The Need for Visionary Leadership

In these times of rapid change and shrinking budgets there is a real need for visionary leadership and creative problem solving. Visionary leaders provide an inspirational picture of the future and a clear sense of direction on how to get there. They have developed their own inner resources to find innovative ways of addressing unprecedented levels of complexity and competing demands from stakeholders on all sides. They present a challenge that calls forth the best in people and unites them around a shared sense of purpose. They work with imagination, insight and boldness, and create effective new strategies to express their vision.

Recognizing the needs of these challenging times, The Center for Visionary Leadership provides a new type of leadership training and consulting based on values, vision, and vitality:

VALUES

Values are more important than ever before as business, government and nonprofit organizations are impacted by a constantly changing world.  A recent Gallup Poll reported in USA Today that values, not the economy, are now the nation's number one concern. What are the values upon which you will build your organization for the future? What values do we all share in common? How can you make sure that your organization is value-driven?

VISION

Ethical values are the source of effective visionary leadership, as creative insights come to those who seek to serve the highest good. A vision of where you want to go, based on values yields long-term success. How can you help bring your organization's vision and mission into alignment with your most deeply held values? How can you effectively engage people in carrying out that mission?

VITALITY

Vitality is the energy that manifests your vision. Where can you find the energy required to navigate through crises and embody your values? What are the subtler energies at work behind the scenes in your organization that either drain or build its vitality?

Our consulting services and customized trainings are designed to support you and your organization in expressing timeless values, upholding a higher vision for the good of all, and generating the vitality to actualize that vision.

What We Provide:

Our consulting and training team at The Center for Visionary Leadership has been on the cutting edge of social change for over 20 years. We bring new perspectives and insights about the nature of change that can dramatically improve your response to large-scale change. Addressing the shared and the unique needs of governmental agencies and non-profit organizations, we help clients envision and create a positive future while encouraging a "can do" community spirit. We help clients assess their needs, custom design solutions, implement strategies and then measure their success.

We also specialize in facilitating "Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues" among diverse interest groups to transform conflict into consensus, solve problems, and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. This win/win process can reduce expensive legal battles and help participants reorient their creative energy to find innovative solutions and develop community-wide partnerships. We work directly with organizations, as well as train organizational leaders in techniques of effective meeting facilitation, multi-stakeholder dialogue and conflict transformation.

The Center's consulting and training team provides custom-designed training for leaders and organizations of all sizes. Our team includes founders Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin and their associates who are professionals in corporate training, strategic planning, marketing, public relations, media, law, governmental relations, and computer systems. We use a variety of strategies, including presentations, experiential exercises, simulations and case stories to help you in the following areas:

Vision and Values

Innovation and Creativity

Relationships and Communication

	Build a spirit of community in the workplace.
	Heal internal conflict and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
	Change adversaries into allies.
	Develop collaborative, synergistic partnerships and strategies.
	Improve meeting management and facilitation skills.

Individual Self-Improvement

	Develop techniques for intuitive decision-making.
	Balance the head and heart, the rational and the intuitive..
	Learn tools for self-assessment, self-renewal and nurturance.
	Tap greater inner resources for effecting change from the inside out
	Nurture a spirit of service and giving.
	Master the limitations of time and transform stress.

Who Will Benefit from This Consulting /Training?
 

	Non-profit boards and directors
	Federal, state, and city government executives
	International institutions
	Leadership, management and project team groups
	Human resource professionals

Critical Issues We Can Help Resolve:

	Coping with transitions and rapid change
	Declining resources and reduced staff
	Reduced worklife quality
	Rigid, ineffective organizational structure
	Lack of creativity and innovation
	Stress and burnout
	High turnover and absenteeism
	Low morale
	Poor communication among staff
	Unresolved conflicts and resentments

TRAINING AND CONSULTING SERVICES

    The strength and sustainability of organizations today are achieved through clear vision, sound business practices, principle-centered leadership, commitment to employees, mastery of change, and service to the community. Our highly trained professional staff will review your company’s individual needs and create a custom-made package to help you actualize your goals. Our consulting services can help your organization:

	Clarify vision, mission and values
	Analyze the internal and external factors impacting your effectiveness
	Identify the strengths and weaknesses in your current operations
	Design systems that operationalize your vision, mission and values
	Enhance productivity and streamline processes
	Maximize performance and increase profits
	Develop your employees—your most important resource
	Build a spirit of community in the workplace
	Develop pro-active strategies for change
	Make a positive contribution to the vitality of your local community

    Our goal is to help you create a healthy, thriving organization that will carry you into the 21st century--infused with shared vision and innovative solutions, attracting and retaining the best people, and being highly successful in achieving your goals. 

