High-energy, winsome training you trust in person or in virtual formats.
J. Lenora Bresler, J.D., CSP, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CVP
keynotes, break-out sessions, workshops/ coaching
All versions and formats available for all content
Most popular topics are indicated with an asterick *
Graduating from law school at age 20, J. Lenora Bresler is a leadership speaker, author, trainer, and coach. The author of several books including Instant Insight: 15 Questions to Great Relationships, she has trained tens of thousands of people to become some of the best leaders and teams on earth. With a background in acting and radio performance, J. Lenora is known for the humor, energy, and insight of her presentations. There is substance and style and strategies that are easy to implement immediately.
Leadership
*THE GREAT QUESTION AND TWO CURSES:
Overcoming Human Nature to be a Great Leader*
Most of the problems between people – whether in the workplace or in personal interaction – are due to two foibles of the human condition: the Curse of Me and the Curse of Knowledge. One tempts us to act under assumptions and the other tempts us to remain silent when we should speak. There is also one question that provides instant insight into a person – whether it is oneself or another. Asking this question provides instant insight on the deepest level, allowing us to establish the most meaningful relationships of our personal and professional lives in moments. In this eye-opening, revolutionary session, you will learn how to make your life, team, and family instantly more satisfying and successful. This is amazing content you have most likely never considered. Audiences say it tremendously and immediately increases their confidence and competence to navigate all leadership challenges. This is a must-do and a sure hit with all audiences.
*Your Leadership Journey*
Leadership is a journey, and the path is different for everyone. In this highly interactive workshop, we will discuss the seven distinct leadership styles, their pros and cons, how they work in real life and not just theoretically, and how EACH of them has a place in the repertoire of a great leader. Participants will uncover the blind spots their preferred leadership style causes them to have and how to protect themselves from their own misperceptions and others’ misunderstanding of their motives and plans. They will discover why they tend to lean on some leadership styles rather than others and what possibilities open up by increasing their leadership range. A great program for leaders of all levels, and particularly those with considerable management experience, this presentation is essential for any leader who understands that in order to develop other people’s skills, one must constantly upgrade their own!
As a result of this program, participants will:
- Have a thorough understanding of the seven leadership styles
- Understand the benefits and limitations of each of those styles
- Recognize when each leadership style can be used effectively
- Know immediate ways to establish trust
- Understand how to regain lost trust
- Understand the two curses of human nature and how to avoid blind spots and 95% of all relationship problems
Servant Leadership: Becoming A Legacy Leader
The term “servant leadership” was coined in an essay written by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s and it has grown into a movement. The concept has been modeled by leaders throughout the centuries. Participants identify famous examples of servant-leadership from both historical, literary, and modern times. We then analyze the specific behaviors of these leaders and how they demonstrate the ten characteristics of a servant-leader. Each participant undergoes a self-assessment and shares why some of the characteristics seem to come easier to them and which are more of a challenge.
Sometimes there are things impeding a person’s ability to act as a servant-leader. First, one must look within oneself. To that end, participants discuss what they believe is the most important aspect of leadership, explore what factors have gone into that belief, and discover how their actions based on that belief are or are not consistent with servant-leadership. Second, one must consider whether factors within the organization’s culture are impacting one’s preferred way of interacting with employees and peers. Thus, participants discuss what obstacles exist in organizations that could make it difficult to be a servant-leader. This presents a fascinating dialogue as there are many reasons, including fear, jealousy, a lack of self-efficacy, compensation and recognition criteria, policies and procedures, span of control and chain of command issues that restrict communication and participative management, perceptions of what a leader’s role should be, and power distance differences between cultures.
It has been said that servant-leaders are a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. They are ambitious for others but not for themselves. We address what this looks like in real life and what participants are going to commto doing in order to better model servant leadership.
Teamwork
*Communicating Teamwork: Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?*
This workshop lends itself well to being a full-day retreat. Participants learn strategies and techniques for understanding one another and communicating with greater clarity and emotional intelligence in their workplace. Premised on the idea that perceptions of teammates flow from mental snapshots taken at various moments, participants discover how word choice, body language, and tone form the substance of these “snapshots.” In a fascinating and humorous dialogue, participants discover why teammates have the impressions of us they have and ways in which we can ensure that whatever “pictures” are taken of us will be those of good teamwork and good communication.
As a result of this training, participants learn many things, including:
- The importance of active listening to develop trust
- The surest ways to undermine teamwork and trust
- How to meet the expectations of teammates in common conversation scenarios
- The danger of unclear or incomplete communication because of the human tendency to assume
- The most common mistakes people make when it comes to clarity in the workplace
- How to use knowledge of how a teammate wants to be perceived to coach, motivate, and provide feedback to them
- How to give meaningful positive feedback
- How to provide constructive feedback that is palatable and encouraging
- The behaviors and statements that can be perceived as disrespectful
- How to provide instruction in different learning styles
- How to provide information to the detail level preferred by individual teammates
- How to tailor arguments to persuade people who have different decision-making mindsets
- Ways in which teammates often infuriate each other unintentionally because they do not understand how respect feels to specific individuals
- Tips and techniques for how to give authentic apologies
*Instant Insight For Teams*
This workshop is best done as a retreat. It is based on my book, Instant Insight: 15 Questions to Great Relationships, which can be presented as a 75-to-90-minute keynote. It is premised on the proposition that we don’t have the synergy and dynamic relationships we want because we don’t ask the questions up front that would provide us with the insight needed to engage easily and transparently with each other. Therefore, participants work through 15 questions with a variety of interactive exercises. Knowing others’ answers gives all participants the ability to persuade, motivate, teach, coach, and work with just about anyone. The insight obtained through this presentation is used in recruiting, coaching, teambuilding, and even personal relationships such as marital and family counseling. It is used with both established and emerging teams.
Topics include preferred learning style, recognition style, prime working time, pet peeves, persuasive arguments, motivators, and even detail-level for conversations, among other important issues. For team members who have already worked together, these activities provide a non-awkward way of discussing “elephants in the room,” which may have impacted teamwork and communication negatively in the past, and for new teams or new team members, it eases assimilation. There is always lots of laughter and true sharing.
