Sample 4: Information Technology Services Leadership

Sr. Leadership team with goals to maximize, strengthen and sustain leadership team effectiveness and unification, and equip Vice Presidents to build managerial capacity and accountability within their functional teams.

Client’s Objectives:

• Improve Leadership Team effectiveness.
• Strengthen team cohesiveness and coherence.
• Improve internal communication up, down and across. Improve communication effectiveness with internal customers, within the Leadership Team, and within the Director Team. Improve consistency and clarity of communication with Managers.
• Improve cross-functional communication and collaboration.
• Improve unification and cohesiveness of the Leadership team with shared leadership responsibility as “One Team”.
• Improve Leadership Team decision-making processes for reduced time to market.
• Improve capacity to effectively influence stakeholders and business partners.
• Improve resilience in an environment of growth and change.
• Strengthen workplace climate and morale.
• Improve emotional self-awareness, self-regulation and empathy.
• Define and establish Sr. Leadership team norms.
• Improve clarity of expectations, goals, strategic objectives, priorities.
• Improve clarity of roles, responsibilities, accountabilities.
• Improve consistency of coaching and balanced feedback to improve empowerment and reduce over-management.

Level 4T – Leadership Effectiveness with Emotional Intelligence Competence
Sr. Vice President, Vice Presidents, Directors, Managers

There were 3 groups:
Sr. Leadership Team (n8)
Directors (n22)
Management team (n39)

Impact – Overall measurably positive results on multiple individual and team behavioral and performance measures.

Sponsoring CIO and Sr. Vice President described observable positive improvements in Leadership Team functioning and improved behavioral effectiveness of individual team members. Written and verbal reports from team members themselves indicate their individual improvements and state they have observed specific behavioral improvements in their direct leaders and team mates.

Post-program Surveys – Post-program surveys ask a series of questions to obtain qualitative and quantitative impact measurements. Extracts of selected post-program measurements are shown below. Data collected 30 – 45 days post program

Summarization of Impact across Sr. Leadership Team and Directors Team (first group)

Success in achieving individual development goals

• In written journal progress check entries 100% of participants recorded that they have “made progress” or “reached goal” for more than 80% of their goals.
• 78% of participants (14 of 18) selected “Very satisfied” to answer the survey question How satisfied are you with the progress you’ve personally made toward your goals selected for this program?
• 100% of participants selected Agree/Strongly Agree in response to the survey statement: I have become more effective in the EI skills I identified for development.

Improvements in working relationships and leadership

• 94% of participants (17 of 18) selected Agree/Strongly Agree in response to the survey statement: I have observed an improvement in working relationships as a result of application of the EI skills learned in this program.
• 94% of participants (17 of 18) selected Agree/Strongly Agree in response to the survey statement: I have a better understanding of others as a result of this program.
• In written journal progress check entries 100% of participants reported improved relationships with co-workers and their own staff. Many participants report they have received feedback from direct reports that they are listening better.
• 55% of participants (10 of 18) selected goals for improving effectiveness in coaching and developing direct reports; improving effectiveness in providing performance feed-back; 90% of those participants recorded they have “made progress” or “reached goal.” 44% (8 of 18) report increased focus in time invested in direct report development.
• When surveyed 100% reported that they have observed specific behavioral improvements in their team members and fellow participants.
• In written surveys 90% of Directors (9 of 10; one did not answer) describe observable improvements in Sr. Leadership team effectiveness.

Feeling heard and understood by leadership

• There was a 21% increase in the number of people responding Yes to the question “Do you feel your ideas, thoughts, and perspectives are fully heard and understood by IT leaders and managers?” From 78% (14 of 18) to 94% (17 of 18).

Feeling one’s work is appreciated by leadership

• There was a 150% increase in the number of people responding Yes to the question “Do you feel that what you do is appreciated by this IT leadership team?” From 22% (4 of 18) to 56% (10 of 18)

Productivity, goal clarity, performance improvements

• Increased goal clarity, improved decision-making effectiveness, prioritization and focus were reported by 72% of participants (13 of 18) during individual coaching sessions and in their journal entries. Statistically significant improvements in goal clarity (10%) and in productivity (9%) were reflected in the Personal & Organizational Quality Assessment scores (pg. 82). Specific examples have been described of improved cross-functional relationships and collaboration between members of different departments, and improved customer partnerships. 83% (15 of 18) report improved effectiveness in listening and more direct, authentic communication.
• 100% of participants selected Agree in response to the survey statement: Applying the tools I learned will improve my effectiveness at work.

