Integral Facilitator

How do we ensure that the way we manage our organization produces optimal results on all fronts?

While management involves planning, controlling and overseeing tasks, resources and projects, a commitment in mentor development elevates it beyond project and process management, and enables a people-centered approach that fosters growth, learning, and professional development.

Mentoring within a managerial role amplifies the potential of the manager, individuals, teams and the organization.

Managers wear multiple hats, one of which is that of a mentor. By embracing this role, they contribute to the holistic development of their team members.

Take the example of Denzel, a manager in a tech company. Instead of solely delegating tasks, he allocates time to mentor his team members.

He offers guidance on technical challenges, shares insights gained from his own experiences, and encourages his team to explore new avenues. Through this mentorship-driven approach, Denzel's team members feel valued and empowered, leading to heightened morale and improved performance.

Effective mentorship within a managerial capacity not only improves individual team members but also contributes to the team's overall performance.

For instance, consider a scenario where a manager, Michael, identifies that his team is struggling with collaboration and effective communication.

Rather than enforcing solutions, Michael steps into his mentorship role. He organizes team-building workshops, facilitates open discussions, and mentors team members individually to enhance their interpersonal skills. This targeted mentorship transforms the team's dynamics, fostering a collaborative and cohesive work environment.

Furthermore, when managers embrace mentorship, they create a culture of continuous learning and growth within the organization. The mentorship-driven approach ripples through the team, encouraging the sharing of knowledge, experiences, and skills. Team members not only learn from their manager but also from each other, resulting in a diverse pool of insights that enrich the team's problem-solving abilities.

Incorporating mentorship into the managerial role requires a shift in perspective. Managers become enablers of growth, actively investing in their team members' professional journey.

By offering guidance, facilitating skill development, and creating an environment of mutual respect, managers nurture a workforce that is not only competent but also motivated and engaged. As a result, the organization benefits from higher employee satisfaction, increased productivity, and a culture that thrives on the principles of mentorship.

When we invest in mentorship development for managers they are on track to develop better communication, coaching, and problem-solving abilities. This not only strengthens their team leadership but also refines their overall management approach. Moreover, engaging in mentoring builds rapport with team members, boosting trust and collaboration.

As managers guide their team members' growth, they become more attuned to individual strengths and development needs. This targeted approach results in higher team morale, increased productivity, and a positive work environment. Ultimately, mentoring enriches managers' leadership prowess and contributes to organizational success.

DOWNLOAD OUR WHITEPAPER: “Developing Mentors: the key to creating more agile and responsive organizations.” https://bit.ly/3PsgRvQ

Being able to offer and receive feedback is a foundational communication skill in our personal and professional lives.
And receiving feedback is essential for our growth, because it’s one of the few ways we can get a view on ourselves that we would otherwise not have access to. Studies have shown that we are generally good at reading others, but terrible at seeing ourselves clearly.

So, what happens when feedback comes our way? And how do we deliver it to others in a way that maintains trust and connection? Here are some of our tips on doing both of these well:

Receiving Feedback
Notice the tendency to ‘brace’ yourself and move into an inner defensive posture. Remind yourself that this is a normal physiological response. Take a couple of slow breaths and notice any bodily resistance to the feedback. Let the resistance simply be there.
Relax and receive what the speaker is offering. Remind yourself that listening is not the same as agreement!
Simply listen and reflect what you have heard. Refrain from explaining or commenting in any other way on the feedback. Just feel what it is like to take it in, and give yourself space to decide how you will receive or act on the feedback, if at all.
Thank the giver for their willingness to be open and real with you.

Giving Feedback
Wait for a situation to come up in which you would like to offer constructive feedback to a friend or colleague.
First, ask for their permission, with the awareness that they may not give it (as is their right).
Begin with a sentence or two of appreciation.
Offer a simple observation that might serve them if they’re receptive. An example might be, “I notice that when attention comes your way, you tend to move away from it.” Or, “I would like it if you put your cell phone away when we are eating.”
Always follow the feedback with a question such as, “How do you feel about this?” or, “What is your experience of this?”
Thank the receiver for the opportunity to be open and real.

Effective and authentic communication is one of the core leadership capacities that we at Ten Directions support you to grow from the inside out so you can support thriving team collaborations. We’re committed to human development that supports flourishing, wellbeing and healing for these times. To learn more about our programs and offerings, sign up to receive our newsletter at https://bit.ly/3QapOr8.

In the realm of meetings and discussions, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of facts, figures, and agendas. But let's pause for a moment and acknowledge the elephant in the room: emotions.

Emotions play a crucial role in our interactions, and ignoring them can have dire consequences.

