Finding Courage
I am going to use this month’s message to get a little personal. The last 9 months have been excruciatingly painful (for reasons that are both incredibly important and completely irrelevant). This year has also held some of the most joyous and exuberating moments of my life. I have found clarity and abundance, and it has not come without difficulty and challenge. Father Richard Rohr has a great quote, “Before the truth sets you free, it tends to make you miserable”.
Personally and professionally, I have felt both like I am on solid footing with a firm foundation beneath me and, at the same time, like a skydiver falling through the air unsure if I remembered to pack the parachute.
This story is not unlike yours I imagine. As leaders, we are always managing polarities. Work-life, parent-child, standardized-customized, right-wrong, competition-collaboration, control-empowerment, laws-freedom, compassionate-tough. . . it can be exhausting.
As we mature in our leadership, our goal is to create a stronger container that can hold these contradictions; a method for managing opposing forces that are both interdependent and yet opposite. Courage is often an essential element in building ourselves, as that vessel. It can be the most critical ingredient in our growth.
My work these last months has been a beautiful reflection of these polarities. I have had diverse discussions ranging from narcissism in leadership to creating better boundaries; building healthy egos to releasing them and asserting agency and control while letting go and being unattached. I must admit, I have found myself in conversations that have left me feeling like a new rider on a bicycle – a little off balance before I can get the wheels under me. And, because these polarity conversions have involved many of you, I know you are very familiar with the feeling I am describing.
One of our core teachings in emotional intelligence is that self-awareness is the foundation of, not only personal growth but more effective leadership. That awareness does not come without deep self-reflection and that reflection does not come without copious amounts of courage.
Courage.
I am going to leave the word hanging for a bit. On a continuum, it can be anything from being bold to brave or even fearless. The opposite leaves us feeling timid, weak, and ineffective. In coaching, we find the most courageous part of leadership is not only being aware but integrating that awareness into a new self, one that often challenges our very identity.
Courage enables us to make difficult decisions, engage with people in meaningful ways, and to lead people into unknown territories. It allows us to observe and change behaviors that are no longer serving our current reality. It illuminates aspects of us and our situations that require our attention.
It can be easy to sit in the shadows, and many of us do until we are violently pulled forward by an urgent calling. As you explore this month’s newsletter and resources, we hope it inspires you to find your own courage and step more fully into an ever-transforming YOU.
DID YOU KNOW?
Conflict is a natural part of any workplace and how leaders manage it can greatly impact team dynamics, culture, and productivity of any organization. CPP has done considerable research on the effects of conflict in the workplace. If you need some proof to illustrate just how essential conflict resolution skills are for today’s leaders, consider these statistics:
- 85% of US employees have some level of conflict at work, and managers spend around 6 hours per week (roughly 15% of their time) solving workplace conflicts.
- 49% of all employees see clashes between personalities or egos as the leading cause of workplace conflicts.
- 34% of workers agree that workplace stress is another common cause of conflict.
- 33% find heavy workload without enough support the main conflict trigger.
- 29% site poor leadership, dishonesty (26%), and problems with line managers (23%) regularly cause conflicts at work too.
- 89% of employees let their conflicts with coworkers escalate, while 12% quit their job, another 10% of workers avoid going to meetings and 9% don’t come to work for multiple days.
- A new survey by Randstad US revealed, that 58% of US workers have quit (or considering it) because of disruptive workplace politics. 38% want to quit because of poor workplace culture or a feeling that they don’t fit in. The overwhelming majority (86%) of jobseekers avoid applying to companies that have been reviewed poorly by their workforce.
COURAGE in leadership is an essential skill and is part of our “Inspiring Conversations” collection. Each booklet in this series provides insights and powerful questions to ignite deep, meaningful conversations. Our hope is this free downloadable resource will lead you to conversations that will widen your lens with additional perspective and propel your growth as an individual, leader, and/or leadership team.
MOTIVATE & TRANSFORM
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Conflict allows us to have and share differing opinions, expand our perceptions, and improve our situation if it is handled in a healthy way. When our differences of opinion become a barrier to progress, conflict in the workplace can negatively affect team morale and productivity, costing the organization both time and resources. We can help your leaders develop effective conflict navigation skills that can help quickly and effectively resolve issues while also building trust between team members and colleagues. When addressed properly, the outcome of resolved conflict can lead us to have deeper, more meaningful relationships with coworkers, family, and friends.