As a result of this presentation, teammates will be able to:
- Develop instant trust, credibility, and rapport
- Create more synergetic teams
- Quickly diagnose and troubleshoot problems on existing teams
- Communicate better
- Affect the motivation of a group or individual
- Ease tensions in strained relationships
Team Doctor: Diagnosing And Prescribing Team Problems
A leader is required to act as team doctor, monitoring the professional, developmental, and emotional health of individual members and the group as a whole. Thus, leaders need to be able to spot symptoms and diagnose underlying conditions that could undermine team synergy. They must also develop a plan of action, a prescription if you will, to rectify those issues--or, in the case of a new team, prevent them entirely. In this fast-paced, highly interactive workshop, participants discover the most common ailments from which teams suffer, along with strategies for bringing about immediate recovery.
Topics discussed include:
- Ineffective leaders
- Uncertain roles and boundaries
- Unclear goals
- Lack of unanimity of understanding the teamwork process
- Not optimizing resources in the decision-making process
- Not recognizing the stage a team is in during a life cycle
- And interpersonal conflict, among others.
This session is wonderful for emerging leaders or those transitioning from a peer to a supervisory role to alert them to potential pitfalls. It is also helpful and hopeful for experienced leaders to engage in a discussion about how to improve teamwork.
Communication and Coaching
*Persuasion: The Art and Science of Leading Thought*
Leadership is influence. In this highly interactive workshop, participants learn that persuasion requires the ability to be “strategic” in approach and results. Leaders gain credibility by their ability to prioritize and focus on those aspects of an organization that are the most directly conducive to achieving the organizational goals, meaning the most impactful. Participants learn how to distinguish between luxury goals and essential objectives. They engage in activities regarding the extent to which their leadership is currently strategic.
Participants engage in an introspective assessment of how those whom they most want to influence currently perceive them and how they need to be viewed. This includes considering what generally makes people feel comfortable allowing someone to influence and lead them. Participants learn a mnemonics C-R-A-C, which assists them in ensuring they are giving people what they need and want: credibility, relevance/respect, authenticity, and clarity.
Through exercises, participants discover there are three types of influencers: expert, networker, and trendsetter. They gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each style and how to position oneself to be the kind of influencer that will be the most impactful for a given issue.
Participants will explore how to avoid the Curse of Me and the Curse of Knowledge, two foibles of the human condition that undermine effective communication. They will learn to “feed the need” of their audiences.
Participants will master how to persuade according to the classic three styles of persuasion put forward by the ancient Greek orators: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. They discover which style most appeals to them and how to present in different persuasion styles. A game shows how most stories can be classified into one of eight plot lines and how slogans and mottos can be effective calls to action.
Participants are provided with templates for informing (providing status reports) and persuasive arguments. They learn how to engage an audience of one or one hundred in a dialogue, thus establishing rapport, engagement, and buy-in. Nine engaging questions are offered and an activity shows how careful question selection can appeal to emotional intelligence.
Because meetings are the primary method of communicating in the workplace, participants learn simple yet profound strategies for making meetings more productive and interactive, as well as a variety of strategies for promoting the kind of innovative thinking and dynamic brainstorming that allows persuasion to take root.
*color me communication*
A simple two-minute assessment classifies people into one or more primary communication styles. In this quick and fun program, participants learn why they interact with others the way they do, how to develop instant rapport with others, and how they might be being perceived by others, especially those who do not know them well. Fun, fast, and a perpetual hit for all audiences! A sure-fire winner! Particularly helpful as part of a longer program or when time and cost will not allow for a more full-bodied assessment tool such as DiSC or Myers-Briggs.
*DiSC: Decoding The Workplace*
DiSC focuses on behaviors and how people are likely to behave based on their underlying experiences. A certified DiSC interpreter, J. Lenora Bresler can lead your group through a fascinating unraveling of what the popular assessment tells you about yourself and those around you.
Using a variety of activities, participants discover how their natural tendencies make them predictable and coachable. Participants can use the insight they receive about themselves to set themselves up for success, minimize the likelihood of misunderstandings, and create workplace environments where trust and teamwork are the standard.
Wonderful for new teams and for those experienced teams, this workshop is often touted by participants as being the foundation for phenomenal teamwork.
As a result of this workshop, participants will:
- Understand themselves, their inclinations, why they perceive issues the way they do, their communication styles, how they handle stress, and
- Understand their teammates.
Quite simply, a revolutionary program that can have lasting value on any workplace.
finding your voice: influencing without authority
True leaders do not lead by titles but by personal power. In this engaging and empowering workshop, participants discover how they can be influencers regardless of their rank on an organizational chart. A wonderful session for emerging leaders and for those who are frustrated by their perceived lack of ability to influence others, this is a winner.
As a result of this training, participants will:
- Understand the various ways in which people earn credibility
- Know how to create persuasive arguments that appeal to the three traditional persuasion styles
- Recognize where their natural power arises
- Discover the behaviors and tendencies that are impacting how others perceive them
- Master how to create impressions and manage others’ expectations
listen to me: hearing what’s really being said
Both the reality and the perception of being a good listener are key to credibility and the ability to influence others. Being listened to is viewed by cultures worldwide as a sign of respect and is, therefore, a basic tenet of any successful professional or personal relationship.
In this fast-moving, interactive workshop, participants practice becoming active listeners. Multiple paired and small-group activities allow them to practice listening for the underlying message being communicated. They learn how to tune into key words, body language, and tone of voice to “really hear” the questions, concerns, needs. and emotions inherent in the speakers’ minds. Participants discover what tempts them as individuals NOT to listen well and master strategies for ensuring they do not become merely a listener waiting for silence so they can advance their own agenda. The ability to listen actively is what separates mere salespeople from true customer service professionals.
Listening is made more difficult when those communicating TO us are not the best communicators themselves. Poor word choice, vagueness, ignorance of the subject matter, carelessness, lack of focus, and frustration on the part of the speaker can obscure the messages they are trying to send. Statements may even come tinged with anger or outright disrespect. . Participants discover that sometimes seemingly disrespectful behavior on the part of the speaker is not always intentional, but rather results from the focus on oneself that comes from the busy-ness and stress inherent in situations. An active listener is able to translate an inartful message into something more palatable and positive, thus becoming a more effective problem-solver, often solving issues, or surprising and delighting a customer by providing a service or assistance not even specifically requested but actually needed.
This program is an insightful and meaningful learning experience for all management and employee levels. Often humorous, participants will leave primed with strategies, tips, and a philosophy of communication calculated to change their interaction with others in a positive way.
Communicating Teamwork (See details under Teamwork)
presenting well: getting what you want
Presenting well means that the audience (whether one or one thousand) are moved to do or think what you want. Do they clearly understand what the call to action is and are they motivated to act?
