Since the inception of Meaningful Trainings we have presented one simple message. We bring that message into everything we do - creation of experiential learning, each of our unique Projects, MT series of resources, The Box and MT Recovery Professional Series. That is who we are, our experiences & aspirations contribute to our primary motivations, engagement levels and how we socialize. Commonly referred to as "soft skills". The extension of this logic says - development of these core understandings (via mindfulness, self-awareness, communication skills. self-care practices) will produce increased output, efficiency and innovation among individuals & teams.

We can safely relay that it's not an easy row we hoe with this message. No matter the bottom-line cost and recurring savings/increased output that flows to a bottom-line from a sustained investment in an organization's human capital, believe me it's a tough sell. So when the hardened heart of a cast of engineers decides "soft skills" are the leading contributor to organizational performance - we are giddy!

For your review and our joy we present the following link to Google's own report of the value of "soft skills". Thank you Google...thank you.

https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/

New Year's resolutions.
Goals. Objectives. Targets. Plans. Lists.
I just passed along a daily planner to a friend. A month at-a-glance I've been picking up at my barber shop for years. This year I picked the landscape of Denali and the Grand Canyon. No better time to go "BIG" than the beginning of a new year! This tool has fostered an awareness of what's next, in me, for over two decades. Even as the utility of the pocket-size tracker wanes each year I always take a couple. Part memory and part Pavlovian twitch.

I'm reminded of another useful tool as I embark on another circle round the Sun. Maybe as useful and effective, if not more so than a transcribed plan for the day. That's a consideration of what was accomplished last year. Part reflection, part gratitude and quite a bit of fond remembrance. A list of what was done. Which to my surprise has become a vital segue into what I plan to do.

The suggestion of a list that notes our past has been around for quite awhile. The most formal is a resume. Once I imagined updating it yearly, monthly, weekly or daily it's utility became enlivened. Literally it transformed my vision from a linear path forward with a shrinking past to a wonderful circle where I rarely disconnect from my history. Even in this bitter cold Northeast winter things always seem not that far away from a grateful renewal infused with the warmth and possibility of Spring.

Never underestimate the power of a list!

...and here we are. Sustaining Wonder. The final part of our tagline trilogy. Always the supreme task. The singular strategy with the widest, most diverse set of tactics. If we had been able to include a parenthesis it might have been (...how?).

Alone that becomes the query. By the time we arrive at this point with our partners the query often becomes, "how will I find time?" or "how is something so simple...so...so...elusive?"

We begin with a simple exercise. Sitting outside, or inside with a nice view - focus your gaze on the farthest point of the landscape. It does not have to be pinpointed but far away, maybe a field or hillside or set of clouds. Hold the view for as long as you can. Notice the energy required to maintain the gaze. When you tire of the effort let your gaze fall back to the place where it is comfortable. Notice where it goes when it retracts.

Now contrast the gaze with the place it returns to. That contrast offers a window into wonder.
How you sustain that wonder is a practical application - how do you do what you do. Not be confused with proficiency or competency of how you execute the task.

That thin thread, when tugged, unleashes self-awareness. Knowing what interests you combined with energy to understand whatever that is. Our histories are literally littered with things that once interested us. They equate to our hard skills - what we do. Those fade, are replaced or (sadly) become automated. How we do them and what they mean are the fonts that never abate. They are the coveted "soft skills". They are you. They are what you see, how you see it and how you participate within that which you see. That can never be automated nor replaced...and they can only be sustained by you!

We wish each of you a wonderful Holiday Season...however you celebrate! We thank you for your support, interest and most of all...wonder! We'll leave you with one of our favorite answer when asked what wonder looks like...

Every once in awhile the 1st (&) 15th Blog post runs delayed...not often, but...today is one of those days. With good reason I might add!

Blair & I attended a yoga retreat yesterday. It was facilitated by our friend, Janet Green-Garrision and due to our travels & time with friends...the (1st) is now the (4th). Which sets the stage perfectly for the second part of this series exploring the tag line for Meaningful Trainings, "building intention".

