Empathetic Leadership in a Changing World
In a fast-changing world, things may not be as we have known them to be. Often senior leaders and managers in diverse and inclusive organisations are at a loss when for no apparent reason, productive, high energy teams in their organisation suddenly deflate, or a peaceful group suddenly turns contentious.
All this needs to be managed efficiently and effectively, so that the team can refocus on the task at hand.
At a personal level too, it is a good practice to periodically introspect and check the assumptions we are operating under – are they accurate, relevant, useful? Do they come from a place of unconscious bias?
Some of the personal concerns that arise are:
· Have others got what I’m saying?
· Why do others’ not cooperate with my good suggestions?
· How can I be more confident?
· I work like a dog, yet no one seems to notice
· Why do I have to do all the work?
· Why do I let others get away with using my ideas?
· He does nothing, yet he’s so popular
· Some people make me nervous, even though I’m much smarter than them
This workshop will enable participants to become aware of their beliefs and unconscious behaviour patterns. These spontaneous learning experiences in a safe environment will enable participants to understand group dynamics and their contribution and roles through a new paradigm.
This workshop is interactive, participatory, and calls for introspection.
The workshop includes interactive activities where participants are involved and engaged. Discussions are encouraged and free yet guided communication leads to much sharing. Exercises are introduced to aid reflection. The result is profound learning from others in the group as well as self-awareness of ones’ own self.
This is done in a supportive environment where there are no good / bad answers or right / wrong ideas.
Led through a series of discussions and exercises, the participants get an opportunity to view situations through a new paradigm. These observations will go beyond the obvious and explore the unknown, the unspoken, and what we call the shadow in Jungian practice.
Theories and related concepts from process psychology will be introduced to ensure and understand free-flowing group dynamics. The theory not only grounds the workshop in a structure but also helps participants identify and recognise behaviour patterns of others and themselves.
This awareness is a very powerful tool that organically encourages the participants to adapt and alter their responses and negotiate challenging circumstances in leadership at the workplace.
Learning Outcomes:
· Participants will become aware of non-verbal signals and be able to gauge feedback
· Participants will learn to recognise set notions about themselves, verify these patterns of thought, and if needed learn to rectify them
· Participants will be empowered to view relationships with a new lens
· Participants will get a better understanding of team work dynamics, the function of power and rank, and the resultant roles that people often occupy
· Participants become more self-aware and understand their own unconscious biases and behaviours that may be driven by their own histories
· Participants learn a lot about themselves, in particular the tendencies and behaviours they need to be more aware of while facing leadership or mentorship challenges
· Participants are also equipped with deep insights on behaviour patterns and their results in a competitive or contentious environment
· Participants are made more ‘self-aware’ so they can successfully leverage this awareness as a profound change agent in all aspects of their lives
Client Experiences:
I have realised that I have a tendency to ‘act cool’. This blocks my ability to learn even though I actually want to. I am trying to be aware now after these sessions so that I can stop this tendency to be distracting to others and myself.
I am a considerate and kind-hearted person; I only want the best for others. I had no idea that people saw me as patronizing, scared and nervous, and that I was coming in the way of their ability and need to take risks. The concepts and theory were presented in a way that made all the learning hands on, immediate, and very practical.
I finally get where these hip youngsters are coming from. I should not judge them by their speech and attire, or their body posture. They are as and sometimes more hard working than anyone else. The younger generation is more worried and concerned about their future and job, and are working very hard to secure it, but they just do it in a very different way from how I imagined they should behave.
It was a surprise and relief to realise that everyone has fears about their work performance in spite of their many accomplishments. I’m not the only one. That voice in my head that is always finding fault with me and making me feel bad, also happens to others. I thought that I was the only crazy person around. I learnt about the inner critic and also how to manage it.
I have always believed in being democratic and letting my team take its own decisions. However, I understood that this was seen as a failure of my leadership role. Through these sessions I have learnt how to use my experience and seniority to enable strong leadership decisions for my team.
It was an eye-opener for me to realise that the reason I had the most amount of conflict with another was because he and I were expressing the same emotion in different ways. This insight has enabled me to be empathetic and collaborate more effectively with him and others.