Uncategorized – 糖心Vlog官方 Sun, 07 Jan 2024 14:29:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2019/05/cropped-fav-icon-B-32x32.png Uncategorized – 糖心Vlog官方 32 32 A Mentoring Tool /7934-2/ /7934-2/#respond Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:18:31 +0000 /?p=7934

“It’s All Good” – A Training Tool For Mentors

By Michael Donahue and Brady Rhodes

Note:听 糖心Vlog官方 has been training mentors, designing mentoring programs and mentoring young people and adults for 20+ years.听 We have developed several tools, contexts and supports to help facilitate relationships and growth for mentor/mentee pairs, including group mentoring.听 Check out what we have to offer here, and feel free to contact us to help troubleshoot your program.

A new mentor stopped me at lunch during a training workshop and asked me 鈥淲hy do you keep telling us to keep in mind 鈥業t鈥檚 all good鈥?听 That seems like a cop-out to me!听 I thought you want us to have high expectations!鈥澨 My response was to tell him that as a mentor, you have to have a place to stand.听 High expectations IS a place to stand, and it will likely help him and his mentee once they get going.听 鈥淚t鈥檚 all good鈥 is another stand – likely a more effective one – especially in the beginning phases of a mentoring relationship.听 It will get you through the rough spots and show your mentee that you are there no matter what – a vital key to successful relationships of any kind.

So what is a place to stand and what is effective about 鈥淚t鈥檚 All Good鈥? 听 We walk around with expectations all the time.听 As a mentor, you started out your mentoring with expectations of how it would go.听 You had preconceived notions, anticipations, wants and needs. Maybe these were notions of being 鈥榯hat person that made all the difference鈥, or setting your young person on a course for the Nobel Prize, or perhaps you just anticipated building a great give-and-take relationship with someone.听 As you went through your training or preparation, you may have taken off the rosy glasses somewhat, or maybe you knew someone who had been in a challenging relationship and that gave you a bit of pause, but you still had a fairly specific sense of how it would all occur.听 What鈥檚 important to note about these expectations is that they are largely unconscious and beneath the surface of your thinking self.听 They are subtly yet powerfully orienting you to expect your mentoring to go a certain way.听听

鈥淚t鈥檚 all good,鈥 takes these expectations head-on and helps you release the hold they have on you.听 When we are in relationships, expectations come into play constantly.听 We generally know how to handle different situations, and we know how to act and behave: we expect a certain scenario and respond to that scenario when it (or slight variations) play out.听 Often we don鈥檛 even think about it – because it fit what we have built as the right response.听 Yet when people in our lives deviate from the script or do the opposite of what we expect, certain emotions are certain to come up!听 Anger, disappointment, apathy, a sense of betrayal, a sense of loss or real sadness are just some of the emotions that can arise. Note that I am talking about your emotions here. Without something to hold on to (without a place to stand), those emotions can really take the ship off course, sometimes with long-term consequences.听

When you choose to stand for 鈥淚t鈥檚 All Good鈥 in your relationship with your mentee, you are orienting yourself to be okay or 鈥榞ood鈥 with whatever happens.听 This is a place of real responsibility and commitment to the relationship, because you are not allowing your reactions to missed expectations deviate your course!听 This is a profound gift to others.听 Why? Well let鈥檚 go back to the expectations thing: when my 12 year old explodes with anger towards me about something I had nothing to do with, he is expecting (unconsciously) his anger to fuel a response from me that then warrants his anger or gives him a place to unload it.听 If I have not prepped myself with 鈥業t鈥檚 All Good鈥, then he might get what he expects: I will get angry at being blamed and off we go!听

Yet if I am standing in a place of 鈥業t鈥檚 All Good鈥, I am pre-oriented towards allowing him to be however he is being in the moment. He has the ball and he is on the court.听 I have distanced myself from reacting.听 Yet what I have not done is distanced myself from him.听 Quite the opposite:听 When you can allow your mentee to be angry, hurt, blameful, or even exuberant and joyous, you give them a gift as a coach to play the game of life.听 You provide a space for the young person to know that it is ok for them to be how they are.听 And it may be one of the few times anyone has given them that space.

It can be comical how we as humans believe we can control everything that happens.听 When we are confronted by the fact this is not the case, we change our language.听 We say, 鈥淚t should have been this way,鈥 or 鈥淭his is not the way it is supposed to happen.鈥澨 When you are a coach and working in the area of helping people transform their lives, being okay with the way things happen gives you the presence to then respond vs. react, and it is in the response that you then have the opportunity to help your mentee interact with the situation, learning from it for the future. 听 Using 鈥淚t鈥檚 All Good鈥 as a place to stand helps us release our death grip on control.

Your mentee is not you and you are not your mentee.听 Our experiences may mirror the youth鈥檚 or be the exact opposite.听 From our pasts we have developed expectations of human behavior.听 We choose to be in relationships that match these expectations and move away from the people that do not share them.听 In working with teens, you can overcome this by just saying to yourself 鈥淚t Is All Good.鈥澨 Whatever has just happened, it simply is just that: 鈥淎ll good.鈥

]]>
/7934-2/feed/ 0
Learning Coaches: An Option For Re-Imagined Learning /learning-coaches-an-option-for-re-imagined-learning/ /learning-coaches-an-option-for-re-imagined-learning/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2020 16:53:43 +0000 /?p=7656

A positive aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic was the opportunity to restructure the teacher-student relationship.听 It provided opportunities for teachers, parents, mentors and community members to re-orient themselves as Learning Coaches.

A Learning Coach is someone who sees and says things to help a student win at his or her learning.听 The context is a small yet fundamental shift away from teaching. Instead of content instruction, the focus is on relationship-centric practices that foster agency, growth and learning habits.听

Even though we are back to in-person instruction, utilizing the perspective and approach of a Learning Coach can radically shift the relationship between Teacher and Student.听 To do this well, we work with Teachers to use the rich contextual orientation and three operational spheres described in this post.听

Orientation

  • Causing Best Self

Operational Spheres

  • Help Establish The Playing Field

  • Support Gaps/Creative Resourcing

  • Reach and Reciprocity

Causing Best Self

Note: The idea of Causing Best Self is a significant aspect of our Framework for Availability that we train educators, managers and facilitators in through our online course.听 The basic idea is below.听听

Beyond a vague notion of pop psychology, the context of Best Self can help ignite self-directed learning – a critical component of education that teachers rarely receive direct instruction about how to develop this vital trait.听 Having the teacher/coach understand and use “Causing Best Self” as a frame of reference shapes a needed foundation for any educational environment.听

The idea of Causing Best Self is a solid, simple and elegant orientation that cuts through much of the barriers we often experience in communication and building relational spaces – even virtually.听 It creates a path of doing 鈥榳ith鈥 versus doing 鈥榯o鈥 and produces faster activation of听 participation, learning, and collaboration.听听

In our work with groups, we created a definition of Best Self, and we find it to be well supported in research.听 We have seen it in action in hundreds of diverse settings.听 We say Best Self is an experience of, and/or an aspiration towards:

    • Self-agency

    • Being valued

    • Belonging

    • Connection

When students (and people in general) experience one or more of these, they have a sense of being their Best Self.听 Think about it for yourself: when you had an experience of any one of the four listed above, how did it feel to you?听 Were you proud of yourself, content or inspired?听 Were you interested in repeating whatever you did that caused that sense of Best Self?听 You felt this way because you experienced your 鈥榮elf鈥 meeting one of those basic needs.听听听

Human beings also aspire toward these aspects. Students (and teachers, parents, etc.) desire experiences where they are autonomous, important, have a sense of being part of something and are in real relationship to others.听 This results in a powerful motivating force, any one of which can be used to help propel movement in the disaffected learner.

