Est, Werner Erhard, and the corporatization of self-help (2003)
believermag.com
believermag.com
TL;DR Focus on sense facts, as in: "I heard you say this"; less interpretation, as in: "You must be thinking that"
There were 150 people in a room, guided into recognizing how one's inner dialogue is often a chain of interpretations. The goal was to be more rigorous about the facts.
My interpretation (hah!) is that perhaps someone got a hold of Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and weaved its premise into a group therapy setting. It was pretty intense. I found it both creepy and effective - in a good way. For me, it was worth it.
It showed me the 'grey' area of being an effective, or rather -pragmatic- programmer, who doesn't have a black or white approach to everything. Yes, the solution, when put to the paper (or code rather :), is indeed a binary, black/white kind of ordeal, this is usually the least contentious part of software development and the most is probably working with others...but the approach up to that point is not black/white as nothing is black white when dealing with people.
It (the Forum) is definitely not something one would regularly attend unless they start hitting a brick wall and a plateau in their career ... as I did. Since then I'd been promoted and given salary increases regularly - never really had the courage to start a business even though I'm a regular lurker here, or pitch an idea/prototype (yet) to some vc like PG.... but nevertheless, certain aspects of my behavior completely unravelled (for the better) as a result of this 3 day event.
Can't say it worked for everyone - but for me, it did wonders.
I'm pleased to see some of its blueprints so omnipresent in corporate America - hopefully it humanizes us more.
I'm very skeptical from everything I've read about this organisation. I can't see much evidence that this isn't just a lucrative scam preying on people during vulnerable times in their lives. I'd be interested to hear evidence to the contrary.
So far all the "positive benefits" sound as if they could be accounted for by selective attention as well as a self-selected group of very motivated people that attend these conferences (much like most self help).
If you're just going into it to "check it out", or to prove your point...you won't get anything out of it. It works only if you have an intention around something you might be dealing with ... for me, it was struggling with authority.
It is not for everyone.