This presentation cuts through the clutter and avoids mere delivery preferences to ensure that every presentation interaction is successful. Whether you are sharing information or persuading, presentation skills are essential to establish credibility, spark interest, build rapport, encourage engagement, and finally, seal the deal and obtain the action desired.
Participants will begin by identifying what they find annoying when presentations are done poorly. They will analyze whether the “tricks” they have heard about speaking really work. Participants will then learn and practice strategies for overcoming common obstacles including nerves, preconceived ideas about the topic, and inhospitable delivery environments.
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Participants then break into teams to discuss how they can manage the expectation game, couching their messages in a way to get an audience on their side early in a program. They will brainstorm about the type of audience they usually address and what that audience believes is the answer to the question “What’s in it for me.” It is critical this question is credibly addressed within the first two minutes of a presentation.
Participants learn and practice engagement strategies to keep an audience focused, engaged, and interacting. They will discover how little things including temperature, audio/visual problems, room or studio set-up, and the expectations of timed breaks create unnecessary distractions.
Participants learn how to judge and adjust to their audience’s preference for a variety of delivery aspects including speed of speech, use of abbreviations or acronyms, slang, metaphors, allusions to pop culture, pitch, enunciation, and volume. Time is a strange quantity, often misjudged and mishandled. Participants will learn how to manage time in presentations, including during breakout sessions or interactive activities.
Body language speaks loudly –much louder than the words being said. Therefore, considerable attention is paid to ways in which speakers can create good, bad, or questionable messages with their posture, eye contact, and how they relate to a podium, a microphone, and props.
This workshop is a fascinating soup-to-nuts program that is guaranteed to keep you fascinated and provide the tools to become an effective presenter immediately.
Motivation and Creativity
*motivate: move it!*
The word “motivate” explains its importance: within it is contained M-O-V-E. This is an eye-opening, humorous, insightful session which begins with a Family Feud style game in which participants discover the top seven motivators in the American workplace. Then we discover how leaders and peers can ensure that each of those motivators are incorporated into the workplace on a daily basis. Small changes under each individual’s control can create massive positive impacts on engagement, excitement, and energy level. Learn how to create an environment in which you yourself will be motivated while at the same time others can enjoy an environment in which they, too, will have easier productivity, understanding, engagement, and job satisfaction. A hit with every audience!
i can see it: vision-boarding your future
Most people’s goals and resolutions are not accomplished either ever or as quickly as we wish. Pictures, however, have a proven ability to clarify, focus, and motivate, and vision boards have become recognized tools for personal and professional strategic success. In this workshop, participants are guided through questions best calculated to result in a workable and energizing vision of each participant’s desired future.
Participants will receive an easy-to-follow guide with questions that get to the heart of what changes will make the most impactful shifts for them. A work/life self-assessment wheel allows participants to pinpoint where they are “out of balance,” thereby substituting a vague discontentment with a root cause that can be effectively addressed.
As a result of this workshop, participants will:
- Consider questions designed to crystallize those issues that are at the crux of their success
- Learn how to find visuals that will speak to them regardless of original context, including pictures, slogans, mottos, quotes, and emojis.
- Create a vision board for personal or professional use in a fun, safe environment during which there is an ongoing discussion whereby participants are encouraged and sparked by one another’s experiences.
hey, that’s mine! an intellectual property primer
Modern communication makes access to other people’s thoughts and ideas readily accessible. The Internet is a plethora of photos, music, movie clips, and animations that are easily obtainable and easy to download. But just what can you use without permission? Must you pay for everything you use? Does it matter whether you are making money from that use? Is it enough to give credit and if so, how do you do so? And are there special rules for government entities? The information highway called the Internet has created many pitfalls into which well-meaning people sometimes fall. Let’s ensure you stay clear!
In this informative and eye-opening workshop, participants will learn:
- The basics of intellectual property
- How to recognize what is and what is not intellectual property (ideas vs. the precise articulation of ideas)
- How to cite and credit appropriately
- How to obtain permission
- Common licenses and “free” artwork
- The fair use doctrine and what you can use without permission
- Aspects of intellectual property unique to government entities and documents
- How to protect your own intellectual property
Customer Service
*the power of great customer service: unleashing your super power *
Great customer representatives have a superpower -- they can change someone’s mind frame instantly and solve problems seemingly magically! This training is extremely interactive and appropriate for all levels of customer service representatives, both those who are new and those who are experienced. It is done through dialogue and skills practices (rather than lecture). Participants also have an opportunity to work in pairs and small groups with different people. Through this dialogue, groups develop some consensus on appropriate attitudes and some certain do’s and dont’s.
Participants discover why customer service is integral to not only the organization’s success but to their own personal goals. It is not always obvious whether there is a shortfall in customer service until too late. Most organizations judge whether they have a customer service problem by the number of written complaints, but a bad reputation for customer service can develop before the business even knows there is a problem.
Customers have expectations of a certain level of service they expect based on cost and other factors. If they feel those expectations were not met or barely met, they will not champion the business and speak well for it in the community. We need more than satisfied customers; we need customers whose expectations have been exceeded and who will, therefore, go out and counter the bad press we receive from those who are unjustly unhappy with our service.
Looking at both internal and eternal customers, participants learn how to deal with the truth that the customers’ perception is our reality. We create their perception through our body language, words, and tone of voice. Therefore, everything we do or say must create confidence in our competence and good will. Participants, therefore, analyze all the aspects of human behavior that impact perceptions, including:
- Attitude
- Body language and tone of voice
- Speed of speech and body
- Greetings/attention
- Phone etiquette
- Eye contact
- Organization
- Active listening
- Focus of conversation
- Anticipating questions or concerns
- Showing empathy
Participants learn quick, easy ways to move a conversation along without appearing rude and how to end a conversation diplomatically. They also learn the fastest ways to make a dispute worse and therefore how to avoid it.
*professionalism: the heart of business etiquette*
In today’s workplace, the consequences of being insensitive to others’ perceptions of our behavior, attitude, dress, and speech can cause untold problems. Decreased morale, miscommunication, lost productivity, poor customer service, and lost business are just some of the many tangible negative results. Workers must take the initiative to create perceptions of respect, competency, and good will in those with whom they work.
