We start by asking an open question, “In simple terms, what are the top 2-3 issues in your organization?” — the report is peppered with intriguing answers.  The one to the right is fairly thematic both in the manager’s comment, and the graphic representing a sense of irreconcilable internal conflicts.

The full report is available for free using the download form below.

These finding represent 775 responses from leaders and employees worldwide. They come from all levels (mostly management, 26% senior execs) and all sectors (mostly business & industry) and all global regions (mostly North America).

Three Key Findings:

one : Talent.

Find it.  Keep it.  Feed it.  Lead it.

The top issues globally, across sectors, tie to retaining good people and the leadership capability to align individual and organizational priorities.  Respondents recognize that people are burned out after years of “more with less” — while few organizations are taking serious and systematic efforts to create a place where good people actually want to work.

A visual summary is presented here — more frequently occurring words appear in a larger size:

two : Leadership Needed.

Vision is absent. People are not aligned.  Where are we going – and why?

As in our previous surveys, leadership remains a top concern.  On a selection of “people issues,” 58% of respondents identified leadership as the top concern.  What do they want from leaders?  The top “wish” is free, and an absolute basic:  Communicate the vision.

But, in times of stress, most leaders have their heads down to focus on the small stuff.  Few leaders are standing up and standing out.  The results are dangerous.

Senior managers perceive their organizations are using EQ - others, not so much.

three : Got EQ?

Organizations making EQ a priority score 32%-39% higher on the questions above.

Only 11% of the organizations in our sample earned a 5/5 on leveraging emotional intelligence.  Those with a 4 or 5 out of five are getting better marks from employees.  In this camp, respondents say EQ is important because it’s part of the culture and competitive advantage.  For example, this President from the sector of Business & Industry, in Mexico, wrote:  “EI is fundamental for improving communication, relationships, collaboration, teamwork and increasing self-esteem and enjoying work.”  The top reasons for creating an EQ culture are:

• Customer and internal relationships (34%)
• Effective work climate (30%)
• Alignment of people, and people with strategy (27%)

On the other hand, those that don’t see EQ being valued, report three primary causes:

• Leadership isn’t aware (38%)
• There is a gap between company culture and principles of EQ (e.g., “our bosses ‘have no feelings’”) (27%)
• There isn’t funding available / the financial value isn’t clear enough (23%)

To learn more about these findings, fill in the form below and the report will be immediately send to you via email.

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Drs. Susan Stillman & Barbara Fatum have a new article in TechEdge — the Texas Computer Education Association Journal (this association is the largest of its kind in the US).

Technology, Healthy Classrooms and Emotional Intelligence describes current research on EQ and Social Emotional Learning, and provides eight practical action steps for technology teachers to improve instruction by integrating EQ.

The article can be viewed electronically on the link above – here is picture of the introduction:

The piece goes on to discuss the basics of emotional literacy and offers ideas for integrating Social Emotional Learning strategies to improve instructional outcomes in the technology classroom — and every classroom.

Yet:  After a couple of days together, we were just people learning together.

Over and over and over I’ve experienced that in the realm of emotion, there is a vast and uncomplicated common ground.  As I’ve written before, I feel a profound relief to find this connection.

Looking at my calendar for the next few months, I’m a little alarmed at all the global connections!  But I hope to meet you someplace in the world to re-anchor.  Here’s my schedule — all these are listed on our EQ Certification Calendar along with even more programs by our amazing master trainers!

March 1-2 – Phoenix, AZ – joining the EQ Educator Certification, a very practical program for those teaching the skills of EQ to deepen their understanding of the process and methodology to be even more effective.

At the end of March, I’m off to Singapore for work with a business school there, then onto India.

April 9-13 is the transformational EQ Certification.  Last time in Mumbai it about blew my socks off – this deeply powerful experience of engaging in the Six Seconds’ method and model – designed for professionals in development, this is equally fabulous for leaders and individuals looking for tools for transformation.  Something about India… people who have an ancient, deep spirit now on the burgeoning frontier of commerce.

April 16-19 the Mumbai adventure continues with our program for coaches to learn the SEI assessment toolkit and Six Seconds’ coaching framework.  The SEI Coach is intended for people who have skills and qualifications in coaching to supercharge their work.

After a brief stop back home, in May it’s time for Europe.  We’re holding the EQ Certification in Dublin with the Irish Management Association on May 7-11.  Max Ghini, our Regional Director for Europe – and Director of Global Strategy – will be delivering this with me so it will be a fabulous session for those looking to gain the strategic value of EQ.

