Leadership & Employee Engagement
Leadership and Employee Engagement
“How do you change the world? One room at a time. Which room? The one you’re in.”
– Peter Block
Workshops/ Keynotes:
Building Belonging & Cultivating Connections that Empower Individuals and Organizations to Thrive
After the last few years of a pandemic, remote work, and social distancing, our social connections at work are more important than ever! Research shows that strong social connections and a sense of belonging strengthen our immune system, lower anxiety and depression, and even help us live longer. Additionally, people who feel connected are more empathetic, trusting, and cooperative. A strong sense of belonging in the workplace helps build trust and strengthens employee engagement, motivation, job satisfaction, and performance. In this highly engaging and interactive workshop, participants will learn research explaining the biology of belonging, as well as strategies and structures that they can use right now to build and strengthen a culture of belonging and cultivate connection in the workplace.
Objectives:
- Participants will learn simple strategies and structures they can replicate and implement immediately to strengthen their connection with students, colleagues, and leaders.
- Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of the neuroscience of belonging and the critical role it plays in our engagement with work, our performance, and our physical and psychological well-being. Empowered by this scientific research, participants will feel confident that the work building relationships is not fluff, it’s foundational
- Participants will leave the session inspired and ignited to action—to share their new knowledge, put their learning into practice, and become active champions of belonging.
S.E.A.L. TEAM CHAMPIONS (7 full days throughout the year)
This year-long course is designed for teachers, counselors, and administrators who are committed to championing SEAL and facilitating professional learning at their sites and within the district. Throughout the year, they will have the opportunity to implement strategies learned, share best practices, and lead training sessions at their site. We highly recommend that participants attend in groups of three or more with an administrator.
The Cultivating SEAL TEAM Champions Course includes:
- 7 Full day in-person sessions
- Access to Becoming Better Educators, our online professional learning community for educators
- Google Drive folder full of research, resources, and activities to support each learning session.
- Unlimited email coaching support for SEAL Team Champions
- Three 1-hr Online SEAL Team Coaching Sessions via Zoom (during the months of no in-person sessions)
Each session of the course features a theme to be explored more deeply:
- Building Belonging: Creating Community with Classroom Circles
- Nourish to Flourish: Raising Resiliency Through Optimism & Strengths Practice
- Igniting the Sparks: Promoting Passion, Meaning, and Purpose in the Classroom
- Cultivating Climate: Connecting Kindness, Empathy, and Compassion to Learning
- Mind Matters: The Neuroscience of Motivation, Mindfulness, Metacognition, & Mindset
- Relishing, Repairing, & Restoring: The Power of Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Hardwiring Happiness in Education
- Emotions, Engagement, Empowerment: The Science of Making Learning Stick
Additionally, each session will contain elements of:
- 5 SEL competencies
- 10 Teaching Practices That Strengthen SEAL
- Mindfulness
- Mindset
- Cultural Intelligence
- Neuroscience
- Infusing SEAL into Instruction and Content
- Classroom Community Buiding
- Cultivating Climate on Campus
- Best Practices in SEAL
Lead Like Lasso: Science-Based Leadership Strategies Inspired by America’s Favorite Coach
Lead Like Lasso is a dynamic and engaging professional learning session that draws inspiration from the popular TV show Ted Lasso and its beloved protagonist of the same name. In this transformative session, participants will explore science-based insights that can elevate their leadership abilities. Inspired by the empathetic, optimistic, and authentic qualities of Ted Lasso, attendees will learn practical strategies to become exceptional leaders who inspire and motivate their teams. Through interactive activities, neuroscience research, and discussions, participants will better understand the human mind and how to leverage it for effective leadership
Objectives:
- Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the science behind people-first leadership and why people perform better in a forward state vs. a threat state.
- Participants will gain practical strategies for developing their leadership abilities and becoming leaders who inspire and motivate their teams.
- Participants will learn the importance of empathy, belonging, and optimism in leadership and the workplace.
Building Bridges: Resolving Staff Conflict and Restoring Workplace Relationships
Conflicts among staff members are inevitable in today’s dynamic workplace environments. How these conflicts are managed can significantly impact team morale, productivity, and overall organizational culture. Our session, “Building Bridges,” offers a comprehensive approach to addressing conflicts among individuals and groups, repairing the harm, and fostering the restoration of relationships within the workplace.