To effectively manage conflict, we must first understand the unique dynamics of our teams as well as the individual characteristics of each team member. This knowledge will help us navigate the conflict in a manner that will feel just to all parties involved. Three key aspects of leadership that we need to have an understanding of include:
- Stages of group development
- Characteristics of high-performance teams
- Situational and contingency leadership
Understanding these factors can help support our ability to effectively lead others. Our consultants have worked through the complexities of conflict in the workplace with many of our clients. We can develop an individualized program that meets your team where it is. The program can include a team assessment, team development tools and activities, and engagements that will build conflict resolution skills. The program will help your teams build stronger relationships, develop a better understanding of ways to deal with conflict, and can renew their enthusiasm for learning from each other and working together.
PROFESSIONAL COACHING
Professional development through coaching offers significant benefits across the workforce, including:
- Higher levels of engagement, commitment, and retention
- Effective succession planning
- Stronger employee/leader relationships
- Increased productivity, resilience, and wellness
- Heightened creativity and innovation
Individual and group coaching focuses on developing high-performance leaders and improving leadership competencies such as self-awareness, presence, listening, trust building, and managing goals and accountability. These skills enable leaders to transform engagement and performance for themselves and their teams.
The global study conducted by The International Coaching Federation* also found that:
- 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence.
- 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment in coaching and more.
Our consultants offer four personalized coaching programs:
Professional Development Coaching
Development coaching helps individuals identify and achieve their goals and become more effective. Each coaching program is personalized to support your leaders on their growth and development journey.
• 6 months of one-on-one coaching sessions
• Hogan personality and leadership competency assessments
• Leadership-coach triad conversations
• Assignments to practice new skills
Performance Coaching
When performance falters, coaching can be a key intervention to reach clarity that a change is needed. A coach helps the individual and their leader agree on goals for improvement, then guides them toward achieving these goals.
• 6 months of one-on-one coaching sessions (frequency determined by the coach, coachee, and coachee’s leader)
• Hogan personality & leadership competency assessments
• Leadership-coach triad conversations
• Assignments to practice new skills
Group Coaching
Coaching in a group setting offers the opportunity to enhance each individual and their collective capacity whether the team is newly forming or is tackling new challenges.
• Monthly group coaching sessions (six to twelve months)
• Leadership competency assessment for each individual
• Assigned accountability partners
• Assignments to practice new skills
• Introduction to emotional and cultural intelligence
The Conscious Coach Signature Program
This program is designed to develop a team of skilled internal coaches that can be deployed throughout the organization to support existing and emerging leaders. Format customized for your needs:
• Cohorts of up to 20 participants
• Orientation session, pre-work, and assessments
• Onsite and/or virtual group workshops
• Time to immerse in learning through the real-life, day-to-day application of coaching skills
We would love to connect you with a coach that can help you achieve your goals. Contact us to request an obligation-free consultation today: 970-279-3330 or admin@innovativeconnectionsinc.com
Learn more about our coaching services
*International Coaching Federation article
HR & TALENT SOLUTIONS
We provide strategic and operational services to organizations on both a project basis as well as a retained service.
If you’re experiencing:
- Difficulty achieving strategic outcomes
- Disharmony or fear among employees
- Poor team dynamics
- Trouble recruiting the right talent
- Other team or organizational issues
We’ll help you improve productivity, increase profitability, and reduce turnover by creating an employee experience that touches all parts of the employee life cycle. Your organization benefits from having a highly talented, motivated workforce who will stay with your organization for the long term.
Our typical clients include:
- C-Suite teams needing an experienced strategic partner
- HR leaders who require specific expertise that doesn’t exist internally
- Teams needing temporary assistance to supplement the talent on their team to meet a current need
- Growing small to mid-sized organizations where organizational needs exceed the HR team’s capacity
- Startup organizations without a dedicated HR function
If your HR team could use additional hands or expertise, we would love to talk with you. Contact us to request an obligation-free consult today: 970-279-3330 or admin@innovativeconnectionsinc.com
MEET OUR TEAM
Our consultants have helped many clients work through challenges and walk the path to greater personal and organizational success, and we’d love to help you too! Contact us for a complimentary consultation.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER AND OUR CLIENTS
We believe every voice holds value and everyone should be empowered to bring their full and authentic self to work. We celebrate diversity and feel a deep responsibility to move organizations from good intentions to meaningful action around equity and inclusion. We approach this work with intentional awareness, curiosity, and respect. As consultants and coaches, we recognize our ability to influence individual behavior and organizational culture, and we aim to always create safe and inclusive environments that encourage our clients to learn, grow, connect, and innovate. Meet Our Team
