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According to Daniel Goleman, self awareness is a key competency in emotional intelligence and as managers we need feedback from several sources. This was the starting point for training that Syd Strike designed for Thompsons Solicitors LLP, taking their team managers through a journey of self awareness and continuing the journey into skills development.

All of the managers completed a leadership awareness questionnaire prior to attending the course and from the moment they arrived for their first session found themselves operating ‘out of their comfort zone’ as they were immediately thrown into a leadership activity that engaged them in skills totally unrelated to the legal world, and where they were exposed to leading teams consisting of some people they knew but also people they had never met. With absolutely no support or comments from the trainers the managers had to solve problems, win a contract, deal with the unfamiliar, and with changes under pressure of time and lack of experience. During this process they were also dealing with their feelings and emotions.

The review session was not the average 15 to 30 minute session. In a lengthy process of group and plenary sessions the managers explored various aspects of leadership, their personal preferences and styles, the effect they had upon each other during the activity and the impact their leadership styles and behaviours had upon the teams back at work. Following the review managers also began to relate to the feedback they had received from the pre course self awareness questionnaire and learn even more about their management successes and problems as the discussions led to sharing about how they managed differing situations back at the branches. Satpal Kaur-Thompson, Learning & Development Manager for Thompsons said that “Through excellent facilitation Syd has taken the team managers through a unique journey of discovery where each individual was able to identify strengths, areas of needs and personal feelings and emotions, culminating in a plan for making constructive changes back at work.”

This initial experience was followed by more engaging training that involved learning about effective management, managing change, building a high performing team and emotional intelligence. The full programme included e learning, skills development in HR related topics and people skills development supported by role plays involving professional actors.

Satpal Kaur-Thompson says “ The programme is ongoing and I have managers keen to join the programme after hearing the enthusiastic encouragement from managers who have already experienced the training”.

Satpal Kaur-Thompson Learning & Development Manager	Syd Strike

Feedback we received from the Team Managers:

“Excellent course – took me out of my comfort zone but well worth it”
“A much more practical forum than other courses”
“The course coveredtopics as they arose and was comprehensive in nature. Practical elements enabled me to understand how a team functions and the issues that can affect that.”
“Through attending this course I have gained a better understanding of people management”
“The focus on empathy came across to me and to act immediately – don’t sit on a problem”.
“The trainer made the course enjoyable and interactive, not just a paper exercise”
“I am now more confident to act immediately on difficult issues and be aware of my responses”
“Back at work the course helped me deal empathetically but firmly with a long term absence”
“Thinking more about how I react to my team members has improved and my management skills have improved”
“Through participating in the course I gained many techniques in dealing with difficult situations as a manager and avoiding unnecessary conflict”
“I’ve definitely been giving more positive feedback which has already provided positive results and improved team morale”

We will be happy to design a similar programme to match the needs of your company – please get in touch.

Click here if you would like someone to contact you to discuss an ‘out of the comfort zone’ training programme for your company