|
 by Dave Veale
Have you ever been ‘in the zone’ or experienced ‘flow’? That place where you feel an ‘energized focus, full involvement and success in the process of the activity’. Well I did when I had an opportunity to deliver a workshop, Using Coaching to Lead, to the 2009 cohort from the Wallace McCain Institute for Business Leadership. This cohort is made up of 15 amazing leaders from Atlantic Canada who were selected out of the hundreds who were nominated.
So what exactly happened on that cold Saturday morning in Alma, New Brunswick? After reading about the Components of Flow, I believe what I was experiencing was a direct result of being in an environment that was completely open to learning about my topic, and how it applies to them, which in turn helped me fully immerse myself in the presentation. I give full credit to each of the 15 leaders and Nancy Mathis, the Executive Director, for creating an open, authentic learning environment.
Here are three things that I learned the Wallace McCain Institute does to help create this incredible learning environment:
1) The group has a clearly stated Mission and Expectations – I understand that the program starts with a full day dedicated to carving out a meaningful Mission Statement as well as group expectations. Before I met with the group, I was given this information which quickly helped me understand who I would be interacting with. I’m always impressed by those who have created clear mission/vision statements AND are willing to share them!
2) They have defined ‘Norms of Behaviour’ and honour them! – I had a chance to read the group’s Norms of Behaviour which was categorized into ‘general’, ‘attendance’, and ‘in session’. What a gift to a presenter! I not only understood the norms, but I saw how each member of the group practiced them in our workshop. It is one thing to define group norms...the brilliance comes in living by them.
3) The participants are fully committed – I had a chance to talk to a few of the leaders after the workshop and was blown away by their commitment to the program and to the rest of the group. For example, two of the leaders had come from across the country to ensure they did not miss this retreat (retreats happen over two days once every month for a year). They wanted to follow through on their commitment to both themselves and the group. Very cool to hear about this type of dedication!
Unfortunately, as I interact with various groups/organizations, I do not always experience environments such as this. On the other hand, I constantly meet amazing individuals who are seeking out their purpose and working on living up to their full potential. Interesting that many organizations do not appear to be ready to fully engage their members...
As I drove home after the workshop I thought, ‘what if every organization operated the way the Wallace McCain Institute does?’ If it can happen with this organization what, if anything, is stopping other organizations from doing the same thing? I’m looking forward to the day when my experience in Alma is the rule rather than the exception.
If you are interested in learning more about the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP), please visit http://www.wallacemccaininstitute.com/elp.
Contact us at Vision Coaching to find out more about our workshop, Using Coaching to Lead.
|