Stress reduction; health and wellness improvements; personal life benefit

• A 21% reduction in overall felt stress level and a 7% reduction in physical stress symptoms was reflected in the Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment scores. The POQA scores also reflect a 13% reduction in Anxiety. (pg. 80-81) There are verbal and written statements from some participants that they have experienced a reduction of physical stress symptoms including improved sleep, reduced blood pressure, less muscle tension and headaches.
• 94% of participants (17 of 18) selected Agree in response to the survey statement: Applying the tools I learned will improve my personal life. There are verbal and written statements from 11 of 18 participants of improved communication and relationships with children, spouses and other family members.

Impact on Team/Group effectiveness
Morale across the ITS organization

• There was a 36% statistically significant improvement in the average standardized score for Morale measured on the POQA assessment.
• There was a 21% increase in the number of people responding “No” to the question “Do you believe low morale exists within the IT organization overall?” From 78% (14 of 18) to 94% (17 of 18).
• When rating morale on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being extremely low morale and 10 being extremely high morale, there was a 67% increase in the number of responses in the “very high morale” scoring range of 8 to 10; from 33% to 56%, and a 10% increase in mean score from 6.83 to 7.50.

Morale within departments

• There was a 15% increase in the number of people responding “No” to the question “Do you believe low morale exists within the division or functional department you work in?” From 72% (13 of 18) to 83% (15 of 18).
• When rating morale on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being extremely low morale and 10 being extremely high morale, there was a 29% increase in the number of responses in the “very high morale” scoring range of 8 to 10; from 39% to 50%, and a 2% increase in mean score from 7.22 to 7.39.

Working relationships/Cross-functional relationships

• When asked to describe an ROI to ITS or the company for this development program, 78% identified improved collaboration and cohesiveness in working relationships, cross-functional relationships, and communication for One Team.

Communication effectiveness

• There was a 21% statistically significant improvement in average standardized score for Communication Effectiveness measured on the POQA assessment moving the score from “caution/below average” to “good/above average”.
• Communication effectiveness from leadership team: When rating communication effectiveness from the leadership team on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being extremely poor communication and 10 being extremely effective communication, there was an 80% increase in the number of responses in the “very effective communication” scoring range of 8 to 10; from 28% to 50%, and a 21% increase in mean score from 6.22 to 7.50.

Freedom of expression

• There was a 12% statistically significant improvement in the average standardized score for Freedom of Expression measured on the POQA assessment moving the score from “caution/below average” quartile to “good/above average”.

Impact for Sr. Leadership Team
In addition to the improvements listed above which include the Sr. Leadership Team members, there were improvements specifically for the Sr. Leadership Team:

• Teamwork Effectiveness within Sr. Leadership Team: When rating teamwork within the SLT on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being extremely poor and 10 being extremely effective, there was a 233% increase in the number of responses in the “extremely effective” scoring range of 8 to 10; from 17% to 56%, and a 40% increase in mean score from 5.61 to 7.83.
• Functional Effectiveness of Sr. Leadership Team: 94% of participants (17 of 18; one did not answer) describe observable improvements in Sr. Leadership Team functioning. 100% of Sr. Leadership team members report improved decision making, improved collaboration, increased trust, improved communication, better listening and understanding of one another, stronger accountability and increased focus on strategic topics.
• Communication Effectiveness within Sr. Leadership Team: When rating communication effectiveness within the Sr. Leadership Team on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being extremely ineffective and 10 being extremely effective, there was a 300% increase in the number of responses in the “extremely effective” scoring range of 8 to 10; from 12.5% to 50%, and a 36% increase in mean score from 5.50 to 7.50.

Post-program Pulse Survey of Sr. Leadership Team –

The Sr. Leadership Team scored itself on 25 measures that were identified for strengthening pre-program, using a 10-point scale. Pre-program scores reflected perceived sub-optimal performance for a Sr. Leadership team in most measures (scoring below 7.5). The team’s post-program scores reflected observed improvement on 25 of 25 measures, with all but 3 measures scoring in the most desirable range of 7.0 or higher, shown below. Note: items 22 – 25 are reverse items with low scores below 5.5 being most desirable.

