Applications of Conscious Leadership I facilitated a conversation recently among a group of seven nurses and CNAs, along with the nursing supervisor and nursing director. It is a group I’ve been meeting with twice a month for about 6 months. The intention of the meetings has been to invite them to take ownership of co-creating the culture they want, to take responsibility for how they are showing up, especially in those moments of reactivity in themselves or in the people with whom they work. At one point, a nurse said “I wasn’t going to speak, but I just need to say this … when I come to my supervisor and tell her that I’m overwhelmed and need more support on the floor, I don’t want to hear a response of ‘you don’t have anything to complain about … our nursing coverage is much higher than most facilities even when we’re short handed.’” “I don’t feel heard when you say that, and I get even more frustrated. I want to hear that you understand how overwhelmed I am, how frustrated and disappointed I feel to not be able to provide the quality of care I want to.” This nurse is describing a moment in her work day when she has a human need for empathy. The human need of empathy When our emotions are surging— whether in joy or frustration— we have a yearning for another human being to be present to us, to understand what is going on in us. Not to try to fix us, or make us better, or to try to distract us from it, but simply to be present to us. Empathy has many close cousins, the simplest of which is the need to be heard. How rare in our work day (or anywhere else for that matter) do we encounter another person who is willing to give us their attention and to listen with understanding. Ahh … to be understood … another close cousin of empathy. Amazingly, when we are heard, when we are understood, when we get nurtured with the empathy that we need, then we have a sense of being valued, of mattering. One of the challenges around the need of empathy We don’t name it, we don’t ask for it, we don’t coach others in how to give it, we aren’t taught the common ways that people “ask” for empathy. Very often in the workplace, when staff is reaching out for empathy, the supervisor or manager instead hears it as complaining, or whining, or making excuses, or simply “bad behavior.” Another nurse spoke up, “I appreciate that I can call the nurse supervisor and ask her if I can just vent for a few minutes so I don’t explode, and she gives me the space to do it, and afterward says ‘I can really hear your frustration of how hard it is to work with this patient.’ … That helps a lot. Otherwise, I think I would probably take it out on my co-workers and on the patient.” When I asked a CNA who had been quiet to check in, she paused for a moment, and said “I don’t really have anything to say … I’m here … I’m doing my job … but I’m not really here.” I asked her, “Are you saying that you’re getting your job done, but that there’s stuff going on in your life that’s keeping you from being as present as you would like?” “Yeah, it’s not about what’s going on at work … I’m fine here … it’s even good to be here. But I’ve had so much going on …” She went on to name three people close to her that had died in the last month, one of which had literally died in her arms. “The people here are so supportive of what I’m going through … they give me a hug and say ‘I’m sorry’ … it really helps.” The need for empathy is pervasive … We’re more likely to get that need met when we recognize it, and ask for it. In fact, these are milestones of development in becoming a Conscious Leader.
Of course, unless there is someone available to you who is skilled in empathic listening, then you might not get the quality of presence that nurtures the need of empathy. Empathic listening is one of four core skill sets within Needs-Based Communication (NVC), and part of the foundational training for a Conscious Leader. If we are to meet the human need for empathy in our workplace environments, then we also need structures that support people in their need for empathy. For the group of nurses and CNAs I mentioned above, one of their key structures is the bi-monthly meetings that we have together. They are also encouraged to support each other. To notice when a colleague is in a reactive state, to invite the person to pause and take some deep breaths, and to meet their colleague with some empathic listening. As another example, in my prior IT business, we had a designated room called the “Gold Room” that was set up with comfortable seating and warm colors where people could go to step out of the work environment for a moment to connect with themselves or with another person. Empathy is a core human need. I invite you to learn to recognize it and name it. I invite you to learn the skill of empathic listening to nurture it. I invite you to create structures within your work environment that are conducive to empathic connection.
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a three-hour live interactive workshop designed for the workplace part of the Conscious Leader Development programs at Basileia LLC Upcoming Sessions! Interactive workshop series via live video technology — three 75-min sessions Spring 2019 Series - Jun 4, 11, 18 Summer 2019 Series - Sep 3, 10, 17 Fall 2019 Series - Dec 4, 11, 18 Details & Enrollment: http://www.basileia.org/connectfirst.html “Intention organizes, A Conscious Leader's most potent skill is the ability to bring full attention and presence to people and to qualities that matter. At the team or organizational level, that means enlivening the intrinsic motivators such as Shared Purpose, Core Values and Direction. At the human level, it means the ability to fully "see" and "hear" the people with whom we work. In short, respect for their humanity.
