This time of year is effervescent with stimulating conversations taking place in events such as conferences, seminars, etc. Having participated in two local (Vancouver) conferences this month, here’s a sampling of the gems I learned and contributed:
At the BC Human Resources Management Association conference:
Between Rick Mercer’s captivating stories, David Rock’s neuro-leadership, Jeremy Gutsche’s talk on innovation, and many more stellar presentations, the BCHRMA event was a feast for the mind.
– Rick Mercer delivered a fun ride through his adventures across our vast landscape. Along with his twists of humour, he also moved the audience with anecdotes about the good causes he served by instigating popular fund-raising campaigns in several Canadian schools.
– Ms. CEO was a well moderated panel discussion including 3 CEOs: Nicole Stefenelli, Krista Thompson, and Karen Flavelle. Right at the start, they acknowledged that many of us are tired of the fight for gender equality. But, thanks to current research, the conversation has changed. No longer just about fairness, we now have facts proving that organizational health and profitability increases when women are involved as leaders. Among surprising stats, it was said that only 17% of “C” positions are occupied by women although this gender represents 47% of the total workforce. Coaching was praised as an effective way to break down the barriers and limiting beliefs that still reside in both genders at the subconscious level.
– Jeremy Gutsche’s expertise on trendsetting shone as he promoted a culture of revolution that fosters innovation, creativity and super charged viral messages that convey succinctly – in 7 words or less – what the company does best. One of his catchy phrases was “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. It affirms many consultants and coaches’ view that the importance and power of an organization’s culture based on clear compelling vision and core values-in-action cannot be over-stated.
– David Rock presented contents from his latest book Your Brain at Work. Three of his main points were that the rational is overrated, attention changes the brain and that emotions are misunderstood. It turns out that feelings are better managed and their intensity decreases when we acknowledge them and talk about them. (Those of us with good social/emotional intelligence know this experientially, but now neuroscience is proving it).
– Tony Hsieh author of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Passion, Profit and Purpose delivered the closing plenary keynote with an amazing elaboration about how his US company Zappos.com built its lasting success with exceptional customer service, tribal leadership and a robust company culture.
Look up the BCHRMA People Talk upcoming summer issue for an article of mine about turning a retirement into a fulfilling re-engagement.
At the Providence Health Care conference entitled Spirituality: The Hidden Ingredient in Health and Healing, I facilitated the breakout session: Therapeutic Poetry: Supporting the Healing Journey through the Language of the Soul. Through this multi-media experiential mini-workshop, participants were well engaged as they learned about the many uses and benefits of poetry. Whether used as catalyst for emotions, to bridge a gap with others, to draw from one’s inner guidance or infuse reverence to special events, the power of meaningful words is awe-inspiring.
Among the streams of wisdom I most appreciated from the conference were Dr. Kenneth Pargament US psychotherapist who spoke of using psycho-spiritual questions to help his clients improve their relationship with the divine thereby generating more self-compassion.
Speaking of compassion, Nuala Kelly, MD offered a bright elaboration of compassion as a robust virtue that comprise of two inner movements. The first impulse is about a kind of co-suffering, a humble way to resonate with the suffering of another. The second is about a commitment as an active response, a resolve to do something about the suffering we see or experience.
At this time, may you all experience a wellspring of compassion for yourself and allow it to reverberate far beyond your own direct scope of experience.