At the beginning of the day Janet asked all participants to clarify their intention for the day. To be clear about why you were there and (as I understood the instruction) tell yourself clearly. She provided time and then gently, throughout the day, asked us to revisit our intention. I used those moments to think about my reason for my actions for the time in the retreat.

While I had to plan on going to the retreat, allocated time, resources & energy I really never ventured into the deeper prompts of my doing so. Yoga retreat. OK, go. Bolstered only by my enjoyment of the idea and intention to get to know Janet more there really was no deeper intention. When asked in the moment and reminded to revisit throughout the day I was taken to a deeper place within myself...

...the place we put forth with the second stop in our tag line, "building intention". To be clear, thoughtful and presently aware of why I am doing something. We understand & believe in this power such we made it part of our keystone. Thank you Janet for reminding us of the importance of...reminding ourselves!

If you ever head out towards Cape Ann (not Cape Cod) look up Janet Green-Garrision & her wonderful studio for a yoga class. You can find her via the link below:
http://yogaforhealth.info/

Who are your mentors? How do they challenge your suppositions?
Which philosophers make you curious? How do they provoke you?
Who are the authors you most admire? Why?

Meaningful Trainings offers our partners (those we work and learn with) an alternative pathway to exploring both self and as a result of that internal discernment - the world around us. Traditional learning offers a presentation of "knowns", things that allow us to subscribe to already constructed frameworks. Indeed helpful when walking worn paths, they don't always challenge us towards innovation and re-invention. Yet these are the things that keep us fresh.

So how do we shake them up inside of us? We offer the (6) questions at the top of this page. Take a few moments and answer them. If you are easily satisfied with your answers - continue on. If you are moved to "pause"...enjoy the consideration and whatever follows.

These are examples of what we mean by the phrase "framing imagination" as the first of our three part tag-line. Where does your imagination begin? How is it stoked? What or who gives it form? We'll let you meander down that path and look forward to exploring ideas surrounding the second part of the Meaningful Trainings tag-line, "building intention", next time!

The following link takes you to Recovery Dragon's blog page, Resources Connected. We have described and linked William White's new book, Recovery Rising.

Very simply - it's an invaluable resource for those who are engaged in the arc of treatment>healing>recovery>wellness.

http://recoverydragon.com/resources-connected/a-wonderful-resource

Enjoy & we look forward to your comments!

No matter what we imagine...all things in the physical realm have a limit to how much they can hold, withstand or consume. More importantly, no matter what others may imagine for us - we can only do so much.

Capacity is constantly challenged. Phones ring. Texts bombard us. Requests are ceaseless. Then there are the quotidian tasks that are like the dust bunnies below the bed...always present, (think laundry, groceries, the book by the bedside, etc...). So, what to do?

Really the question is what not to do. In this day and age, in our present 1st world landscape we more often than not challenge ourselves to not make choices with regards to boundaries. We can do it all...we can have it all...yet we know intuitively that defies logic.

So we glide along rushed, disconcerted and often scratching the surface of both our tasks and our potential. So again we confront the elephant in the room...aligning our capacity with our opportunity. How to get into our natural flow? Asking the question begins the process. The link below takes you to our thoughts on the matter - our MTFoundations of Wellness. Check it out and let us know your reaction. We'll break it down over the coming months and look forward to your thoughts.

Cya soon!

http://meaningfultrainings.com/mtfoundations-of-wellness.html

This post epitomizes the age old "chicken or the egg" which came first conundrum for us, even before we offer our musing on the topic!

Meaningful Trainings is based in Elmira, NY. For fans of Mark Twain, you will recall he married Livy Langdon of Elmira, NY. Thus was created an indelible tie to our city. Using a Mark Twain quote as the practical demonstration of our concept asks us to recognize our motivation for doing so. Is it because we value the expressions of the author? Or is it because he feels like a local brethren? In the end, we default to the former with gratitude to the latter!