This course builds on the skills from Needs-Based Communication (NVC) Core Concepts, and applies them in the day-to-day, moment-to-moment interactions that we have with the people on our team or in our organization. These are the moments that take a few seconds to a few minutes ... as we walk down the hall, in the few minutes before the meeting begins, or as we work side-by-side with someone on our team. By consciously showing up in these brief but frequent moments throughout the day, the Conscious Leader activates and builds an environment of trust and belonging. Workshop Outline Session 1: Attention and Presence: The most precious of human resources Session 2: "Hear Me": The foundation of being valued Session 3: "See Me": Redefining the need of recognition Workshop Format This workshop is an interactive, activity-based experience where participants are invited to learn through self-reflection, interactions in pairs or small groups, and engagement with the whole group. Workshops combine innovative, interactive strategies with essential principles of leadership and communication to create a robust learning experience. Delivery of this interactive workshop may either be as a live on-site event or a live video technology event — or a combination of both, depending on your needs. Full Workshop Description including registration: Connect First! a six-hour live interactive workshop designed for the workplace part of the Conscious Leader Development programs at Basileia LLC Upcoming Sessions! Interactive workshop series via live video technology — six 75-min sessions Winter 2019 Series - Jan 10 - Feb 14 Spring 2019 Series - Apr 11 - May 16 Details & Enrollment: https://www.basileia.org/accountability1.html
When we imagine relationships in a "power-with" environment, many tend to focus on the "with" — the gentle, connecting qualities such as being valued, empathy and care.
These are essential skills of the Conscious Leader that we introduce in the "Connect First: Bringing conscious presence into the workplace" sessions. Equally essential are the skills that enliven the "power": the fierce connectedness that leads us toward fulfillment of our shared purpose. Connection matters. And so does Purpose. Conscious Accountability within an environment of intrinsic motivation looks very different than the accountability that we associate with blame and punishment. There are new levels of self-awareness to embrace and new skills to learn. That's what this series is about. We will apply the self-awareness and self-responsibility that we learned in the "Needs-Based Communication (NVC) CORE CONCEPTS" foundations to real workplace needs for feedback and accountability. The Conscious Leader is both gentle and fierce. This course helps us develop the fierce side. Workshop Outline Session 1: Conscious Feedback, Part 1: Moving beyond praise & criticism Session 2: Conscious Feedback, Part 2: Receiving feedback Session 3: Mutual Accountability: "Calling in" to alignment rather than "calling out" Session 4: Conscious Agreements: Staying in integrity around our agreements Session 5: 100% Responsibility, Not More, Not Less: Taking full responsibility for my behaviors, but not for others Session 6: Conscious Terminations: Honoring the humanness of everyone when employment relationships are ended Workshop Format This workshop is an interactive, activity-based experience where participants are invited to learn through self-reflection, interactions in pairs or small groups, and engagement with the whole group. Workshops combine innovative, interactive strategies with essential principles of leadership and communication to create a robust learning experience. Delivery of this interactive workshop may either be as a live on-site event or a live video technology event — or a combination of both, depending on your needs. Full Workshop Description including registration: Conscious Accountability a six-hour live interactive workshop designed for the workplace part of the Conscious Leader Development programs at Basileia LLC Upcoming Sessions! Interactive workshop series via live video technology — six 75-min sessions Feb/Mar 2020 Series - Feb 20 - Mar 26 Apr/May 2020 Series - Apr 1 - May 6 Details & Enrollment: https://www.basileia.org/nvccore.html
This workshop helps you navigate that "space ... between stimulus and response." For most of us, it is a space where we can easily be triggered into the reactive "fight, flight, freeze" area of our brain. When we think and act from that fear-based place, our effectiveness and impact are diminished, especially as leaders within an organization. In our values-based leadership assessments, this behavior shows up in the leader’s "personal entropy" score, where personal entropy is defined as the amount of fear-driven energy that a person expresses in his or her day-to-day interactions with other people. Needs-Based Communication (NVC) is a potent process that stimulates new insights and gives us new tools to bridge the space between unconscious reaction and conscious response. It invites us to "stop playing the blame game," by enhancing our self-awareness and self-responsibility. At the same time, it enhances our ability to communicate and collaborate with others in challenging conversations, when emotions are rising, even when we seem to be heading into conflict. Though this is a foundational workshop in our Conscious Leadership Development programs, it is essentially a course on "Leading Yourself" ... and so it's really a course for anyone ready to enhance self-responsibility for their own life. And while there is a workplace focus on these sessions, participants are also invited to use personal or family situations in terms of applying the process if they choose. The skills and the mindsets are the same no matter where they are applied.