Group Emotional Intelligence Norms Survey of Sr. Leadership Team –

The Sr. Leadership Team scored itself on 12 Group Emotional Intelligence norms that indicate a group or team’s ability to manage the emotional process in a way that builds trust, group identity and group efficacy. Post-program scores reflected perceived behavioral improvements on 12 of 12 group EI norms.

Post-program Qualitative Survey of Sr. Leadership Team and Directors – extract

Verbatim responses:

Do you believe the Sr. Leadership team operates as a team?

What improvements have you observed or experienced within the Sr. Leadership team?

• More open communication and inclusion of all opinions, thoughts
• Trust, clarity, honesty; less withholding
• Addressing issues when occurring rather than leaving open
• Better understanding
• More team cohesion; sharing
• Less assumptions
• More frequent and meaningful communication
• Improved levels of communication w/leveraging of EI tools; more openness within group
• More cohesive message
• More comprehensive understanding of our business as a whole
• Ability to work together more effectively. Improved decision making ability. Improved group dynamics, have more open conversations, operating as One Team.
• Decision Making. Spending time on the right topics, and empowering others to solve / work on items we don’t need to be involved with
• We are more open in our communication and seem a little more vulnerable.
• We are working more collaboratively, although there is still room for improvement in this area.
• The types of conversations we are having seem to be more strategically focused
• More trustful of each other
• We challenge each other more without getting defensive. Are open to different points of view
• We come to agreement and decision quicker
• Working together more freely
• Sharing as a team individual
• Staying true to our commitments
• Members of the team work together more effectively when issues arise. Acting as a team over individually.
• More consistently, insight is sought out before assumptions are made.
• Discussions and decisions are at a higher level, appropriate tasks are delegated to other layers of management.
• There is more room to express diverse ideas and thought
• Our meetings seem to be more effective and meaningful
• One Team
• Good discussions, laughter, decisive, supportive
• The team seems to be communicating much better
• Definitely more supportive and collaborative
• Increased effort and focus to listen to one another
• Celebrate successes together
• Little to no finger pointing when troubles arise
• Shared accountability and successes
• Much less “up and over” issues
• The Sr. Leadership team seems to be working better together with fewer issues coming from other leader, to my manager, to me. In the past there were multiple situations a month when one group would complain to another group requiring time to investigate the situation and meetings to resolve the concern.  This is not happening anymore.
• Some of them seem to appreciate and trust each other and really try to help each other more than before.
• They really show as supporting one another, even behind closed doors.
• They share each other’s perspective, not just their own.
• Helping and supporting each other
• Less competition, more team work
• Increased “One Team” and partnership
• Increased communication
• Less “Tense”
• Working better together
• Starting to view organizational goals and not just look at their individual silos-more progress to be made here but improvements
• Supporting each other better

• 1. Able to work more effectively as one team across organization boundaries. Team members are demonstrating loyalty to each other instead of loyalty only to reporting structure. This can sometimes put individuals in a difficult position but they are managing though it effectively.
  2. Director team is also owning and driving progress on organizational items and deliverables instead of just relying on VP’s in the past.
  3. At times the Director team is implicitly setting expectations and raising the bar for the VP team. Overall, a great improvement from the beginning of the program.
• 1. Common Language
  2. Collaboration
  3. Effective Decision Making
• 1. Working better together as one team.
  2. I have seen an improvement in my direct reports as well in the areas of listening, collaboration, empathy
• 1. They are able to come to conclusions on issues much easier and quicker
  2. Has helped them communicate better and with much better understanding
  3. Has helped the director team communicate better with the ITS leadership team. Meaning that we can use the same tools and techniques with each other for the common good of all
• 1. Team working together as one
  2. Resolving issues more effectively
  3. Starting to manage VPs better
• 1. Stronger relationships with the team
  2. Open dialogue
• It seems that people are really making an effort to communicate and remain open to new ideas
• 1. Much better cadence in meetings
  2. Unified one team.
  3. Communication and decision making vastly improved especially in a crisis