I became familiar with this quote at my third child's high school orientation. Read by a guidance counselor as a thought to be used as a tool (same as mine here) it thunderstruck my chest. The word "prioritization" jumped into my mind and there it has stayed.

When working with our partners this is a constant challenge amidst a waterfall of tasks and information. (The dirty secret never addressed is capacity but we'll explore that in a follow-up post.) With endless opportunities for frittering away our time in the face of our daily tasks, beginning is often difficult.

Begin we must though. And if I must choose, which task? The project? The quick to-do? Meaningful Trainings proposes tackling the most objectionable first. The one you most dread.

Huh? Yup, that one! Dig in. Pick up the phone. Write that report. Do it. Don't shuffle it down the list...again. Why? Accomplishment creates momentum. It's that simple. Conversely, delay tends to increase friction - a stickiness that deepens inaction.

So - which frog is it today?

Back on the 1st, I introduced the idea that genuine, sustainable engagement like motivation comes from within and cannot be manufactured by well-meaning managers or short-term initiatives. That is not to say, however, that company leadership is relieved of its responsibility to catalyze it. How to do so – authentically, effectively, sustainably – is the million-dollar question.
 
We propose it starts by fostering a conspiracy of meaning throughout the entire organization. Rather than some nefarious plot to mutiny, this group-driven effort identifies and elevates a company’s mission, vision and values to everyday, top-of-mind prominence, not through words, but through actions. Say, for instance, your mission states, “We strive to turn customers into friends.” Your vision might be “to create a more connected world” and your core values might include kindness, thoughtful consideration and global citizenship. That’s great website copy for your company page, but if your employees are not routinely friendly there’s no way your customers will feel like friends.
 
So… here’s the “responsibility to catalyze” part… leadership is the link between words and actions. When those at the top of your organization encourage, support & provide myriad hands-on opportunities for every employee from production line worker to direct service provider, VP to data entry clerk to “live your company values” every day, authentic engagement (loyalty, job satisfaction, contribution, etc.) results.
 
I promised you a civic-minded example, so based on the above-mentioned core values kindness, thoughtful consideration & global citizenship, here it is: Read to a Child.
It doesn’t have to be complicated; the simple act of connecting with a child, sharing your lap, your enthusiasm for reading & knowledge may just inspire another global citizen who, given a few years, can partner with you to create a more connected world.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “cause-driven”? In our experience this hyphenated descriptor is often linked to the aggregate word, organization or the singular responsibility, leadership and is most-often employed in non/not-for-profit environments. This seems both overlarge and limiting at the same time. It begs the questions: What cause? Why just one? At what cost? How do we do this? And, inevitably, in our experience furthers the act of following rather than forging ahead… leaving the act of championing or stewarding the “cause” to just a couple of committed folks.
 
What if the concept, phrase, practice were set free among the rank and file as an everyday imperative? Not just an admonition or incentive to “do something good (your choice) in the community.” You know, volunteer, sit on a board, chair a 5K committee, donate to raffles, bid high at silent auctions. What if the “cause” were engagement, individually and holistically?
 
Huh? Exactly! In the well-meaning desire to attract and retain talented individuals, organizations have saddled HR, talent development, managers, supervisors… with an impossible job. No one can keep someone else engaged, PERIOD. Engagement, like motivation, comes from within. It is active, not passive. So, the “cause” must be global in nature and the opportunities to advance it varied enough to appeal to all. How? Turn it over. When the responsibility for engagement lies with those we count on to be engaged, it opens a world of creative possibilities… not least of which include Genuine Community & Innovation – desired outcomes, yes, but more importantly, drivers of long-term (profitable, even!) survival.
 
Check back on the 15th; I’ll follow up with a civics-inspired example.

Meaningful Trainings offers simple skills development resources. Behind all of what we do are a few basics: consistent tools that if used provide results. Tools provide results if picked up and used.

One of the most basic tools that support just about all of our work is - TA DA (drum roll please...) - kindness. There it is, our secret ingredient. Simple enough...the real question is how?

