GRACE Works

In this episode, Paul and Asha, revisit the concept of regenerative leadership and its importance in today's rapidly changing world.

They discuss how martial arts principles can inform leadership, the role of technology in supporting life, and the need for leaders to reconnect with nature and integrate mind, body, and spirit.

The episode also touches on the unique challenges senior women leaders face and the potential for future discussions with experts on technology's impact on leadership.

The conversation concludes with reflections on personal change and the interplay between our inner and outer worlds.

We’re coming to the end of Series 1 of The Pocket Dojō podcast. If you’ve taken the time and trouble to download and a listen to any of the episodes, both myself and my talented co-host, Learning through doing appreciate you. Thank you.

It’s been fun to learn what it takes to put a podcast together and to find our podcast voice in the process.

In this episode (and the upcoming final two episodes) we wanted to underline and summarise the key themes and topics that are evolving and coming to the fore during these uncertain and turbulent times.

The Essence of Leadership in Today's World

Leadership is a term that's been dissected and discussed for ages, and yet it remains as elusive as ever. In 2019, Forbes magazine highlighted the staggering $366 billion spent annually on leadership development worldwide. Despite this investment, we continue to grapple with the challenges and opportunities that leadership presents.

In our conversations, we've come to understand leadership not just as a set of qualities or skills but as a dynamic process of learning and adapting in real time. The complexity and rapid pace of change in our world demand that we evolve our understanding of leadership from problem-solving to creative exploration.

Regenerative Practice: A New Paradigm

During our discussions, Asha and I delved into the concept of regeneration, which can mean different things to different people. For me, regeneration is about fostering conditions that allow life, in all its forms, to thrive. It's about people and place, evolving together over time.

We drew parallels with natural ecosystems, where species must adapt quickly to survive. This adaptability is something we must emulate in our organizations and teams, especially in the face of technological advancements like artificial intelligence.

The Role of Technology and AI

Technology, including AI, should serve as tools that enhance biological and social life rather than control it. While AI currently focuses on narrow goals, we must consider its broader impact on the systems it's meant to help. This is a topic we plan to explore further in future episodes of the Pocket Dojo podcast.

Nurturing Relationships and Learning Through Doing

One of the key insights from our podcast is the importance of nurturing relationships. We are social creatures, and even those of us who are introverted or solitary cannot exist in isolation. Our relationships shape us, and we shape them in return.

Art emphasized the value of diversity and the need to learn from people with different perspectives. Although this can be challenging, it is essential for developing resilience and adaptability.

Truth-Telling and Cultural Shifts

Another critical area we discussed is the importance of truth-telling. We must confront the illusions we hold about nature, such as the belief in unlimited economic growth on a finite planet. Addressing our fears, guilt, and shame about the past is crucial for moving forward.

A Framework for Team Development

Asha introduced a powerful framework for team development called "learning through doing," which consists of three parts: step back, go deeper, and experiment and refine. This process encourages teams to observe reality, connect the dots, and engage in deeper conversations to create a shared vision and purpose.

The Leadership Circle Collective Leadership Assessment

I shared the Leadership Circle Collective Leadership Assessment, a tool that evaluates how effectively a collective works together. Understanding the culture, language, and behaviour patterns within an organization is vital for driving change and achieving goals.

The Power of Conversation and Storytelling

Both Asha and I highlighted the significance of quality conversations and storytelling in shaping organisational culture and driving regenerative leadership.

These elements are foundational for reflecting, collaborating, and adapting to complex challenges.

Looking Ahead

As we wrap up the first series of the Pocket Dojo podcast, we're excited to share two thematic episodes in May while preparing for the second series.

We'll be featuring guests who will discuss their regenerative practices and work, offering fresh perspectives and insights.

In conclusion, the journey of leadership and regeneration is ongoing and multifaceted. It requires us to be reflective, collaborative, and adaptable.

By embracing these principles, we can navigate the complexities of our world and create conditions for success that are not just sustainable but regenerative.

Stay tuned for more discussions on the Pocket Dojo podcast, and thank you for joining us on this exploration of leadership and regeneration.

In this episode of the Pocket Dojo podcast, host Paul Crick and Asha Singh recap previous discussions on leadership, regenerative practice, and team development frameworks.

They explore the evolving concept of leadership, emphasizing the need for adaptability in the face of change and the importance of nurturing relationships and learning through doing.

Asha introduces the idea of regenerative practice as creating conditions for life to flourish and discusses the role of technology and AI as tools to support this goal. They also touch on the need for honesty and confronting uncomfortable truths about resource consumption and societal issues.

The episode concludes with a practical framework for team development, focusing on observation, dialogue, and experimentation.

The upcoming podcast series - Series 2 - promises to delve deeper into regenerative practices with expert guests.

In this Pocket Dojo podcast episode, hosts Paul Crick and Asha Singh delve into frameworks for team development. Paul introduces the "Leadership Circle Collective Leadership Assessment," a data-driven tool used in senior leadership teams, while Asha presents "Learning Through Doing," a three-part process for collective team growth.

They discuss the significance of trust and peer feedback, with Paul sharing the Naikan process. The episode touches on various frameworks for different team challenges and concludes with a preview of the next series, focusing on the interplay between individuals and teams. The conversation highlights the value of frameworks in fostering team dynamics and driving organizational change.

The Hopi Indians have a saying, which is 'one finger can't lift a pebble', and it is perhaps self-evident in our complex world that the role of teams has never been more important today.

