Leadership Stories: Integral Intelligence has worked for:
These are actual stories told by leaders who have been transformed by Integral Intelligence™:
Through this program, I learned I am committed to balance. When the program started, I was going through some tough personal and emotional issues and was still focused on driving for results. Social agility, self-awareness and authenticity were things I wanted to understand that had bothered me for most of my life. I’m generally an introvert who likes to problem-solve. As time went on, I became more and more aware of things. My life is now much more in balance. I’ve lost weight, my blood pressure is now under control, and the changes I’ve made in myself are important to the people I work with as well. This program is a way to unlock those things people had no idea how to get to. I feel the most confident I’ve ever felt in my life.
This was one of the most useful leadership/management courses I have ever attended. Somehow you are able to create a space that allows us to be different and to take in information differently. I’ve been through these training sessions before and leadership as a topic unto itself was never there. It was always around problem solving and then how you will lead through it. Thinking about us as people, how do we show up, how should we show up, how do we lead and how should we lead? It was very powerful.
Just learning that there are intelligence components beyond “cognitive” has opened several new directions for me to expand my leadership competencies. Focusing on Way of Being helped me to develop two specific leadership competencies – self insight and courage. What was most helpful about the program was developing the ability to self-observe and self-correct.
Integral Intelligence™ has a ripple effect. By transforming themselves, leaders are able to unleash potential in their teams:
When this program started, I was very skeptical. I thought, “It’s just another management training program.” The biggest value of the program was to target the areas that were my blind spots. From my past experience, I’d always been rewarded for multi-tasking, but some of the things I was doing interfered. It’s hard to get feedback about those things except in this kind of program. What’s made it so valuable is the immediacy of feedback from my peers who are also in the program. There is no fear factor or hesitancy to provide that feedback. The program has created a tool box and a network for me and the peer group experience has been extremely valuable because it’s a group that gives feedback instantaneously in a business setting.
As a leader, you think a lot about what you don’t do well. This class reminded me there are a lot of things I do right. I work well one-on-one, but this program gave me the tools to be more aware of how I show up in a group, to center myself before I go in, to notice the effect I’m having on others, to come in more relaxed and receptive and to become a better listener in team and group situations. I came into this with a lot of technical knowledge, but now I’m mentoring my direct reports to solve the problems themselves, which is helping them become more competent. The mentoring/coaching we learned in the program was very powerful. Now my time is freed up because I’m spending less time problem-solving and fire fighting and more time strategizing.
I didn’t know what to expect from the program but had hopes of coming away with concrete things I could do to be a better leader. I really feel that’s happened. It’s become clear to me that I’m a person who is extremely task focused and when I do that, I really miss out on opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of my employees. Everyone enjoys feeling recognized. I’m taking steps to appreciate my people and am already getting feedback they feel I’m supporting them. The other “ah-ha” I had was that I have a tendency to over-direct. I’m trying to make sure I’m working with inquiry to help my people learn and develop. The sharper my people are, the quicker we build bench strength.
Integral Intelligence™ has a continuing ripple effect. By transforming themselves, leaders are able to unleash potential in their teams and collectively in their organizations:
My story is about the journey I’ve taken to slow down, but also to be more whole and more integrated. This program is about integral leadership. It’s all about five basic intelligences. It’s not just about the cognitive piece. So one of the early conclusions that I arrived at that was reinforced by the program is it is not enough to be really smart and pile up the volumes of work. You don’t win just because you get through more of it than anyone else does. All that does is tire you out and doesn’t really create any sustainability for you or for the business. So what I’ve been trying to do is to find ways to succeed through that network of tentacles that reach out broader through the organization and try and create some synergies and really try to collectively leverage the Integral Intelligence™ of the organization.
To me this is not a course about all of us feeling better about ourselves. Even though that’s a good thing, I don’t think that’s the ultimate goal of the company. It’s what happens when you are more present. It’s what happens when you are more aware of what’s going on, when you have more cognitive agility, when you’re more resilient in difficult situations. The difference is going to be in what you see from people who went through this program. By having more authentic conversations where assumptions are revealed and you can actually get to the meat of the matter, meetings are more efficient, decisions are better and they happen more quickly.
Throughout this process I’ve really been focused on the concept of being present with people and in particular my direct reports and our front line employees so that when I am having an interaction with them it’s a real interaction. Sometimes we get so caught up in everything that’s going on our mind is drifting a thousand different directions because of all the input we’ve got coming at us that it’s hard to really stay focused and be with somebody in a conversation. So, I realized that was an opportunity for me to have better relationships with my managers and also, I think even more importantly, better relationships with our front line because they don’t get to see you often and so when you do see them you have to make the most of that time. So I think this has helped me develop in that way and has helped me to be an active listener and an active participant in conversations with the people who are so important to our business.
Integral Intelligence™ has a continuing ripple effect. By transforming themselves, leaders are able to unleash potential in their teams, collectively in their organizations, and out into their broader communities:
This program has been a freeing experience for me professionally and personally. In the first couple of sessions in this program, I realized I’d really lost myself as a leader and as a person. I was always trying to be that perfect leader I read about and lost myself as a unique leader and as a person. I rediscovered leadership muscles I’d repressed and held back. It gave me permission to exercise those muscles and be that complete leader, and that’s been transformational. I’ve gained a new set of knowledge about myself, about leadership, about my colleagues. It’s something that I’ll take with me from here on out. It’s made me a better leader. It’s made me a better person, not only at work but at home. That’s been a life-changer and I am very grateful for the experience.
For me, the program proved to be life-changing and self-provoking. What I’ve benefitted most from is staying present. I’m a results-oriented person. When I used to talk to people, my mind drifted away and it was difficult for me to focus on the other person’s needs. My conversations were about going through the list. They weren’t real conversations, just something to get things done. I still have my list, but I can focus on the other person. I’ve learned that I gain more information by having conversations than by focusing on the list. The same thing has happened in my personal life. I noticed recently that my teenager is starting to talk to me and he really likes our conversations! I realized he wanted to talk to me because I am paying more attention to what he says. He wants to talk to me now and I could see he’s very proud of his dad. That’s the greatest pay-off!
I love this industry. I love everything about it and couldn’t imagine doing anything different. Putting a lot of hours in just like everyone else in this room you do prioritize the company and your employees over your family and your home life sometimes. So through this program, even though I’ve talked about this continually to my wife and kids, I decided to give it a shot and try a few things we learned. So I volunteered coaching a little league team, which I’ve never done before, for my 8-year old. So the ripple effect of that has just been phenomenal. It is hard to get out of the office early and commit to this but the benefits and ripple effect with my family and my employees has been very eye-opening.