How? Motivational Interviewing and Active Listening. These two skills combine to offer the perfect context for facilitating kindness. To be heard, affirmed, acknowledged are demonstrations of kindness and in return point to pathways of possibilities. At home, at work, on the subway, in a hot air balloon...anywhere, with anyone.

As opposed to not listening. Not asking a question. Not affirming. When adults interact the power of a question offered upon the inflection of curiosity - genuine seeking - is powerfully, effectively positive. Suffice to say I often buoy myself with musings of what the world might look like amidst these demonstrations of kindness.

Math was never my best subject. Just about the time I moved into algebra & geometry my attention waned. The addition of letters to a numeric landscape was too much for this Taurus!

I'm more of a metaphor person. I enjoy collage and assignment of concepts to imagery. Contrast and questions seem to support my learning as well as my means of communication. Easy for me...not so much, yet eventually effective, for those I explore with...and a perfect segue for this post...;-)

When does the obvious not apply? When does 1+1=3, or 2+2=8 or even 46+87=1,398? Things become more than they seem all the time. Linear thinking asks us to proceed accordingly. Imagination, curiosity can be checked at the door - you won't need those here. Adhering to linear thinking all the time can cover up insights that offer us leverage in our daily tasks. Be those tasks quotidian or complex, concrete or ethereal if we view them in one dimension there can be a shortfall in our results. Often times linear thinking curtails our efforts before we even begin! We know the answer (1+1=2) so we don't proceed down that road. Only to find it wasn't the road it was our steps that needed a reconsideration.

Anyone who works with us quickly realizes we are practical as described in our process,  Frame>Build>Sustain. For us, it needs to work. That's because our partners come to Meaningful Trainings for practical applications of timeless knowledge; Ancient Knowledge is our common term. One of the foundations of our practice is being present. Whether it's Active Listening, Storytelling, Meditation - being present, actually in the moment & in the space you find yourself, is hard. Then to do it for more than a glimmer - virtually impossible without cultivated practice.

So - a practical application of 1+1=3; if you eat a meal it may take 25 minutes > the energy provided by the meal may be upwards of 3 hours. The time invested (25 minutes) creates more than the investment (180 minutes). (Of course my tenacious fact checkers will note the lack of production time and other contributors to the meal but I asked you to check the linear mode at the top of the post...;-)

This leveraging effect applies to the practice being present, in any form. If I practice for (5) minutes I get a benefit of more than the investment. Your results will indeed vary from mine as mine vary from mine! What I have found is the sustained benefit of any present minded practice is profound and significant. More on that later...

Long ago I gave up on math. I've rekindled my interest with a realization that I had only to change the way I looked at it to become a fan again!

No doubt your busy. Although not too busy to read this post but busy enough. We'll keep it short so no one will miss you...;-)

A question, in a variety of forms, consistently asked of us by our coaching clients is how to cultivate energy? Tired of the "knowns", beyond sleep, nutrition & exercise, our coaching partners are a universally seeking lot. They keep us on our toes! A new answer to more energy? Wow, how about a tough question...no more softballs!

So we boiled it down to one word...Imagination. Invigorate your mind with the power of a query. Ask a question then explore where your mind takes you. Modernity asks us to do. The rates at which we are tasked and held accountable often create within us a myopic vision and response loop - achieving the bare minimum, constantly, is tiring. An analogy; imagine running while holding your breath. Just considering that makes me exhausted!

Your imagination is your being's natural rejuvenator. To turn it on you only need to ask a question. My favorite two prompts for instant energy;

1. Spin a globe and point to a spot and ask myself what is my contemporary doing at that location right now?
2. Ask myself, what would my day look like a few hundred years ago?
   

Five minutes meandering around my mind - wondering, imagining, jotting a few thoughts down - releasing myself from the weight of the energy draining tasks and loops where I spend most of my time, acts like a leavening agent.