Because they are such vital aspirations and sought-after experiences, you can use these components of Best Self as a context or ethos to coach through.听 When coaches do this, they look for ways to give their 鈥榩layer鈥 an experience of self-agency, being valued, being connected and having a sense of belonging.听 This is a relationship-centric practice that can easily create a coach鈥檚 modus operandi. 听听Using the lens of Best Self puts an expansive view of relationships at the forefront of the coach, and – as any great coach will tell you – paying attention to relationships significantly impacts success and human performance.

Finally, the key difference with this umbrella context is not what it is, but what it is not. It is not a drive for standards mastery, or testing improvement.听 It is not focusing on content achievement tracking or study habits.听 Those frameworks did not work well in the distance learning environment of a pandemic and they will not help a Teacher develop as a Learning Coach.听 What will work is relationship-based practices that put the learner at the center of their learning.听 This will take time to build momentum and see results, but we have a real opportunity with this context to reinvigorate a passion for learning that we all know often sees a steep decline from 4th to 9th grade.听 A Learning Coach who creates opportunities for students to have experiences of their Best Self while learning will find a ready and interested partner who will then be more willing to include some measure of needed competency and standards mastery.听 The added benefit for schools will be the parallel Social and Emotional development outcomes that will be achieved as students/coaches work concurrently on self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making and more.听

Three Spheres of Work

The Learning Coach operates in three intertwining spheres as a basic framework with the learner.听 While any number of scenarios can work, we have found that one teacher needs 30 minutes a week/student to build a regular habit.听 This could mean 7-10 hours/week for a teacher with 15-20 students.听 This is a perfect role for mentors and community members to be trained in as well, which could free up time for the teacher to focus on higher-need learners.

Help Establish the Playing Field

This will be the biggest challenge for many teachers-as-coaches, as it upends a very traditional and mythical paradigm.听 Rather than the teacher outlining the scope and scale of the learning, a Learning Coach gives the pilot seat to the student.听 Why?听 Because students can build a self-directed learner muscle more easily if they are pursuing learning of their own choice and motivation, rather than something mandated or forced.听听

Within this sphere, the coach鈥檚 role is to help the learner define the playing field.听 The teacher will resist the temptation to define the playing field, but rather help the student think through:听

  • What do you want to learn about or work on?

  • What will the learning look like?听听

  • What are the boundaries of study?

  • What might a final product look like?

Once a student has experienced some habit of self-agency and connection with the coach (key Best Self components), their disposition towards learning and their coach will shift and become more available – giving Coaches the chance to broaden the 鈥榩laying field鈥 with learning that may not be student-choice.

Support Gaps/Creative Resourcing

The student-player is in the process of becoming just like all students – meaning he is not there yet.听 Hence the coach鈥檚 role to identify any areas that need extra attention and awareness.听 We find that the best method is to follow three steps: 1) Jointly align on what the gap is and get permission to coach; 2) Objectify the gap and coach from there using creative resourcing, and; 3) Combine when it鈥檚 time.

1. Jointly align/permission – Have a conversation to align on what gaps are present.听 Asking 鈥淲hat do you feel are things you might need to work on to have success with your project?鈥 gives the student a chance to be the pilot.听 If you have perspectives to share about gaps you notice (and you have permission) share them.听 Prioritize which ones need attention first.听 We have found that every student from 4th grade on up (often earlier as well) has this ability to name their gaps.听 It is particularly important to note that they also almost universally appreciate the opportunity to go to work on them.

Permission is bedrock to coaching. We do not proceed until we have permission from the player to be their coach.听 This is a profound act and one that shifts the 鈥渄oing to鈥 mindset for both the coach and the student.听 It creates a spirit of mutuality and shared-responsibility.听 Read more about our take on Permission.

2. Objectify gaps – Rather than make the gaps a personality flaw or labeled as something 鈥榳rong鈥, turn them into objects and coach for success.听 If you have both identified that 鈥減rocrastination鈥 is going to get in the way and needs to be improved, put on your creative coaching hat and send in a 鈥榩lay鈥 to practice that object (objectifying the gap separates it from the content and makes it easier to work with). In this way, learning coaches do not need to be content experts, they need to be creative resource experts.听 A good sports coach does not look at a player who needs to run faster and says 鈥渞un faster鈥, she devises strategies and games and drills that build speed.听 The Learning Coach must be fantastic at piecing together an array of resources that meet the needs of the student-player.听 Coaching creatively takes thoughtfulness.听 Our experience with coaches and mentors is that they stop way too early when looking for a creative solution.听 Let your imagination run and you will find that the more creative the play, the more success it will bring.听

3. Combine when it鈥檚 time – Great coaches will break new learning into specific tasks only in the beginning.听 Once there is basic familiarity, combine gap responses听

A recent teen I worked with was keeping his eye on two distinct aspects of himself to work on: procrastination and communication with his family: I combined his gap practice and coached him to share out loud with a family member when he was starting his learning, what he planned to accomplish and when he anticipated finishing.听 We tracked this 鈥榩ractice鈥 each day and talked about it鈥檚 impact, and a real shift came about in both areas.听

Supporting gaps could look wildly different for different learners.听 Some may identify encouragement, or help finding information, or specific competencies like writing or solving for 鈥榵鈥.听 Your role is not to 鈥榬un鈥, your role is to recognize that the student cannot see themselves when they are 鈥榬unning鈥.听 Coach towards the gaps you see, starting with the ones you both can align on.

Reach and Reciprocity

This is the serve and return methodology of early childhood educators and the heartbeat of an experiential pedagogy.听 The first three steps have been detailed above.

  1. Identify the gaps or the learning the student is interested in

  2. Creatively resource the gap

  3. Have the student run the play

  4. THEN: Promote dialogue on performance and effort.

      • How did that go?

      • What worked?听 What did not work?

      • What was the value of that for you?

      • What would you do differently in the future?

  5. Repeat as needed, adjust or move on.听 Develop the routine so that you both get used to the learner 鈥榬unning a play鈥 and then returning to talk about it.

Teachers-As-Learning-Coaches may not seem like a significant shift, but the change in dynamic needs thoughtful preparation and training, and could well be the springboard we need to support learning as a lifestyle, rather than the coercive act it often is.听 There is a real opportunity here to help students and teachers move their mindset about learning towards a 鈥渄oing with鈥 rather than a 鈥渄one to鈥 paradigm.

糖心Vlog官方 has been working with mentors, teachers and coaches for 20 years to find the best ways to build relational environments that support self-agency in young people.听 If you are interested in more information or would like to chat about what you have read, on our calendar or take a look at our online Mind the Gap Master Class.