Objectives:
- Participants will explore the importance of fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and collaboration to prevent conflict and promote healthy working relationships.
- Participants will gain an understanding of the causes and various forms of conflict in the workplace, including communication breakdowns, differing personalities, a competing priorities.
- Participants will develop conflict-resolution skills through learning effective communication techniques and active listening strategies for navigating and resolving conflict constructively.
- Participants will explore strategies for rebuilding trust and repairing damaged relationships, including apology techniques, forgiveness, and re-establishing team cohesion.
Taking Time to B.R.E.A.T.H.E.: Research-Based Strategies for Personal and Professional Resilience for Staff
When staff experience chronic stress, it can negatively impact their motivation, performance, and well-being, which can then affect morale, engagement, and performance at work. There couldn’t be a more important time to focus on strengthening our well-being and resilience than right now. Participants in this engaging workshop will walk away with simple yet powerful research-based practices from the fields of Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Emotional Intelligence, and Social Psychology that they can utilize immediately to reduce stress and anxiety, improve attention and performance, and strengthen overall physical and psychological well-being.
B = Build Belonging & Cultivate Connection
R = Reflect on Purpose
E = Engage in Self-Compassion
A = Amplify Attention, Awareness, & Awe
T = Tap into Thankfulness And Appreciation
H = Harness Your Thoughts
E = Empower Empathy Everyday
Objectives:
- Participants will have a deeper understanding of emotional contagion and why it is so important to be their best possible selves – for their students, their colleagues, their organizations and themselves.
- Participants will have a deeper understanding of the roles that belonging and social connection, a sense of purpose, self-compassion, mindfulness, gratitude and appreciation, the ability to harness our thoughts. and empathy play in our well-being and resilience, as well as our engagement and performance at work.
- Participants will walk away with research-based strategies and practices that they can replicate immediately in their personal and professional lives to boost well-being and resilience as well as engagement and performance.
A Great Leader L.E.A.D.S with Courage, Connection, and Compassion
According to Gallup, only 32% of the workforce is engaged in their work. Disengaged employees negatively impact workplace morale and productivity, but when employees have a sense of connection, they collaborate and perform better. Educational organizations that foster an environment of belonging and engagement are more likely to meet demanding challenges in positive and productive ways. This session focuses on the L.E.A.D.S. framework: Leans Into Belonging & Trust, Engages Employee Purpose, Appreciates & Acknowledges, Develops Empathy & Compassion, and Sets Intentional Presence. Participants learn the fundamentals of leading with courage, connection, and compassion and leave with researched-based strategies to help cultivate an environment that empowers individuals and the organization to thrive.
Objectives:
- Participants will learn the science and research behind the importance of developing a workplace culture of belonging and engagement.
- Participants will leave with ready-to-implement strategies to cultivate an environment of belonging and engagement.
- Participants will discover why showing up intentionally as a leader and helping employees unlock their purpose is a key component of creating a positive workplace culture.
Building Bridges: Strategies for Cultivating Restorative Communities
Educators are tasked with ensuring the academic growth of their students, encouraging their social and emotional development, and teaching them real-world skills of collaboration and conflict resolution. How do we teach all students to build community and resolve conflicts in a healthy, appropriate way? How do we create a system that supports even the most challenging students and makes a positive difference in their lives? Explicitly teaching staff how to get to the heart of the matter and engage in cultivating restorative communities is a highly effective, inside-out approach to school climate and culture. Participants gain research-based strategies for building community and supporting informal and formal restorative strategies in the classroom/school setting.
Exploring and Understanding B.I.A.S. – Beliefs, Identity, Assumptions, and Stereotypes
Our brains are biased. Researchers estimate that we may be exposed to 11 million pieces of information per second. If our conscious brains tried to filter and process all of that information, they would overload! Instead, our brains create shortcuts by making connections between things, pairing concepts, and grouping things together. These quick shortcuts in the form of assumptions, stereotypes, and implicit bias about others can lead to misjudgments about people that cause hurt, pain, discrimination, injustice, and inequities in our classrooms, workplaces, and the community at large. In this informative and engaging session,, participants will explore the neuroscience and social science about assumptions, stereotypes, identity, and implicit bias and learn research-based strategies designed to interrupt and disrupt those biases in order to cultivate a climate of belonging, acceptance, psychological safety, and equity in the classroom, workplace, and world around them.