In this fast-paced, highly interactive, discussion-based course, participants learn that most people view professionalism as competence and good will and that it is their responsibility to create the perception in others that they possess those traits. Through a variety of activities, participants learn how greetings, words, tone, body language, workplace tidiness, and even apparel and grooming sends messages, consciously or not, to other people, and the results of such sometimes unintentional messages. Participants will take a self-assessment, which will help them understand how they might be being perceived or misperceived by others. Common workplace situations, including telephone messages, e-mail, gossip, and blaming, are used as discussion points of what should and should not be done.
Change
change is a house move
Change is a constant in our work lives and the failure to adapt is intolerable. Therefore, we must be resilient, able to embrace change for ourselves and help others do likewise.
In this fun and insightful workshop, participants discover that change is very much like a house move. Using the various stages of a house move, participants learn how to navigate the change process, including how to develop a persuasive case for the need for change, how to engage all stakeholders, and how to prepare for the inevitable desire to turn back when projected productivity does not yet outweigh added stress.
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
- Understand their own default resiliency or resistance based on a self-assessment
- Realize the need to remember that other people do not view change the same
- Know why many myths about change are incorrect
- Identify the most common reasons people are suspicious of change and be able to combat them
- Present change in a way that will not precipitate pushback including change that is unexpected, unproductive, or unexplained
- Recognize the four negative reactions to change and understand how to address them
- Predict the “bog” and create motivation to fight against the urge to give up
- Understand the “fragile items” that people have regarding change and be able to use that knowledge to assist in change A newborn confidence is the result of having weathered storms, particularly unexpected ones. In the aftermath of trials, survivors often express a sense of calm assurance that whatever happens in the future, they will be able to address it and problem solve. They report a newfound peace of mind and often enhanced problem-solving skills. They no longer panic at the potential of a challenge coming toward them.
bring the sizzle: thinking and talking strategically
Everything you do for your business-- be it recruiting, training, evaluating, or marketing, had better have a tangible, measurable impact on the bottom line -- not just the goals that are framed on a wall, but the ones that REALLY matter. Retrain your mind to think strategically, how to brainstorm and effectively with others, and how to communicate winsomely with decision-makers and top-level management in this fast, funny, and highly interactive workshop designed for those of us who are tired of "playing" at business and are ready to catapult into real success.
In this fast, funny, and interactive session, learn how to get your C-suite to sit up and take notice. Perfect for HR professionals and anyone – manager and even employee – who wants to influence the “powers that be.” This workshop consists of two parts: the first focuses on identifying and creating strategic initiatives, and the second highlights how to position oneself to be perceived in a way conducive to navigating the organization to ensure effective execution of those strategic plans.
Participants discuss the actual creation of strategic initiatives, such as:
- What it actually means to think and act strategically
- A self-assessment to ensure one is indeed thinking and acting strategically
- Identifying for certain what the most impactful strategic goals are and not just relying on what a document or public statements claim they are
- Specific questions that spark focused discussions that will clarify the top organizational goals
- Effectively aligning approaches with the current corporate strategies
- Pulse check: What issues are affecting multiple departments and are you approaching those issues strategically?
- Easy ways to keep strategic initiatives prioritized
- Optimizing the traditional SWOT analysis for strategic thinking and implementation
- Identifying over-looked or unexpected metrics to get to root causes
- Creating methods of accountability to ensure strategic implementation?
Participants learn how to establish credibility and present oneself as an effective, enjoyable business partner:
Through two activities called “3 Words” and “Role Call,” participants discover how their desires to be viewed in certain ways by others is impacting (for good and ill) how they are being perceived and therefore, the influence they are being allowed to have. They will learn how those same desires are tempting them to make mistakes which will undermine their leadership. We will discuss the human foibles of the Curse of Me and the Curse of Knowledge, and how a mastery of these will ensure instant credibility and relatability.
the aloha mindset: gratitude and resilience over adversity
Mindful gratitude significantly improves our ability to cope with current stressors and impact our future circumstances. Since our minds have a subconscious, automatic survival reflex that predisposes us to focus on the wrong or out-of-place, we must “trick our brains” into thinking differently. Living with gratitude is an intentional choice to change our natural inclinations into deliberate habits.
A newborn confidence is the result of having weathered storms, particularly unexpected ones. In the aftermath of trials, survivors often express a sense of calm assurance that whatever happens in the future, they will be able to address it and problem solve. They report a newfound peace of mind and often enhanced problem-solving skills. They no longer panic at the potential of a challenge coming toward them.
This highly interactive, discussion-based training salutes the adaptability participants have shown in the past while providing tangible strategies for facing future needs of adaptability. We discuss the myriad of ways in which things that look like terrible happenings can actually be turned for good. A variety of interesting real-life stories are shared and then participants are asked to come up with their own examples from real life. This exercise dovetails beautifully with an activity called “Lessons from a Tree.” Trees are subject to the natural environment =--- all kinds of extreme weather, all kinds of pests, manmade dangers such as forest fires, and yet most survive, and those that do not generally evidence the reason for their failure to thrive. This activity allows for maximum audience engagement. Participants work in small groups, and thus the curriculum emerges from the audience rather than from me primarily since the lessons we discuss will be seen as generated FROM THEMSELVES, which highlights that in the workplace, we can learn from each other.
“The Aloha Mindset,” which explains that the word “aloha” is much more than merely a greeting or word of farewell, but rather the providing of a gift – namely the gift of awareness and recognition of someone as a meaningful person worthy of interest and interaction. The appropriate response, therefore, is actually not “aloha,” but rather “mahalo” or “thank you.” From this, we talk about a mindset that views everything – even challenges and conflicts – as gifts that will provoke growth, understanding, and empathy. “Aloha” and the body language that accompanies that greeting combine in a powerful, interactive symbol of gratitude and resilience.
As a result of this workshop, participants will:
- Learn strategies for making gratitude a habit, including establishing attitude checkpoints, dealing with pet peeves, and fostering an attention to detail that elicits gratitude for over-looked blessings
- Perceive one’s current situation as a season with its own unique harvest fruits and making a necessary contribution to the overall story of one’s life
- Understand how to use logic to tame emotions, thereby allowing us to keep a balanced picture of situations and people and enabling us to appreciate the positive aspects of people without always feeling the need to change them
- Be able to overcome the natural fight or flight reflex and find something to appreciate and even embrace in less-than-optimal environments
- Discover how to create a culture of gratitude in others.
Motivation and Creativity
*Brainstorming with others and when yours is the only brain in the room*
Today everyone in an organization needs to be a problem-solver. An innovative mind is the most desired trait because it has the most direct impact on strategic goals. In today’s world, where change is the new normalcy, the only way to remain competitive and relevant is to act strategically is to be able to envision radically different products, services, and processes. Therefore, innovative thinking is the number one strategic skill.
