The Emotionally Intelligent Organization™ – A Coach Approach
Principles and Practices that impact the bottom line.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and choose how we feel, think and act. It impacts our understanding of ourselves as well as our interactions with others personally and professionally. It determines the priorities we set, what and how we learn, and the ways in which we act/react in our daily lives.
The latest research indicates that Emotional Intelligence may be more responsible than any other single factor for the success in our lives. What we say and do is driven by our emotional reactions. Being present to the information conveyed by our emotions affects every aspect of our lives and, ultimately, our level of joy and satisfaction.
Corporations and other organizations all over the country are paying attention to the research on Emotional Intelligence (EI) and hiring coaches and workshop leaders to bring this cutting edge technology into the workplace. In this competitive and challenging financial environment, they can’t afford not to. Learning Emotional Intelligence is a process that can change the way we look at life, at possibilities, at choices. EI focuses on recognizing the emotions that we are experiencing at any given moment and determining what is needed to decrease stress and increase our sense of happiness and contentment. The results are increased capacity for positive action and inspired leadership. Bottom line is EI affects the bottom line.
Creating Values Based Environments at Work
“Companies that enjoy enduring success have core values and a core purpose that remain fixed while their business strategies and practices endlessly adapt to a changing world.” ~ The Harvard Business Review, Sept-Oct 1996
This curriculum is designed to encourage values activated decision making and team interaction. The final result of the work is a clear alignment of personal and corporate values. Some of the benefits and results include:
- moving beyond a motivated sales/work force to a passionate sales/work force
- high morale amongst employees
- the creation of values based, viable, dynamic solutions for existing challenges
- a highly collaborative environment
- more creative problem solving working towards shared goals
- enhanced productivity
- inspired employee and customer loyalty
As we move into the rapidly changing business environments of the 21st century, the most vital and sustainable companies will be those with a clear values-based vision of who they are and what they want to become.
Listening Wisely and Well
“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears – by listening to them.” ~ Dean Rusk, U.S. Secretary of State
Listening skills are essential to truly successful human and humane exchanges yet, as a society, we tend to listen poorly. There are at least a half dozen ineffective listening styles and the bottom line is that mostly we tend to listen with our answer running. Professionals in every field need to be aware of both their own selective listening patterns and the ways their communication style enhances or interferes with creating the results they seek.
Margaret Wheatley once said that “Conversation is how humans think together.” This program is an invitation to do some thinking together with other colleagues about how you have learned to listen and what you have learned to listen for. A number of tools and techniques are presented to make this conversation immediately useful and applicable.
Extraordinary Self Care for the Care Giver
“Be sure to put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others.” ~ standard instruction given by flight attendants on all commercial flights
This workshop is directed to the healers and caretakers whose job it is to attend to the wounds and needs of others, day in and day out. These are often the unsung heroes and heroines of a sometimes unconscious, sometimes hostile world. One of the challenges these caregivers face is “compassion fatigue (CF),” a phrase used to identify and acknowledge the secondary development of stress symptoms due to hearing about another’s traumatic event. The term CF suggests that the very human response of compassion can leave one open to being affected by another’s experience.
Participants begin by exploring what draws them to their work, what sustains and energizes them. Then, after getting in touch with their passion, they focus on developing a positive framework for change. Starting from the premise that one can only serve others when our own oxygen mask is securely in place, participants look at their own lives through the lens of extraordinary self-care. By developing a strong personal foundation, along with clear standards and boundaries, these caregivers can become more resilient and create a sturdy platform from which to most effectively be of service to others.
Appreciative Inquiry
“ The question is not what you look at but what you see. ” ~ Thoreau
In everyday life, when we really think about it, most people and organizations operate with the focus and perception that resources and horizons are limited, each full of deficits. We often see ourselves as surrounded by problems – challenges that our educational system has equipped us to analyze and solve but not necessarily embrace.