This series focuses on core concepts of NVC, and is a pre-requisite for more advanced training for Conscious Leadership, e.g. Conscious Conversations, Conscious Accountability, Building Conscious Teams, etc. Workshop Outline Session 1: Own Your Own Reactions: Observations Session 2: Own Your Own Feelings: Self-Connection Session 3: Own Your Own Needs: Authentic Expression Session 4: Invite Others to Own Their Own Reactions, Feelings & Needs: Empathic Listening Session 5: Own Your Own Choices: Self-Empowerment & Autonomy Session 6: Self-Responsibility: Being Accountable for Myself Workshop Format This workshop is an interactive, activity-based experience where participants are invited to learn through self-reflection, interactions in pairs or small groups, and engagement with the whole group. Workshops combine innovative, interactive strategies with essential principles of leadership and communication to create a robust learning experience. Delivery of this interactive workshop may either be as a live on-site event or a live video technology event — or a combination of both, depending on your needs. Full Workshop Description: Needs-Based Communication (NVC) Core Concepts Needs-Based Communication (NVC)* is a potent process that can support us when we are having — or need to have — challenging conversations that matter to us ...
... like giving authentic feedback to a co-worker ... ... or listening to someone at work or at home when we disagree with what they are saying ... ... or how we respond when we perceive ourselves as being "attacked" in a conversation ... ... or expressing clearly our personal or professional boundaries when a colleague has stepped beyond them ... ... or what we do when we feel anger rising in ourselves and we know we will likely regret the words we are about to say ... ... or when we've just expressed something in a meeting that really matters to us, but no one seems to have heard it ... ... or when we're too scared to speak up at all. NVC guides us to move beyond blame.
Here are some of the skills and benefits of using Needs-Based Communication in the workplace ... or at home:
Needs-Based Communication invites us to expand our perception so that we see ways to bring connection amidst conflict. At the core of this expanded perception is the skill to focus our attention on the underlying human needs that are seeking to be nurtured in any moment, both within ourselves and within the people around us. Examples of human needs include such things as ...
These underlying human needs are the motivation for our actions and our words ... the "why" behind what we do or say. Because human needs are universal — they are common to all human beings — when we bring them into explicit focus, they tend to stimulate understanding and draw us closer together. The potency of Needs-Based Communication is in its pragmatic simplicity. In any moment, including a moment of conflict, there are two ways to enhance connection & understanding:
These are radically different choices than we are accustomed to experience when we are in conflict: namely, fight, freeze or flee. While simple, NVC is often challenging to embody because we are so deeply conditioned to perceive each other through judgments and blame. With practice, the process of NVC helps us navigate within ourselves to transform unconscious reactions into conscious responses. What Needs-Based Communication is not ...
Our workplaces and our homes will become more vibrant when there is greater trust and care, and less fear and blame; more conscious responses among us, and fewer unconscious reactions; more listening to understand, and less listening just to respond. Needs-Based Communication is a pathway to take us there. ———————————- If you're intrigued by Needs-Based Communication, I invite you to learn more:
———————————- *Needs-Based Communication is based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg, which he called "Nonviolent Communication™" or NVC. I have chosen to call the process Needs-Based Communication for two reasons:
I am excited to announce the redesign of the live interactive workshops within the Conscious Leader Development programs at Basileia LLC, including a new workshop format using live interactive video technology.
Highlights of the new design include:
I am thrilled that our new live interactive video workshops enable more people around the world to learn the skills of conscious leadership. I invite you to have a look at the details about each workshop, including the ability to register online for open-enrollment video workshops, using the links above. FYI: We've also updated the info throughout our website, especially in the "services" section. Here are a few highlights:
I hope to see you at one of these workshops soon! Warmly, Gregg Gregg Kendrick CEO / Lead Trainer & Consultant Basileia LLC Create a Workplace Where People Matter™ +1.434.260.0437 | connect@basileia.org | www.basileia.org “Leaders must grow for the organization to grow.” —John Mackey In a September 18, 2017 article in Fast Company (Satya Nadella Rewrites Microsoft’s Code, by Harry McCracken), McCracken states that “One of Nadella’s first acts after becoming CEO, in February 2014, was to ask the company’s top executives to read Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, a treatise on empathic collaboration … The reading assignment ‘was the first clear indication that Satya was going to focus on transforming not just the business strategy but the culture as well,’ says Microsoft president and chief legal officer Brad Smith, a 24-year company veteran.”
Nadella also includes Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication among the short list of books upon which he’s drawn inspiration (The 7 Books Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Says You Need to Lead Smarter, by Harry McCracken, Fast Company, September 18, 2017). As a resource to those training in or learning Nonviolent Communication™, we have been providing a no-cost limited license to use our introductory training materials for more than eight years. We have just added an updated version of these materials to the Resources page of our website which can be downloaded as a PDF.
This 22-page workbook includes the core pages from Basileia's training materials for the "Introduction to Needs-Based Communication (NVC)" workshop. We typically teach this workshop in a 1- to 2-day format for people who are new to NVC. Hope that these materials will be useful for your personal learning or in group training sessions or practice groups! |
AuthorGregg Kendrick supports leaders to activate the human potential of themselves, their teams and their organization. Archives
January 2020
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