Yet, many of our best practices and conventional wisdom actually diminish the creative spark! We’ll think contrarian in this interactive workshop in which we put standard practices to the test and explore methods which will result in great ideas. Taking our cue from history, modern business successes, and behavioral science, it’s a wild walk on the creative side and will inspire all employees for all levels and in all departments to engage in a new way of thinking about well, everything!
As a result of this presentation, participants will:
- Distinguish between creativity and innovation
- Ensure that new ideas are actually strategically beneficial
- Identify and eliminate practices that diminish innovation
- Have a toolkit of innovation-generating techniques that can be used instantly
Self-Improvement
organizing 4 time and ease
Effectively managing multiple priorities is a crucial skill for leaders in today’s fast-paced workplace. Participants learn how to evaluate competing deadlines and tasks using the Franklin-Covey model of urgency and importance. Using their own workloads, participants divide their tasks into four quadrants and then prioritize accordingly. The need to ensure that one’s own understanding of a task’s importance is discussed, along with ways in which people can ensure that their perception is accurate. Options including delegation, outsourcing, and co-sourcing are discussed. Time management strategies are addressed, including minimizing the most common time wasters and availing oneself of workplace allies to optimize the productivity of one’s prime working time and avoid unnecessary stress in crunch time. Communication is important, and participants learn an easy template for providing status reports and several strategies for increasing engagement and efficiency of meetings. Participants discover how to gain time by better organization of their physical workspaces using the Orbit Organization model.
As a result of this workshop, participant will be able to:
- Ensure they have an accurate understanding of priorities
- Evaluate the priorities of tasks
- Decide when delegating, outsourcing, or cosourcing are appropriate
- Be more productive by using their knowledge of their own and team members’ work styles
- Create more engaged, relevant, and efficient meetings
- Increase organization through appropriate workspace organization
vision-boarding: your future in pictures
Absolutely riveting interactive workshop in which participants or teams work through insightful questions to crystallize their goals, dreams, fears, and needs. Each participant or team creates their own vision-board during the workshop for either their professional and/or personal futures. This workshop is not fluff, but will challenge your strategic thinking and demand clarity of purpose. It is designed for those who are serious about making a difference and taking their futures into their own hands.
single tasking: the underestimated power of focus
Far from being the silver bullet to time management, multi-tasking is actually counter-productive and fosters mistakes, wasted time, decreased productivity, and increased stress. Fast Company and other forward-thinking business thought leaders now advocate single-tasking – a more mindful and deliberate focus to work.
In this highly interactive workshop, participants will learn strategies, both technological and psychological, for avoiding the multi-tasking trap so prevalent in today’s society. They master how to be fully engaged in activities, how to minimize distractions, how to plan and structure their work time for maximum clarity and efficiency, and how to engage in short bursts of highly focused, effective energy.
don’t forget: recalling what you want
Everyone knows how frustrating it is when you can’t remember someone’s name, forget what you wanted to say in a meeting, or omit that critical item from a to-do list or a persuasive argument. The ability to recall information is considered a hallmark of engaged leadership and can definitely impact how a person is perceived, especially when being considered for leadership positions.
Participants will be introduced to a variety of time-tested strategies for remembering everything from names to to-do tasks to the key points of speeches. Mnemonic (memory trick) techniques include acronyms, storylines, the clock, the Roman room, number connections, and pictorial “hangings” in which objects reminiscent of the sound of names are viewed as “hanging” on prominent features of a person’s face to aid in name remembrance. Some of these strategies go back to the ancient Greeks, famous for their ability to speak eloquently for hours without notes.
As a result of this workshop, participants will:
- Understand how the human brain converts stimuli to memory
- Be able to override the brain’s natural filing system and create more definitive neural pathway connections to aid memory
- Master six to eight specific techniques to utilize in everyday memory needs
- Be confident that with practice, anyone can improve their memory ability
ethics for everyone: knowing and doing right
Reputations of individuals and organizations rest on whether others perceive their decisions and behaviors to be ethical. Yet, in our highly diverse workplaces, we find increasing confusion and alternative opinions regarding the meaning and relative importance of various values. Prompted by background, culture, and personality, workplace colleagues use differing approaches when addressing ethical questions. In this highly interactive and fast-paced workshop, participants move beyond platitudes to discuss real-life application, learning how to create a workplace in which ethics is integral to the way business is done.
Participants discover:
- The vital importance and far-ranging consequences of ethical and unethical behavior in the workplace
- The well-known three-step process for analyzing ethical issues (see, know, do)
- Various approaches people from different cultures and backgrounds may use to make ethical determinations
- Their own unique default attitude toward ethical dilemmas
- How to analyze ethical issues where two or more values are in apparent opposition
- Common organizational values and how to ensure that all members of a team have the same understanding
- A five-step process for creating a culture of workplace ethics integral to your organization
- Common justifications and rationalizations for engaging in or permitting ethically questionable behavior
- A six-question template for ethical decision-making
Conflict Resolution
*The Five Faces of Conflict *
Conflict can be helpful when the conflict is about the task at hand rather than interpersonal differences. Conflict like the jungle – a place of potential danger and even fatal consequences, but also a place where new discoveries and even healing can be had. Success in conflict, as in the jungle, depends on preparedness and having the right resources at your disposal.
In this fascinating and interactive program, participants learn the four default conflict styles and how to become a fifth style able to deal with the other four to maximize success. In conflict resolution, one size does not fit all! Using a Conflict Resolution Worksheet, participants work through their own real-life conflicts to prepare for a confrontation discussion. They master a simple formula for opening conversations in a way that will not put recipients on the defensive and play a game in which they are asked to identify the top “escalators” of a conflict. In the end, participants emerge confident and eager to take on the challenges and opportunities of conflict. A hit at conferences and in board rooms all over America!
battling the beasties: beyond traditional conflict resolution
Some of us behave like monsters most of the time and even the best of us can slip into beastly behavior occasionally. When that happens, traditional conflict resolution strategies that emphasize finding common ground and a win-win solution just don't work.