May 12 we’re planning a Europe EQ Network conference — more on that soon!

Then in June, I’m back to Asia — for the SEI Coach Certification in Tokyo on June 13-16 — plus several in-house projects.

On June 19-20 we have a launch of Six Seconds Indonesia with the Jakarta EQ Conference.

Then the EQ Certification in Kuala Lumpur on June 26-30.  I’ll be there with our new Malaysia Country Director, FC Law, who is launching this along with our Regional Director for Asia, Granville D’Souza — so it will be a total powerhouse week!

July we’re in California — the EQ Certification is July 9-13 in Menlo Park.  Our 14th year of this course, in July, in this place — always an incredible experience as people come from around the world for the opty to engage with many of our senior team members.

Finally, July 16-19 is the SEI Coach Certification in Menlo Park — again for coaches to take it higher.

I’ll be ready for a little relaxation time after that!  People often ask me how I find the energy for all these programs — but the truth is I gain energy from this work.  Imagine the opportunity to be with people who are truly committed to adding EQ in the world — and their delight in finding methods and models and a “way of being” that makes it really possible.  It’s a remarkable journey we’re on together — both the journey around the globe, but perhaps even more dramatic is the journey of connecting.

GCA: What’s the connection between emotional intelligence and behaviour change, in the context of sustainability.

Joshua Freedman: Daniel Goleman wrote a new book called, “Ecological Intelligence” where he talks about that. I’ve done a couple of interviews with Dan where we discuss this. Our work in emotional intelligence is largely about how people make better decisions and take action in a way that’s aligned with what they really want to happen. As we think about our long term goals, how do we take actions in a way that moves us towards those long term goals?  The whole point of intelligence is to look ahead and solve problems – mathematical intelligence helps us solve numerical problems; emotional intelligence helps us solve human problems.

In other words, if we’re using EQ to make optimal long-term decisions, we have to also be thinking about the ecosystem in which we will either suffer, or flourish. Being intentional in an ecological sense means creating a more sustainable world starts with decisions and choices we make individually, actions we take individually.  Tapping the power of EQ means recognising that emotions are major drivers of those behaviours – whether that behaviour is consuming resources for short term profit, or conserving them, or whether that behaviour is advocating for a vibrant future.

For all of these behaviours, there is an emotional component that drives them.  If we can become more clear about the emotions that drive us individually towards our decisions and actions, and if we can become more effective at creating emotions that will help enrol others in making better decisions, we can be more powerful as advocates.

GCA: How important is EQ to an organisation to retain talent?

Joshua Freedman:  I think the adage that “people don’t leave their organisation, they leave their boss” is absolutely true. I certainly hear that story over and over again. And I hear a lot of leaders saying that there’s a shortage of talent …So, we need people who are good at enrolling others, we need people who are good at building those kind of relationships that are going to influence people across boundaries, that are going to open up potentials and possibilities, that are going to make it possible to do things that were impossible before, especially in this rapid pace of change in the globalised environment.  We need people who are able to get out the immediate box and reach out to a bigger audience.

This logic is critical as we think about green jobs.  Yes, this kind of work is mission driven, but it’s also a business.  If we can make a really good business case in a green enterprise, there’s a tremendous impact on talent.  We can then attract individuals who say ‘this is the kind of work that I want to be doing.’  We know that particularly in Gen Y, people are looking for meaning, and they are not just about money. So as we look to the future and consider, “Where are the absolutely most talented people going to work?”  They are going to look for jobs that have real meaning.

There’s a kind of obvious link here between creating an organisation that really walks its talk.  Imagine a business that’s doing something truly worthwhile and creating a place where people really want to work – because of its mission, because of the EQ skills creating positive relationships, and because of a sound business strategy — that is the “magic combo” that is going to make it effective and prosperous.

Advocates explain it’s not about the laptops, it’s about engagement. The laptops help students connect with each other and with their teachers in a shared “culture of collaboration.”

What makes the use of laptops unique?

Administrators and teachers said that the difference is that  ”they value computers not for the newest content they can deliver, but for how they tap into the oldest of student emotions — curiosity, boredom, embarrassment, angst — and help educators deliver what only people can. Technology, here, is cold used to warm.”

As a teacher helped a student on her laptop struggling with a math problem,  ”curiosity was fed and embarrassment avoided, as teacher connected with student through emotion far more than Wi-Fi.”

