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Developing Leadership Agility

Posted by Anthony Attan

Sep 30, 2015 10:29:00 PM

“Probably the most important competency for leaders to have in today’s rapidly changing world.”  What could be so powerful and important to leadership that would compel Marshall Goldsmith to make this statement?  Agility.

Leadership agility is more than just the latest buzzword in the leadership literature.  In fact, Forbes has described it as “the ingredient that will define the next generation of leaders”.   With the increasing complexity that leaders face in today’s business landscape, there is good reason why the experts are flying the agility flag. Today’s leaders must continue to rely on collaboration, connection and influence to gain business results. This requires nimbleness, as leaders make adjustments depending on whom they are interacting with and for what reason.  This adjustment, or perhaps more accurately described as alignment, is the essence of leadership agility.

Although many leaders are quick to agree that this is an important, if not necessary, competency to be successful, they often struggle in how to bring about this quality.  When I ask participants in my workshops what qualities leaders MUST have to be successful, they all tend to arrive at a similar list; passion, ambition, innovation, creativity, vision, commitment, accountability, empathy, communication etc.  I ask which of these characteristics leaders can do without, and participants always answer correctly; none of them! 

Great leaders ARE all of these things but they certainly can’t be all of these at once.  This is the heart of agility.  Great leaders know when to be what, and how to get there.  At this point, those that know FEBI well have likely noticed that what we are referring to is Whole Leadership, a concept Ginny Whitelaw developed to describe a leadership approach that utilizes all four of the fundamental energy patterns of personality.  These energy patterns, which are measured by a coaching instrument called FEBI, correspond with the four main categories of leadership success. Great leaders must be passionate, focused and courageous as described by the Driver pattern.  They must be honest, committed, and responsible as described by the Organizer pattern.  They also must communicate effectively, connect, and have empathy as described by the Collaborator pattern.  And finally, great leaders must be innovative, inspirational and have vision as described by the Visionary pattern.

A leader becomes an agile leader when they become skillful at the ability to recognize which pattern a particular situation calls for and effectively makes the shift to move into that pattern. In essence, this means shifting ones internal state to match what they want to create in the external world around them. This has been a primary focus of my own work developing leaders at all levels of the organization and why we developed the Targeting Your Leadership Energy course.  To become an agile leader, they must first gain self-awareness of how these patterns show-up with-in themselves.  I spoke much more on this topic in my Choice Magazine article on Coaching with Instruments: Taking the Guess Work out of Coaching.  Armed with this self-awareness, leaders are empowered to make a choice to shift from a preferred, and thus more utilized, pattern to one that is better aligned with the outcomes they are trying to bring about.  The more they practice this, especially with less preferred patterns, the more agile they become. 

In my own coaching I’ve found the FEBI to be the most useful framework to developing leadership agility.  In other words, agile leadership is whole leadership and the FEBI is a powerful tool to get you there.

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Topics: FEBI, leadership development, whole leadership, Leadership Agility

Wellness Retreat with FEBI

Posted by Anthony Attan

Jan 5, 2015 8:40:00 PM

Antimo Cimino is a FEBI-Certified Coach who has combined his passion for movement and wellness with experiential travel.  We've invited Antimo to share with the FEBI community what this retreat is all about and how FEBI fits in:

 

Wellness Retreat with FEBI:

By: Antimo Cimino

Screen_Shot_2015-01-05_at_8.25.39_PM-1I believe that by applying FEBI to a wellness retreat as a core framework, and by allowing people to unplug from their daily routine and demanding jobs, balanced health, wellness, peace and inner joy can be achieved much more successfully.

Many dream of a fantastic vacation and getaway to a new place, discovering a new culture and enjoying contact with locals. So why not combining pleasure and relaxation with learning and self-awareness? Applying the FEBI as a framework to a wellness retreat, understanding the principles of FEBI, and receiving one-o-one coaching will help participants understand how to take full advantage of the four energy types to become fully engaged in every aspect of life (Personal & Professional).