Directors’ Responses

• 1. Trust in each other
  2. Better communication
• 1. Common language and understanding
  2. Appreciate what others contribute to team
  3. Understand importance of building healthy relationships
• 1. More cohesive team that can communicate freely
  2. Better partnerships between departments
  3. More trust
• 1. The folks in the class have bonded closer and have a common language and toolset to use to improve our work and personal environment. Team building and bonding that took place in the classes was priceless.
  2. We have a common language and set of tools to use in work and personal situations.
  3. Seeing that our peers have the same or similar issues was helpful.  Being able to discuss how they handled situations or asking for advice was very helpful.
• 1. More self-awareness, more considerate of others and more appreciative of others
  2. We know each other better and feel comfortable helping and asking for help from each other.
  3. We discuss challenges and inefficiencies openly and work together more effectively to define solutions and action plans
• 1. Continued business success
  2. People
  3. Culture
• Working relationships within the director team and VP team and between the team improved markedly. This had a noticeable impact in the rest of the ITS organization.
• 1. Communication is more open about sharing their thought process and perspective.
  2. More listening to each other and a “pass” to call one another out on not using EI tools or managing self.
• 1. Self-awareness has improved
  2. Improvements in our relationships and recognizing when emotions are roadblocks for making progress
  3. Common understanding and language, stronger one team

Describe what you believe are one or two specific types or areas of ROI to the department or organization.

Vice Presidents’ Responses

• We are operating more as One team
• 1. Time to Market – Effective Decision Making
  2. Breaking down Silo’s
• 1. Cross functional relationships, working together as One Team.
  2. More open communication.
• 1. ITS leadership team works much better together to achieve our objectives
  2. Helped build a common foundation of tools, vocab and techniques which we can leverage to function cohesively
• 1. Switching from a tactical thought process to a strategic one
  2. The team is improving with being one team
• 1. Largest benefit I see on a regular basis is strength in relationships of the leadership team
  2. Effect of improved relationships is the ability to communicate and appreciate other ideas.
• Perhaps a return on the investment will be an improved more progressive and open working environment
• 1. Company Core Values and Culture
  2. Leadership, and one team

Directors’ Responses

• 1. I believe we are a more cohesive team
  2. More empathetic with our co-workers
• 1. Ability to share positive outlook and energy
  2. Unexpected personal benefits to family relationships and work/life balance
• Leadership skill improvements in listening and communicating have led to better and stronger relationship
• I think the biggest return on investment is being more efficient and effective as an organization. When you can communicate more effectively as an individual and as a group you are able to be more productive.  This allows for you to accomplish more, improve time to market and improve working bonds.
• 1. We are more relaxed and trusting with each other, and we know each other better, which reduces work stress.
  2. More self-awareness, more considerate of others and more appreciative of others.  We know each other better and feel comfortable helping and asking for help from each other.  We discuss challenges and inefficiencies openly and work together more effectively to define solutions and action plans.
• I believe that the improved EI will lead to faster and more effective group decision making
• 1. Peer relationships matured
  2. Sr. Management relationships reached a new level
• 1. Time to market. The better we work together the quicker we deliver
  2. Innovation.  The more open we are with shared thoughts and listening to others, the more creative we can be
• 1. Cross functional relationships
  2. Health and wellness of the management team, improved work life

Sub-group: ITS Directors Team – n22

Post-program Qualitative Survey of Directors – extract – Verbatim responses

What individual benefits or improvements have you experienced? What are you observing about yourself, your behavior, or your interactions with others that indicates you have made progress with the goals you selected at the start of this program?

Collaboration and Teamwork
Self-management

• What’s great is within our group, since more of us have had the training, we have a common language and more understanding. If one of us uses the EI tools/phrases another person comments, notices, encourages.  And when we forget – we can remind each other.   First I think we’re all more self-aware and when we’re aware we can avoid letting emotions take over by using Quick Coherence and Freeze-Frame.  The communication tools are helping us work as “One Team” and help us communicate more effectively between PMOs and with the other teams.  Listening and not going up the Ladder of Inference, Balancing Advocacy with Inquiry and verifying what we hear rather than making assumptions is helping us and we need to keep practicing.