]]>
/learning-coaches-an-option-for-re-imagined-learning/feed/ 0
Getting and Giving Permission – A Profound Act of Relationship /getting-and-giving-permission-a-profound-act-of-relationship/ /getting-and-giving-permission-a-profound-act-of-relationship/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2020 17:25:29 +0000 /?p=7634
Getting-and-Giving-Permission.pdf (3739 downloads )

Minding the Gap: Permission听 (A PDF Download is available for free above)

People are automatic, habitual listeners. There is a routine way that you listen.听 You get used to listening a certain way over time and that becomes your go-to, without you ever choosing.听 It is like a potluck: someone says 鈥榖ring a dish to share鈥 and you automatically go to your homemade salsa, fruit salad, dessert or whatever it is you always bring to share.听听

Because you often do not choose how you listen, each day you may feel like you are not being heard, or you notice you are not listening to others.听 We have only found two ways to counter that automatic listening.听 One way is to listen to yourself listen, and it is a profound act.听 It impacts the way that you listen to others.听 The other way we have found to help someone shift how they are listening to you, is to say something that has the listener move to another mode of listening.听 One of the most effective ways of doing this is to Ask Permission.

Have you ever given great advice to a friend or co-worker who has not followed it?听 Have you ever felt that what you say goes 鈥渋n one ear and out the other鈥?听 Have you ever tried working with a group of people who do not include your perspective?听 Seen another way, do you sometimes want someone to really listen to you yet you feel like they are in problem-solving mode and want to fix you?听听

Asking permission can improve the way people listen to each other.听 It can help build relationships by demonstrating respect and appreciation for friends, co-workers and family members.

Getting Permission听

Marco is talking with John, a friend he has known for a couple years.听 John is having a challenge at work and is complaining about it to Marco.听 The challenge involves a colleague that John is not getting along with.听 It has been frustrating and he has tried different things without much success.听 Marco has some thoughts about what to do in this situation (who wouldn鈥檛!听 We all want to feel right and smart about someone else鈥檚 problems, right?).听 So at some point he starts telling John about some things he should do to fix the challenge.听 For some reason John either keeps on talking like he didn鈥檛 hear Marco or gives some kind of perfunctory 鈥渢hat鈥檚 a good idea鈥, but Marco can tell John doesn鈥檛 really mean it.听 Or maybe John starts arguing with Marco鈥檚 idea as if to prove him wrong.听 Whatever happens, it is clear that Marco鈥檚 ideas did not make a difference for John.听听

That鈥檚 because Marco should on鈥 him 鈥 told him what to do without first asking for permission to share his ideas.听 John was venting or complaining and could not 鈥渉ear鈥 and consider what Marco said.听

Maureen is a manager of five others at a small but fast growing tech firm.听 Her team has been at it for four days straight working creatively to solve a tough challenge, while she was on retreat with the firm鈥檚 leadership team planning a new project.听 When she returns, she meets with her team, eager to hear what has been going on and get everyone ready for the new project.听 While the team is sharing their attempts at tackling the challenge, Maureen listens for a bit and then quickly starts telling them what to do.听 The gathering quickly moves into a space of task lists and action items.听 The team walks away from the meeting feeling like their work was not well understood or appreciated.听 Despite good intentions, Maureen walks away feeling disconnected.

Being 鈥榮hould on鈥 rarely works the way we hope, does it?!听 Despite our well-meaning intentions, our perceived genius or perfect problem-solving solution, we often end-up creating disconnection and resentment.听听

Most often, we assume we have permission to share our perspectives with another person.听 We believe we have “the answer”.听 Whether this assumption is correct or not, asking permission is a great equalizer.听 It gives the listener the chance to take part, rather than have them feel like they are having something done to them.听 When you ask permission to share your perspective, you are honoring the other person by giving them a chance to have a say in the matter.听听

Asking permission is a unique question that rarely gets asked. Asking creates a sense of honor and respect.听 It is like the person is saying: 鈥淚t would not be respectful of me to assume that you want this feedback, so let me check first鈥.听 If the person answered with “yes”, they are now more responsible for listening.听 They will likely get 鈥渞eady鈥 for the perspective.听 They will be engaged and participating at a level that may not have been present before.听 This supports and allows for consideration.听 Asking permission helps them consider the perspective and creates an opportunity for relationship with the speaker.听 They are now more likely to be working in tandem with the speaker.听 Without permission, there is no specific opportunity for partnership.听 It is the speaker doing to the listener instead of doing with.

Asking for permission is a practice of 鈥淢inding the Gap鈥.听 When you ask permission, you are being attentive to the relationship between you and others.听 You are keeping in mind that your intention and theirs may not match up.听 Permission helps relationships align.

What to do if they say 鈥淣o鈥?

If you get a 鈥渘o鈥 from someone when you ask permission, be grateful that you asked!听 You just avoided giving unwanted feedback AND you also had an experience of honoring the present moment for that person.听 Rather than perhaps feeling dominated or told what to do, the person instead had a choice in the matter.听 When you ask for permission and are met with a 鈥淣o鈥, honor it.听 There may be a time to ask again later, but for now you are recognizing that the person has stated that he or she is not receptive.听 They would likely not have heard your feedback anyway.

Giving Permission

Where have you allowed people in your life to assume they have permission to teach, coach or give you feedback, but you are not listening?听 For whatever reason you have withheld your mutual participation. 听 They are talking at you with the assumption you are engaged with them, but that is not the case.听 This could happen at work with a manager, employee or colleague.听 It could happen with a sibling, parent, friend or spouse. 听 Perhaps there is some resentment, or a sense that you know better, or a sense that it is not that person鈥檚 place to give you that feedback.听 Or maybe you have the thought “I have heard this all before”.听听

What might be the danger if you are withholding this permission without their knowledge?听 Every time they seek to make an impact with you, either through a perspective, training, or instruction, you appear to be considering externally but are not doing so internally.

Permission in Groups

There is often an assumption of permission when working with people in a group.听 Whether it is a manager with a group of employees, a facilitator with a group, or a teacher with students, permission is often assumed. 听 We are in the habit of believing that if people are present in the same room then they have given permission to do the “work”, whatever that may be.听 When a group leader pays attention to permission, it can provide a vital opening and opportunity. 听 Assuming it can cause problems!听听听听

We are so used to the assumption of permission that its effect has created a new normal about our notion of participation and ownership.听 When we think permission is implied or assumed, then we must also think that people are ready to own the experience and participate.听 If you are in the room, then you must be taking part.听 If you signed up, you must be ready to work with me.听 听 This is dangerous because it keeps the power dynamic in place and never provides the participant an opportunity to choose to take part. 听 The group leader is thinking 鈥淲e are in this together,鈥 and the others are thinking 鈥淭his is being done to me.听 You are in charge of my experience. I am dependent on you.鈥澨 Think for moment about the mischief these different views could cause!听 It is a situation ripe for misinterpretation, resentment and upset 鈥 on all sides.听听

The act of asking for permission at some point can make a difference.听 It does not have to be complex.听 The leader can make a direct ask of the group: 鈥淣ow that you know what we are doing here, do I have your permission to do this with you?鈥澨 This is a profound question, because it acknowledges the mutuality of the experience 鈥 which may not have been present up until that moment.听 It provides an opportunity for the participants to claim and declare ownership.听 If they say 鈥測es鈥, then they are in charge of their own participation and likely have a greater sense of mutuality. 听 Asking for permission builds relationships: it honors the voice, participation and contribution of the participants, on individual and group levels.