It’s not all roses….Emotions run high on this topic, as evidenced by the posted comments below the article. Teachers, too, must adjust to teaching in a digital classroom, which creates its own set of emotional challenges. “You have to trust kids more than you’ve ever trusted them,” the Mooresville Superintendent said, “your teachers have to be willing to give up control.” There’s an emotional hijacking waiting to happen….

Your thoughts?

In a low but strong voice, the transmission would utter, “164 Norfolk.” “Go ahead 164,” replied the dispatcher.  “10-7,” he answered.

You see, my father was a Nebraska State Trooper.  Each evening he would radio to let the communications center know he had safely arrived home and was officially out of service. I would run as quickly as I could upstairs to greet him at the door; many times missing a step or two in my hurry.

He was a tall, slender man with an incredibly gentle soul.  A man made of integrity and honor; a public servant who took his duty to “protect and serve” seriously.  Together we would walk to the bedroom.  I watched as he removed his gun belt and placed it on the floor to be polished.  I became entranced as he carefully hung his uniform on the hanger and placed it in the closet; noticing that the uniform was still neatly pressed appearing as if it had just come from the cleaners.  I was mesmerized as he shined his badge and collar insignia.   And then… my favorite part of our ritual… the polishing of his black leather shoes.  Out came the wooden shoe shine kit made of cedar.

As we sat together over the wooden box he asked about my day.  He listened intently and many times with great empathy.  He shared stories of his day describing every detail of what he had encountered during his shift.  Silence would eventually come over us as we reflected on each other’s words.  Eventually the silence was broken by the cheerful sound of Dad’s whistling as he continued to shine away like a skillful pro at a barbershop.  When he was done, I was enthralled at how shiny his shoes appeared, revealing the reflection of my curly hair and the joy on my face.

Little does my father know of the gift he gave me over that wooden box.  Every evening I walked away with a better understanding of what it means to be humble, empathetic, optimistic, and most importantly, grateful.

Whose shoes do you need to shine today?

Call for Papers

Special Issue: Social and Emotional Learning in Early Education

Early Education and Development

Guest Editors: Susan E. Rivers & Marc A. Brackett

Background

The goal of this special issue is to explore more deeply the role of social and emotional learning (SEL) in the development of 3- to 6-year-olds and programming efforts in classroom settings. SEL involves the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills related to self- and social awareness, responsible decision making, self-management, and relationship management (Elias et al., 1997; Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, & Walberg, 2004). Over the last two decades, numerous programs have been developed to promote SEL among children. SEL programs are designed to complement existing school curricula by teaching the social and emotional skills that contribute to better social and emotional adjustment and higher academic achievement. A recent meta-analysis of 207 studies examining the effects of SEL programs revealed that students enrolled in such programs perform significantly better in school and on standardized tests compared to non-participating students (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). This special issue will explore research, practice, and policy implications for SEL during the early childhood years.

Suggested topics include:

· Examinations of links between SEL and social and emotional development, cognitive development, and outcomes such as school readiness, social competence, and health

· Unique challenges and strategies for quality implementation of SEL programs in early education

· Methods for assessing SEL in early childhood and testing short- and longer-term impacts of SEL programs delivered in early education

· Active ingredients of effective SEL programming in early education

· Best practices for SEL professional development for teachers

· Role of the family in promoting SEL

· State-wide initiatives for addressing SEL in young children

· Integration of SEL programming into existing early education curricula: Challenges and opportunities

· Teacher practices and characteristics that promote SEL in young children

· Role of teachers’ emotional competence/emotional intelligence in promoting the social and emotional development of young children

We invite both theoretical and empirical papers that draw on qualitative or quantitative data, as well as articles linking practice to policy.

Submissions

Please submit a blinded manuscript at http://www.editorialmanager.com/eed/. In the cover letter please specify that your manuscript is being submitted for the Special Issue: Social and Emotional Learning in Early Education.

Submissions will follow the journal’s regular blind review process. The guest editors and journal editor will make the final acceptance decisions. Manuscripts must strictly conform to the formatting and writing style requirements of the APA Publication Manual (6th edition). Accepted manuscripts that are not included in the special issue (due to space restrictions) will be published in a future issue of the journal.

Inquiries regarding this special issue should be directed to Dr. Susan Rivers (susan.rivers@yale.edu <mailto:susan.rivers@yale.edu> ).

Submission deadline: June 1, 2012. Publication of this special issue is scheduled for October 2013.