In this session, we will create a safe space to discuss and engage in activities that explore:
B -Beliefs and Brain Patterns
I – Identity
A – Assumptions
S – Stereotypes
Objectives:
- Participants will learn the neuroscience and social science about assumptions, stereotypes, identity, and implicit bias.
- Participants will engage in activities designed to help them recognize how implicit biases shape their interactions and decisions, allowing them to take intentional steps toward creating more inclusive and equitable environments.
- Participants will learn how to apply practices that actively counter bias and stereotypes, promoting equity and fostering meaningful relationships in diverse classroom and workplace settings.
Reflect, Repair, Restore: The Science of Forgiveness and Restorative Conversations
Managing relationships on a school campus or in the classroom can be tricky. Inevitably, there will be moments of hurt feelings, undesirable behavior, and resentment. When these moments occur, it is essential to recognize them and repair relationships as soon as possible. We deepen community connections and improve school/classroom culture when we give effective– and genuine– apologies, learn the science behind forgiveness and develop strategies to move forward from the hurt. Of equal importance is implementing discipline that focuses on changing behavior and helping students learn and grow, rather than more punitive approaches that aren’t effective in changing behavior. In this interactive and engaging session, participants will learn the science of forgiveness and develop skills to help release resentment. Participants will leave with strategies for teaching and giving authentic apologies, and implementing transformational discipline.
Objectives:
- Participants will learn the science of forgiveness and why it is crucial to our well-being and resilience.
- Participants will receive strategies to release resentment and give authentic apologies.
- Participants will walk away with tools for implementing transformational discipline in their classrooms and school sites.
More Good Days: Brain-Based Practices for Trauma-Responsive Schools
We know that trauma impacts students’ behavior, engagement, and academic readiness. Over the past several years, trauma-responsive practices have offered a way to support our students experiencing adversity. The foundation of trauma-responsive care is built upon safety, connection, and emotional regulation, and these can still be offered in every classroom. Participants will learn about the impact of trauma on the developing brain, identify behaviors and learning challenges that may come as a result of trauma, and leave with strategies to sustain strong relationships, create safe routines, and increase emotional regulation to support students as they learn.
Objectives:
- Participants will understand the impact of trauma on the developing brain and learning
- Participants will identify behaviors and learning challenges that may come as a result of trauma.
- Participants will explore the idea of emotional contagion and how our own presence impacts the rooms we are in.
- Participants will learn how to use focused attention practices and brain breaks to help students self-regulate.
- Participants will learn strategies to build strong relationships and safe environments that support student learning.
Sessions for Parents/Caregivers
More Good Days: Brain-Based Strategies for Parenting in Challenging Times
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated three things that the brain hates: chronic unpredictability, social isolation, and physical and emotional restraint, and we see the impact of this stress and trauma on our kids’ interactions and behavior both at home and at school. In this experiential learning session, facilitators will focus on how to meet their child’s need for predictability, belonging and connection, and voice and choice. This informative, engaging, and experiential learning opportunity explores the neuroscience around stress and trauma and provides parents with simple yet powerful research-based strategies that they can use immediately to support their children and empower them to thrive.
The ABCs of S.E.A.L. (Social Emotional and Academic Learning) for Parents Strengthening Academics, Behavior, and Culture Through Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning
This informative, interactive, and highly engaging introductory session explores the research that supports the importance of S.E.A.L. practices for both youth and adults. Parents will learn strategies that they can engage in with their kids in order to build important skills that have been shown to strengthen resilience and the capacity to be happier and more successful in school, college, career, and life. The facilitator will lead parents in discussions and activities that they can replicate at home in order to strengthen relationships and social-emotional competencies of themselves and the whole family.
joelle@thrivingYOUniversity.com