Each pattern will be explored in more depth daily as we engage in movement and wellness activities that exemplify them. The embodiment of the patterns will allow you to not only construe it but to embrace it, sense it, and feel it. The natural environment that will surround you in Dominica, will be not only complimentary but conducive to focusing on your inner self.

From going on a hike, to a yoga class in the middle of the rain forest, to an organic raw food cooking class, FEBI principles and types will be in action, allowing you to express your preferred pattern or challenging you to use your least preferred or expressed pattern as well as supporting the individual goals you set for yourself.

Enjoy, have fun, relax and learn with FEBI in Dominica and come back rejuvenated, motivated and inspired to live a happy, healthy, engaged and well-balanced life!

Click HERE to learn more and register for the retreat, which will be held November 4th through November 12th, 2015.

 

Are you a coach interested in using FEBI in your own practice?  Click HERE to learn more about FEBI Certification.

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Chop, Chop, On Time

Posted by Ginny Whitelaw

Dec 31, 2014 11:39:00 AM

Guest blogger, Theo Cade, shares his experience of working with Driver energy.  Driver is not always the pattern we think of for interpersonal harmony, but in this case, it's just the ticket.

Taking the mini FEBI on page 111, I found my least developed energy is Driver.  Driver is my wife's strength. This has helped "Strengthen My Play" in our marriage.  

Jude loves to be on time for appointments and meetings. I am more relaxed about this, which can be a stress point for us.  One day I was particularly slow in getting ready for an appointment we both had together. This did not endear me to this woman I adore, appreciate, and love to treat well. She was not the happiest of campers.

The next morning we had another appointment at the same time. After studying the energy of the Driver, I delivered my first words early in the day in Driver style. My right hand made chopping gestures into my left palm, a clear Driver energy. I noted to her the three concrete steps I had laid out to do to be ready to go on time, chop, chop, chop.

It worked. All three tasks done in readiness on time. Even had time to handle an unexpected broken water pipe.  As Jude moved into the passenger seat next to me, ready on time, found myself glowing sitting beside my happy wife.

blog excerpt from Theo Cade, Ph.D.  (for full post, see The Zen Leader blog)

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What are you seeking at work?

Posted by Ginny Whitelaw

Sep 19, 2014 3:28:46 PM

patternsHorizontal    FEBI-certified coach, AnnRene shares this blog post from Seth Godin; without naming them he could as easily be talking  about the FEBI patterns:

Some people want safety and respect. They want to know what the work rules are, they want a guarantee that the effort required is both predictable and rewarded. They seek an environment where they won't feel pushed around, surprised or taken advantage of.

Other people want challenge and autonomy. They want the opportunity to grow and to delight or inspire the people around them. They seek both organizational and personal challenges, and they like to solve interesting problems.

Without a doubt, there's an overlap here, but if you find that your approach to the people around you isn't resonating, it might because you're giving your people precisely what they don't want.

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Personality Most Important to Hiring Managers: Developing Today's Leader

Posted by Anthony Attan

Aug 13, 2014 10:12:17 PM

4patterngraphic-new3The most recent issue of Training and Development Magazine (T+D, July, 2104) noted new research findings that 78% of managers surveyed indicated that personality is the most important attribute in a job candidate.  This study is a part of a larger conversation that personality is increasingly more important than hard skills as one moves up in the organizational ranks. In addition to typically sought after characteristics such as conscientiousness and analytic skills, the study found that the most desirable traits were creativity, drive and flexibility. In other words, in today’s business landscape, in order to be successful as we assume leadership roles, we must ensure we take a whole leader approach.

 

A whole leader is someone who has developed the ability to be agile in ALL these areas, rather than only be effective in one or two. In my own work with leaders it became clear early on that although technical skills are certainly necessary at the beginning of ones carrier, and that they can do well with only one of these characteristics noted above, this will not take them to the next level of leadership.  As leaders, it is no longer ok to only be analytic, as we also need to be creative and have the courage to make tough decisions.  It is no longer ok to be only laser focused on one thing, as we must also see the big picture and navigate competing priorities.  Whole leaders know how to use their strengths AND know when something else is needed.  Recognizing that AND often means a paradox. Whole leaders know how to strike the right balance between leveraging strengths while not becoming a victim of them. 