As a facilitative leader, it's your responsibility to create an environment where emotions are not only welcomed but also acknowledged and embraced. Why? Because when emotions are left unaddressed, engagement plummets, and valuable insights and information may be lost.

Think about it: Have you ever been in a meeting where tensions were running high, but everyone pretended everything was fine? Or perhaps you've experienced a discussion where someone's enthusiasm was contagious, propelling the conversation forward? Emotions are the silent orchestrators of our interactions, shaping the tone and direction of our discussions.

So, how can facilitative leaders include and acknowledge the emotions of meeting participants? It starts with active listening and empathy.

Of course, this is easier said than done. To the degree that you are uncomfortable with your own emotions, you will try to gloss over or sidestep others' frustration or excitement. When you are able instead able to be more present to your own feelings, the more you are able to validate those of others and create space for them to be heard.

When emotions are acknowledged and embraced, engagement goes up, and meaningful connections are forged.

Want to develop your inner and outer capacities to facilitate more authentic engagements in your team or organization? Join our community today at https://bit.ly/3I2BAkI

How do we redefine our relationships as the original parameters of those connections change?

Relationships: Finite or Infinite Games? Recently I had an experience that reinforced for me the importance of understanding the differences between finite and infinite games when we consider our roles in establishing and sharing relationship with others.

Each of us as individuals is complex in our desires, habits, aspirations, histories, and learning styles. Combine diverse individuals into one team or group collaborating on shared issues in fast-paced times, and you've got a whole lot more complexity!

As a facilitative leader, this job is not necessarily easy. And meeting you at your growing edge is where we thrive. Our Next Stage Facilitation provides the solid container, experienced guides, and the optimal doses of support and challenge to help you develop your facilitative mastery - which translates to fuller, more inclusive processes and outcomes.

Our next cohort meets April 16th. Space is limited. Join us!

https://bit.ly/47JoDa5

Developing your authenticity in leadership means revealing more of your interior. But in order to do that, you need to know you are thinking and feeling. Self-awareness is the foundation of authentic leadership, and we are on the journey of learning more about ourselves so that we can show up more fully and engage more of our intelligence, which will impact our work, relationships and communities.

https://bit.ly/3T9vANu

For more valuable content and tools you can begin using to uplevel your leadership today, join our community at https://bit.ly/3QapOr8

Authentic leadership requires developing self-awareness In this clip of a conversation between Rebecca Colwell and Dayna Milne, Rebecca describes how revealing your true self means your true self - this is the journey…

If you're ready to graduate from accumulating more 'tools and techniques' of facilitation, and developing a stance and orientation where you are able to respond to the unexpected and go 'off-script' - then consider joining an upcoming cohort of Next Stage Facilitation.

Next Stage Facilitation brings you onto a path of ongoing learning where you develop your self + skills to uncover and include more of the subtle or hidden dimensions of group process, including power dynamics, polarities, your own biases, working with complexity, and so much more.

Join our amazing international cohort of leaders and practitioners in this acclaimed leadership developmental program.

https://bit.ly/44THjCF

You've likely been told at some point to 'be yourself'. While this sounds simple, expressing your authentic truth can impact those around you.

While good leadership means expressing yourself with care and diplomacy, this can easily cross a line into people-pleasing or caretaking others. So part of authenticity in leadership means doing the inner work to tolerate the discomfort of expressing what's true for you, even when you know that it might offend or upset others.

During meetings and discussions, staying on track is like navigating a winding road. When participants veer off into (seeming) tangents, it can create distractions that derail productivity and hinder progress.

As a faciltiative leader, to the degree that you can help individual participants clarify and connect their contributions to the subject of discussion, you will support more coherence and alignment in your teams and groups.

In doing so, you are building a type of 'scaffolding' for participants to clarify and connect their ideas.

To learn more about developing your facilitative skills to elevate the quality of engagement and drive meaningful progress in the teams, projects and organizations that you care about, join our community at https://bit.ly/3QapOr8.

If you're ready to graduate from accumulating more 'tools and techniques' of facilitation, and developing a stance and orientation where you are able to respond to the unexpected and go 'off-script' - then consider joining an upcoming cohort of Next Stage Facilitation.

Next Stage Facilitation brings you onto a path of ongoing learning where you develop your self + skills to uncover and include more of the subtle or hidden dimensions of group process, including power dynamics, polarities, your own biases, working with complexity, and so much more.