Our reference points for what makes a great team often come from the world of elite sport and yet, in spite of the lessons to be taken from this context, there appears to be significant room for improvement in how well teams in our workplaces work together.

Misalignment, miscommunication and conflict often derail the best of intentions and erode company or business unit profits. These costs are significant, hidden and avoidable.

Perhaps now is a good time for us to revisit and explore the idea of a team.

• What sorts of teams are out there in the world?
• What are some of the challenges in teams today?
• How do teams need to change in future to become better?

This episode of The Pocket Dojō offers some answers to these questions and shares some of our experiences over the last 20 years of working with different types of teams all over the world.

The Hopi Indians have a saying, which is 'one finger can't lift a pebble', and it is perhaps self-evident in our complex world that the role of teams has never been more important today.

Our reference points for what makes a great team often come from the world of elite sport, and yet, in spite of the lessons to be taken from this context, there appears to be significant room for improvement in how well teams in our workplaces work together.

Misalignment, miscommunication and conflict often derail the best of intentions and erode company or business unit profits. These costs are significant, hidden and avoidable.

Perhaps now is a good time for us to revisit and explore the idea of a team.

* What sorts of teams are out there in the world?

* What are some of the challenges in teams today?

* How do teams need to change in future to become better?

I'm delighted to share with you the latest insights from our Pocket Dojo podcast. This time, we're diving deep into the world of team development. As your host, I've had the pleasure of exploring this topic with my co-host, Asha Singh, and we've uncovered some fascinating challenges and opportunities that teams face today.

🚀 The Evolution of Teams: We've come a long way from traditional team structures. Today's teams are diverse, dynamic, and often virtual. We're seeing problem-solving teams forming on the fly, self-organising groups without direct managers, and cross-functional teams bringing diverse expertise together. Each type has its unique set of challenges, from managing remote work to balancing competing priorities.

🌐 Global Teamwork and Technology: Virtual teams are becoming the norm in our increasingly connected world. But how do we navigate the generational divides and varying work styles? We're tackling these questions head-on, sharing stories from the trenches of global organizations and the push towards standardizing processes and technology.

🤝 Leadership and Alignment: Leadership isn't just about driving results anymore; it's about enabling and fostering collaboration across different departments. We're redefining what it means to lead in a 'team of teams' and how to align on a shared vision, especially in a post-pandemic world.

💡 Real-World Experiences: We'll share our personal experiences, successes, challenges, and those 'aha' moments when a team truly comes together.

🔍 The Heart of the Matter: Sometimes, the problem a team thinks it has isn't the real issue. We delve into the art of uncovering the true challenges and facilitating those breakthrough moments that lead to real change.

This episode is just the tip of the iceberg, and I can't wait for you to join us as we explore these topics in more depth. Whether you're leading a team, part of one, or just fascinated by the dynamics of teamwork, there's something here for you.

So, are you ready to unlock your team's full potential? Tune in to the latest episode of the Pocket Dojo podcast, and let's take this journey together!

In this episode we begin to turns the lens on to the broad topic of regenerative practice on  @mypocketdojo .

Regeneration is a topic that is gaining ground in conversations in the corporate world and beyond as we face into addressing the large scale, environmental challenges presented by the causes of climate change.

We consider the topic from a wider lens beyond regenerative agriculture to include the more human elements of these practices.

Most of us have a different idea of the 'what' of leadership is but not enough of the 'how to' do it. In this episode, we share some ideas on the 'how' and in particular looking at why leading ourselves and others is a practice.

Too often we turn verbs in our patterns of language use into nouns - we nominalise them - and as a result, the original meanings of words are diluted as they become overused.

For example, when we speak of having a difficult relationship with someone in our workplace, what we really talking about is a difficulty in the process of relating between two people.

It may sound a little weird when we say that out loud, but that’s because we’re so conditioned to verbalising the noun - relationship - rather than the verb - relating.

So what? It sounds a bit pedantic and outlandish. Does it matter?

Words make worlds. We know this from our own experience.

So, I suggest it does because when we look deeper into the behaviour and language patterns we can pinpoint where there is a misalignment of intentions and understanding in communication that reduces our ability to connect and work well together.

The consequences are added cost for a business. Costs that are significant and avoidable.

In Episode 6 we speak to the idea of leading as a practice. It’s something we don’t take time out to do. We tend to learn ‘on the job’ with mixed results and enlist the help of coaches and mentors to help course correct our practice to become more effective as we work together with others.

We also introduce and begin to unpack the last two elements of the GRACE Framework® which is a practical framework to help us actually practice leading ourselves and others.

The last two elements are: -

* CREATE - how to do this with less fear and harnessing wisdom and intuition

* EMBODY - how to be more aware of how work with our body when we work

Lastly, we share more on the idea of regeneration shifting it from something that is interesting to talk about to something we can actually do to make a difference and have an impact.

Feedback Corner

We intend to make content that is thought provoking, relevant and helpful. If there’s a topic you’d like to introduce, please email us at [email protected]

If you’d like to be a guest on one of the upcoming livestreams, please do get in touch.

Most of us have a different idea of the 'what' of leadership is but not enough of the 'how to' do it.

In this episode, we share some ideas on the 'how' and in particular looking at why leading ourselves and others is a practice.

We introduce the last two elements of the GRACE Framework® which is a practical framework to help us actually practice leading ourselves and others.

The last two elements are:

- CREATE - how to do this with less fear and harnessing wisdom and intuition

- EMBODY - how to be more aware of how work with our body when we work