 

In addition to my work with leaders, I teach talent development practitioners how to develop their clients to be whole leaders by use of an instrument called FEBI.  The FEBI is a personality assessment specifically designed for leadership development that measures precisely the personality characteristics the study above noted as what hiring managers are now looking for when evaluating if a candidate will be successful in their work.  Since we know from personality theory that we have a tendency to prefer one or two of these characteristics, or energy patterns of personality as FEBI terms them, talent development practitioners can help leaders:

 

  • Be self-aware to understand their own preferences and how it impacts how they interpret and interact with their environment.
  • Align their work with what they are natural great at, growing and embracing their strength.
  • Become agile in all patterns but developing their whole self so that they can summon a different energy pattern when their strength isn’t appropriate for a particular leadership task.

 

The way we bring about this self-awareness is through validated psychometrics such as FEBI.  The four patterns FEBI measures have been found to be essential for leadership success:

 

  • Driver – laser focused, drives for results, challenges barriers, stretches for goals, loves to win, gets to the point, fast and direct, and independent. 
  • Organizer - does the right thing, moves step by step, proper, likes order, plans and lists, neat and tidy, stable and reliable. 
  • Collaborator - engages people, has fun, rolls with the punches, sees both sides, works around obstacles, plays in the give and take, builds teams and networks. 
  • Visionary - goes with the flow, lets go, thinks in leaps, sees the big picture, seeks harmony, thinks strategically, future-oriented.

 

Our research has found that although we tend to favor one or two of these patterns, which we call Home Patterns, the most successful leaders are those that can easily access all four and are able to use the right pattern at the right time.  These whole leaders are able to thrive with their strengths, while not getting stuck in them.  They are able to recognize what the situation demands, what pattern is best aligned with that demand and effectively enter into that pattern to approach the situation with the right energy. Whole leaders know their strengths but have also developed a full tool box so that when their home pattern isn’t best, they can flip into what pattern is.

Want to learn more about how FEBI can be used in your own talent development efforts?  Join us on September 7th for the free webinar, Energize Yourself, Energize Your Business with FEBI 

 Register for Webinar

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Topics: FEBI, FEBI Certified Coach, leadership, leadership development

Change Requires Management, Transition Requires Leadership

Posted by Anthony Attan

Apr 7, 2014 8:55:40 PM

cK-to-supermanChange - happening faster all the time - still calls out for management and all the planning, delegating, budgeting and deciding that implies. But transition requires leadership. Change is what happens to organizational process, transition is what happens to the people involved in that process.

There are a few good models to understand the transition side of change. William Bridges' model, for example, identifies three ‘zones’ people go through when transitioning.The first is called the “Ending Zone” which occurs when we must let go of the old way. Bridges describes how we almost need to go through stages of grieving to effectively navigate this zone. Once we accept that the old way is over, we enter the “Neutral Zone” when the old way is gone, but the new way has not yet begun. This zone can be particularly disorienting as it is full of ambiguity and lack of clarity. The final zone in the Bridges' model is the “New Beginning Zone” in which we fully embrace the change and are engaged in the new way. He notes that different people move at different rates through these zones. These individual differences are part of our personality, and self awareness can make the difference between a new beginning or getting stuck in the neutral zone.The FEBI is a powerful framework to create this awareness. Each of the four FEBI patterns has a characteristic way of moving through the Neutral Zone toward New Beginnings:

  • Driver: The Driver grows impatient in the Neutral Zone and does not do well with ambiguity. Drivers need to remind themselves that change is a process and takes time. They will benefit from stepping back, embracing the change, and envisioning the benefits once the change is fully realized.
  • Organizer: The Organizer can be a worrier about change, relying as it does on on consistency and predictability. Organizers will do best to anticipate different scenarios so they feel prepared for anything. Since predictability is often lacking during a change process, Organizers will benefit from activities that loosen, stretch, expand and renew them during this time.
  • Collaborator: The Collaborator is nimble enough to navigate process changes, but may get caught up in the drama or concern for people during this time. Collaborators may gossip and potential elicit unwarranted fears among colleagues. Collaborators do well to keep those initial conversations between their supervisors and themselves. They can serve an important role getting people on board with the change once they're engaged themselves.
  • Visionary: The Visionary is perhaps the most at ease with transition among the patterns. Visionaries can run into trouble, however, when new processes must be followed in order for the change to be successful. Visionaries can navigate the neutral zone by continuing to keep the bigger picture in mind. They should remind themselves of the importance of this change and what is possible once the change has been fully realized.

