HOW RESPONSIVE CAN YOU BE TO THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM ?

A few years back, I was taken on tour in NZ by a company through 5 locations. I was the closing keynote meant to be lighting the folk up to go home. The 5th location in Dunedin however ...something went awry!

When I arrived the organisers pulled me aside and told me of a member who had hung himself the night before. They were very distressed and told me how the day had been.....presenters coming and going and lunch and morning tea...the day silent except for the clink of cutlery. Delegates silent. As this is being told I am thinking....right....I am on next and meant to be funny!

So I asked...."how would you like to handle this?"

They said ..."We were hoping you would have an idea!"

To which I replied..." I do actually. ( Who knew I was going to need to access this kind of thinking? ) When we go in I would like to tell me again all the detail of what you have just shared with me now. That gives me permission to speak into it.

After they had told me the story again, in front of the 100 in the room, I firstly acknowledged how each and every one of them might be feeling. Then I said "With your permission I would like to offer a prayer" They agreed and I gave an offering of prayer, improvised on the spot. At the close I invited a minutes silence for their colleagues passing.

When I invited them to be present again, I said what I was initially contracted to do here today - that was to be a humourous closing keynote, scattered with inspiration so they might leave in high spirits. I acknowledged that we were not going to have the same experience as the other 4 centres, but again, with their permission, I would like to deliver it anyway. I said I would like to do that as I believe it brought value still, even though we would not be laughing our heads off!

Their permission was granted and I began the presentation, adjusted in the moment to speak with empathy and compassion for what was in the room. About 10 minutes in a member put his hand up and bid me to stop. He pulled out his business card and said "Pat I have just had an epiphany! There are 100 of us here today and on our cards we call ourselves PROPERTY VALUERS. I am wondering if we called ourselves something else we might have noticed how our colleague really was. We have a focus on valuing property ...I think from today on we will value more the human exchange! "

Pregnant pause there to allow each person to take that on.

I completed the presentation and there was some gentle laughter generated . Ninety nine men and one woman were the delegates.

I have a poem I share about the mask we wear and this time I have made a cast my own face and shown the mask I used to wear.

I used it as I read the poem and the recognition in the room was palpable. You could feel the discomfort but I held space to hold that safe place. And my opening at the outset had invited high trust. They knew I had their wellbeing in my hands.

Leaders now need to equip themselves with a different skill set. The future of work has been proposed and imagined by many. Creativity is now showing as number one, in a list of ten in the Forbes article above!

Creativity, Emotional Intelligence and Critical Thinking are the top three ! What a wonderful marriage of left and right brain, the heart and the GUT!

1/ Human beings have the capacity to be very CREATIVE but it has not been fostered. We have honoured sport and academia instead.

Once you have mastered creative access you experience FLOW.

2/ Emotional intelligence (EQ) has been here 25 years and increasingly finding its expression. Leaders with high emotional intelligence have empathy, integrity and work well with others. They will be in demand.

3/ Analytical (critical) thinking

The critical thinker marries well into this triage as they can bring together innovative solutions and ideas, solve complex problems using reasoning and logic and evaluate arguments. FLOW comes when we add CONVERSATIONAL INTELLIGENCE !

Pat delivers a range of programs under her Workplace Wellbeing programs -

She has a Mental health in the workplace program, and a Conscious Leadership program coming up, plus her new Creative Empowerment Mastercoaching program

Be in touch to secure a discovery call ! 

Pat Armitstead - Transforming Individual and Workplace Wellbeing

Multi-Award Winning Speaker, Author and Radio Host

Past President National Speakers Association NZ

New Zealand Speaker of the year 2002 – the most distinguished award bestowed on a speaker

0487105785

[email protected]

www.joyology.co.nz