Advice for transforming leadership, culture, Curiosity, and communication from Beth Wonson
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This article in the August issue of “O” magazine is about my amazing teacher, mentor and friend, Koelle Simpson. It is through Koelle’s Equus Coaching program that I am learning to incorporate horses as co-facilitator into my coaching and group development work. To learn how you can participate in a session with a horse as the co-facilitator, contact me at bethwonsonconsulting@gmail.org or 978-614-5405. Not in my area? I have amazing friends and colleagues around the country who can guide you through learning about yourself through the eyes of the horse! Click here for link
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Trusting and Saying Yes..
In early February of 2013 I drove to the San Luis Obispo airport to pick up a woman I had never met and never spoken to on the phone. She was arriving for the 2013 Equus Practitioners training program at North Star Ranch. Based on a gut feeling that something amazing was to happen, I offered my two spare bedrooms to anyone in the training who felt inspired to stay with me instead of a hotel. Susan Ferino said “yes”. She flew in from Philadelphia at 8:45 at night. We were only 10 minutes from the airport when we both…
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Being Present
Developed for the Crawford Collaborative Consulting Retreat, June 20-22, 2013 In this moment I will bring my whole being—body, mind and spirit—to the here and now. This moment originates and lives deep within me. I enter the present moment by grounding myself. I feel the earth beneath my feet, the sun on my face, and the touch of the breeze in my hair. I breathe into what I am feeling, spiritually, emotionally and physically, without judgment. I acknowledge and have gratitude for the challenging and for the blissful. For feelings of discomfort and for feelings of joy. And embrace them…
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Seeking change in others?
When I do my first assessment with a new client, they typically tell me all the things about others that they wish would change. They are hopeful my work will focus on fixing “them”. The most powerful thing, and in fact the only thing, you can do to manifest change in someone else is to change your own behavior, attitude or belief. For that is all we truly have control over. And when make a subtle change in ourselves, it has a significant impact on those around us. Consider for a moment your most challenging team member or co-worker. Now…
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Nothing has any meaning EXCEPT the meaning I choose to give it.
This is a new learning for me and it has been such an empowering, freeing lesson. Just think about it, “Nothing has any meaning except the meaning I choose to give it.” A great many “things” happen around me, to me, in relation to others, in relation to myself. And I alone get to create and assign meaning to each event. I can create my own story. I create a story about the meaning of the attitude of the grocery store clerk and how it relates to me. I create a story about the look my co-worker gives me on…
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Cool new resource for facilitators, trainers and coaches…
Project Adventure, a world leader in training experiential based facilitators, is launching a new resource-filled site. There are two levels of participation. Registered users have access to videos, activities and more. In a few weeks, a subscription level will be launched where PA’s library of activity and facilitation books will be available for free to search and read on line. I had the opportunity yesterday to get a personal tour of the site and talk with the developers (Matt Morin, Greg Clarke and Beth Norris). I have to say, I was highly impressed. Especially talking about the vision of how…
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“I want to spend my life working with people I enjoy”
Bart Crawford, founder/CEO of Crawford Collaborative Consulting, said these words as he was creating his company, an organization comprised of highly skilled, like minded consultants. This evening while speaking regarding the first CCC Consultants retreat, Bart said, “I’m bringing this group together because during my career, these people have lifted me up, they challenged me to stretch, we laughed together and we learned together. And I want them to all have the opportunity to meet each other and collaborate on amazing, unimaginable projects. Just as I’ve had with each of them”. This is the first official gathering of a small…
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Ready for Virtual Hugging?
Yesterday I was reminded of the magical value of technologies like SKYPE. I am presently in New England on a combination work/family trip and spent time at the offices of one of my consulting clients, High 5 Adventure Learning in Brattleboro, VT. Because I’ve been working with this amazing group via SKYPE since September, it didn’t immediately dawn on me that I’d never been in the physical presence of many of the team members! Our on-line interactions over the past nearly 12 months makes it feel like we’ve met in person many times. I realized how quickly I’ve come to…
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Delving into the Spectrum of Trust
There is reoccurring theme cropping up in my leadership coaching work – trust. Lack of trust, fear of trust, loss of trust…all are words and phrases my clients use consistently. Not a new theme for sure. There are volumes of books and videos and advice and parables developed around the need for trust, how to foster trust, how to gain trust and on and on. But my new emerging curiosity and exploration is around a spectrum of trust. The range of trust and how we move and play within the two ends “a complete void of trust” and “a place…
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What pathway will you create?
We are the engineers, construction crews and ultimately the trail builders of our own pathways through life. As we put one foot in front of the other, the energy of our intentions is project out ahead of us, creating a path of ease or a path of limitations. If you are seeking a rough pathway full of fear, anger, roadblocks and resentment, you can create by spending time projecting negative thoughts, anticipating failure, holding onto anger and resentment, living fearfully and speaking confidently that what seems impossible is impossible. These thoughts create a muddled, murky and weak energy. This is…
Leveling up Leadership and Culture Through Healthy and Candid Communication
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