Schedule

June 1,2012 Deadline for submissions

September 1,2012 First reviews and comments to authors

December 1,2013 Revisions due and sent for second review if    necessary

March,2013 Revision comments to authors

July 1,2013 Final edits completed by authors

August 2013 Proofs

October 2013 Publication

References

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x

Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Frey, K. S., Greenberg, M. T., Haynes, N. M., . . . Shriver, T. P. (1997). Promoting social and emotional learning: Guidelines for educators. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Zins, J. E., Bloodworth, M. R., Weissberg, R. P., & Walberg, H. J. (2004). The scientific base linking social and emotional learning to school success. In J. E. Zins, R. P. Weissberg, M. C. Wang & H. J. Walberg (Eds.), Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? (pp. 3-22). New York: Teachers College Press.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susan E. Rivers, Ph.D.

Associate Director

Health, Emotion, and Behavior Laboratory

Department of Psychology

Yale University

PO Box 208205

New Haven, CT 06520-8205

susan.rivers@yale.edu

research.yale.edu/heblab

fax: 203-432-2368

I grew up with the concept that the more pure the diamond–the more clarity and clearness without flaws–the more rare it is, and therefore, the more expensive.

And, a little research on the Internet seems to confirm those old thoughts.

Sure enough, yellow color in a diamond is considered a negative, an impurity.  Something about too much nitrogen.

And brown diamonds are firmly lodged at the bottom of the desirability list.

But last week I noticed an ad. It said “Bring a little sunshine into your day. Buy a yellow diamond.”

I was intrigued. Marketers were actively choosing words to increase the desirability of these less-than-top-quality diamonds, to enhance their value, to sell them.

Obviously, for as much money as possible.

Two weeks earlier, I had seen an advertisement for “chocolate diamonds,” a clever description to make lowly brown diamonds sound attractive.

And, although a brown color in a diamond makes it the least enticing, an ad describing them as chocolate diamonds makes them, for me, tantalizing.

The chocoholic in me wants one.

Isn’t that an interesting point about words?  The power of effective ones, paired with things we find joyful, fun, or addictive, is evident.

The context with which we surround something unattractive or unappealing adds considerable value (or not) to its perceived beauty. In this example, by using associative words like ‘sunshine’ and ‘chocolate,’ the previously identified inferior product – a yellow or brown diamond – becomes an alternative to the conventional and its desirability goes up.

People are like diamonds — multifaceted with varying degrees of clarity and color.

I would be happy to be classified as a chocolate diamond – a chocolate anything is decadent and divine, in my well-considered opinion.

I love all things stirred with chocolate—nuts, caramel, etc.

On the other hand, unlike the diamond, I do not want to be regularly scrutinized with a jeweler’s loupe, that ancient tool for determining color, clarity and the smallest of flaws.

Jewelers regularly use these monocular, handheld tools in order to magnify gemstones and other jewelry they wish to inspect. One that magnifies 10X (times) is standard for grading diamond clarity. This is the ultimate level of magnification that affects the grade.

The jeweler examines the diamond under strong light using the loupe. He peers at the center of the diamond, looking closely for black spots or cloudiness that could reduce the diamond’s brilliance.

I have a friend who has an imaginary loupe. She uses it constantly. Everything is examined with it closely and carefully. I would prefer she use it only on diamonds, but that is not the case.

She reads my blog and comments, “I so appreciated your article regarding age. I’m going to remember that – but are you aware you had a typo in paragraph four, line three?”

On another occasion, “Thank you for the surprise birthday luncheon you held for me. Wasn’t it fun? But why didn’t you invite more people?”

Or it might be, “Gee, I love that outfit, Anabel, but your lipstick is a shade too bright.” And then she rolls her eyes at my poor judgment.

Is my judgment inferior to hers, I wonder? And I am left feeling rather more self-critical of others and myself than I would prefer while I remain quiet even though I’m not feeling quiet. At all. I do not like to direct my disgust at anyone.

Paul Ekman, a guru on emotion, asserted at a recent neuroscience convention, “It is not anger which is the most destructive emotion. It is disgust.”

I agree with him.

Interestingly, this emotion encompasses a wide range of feelings from mild denigration to the detestable to the deplorable and finally the despicable. All are variations of disgust.

I think the “d” emotion is responsible for the dissolution of partnerships, of marriages, and friendships.

Can you think of instances in your own life when the “d” emotion interferes with the intimacy of a relationship?

With the cooperation and collaboration needed for a partnership, I wonder if it might not be improved with the “g” emotion – gratitude.

