Whether you are facilitating a small group discussion or a large group meeting, there are always power dynamics. Some of them are more obvious and come through titles or degrees while others are less obvious and come from personalities and past experiences. As a facilitator, our job is to figure out a way to bring […]
Facilitator: Navigating power dynamics Read More »
As a facilitator, you never know what may be happening in the lives of the people who are participating in your team or coalition meeting. They may be feeling completely overwhelmed, may have just found out about a promotion or they may have just been told their budget was cut again. One of the important
Facilitator: How do you bring out the best in others? Read More »
When leading teams and partnerships, we are often called upon to facilitate conversations, meetings and plans. Traditionally, facilitators are seen as “neutral” to the group. When we are an external facilitator, it’s often easy to claim the “neutrality” role; however, what is our role when we are part of the staff or leadership and we
Facilitator: What is my role? Read More »
Interacting positively with others can be easier said than done. Over the past several weeks, we have been highlighting several “emotional intelligence” related concepts that get us ready to interact positively with others. When you know yourself and you are able to recognize others, you are in a great place to interact positively with others.
How do you lead a partnership well? Interact positively with others Read More »
How much time do you spend reflecting on yourself vs. others? Do you pay attention to the non-verbal communication happening during your meetings? Do you try to really understand what is going on with your teams or partnerships? Once you “know yourself” the next important step is to recognize others. Pay attention to what they
How do you lead a partnership well? Recognize others Read More »
If you are leading a partnership or coalition, you may be thinking that you need to focus all of your attention on those you are leading. While you do need to pay attention to others, that is not the first step. If you are going to be successful in leading a partnership or coalition, you
How do you lead partnerships well? Know yourself! Read More »
We highlighted listening last July with our guest blogger, Dr. Larry Prybil (See Part 1 and Part 2) and although I had not planned on writing another post on listening so soon, last week reminded me that it is critically important that we listen to all members of our team in order to come up
Listen, Really Listen Read More »
Some of you may be thinking, how does last week’s post on “Be Flexible” relate to the idea of “Be Accountable”? Aren’t they totally different things and potentially incompatible? Actually, no! As leaders of teams, coalitions and non-profits, it’s vitally important that we show flexibility AND accountability. If we lose sight of our goals and
This is SO much easier said than done. It’s also easy to say when things are going your way; however, when things don’t go your way, it’s easy to get stressed and overwhelmed. However, in order to maintain your sanity and positive working relationships with others, it is best to be flexible. Join me this
Stephen Covey highlighted the importance of “thinking win-win” as his 4th Habit of Highly Effective People. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, he sets an example for us in what it looks like to seek win-win opportunities. He recognized situations that were definitely win-lose or lose-win and worked diligently to find new
Seek “win-win” opportunities Read More »