FACILITATION SERVICES

     Professional facilitation will ensure that meetings, strategic planning sessions, and organizational retreats are both productive and enjoyable.  Our professional facilitation services create a positive environment where each participant can contribute his or her best ideas toward shared objectives. With sensitivity to organizational norms, our facilitator ensures that the group stays focused on its objectives and that the communication process is respectful and effective.  Full participation is encouraged and quieter people are drawn out to contribute their perspectives.  If needed, the facilitator can help the group build consensus on key issues.

    In facilitated meetings, groups have the opportunity to tap into their own creative resources and discover their own answers. As a neutral mediator, the facilitator ensures that difficult issues are addressed fairly and that any conflicts will be worked through to the mutual satisfaction of participants.    

    We also offer facilitation for off-site staff and board retreats to help identify core values, clarify mission and goals, and develop strategic plans.  Meeting activities can be planned to help improve relationships, build teamwork, and resolve conflicts.  For relaxation and enjoyment, the facilitator can also help with planning informal and recreational activities as a break from the formal meeting agenda.  Help with locating retreat sites can also be provided in some locations.

     We also offer facilitation in multi-stakeholder dialogues, where many different people have a stake in an outcome, in order to find common ground on divisive issues and achieve mutual goals. 

     Our professional facilitation staff have over 25 years experience facilitating many different types of meetings for business, government and non-profit groups. Whatever your organizational needs, we can customize our facilitation services to help you achieve your goals and provide a productive, enjoyable meeting experience for all participants.

 CUSTOMIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS

          At The Center for Visionary Leadership we take the time to get to know you, your organization’s goals and your challenges. We work closely with you to develop programs that achieve your specific objectives. Our trainings are practical and hands-on so that participants use new knowledge and skills immediately.  Some of our most popular training programs are:

	Developing Visionary Leadership
	Today’s Managers: Leaders, Coaches and Facilitators
	Spirit in the Workplace
	Creating the Future: Becoming a “Change Master”
	Mastering Time and Reducing Stress
	Transforming Conflict
	Interest-Based Negotiating Skills
	Building Successful Teams
	Communicating More Effectively
	Maximizing the Laws of Energy

     To be effective in today’s world, leaders must have a compelling vision of where they are going in order to effectively meet today’s needs.  They must be skillful at taking action to make their visions a reality, using smart strategies with achievable goals. Visionary leaders are successful in communicating their vision to others, encouraging people to share and expand the vision, and inspiring them to act. Visionary leaders work on developing inner strength and depth of character, motivated by timeless values and principles. They learn the importance of balancing mind, heart and will. They think in terms of whole systems and promote win/win outcomes.

      Visionary leaders join with others to achieve their organization’s mission and goals. They develop a climate that supports strongly bonded work teams made up of people who think together to create innovative solutions. In this leadership program individuals learn the skills to become inner-directed, ethical, and successful leaders.

Focus points:

	living from core principles and values
	setting and achieving goals
	creating a shared vision
	empowering employees to develop and use their talents
	developing the balance of mind, heart and will
	using a personal assessment tool to evaluate strengths and weaknesses
	overcoming any self-created barriers to success
	thinking in win/win terms
	developing innovation and creativity
	thinking strategically about the future, using insight as well as foresight
	keeping the big picture and the vision in mind

          Successful managers in today’s team-oriented environments are adding another dimension to their abilities to plan, manage resources wisely, and accomplish objectives. They are also using the skills of effective leaders, coaches and facilitators. They motivate employees to become involved in and committed to organizational goals. They facilitate communication and understanding between people with different points of view. They  encourage individual excellence and team behavior. They are comfortable in creating a less formal style of management where people learn from each other, where everyone is a resource for everyone else, and where each person gets support and assistance from many different sources.