In this fun and often funny session, learn how to deal with true "beasties" who have conveniently been identified as classic villains from literature. You’ll meet and defeat beasts like the bullying Abominable Snowman, the sneaky Basilisk who intimidates with innuendo and sarcasm, the suddenly violent Tasmanian Devil, the White Witch, who smiles to your face but never follows through on promises, and several more. You'll learn how to calm yourself through visual and physical strategies and focus your thoughts. Never feel unprepared for a righteous battle again!
negotiate this: advocating for yourself in business and life
In this highly interactive session, participants learn and practice skills of negotiation in a changing, difficult environment. Topics discussed include:
- Establishing rapport and credibility quickly
- Listening to the customer
- Crafting and communicating value propositions
- Positioning benefits rather than features
- Anticipating the customer's needs, concerns, and fears
- Setting guidelines and expectations early to avoid conflict later
- Responding to cues and clues of the customer
- Probing for the real reason behind action and challenging underlying premises
- Couching negative information in a positive light
- Five negotiation/conflict styles and how to address each one
- Words and phrases to use and words and phrases to avoid in negotiations
- Providing additional services without being accused of deliberate "upselling"
- Closing the deal
- Leaving the door open
Discover the strategies that have been against you in negotiations and master the tools to level that playing field and win ethically and winsomely.
Supervisory Skills
from buddy to boss: transitioning from peer to supervisor
It can be daunting moving from worker to manager, and supervising former peers is fraught with pitfalls. Designed for those who have recently been promoted and for those who aspire to management positions, this highly interactive workshop addresses the precarious transition from worker to manager. Participants will discuss and develop their own philosophy of leadership incorporating their strengths, values, and experiences.
As a result of this program, participants will be able to:
- Avoid the most common mistakes new leaders make dealing with setting clear expectations, gossip, the perception of favoritism, and delegation
- Run effective meetings and thoughtfully utilize staff resources
- Conduct discussions in a way calculated to promote an appreciation for cause and effect consequences, solution-making, and buy-in.
how to host a meeting
Meetings are the number one workplace pet peeve, and leaders are judged on their ability to conduct meetings well. Thus, the ability to lead effective, productive, and enjoyable meetings is a retention strategy as well as a supervisory skill.
Participants consider whether the “meetings” they are conducting actually meet the description of a meeting, meaning a gathering at which the proactive interaction of all members is required, or whether it is really more of a briefing, in which case there may be more effective ways to convey information than in a formal meeting format. Participants then discover the often-overlooked liberty the writer of the agenda has to adjust the order for maximum effectiveness and time management. The use of funnel agendas, time estimates, “action item” agendas and other strategies make it easy to hold members accountable for action items they undertook.
If desired, participants receive a primer on the basics of parliamentary procedure basics with regard to motions. Participants learn the rationale behind the parliamentary format, which greatly aids their acceptance and mastery of the parliamentary structure. Common misconceptions about parliamentary procedure are discussed as well. Participants are then taught the proper way to draft minutes and are provided with outlines and samples.
As part of this discussion, participants are taught how to deal with common “sticky wickets” that arise in meetings such as introducing awkward or unpleasant subjects, dealing with the dominant talker who monopolizes group discussion time, assuring participation by introverts who are loathe to speak in meetings, how to speed up a meeting that has stalled, how to break a stalemate in discussions, and how to stop “parking lot” meetings, that is the discussions that occur after the meeting in an attempt to criticize, undermine, or change the action decided upon in the meeting.
*delegation: it’s good for everyone*
Many people are told to delegate, but rarely are they taught how to do it. The result is that delegating goes badly and they never want to do it again! Learn how to make delegation work for you and others so that everyone feels empowered rather than “dumped on.” This presentation is a true workshop as participants use their own work tasks, coworkers, and situations to work through the entire delegation process.
As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Analyze what tasks are delegable
- Determine which individuals have the ability and motivation to be delegated to
- Facilitate an increase in competency and/or motivation in potential delegatees
- Position a delegation as a developmental assignment that will positively impact the delegatee
- Clarify the desired end result, the important stages of the process, and the most commonly encounter problems
- Minimize the likelihood of unclear expectations
- Minimize the possibility of wasted time and dispirited delagatees
- Improve their own delegating abilities through feedback
*accountability: the habit of getting things done*
People cannot do what needs to be done if they don’t have a clear understanding of both the desired goals and the acceptable behaviors to reach those goals. Then, the need feedback to develop the good habits and minimize the bad habits that will ensure progress toward those goals. A leader, therefore, must do two things well: set clear expectations and provide timely and specific feedback, which includes knowing how to motivate based on different motivation preferences.
- Setting Clear Expectations: In this highly interactive workshop, participants learn two simple, legally defensible and powerful templates for ensuring that teammates understand specifically how to succeed and why their success is important to the organization. They are taught a template based on the behaviorally anchored rating scale for behavior and S-M-A-R-T goals. Also discussed is the importance of delegating and doing it well.
- Feedback: Most feedback provided in the American workplace is ineffective because it is vague, untimely, demotivating, unconstructive, and not conducive to establishing good habits. Master a simple, legally defensible template for providing both positive and constructive feedback that will provide instant growth of employees’ abilities.
telework that works
Workplace issues can be helped and hindered by telework. There are five foundational challenges teams experience when telework in involved for all or some of their team:
1. Understanding the unique motivation and stress concerns of each team member
2. Communication: virtual communication magnifies every aspect of interaction
3. Holding workers accountable without micromanaging, including rewarding production rather than time, and resetting expectations to address telework expectations
4. Minimizing negative physical and mental health challenges that often accompany telework including feelings of isolation, stress, lack of interactive stimulation, and
5. Ensuring managers are confident in providing a legal, inclusive environment
Meetings are particularly meaningful for teleworking teammates. Participants will learn simple, but impactful, strategies to create engaging and bonding meeting experiences.
casting: hiring the right talent
Good hiring is like casting for a play or movie. If you were the casting director, you would select your actors based on your understanding of the “ideal” candidate. You generally wouldn’t hire an actor simply because you liked him as a person or to be charitable. Most leaders do not realize the difference between qualified and suitable candidates, why suitable is sometimes the better candidate, and how the law does NOT, as some believe, require an employer to hire the “most qualified.”
The most suitable candidate is who is most likely to assist the organization attain its most impactful goals. Participants learn the difference between qualifications (specifications) and critical success factors. It is the critical success factors that form the basis of behavior-based interviewing. Thus, whether those factors are explicitly stated in a job description or not, they are essential for success. This transparency allows for self-selection, as well since interviewees will have a clear understanding of whether they are placing themselves in an environment in which they are likely to succeed.