We need to be careful of the depth of our examinations, the words we use, the opinions we form. In our day-to-day relationships, it isn’t helpful to be jewelers – examining with precision, looking for flaws, and grading our friends and loved ones according to them.

Personally, I’m taking a pledge to tell my friends how many things they do right! How many things delight me? How many things make me laugh?  I want their sparkle to stay bright.

I want people around me who will, like the careful jeweler, help polish the facets I have, maybe celebrate my strengths with a gentle sudsy bath, or perhaps give me the occasional stringent dash of ammonia.

But I want to avoid a flood of chlorine or any harsh chemical, which diminishes my cut, my color, and my clarity.

And I’ll dream about chocolate diamonds and think of yellow ones on a sunny day. And marvel at those wordsmiths who, just by planting a thought here or there, can change the way we see things.

Let’s keep our relationships bright.

In 2009 I experienced a situation where I was hurt by someone I trusted.  I was shocked and instantly felt helpless, confused, afraid and hopeless.  I had a choice to make:  Was I going to choose to remain angry, bitter, or resentful or assume the posture of a victim?  Or, was, I going to choose to embrace the pain of betrayal; attempting to understand it and work through it to heal?

I would like to say I immediately took the high road, but I didn’t.  To cope and get through the initial shock, I repressed my pain.

Many times, people don’t know how to deal with the emotional pain of betrayal because our culture doesn’t encourage reflection and genuine expression of our feelings.  We become skillful at distracting ourselves by keeping busy with work in an attempt to shield ourselves from feeling the pain.  Or for some, they self-medicate to ease the anxiety, stress, and hurt.

In the Six Seconds Model of Emotional Intelligence, we talk about the competency of “Navigating Emotions.”  When we use this competency, we harness the power of a feeling and use it to move forward.  The first step is to acknowledge, and then to accept that the feeling is real.  The problem is that feelings like betrayal are so painful it feels nearly impossible to even face the emotion.

Experiencing a major betrayal is like experiencing a death. We have feelings of loss. Our hearts ache, our capacity to trust may be bruised and our innocence is tainted.  When we’re betrayed by someone we love or respect, the pain can be incredibly intense – perhaps even more than physical pain.

But just as the pain of an injury makes us slow down and rest, emotional pain has value too.  Physical pain is a distress signal that some part of our body needs help. So, too, emotional pain is a distress signal that some aspect of our life needs help. Taking time to understand these emotions and consciously redirecting the thoughts, feelings, and actions can move us adeptly through the situation.

So the next time you feel brutally betrayed, remember you have a choice.  When you’re ready to move forward, tap into the energy and information of your emotions.  Allow the experience of betrayal to bring amazing insights about you and your relationships. Let it provide clarity as to who you are and what you want and need.

What makes that work?

One the reasons Six Seconds’ programs are transformational is our commitment to a rigorous approach to learning.  We come from a “constructivist” history, rooted in the humanistic school of education.  In constructivism, the goal is for learners to build (construct) meaning.  Rather than imparting information or telling them what you’ve just taught, a constructivist focuses on facilitating learners to answer their own questions and to integrate new insights.  We are also influenced by “confluent” theory, the notion that richness in learning comes from the flowing together of cognition and emotion.

In recent decades, “brain based learning” captures these schools of thought and advocates for learning that builds “hot cognition.”  Hot cognition means there is a highly activated brain state where thinking is accelerated and deepened because the learner is fully involved.   I’ve posted before about our learning philosophy, the five principles we use to guide the way we teach, coach, facilitate, mentor, and consult so that we fuel hot cognition – this is the “how” of our methodology.

In addition to that underlying “how,” we have a very specific design methodology which structures learning as a change process.  Because learning and change are so closely linked, we use our Change MAP as a structure (a good orientation to this model can be seen in the Case Study about our change program with the US Navy).  As we apply the change process to learning, we get a very powerful structure.

The Change MAP, and our learning design method, is a spiraling cycle.  There are three phases which we present in a circle to emphasize the fact that learning (and change) require numerous iterations.  In the MAP, you can see the critically important “red lines,” the emotional transitions required to accelerate change.  These same transitions are essential for learning, because if we don’t get emotional connection, we don’t get hot cognition.  The three phases are:

• Engage:  Create cognitive and emotional hooks to create interest, activate pre-existing knowledge, and develop a context for new learning.  At the end of this phase, participants should see the value of the subject matter and be ready for more.
• Activate: Build capability and enroll the brain through real-time experiences that blend emotional and cognitive content; bring powerful mental models to life so participants can begin to learn and test out new concepts.  At the end of this phase, participants will have new knowledge plus a “gut level” experience of the concept.
• Reflect:  Integrate new learning by synthesizing and concluding, so this knowledge, attitudes, and skills can be more readily applied.  At the end of this phase, participants should know what they’ve learned and a commitment to put that into action.

