
What is it?
A workshop inspired by the book "Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee.
Why is it useful?
This simple three-step workshop provides a practical and interactive way for participants to develop and apply emotional intelligence in their leadership roles.
Objectives
- To gain a deeper understanding of our own emotional intelligence strengths and areas for improvement.
- To learn techniques to manage our emotions and develop empathy towards others.
- To learn about different leadership styles and how to apply them effectively in various situations.
Resources Required
- Time: 5.5 hours.
- Number of People: About 4-20.
- PowerPoint slides or a whiteboard for the presentation.
- Supporting slides.
- Emotional Intelligence Self-Reflection Worksheet.
- Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment.
- Leadership Style Questionnaire.
- Personal Development Plan.
- Flip charts for recording discussions.
- Marker pens.
Process
Step 1: Self-Awareness and Self-Assessment (1.5 hours)
Objective: To gain a deeper understanding of our own emotional intelligence strengths and areas for improvement.
- Introduction and Overview (10 minutes):
- Briefly introduce the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) and its importance in leadership.
- Explain the four domains of EI: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
- Self-Reflection Exercise (30 minutes):
- Provide participants with a guided self-reflection worksheet that includes questions about their emotional responses, strengths, and challenges in leadership situations.
- Questions could include: "Describe a recent situation where you felt a strong emotion at work. How did you handle it?" and "What are your greatest strengths as a leader?"
- Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment (30 minutes):
- Administer a brief EI self-assessment (can be a simplified version or a summary of a more comprehensive tool).
- Allow participants to score their assessments and reflect on the results.
- Group Discussion (10 minutes):
- Facilitate a group discussion where participants can share insights from their self-reflection and assessment.
- Encourage participants to identify one key area they would like to develop further.
Step 2: Developing Self-Regulation & Empathy (2 hours)
Objective: Apply the concepts of autonomy, mastery, and purpose to real-life scenarios.
- Introduction to Self-Regulation (10 minutes):
- Explain the concept of self-regulation and its significance in leadership.
- Introduce techniques such as pausing before reacting, reframing thoughts, and stress management.
- Self-Regulation Practice (30 minutes):
- Conduct a mindfulness exercise, such as a guided meditation or focused breathing session.
- Provide scenarios for participants to practice pausing and reframing their thoughts (e.g., handling criticism, managing conflict).
- Introduction to Empathy (10 minutes):
- Create a definition for empathy together as a group & its role in leadership.
- Discuss the importance of active listening and perspective-taking.
- Empathy Building Exercise (30 minutes):
- Pair participants and have them engage in an active listening exercise where one person shares a recent challenge and the other practices listening without interrupting or offering solutions.
- Switch roles and repeat.
- Role-Playing Scenarios (20 minutes):
- In small groups, have participants role-play different workplace scenarios that require empathy (e.g., giving feedback, resolving a team conflict).
- Encourage participants to practice empathic responses and discuss their experiences afterward.
Step 3: Understanding & Applying Leadership Styles (2 hours)
Objective: Participants will learn about different leadership styles and how to apply them effectively in various situations.
- Introduction to Leadership Styles (15 minutes):
- Provide an overview of the six leadership styles identified in the book.
- Discuss the strengths & weaknesses of each style.
- Self-Assessment of Leadership Style (20 minutes):
- Distribute & complete the leadership style questionnaire in this download that helps participants identify their predominant leadership style.
- Group Discussion on Leadership Styles (15 minutes):
- Facilitate a discussion where participants share their results.
- Discuss the importance of flexibility & adapting leadership styles to situations.
- Role-Playing Scenarios (20 minutes):
- Assign different leadership scenarios to small groups, with each group tasked to role-play the scenario using a specific leadership style.
- After each role-play, discuss as a group the effectiveness of the style used.
- Personal Development Plan (20 minutes):
- Guide participants in creating a personal development plan.
- The plan should include goals and a timeline for reassessment.
- Group Sharing and Commitment (10 minutes):
- Allow participants to share 1 goal from their development plan with the group.
- Encourage participants to commit to regular self-reflection and practice.