Participants will learn that an interview is not one-sided; that as important as it is for the interviewer to determine the suitability of the candidate, it is equally important that the interview be conducted in a way that the candidate can, at the end of it, feel confident that the two main questions THEY have were addressed, namely, 1. Will I have job satisfaction? and 2. Am I likely to succeed? Once interviewers understand this concept, the interview can become, while structured, more natural and flowing and mutually beneficial.
Behavioral-based interviewing is based on the premise that the BEST (although not the only) predictor of future behavior is the past. Therefore, interviewing should ask for specific examples of how needed or desired skills or traits have been manifested in the past by the interviewee. Interviewers seek small stories, formulated in the C-A-R response format (Context, Action, Result), collecting data that will make it easy to make fact-based, equitable decisions. Participants also learn how to obtain examples from non-work experiences, thus allowing employers to consider non-traditional candidates, thus widening the applicant pool.
The major focus of the training is the skills practice. Participants will be divided into pairs or trios and sent to break-out rooms to interview one another using the behavioral-based interviewing technique. When a participant is playing the role of the applicant, they will be instructed to answer in ways that will test the interviewer such as remaining quiet, being vague, speaking about hypothetical situations, or being unclear about their specific role in a team accomplishment. In addition, participants are asked to consider which common interviewing mistakes are the greatest temptation to them. Topics covered include halo and horn effect, contrast, similar to me, and first impression. We also discuss developing rapport, how not to “lead” the applicant into answering questions the way “you” want them to, and how to close an interview and next steps.
get it done: project management to the rescue
Project Management is an essential skill for any leader, yet it suffers from feeling uninteresting. Success, however, is never boring, and effective project management ensures success! This extremely interactive workshop is equally engaging for those new to the topic and those more experienced managers. Humorous and entertaining, the workshop walks participants through the five phases of project management identified by the Project Management Institute.
Initiation: Participants learn how to create a business case and a project initiative document and the importance of a mission mantra for all team members.
Planning: Participants master how to create clear, effective goals, using both the SMARTER and the CLEAR templates. They learn how to create and communicate a scope statement, a work breakdown schedule, milestones, and how to use Gantt and PERT charts. They learn how appropriate use of a budget ensures continuous flow of resources and how to create a communication plan to inform decision-makers of ongoing status. They also discover the benefits of utilizing a risk management plan.
Execution: Participants learn how to monitor tasks, particularly discussing the advantages of using a cloud-based project management system.
Performance Maintenance: Participants discover how to hold team members accountable by the use of key performance indicators, how to motivate with incremental successes, and how to prepare a team for the inevitable “bog” when performance has not yet outweighed stress and teams want to quit.
Closure: Participants learn the importance of conducting punch-lists and post-mortem debriefs for quality improvement.
The flavor of the workshop changes depending on the experience-level of the participants. Thus, when conducted for emerging leaders, it lends itself to be more introductory in nature. However, when conducted for experienced project managers, the curriculum becomes even more interactive as we do deep dives into the topics, encouraging participants to discuss real-life challenges and obstacles, sharing what they have found as workable solutions. In a more advanced form, there is much more discussion of how to lead and motivate a team. We unravel why Project Management, which seems like a clear-cut process on paper, is NOT so easy because it reveals basic difference between people when it comes to time management, organization, prioritization, communication preferences, and social roles.
*employing the law: see the workplace like a lawyer*
There is perhaps no area of the law more misunderstood than employment law, and yet, in a scary irony, it is also the type of law people think they understand the most. participants discover the most common errors that will cause them to be sued and easy ways to avoid such errors. They learn how to view situations through the eyes of potential jurors and learn what documents will play critical roles in the prosecution and defense of harassment and discrimination cases.
This format is extremely effective because it allows participants to apply in real-time the concepts they have just learned. Case studies based on real court cases and EEOC rulings always evoke discussion of other hypotheticals – but what if this and what if that.
Various laws are explored, with special emphasis on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its 1991 amendments, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, as well as the Florida Civil Rights Act and other Florida employment law statutes.
In addition, we discuss common sense ways of fostering an environment of respect and teamwork which will decrease the likelihood of any kind of hostile workplace arising. Participants will learn the variety of ways in which a hostile workplace can be created and that they can be created by peers, supervisors, customers, or vendors. The duty of the employer is to take reasonable action to protect employees from such situations, and this brought up the importance of proactive reporting and monitoring by supervisors. Company policies are incorporated into the training.
Participants are shown a list of recent discrimination lawsuits and verdicts and asked to guess the dollar verdict for a particular case. The whopping verdict amount is meant to shock, emphasizing the severe penalties for violation of discrimination and harassment laws. In addition, participants judge a list of questions as to whether they are legally valid or potentially discriminatory.
As a result of this training, participants will:
- have a solid, basic understanding of various employment laws and legal concepts and how they are applied in the workplace
- understand the role and responsibilities of being in a managerial/supervisory position as well as the legal risks and consequences to both the company and the individual.
- see the importance of being knowledgeable about company policies and HR intervention and how to utilize these as tools of support
- utilize this knowledge as a tool in how to best safeguard the company (as well as oneself) from potential liability by spotting potential legal issues early and utilizing the proper resources to minimize liability.
diversity, inclusion, and belonging
*inclusion: all in!*
When most people think of diversity, they think solely of differences, but diversity is actually both differences and similarities. In this fast-paced, activity-filled workshop, participants learn that the concept of diversity goes far beyond the rigid lines of the legally protected classes. They learn that the potential benefits of diversity, including broadened perspectives and enhanced innovation, only bloom when diversity is welcomed into inclusion, the maximization and welcomed utilization of those differences. This is NOT a bashing session of any group! Rather, it is a fun and often humorous way to learn about one another in a safe environment of learning.
Participants learn the danger of making assumptions, even those based on what may appear to be valid experiences. Through activities, they recognize that we are different even in how we respond to the knowledge that we are different. Participants discuss how various aspects of one’s culture are precious items that can perceived as being under attack whether they actually are or not.
As a result of this training, participants will:
- understand the difference between diversity and inclusion and the powerful potential of inclusion for an organization’s strategic advancement
- recognize the breadth of diversity and the fact that we differ even in our response to the recognition of that diversity
- discover the true meaning of “culture” and why people perceive statements and behavior differently
- learn the dangers behind even well-meaning assumptions
- discover that people different even as to how to express respect
- experience why language barriers are a critical obstacle to inclusion and how to address such
- recognize body language and other non-verbal communication differences
- be able to create a trusting environment where there is genuine respect, interest, and inclusion
emotional intelligence: better than a high IQ
Psychologists report that people with high EI are more successful and happier than those with equally high IQs. Therefore, emotional intelligence is a skill everyone needs. Organizations that educate their employees about EI provide the greatest resource possible for career development while ensuring better teamwork and increasing retention and engagement.
