Theory of Change
Over the years we have been developing products and programs that are highly effective for individual growth, group transformation and organizational change.
When working with an individual there is always a context that interacts with the learning development. Nothing happens in a vacuum. People are social learners and research has proven out that people learn better in group contexts than they do by themselves.
Looking at the Connected Leader Dojo, for example, I offer several ways of learning in a social context. This approach is called a Community of Practice. Each month one of the connected leadership tools is discussed with storytelling and application examples. One tool recently discussed was the Art of Questioning. I shared a story about my time at Google and applying this technique outdoors with program managers. The insights about transferring the skill back inside provoked whole new possibilities about how to facilitate a team.
After this topic is introduced, the participants in the Dojo break out into small groups on the phone, through advanced conference technology, called Maestro Conference. There they are given an exercise to apply and discuss the technique. The knowing is in the doing.
Returning from the break-out session participants share insights, ask deeper questions and leave the call with an assignment to apply this in their respective Spheres of Influence. Bringing this assignment to their daily leadership tasks has given members a lens of awareness that heightens their workplace experience.
Upon returning a month later to the Dojo, there is a report out about how the integration of the assignment went at work, with further discussion and questions leading to deeper mastery of the subject. This cycle of continuous improvement is a kind of accountability to maintain a growth mindset.
This month we are taking the integration to a new level with role development within the dojo monthly call series. Listen in on the Dojo Podcast #5, about a powerful way to bring awareness to roles on a team. In the long run the dojo also provides ongoing leadership training for A Connected Leader to develop a network of practitioners that can be brought together to facilitate company retreats and other larger scaled endeavors.
The vision is to provide leaders with not just connection tools and techniques for more resilient relationships, but with mentoring and social contexts for engaging in the material. This allows for application and integration to a level of embodiment. The knowing is in the doing. Another way of saying this is integrating from a "head" kind of knowing to a body kind of knowing. This is a more reliable and versatile level of understanding that allows a leader to move beyond prescriptive approaches to agile and innovative performance.
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