"That's what I meant to say"
Organizational and professional development tools often consist of a list -- sometimes a fairly lengthy list -- of behaviors exhibited by effective leaders. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey is one of the first and most well known of such lists, and the field of professional development has never been the same since. Mavericks at Work, Results Rule, The Starfish and the Spider, and Success - Built to Last are more recent examples that build on the list concept. Another format taking hold is the mini-novel or parable. Fish!, Who Moved My Cheese? and Leadership and Self-Deception utilize this format.
Both of these approaches provide a number of perspectives and skills that effective leaders and organizations exhibit. The detail of each of these programs is very helpful for those who can digest it and implement the skills in their lives. Many lives and organizations have been significantly improved as a result.
Yet relatively few individuals take the initiative to buy a book and read it on their own. On the other hand, the complexity of many training programs can be overwhelming. WordSmooth offers a solution to those problems.
After extensive research, we have identified a single internal, interpersonal and organizational behavior that, when combined, create a pathway to a truly effective organization. Not surprisingly, these three core behaviors repeatedly show up in today’s best selling leadership literature and tools. And WordSmooth has found that each behavior serves as a springboard for the next, corresponding to the age-old context of mind, body and spirit.
“The Socha program has been a hit with our employees and parents. Presenter Jeanae Beal brings a wonderful balance of professional experience and a dynamic, engaging presentation style.”
-Margaret Miller
Director of Professional Learning , Birdville ISD
Overwhelmed? Trying to digest and keep current on professional, organizational and management development resources is difficult. But WordSmooth offers a path through the maze.
That’s why the Socha workshops from WordSmooth are infused with a deep commitment to valuing diversity, and each effectiveness skill is treated through that lens. WordSmooth knows that organizations need ways to do more with less, and the Socha training triad is a single training package that meets both effectiveness training and diversity training objectives. This synergistic combination of leadership and diversity elements provides a unique and proven pathway designed to "Socha" or "Sow, Cultivate, and Harvest" your organization's full potential. An added value is the ease
Three Fundamental Behaviors from the Top Management Literature
Diversity is Key
with which the rich diversity content is received by participants when delivered in the context of effectiveness training.
Are you ready to increase your organization's effectiveness?
In three half days, you can offer your workforce the distilled wisdom of decades of management and effectiveness research in a digestible and engaging format, and in return, reap a bountiful harvest of benefits for years to come.
Please contact us today for pricing and scheduling.
Designed to engage and inspire, Socha (Sok´-hä) workshops infuse effectiveness skills with a respect for diversity -- offering a unique and proven pathway designed to help you "Sow, Cultivate, and Harvest" your organization's full potential.
Our half-day experiential workshops, delivered by an experienced team of presenters, are designed to develop and magnify the three fundamental behaviors that almost every management tool identifies: internal flexibility, interpersonal connectability, and organizational stewardship.
Socha (Sōk´-hä)
S cha - Sow, Cultivate and Harvest your organization's full potential
Additional Diversity Workshops
Organizations wishing to go further with diversity training also have three additional workshop options: “Essential Diversity”, “Can We Talk Diversity?” and “Getting Creative with Culture.”
Having worked extensively with school districts, dedicated content for educators, including inclusive aspects of No Child Left Behind, is an optional component of all Socha workshops.
Train the Trainer and More
We also offer
- Advanced diversity workshops
- Diversity Train the Trainer programs
- Diversity council consultation
Interpersonal Connectability - Connections
Building on the foundation of internal flexibility, the “Connections” workshop promotes interpersonal connectibility through an inspiring Candid Camera video called the Green Kid, one on one interviews and a deeper understanding of the four basic human interaction styles. The ability to appreciate all styles provides a powerful tool for cultivating connections with co-workers, customers, family members, and friends.
Internal Flexibility - A Fresh Perspective
WordSmooth’s “A Fresh Perspective” workshop teaches mental flexibility through an engaging exercise that guides participants to set aside what they “know” in order to see what they might have missed. A flexible mind is fertile ground for thinking outside the box and the development of new solutions to old problems.
Organizational Stewardship - Harvesting Our Potential
When equipped with mental flexibility and interpersonal connectability, employees are positioned to participate in a rich harvest of organizational problem-solving. Utilizing proven conflict resolution skills, “Harvesting Our Potential” inspires a spirit of organizational stewardship that can transform a mediocre organization into a highly successful one.
Since organizations are made up of people, organizational behaviors are informed first by internal behaviors, and then by interpersonal behaviors. One of the most widely read management books focusing on internal behavior, Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese? outlines the rewards one reaps when willing to move in a new direction. William C. Taylor and Polly G. LaBarre’s Mavericks at Work finds that the best entre- finds
preneurs are mavericks who regularly question and challenge the established order and traditions.
Concentrating on the interpersonal, The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom highlights collaborative successes like Wikipedia and Napster, while the main lesson of parable books Fish! By Stephen C. Lundin et al, and Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbitrage Institute is to be present and fully regard people as people. Covey’s 7 Habits focuses largely on organizational behaviors of pro-active listening and problem-solving while Results Rule by Randy G. Pennington stresses accountability, stewardship and ownership.
Internal flexibility, interpersonal connectability and organization stewardship, then, are the three skills that make up the basic blueprint for an effective organization. Yet organizations that attempt to implement these effectiveness skills from a singular cultural perspective will recognize limited success. Today, there is no doubt that organizational effectiveness directly correlates to an organization’s commitment to, and skill level for, valuing diversity.
Contact:
214-367-7513
New! Our Culturally Compatible Education workshop series focuses on reducing the overrepresentation of African American students receiving special education services.
© 2012, WordSmooth. All rights reserved.