Join our amazing international cohort of leaders and practitioners in this acclaimed leadership developmental program.

https://bit.ly/47JoDa5

"Karma reveals how our consciousness continues to turn—creating, propagating, cultivating, and systemizing racism worldwide. But every wheel has an axis that sustains its momentum, its movement forward, and its accumulated power. Like the characters in The Wizard of Oz, we are journeying with courage, clarity, and heart into the center of the axis, the secret space from which we can heal and transform the suffering of racialized consciousness."

Healing America’s Racial Karma | Lion’s Roar It started before I was born. It began before you were born, too, this turning wheel of racialized consciousness. Its tracks are evident across the face

Heard of 'emotional bookending'? Neither had we! But here's a useful practice in using our emotions in decision-making rather than, as we so often think we 'should' do, keeping them out of the process! https://bit.ly/3CvPJVX
While this article focuses mainly on individual decision-making, it's wisdom can also be extended to group decision making. For more great content on facilitating group decisions, and working with the normal emotions and complexity that go alongside the process, check out our '21 Days to Meeting Mastery' self-paced program here: https://bit.ly/42uhgRP

Emotions Aren’t the Enemy of Good Decision-Making Too often, when we need to make a difficult decision, we rush through it to avoid sitting with uncomfortable emotions. But channelling those emotions — a process the author calls “emotional bookending” — can help us ensure that we’ve correctly identified the decision we have to make and se...

Do you remember that electrifying moment when you realized you could make a real difference? That heart-pounding feeling of realizing you held the potential to spark positive change in areas that mattered deeply to you?

First off, kudos to you for harnessing such a noble aspiration.

But let’s face it: Bringing about change, be it in a team or a broader organization, is no walk in the park. Navigating the labyrinth of diverse personalities, beliefs, and worldviews can be daunting. Mix in the emotional dynamics, and it seems like a miracle we get anything done.

The truth is, we can’t be good facilitative leaders if we are overwhelmed by what’s arising. And when that happens, when we lose connection with ourselves, we ultimately lose touch with the group and the capacity to sense and skillfully support what’s emerging.

Imagine, however, if you had a way to juggle all these complexities without losing your cool. How empowering would it be to stand grounded and centered, regardless of the whirlwind around you, so you could support the collective intelligence of the group to flourish?

In our Next Stage Facilitation Intensive, we’ve synthesized decades of experience, insights and expertise into a transformative 6-week program that will help you navigate groups and projects through complexity, and bring out the best in everyone you work with - every time you meet.

What you'll learn in Next Stage is not just an approach to facilitation. It's a new way of showing up in the world, resulting in deeper and richer connections, greater clarity and purpose, and more meaningful and satisfying collaborations.

Spots are limited. If you're ready to redefine your leadership journey, we'd love to have you on board.

https://bit.ly/44BVoF2

What kinds of shifts are possible for you as a facilitative leader when you venture into unknown territory? Especially when you do so with trustable, experienced guides, alongside a cohort of talented facilitators, consultants, coaches, and changemakers who deeply 'get' that skill development and self development are inextricably linked?

Join our Next Stage Facilitation cohort starting April 16th and find out. We can't wait to find out with you. :-) Space is limited. Reach out if you have questions. https://bit.ly/47JoDa5

Unlock the untapped potential within your organization by developing mentors who go beyond average! 🚀

There is ample evidence that great mentors play a vital role in shaping the growth and development of individuals - and also few organizations that have placed their attention here. We believe that these current business conditions and transformative times are a perfect time to take great mentoring to the next level.

By providing targeted mentor development, your organization ensures mentors who are -centered and focused on development - and you'll witness remarkable transformations within your teams. 🌱

Exceptional mentors:
* Actively listen, challenge assumptions, and provide valuable feedback, creating an environment of growth.
* They prioritize their mentees' success, offering emotional support and identifying opportunities for advancement.
* They catalyze more innovation and discovery of new possibilities that creates lasting impact for your mentees.
* Great mentoring is both a mindset and a set of competencies, and it pays off in generative results—enhanced engagement, enriched skill sets, and mature, empowered individuals ready to make a difference. Great mentors leverage the innate talents of your mentees, which leads to the long-term growth and success of your initiative, system or collective vision.

Reach out to discuss how to effectively leverage mentor development in your mentoring or management system or organization.

https://bit.ly/44l1idY

In this blog post, Maria Bailey uncovers the hidden barriers to true authentic collaborating, leading and relating among women.

The Truth About Women and Power One morning in 9th grade I showed up to school and none of my five closest girlfriends would speak to me — they wouldn’t for the rest of…

In our collaborative endeavors, reaching decisions can often feel like navigating a maze without a map. Participants may find themselves at odds, unable to see the forest for the trees, and consensus can seem like an elusive dream.