Feeling tired or sluggish? Go ahead & cultivate the limitless dynamic of the powerful resource always at your disposal; your imagination! Don't worry, it doesn't age, wear out or rust. You'll know it when you find that child-like exuberance wrapped around the dust covered discards of your youth. Enjoy!

However arranged, words convey and illuminate. They are tools. Arranged poorly (as readers of the 1st & 15th are keenly familiar) they can be more confusing, at first pass, than illuminating but grammar and sentence construction are for another post. This writer tends towards the poetic and firmly places faith in the reader's power of discernment.

Details of syntax and construction aside the power is in the story itself. If the confusion conveys a spark of an idea then no matter the author's intent, potential resides within the inspiration. Therein lies the chaos, serendipity and power of creation.

To create is often the goal of organizational enterprise. For-Profit, Non-Profit, Civic, Familial...collections of individuals usually seek to create...something. Be it tangible or not we collect/gather, explore, consider, keep or discard and begin anew with our lessons.

The challenge for organizational leaders (elders, coaches, supervisors, mentors, parents, etc.) is prompting participants to cultivate and provide energy to the shared enterprise. This task is endless and is the leading cause for indecipherable instruction sets, boring meetings, meaningless training and boundless vessels of wasted time. Not due to misdirected intention mind you, quite the opposite in fact; remember it's good intentions that pave the way to Hades!

The power of story is well documented. If you seek additional confirmation, look at the face of a captivated child as they listen to a story. The question though is why? From where does the power of story arise? We offer that the answer lies in the opportunity for each listener to hear themselves through the story. The story, created from the lines & curves that combine to create letters which when combined create words offer each person an endless opportunity to discern their unique views of the world around them and how they connect to it. Story allows the individual to see their strengths, potential and possibility. A prism that unleashes the resourceful nature of each person. For employers and leaders a simple, highly effective tool with the added benefit of being readily available.

As an independent contractor, I often find myself straddling worlds... for-profit, non-profit, corporate, human services, manufacturing, criminal justice, behavioral health and more – basically, wherever people gather to do work with and for other people. While there are broad similarities in language and performance expectations, some concepts just don’t translate exactly across environments.
 
Take Self-Care. Among human services and healthcare providers with high rates of mission-driven stress, secondary trauma and burn-out, it’s a pretty well-known concept. There are professional opportunities to learn what it is and how to implement it organizationally, as well as dedicated, paid time to practice self-care for individuals and mixed work groups. In fact, Meaningful Trainings has written and delivered more than a few customized self-care workshops for employers and employees alike.
 
It makes great sense; in professions where one is asked to help another individual (or community!) achieve wellness, it would stand to reason that the professional providing the service maintain a pretty good level of wellness themselves. And, there’s some pretty reliable research that suggests investing in self-care can save employers a lot of money. Think lost productivity, acute or chronic injury, stress-related disorders, personal and/or medical leave, not to mention the enormous cost of employee turnover.
 
So, I’m wondering why we get such quizzical looks and so many questions in manufacturing and “high stakes” corporate environments where long hours, physical and mental stress are often considered acceptable (desirable?) parts of the company culture. If all companies survive on the strength of their people, it seems reasonable to suggest that employee retention might better be served by a broader cultural definition… one that includes leadership driven and supported opportunities for on-site self-care – not just at the bar for Friday night happy hour or a weekend jaunt on the boss’ boat.
 
I know, I hear you… lots of companies have on-site fitness rooms, child care facilities, juice bars, conversation pits and game tables, too… but, sadly, lots more companies do not. So, for them, incorporating a little intentional “self-care” for their very valuable human resources might be a smart business decision.      

