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Self-Awareness & Respect for Differences

An understanding and appreciation of one's own strengths, abilities, traits, and values, as well as an understanding of other's strengths, abilities, and values.

Specific Outcomes:

Displaying Cultural & Emotional Intelligence, Valuing Personal & Diverse Character Qualities, Exploring Motivating Factors (Self & Others), Appreciating Differences in: Learning Intelligences, Processing Preferences, Personal Filters, Values & Beliefs

Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication

Effectively sending and receiving verbal & nonverbal communication.

Specific Outcomes:

Actively Listening, Making Messages Succinct, Giving Feedback, Organizing Thoughts Before Speaking, Nonverbal Foci: Making Eye Contact, Purposeful Vocal Characteristics, Appropriate Facial Expressions, Gesturing, Using Time & Space to Enhance Message

Creativity & Innovation

New ways to represent, perceive, or do something.

Specific Outcomes:

Thinking Outside the Box, Combining in New Ways, Using Imagination, Using Artistic Sense, Being Resourceful, Visioning, Questioning the Conventional, Discovering What is Missing, Brainstorming.

Critical Thinking & Decision-Making

Analyzing, synthesizing, & making connections & selections.

Specific Outcomes:

Learning from Failures & Successes, Connecting Dots Across Contexts, Gathering the Right Info, Comparing & Contrasting, Applying Ethics, Seeking Out Different Perspectives, Evaluating & Reflecting, Practicing Intellectual Humility

Problem-Solving & Adaptability

Seeing an issue & resolving it. Adjusting to new conditions.

Specific Outcomes:

Identifying Scope of Issue, Looking at a Variety of Perspectives, Developing Criteria for Solution, Willingness to be Flexible, Discovering Patterns, Putting for Solutions, Avoiding Permanent Conclusions, Reasoning

Teamwork

Effectively working together to accomplish a task.

Specific Outcomes:

Participating Toward Team’s Success, Exhibiting Interpersonal Intelligence, Balance Task Completion with People Needs, Listening to Each Other, Maximizing Team Strengths, Encouraging Others

Continuous Learning & Initiative

Seeking out further knowledge & opportunities on one’s own.

Specific Outcomes:

Exhibiting a Growth Mindset, Being Resilient & Persevering, Connecting Areas of Interest to Current Situations, Learning from Failure, Being Curious, Willingness to Try New Things, Applying Past Experiences to Current Situation, Exhibiting Confidence, Taking Action

Resource Management

Managing time, money, people, information, & inventory.

Specific Outcomes:

Seeking Efficiency & Effectiveness, Continuously Assessing Resources, Ethically Using Resources, Finding the Right Job for the Right Person, Maximizing Timelines & Budgets, Making Modifications When Needed, Managing Information

Written Communication

Sending effective messages through written channels of communication.

Specific Outcomes:

Selecting Appropriate Written Channel, Editing Work, Drawing Information from a Variety of Credible Sources, Adapting Message to Audience, Organizing Work for Reader Comprehension, Using Correct Grammar & Structure for Selected Channel, Using Vivid Language for Accuracy in Decoding

Collaboration & Conflict Resolution

Creating a win-win with different ideas, strengths, & personalities.

Specific Outcomes:

Creating a Cooperative & Supportive Climate, Selecting an Appropriate Strategy for the Situation, Discovering the “Why” Behind the “What,” Clarifying Intended Meanings, Exhibiting Empathy, Gathering Input from All Parties, Clarifying Ultimate Goals or Outcomes

Navigating Pressure & Ambiguity

Maintaining level-mindedness in the midst of time constraints, high expectations & situations that may be confusing, uncomfortable, or lack specific direction.

Specific Outcomes:

Assessing Own Stress Level, Identifying Stressors/ Triggers, Developing a Tolerance for Risk-Taking & Failure, Taking on Challenges without Clear Directions, Using the Space from the Unknown to Innovate, Being Pro-Active, Pursuing Solutions

Leadership & Influence

Ethically leading in such a way that others want to follow.

Specific Outcomes:

Seeking to Understand & Build Up Others, Communicating Vision, Maximizing Resources, Building Camaraderie, Motivating Others, Making Decisions, Providing a Sense of Stability in the Midsts of Change & Progress, Adapting Leadership Styles, Developing & Empowering Others, Accepting Responsibility
how we do
We have developed an original style of engaging, synchronous and remote workshops/experiences. We utilize all of the Methods and Tools listed below in our virtual settings as well. We have had amazing, successful events with attendees from all over the country (and even out of the country) actively participating at the same time. The Leader N U Remote Learning Method is unique and provides a level of active learning that many in-person workshops/experiences do not.