In this fun, often humorous, and interactive workshop, participants begin by discussing how emotions are viewed in the workplace. They learn that emotions (both one’s own and others) are ignored at great peril. The key is to manage and utilize them as data sources rather than be at their mercy.
Participants walk through the classic four-step EI process:
- self-identification
- self-regulation
- recognizing emotions in others
- and managing other’s emotions.
In the stage of Self-identification, participants engage in activities designed to teach them how to be specific in identifying the precise emotion they are feeling. Through these exercises, they also recognize that the emotions they feel may not be the same reactions those same events may evoke in others. Participants then discuss the specific emotions they currently often feel and how those emotions are impacting their behavior, particularly in the workplace.
During Self-regulation, participants learn how to change their own emotional condition with a variety of quick strategies. They analyze their own self-talk and learn a simple strategy for changing negative, defeatist attitudes into hopeful, positive solutions. Participants enjoy an activity in which they identify their own pet peeves and then learn how to prepare for situations in which their hot buttons will be pushed and how to respond more positively.
In the section on recognizing emotions in others, participants discover the verbal, body language, and behavioral clues people give about the emotions they are feeling. They also learn that responses to certain emotions can differ widely person to person and thus, one must look for collaborating clues rather than rely on just one indicator. Knowing human nature allows you to predict likely responses in others, allowing you to prepare.
In the final section on managing other’s emotions, participants analyze statements to determine whether a person THINKS they are stating a fact or a feeling, This insight suggests the best way to deal with the individual. Participants discuss options for how to deal with emotionally driven individuals in various situations. They take a short assessment which categorizes them broadly into communication styles of red, blue, yellow, and green. Similar to DiSC and Myers Briggs, this assessment informs participants to the reaction to which they are likely to default, so they can an intentional choice whether a better option is available.
Fascinating, insightful, and enjoyable, this workshop is guaranteed to provide introspective breakthroughs, instill understanding and respect, and promote team building.
appealing not appalling: respect in the workplace
Respect is essential to good teamwork, but respect can seem elusive since, like beauty, it can be in the eye of the beholder. Respect looks and feels different to individuals and thus, conflict can easily erupt in the workplace. Ironically, teammates can be angered by behaviors in some people and yet not disturbed by almost the same actions in others. Pet peeves derive their destructive power from the fact that they usually strike at the heart of how a person views respect. The apparent hypocrisy of a person who objects to certain behavior in others yet manifests it themselves can be explained because they understand their own intentions of respect and inclusion while misunderstanding the intentions of others.
In this interactive, introspective, and often humorous workshop, participants work in pairs, small groups, and large groups as they explore the most common behaviors, habits, and attitudes that frustrate a happy, cohesive workplace. They discover which of these negative behaviors tempt them the most, how we rationalize our actions, and how skepticism, mistrust, and misperceptions derail enjoyable environments. Most importantly, participants learn simple, effective techniques for minimizing, if not altogether eradicating, such behaviors.
Topics discussed include:
- Gossip
- Blame
- Lack of appreciation
- Poor communication
- Superiority and dismissiveness
- Self-absorption
- Rudeness
- Negativity
- Ostracizing
- Poor time management that affects others
This workshop is an invigorating primer for new teams, a reconciliatory re-set for struggling existing teams, and a motivating boost for successful teams wanting to ensure that their cohesiveness continues.
global intelligence: broadening yours
A key competency of the modern professional is proficiency with global diversity. Experience a fascinating discovery of ten cultural value dimensions that find expression in the variety of different cultures around the world. Filled with real-life examples of how these differences intersect in the domestic workplace as well as in organizations with global footprints, it is a meaningful and instantly relevant presentation that will give attendees a new vision of the subtleties of diversity and the need for inclusion. All of this is couched in terms of the strategic advantage of being culturally astute and how to utilize these differences to enhance an organization’s business including retention and employee engagement.
The ten cultural value dimensions to be discussed are:
1. Identity—Individualist versus Collectivist
2. Authority—Low versus High Power Distance
3. Risk—Low versus High Uncertainty Avoidance
4. Achievement—Cooperative versus Competitive
5. Time—Punctuality versus Relationships
6. Communication—Direct versus Indirect
7. Lifestyle—Being versus Doing
8. Rules—Particularist versus Universalist
9. Expressiveness—Neutral versus Affective
10. Social Norms—Tight versus Loose
As a result of this presentation, attendees will:
- understand the inbred, unconscious “curse of me,” the tendency to believe that everyone thinks and perceives like you
- have a framework of common differences in which to analyze specific interactions
- understand where and how to research aspects of cultural difference
- realize how cultural intelligence can be expanded through intentional, proactive coaching and training
women as leaders: are we different?
Often presented in symposium style, this workshop is a dynamic, facilitated discussion about women in leadership. Scientific research indicates that there are significant physiological differences between the brains of men and women. The ramifications of these biological distinctions are considered, along with a variety of anecdotal evidence based on historical and present-day female leaders. Participants will discuss whether stereotypes of female leaders are still recognized and how to manage expectations and shape perceptions. This is NOT a male-bashing session! Suitable for either an all-female dialogue or an all-gender discussion, this makes for fascinating interaction, introspection, and learning from one another.
what’s age got to do with it? age diversity in the workplace
The most overlooked, but possibly the most significant aspect of diversity, age impacts how people see the world. The far more important question is not WHO or WHAT you are or WHERE are you from, but rather WHEN are you from? Psychologists tell us that absent a trauma, human beings are pretty much who they were in elementary school. The influences on a person from the ages 5 to 15 are thus critical in shaping their world view and their sense of what is “normal.”
In this intriguing workshop, participants take a journey back in time to consider how influences including music, entertainment, and current events shaped how generations currently in the workplace feel about work ethic, work-life balance, titles, career progression, work policies, and communication.
This program does not bash any generation, but rather is a profound lesson that “but for time, there go I.” Every generation has strengths it can bring to the workplace. Participants learn to appreciate these strengths so they can incorporate every age into true inclusion. This session can be geared to highlight a specific generation if desired.