In my work as a community educator, organizational trainer and curriculum designer, I happened upon a gap of truly epic proportions. While whole systems are beginning to employ non-clinical recovery support personnel (coaches, guides, clinical aides, navigators, etc.), they have consistently failed to consider EXACTLY HOW to continually build and hone their employees’ required skills sets. So, 150 hours of skills development training later (covering everything from effective communication and MI to leveraging recovery capital), I noticed that the language and results associated with the medically well-known concept called “chronic disease self-management” might equally apply to those of us who celebrate and practice RECOVERY! In fact, documented positive results of similar proportion are exactly what organizations are striving for with all this hiring of recovery support personnel, after all. But, geez… with a name like CHRONIC, DISEASE, SELF-MANAGEMENT why on earth would we even want to go looking?
 
It sounds negative, dour, hopeless… not based in the language of joy and strength, whatsoever. This language “gap” can be particularly uninspiring for folks in recovery who are already soooo sensitive to the stigmatizing, negative words and attitudes that surrounds addiction. But here’s the kicker… effective “chronic disease self-management” relies on lay-person led, participant education programs that embody all the underlying skills and principles (positivity, clarity, self-efficacy) that are soooo recovery! I had to understand more.
 
I did my research. Turns out the Stanford Patient Education Research Center at Stanford School of Medicine offers several Self-Management Programs for chronic disease, diabetes, chronic pain, cancer survivors and people with HIV. The six-week, peer facilitated workshop format engages participants at various, accessible (welcoming even!) community locations like senior centers and libraries. Folks experience a “highly participative” gathering where “mutual support and success… build confidence” so they can better manage their health and lead fulfilling lives. Some of the topics include: practical strategies to address problems like frustration, isolation, fatigue; symptom relief; suitable exercises; medication use; effective communication techniques to improve interaction with families, friends and health professionals; lifestyle balance; and, critical thinking.
 
These programs have been the subject of rigorous randomized clinical trials and have shown time after time to improve participants’ outcomes, with some improvements lasting for years. Improvements like self-efficacy and healthy behaviors, positive attitudes, less pain, more energy, psychological well-being and less frequent hospital utilization among others. Excited to have made this discovery, I called Center Director and lead researcher, Dr. Kate Lorig, Dr. P.H. to ask if they had ever imagined building a program for addiction. Sadly, as far as Dr. Lorig could tell, Stanford had no immediate plans to consider it.
 
Well, I suspect as opioid deaths mobilize more and more communities, as the national conversation grows and amplifies… and as folks continue to confront the related stigma and labels that swirl around addiction… we, those of us in and around the work of recovery SHOULD and WILL need to consider it! Let’s keep it simple, positive, based in and on community… and let’s build a welcoming, peer-led, self-actualization program for ourselves!

Many moons ago, when bands of inquisitive individuals realized they needed new information and skills, they would gather to partake in an ancient ritual called learning. As was the case for as far back as anyone could remember, the mutual intention of those gathered was a sacred endeavor. Each brought their unique, individual gifts – perspective, experience, attention and imagination, as well as respect and honor for each other. These last two acted as the weave and weft of the shared learning process.
 
Over each generation, the elders took great care to instruct and model the learning ritual. The process grew strong and contributed to the richness, depth and durability of the community. One day… an uninvited guest appeared. Not knowing the rituals and ignoring the foundations of respect and honor, the uninvited guest began to tease a single thread from the edge of the sacred fabric that bound the community. Gradually, yet more quickly than one could imagine, this thread dislodged many others and began to visibly loosen that which bound each to the other in the shared experiences of learning and life.
 
Elders did what elders do, pointing to the disruption and describing impending doom. Yet – the guest was allowed in by those who had not yet come to fully understand and experience the benefits that mutual respect and honor bestow. Believing these values would always be there, they knew not the role they were to play in sustaining these practices. While the fears of the elders did not appear overnight, indeed worse came to pass… and the sacred ritual of shared learning was lost.
 
The uninvited guest, promised ease and connection, yet provided complication, interruption and ultimately, division. For all the while the guest came into the learning space, they never came fully, seeking to contribute. They brought only a desire for attention, with nary a consideration for the spirit of the gathering. As a result, the weave and weft of shared experience, deep understanding, true respect and honor were lost forever.