Effective Listening & Empathy

• Before this class I thought I had empathy for people and that I was a good listener but now I know it was only 50%. I still think I’ve always been a good listener, but never really put myself in the other person’s shoes.  When we did the initial exercises to examine real-world situations and how we could have done better, empathy showed up in both for me so that confirmed I should include it as a goal #35 (Empathy; Improve my understanding of others, their feelings, concerns and their needs).  For me it’s on two levels – also my goal #8 (Increase patience; reduced feelings of irritation/impatience) – for example, recently I had a meeting w/a direct report who was not meeting my expectations.  I was feeling a bit agitated while the person was speaking and I applied Freeze-Frame and it helped me be more empathetic.  In the past I would have been much more “short” and robotic.  I was able to deliver the right message and the person felt the difference and realized that we do care about them.  I was more optimistic and the direct report was less defensive.  When listening, I’m aware of practicing really feeling the empathy while listening, to understand more than the words.  I’m making much better decisions due to taking the time to really listen.

Leadership Resonance

• My progress with goals #35 and #40 has continued with my direct reports (Empathy; Improve my understanding of others, their feelings, concerns and their needs) and (Improve my ability to communicate effectively when I am upset or feeling uncomfortable emotions). I’m using Intuitive Listening and am hearing them more thoroughly and getting to hear the root of certain issues.  They’re feeling heard more and things are more out in the open.  I feel much better after my 1:1 sessions.  One of my direct reports gave me feedback “I don’t know what you all are doing in that class but it’s working!”

Leadership Focus

• I’m seeing impact with Goal #50 (Improve my effectiveness in giving feedback and/or coaching to employees) which is focused on the Directors reporting to me and overall direct report development. I’m taking the time to explain the “why” more, and slowing down the conversation so I can focus on listening.  I’m doing a bit better at asking more than telling (balancing Advocacy with Inquiry) and aware of focusing discussion more on non-tactical topics, and applying Empathy and Intuitive Listening to really hear what they are feeling and thinking.  I’ve received feedback from some of my direct reports that I’m listening more to their concerns and needs.

Leadership Presence

• I’ve become aware of how little time I was spending really thinking ahead, and seeing the big picture, goal #20 (Increased “big picture” awareness). In my day-to-day I would go from one task to the next, maybe finish one task and then make a phone call or walk into a meeting without really re-focusing on the bigger goal or interaction.  I’m finding that if I use Quick Coherence and Neutral in between tasks and interactions, that I’m more present, more tuned in and more calm.  This has been especially helpful before one-to-one interactions with my team.  This is helping me with Goal # 2 (Improved awareness of my emotions & their affect on others), and Goal #48 (Improve my ability to influence, motivate and/or energize others).

Leadership Under Pressure

• I’ve been focused on goals #35 (Empathy; Improve my understanding of others, their feelings, concerns and their needs) and #40 (Improve my ability to communicate effectively when I am upset or feeling uncomfortable emotions). I’m having continued success as I apply this, especially during this project.  We’re almost ready to start systems integration and people are starting to “freak-out” from the pressure.  I’ve been checking myself in the interactions with others so that I’m also not freaking out and can be a better leader in this process.  As I’m getting calls from people who are anxious and upset I’m calming them; I’m using Intuitive Listening and repeating back what I hear them saying, so they’re feeling heard and acknowledged.  In the past when I was stressed out I’d shut down and not be aware of how that affects people on my team.  Now, I’m remaining engaged and communicating which is helping them too.

Effective Delegation

• Progress on Goal #45 (Improve my effectiveness at delegation). I’ve been more conscious of the communication process I’m using to delegate, verifying that there is clear understanding of the objectives and expectations.  I’m doing much better confirming what the direct report’s understanding is and making fewer assumptions.  I’m allowing myself to let go more and using the EI tools to manage the feelings I have of whether it will be completed as I expect; the overcare.  With Goal #50 (Improve my effectiveness in giving feedback and/or coaching to employees) I’m aware of focusing on coaching more effectively, especially where it seems to me the employee knows the right thing to do but doesn’t do it.  I see the need for my team to develop to accept and embrace their accountability and I’m trying to develop this. 

Employee Feedback & Coaching

• I’m experiencing better results with Goal #50 (Improve my effectiveness in giving feedback and/or coaching to employees) with two employees that I’ve had challenges with, but for different reasons. Last week I had a much better interaction with both of them, practicing the approaches we practiced in class and you and I discussed.  I felt better prepared and organized in my thoughts, and things were more fluid than in the past.  I was more direct and clear than I would have been in the past, and I let the employee talk more.  I’m seeing that one of the employees is turning things around.  With the other employee I see improvement in that he responded better than I expected and he’s understanding expectations more clearly.  There is more accountability.