Iterative Cycles

These phases apply equally to a twenty-minute module, a 90 minute keynote, a five day workshop – or a three month development program (which will include hundreds of iterations of this cycle within one large “meta cycle” spanning the program).  Here’s a concrete example from our Developing Human Performance curriculum about “Leader As Coach.”  In the two-hour module, we go through the cycle at a high level:

• Engage:  Participants identify key attributes of leaders they admire and are introduced to the importance of coaching and the concept of emotional intelligence.  They learn a simple, powerful mental model for structuring these ideas, and then see an emotionally engaging video of how this could appear in action.  At this point, they’ve activated prior knowledge (the key attributes) and begun to see the importance or value of this concept; they’ve received a “cognitive coat rack” in a robust mental model so they can structure the learning; they’ve developed some emotional energy and curiosity about the topic.
• Activate:  Next, participants learn some of the key skills of being a leader-as-coach and are introduced to a “trust formula” which provides a way of strengthening coaching relationships.  They do an active exercise where they move around the room having a structure conversation with other group members so they can actually put this skills into play – “real play,” not role-play.  Then they analyze the experience using the mental model from the Engage phase.  So in this phase they learned some techniques to achieve the goals that were emerging after the Engage phase, and they found how those worked – and analyzed their results using the organizing “coat rack” so the new insight is starting to integrate.
• Reflect: Coming to a close, they practice the skills again doing an exercise where they work together to identify specific opportunities to apply the new methods.  Finally, participants synthesize their own key points and identify at least one specific action step.  In this phase they linked the learning back to the real world, decided what they could use and why, and made a decision of how to go forward.

As you can see, this overall two-hour cycle includes many small pieces – and each of these pieces is organized around the E/A/R phases.  In addition, we can zoom out to consider this module in a larger context.  Let’s imagine we’re planning a whole learning program for XYS, inc., to support organizational change.  They want more proactive teams and greater buy-in from people, so they’ve decided to shift from autocratic management. The module above could be one component:

• Engage: We conduct a virtual classroom meeting 12 team leaders in the XYZ ops group and lay out a plan.  The 12 work groups (including the group managers) all take the Team Vital Signs (TVS) assessment.   We look at the data and, together with the site manager and HR Director, agree to focus on trust.
• Activate: In a ½-day session, they review the Team Vital Signs data and focus on the Trust dimension of the assessment.  Then we run the Leader As Coach module described above.
• Reflect:  Following the workshop, each manager has a planning matrix on which they draft three key improvements.  We have a 1-1 coaching session to review the TVS report and the action matrix.  The matrix documents are delivered to the ops manager.  We have another three coaching sessions with the ops manager to support her to followup on these commitments and to role model cascading the skills to the workgroup managers.

I’m not going to detail this, but we could zoom out again to look at this ops team project in the context of the change project.  In other words,  the E/A/R workflow about trust may be part of a larger iteration of the E/A/R cycle.  In the larger cycle, the Engage phase would include identifying specific hard metrics for the project, and building consensus with the ops manager, GM, and HR Director to make this a priority.  At the end of this larger cycle, the Reflect phase will look at those metrics to see ROI.  As we discuss in the book, INSIDE CHANGE, this spiraling process is key because each time around, we build momentum going into the next spin of the Change MAP.

Next Up

How can you use it?  Whether you’re a trainer, teacher, coach, operations leader, HR professional, parent, or friend you can use this framework for learning.  Where do you want to make learning stick?  What would happen if you structured the process more carefully so your group (and you) can take in new info and actually make meaning?  Think about the next keynote you’re giving, the next meeting you’re facilitating, the next car ride where you’re chatting.  How can you build momentum with these phases?

• Engage:  Draw them in with emotion, data, and a substantive model or framework.
• Activate: Bring it alive and make it real.
• Reflect: Invite the participants to pull it together and commit to the next steps.

Then do it again!

To learn more about these phases and the cycle, I recommend INSIDE CHANGE.  It’s about how to make organizational change work by starting with people – so it doesn’t talk about learning design.  But following the logic of this article, you’ll see how the Change MAP applies to many different kinds of transformation.

(By the way, this article is structured in Engage, Activate, Reflect.  Can you see the phases?)