A key benefit about permission is how it interacts with the power dynamic in ways that are humanizing:听

Craig is a 22-year old challenge course facilitator.听 Craig was excellent when he worked with high school groups, yet would become quiet and withdrawn when working with corporate groups.听 He would only give the most basic of instructions and appeared intimidated by their age, knowledge and experience.听 What helped him the most was the act of getting permission.听 He learned to share with the group that while he had a lot of experience and passion for the job, he felt it was disrespectful to think he could lead these older professionals.听 After acknowledging this, he would ask the group for permission to facilitate the activity with them.听 In this way he acknowledged and honored the obvious age difference, and brought a human element to the session for both Craig and the group. The groups appreciated him asking, and he in turn got to share out loud a concern that kept him from being his best self.听听

——————————————

Molly is a VP in a large educational institution.听 She works with a team of 12 others in a fast-paced, customer-service environment.听 Her ability to build relationships with her team is vital.听 She wants them to feel loyal to the organization, stay in their job and have high levels of participation and productivity.听 She uses the 鈥淕et Permission鈥 tool and likes how it helps her relationships with her team.听 She knows they appreciate it because they talk about feeling a greater level of partnership in the office.听 听 In situations like this, most manager’s would give instructions, make demands and provide direction.听 Molly still has to do this on occasion, yet she often will ask permission first.听 “It creates a more level playing field”, she says, and her staff feels more competent.

Summary

Asking for permission slows down an interaction with another human being.听 It moves that interaction from one-sided talking to conversation, listening, dialogue and perspective-sharing.听 It supports the growing of relationships and lays groundwork that enables social energy.听 When you ask permission, you are removing habits of domination or doing-to, and you are providing an opportunity for the listener to link-up and partner with you to a greater degree than before.听听

]]>
/getting-and-giving-permission-a-profound-act-of-relationship/feed/ 1
Best Virtual Meeting Strategies #3 /best-virtual-meeting-strategies-3/ /best-virtual-meeting-strategies-3/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2020 17:28:06 +0000 /?p=7585

**With so many meetings taking place virtually, how can you help people connect and maintain team performance?听 We are sharing effective strategies to boost engagement taken from our online Minding the Gap Master Class that are just as helpful in virtual world, where the “Gap” is often very evident.

Without a doubt, the most common mistake we witness with educators, managers or facilitators happens within the first 10 minutes of working with a group.听 Quite simply, they start too fast.听 We know from research and our own 25+ years experience that it takes听time听for people to join in and get on the same page with you.

You may have heard it referred to as the difference between getting听there and听being听there.听 Just showing up does not necessarily mean听ready, and all that entails.

We train people to use strategies to help themselves and their group participants become more available and to focus on using those strategies especially in the beginning of working with a group – whether the group is made of students, colleagues or community members.

Taking just a little more time in the beginning can make a huge difference.听 Especially in how it shapes and orients people听towards the work.

This post and the previous two others specifically identify some of the aspects of what we refer to as the First 10 Tools鈩: a variety of practices, contexts and processes that anyone can use in the beginning of a class or meeting to help people become more available,听which we define loosely as that experience “when the guidance systems of an individual align on the current moment.”听听When听you help others become听available, they are more willing, open, on point, considering and flexible with new ideas.听 They are less attached to expectations, less likely to stay removed from the conversation and more ’round-minded’ as one trainee called it.

Take a read through two more of the First 10 Tools鈩 below and think about how they might work for you:

  1. Provide Information: Our brains hunger for information, especially in the midst of uncertainty.听 Take time in the beginning of your meeting or class to simply provide information that you think people are hungry for.听 This could be as basic as how long the call will be, who will be on it, or where they can find the agenda.听 Or it may include information about what has been happening “behind the scenes”.听 Think through what information needs could be occupying people’s thoughts: until you answer those needs, your participants will remain distracted and disconnected.听 An added tip: Ask people “What else do you need to know about?”听 You may not be able to provide the information, but you听can make sure it gets validated and may be able to return to them later to answer their need.
  2. Everyone Participates x2: This really works to get people into the spirit and habit of participation right away.听 As you think about the first 10 minutes of your online class or meeting, what are at least two opportunities for everyone to participate or respond to?听 Instead of a random icebreaker, see if you can connect it to your Intention (see more here).听 Maybe you could…

Ask questions that require a verbal or a signaled answer from everyone (鈥淩aise your hand if you鈥︹ or 鈥淩ate your level of excitement from one to five and hold up your fingers to represent your rating鈥︹)

Add a response to a different question in the chat room.

Use breakout rooms for pairs or groups of no more than four to answer a short question, followed by sharing a synopsis of the conversation to the whole group.

Have people respond to a verbal fill-in-the-blank question: “I have been surprised by__________ “; “I really miss __________”; “One thing I have liked about the current reality is ________”

Take part in some ritual group beginning: share a ‘high’ and a ‘low’, appreciate someone in the group for something, etc.

Whatever you do, your goal is to establish a ‘participation bar’: the level of engagement you are looking for/expecting and this helps get it in place to begin with.

If you start too fast and don’t give people time to “be there”, the participation bar will stay low as people keep their orientation turned away from the relational space you want to create.

The First 10鈩 are easily transferable to the current environment of work and school online and they really help create relational environments in challenging times, that promote participation, learning and collaboration.听 If you would like more information, you are welcome to , get more information on the Master Class, or just check out boldleaders.org!

]]>
/best-virtual-meeting-strategies-3/feed/ 0
Best Virtual Meeting Strategies #2 /best-virtual-meeting-strategies-2/ /best-virtual-meeting-strategies-2/#respond Fri, 17 Apr 2020 17:11:36 +0000 /?p=7555 **In this new normal of remote work, how can you help connection thrive and maintain team performance?听 We are sharing effective strategies to boost engagement taken from our online Minding the Gap Master Class that are just as helpful in this new virtual world, where the “Gap” can be very evident.

One of the ideas from last week – “Begin Before It Begins” – received this comment from an educator in Nebraska:

“I have been scheduling weekly Zoom calls which have been good but I have been disappointed with the low numbers of students participating.听 Then I realized I was only sending out one short post on the Remind App. I decided after reading the post to take more time the day before and send the link by email and text and even Snapchat through my son’s account.听 The result was almost every student was on the call!”听

This was one of three ideas in our last post to help get yourself and others connected and perhaps more importantly orient themselves towards the work and each other.听听Take a read through our next idea below and see where it may fit for you!

When Standards Fall, Highlight the Non-Normal

Have you noticed a creeping mediocrity in your life or the work of your team or students?听 There are plenty of recommendations out there to “take it easy” on ourselves, but when it comes to work and/or learning, you are likely expected to raise the bar (or at least keep it from slipping lower!).听听

No worries: try these steps towards an effective practice that checks so many positive benefit boxes in order to “Highlight the Non-Normal”:

  1. Turn up/Tune in your listening.听 In order to highlight something you have to notice it first.听 Simply reading this post is already tuning your observation systems to be on the alert, now just pay attention.

  2. Notice non-normal participation where someone went farther than usual or expected: they took the extra step, stretched themselves or went above and beyond.听 Someone may challenge an assumption, ask a difficult question or volunteer to pursue a complex task. Maybe you hear about or notice someone not giving into complacency, or trying out something off-the-wall.听 Whatever raises the bar on your team’s notion of ‘engagement’ or ‘participation’, notice it.

  3. Highlight it!听 Shine a spotlight on it in someway: appreciate/acknowledge the person, ask what difference that made, etc. – just do anything you can to put more focus on the action.