Bridges' model is a great framework for those in the organization who are handed a change and must comply with it. However what if you are the leader in charge of this change? We can turn to change expert, John Kotter and see how, in leading others through change, the FEBI patterns provide useful agility through the stages of the process. Our own research has found that that leaders who can effectively align their inner state with the needs of the situation act in the most effective way. Below you can see how the energy patterns of FEBI map to the steps in Kotter’s model:

KotterChangeSteps

Here we see that mapping these steps to the patterns gives clarity as to which pattern to use, when. It's easiest to move into these energy patterns at the right time once you understand their signature in you. Perhaps you have some sense already as to what your favorite pattern is and which patterns are less preferred. To remove the guess work, you can take the FEBI, a validated assessment that measures these patterns. Just as GoogleMaps or GPS are useless in giving directions without first knowing where you are, the FEBI provides this initial understanding of our own starting point, and how we can move into any pattern as we need it.

Are you a coach or development practitioner and want to use FEBI to help your clients manage change and lead transition? Become FEBI-Certified. The next FEBI Certification begins May 4th. Seats are limited so register today.Click HERE to learn more. You can also download a whitepaper on coaching with the energy patterns using the link below.

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Topics: FEBI, FEBI Certified Coach, change management, transition

What Does FEBI Have In Common With Feldenkrais?

Posted by Ginny Whitelaw

Feb 12, 2014 3:15:00 PM

Moshe_FeldenkraisQ: One of my clients asked how does the FEBI relate to Feldenkrais? (founder, Moshe Feldenrkais, pictured at left.)

A: Both FEBI and Feldenkrais connect body and mind, so in that sense they are similar, and I can see why your client would ask this question. Both attend deeply to how the body is functioning.  The FEBI is measuring large-scale patterns functioning throughout the nervous system. Indeed, the theory is that when one part of the body-mind goes into a pattern, the rest tends to follow.  That's why changing how we move changes how we think.
I would refine the theory to add that our ENTIRE mind-body doesn't necessarily get there.  We still carry residual tension and our home pattern is still functioning in the background (i.e., when we try to relax, our entire body doesn't relax all at once).  Where Feldenkrais focuses is on this very point: we tend to habitually tense and link muscle movements together that aren't needed for the most efficient movement.  For example, raising our eyebrows when we open our mouth to take a spoonful of soup. Or raising our shoulders when we lift a book. Even when we try to relax our movement, some parts don't relax.  We have to consciously go into a movement, tease apart what's essential from what's unnecessary and re-learn the most efficient movement.  That's what Feldenkrais techniques teach one to do. Paired with an understanding of the patterns and FEBI, people who practice Feldenkrais will get a better sense of where they habitually hold tension, and which pattern centers are activated and essential for which physical movements.
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How to Bring Out the Driver in Yoga – and anything else, for that matter

Posted by Ginny Whitelaw

Feb 6, 2014 1:56:00 PM

 

janet-stone-yoga-water

This question of how to bring more Driver energy into yoga came up at our last FEBI certification session, and I thought it worthy of a fuller answer. So many of us in coaching and leadership development find Driver is one of our least favorite patterns. And yet we need it for so many things from empathizing with Driver clients to protecting what’s vital in our work and business.  (See also In Defense of Driver). 