The Box is opened, unpacked and now we begin checking out the contents. Like a set of nesting dolls the boxes within The Box work together to unleash the artistic wonder. Prone to hyperbole we have challenged ourselves to clarify the mechanics of Meaningful Trainings' flagship organizational soft skills resource.

Here we go...

Unpacking The Box one finds simplicity. In both design & delivery. These combine to offer employees the opportunity to explore the concepts in rhythm with their work responsibilities. Personalized learning opportunities applied in the classroom and the work environment - soft skills adult learning customized to your business.

The final piece is already within your organization - the internal driver. Meaningful Trainings derives its name from the commitment to making our partners' (not clients or customers) training investment sustainable. The reality is most soft skills learning takes hold over time. Long after the trainer is gone and the workshop has ended. So when we are gone and our workshops conclude, our partners are left with a corp of internal drivers that continue to elevate the conversation and application of the concepts explored.

How? Stay tuned...

Our friends at Sage Media passed this month's video along and all we can say is...we agree!
Enjoy!

Pull...let's see how this works...be curious. That's the motivation behind Meaningful Trainings Diversity & Inclusion workshop called, S...T...R...E...T...C...H.

Using the philosophies of Montessori & Recovery we offer a practical alternative to the more cordial and scientific D & I workshops. Whereas the polite approach is to offer exercises and investigations that explore unconscious bias and illuminate the value to be harvested (or put more crudely, profit left on the table) with heightened awareness as to the benefits of being inclusive - we offer adults the opportunity to walk right up to the elephant in the room and have a conversation. Swapping out the presentation of external motivations (you should, it would help the organization, you might become a better human) with an opportunity to catalyze intrinsic motivation resides at the heart of our approach. This begins with organizational acknowledgement that not every person has the capacity nor interest in being inclusive. Identifying employees who are curious and entrepreneurial offer the best return on the D & I investment dollar.

Taking the time to identify and begin the investment in the right employee is, while more intensive at the outset, the effective long-term commitment. Not only will the right employee internalize the lessons and benefits of D & I, they do so authentically which serves to change the culture over time. Traditional D & I training approaches treat everybody the same - a funny way to promote the idea of diversity. Organizations who seek to change the culture and not just "tick the box" understand the value of a good S...T...R...E...T...C...H.

 Economics is the study of incentives how individuals & systems respond. A common belief is value drives decision-making. When working with executives to discern why the sales component of the organization under-preforms or consistently misses targets, I start with a simple premise: people will by an inferior product for more money because they are comfortable with the people they do business with. This dynamic flies in the face of incentives. Try explaining it to organizational leadership wondering why the new widget they invested development, manufacturing & promotional monies to commercialize.

People are creatures of habit. No habit is more entrenched than one that provides comfort. The idea that anyone would pay more money and receive less value than could otherwise be had is confounding...on paper. In reality the unseen value is the relationship embedded within the transaction. It often provides, you guessed it, comfort to the purchaser. I usually point to the company's current sales to reinforce how this dynamic works in their favor. As you might imagine I'm not always the most welcome voice in a room!

Suffice to say when an organization understands the embedded value of relationships - how they are built, managed and acknowledged - within their P & L, this serves as a gateway to innovation. Once that process is consistently engaged the sale not made becomes an opportunity to create the value that is incredibly hard to dislodge, no matter what they are selling.

We take for granted that we have choice.
Strike that...choices!

In support of our soft skills development resource, The Box, we challenged ourselves to just pick one of the boxes that informs the others. The one that if you could only have one, would be the one that best includes the others.

That would be story. The power of story is best captured in the imaginative face of a child while listening to a story. Fully present. Actively engaged. Thoughtful. Demonstrating grace & courtesy even though they want to explode with curious questions, "what?", "wait, but...", "show me the picture!" And on and on and on...to the recursive moment, "Please...again, Please!"

So it is with adults too, if we let it. Stories engage and  challenge us. They require us to pay attention if we want answers. My example of the power of a story is passing my exit, by miles, due to being immersed in the story I'm listening to as I drive. Then being so satisfied with the experience, I'm not mad!

