Victor Frankl quote for a New Year

“Between the stimulus and response, there is a space and in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response.”

(1962).

Are your leaders inspiring trust?

A new workshop for Spring!  I'm inspired.  Leaving off the name of the client.  Can you imagine your team taking some time together to explore how to increase trust -- and performance?   

 

Building Trust to Enhance Excellence at ____

In decades of research across all industries, the presence or absence of trust in an organization is the most important ingredient in an organization’s performance.  

High trust organizations collaborate more effectively, operate faster, and achieve sustainable results.

The number one job of any leader is to inspire trust. Trust releases the creativity and capacities of individuals to do their best work. The great news is that trust can be repaired and high trust cultures can be created and sustained. 

In this 3 part series participants will:

·        Examine two dimensions of trust within the culture of ____

·        Explore the costs of low trust and the benefits of high trust cultures.

·        Use assessments to explore trust within departments and self.

·        Explore strengths and areas for growth in inspiring trust.

·        Learn basic strategies in Emotional Intelligence (EI).

·        Use EI skills to increase congruence and trust at work.

·        Use a matrix tool to mitigate risks when trusting others.

·        Learn and practice behaviors to increase and restore trust.

·        Practice telling stories to communicate positive intent and build a trusting culture.

·        Analyze organizational structures that build or decrease trust.

© 2017 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Great video by a master in teaching about Trust

Oldie but a goodie

This article is dated but the research is not. Understanding our purpose at work, connecting to others and the meaning of our tasks enlivens engagement, productivity, and morale at work.
Check out the article here.

Six seconds EQ store is selling our card deck. Yea!

https://products.6seconds.org/product/improving-communication-at-work-card-deck/

© 2009 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Our self-awareness improves our own health and the health of our groups.

Powerpoint slides for Managing Change workshop

Powerpoint slides for Managing Change workshop© 2017Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Emotions can guide us through conflicting and complex situations

What I love about EI is recognizing that emotions offer us an intelligence.  As my hubby and I look for a new house I've had lots of emotions.  Yesterday we almost made an offer on a house but I began to have this nagging feeling.  The feeling nagged me until I slowed down and examined what/who was pushing me to buy that house.  It wasn't the right house for us.  Yay for emotions!

© 2017 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Why is competition so much more compelling than cooperation?

Why is it that competition can feel more fun than cooperation? When I lead team building events, no matter the group -- teams always get more excited when they get to compete against other teams. Some really struggle when I try to coax them (or trick them!) to cooperate in an activity.

I know that Dr. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi's research confirms that boredom is painful and the "flow state" comes from meeting challenges and growing from them. Is this the reason?

Today I wondered: could we change the nature of challenge and competition in our culture? What if our measure of success had less to do with $$ and more to do with how well we serve each other?

Coming soon! Emotional Intelligence study cards.

Why cards? 

Since the subject of emotional intelligence is vast, using a single card can help us focus on one idea each week. The cards are brief, so their lessons can easily fit into our day. Physically handling the cards can make learning more tactile and embodied. And finally, cards suggest play. Exploring our inner world can be challenging, but doing so with a sense of playfulness will not only make the journey more fun but also more enduring. 

More information coming soon!
© 2017 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

We can always improve our listening!

Phones are reducing our empathy?? Consider this at your next meal.....

Key to Working with All Soft Skills -- A riddle

I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly, correctly. I am easily managed - you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great people; and alas, of all failures as well. Those who are failures, I have made failures. I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human being. You may run me for a profit or turn me for ruin - it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you. Who am I? I AM HABIT.

Joseph Campbell and Storytelling

Mindfulness -- A powerful practice for Emotional Intelligence and Stress Reduction

Three no-cost elements to inspire motivation at work

A group of managers from a local manufacturing company and I recently explored the power of feeling motivated.  Three no-cost elements can produce an energetic and productive staff:  

 

• an environment of interpersonal support,
• clear work goals, 
• and opportunities to be creative.

 
Our group reflected on times they felt especially motivated.

And we looked at what happens when we feel that motivation.

When we face challenges, isn't it great to know our capacities? 

Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

The Leaders Institute on television.

I love working with The Leaders Institute.  Their  2 hour Build a Bike events build stronger teams and create great memories for colleagues at work,  (and for happy local kids). 

UNC masters students build bikes for kids

Do we have the courage to create the lives we truly want?

This six minute interview offers a dose of truth. Author Greg McKeown's new book Essentialism, gives us this awesome challenge: pursue only those things that are truly important — and eliminate everything else. Listen below for some other great tips on getting our lives back.

Ancient Emotional Intelligence

“Do not conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance. Thorns spring up when an army passes. Years of misery follow a great victory. Do only what needs to be done without using violence.”- Tao Te Ching

I led a wonderful virtual workshop on assertiveness yesterday.  Many participants spoke of their desire to "do what needs to be done" without slipping into aggressiveness.   It's true that force can yield an immediate "victory" but teams and companies can pay a price for brutal management styles.

During one of my Emotional Intelligence workshops a group of managers insisted that they had to yell at their workers.  Later, the HR manager mentioned that the company had several safety violations.  I saw a link between the stressed (and resentful?) worker and an unsafe facility.

Do we manage our own emotional reactions instead of taking out our fear and anger on others?  Do we use the least amount of force necessary to achieve our goals?

What doesn't kill me.....

While preparing for an upcoming workshop I came across some research on resiliency --the ability to “bounce back” after hardships.  Dr. Mark Seery’s studies show that moderate adversity early in life can actually help us develop resilience and cope with life’s challenges.  The study suggests that the adage, “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” is psychologically true.  Researchers offer the example of children contacting germs in play and how this helps their immune systems grow stronger.

In my garden I’m finding the same lesson.  Last year our terrier, Reggie, in his hunt for chipmunks dug up a lanky raspberry bush.  The bush looked half-dead but I covered it with dirt and fenced off the area.  The bush had grown vigorously but had produced only a few tiny raspberries in its first few years.

 

This year, instead of growing more canes, the bush is much more compact, and has produced many very large, luscious berries. 

On the other hand, my spinach lacks resiliency.  It can’t seem to thrive even in a shady spot during our cooler summer.  It has bolted almost immediately. 

 The work of emotional intelligence can guide us toward changing dysfunctional thought patterns that hamper our ability to bounce back from life’s changes and challenges.

How resilient are we to the hardships of life?  Can we  appreciate our daily annoyances and smaller challenges for the gift they may offer? 

© 2014 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved