OUR SERVICES FOR NON-PROFITS

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Team Building Workshop | Lead with Heart Workshop

Those looking from the outside imagine that working for a non-profit must be close to heaven on earth. What a delight, to strive together with like-minded people, for the greater good of the cause!

Those of us who have seen this from the inside are probably familiar with a different picture.

We work with flawed and quirky human beings, and worse, we are one too! Though we are engaged in wonderful, meaningful work, interpersonal conflicts and misunderstandings can get in the way, hindering our effectiveness and robbing us of the energy and joy that we could direct elsewhere.

One of the key issues is a lack of understanding about how other people are wired. We may think that Doris is picky, pedantic and asks too many questions, but she is wired to care about details, and actually, that’s a good thing.

We may be annoyed that Kevin can’t focus, or turn up to a meeting on time, but he has a great grasp of the bigger picture, and besides, the donors and clients absolutely love him.

One of the great challenges of any non-profit is to recognize the unique wiring each of us has, and to learn to appreciate that in ourselves and others, without driving each other crazy.

Believe it or not, there are ways to work together harmoniously, despite our differences.

Best Self Consulting offers two solutions to this issue, depending on the time you have available, the Team Building Workshop and the Lead With Heart Workshop

Clarity and Strategy

Any organization over time experiences “mission drift” – a slow and sometimes imperceptible move away from the original purpose. Particularly in a non-profit, a fund-raising approach or event that was once relevant and appropriate may have outlived its usefulness, or perhaps the original drivers have moved on, and there is no longer the enthusiasm there once was. Some processes need to be allowed to die, some need to revamped, and perhaps some new approaches need to be sought.

Each non-profit needs to recover a sense of what its unique mission is, what values are important, and what strategy will work best to accomplish that mission. The Clarity and Strategy workshop helps clear away the fog and recapture a strong and invigorating sense of purpose, that will excite both staff and donors.

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Package 1: Team Building Workshop

Based on insights from the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory, this workshop helps each participant identify their type, or blend of types. Once this is done, each person will have the opportunity to express which elements of the type truly describe them, how they are wired and how they prefer to work. This usually leads to “A-ha” moments and smiles from everyone else in the room, as they finally understand why John is the way John is.

From this point, it is much easier to chart a way forwards and understand each person’s strengths and potential liabilities, create a common vocabulary for discussion, and work out more effective ways of working together, especially when conflict arises.

This workshop can be done on-site or off-site, and usually takes 2-3 hours (plus 30 minutes preparation time prior to the workshop). It is ideal as the first element of a staff retreat, or a longer term planning session, as it creates a relaxed mood, and an atmosphere of mutual appreciation and understanding.

Package 2: Leading with Heart Workshop (2 days)

The Leading with Heart workshop has an emphasis on Transforming Behavior, Enriching Culture and Driving Performance. For organizations struggling with Unity, Alignment and Strategy, this is an incredibly helpful tool to work through hidden agendas and other conflicts that might be hindering forward progress.

Using a Life Indicator (somewhat similar to Myers-Briggs) Heartstyles identifies 16 distinctive behaviors that enable to us to live and work effectively (above the line) or ineffectively (below the line). Through a 2 day “Lead with Heart” workshop you’ll learn to identify the behaviors stemming from Humility/Love/Pride/Fear and learn how to Transform Behavior, Enrich Culture and Drive Performance.  We’ll learn how certain situations trigger behaviors, and how to modify those behaviors to achieve greater effectiveness, both interpersonally and professionally. For more info, go here: http://www.heartstyles.com/

Package 3: Clarity and Strategy Workshop (3 days)

Using insights from Patrick Lencioni’s The Advantage, this workshop provides a framework for a guided journey of discovery, answering the 6 key questions that each organization must answer for clarity and strategy:

  1. Why do we exist? (What is our underlying purpose? This is the “Why?”)
  2. How do we behave? (What are the values that inform our behavior?)
  3. What do we do? (If question 1 answers the “Why”, then this answers the “What?”)
  4. How will we succeed? (What is the strategic plan? What are our “anchors”?)
  5. What is most important right now? (What will be the priority for the next 3-12 months?)
  6. Who must do what? (Who is responsible for execution of steps that result from Q’s 4&5)

The result is that an organization will know clearly what its aims are and what strategy it will employ to achieve them. The team will be rallied around a short term thematic goal, and everyone will know what their role is in achieving it – in short: clarity and strategy!