The skills employers seek are not the hard skills. They are predictable and quantifiable. Performance is expected within a degree and if not then we can find another. The wild card - the intangible that leverages the ordinary to unforeseen heights - is the soft skill set. That part of the employee's story that cannot be judged by its cover. The one that continues to change as called upon and presented with the opportunity to improve, reinvent and imagine. The never-ending story!

Employee Soft Skills.
Elusive as the nymph named Syrinx, from Greek Mythology . (more about her here)

When hiring, quantifying hard skills is clear; how the employee demonstrates the ability to do what the organization needs them to do - is often well considered within its hiring procedure. How the employee functions within the wider landscape of the organization is trickier to determine. While a moving target may have more opportunities to be hit - capitalizing on that advantage is the challenge!

The Box is Meaningful Trainings contribution to the development of soft skills proficiency - the organizational necessity to increase the understanding and ability of any employee to use timeless interpersonal skills in support of an organization's mission. We've created a training resource that provides an accessible training tool for each employee to understand and develop their unique personality with a key set of soft skills competencies. It helps bridge the gap between "me" & "us" in the work space.

The question we answer is How? How does Meaningful Trainings hit the "moving target" of employee soft skills proficiency and provide value to any organization?
As with all MT resources, we use timeless, proven methods - as old as the Greek Myth that started this Blog post;
1.) We leverage the way adults learn,
2.) With the needs of the organization,
3.) Within the resource profile of each.
To find out more and understand how Meaningful Trainings can tailor employee soft skills training to your organizational culture and mission, just follow the link and unpack The Box!

http://meaningfultrainings.com/the-box.html

Across the variety of environments in which I work – education, health care, public service, tech, manufacturing – I’m always struck when someone says, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” I patently refute that statement and any of its myriad variants. Creativity is at the heart of greatness – in work, in relationships, in life itself. By negating our creativity, we stifle our potential and that of our colleagues, employees, students and friends, too.

As humans, we actually have a universal need to create; it’s hardwired into us if, for nothing else, the survival of the species. Beyond that is the need to create for creation’s sake – beauty, meaning, stress relief. Seriously, not acknowledging and honoring this inherent human need can be a significant source of the very stress creativity alleviates. There is a great body of evidence that supports this definition of creativity. There is also an entire culture that devalues and suppresses it. Sadly, we humans are often too easily suppressed, believing what we’ve either been told or choose to believe. What if we actually chose to believe what Howard Thurman – author, theologian, educator, philosopher, civil rights leader – recommends? What if we chose to be creatively alive in every aspect of our lives? What kind of people would we be? What kind of employees, employers, teachers, students, parents, friends? What would our reality look like? For starters, waking up in the morning would be a lot more appealing.

So, the question really becomes how? How do we re-awaken that which we’ve suppressed? I suggest a relatively simple three-step plan: frame, build sustain. Here’s how it works:

Frame your IMAGINATION:  Seek, name and claim your passions, values, talents, capacities. This step ends by articulating what you love and acknowledging your desire to connect this love to personal/professional opportunities – fix your mind on a different reality.

Build your INTENTION:  This is the hard part. The “action” part of Prochaska’s Stages of   Change. You actually have to do the work. Our self-negation has most likely become a long-established habit, so this step includes creating new reasons, new rhythms and new routines in both thinking and doing. Write it down, keep a journal, make a list, get a coach, engage a colleague for support and encouragement. Literally craft your new reality board by board, nail by nail - one fixture at a time.

Sustain your WONDER: Sigh, laugh, stay curious, be present. Has meaningless activity been   replaced by connection? Are you more attuned to the people and tasks around you? Are you able to act with integrity, secure in the knowledge that you’re living your truth? Allow yourself to celebrate each small step and remain open to the outcome of your efforts. The final version of your new reality may not look exactly as you imagined it, but how does it feel? Are you more alive? Chances are you’re not the only one who’s noticed!