          These leading-edge managers simplify processes, teach skills as needed in their areas of expertise, and bring down barriers that prevent employees from meeting the needs of customers and clients. In this workshop managers can improve their capacities to lead with vision, coach people in ways that bring out their best, and create strategies and processes to meet the organization's goals. 

Focus points:

	enhancing leadership skills
	improving interpersonal communication skills
	empowering people
	managing the change process
	building consensus and teamwork
	managing time and projects
	resolving conflict through win/win strategies
	problem solving
	creating measurements and accountability
	managing effective meetings
	developing inner resources
	reducing stress and creating balance

          Organizations worldwide that are fostering spirit at work report not only increased happiness and creativity among their employees, but greater productivity and profitability. As one leader said, “The separation of heart and work is too divisive. Working with heart is unbeatable.” Spirit means that we can express our highest qualities and values at work as well as at home and in our communities.

           When people are in touch with their spirit and are encouraged to express it, the workplace becomes a thriving community infused with a commitment to quality, enthusiasm, honesty, respect, creativity, integrity, openness, and compassion.  Many organizations see spirit expressing as service to the community or concern for the environment. By contrast, the symptoms of repressed spirit show up as apathy, low morale, gossip and backbiting, fear, turf battles and power plays, high absenteeism and turnover, and chronic health problems. It is no wonder that more and more organizations are consciously putting “spirit” to work.  

Focus points:

	why workplaces are shifting to a spirit focus
	case studies: from informal weekly meetings to company-wide events
	identifying what spirit at work means to you and your organization
	focusing on values and meaning
	learning the power of integrity and openness
	appreciating employees
	encouraging creativity
	using inspiration to motivate
	creating a harmonious environment
	implementing your program

          The challenge for all organizations today is to welcome change and use it as a catalyst for being creative and proactive. The ancient Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times!” acknowledges the paradox that change is uncomfortable and destabilizing, yet it provides the fertile soil for better ways of doing things. In “interesting times” such as these we have the opportunity to be bold and visionary in creating positive solutions to the challenges we encounter.

          The fact that change is constant calls us to continuously create the future through anticipation, innovation, flexibility and excellence. When you understand how change works, you can chart the course you want to follow by evaluating where you are now, seeing where you want to go, and creating a workable design for getting there.

          In this program you will understand the dynamics of change and learn how to use it skillfully. You can develop the attitudes and skills to be a “change master.”

Focus points:

	understanding the dynamics of change
	turning challenges and crises into opportunities
	the nature of paradigms: how are they both useful and stifling?
	identifying your organization's current structures: how do they serve you? limit you?
	envisioning and designing your future
	developing flexible, innovative thinking
	revitalizing people and renewing your organization

            Most busy professionals feel they don’t have enough time to accomplish what is important or to be fully creative and effective. As a result, they find themselves stressed and playing “beat the clock.” One key to more efficient and effective work lies in a deeper understanding of the nature of time and relating to it in a new way. This understanding reduces stress and creates a more harmonious, fulfilling life.

            In this seminar, you’ll learn techniques for making time your friend rather than your enemy. You’ll apply proven time mastery principles from the work of Stephen Covey, Stephen Rechtschaffen, and others. You’ll discover an approach to time that clarifies values and relationships, uses cycles and rhythms to increase personal effectiveness, and harness the power of synchronicity. 

Focus points:

	new approaches to understanding and managing time
	techniques for setting goals
	organizing, leveraging, and prioritizing
	distinguishing the urgent and the important
	reducing paper work
	transforming stress through harmonizing the inner and outer life
	tools for practical and efficient time management

            As individuals in this very large and diverse human family we experience things differently. When differences cause unresolved tension, we experience conflict. Actually, conflict is a natural outgrowth of human interaction and is not inherently a bad thing. The problem is that most of us have not learned how to handle conflict constructively. Many of us have been conditioned to either avoid it or to hit it head-on, aggressively. The good news about conflict is that it creates the opportunity for individuals and groups to learn new information and new perspectives and understand each other better.