So in the spirit of using our strong pattern(s) to access a weaker one, how can we use an Organizer-Visionary practice like yoga to bring out more Driver?  The Driver center is the key: that place in the lower abdomen that fires when we start pushing. To find it even now, clasp your hands and push your palms together hard. Notice something in the base of the abdomen starts firing.  Quit pushing and feel it go away. Start pushing and feel it kick in again. Do this until you have a good feel for where that Driver center is in you, and then send your next exhale deeply into this center, as if it could penetrate like an arrow. 

This practice is similar to what we do in Zen training and martial arts to develop the area the Japanese call “hara” – the center of physical power – which includes both the Collaborator center (near the belly button) and the Driver center (at its base).  Those of you who follow the work of Mandy Blake (Your Body is Your Brain) or Grant Soosalu and Martin Oka (m-Braining), will recognize there is also a sophisticated “brain” in this region of the body – 500 million neurons strong! Developing this region and engaging its intuitive mobilizing ability is of enormous importance.

So how to do this into yoga postures?  A number of postures naturally emphasize this core, like the half-bridge, where we lie on our back, knees bent, feet on the ground, and slightly lift the hips.  You can make this even more of a Driver exercise if you extend through the balls of your feet/big toes into the earth, and breathe deeply into the Driver center.  Other postures, like downward dog, you can make more of a Driver posture by, again, extending/pressing the balls of your feet/big toes into the earth and breathing deeply into the Driver center.  It’s easy to find the Driver center in this posture because it’s at the crease between the top and bottom halves of your body.   

You can generalize this advice to many other activities.  They take on more of the Driver’s edge and clarity when you press the balls of your feet/big toes into the earth as you do them.  For example, when you’re cooking, standing at the counter using a cutting board, you can bring your weight to the balls of your feet/big toes, extend, and – there it is – the Driver center adding sharpness to your cuts.  Or when you’re sitting in a meeting or at your desk, you can bring weight into the balls of your feet, press and – there it is – the Driver center helping you lean in.  In our line of Zen training, we use this principle in every exhale to engage the Driver as our “temple guardian” to keep the mind clear. 

Finally, don’t forget your strengths - the Visionary’s relaxed bigness, the Organizer’s calm, the Collaborator’s rhythm – so that you can learn to bring on the Driver without getting tense and tight.

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Organizer and Visionary: What is possible when these seemingly opposing forces come together?

Posted by Anthony Attan

Jan 12, 2014 3:04:40 PM

One needs control, the other thrives in chaos. One is meticulously calculating, the other willing to change as fast as the wind shifts. These two patterns truly are paradoxical forces but what becomes possible when we learn to manage this paradox? When we learn to use both of the powerful energy patterns of FEBI?

First, a bit of background. What we are describing here are two of the four energy patterns of personality measured by the FEBI personality assessment. Although all patterns serve an important purpose in just about any situation, most of us have a strong preference for one of these four, which we call our home pattern. As a coach that works with leaders around these patterns, I also often see that two patterns can merge together to form a personality style for that individual. More times than not, we see pairings of Driver with Organizer or pairing of Collaborator with Visionary. These pairings do make intuitive sense given the nature of the patterns, Driver/Organizer being patterns of what is rewarded in many companies such as meeting goals, following through on commitments and pushing for greater success. Collaborator/Visionary are patterns of creativity and art such as seen in these street art pictures. These, however, are far from the only styles that can exist and some pretty interesting things happen when some of the more opposing patterns pair together. Extraversion, for example, appears to be a combination of Driver and Collaborator. The Driver side of extraversion is the side the steps up in leadership situations, taking charge when the task calls for it. The Collaborator side of extraversion, on the other hand, is all about being the life of the party and connecting with people. Two very different expressions of the widely known extraversion trait but when combined creates a charismatic, engaging leader that gets things done!

Another interesting pairing is the Organizer and Visionary energy patterns. The Organizer energy pattern is defined by its systematic approach to problem solving, its attention to details and its overall demeanor of conscientiousness. High Organizers tend to thrive in situations that have, well, order! They like to know what is coming, they create plans and they stick with them. An Organizer has a place for everything and everything is in its place. This is very different from the Visionary energy pattern which instead thrives in chaos. This pattern has an ability to sense the flow of shifting winds and the agility to move with it. Visionary is about innovation, freedom and big picture thinking, a far cry from the structure of the Organizer.