Self-management
Leadership & Relationships

• In the bigger picture I see that I need to develop my skills in relationships with others, and as a leader I need to focus on more strategic items and less day-to-day and to do this I need to be developing my team and have them handle more things that I’m presently handling. The class is helping me see more clearly the connecting between goal #45 (Improve my effectiveness at delegation) and goal #8 (Increase patience; reduced feelings of irritation/ impatience).  I’m becoming more cognizant of things I’ve done in the past when I should have taken more time with the employee, for example when I’m on the phone and someone isn’t getting it fast enough.  I had a meeting w/my team and a few people try my patience; then in a follow-up phone meeting I got frustrated with the responses.  Much more aware of using Quick Coherence it really helps; it’s taking time.  Now I’m seeing that by taking the time to listen more patiently I understand what motivates the employee; and now when I’m speaking I’m talking more about the strategy and I’m engaging them more in the discussion.  Delegating is getting easier and I’m having more frequent communication with my Mangers.  My conversations with them are more focused on what they feel is important, their role, their needs and less of a “report out” format; we’re talking more about the “how” of the “do” and less “just do it”.  I’m much more aware now of how my managers didn’t like asking me for help because of the impatience I was showing in the past.  I’ve made some breakthroughs on this but still have to work on it.

Improved Employee Communication
Collaboration

• The tools that are helping me the most the past month are Quick Coherence, Freeze-Frame and remove significance/overcare and as I see how this is helping me, my awareness of how to help my managers grow in their awareness is expanding. Frequently I’m also noticing opportunities for us as Directors to use these tools together.  One instance is we were installing a very large project and there were late night calls, tension and stress on the team.  On a call the team got heated and I intervened and brought their attention to how they were talking to one another and reacting to one another.  This led to follow-up discussion with one employee and how he was coming across.  I was listening for what he’s really asking, acknowledging his reactions.  This turned the  employee from anxious and emotional and defensive to calmer.  The employee expected that I’d have to fight and instead he found I was listening and reasoning with him.  What I realize I did was not jump up the Ladder of Inference.  Another example is there was a meeting with 2 of the VPs, and (4 Directors) and it was going to be a tense meeting.  Another Director and I suggested we all use Quick Coherence and there was much more collaboration than in the past which would have been tense and “us vs. them”.

Improved Responses

• I’m becoming much more aware of the triggers that affect me when I’m with other people, and especially in meetings. In my position I typically have more than 6 meetings a day, dealing with many varying issues.  Formerly I would be aware of my reactions after the fact; now I’m aware ahead of time.  Two of my goals are #7 (Improve control of my reactions to specific triggers) and #8 (Increase patience; reduced feelings of irritation/ impatience).  Using Quick Coherence and managing overcare is helping me be more patient and handle my response better.  There is an employee who is not performing for his customers and I’m handling the communication much better.  I’m continuing to see improvement as I’m much more cognizant of not allowing certain triggers to get to me in a way that it negatively affects the employees or customers.  Rather than becoming irritated, which affects my ability to listen, I am able to think much more clearly.

Calmness & Coherence Diffuses Tension and Impatience

• I’m using Freeze-Frame now in advance of walking into some tough situations, and this week there was a meeting where in the past the situation would have gotten to me. Instead, using FF as I approached the meeting allowed me to handle it better and then in the next interaction to be calm and diffuse the situation.  In the past I would have been defensive.  I was able to calm everyone and everything down; it was phenomenal.  I’m feeling the progress on goal #7 (Improved control of my reactions to specific triggers) and #8 (Increase patience; reduced feelings of irritation/ impatience).  Using Quick Coherence I’m catching myself doing it more naturally now in meetings.  I’m becoming more aware of when I feel the trigger rising in me, even unexpectedly.  I’d say 90% of the time I can do it, and my spouse has noticed I’m using these tools and is giving me good feedback.