            In the workplace many conflicts can be resolved by truly listening to each other and finding common ground.  This approach avoids  the resentments and passive resistance that occur when opinions are not heard. Instead, everyone becomes a stakeholder in the outcome. This also transcends adversarial win/lose forms of decision-making by creating win/win decisions that serve the good of all concerned. This workshop teaches the skills and communication strategies that transform conflict.       

Focus points:  

	learning active listening skills
	identifying the underlying interests to meet true needs
	surfacing what is hidden
	exploring creative solutions for mutual gain
	building a spirit of community and teamwork
	creating wiser decisions through wider input

            In this seminar you will develop practical skills for negotiating with difficult adversaries. Rather than focusing on a mutual blaming process or taking rigid positions, you will discover ways to be more effective and productive in negotiations by exploring the underlying interests of both parties. You will learn how to uncover the real needs that are driving the differences between the two sides and understand how to focus on what both parties want to achieve. You will also learn how to ask problem-solving questions rather than pushing or resisting your opponent.

            These strategies enable both sides to focus on positive outcomes instead of concentrating on the problems, which only leads to a stalemate. Interest-based negotiating skills are flexible so that you can use them in all types of sectors--business, government, community groups, and non-profit organizations.

Focus points:  

	creating a safe environment for negotiation
	understanding your opponent’s mindset and interests
	reframing the conflict
	creating incentives
	finding common ground
	developing collaboration and creating synergy
	brainstorming options for mutual gain
	establishing objective criteria for measuring results

            Thriving organizations credit self-managing teams with a large part of their success. High-performing teams experience several things in common. Their purpose is understood and agreed to by all members. Each member takes on a specific role, using his or her talents and strengths to best advantage. Everyone builds a shared vision with achievable goals. Members share the functions of leadership, power and authority as appropriate and according to their expertise. Communication is open and honest because people trust and support each other; they resolve interpersonal problems through win/win processes. Team members plan and organize strategically, using their diversity creatively and their resources wisely. They continuously evaluate their effectiveness and celebrate their successes.

            This team building program will be custom-designed to meet your particular objectives. We will design it: a) for work groups who want to better understand what makes teams successful, b) for managers who want to coach winning teams, and c) for existing teams, including their leaders, who want to be more effective.

Focus points:

	differences between groups and teams
	developing the team vision within the organizational vision
	identifying and committing to goals
	thinking and planning strategically
	practicing open and honest communication
	handling conflict through win/win practices
	implementing effective feedback
	developing measurements and accountability
	building leadership skills in team members
	planning and managing productive meetings

          Good communication skills are needed to create openness, trust and collaboration in the workplace. Many unnecessary conflicts arise not because of real differences, but because of poor communication. A key to effective communication is good listening skills—listening with an open mind and heart and giving the speaker your full attention.

          A good communicator projects confidence, authority and decisiveness. S/he avoids either attacking others or placating them. By being direct and honest in communications, you can make it safe for others to be honest. By asking direct questions rather than deducing someone’s intentions from your fears, you can be more effective. Good communication skills are a major tool for lifelong success.

Focus points:

	appreciating diverse communication styles
	understanding body language and non-verbal cues
	listening actively—mirroring the content and feelings of the speaker
	giving and receiving constructive feedback
	transforming conflict
	projecting authority
	being assertive rather than aggressive
	avoiding self-discounting language
	expressing energy, enthusiasm and appreciation
	asking problem-solving questions rather than judgmental ones

        Analyze yourself and your organization with a diagnostic “Energy Audit” based on the laws of physics and the human energy system. Behind the outer structure of an organization is the root cause of success or failure—energy flow and energy management. You can identify the seven basic energy fields in your organization and map their patterns.  With analytical tools and examples drawn from case studies, you’ll learn how to:

	identify, balance and activate the energies in your organization to benefit your people and maximize profits and productivity
	locate positive energy and amplify it
	balance and transmute negative energy that is undercutting your goals
	release blocked and untapped energy to provide creative juice
	generate visionary insights and innovative change
	improve relationships
	discover what’s needed to produce financial security