By paying attention to whatever that person did that was exemplary, you are shining a light on the quality of participation you want.听 When this new kind of participation gets highlighted, there is an implicit permission for others to participate at the same level. In that moment you have interrupted the normal script and moved the relational space to a place of dissonance*.听

As more and more non-normal outputs are highlighted, a new-normal is created: the team now knows that a different kind of participation is standard in this setting.听 They will come to expect it and it will even carry over from session to session. As new employees or students join, they will adapt to whatever the ‘normal’ is, so the more engaged the better!听

As the engagement bar gets raised and normalized, you will notice that:

  • people will get more value out of participating at that level

  • people are creating and experiencing heightened relationships with each other and there will be a great sense of belonging, a key predictor of a group’s success.

A final benefit and one we will share about in our next post is this: when you highlight the non-normal, you are helping yourself and others practice being comfortable with the uncomfortable.听 Simply put, teams and classes that can master this profound practice see an exponential increase in performance through heightened cooperation, creativity, focus, relationships and more.

As the pandemic alters normal all around us, use this tool to create a new-normal, based on qualities and competencies you want to foster in your team or classroom.

* In our Master Class we highlight this as a significant contextual understanding when working with people and we use the metaphor of the Elephant/Rider developed by Jonathan Haidt and used by Daniel Kahneman to help explain this vital neuroscience and the impact it plays when working to build engagement with individuals and groups.听 Check it out here.

Looking for a daily practice to help keep you or others connected to your ‘self’ and the world around you?听 Check out The Elementals – a new product from 糖心Vlog官方.

 

]]>
/best-virtual-meeting-strategies-2/feed/ 0
Best Virtual Meeting Strategies #1 /best-virtual-meeting-strategies-1/ /best-virtual-meeting-strategies-1/#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2020 23:51:43 +0000 /?p=7527

**In this new normal of remote work, how can you help connection thrive and maintain team performance?听 Over the next two weeks we will share effective strategies to boost engagement taken from our Minding the Gap Master Class that are just as helpful in this new virtual world, where the “Gap” can be very evident.

Companies and teams are several weeks in now to this new reality of virtual meetings.听 If you were not used to them before or find yourself going a bit crazy after five hours of staring at Brady Bunch-like views of your colleagues, the three ideas below may help.

1. Begins Before it Begins

Remember how much work could often get done before the meeting, pre-shelter-at-home?听 You would have important conversations, you would create or examine an agenda, you might have passed someone in the hall and told her you look forward to hearing her ideas?听 This is vital stuff, so don’t stop now with this basic strategy.

How are you prepping yourself and others for the meeting?听 This is an important step that helps orient people towards the goals or the meeting’s purpose, rather than away from each other and the objectives.

If you are running the meeting, some good ideas include:

    • sending a calendar invite that has all the details about how to connect

    • an agenda inside the invite or an easily accessible link

    • an invitation to respond to the agenda (yes: this may open a ‘can of worms’ and you may have to put somethings off until later, but asking for feedback on an agenda is a great way to give people a sense of being valued, a key Best Self metric).

    • a rich appreciation/acknowledgement for everything people are juggling to participate

    • instructions on how to join (there are several of these logistic-friendly tips online on the tech stuff to keep an eye on.听 If this is your first virtual meeting, start with this one from the ).

If you are participating in the meeting, be sure to check out the agenda and respond – even if it is a ‘thank you!’ and test your tech!

2. Create a Shared Intention

As a part of your pre-work, share an Intention for your group’s time together (put it directly on the agenda or the invite).听 An Intention is generally not the same as your Outcomes.听 It is a bit more encompassing and aimed at the 10,000′ view.听 It gives you a chance to identify your purpose for the meeting and lets听others听line themselves up with it and see how it fits.听 Imagine if you were hosting a meal and the mischief that might be caused if everyone came to a meal with different ideas and expectations of what it would be like: some are expecting breakfast, others a hearty soup, some a formal dinner, etc. Reviewing the 鈥渕eal鈥 to come and thinking about what end result is desired allows for the possibility of alignment and collective action.

But don’t stop there!听 The real value of an Intention is letting people share out loud how it fits for them.听 Within the first phase of your virtual meeting ask people to share their thoughts and reactions to the Intention.听 What works for them?听 What is missing? What is valuable about it and why?听 (Notice these are not ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions – you are looking for real responses that stimulate dialogue and participation).听听

The responses you get to these questions give people time to align themselves to the work ahead, and creates a spirit of mutuality and belonging – key performance metrics for groups.听 Adjust the Intention as needed and return to it during your meeting as a truing device if needed.听 Read more about Creating a Shared Intention here…

3. Ask Yourself: “Am I Available?”

No, we don’t mean do you have time on your schedule!听 This question gets to the heart of the “Gap” that exists in all relationships: the willingness or disposition of one or more people to move towards a relational environment or away from it.听 The more听available听you are, the more听available will be the other participants in the meeting.

This question inserts a purposeful and mindful pause into the busy听doing of the meeting.听 Whether you are a participant or the meeting leader, take a deep breath and ask yourself this question.听 If the pause helps you assemble a jumble of thoughts in your head and then gives you room to proceed on, great!听 But we also recommend giving yourself permission to answer “no”.听 It may be very likely that you are not available!听 You may be calling in from your home, with kids running around, no hopes of any home-schooling and your boss still expects the same performance objectives.听 听Sometimes simply acknowledging this is enough to orient you towards your ‘self’ and helps you become more available.听 Or it may give you a good reason to check in with a friend or partner and vent a bit.

There are underlying contexts and connections to each of these tips and we will continue to add to them in our next posts.听 We know there is no magic wand, but after working with diverse groups in 20 countries around the world for the last 25 years, we have figured out some pretty effective ways of helping people “Mind the Gap” and create effective relational environments that work – even virtual ones!

]]>
/best-virtual-meeting-strategies-1/feed/ 2
Daily Practice #1 – Elementals: Relationship and Movement /daily-practice-1-elementals-relationship-and-movement/ /daily-practice-1-elementals-relationship-and-movement/#respond Wed, 25 Mar 2020 12:36:50 +0000 /?p=7278 In the midst of shelter-in-place and quarantine, and as we all practice different ways of being and doing,

糖心Vlog官方 will offer regular posts to share ways to use听your Elementals.听 The Elementals are core aspects of being human that we all share.听 We like to say they are “the doing of听being”.听 One of the best parts about practicing the Elementals is that they get you into ACTION.听 Mental health experts are warning us that one of the biggest challenges to the current situation is a kind of mental atrophy that can easily set in when forced to limit your activities and location.听 Take a look at the Elementals below and use the questions to stimulate actions you can do, TODAY.听 Post your actions and results in the comments section or on our Facebook and Twitter feeds (this will help others think of ways to use their Elementals!).

INSTRUCTIONS: Read through the description/context of the Elementals below and consider the questions that follow.听 Come up with several ways you could practice the two Elementals in conjunction with each other or separately.听 What can you do, right now to practice these vital aspects of yourself?

听 听 听 听

Relationship: Your life is a kaleidoscope of relationships with others,听 ideas, objects, beliefs and even your own self. You blend, join, reach out and extend yourself – bridging enormous gaps through relationships. Yet you may isolate and distance yourself, closing off and disconnecting. 听 How does this cost you being known and knowing yourself. What relationships need nurturing from you? Who and what can you reach towards? What relationship with yourself could make the most difference?

Movement:听 Moving your body is a must for the health of your whole self! Physically moving puts you into interaction with the world. To not move is to invite stagnation and decline. Stuck is stuck, yet simple intentional movement may establish a new perspective and new results. Movement provides a path to experience people, things and yourself from different angles. Where would movement make a difference? Where will you go? What new people and perspectives might you come across?