Listening More Effectively
Balancing Advocacy with Inquiry

• I’m focusing on goals #39 (Improve my ability to listen effectively to the viewpoints of others with whom I may disagree, or, when someone is upset) and #40 (Improve my ability to communicate effectively when I am upset or feeling uncomfortable emotions). And this is connected to my goal #12 (Improve my ability to demonstrate a behavior style that is approachable and engenders trust).  This has been a big obstacle for me for years to be aware of how my body language comes across.  I’m listening more and not speaking first so it doesn’t come across that I’m trying to take over the discussion.  It’s taking a lot of practice and I’ve definitely improved my listening with peers.  Also with my direct reports, I’m being more patient and letting them express their thoughts, even if I don’t agree.  Using the Protocols for Skillful Discussion – making my reasoning and thinking more explicit, balancing advocacy and inquiry, this is also helping me and the others I’m speaking with.  Basically I’m listening more and asking more questions and clarifying assumptions, both mine and others.

Pre and Post-program scores of participant responses were compared to a reference group consisting of over 5,900 responses from a variety of Fortune 500 companies and public sector organizations representing a diverse sample according to age, gender and job level.

Satisfaction and relevance of application – final participant survey extract
ITS Directors Team
A final participant survey was administered to gather anonymous feedback on participant satisfaction and perceived relevance of application to their job or role.  Responses indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the program’s relevance and application to both workplace and personal life.

Directors Team; 45 days post-program; n22

Pre and Post-program scores of participant responses were compared to a reference group consisting of over 5,900 responses from a variety of Fortune 500 companies and public sector organizations representing a diverse sample according to age, gender and job level.

Mid-program Qualitative Progress Check of Management Team – extract
Verbatim responses:

Describe individual benefits or improvements have are experiencing and how that is impacting your performance as a Manager. 

