Facilitation Technique. FoCuSeD™ guides you enabling you to plan the emotional group cycle along with the workshop meeting process. (My 4-day FoCuSeD™ Facilitator Academy is endorsed by the IAF as an IAF Endorsed™ Training Programme). Read how I evolved my FAST Facilitation technique into my FoCuSeD™ 1st Holistic Structured Facilitation Technique in my article “JAD, FAST, FoCuSeD™ Structured Facilitation Technique” on my website – www.mgrconsulting.com.
Facilitator skills are now a critical skillset to empower, engage, and collaborate…
The use of Facilitators has grown significantly, and Facilitation skills are essential critical skills to have for success more so than it was back in 1985. Tidbit: Today, I seldom explain what I do. Back then, a ‘hitman’ was referred to as a ‘facilitator’ so it was necessary for me to do so.
I now have many clients and competitors, many of whom I trained, who are now on their own. Tidbit: The IAF went from 150 members attending the first conference in Denver in 1994 to over 2000 members today. Congratulations!
Sharing my Knowledge… ‘Giving Back’…
I’m sharing what I’ve learned over the past 40 years by offering my Train-the-Trainer Program | Gary Rush Facilitation, through a non-exclusive licensing Agreement to teach my Holistic Structured Facilitation™ Technique to your employees and clients. My Holistic Structured Facilitation™ Technique, is a proven technique by yours truly.
A Hell of a Ride and Still Going…
I’ve been in this business 40 years, except for a 1-year hiatus I took to open my own restaurant , Mirácles, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, but that’s another story for another day read, “Pursuing Dreams”.
I want to thank you all for your support…
Gary