What is your plan?听 Share your actions and results on our or Twitter (@糖心Vlog官方).听 Check out more about the Elementals here.

]]>
/daily-practice-1-elementals-relationship-and-movement/feed/ 0
Recent Updates With 糖心Vlog官方 2019 /recent-updates-with-boldleaders-2/ /recent-updates-with-boldleaders-2/#respond Fri, 20 Dec 2019 19:02:03 +0000 /?p=7155 As 2019 comes to a close, here are the current happenings at 糖心Vlog官方.听 Find a way to participate and plug in below!
  1. During the last two years our Bold Fellows program has done incredible work around the world.听 This program open to past participants and other stakeholders who are working on (or want to develop) social impact projects within their community.听 听To date the Fellows have worked with over 31,000 people!听 Keep an eye on our Facebook page and in newsletters to hear more and more updates and reports from the Bold Fellows.
  2. As you can tell, we continue to upgrade and maintain our website!听 Be sure to investigate our three call to action items: For the Workplace; For Educators, and; Mentoring.听 Each has free products/curriculum to download as well as unique newsletters.
  3. We are marketing a new product that we have been using for the last 15 years and now want to make available for individuals and school and other youth organizations. 听The Elementals: Actions for the Practice of Life could be a very timely for schools that are working on SEL competencies but have lots of other things on their plate.听 We have a Companion Guide for Educators as well that offers integration ideas and gives more details.听 However, they are not just for schools!听 Our design process including prototyping with 50 diverse individuals and they all found them useful in their own lives.听 Check them out here!
  4. We created the 糖心Vlog官方 Institute and the Minding the Gap Master Class – an online e-learning course that is for anyone working with groups: teachers, managers, facilitators, coaches, mentors, etc.听 The course is only $200 and is offered in two options: a one-time download of all the content that you investigate at your own pace or a scheduled 6 week Social Learning class where you receive the content week-by-week and discuss it with other participants during a weekly recorded video chat.听 The fourth class just completed and we are really excited going forward to work with more!
  5. We continued to facilitate and enhance a juvenile diversion program in Nebraska that impacts new groups of 20+ teens/month.听 We have worked with 1000+ students in the last three years.听 The program builds off our Platforms by creating environments to build self-agency.听 This is significant because most diversion programs have a tough time getting away from the 鈥淚 am in trouble and need to just get through this to clear my record鈥 mindset.
  6. Mentoring:听While we have been working intensively with a variety of mentoring organizations since 1998, it has not been until recently that we worked to streamline our materials and processes in order to offer a more coherent series of trainings, program designs, curriculum and contextual work.听 糖心Vlog官方 Co-Director Michael Donahue recently presented a Ted-style talk and two workshops on some of our material at a Mentoring Colorado conference.听 Give us a call to learn more and keep an eye on the website as we offer more glimpses.

Whew!听 Of course there is more but those are some aspects of our recent work.听 Keep tabs through our newsletter if you are not signed up yet and reach out to let us know what you need or simply tell us how you are in the Comments section below.听 听听

]]>
/recent-updates-with-boldleaders-2/feed/ 0
Elemental Human Resources – Use It or Lose It /elemental-human-resources-use-it-or-lose-it/ /elemental-human-resources-use-it-or-lose-it/#respond Fri, 23 Mar 2018 14:31:07 +0000 /?p=5619

 

Michael Donahue wrote about the origins of 糖心Vlog官方’ practice of Elemental Human Resources in this essay.听 The story continues to evolve and we are always interested in your perspectives, so please comment below!

Use It or Lose It

The Idea of Basic Human Resources

鈥淲e become adapted to the lack of use of our basic human resources and they respond by becoming unfamiliar to us.鈥

-Alexis Carrel-

It was 1998 and I was pointing to the quote above, scrawled on a sheet of flipchart paper resting on a tripod, in a dark classroom in Denver鈥檚 East High School. 听Most of the assembled teens were students of color. There were more boys than girls and they were part way through their freshman year of high school. All had been identified by the school administration as 鈥渓ikely to drop out of school.鈥 听Some of them had parents seated at the back of the room.

Off to the side, several volunteers sat at the ready, armed with pens and stacks of paperwork in case the youth decided they wanted to enroll in the voluntary program. 听I had recently designed this enrollment workshop for a local Denver nonprofit, Colorado Youth At Risk. 听听Today, for the first time, I was using the Alexis Carrel quote I had written on that flipchart paper. 听

After pointing to the quote, I asked for a volunteer to read it. No one responded, so I read the quote aloud several times. At this point, most of the teens were looking up at the paper.

Next, I asked this question: 听鈥淚n your own words, tell us what you think this guy was trying to tell us.鈥

At the back of the room sat a young man. Actually more like an older boy, but behind his eyes, when he let you see them, was deep pain. In his gaze I saw dullness, sadness, and most of all, anger. He looked up and answered my question in a surprisingly confident voice:

鈥淯se it or lose it.鈥

Refining the Conversation and Concept

Since that day long ago, we have started every program in this manner. Thousands of young people and adults, from 18 countries on four continents have been exposed to that quote, and have been asked to put it in their own words. 鈥淯se it or lose it鈥 remains one of the more succinct and on target answers I have heard. Yet the ongoing conversation — and what we have uncovered with it — has been profound. 听As Carrel warned, and as this young man quickly saw, we get used to not using our basic human resources, and they (the resources) then become less familiar to us. 听This quickly led us to confront a key question: What are basic human resources?

We first homed in on three underlying premises of the quote:

  1. These are human resources, meaning they are aspects of a person 鈥 not physical resources such as food, the environment or water.
  2. Carrel鈥檚 use of the word 鈥渨e鈥 means all humans 鈥 everyone on the planet and all those dead and buried. 听So whatever the resources are they have to be common to everyone.
  3. If they are 鈥榖asic鈥, then they are fundamental to us, even to the point of being present at our birth.

Building on these premises, we began developing a list of basic human resources; familiar qualities that we were quick to ascribe to being fundamental to and present in all human beings. 听Among the resources we identified were:

  • Creativity
  • Communication
  • Imagination
  • Interaction
  • Compassion
  • Curiosity
  • Observation

These seemed a good starting point in light of Carrel鈥檚 quote. 听Yet people identified other possible resources that gave us pause, including:

  • Movement
  • Touch
  • Voice
  • Tears
  • Instincts
  • Fear
  • Emotions

These could certainly fit within the first three 鈥渉uman鈥, 鈥渨e鈥 and 鈥渂asic鈥 parameters as well. When we began to posit their value as resources, participants in our programs would invariably find a strong connection to one or more.

It would be years later, after hundreds of similar conversations with young people and adults around the world, that core members of the 糖心Vlog官方 team began to think that there was likely a deeper implication to Carrel鈥檚 warning. 听We asked ourselves: 鈥淚s something like 鈥榗reativity鈥 inherent in a child? Does it come naturally, as part of the package at birth? Even if the answer is 听鈥測es鈥 or 鈥渕aybe,鈥 is there something underneath driving that creativity?鈥 听We suspected so, and began to observe, play, and research. It eventually caused us to refine one parameter and add a fourth to the framework:

  1. These are human resources, meaning they are aspects of a person.
  2. 鈥淲e鈥 includes all humans 鈥 everyone on the planet and all those dead and buried. 听Basic human resources have to be common to us all 鈥 everyone has them.
  3. If they are 鈥榖asic鈥, then they are fundamental to us, at birth and potentially even in the womb.
  4. The list is finite 鈥 there are a limited number of resources we come into the world with, and it is possible to identify them all.

