How does one start being mindful?
I was presenting a workshop on the Power of Pause at a business association conference for HR professionals earlier this month. During the workshop, a person asked me two questions, “How does one start being mindful? And, how do I bring mindfulness to my workplace?”
I paused before I responded. Then I said that if being mindful is about cultivating one’s ability for moment-to-moment awareness without judgment, then it starts with self. My thought behind that is, how can I bring that presence to my work if I’ve not given time to cultivate that internally? [Read more…]
How do you build vulnerability-based trust?
In Patrick Lencioni’s book Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he contends that to overcome the absence of trust is about the willingness to be vulnerable. “Vulnerability-based trust is predicated on the simple – and practical – idea that people who aren’t afraid to admit the truth about themselves are not going to engage in the kind of political behavior that wastes everyone’s time and energy, and more importantly, makes the accomplishment of results an unlikely scenario.”
Vulnerability-based trust may be a simple idea, but is a challenge to create and maintain in the workplace. It is an ongoing practice.
I experienced this with a client of mine last month in their sincere and committed attempts to create and build vulnerability-based trust. I facilitated a two hour session with them in a practice they called “Monthly Family Meetings.” This was the first time they engaged in this practice.
What happened during the meeting? [Read more…]
A Mindful Lesson
Last week was a lesson in mindfulness, of being aware that I was not aware, that resulted in a personally embarrassing situation.
I was at a client to facilitate their leadership team meeting. As people came into their small conference room, Sue (not her real name) walked in. I’ve known Sue for a year or so and we’ve met several times. When I looked at her, my mind told me she was pregnant. Well, guess what came out of my mouth? “Sue, you are pregnant,” I said with a joyous tone. Sue was startled, and with her face flushed she replied with sternness, “No, I’m not.”
Oh my, these are life situations that you wish you could take back and do over. Has this ever happened to you? [Read more…]
Mindfulness Leads to Civility
There’s a lot of uncivilness going around – people being rude, pushing their own agendas, hearing but not listening, unable to honor differing opinions or ideas from their own. So, what are we going to do about it?
Maybe we need a model to practice in being civil in our working and personal relationships.
Well, I have just the thing for us to practice – a mindful communication methodology. [Read more…]
Coaching with FAST Feedback
In my recent work with a client in developing a workshop on coaching for managers, we came upon a handbook that offers an insightful and effective framework for providing feedback called FAST Feedback by Bruce Tulgan.
FAST Feedback “is a practical method for giving employees the kind of feedback they need the most.” It is based on the formula FAST, an acronym that stands for:
FREQUENT – Giving employees feedback at their individual rates of need.
ACCURATE – Giving feedback that is correct, balanced, and appropriate.
SPECIFIC – Focusing on concrete action steps.
TIMELY – The sooner, the better.
The handbook addresses why FAST is important, the causes for and consequences of managers who are not effective coaches, and guidelines to be a good coach. At the end, the handbook offers The FAST Feedback Manager’s Tool Kit that contains four worksheets and planning tools to prepare and implement each of the four coaching elements.
This handbook packs a punch if you are serious about coaching. And, there is no dispute that a serious flaw for many managers is their inability to coach effectively.
So, get this book for every manager in your organization and do it FAST!
Watch Bruce Tulgan talk about how managers are to be coaches. He is inspiring.
Smart Coaches Read Behavior
Smart Coaches Read Behavior
As I was developing a coaching workshop for a client’s managers, I ran across a YouTube clip about how good managers coach by reading behavior. The coaching skill is to read a person’s behavior and respond appropriately without judging or labeling the person. Also, to not let your emotions drive your response.
What behavior do you focus on? [Read more…]
What is your crutch?
What is your crutch?
This month, I had the privilege to facilitate a workshop at the Central Iowa Chapter Association for Talent Development (ATD) Career Development Day. My workshop was “Quotes to Inspire, Questions to Inquire.” This is the title of a card deck that contains 52 cards. Each card has a quote and the flip side has several questions that relate to a core idea in the quote.
I had an engaging group that plowed right into dialogue in pairs with the cards. Several talked about how the quotes and questions engaged them to dialogue at levels that were personal and more in-depth than what a casual conversation would be. One woman cried in response to her card because it ushered in emotional memories of an event long ago. Yes, the power of quotes and questions was very evident with this group.
I shared with them my favorite card. [Read more…]
Mindful Leaders – Are you above or below the line?
Welcome to 2015, a year for mindfulness!
In my last blog, I offered highlights from my attendance at the Mindful Leadership Summit I attended in November. In this blog, I want to share with you a mindful leader approach from Jim Dethmer, Co-Founder of the Conscious Leadership Forum. He presented a workshop called Four Keys to Leading Consciously.
Jim contends there are 4 keys to leading consciously: [Read more…]
Meditation: The Foundation of Learning to be a Mindful Leader
Meditation: The Foundation of Learning to be a Mindful Leader
In November, I attended a 2.5 day Mindful Leadership Summit in Arlington, Va. What an experience it was with 600 people!
Each learning session started with a 1-2 minute silent meditation. Why? What is the purpose of meditation?
- Its purpose is to learn to be present; to acknowledge our distractions and still be “present.”
- Breathing helps us do that.
- Being “present” in the moment allows us to “see” things we wouldn’t otherwise see, and in turn, we can guide/lead others to do the same.
It was clear from the presenters, that meditation is the basis to learning to be a mindful leader. Here are a few highlights from several speakers. [Read more…]
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