Teams, talent and leadership
Consultant. Facilitator. Writer. Speaker. Trainer. TEDx.
For the longest time, I've been working in the field of Learning and Development, and I wouldn't trade what I do with anything else. Slowly who I am and what I do has become as intimately intertwined as my hand in a glove.
One of my mentors once shared his lifelong learning quest with me. In a flash knew what mine was. Since 2006 I've been working, tinkering, experimenting, and failing while answering: "What is learning?".
This is what I now know.
Can we learn in a situation that's threatening? Our brain is wired to avoid such situations. We may smile, respond, and still engage, but to what level? Sufficient for us to flourish our talent, achieve breakthrough results with our teams, or lead from emotional proximity?
In specific situations, our brain becomes plastic and malleable so that new connections may be formed and strengthened. Safety, empathy, and appreciation are characteristics of situations that wire our brains for growth.
Who we are is the crucial enabler for what we do. Will we act boldly if we're frightened? Will we genuinely appreciate another if we're not loving? Will we ask and listen deeply if we're not curious? Will we grow if we're not vulnerable learners?
Learning who we are requires us to look deeply into ourselves and others. So deeply that we can safely discover how we've become who we are. And to find new answers to the question: "Who am I (also)?".
HRD is traditionally geared towards equipping people with knowledge and skills to augment their competencies. The idea is that we should be able to think ourselves into new ways of acting. But isn't it the other way around? That we should act ourselves into new ways of thinking.
Over a couple of decades, working with leaders, teams, and talents has become an act of love for me. My first act is to shift my state to safety, awareness, empathy, and appreciation before I can enter the second act and engage with learners to help them shift their state into new ways of being and acting.
With our company, Forzes I work with teams, talents, and leaders. I'm glad to be of service.