These refinements pushed the conversation even farther forward, and grew into something we now consider to be truly game changing. 听

Educational Reform and 糖心Vlog官方

Though the 糖心Vlog官方 program appears to have a focus on 鈥渓eadership鈥, we have always fundamentally presented ourselves as an educational organization, with a focus on a particular path of development. 听Philosophically, we have always asserted that there are two paths of development. One we refer to as knowledge, (divided into informational and transformative knowledge), and the other is the developmental path that is the self-aware and reflective nature of our being human. 听It is a part of the human condition that could be described as the unalterable part of humanity that is inherent and innate to human beings and not dependent on factors such as gender, race, culture, or class. 听This is the developmental path we have called Being. 听We often refer to the knowledge path as having an origin in the external (i.e. the knowledge comes to you from somewhere), and the being path becomes one of continuous exploration of the internal life and the impact it has on the external. 听Using these two paths as a lens, it is easy to see that the common avenue of our current education systems is knowledge based, focused and delivered as such in an informational way. 听

Our commitment to what we call the 鈥渞ebalancing of knowledge and being鈥 causes us to constantly monitor the processes of education we observe both in the U.S.A. and abroad. 听We鈥檝e noticed a key disconnect in the educational world between neuroscience research on the one hand and the concepts of social-emotional learning, non-academic, 21st century learning and metacognition on the other (one may easily view our notion of 鈥渂eing鈥 from those labels yet we urge the reader to consider there is a deeper consideration as well as potential impact). 听听Educational testing and accountability laws, developed after the advent of No Child Left Behind, seemed to fuel the debate for more so-called social emotional learning. At the same time, others advocated for more focus on concrete knowledge. We have continued observing and developing our methods as mobile technology has advanced (or caused mischief, depending on perspective) from nearly non-existent to omnipresent. 听We鈥檝e seen successive waves of the latest and greatest education fads come and go. First there was the Rigor, Relationship and aRithmetic movement, then 鈥渟ervice learning, civic engagement and social entrepreneurship鈥 programs. 听Diversity conversations shifted to inclusion. 听Anti-bully campaigns became 鈥渞estorative justice,鈥 and morphed into compassion programs. Now there is a focus on 鈥渆mpathy鈥, movement and play schools while mandated testing directs much of what a teacher must do in the classroom.

In the midst of these ebbs and flows, several years ago an educator we know posted the following photograph on her Facebook timeline in protest of testing. 听

Each of those words had, up to that point, been considered one of the basic human resources we listed in the early days of that conversation. 听We knew from working with young people that tenacity, as a trainable resource, was more valuable than and different from resilience, and question-asking often results, from one simply practicing the act of raising one鈥檚 hand and using one鈥檚 voice.

Of course, self鈥揳wareness, self-agency and leadership have been the major focus of our efforts at 糖心Vlog官方. 听Yet that list of words stopped us in our tracks and forced us to re-examine our fundamental activities. 听Those words in various combinations were what we heard most from people when asked what they wanted for themselves as a person, as a student, even as future employees. Did that list constitute what it is to be human? 听Why had we heard most of these, yet there were several others not on the list, which we also considered among the basic human resources: voice, touch, movement, mimicry, observation, participation, even tears and laughter? Where did those come into play?

Most importantly perhaps, we wondered why our participants consistently went out from our programs intending to practice reclaiming a basic human resource or two (tears and observation, for example) and return to us sharing experiences of self-advocacy, humility or compassion? 听Could it be that there was an underlying source of these much sought-after human qualities, dispositions and competencies?

We began to consider that our workshop around the Carrel quote was potentially identifying the wellspring of essential human qualities. 听In short, we found ourselves creating a framework to develop these qualities at the source! 听We soon found ourselves considering the doing of being.

The Source

We had started an ongoing dialogue and debate among ourselves about the third premise: just what did come into the world with us at birth? 听What are the attributes that comprise the basic human resources? We became more rigorous in our thinking and talking about this. As a result the list of basic human resources grew ever shorter. 听Imagination, creativity, curiosity, love – all commonly listed before – were now falling away. Those that remained were truly more basic and fundamental to all human beings.

Yet even as some words were falling off our list, we understood many of these attributes were of great importance to people who were advocating for change in the world of education. 听Educators consistently call for more focus on attributes like empathy, compassion, grit, curiosity, character, critical thinking, civic engagement, service, mind-body connections, as well as employment-related skills like collaboration and teamwork.

The crux, however, is that there is not a common notion of how to develop these attributes in young people. Many people are turning to neuroscience as an underpinning. Others are designing environments that foster such qualities externally, or declaring that they can specifically teach such qualities.

So on one hand, we were listening to the conversations in education that described a need to develop competencies: what we called being qualities of compassion, curiosity, imagination, etc., without knowing what the source of those qualities were. 听On the other hand we were identifying basic human resources that were somehow different from but connected to these 鈥榖eing鈥 qualities.

In our work we witnessed people reclaiming those basic human resources they were unfamiliar with, and saw fantastic results: high levels of participation, personal interest, investment, fast growth, and what can only be described as human being development – the manifestations of the personal qualities listed in that photo above.

Now we began noticing what worked when we asked people to practice basic human resources they had adapted to not using. 听We asked them to self-identify a resource, to practice using it, and to report back. At first we asked them to simply practice one, falsely assuming one at a time was best and would help them focus.

Then, inspired by the idea that objects are a combination of things, and it is the changing of combinations that alters or even creates objects, we began to ask people to act on selected resources (plural) they had adapted to not using. 听When people started looking at reclaiming more than one basic human resource, something unexpected began to happen. Yes, they readapted to or reclaimed several basic human resources. But when they shared the result of that experience they described it as something different.

For example, a young woman who worked on reclaiming 鈥渢ouch and voice鈥, shared in a note two weeks later: 鈥楾hanks for showing me that I can still experience love with my mom and have compassion.鈥 听When asked how she got to that result, she said: 鈥淚 practiced becoming more familiar with touch and voice.鈥

We began to discuss the possibility that what drove the development of those personal (鈥榖eing鈥) qualities sought after by educators was actually the practicing 鈥 or doing 鈥 of other and more elemental human resources. 听One can imagine that the young woman mentioned above, through some combination of activities where she used her voice and the human sense of touch with her mother, experienced herself as loving and compassionate. 听She developed those qualities in herself by becoming more familiar with and actually practicing the use of what we now call Elemental Basic Human Resources.

We observed people practicing these elementals, which led them to label their internal state and external demonstrations as distinct from one another 鈥 they were doing specific actions that could be defined and quantified, while using more subjective terms to describe the being it caused – the results. 听We began labeling these results, experiences or personal qualities as Compound Basic Human Resources. 听The elementals, in combination and practice, create the compounds.

We now believe we are getting to the source. In essence, what we are proposing is that when one is exposed to a list of elemental human resources, which are then considered, reclaimed or reused, compound human resources result.

In other words, effective being requires practicing the elementals in combinations. 听The image below represents our finite list of elementals we have uncovered to this point, and a collection of the dispositions, qualities, experiences, etc. that are caused by practicing the elementals.


The Perceived Value

We would love to have readers of this piece share what value they see in this. Here are some valuable things we have seen.