This is where skilled facilitative leaders can point to the alignment and convergence of ideas, empowering groups to recognize the common ground and move forward with confidence. By highlighting these points of convergence, the group is better able to see the bigger picture and move beyond differences toward a common goal.

We'd love to work with you on upleveling your facilitative leadership mastery - join our community today at https://bit.ly/3OFlktT

"The future will be sculpted, that is, by the elemental friendships and alliances that we choose to sustain us, by our full-bodied capacity for earthly compassion and dark wonder, by our ability to listen, attentive and at ease, within the forest of our unknowing."

Home Emergence Magazine is an online publication with an annual print edition connecting the threads between ecology, culture, and spirituality.

Dont let another day go by where mediocre meetings are the norm .

21 Days to Meeting Mastery: Become a human-centric leader - Ten Directions Move beyond mere agenda-keeping and create an environment that leaves your team feeling confident, competent, and connected every time you meet.

At its heart, the practice of listening is simple. And yet for most of us, it’s far from easy.

Through practice, we learn to relax our egos and self-orientations, creating space for everyone to better appreciate the situation and each other, deepening our ability to focus on our shared mission. This FREE downloadable guide will support you to boost your listening (and overall communication) skills.

The Underappreciated Art of Listening Well - An essential practice Listening is an essential communication skill for the world of work. This free downloadable resource will allow you to relate to others with clarity and presence and increase trust and understanding for more effective collaboration.

If you're sensing that the engagements you're facilitating could be more authentic, productive, and ultimately more pleasurable, consider joining us for an upcoming Next Stage Facilitation program.

In this transformative 6-week program, you’ll receive the benefit of our decades of combined experience, insights, and expertise that will help you master the art of facilitation so you can bring out the best in everyone you work with, every time you meet.

Spaces are limited. Join us and meet yourself at your evolving edge!

https://bit.ly/3Do7BBO

Let's take a minute to celebrate Cléo Burke, an integral part of our faculty and coaching team. If you've ever met or worked with Cléo, you'll have experienced her spacious, warmth, deep curiosity and unshakeable equanimity. And if you haven't met her yet, we hope you get to meet her soon. (Our upcoming Next Stage Facilitation training is a perfect opportunity). :-)

https://bit.ly/40D19Bq

As a seasoned leader, you've undoubtedly discovered that personal growth goes beyond simply acquiring expertise. It's a journey of introspection and self-awareness, where you gain insight into how your thoughts and emotions influence your interactions and responses. This realization unveils a crucial truth: the challenges we face as leaders are not solely about our skills, but also about how we approach ourselves and others.

By honing our self-awareness, we develop a deeper understanding of our inner landscape. We become attuned to the subtle nuances of our thoughts, emotions, and motivations. This heightened awareness empowers us to navigate complex situations with greater ease and make more thoughtful decisions.

Leadership is not just about technical prowess; it requires the ability to foster meaningful connections and navigate human dynamics. Through self-awareness, we uncover our own triggers, biases, and limitations. Armed with this knowledge, we approach challenges with empathy and openness, seeking to bridge gaps and find common ground.

Moreover, self-awareness strengthens our emotional intelligence. We learn to manage our own emotions effectively, preventing them from clouding our judgment or impeding collaboration. By understanding our own emotional responses, we can create an environment of trust and psychological safety for our team members, encouraging open dialogue and innovation.

As we embark on our own journey of self-awareness, we become catalysts for growth within our organizations. By openly embracing our own vulnerabilities and growth areas, we inspire others to do the same. We foster a culture of self-reflection and continuous improvement, where everyone is committed to personal growth and contributing to collective success.

This commitment to self-awareness transforms our leadership style. We lead with authenticity, empathy, and a deep understanding of human nature. Our interactions become more meaningful, our decisions more thoughtful, and our impact more profound. We create an environment that nurtures individual growth and collaboration, propelling our organization toward greater success.

Embracing self-awareness is not just a choice; it's a game-changer. It unlocks our true potential as leaders and paves the way for personal and organizational excellence. So, take a moment to reflect, delve into the depths of your own self-awareness, and witness the incredible transformation it brings to your leadership journey.

Get in touch with us at [email protected] about investing in your team’s own powerful leadership journey, and learn more about Ten D’s award-winning developmental learning, and the Agility in Leadership program.

In this blog post, author Sarah Marshank explores how creating environments for our own and others' evolution will ultimately serve the whole in ways we can't imagine.

Whole-Self Development: Rethinking Corporate Culture I was in my mid-twenties when I made the conscious choice to find the answers to some very important questions. An unexpected pregnancy had…

Happening this Thursday! Come and get your questions answered about our upcoming Next Stage Facilitation Intensive. Register for the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/48U593L