• Greater awareness, checking how I am feeling often and greater focus using Quick Coherence and Freeze-Frame often. I have greater awareness and pay closer attention to what is being said and even non-verbal cues.  This has increased my effectiveness in meetings and with customer interactions.  Greater level of confidence and involvement.
• Staying on top of multiple high priority items more easily and the quality of work is improved (not rushed).
• I was able to handle the stress of [redacted project name] without having a meltdown.
• My ability to bounce back and/or move past things I would have wasted energy complaining, worrying or stewing over.
• I demonstrate fewer emotional swings. By remaining more calm, I am better perceived and able to remain more focused.
• I have been recognized for my expertise and have been given a new role tailored to my specific strengths and capabilities.
• I feel like I am able to focus and refocus when I get distracted more effectively.
• I feel like I am doing more of the important things first instead of the urgent, due to better prioritization.
• Better control of my emotions; focused on more important/productive items; better communication and teamwork with my Director and peers.
• I have stepped out of the weeds, elevated my focus, allowing the team to stand on their own; having better discussions on developmental issues/needs.
• I am more effective working with business partners. I am more comfortable proposing ideas to business partners and providing guidance to them.
• I am more comfortable presenting to senior management.
• Gaining involvement from team with more caring leadership (from conscious intuitive listening).
• Better handling of stress, allowing me to do more and take on more without feeling overloaded.
• I have more time to do more items. I am not replaying and re-doing the same subject or item of work.
• More time to plan rather than react. I can recognize patterns vs. seeing items as random events.
• I can step back, get coherent, and address the situation more clearly.
• I feel more confident expressing my own opinions or disagreeing with a point of view because I take the time to listen and formulate my thoughts more clearly.
• Confidence – more effective use of confidence has helped reduce the churn when working on complex tasks; also improved focus on intuition.
• Listening – improved active listening has caused less rework due to mis-understanding; also improved relationships because of better understanding.
• I am finding more time and less pressure to complete tasks that I would have procrastinated on in the past.
• I have less anger, which allows me to think more clearly and provide better solutions.
• I am better able to deal with difficult conversations with employees.
• I am also better able to prioritize the tasks I need to accomplish, by either delegating or focusing on the important things.
• I am more effectively focusing on the bigger picture of the company and our relationship with our direct client/customer partners, when I would previously get distracted and pulled down into team operational dynamics.
• I am letting go of many areas of prior interest to narrow my focus onto the “blue chips”, whereas before I would spend too much energy trying to help and be involved with more.
• I am handling the continuing changes in the organization.
• I pay attention to critical items and ignore the noise/distractions.
• I am more comfortable delegating tasks and allowing the team to execute without intervention.
• I have the ability to focus on important tasks or initiatives and when I work on these I have the tools to lessen impact of ambiguity and conflict.
• Delegation of things that are not in my responsibility. I have reduced my overcare and built better accountability and relationships with a peer by not taking over their items and trusting that they will handle it.
• Better focus on my own priorities by not focusing n the work of others.
• I am able not to quickly get overwhelmed by the workload. I am able not to act on certain triggers but rather take a pause.
• I am better able to engage others in a discussion and sharing their thoughts about a subject, usually about the approach to a common goal.
• I have reduced the amount of time it takes to recover from a negative or emotionally charged discussion or event. Instead of a day, I am now able to move beyond it quickly in about an hour and become more productive again.
• I am a better listener and don’t go up the Ladder of Inference like I would in the past.
• I am more focused on bigger picture items and improved in how I deliver those to the Sr. Management.
• My ability to not become discouraged when my ideas or recommendations are not accepted, and instead receive the feedback as just that – “feedback”.
• Able to remain calm and be more effective.
• I recognize triggers when they happen and focus on a positive outcome.
• I have improved with prioritization and time management, getting into a routine of reviewing my calendar, distinguishing important items from urgent ones and planning accordingly. I have seen the improvement in missing less meetings and completing more tasks on time.
• I have improved my effectiveness in meetings, thinking more strategically and with added focus.
• I have a greater ability to remove emotional significance and being more open-minded when encountering triggers which has led to better decision-making and improved communication. I am less defensive.
• I am delegating more effectively, trusting my team and spending more time guiding them rather than doing it for them. Doing so builds more breadth of knowledge in them and allows me to focus on larger picture or higher impact items.
• Is in my ability to “bounce-back” from setbacks with the [name removed] team, where before I used to dwell on negative responses I now get clarity on the issue quicker and move on.
• I can respond more promptly to emails and phone calls as outlined in Goal #17.
• I have learned how to drive results through more effective collaboration with others. I am listening better and using Freeze-Frame to resist knee jerk reactions to things that I don’t initially agree with.
• My decision making process has improved in cases where consensus is required as I focus on facts and process and stating desired outcomes of meetings.
• I am able to reduce the level of anxiety I experience when expressing my ideas to senior management, resulting in more dialogue and positive feedback.
• I am participating and sharing more of my own ideas in collaborative conversations at all levels.
• My ability to have a heightened sense of self-awareness and effects on others has allowed me to do the following: 1) remain neutral when providing feedback; 2) not let any negative emotions/feelings be carried into work areas or next meeting; 3) not let triggers in meetings impact my presence or thought process.
• I have been able to delegate more effectively by using clear communication on what is expected and holding others accountable. My self-confidence has improved which I believe has directly impacted the other areas I have been focusing on.
• I am better able to focus in all areas by improving my ability to bounce back from set back. By reducing my “rumination” time, I opened more time being productive.
• I have improved my effectiveness, and the effectiveness of my team, by clearly communicating and validating that we all have a common understanding.
• I am able to better focus on the “big picture” items I should be working on and addressing them more effectively by using a combination of the skills learned in this class (advocacy vs. inquiry, intuitive listening, putting myself in the customer’s shoes).
• I am better able to listen to the customers’ needs and not form my agenda. Assess how I can help.  This has resulted in one of the biggest projects in our team since inception.
• Listening and letting people finish before talking.
• EI has given me more confidence in my abilities which has translated into my work. All the worrying in the past made me second guess myself and be too concerned with what others thought; I no longer do this.
• I am a better listener now by removing emotion, recognizing triggers, recognizing the Ladder of Inference and applying steps of intuitive listening.
• I am calm under stress by recognizing triggers and applying Freeze-Frame to gain coherence.
• Improvements in alignment with priorities set by senior management and my ability to effectively manage these.
• Incremental improvements in intuitive awareness
• I am better able to remove emotional significance or move past trigger, refocus and progress quickly in the conversation. I am able to accomplish more faster as well.
• I am delegating more and focused on providing direction to the team.

Satisfaction and relevance of application – final participant survey extract
Management Team
A final participant survey was administered to gather anonymous feedback on participant satisfaction and perceived relevance of application to their job or role.  Responses indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the program’s relevance and application to both workplace and personal life.

Management team; 45 days post-program; n39

All 3 Leadership Groups
Summarization of POQA-r elements for all 3 leadership groups
The table below presents elements from the post-program POQA-r assessment for the three leadership groups.  Post-program percentage of Agree/Strongly Agree responses to each question reflect improvements on the majority of key measures.