Heart-Centered Leadership, The Way Forward Together
What an incredible trip to the University of Michigan last week. I wanted to give a little update on the presentation and process of doing an in-person training/presentation vs online.
I have ALWAYS been a proponent of in-person events and the pandemic opened my eyes to how we can use technology to interact and connect over long (or in pandemic days short, distances). HOWEVER, now with my first fully in-person event since March 2020 behind me, I have some points of reflection and questions. But first, I would be remiss if I didn't share a little bit about the presentation.
Our topic was Heart-Centered Leadership, the Way Forward Together. As I was preparing for the talk I felt drawn to actually take things a step back to how we find our passion and purpose, what I have come to call my North Star. This concept was introduced to me in my early thirties, by Anne Perry. It’s quite a simple concept, which is what makes it so easy to use - once you find your passion/purpose use that to filter your decisions. For example, I know my Northstar is to create more peace in balance in the world. So when opportunities arise and I find it difficult to make a decision I can use my Northstar to help me make a judgment. Does this opportunity help me reach my goal? Yes, then it's an opportunity I can take. No, then it's an opportunity I shouldn't consider. This simple processing tool changed my life!
I was plagued with decision paralysis. So much so it was difficult to even choose what I wanted to eat! As I learned to flex my decision-making muscles the process became easier and easier. Today I still use this filleting device but it doesn’t come into play as often. I feel more grounded and able to make most decisions on the fly. When bigger or difficult decisions come up I don’t feel panicked or overwhelmed, because I know I have all the tools I need to make the best decision for me and those around me.
As I shared what my North Star was and how to use it with the students and staff at the University of Michigan I saw this really resonated and was what needed to be spoken about. We touched a little bit on heart-centered leadership but it is my belief that in order to be a heart-centered leader we must lead out of our passion and purpose. So, the very first step to becoming a heart-centered leader is to understand our passion and purpose in this world and how we use that to make progress on our personal and professional goals.
The session was a hit and we are in discussions about bringing me back for a follow-up or maybe even creating a series there. Very exciting to see how my story can help others. It took me well into my thirties to even think about my North Star never mind being comfortable using it. I hope by sharing my process, downfalls, and success I can save someone time and from making the same mistakes! Stay on the lookout for announcements about more events at UM BLI.
Now, my thoughts on in-person vs online/hybrid. Well, you may find this shocking…they are…DIFFERENT! I had forgotten just how different it is to do training in person. There is SO much time spent on interpersonal interaction. For online training, I have multiple activities for an hour and a half, 5 to 6 different activities. In-person we only got to 3 activities total and one of them was just the opener! It was wonderful to interact and have small talk - something that is hugely missing online. Remembering the differences between what you can do online versus what you can do in person has me leaning towards a hybrid model even more. With online instruction, you can get through a lot of material relatively quickly. Whereas, in-person events can more heavily focus on interpersonal skills and team building. With one of my projects, Girl Driven Solutions, we are exploring the idea of creating pods. Having an online conference where people are meeting in person in their communities and that group is signing in to interact with other, in-person pods, around the world.
As we explore these ideas more and hold more events I'll keep you updated on how they are received and the feedback we get.