Transformational Learning Australia - Professional Development

Research by the Centre for Creative Leadership has found that the primary causes of derailment in executives involve deficits in emotional competence. The three primary ones were difficulty in handling change, not being able to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

We have been developing emotional intelligence in individuals for more than 20 years, and it is only logical that we are now in quite significant demand to replicate that work in organisations. We have a wide range of programs, modules and tools that are of interest and benefit to organisations in the same way that they are to the individuals who come and do The Turning Point or Personal Mastery.

And, in order for us to create transformational cultures and learning in your company, we recommend that you first consider the major tenets upon which our programs are built:

1.	Organisations are, of course, composites of any number of individuals. Individuals are composites of all of their experiences, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions generated throughout their entire lives. When an individual goes to work, the way that they respond in the environment is dependent upon the experiences that they have had throughout their lives.


2.	We organise ourselves around the experiences that we have had so that we can maintain a sense of equilibrium. We consistently seek experiences that will maintain that organisation, not challenge it (subject to coming to the realisation that this is in fact the case and then choosing of our own volition to pursue alternative experiences).


3.	Our capacity for emotional intelligence is dependent upon the way that we have organised ourselves. Our experience of our feelings and emotions, how they have been attuned to or validated, the decisions we have made about our emotional selves, and by extension, what we have learnt about attuning to and validating the feelings of others around us all combine to determine the extent and availability of our emotional intelligence.


4.	From a neurological perspective, this capacity to organise ourselves around our experiences means that our brains are ‘hardwired’ to continuously repeat particular responses to our environment in order to maintain homeostasis.


5.	The fight/flight/freeze response to any perceived threat occurs so quickly, that in many cases it is pre-reflective. It is worthwhile to note therefore that for many people, telling them that they ‘must change’, implicitly or explicitly is likely to be perceived as a threat.


6.	The way that we organise ourselves, and our corresponding brain development, predominantly occurs until we are around 20 years of age. (Significantly before most of us are even fully immersed in the workforce.)


7.	The way that we respond in the organisational setting has stark similarities to the way that we respond in our families. Just as in our families we took on roles (the peacemaker, parent the parents, rebel, black sheep etc) in order to make us feel ‘OK’ – so to we take on roles in the organisation. (And of course, the roles that we take on are designed to maintain our organisation of ourselves).


8.	In order to re-organise our experience of ourselves, and therefore to develop our emotional intelligence, we require opportunities to (a) understand (conceptually and emotionally) how we came to organise ourselves in the way that we have and (b) have new experiences that allow the development of new neural connections and opportunity to reflect on our seemingly innate responses. The success of any transformational learning program is dependent upon these factors being in existence.


9.	For any individual to develop the necessary awareness and integrate the requisite new experiences, they must be in an environment experienced as safe, non-threatening, and supportive and the individuals involved need to feel listened to, attuned to, and have experiences of being unconditionally positively regarded.


10.	The environment need also respect what it is that is being asked of the individual. You are asking people to consider changing patterns of behaviour that have been operating for a significant period of time, with those patterns having been adopted in the first place because that was the very best way the individual could find to keep themselves safe. Any lack of organisational integrity in this process, and particularly any perceived incongruity between what is said and what is done from a management perspective, is likely to undermine the success of any transformational learning program.

So, is it possible to create transformational learning experiences within organisations?

Yes. If the organisation, and by that we specifically mean the leaders or major stakeholders in the transformational learning process, are prepared to commit the time, energy and best resources available to the task at hand. The benefits to the organisation of being willing to so commit will be reflected in, amongst many other results, the financial bottom line (the success), the increased productivity, the improved retention rates, the increased job satisfaction, and the search for meaning being realised.

Please take the time to consider the different programs and ways of working that we have an offer. We can bring our trainers and consultants in, we can train your people to deliver our programs, and we can provide coaches and counsellors. Exactly how to work with your organisation is something that we would like to talk with you about. We like to start working in the way that we mean to continue - by building relationships with key stakeholders and decision makers and ensuring that all communication is clear and outcomes identified.

Our commitment is to ensuring that each organisation with whom we work does not become dependent upon us for the ongoing development of it’s staff. Wherever possible, we aim to provide you with all of the information, skills and understanding necessary to be able to continue to deliver the outcomes intended. In this respect, we are also more than happy to provide you with training and ongoing supervision for individual staff members in facilitating transformational experiences, coaching and mentoring.

For further information in relation to any of our professional development programs please contact Lyndall Robilliard on 0404 844 848 or by email at lyndall@transformationallearning.com.au