A multidimensional experience is a great way to provide workshop or retreat experiences to employees in multiple locations, without the expense or hassle of getting everyone to a single location. Team building has never been so convenient.

We do also offer some limited in-person workshops at this time.
If this is something you are interested in, we would be happy to discuss a plan that is safe for everyone.
We use a variety of active learning techniques, including: 
-Problem-Based
-Experiential
 -Immersion
 -Collaborative
 -Gamification
 -Discussion/Debate
Neural Networks:
 Our activities help build leadership neural networks by building in opportunities for struggle. One of the most complex skills we teach, Navigating Pressure & Ambiguity, also uses struggle to teach. By adding constraints and creating a conducive environment, students struggle, fail, strategize, struggle, fail, strategize, struggle, succeed. We do this a lot through gamification.

Connections with Prior Experiences:
 Helping people connect what we are doing in the workshop with prior experiences, helps them build on something that already exists in their brains. By building on prior experiences, we are able to help them more readily access the new information in the future.

Environmental Factors:
 We utilize the senses to create an environment that is stimulating to the brain and triggers the innate desire to learn. Everything we do… How we do it… When we do it… Where we do it… Is intentional. Everything is intentional because there is a “why” behind every decision. This is true for our in-person, as well as multidimensional remote, workshops, retreats and events.

Metacognition:
 We regularly ask attendees to reflect on their own learning. We teach them about their own brains, how to help themselves in learning, as well as about different brain chemicals, and how they can use those chemicals to become more confident, more empathetic and live a happier life. 
The best practices in education use lots of great tools to help students get the most out of their learning.
In addition to the Active Learning Methods and the Brain-Based Strategies, we also employ the following:

 Differentiated Learning:
We create the activities in such a way that each person has personal take-aways and regardless of their backgrounds and experiences, they can learn & grow.

Authentic Assessment:
 We ask students to use their skills throughout the week, while we look for their personal growth and transferability of the concepts.

Multiple Intelligences/Multi-Modal:
 In addition to having a specific activity for attendees to explore multiple intelligences, we build into each team-based activity a variety of elements so all members of the team, regardless of their strengths/weaknesses, must help the team succeed. This goes a long way, by the end of the week, in helping attendees understand what they have to contribute.

Gaming Principles:
 As mentioned in the Brain-Based section, we have built in a variety of gaming principles throughout our development experiences. We particularly use the concepts that teach resiliency and persistence. 

Debriefs & Reflections:
 We have regular debriefs throughout activities and retreats. These reflective sessions are meant to be a time to help attendees process what they are learning, why it is important, and how to apply it in the real world. This is done Socratically so the attendee does the thinking and therefore does the learning. Depending on the structure of the experience, we also offer opportunities to participate in a leadership meditation, which explores intentionality, helps attendees understand all of the small but powerful choices we all make each day. We can also offer a Labyrinth experience either virtually or in person.

Enduring Concepts:
 Because the vast majority of our activities are completely original content, they are built with specific goals (Power Skills) in mind. We feel it is important for learners to experience concepts in multiple contexts so the concepts not only become better understood, but also transferable. 

Innovation:
 We feel it is critical for attendees to learn to innovate. We encourage them to think and come up with their own ideas. Success in the future means we need to constantly be looking for ways to make things even better and more powerful.

Relationship Building:
 This is the cornerstone of growth. Without trust, expectations, and genuine care, no one is stepping out of their comfort zone. While attendees in an unfamiliar environment will create a certain amount of trust in each other (retreats do that by their very nature), it takes relationships with mentors and each other for them to be brought to the next level in their learning and leadership development. People need to feel (not just be told) they are welcome and cared about.

Cultural Awareness:
 We work hard to mix people up during longer retreats/experiences so attendees get to meet others that come from a different background and who have had different experiences. This can get messy at times, but what a great learning opportunity. 

Learner-Centered:
 This approach relentlessly focuses on attendees and their success. We generally do not have speakers at our experience. Our reason is that we all have access to TED, YouTube, and plenty of other sites to see speakers. And while speakers can provide inspiration, we have only our limited time with our attendees and we are interested in building skills to help them for the lifetime. Skills are learned by practicing, reflecting, strategizing, and then doing it all over again- just like in sports or the arts. Power skills are no different. Being learner-centered means the learners and their learning are the focus of our attention- We (or speakers) are not the focus of their attention.