Pictured from left to right, Terri Jacke, MS, Deb Franckowiak, PhD, Mandy Nycz, MA |
Welcome to our Inspired Training Institute newsletter. We provide coaching that is inspired to executives, emerging leaders and business professionals, nurturing the seeds of character, competence, and confidence within each of our clients. If you are receiving this newsletter, we have crossed paths with you over the years, and we thank you for contributing to our story.
This newsletter is one way that we endeavor to serve our clients and members of the professional community beyond our consultation services. We will regularly offer tips, insights, and ideas for your own professional development and to help you coach others effectively.
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This month, our theme is Storytelling. Coaching often involves sharing, dissecting, and reliving workplace stories. Stories are magnificent learning tools, helping us to better understand ourselves.
They are relatable and memorable, offering lessons in a way that inspires thoughtful reflection.
My first book, Is This a Lousy Job or Is It Me?: A Real-Life Guide for Achieving Success at Work, chronicles the development of my character over the course of my career. As you read my book, you will journey with me through the seven stages of character development that we all go through at work. My story helps you to recognize the reasons for each of the stages, the growth opportunities available to you, and insights for intentionally moving toward greater fulfillment from your work. I hope you enjoy my story.
I would love to hear your feedback about my book, as well as your wisdom from your journey through the stages of character development. To share your story with me and to join the conversation about my book, please connect with me on:
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Inspire More
In this time of continued remote working and zoom meetings, it is so important to keep cultivating our work relationships. Gone is the ease of popping by our colleagues' desks to chat or catching up about weekend plans over coffee in the breakroom. Through those informal conversations we were building relationships without really trying. Now we need to be more intentional about relationship building and one way to do that is via storytelling.
An easy storytelling activity you could incorporate into your next team meeting (whether in person or virtual) is the Hero Hardship Highlight Activity. In order for people to feel psychological safety and truly be vulnerable, ask team members to agree that what is said stays within the group. Then ask each person to share one hero, one highlight and one hardship from their lives.
My experience in facilitating this activity is that team members always learn something they didn’t know about a teammate. I’ve also seen teammates that thought they had nothing in common bond over a shared experience. Without this intentional act of telling part of their story, they may never have learned about those shared experiences. This activity is a great way to build trust, deepen relationships, and connect as humans by simply giving people a safe place to share their stories.
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Professional Highlights & Dilemmas
Storytelling has been an integral part of the human experience from the earliest of times. Our ancestors seemed to recognize that understanding could be built by sharing diverse experiences and knowledge through storytelling. Despite this deep understanding, storytelling in organizational life – particularly as a leadership tool – is not widely used.
Since stories are such a rich medium, an adept storyteller can capture both the hearts and minds of the listener. I would submit that a renewed emphasis on “storytelling” as a leadership competency would serve leaders well in this fast-changing world.
Are you a leader who shares stories about your highlights and dilemmas as teaching tools? Imagine using stories to convey powerful lessons or to inspire employees to share their own development stories.
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Save the Date
Presented by The Connective
October 20th @ Noon
This month The Connective brings a twist to Stories from Experience by having a conversation with a recently published author, Terri Jacke. Terri will discuss her career journey as well as her journey writing Is This a Lousy Job or Is It Me? Join us for this insightful virtual conversation!
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Featured Podcast
Highway to Well, Episode 24: “Walk On,” with Mandy Nycz
In this episode of “Highway to Well,” executive and career coach, Mandy Nycz, and Derek Bell drive along the pathways to improving our lives and careers. They talk about the need to increase our understanding and attention paid to our values, how to build resiliency, and help us all answer our most important question, “what do I want to be when I grow up?"
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info@inspiredtraining.net
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