  • Even the act of noticing a lack of familiarity with an elemental is profound. 听We have the experience of seeing people name a gap they have known exists within them but have not been able to label. 听A feeling of relief and intense interest quickly emerges as the identification of an elemental basic human resource makes immediate personal sense. 听
  • The act of noticing allows for a shift in perspective, and that shift can be transformative actions as well as thoughts. 听Identifying and choosing to become more familiar with a basic human resource takes self-agency. Giving people an experience, within a relatively short amount of time, to identify and choose to go to work on reclaiming a personal gap in their 鈥榮elf鈥 is not an everyday experience. The fact that it comes by choice rather than by coercion, or statement of fact from someone 鈥榦utside鈥 is even more valuable and unusual.
  • The act of simply practicing the elementals will lead to positive habits intellectually as well as socially.
  • For educators, exposure to the Elemental Human Resources and the simple understanding this exposure provides, (鈥渨e all share these resources鈥), allows us to notice gaps within ourselves. It also generates conversations among educators that are more precise and on point. 听An educator can enter a classroom practicing his or her own Elementals. He can now observe his students in a less abstract way than through the lens of character traits. The list of character traits seems to shift with social norms, cultural practices and the easy wisdom of the latest bestsellers. 听The Elemental Basic Human Resources are not similarly subject to the latest trends
  • We envision educators being able to not only relate more deeply with students, but also with each other and the entire community of the school, shifting entire cultures, which are the central piece to any reform.
  • Educators will be able to design imaginative curriculum, referencing the elementals as they consider what will best serve their students.
  • Students exposed to the practice of elementals will understand the nature and purpose of their education, becoming interactive partners, as well as providing a viable framework to overcome any real and perceived limitations and circumstances that have been considered in the past.
  • We find that 鈥渓earning styles鈥 are best served by the presentation, uncovering 听and practice of these elementals.
  • Finally, at a philosophical level, we assert that the practice of our Elemental Basic Human Resources, in combinations of practice, has us less focused on self aware techniques, and more focused on a return to a state of being aware. A human state we believe as valuable as intellectual knowledge and self awareness

The list of Elementals may be finite, and shared by us all, but the combinations are individual and limitless. 听Elementals are about practice. 听Practice has us be aware. 听Awareness creates opportunities. 听In creating opportunities for ourselves, what naturally occurs is the possibility of opportunities for others.

 

 

 

]]>
/elemental-human-resources-use-it-or-lose-it/feed/ 0
Recent Updates With 糖心Vlog官方 2017 /recent-updates-with-boldleaders/ /recent-updates-with-boldleaders/#respond Tue, 11 Jul 2017 20:53:03 +0000 /?p=5290 It has been awhile since we let the 糖心Vlog官方 family and stakeholders know what has been going on!听 So without further ado, here are some recent initiatives:
  1. During February to July, we enrolled 62 Fellows from 11 countries into our Bold Fellows program .听 This is open to past participants and other stakeholders who are working on (or want to develop) social impact projects within their community.听 The program included developing an online platform for them to get resources, talk with each other about their work and blog about their experiences.听 The initial sign-up period took place during the first half of this year and got a great response.听 To date they have directly worked with over 21,000 people!听 Keep an eye on our Facebook page and in newsletters to hear more and more updates and reports from the Bold Fellows –
  2. As you can tell, we created a new website!听 Be sure to investigate our three call to action items:听For the Workplace;听For Educators, and;听Other Services (Mentoring, Facilitation, 1:1 Coaching).听 Each has free products/curriculum to download as well as unique newsletters.
  3. We are marketing a new program option for schools and other youth organizations. 听The Elementals: A Self-Directed Framework for Integrating Social and Emotional Learning could be a very timely appeal to schools who are working on SEL competencies but have lots of other things on their plate.听 A new marketing piece is attached.听 Please feel free to send it out to any teacher/school contacts you have![Download not found]
  4. We are creating three online certificate programs that have a common core.听 The three courses will have a rich learner experience that goes beyond basic readings to include peer networks, reflective exercises, 鈥榦ffice hours鈥 and more.听 The three programs will focus on: Educators, Team Managers in the Workplace, and Mentoring Organizations.听 We should have the Educators course up and running by September!听 If you want to be among the first to try it out, fill out the form below –听
  5. We developed a juvenile diversion program that in Nebraska that impacts new groups of 20+ teens/month.听 We have worked with 300+ students in the last two years and have interest from other diversion programs on bringing the program there.听 The program builds off our Platforms by creating environments to build self-agency.听 This is significant because most diversion programs have a tough time getting away from the 鈥淚 am in trouble and need to just get through this to clear my record鈥 mindset.
  6. We are working with three school programs who continue to use 糖心Vlog官方 to provide programming: GALS (Girls Athletic Leadership School), Steamboat Mountain School and the Mapleton School District.
  7. Mentoring:听While we have been working intensively with a variety of mentoring organizations since 1998, it has not been until recently that we worked to streamline our materials and processes in order to offer a more coherent series of trainings, program designs, curriculum and contextual work.听 糖心Vlog官方 Co-Director Michael Donahue recently presented a Ted-style talk and two workshops on some of our material at a Mentoring Colorado conference.听 Give us a call to learn more and keep an eye on the website as we offer more glimpses.
  8. We developed a Workplace Framework that is showing some promise and have used it with three groups as well as a health care Association demonstration in Mississippi to 40+ health care industry executives.听 It has been very well received and we are still looking at how to best get it in front of people.听 Attached is a simple marketing piece that we created for it.听 Feel free to pass it along!听 糖心Vlog官方-ONESHEET.pdf (3874 downloads )
  9. Workplace Development Modules.听听We created several 45min – 1 hour modules that work to build relationships and team development in the workplace and delivered them over several months to a local business group made up of 25 young professionals.听 The workshops got great reviews and laid the foundation for future work with professional groups.听 They are the 鈥減ieces鈥 to the Workplace Framework mentioned above. 听If you would like more information on these or have an idea to connect us with a possible client, please let us know.听 We think they are a winner!
  10. International Programs.听 Many of you know us by our work in this area!听 While the programs have lessened, we still are doing plenty of work throughout the world:
    1. We recently partnered with the University of Nebraska – Kearney to respond to an RFP from the State Department for a Youth Leadership Program with Myanmar.听 The proposal was denied but we were in the top 3-4 out of 12.
    2. We are the sub-contractor on a proposal that was spearheaded by Partners of the Americas on a very large RFP response for a Youth Ambassadors Program.听 This is the latest evolution of the program that we hosted with groups from the Caribbean.听 The State Department combined several programs into one large grant totaling roughly $3 million. If the proposal is accepted, 糖心Vlog官方 would be responsible for hosting a program for 15 Canadians and 40 Caribbean participants in 2018.
    3. Also In 2016 and 2017 we delivered a program in Trinidad and Tobago to 25+ young women in a rehabilitation home for juvenile offenders and witness protection participants.听 The three day program was certainly our most intense effort to date yet proved the worth of our methodology once again.

Whew!听 Of course there is more but those are some aspects of our recent work.听 Keep tabs through our newsletter if you are not signed up yet and reach out to let us know what you need or simply tell us how you are in the Comments section below.听 If you want to be among the first to enroll in the Causing Self-Agency and Engagement Online Course for Educators, sign up on the form below:听听

]]>
/recent-updates-with-boldleaders/feed/ 0