Appreciative Inquiry ( AI ) begins with the belief there are choices about how to respond to challenges. Thus, we can change our frame of reference to inquire instead into possibilities, capabilities, and assets. It is based on two simple premises that have grand implications:
1. That we have reached the end of problem-solving as the most effective way of working
2. That organizations and individuals immediately move in the direction of what they focus on
Appreciative Inquiry leads us on a journey back to seeing ourselves and our organizations as mysteries to be embraced rather than problems to be solved. The key is in asking ourselves and our organizations powerful, positive questions that evoke the best in us and the confidence and enthusiasm born of what we have achieved in the past.
By learning to see with an appreciative eye, we experience how a seemingly simple shift in how we pose questions can easily reveal what we truly value and thrive upon.
Rather than focusing on executive stressors, Appreciative Inquiry, focuses on executive joy. Rather than looking to diminishing the problems, AI inquires into high points, what we value about the nature of our work, and what gives us energy.
To learn more about this interactive process and the potential of this appreciative shift for both individuals and organizations, contact: [email protected].
Happiness and the Bottom Line
“A positive mood jolts us into an entirely different way of thinking from a negative mood … It buoys people into a way of thinking that is creative, tolerant, constructive, generous, undefensive, and lateral.” ~ Dr. Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness.
New cutting-edge research shows that happiness is actually our most generative and productive state. When we are happy, content, and in a positive frame of mind, our potential for greater achievement is enhanced. Imagine if happiness were part of our job description. What a concept.
Using scientifically validated tools and assessments, participants are able to experience the power and satisfaction of cultivating a positive mindset. Building on this awareness, they can begin to explore and reevaluate both personal and professional choices from a more positive and rewarding perspective.
BrainWork: An Owner’s Guide to getting the most from your most useful workplace tool
Discover the competitive advantage of harnessing your brain power
We expect every key piece of equipment in our lives, especially our work lives, to come with an owner’s guide. Yet most of us have little idea of how our own brain works. The human brain is the most sophisticated information gathering and processing system on Earth, and yet it often acts in surprising ways. Our tyrant of a rational mind tends to think it is in control, but our rationality is often surprised by our own decisions and behavior because many other aspects of our brain are faster and more ingrained than our logical processing. Learning to harness the full power of our brains, including our extra-rational faculties, is a powerful tool in becoming more effective while relieving stress. New insights are daily coming to light on how our brains function when presented with the challenges we find in the modern workplace. Yet this information has largely not made the transition from the halls of academia into today’s workplace.
“I felt the workshop on the brain was informative, enjoyable and practical. Everyone could identify with; some aspect of the discussions and could take something with them to apply at a later time. Everyone commented very positively on the day weeks later. You and Lable did an excellent job, and time just flew by very quickly.”
Brain Rewirement – Reinventing Your Self for Second Adulthood
Unleashing the Full Power of Your Wisdom
Nothing is as disorienting as shifting from one phase of our lives to the next. Each time we turn the page and enter a new chapter of our story, we need to build new goals, new tools, and even new or expanded identities. The limiting concept to our ability to meet this challenge as we age is the mistaken belief that our brains are no longer adaptable. Science now tells us that the brain at every age is far more plastic than we thought possible.
We take our brains for granted, expecting them to rise to every occasion and effortlessly adapt to every changing landscape. The truth is that, to maximize brain health and potential, we need to pay attention to the changes within and around us and reinvent ourselves accordingly. Yes we can teach maturing brains new tricks but first we need to be aware of how our brain functions and deals with shifting circumstances. Learning to harness our brainpower is an indispensable tool in staying effective and engaged throughout our lives. Find out about some of the latest discoveries in brain science and their applications for enhancing the quality of your life.
Maintaining Daily Reserves – Stress Less in Stressful World
Learn to Stress Less in Stressful World
No matter how hard we push ourselves, we expect our brains to function efficiently and effectively at all times and in all circumstances. Unfortunately, in our fast-paced work environments we all too often put our brains into overload and then find ourselves tense, exhausted, and unable to think clearly. Learning why and how to build and maintain energy reserves is an essential strategy for becoming more effective while relieving stress Through a deeper awareness of what recent research has shown about the ways our brains both serve and sabotage us, and what we can do about it, you will discover strategies to positively impact the quality of your life as well as your productivity.