From that description it sure seems like these two forces are destined to compete but what happens when they come together? Well, this…

snow-art8     snow-art10

What you are looking at is snow art by Simon Beck. These are massive pictures created by pressing snow that take Simon endless hours and require him to walks miles for every piece. To create these truly sensational works of art, two energy patterns are required. First, you need a vision. Remember the scale of these art pieces, a big canvas indeed. Simon has to envision what he wants to create with the space he has and make it work to scale. This of course requires Simon to summon the creative and big picture energy of the Visionary. Vision will only give you an idea, however, so another energy pattern is needed to ensure the vision is realized. Execution requires a very meticulous process of ensuring every step is in the exact right spot to create that bigger picture. As these pictures below show, the Organizer can be of great help when creating these massive art pieces one step at a time.

snow-art3   snow-art

We can find a rhythm of using both these patterns, you have the vision to create great things and the discipline to execute that vision. This can certainly be tricky since they really are paradoxical forces, however, as Ginny Whitelaw describes in The Zen Leader that being able to manage this paradox is imperative to leadership success:

“Paradox takes us into the realm of not knowing, of not solving a problem once and for all, but rather managing an ongoing dynamic two (or more) “right” answers, neither of which is sufficient by itself. To embrace and work with paradox, we have to suspend our mind’s pull to nail down an answer. We have to accept the more complex dynamism of And, while relinquishing our grasp on the simple stasis of Or.”

Simon found a way to manage the paradox and rather than just envisioning the snow art or methodically walking in the snow he created this art by effectively managing the And. To learn more about how to do this, I recommend reading the chapter of The Zen Leader “From Or to And” dedicated to this topic. Want to learn what your energy pattern style is? Take the FEBI report for yourself.

snow-art11

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Topics: zen leader, paradox, FEBI, Visionary, Organizer

Tales of Bad Bosses and why they don't need to be

Posted by Anthony Attan

Dec 17, 2013 12:43:00 PM

Question: What is the #1 reason people quit their job? /br Answer: Their boss

 

4patterngraphic-new3This is probably not surprising to you, as almost all of us have encountered the dreaded bad boss. The micro-managing boss. The only-care-about-the-bottom-line boss. The disorganized-and-has-no-clue boss. Or the can’t-make-tough-decisions-and-just-wants-to-be-friends boss. Sound familiar? Even this post was inspired by the experience of a friend who recently asked her boss for bereavement days off to attend an out of state funeral of a close relative.  The bosses response, “Can’t you just Skype in?” SKYPE IN!!! I just about fell out of my chair when I heard that one. And I’m sure you have your own horror stories of bosses who seem to want to sabotage the productivity and well-being of their employees.

So why is it that some bosses are great and others are so bad? One big reason is an empathy deficit that seems to get worse the higher up you go in an organization. In Robb Smith’s TED talk he notes how CEOs have the lowest emotional intelligence in the entire workforce. Empathy, what Dianne Stober calls, “one of the most basic capacities required for understanding one another,” is often lacking in leaders. Oh yeah, and it matters to business success! Forbes notes that “the reality is that for business leaders to experience success, they need to not just see or hear the activity around them, but also relate to the people they serve.” We already know how important engagement is, and you can imagine how much engagement falls off around a lack of empathy.  Just think of the shift in engagement when being told to Skype in to a funeral!

With empathy so important, how does one develop this quality that seems elusive to so many leaders? In Ginny Whitelaw’s latest book, The Zen Leader, she describes how to boast empathy in her chapter on the flip From Controlling to Connecting. She describes how the energy patterns of FEBI can be a power tool to help summon real empathy that fully allows you to ‘become the other person.’

“In a pattern sense, we can make this flip by starting in a quiet, listening, Organizer place, and then relax completely. We invite a kind of permeability into the boundary of our self-in-our-skin and sense another’s rhythm. We can listen for their breathing, their pulse, sense their entire being all at once, and we enter Collaborator’s empathetic engagement. If the talkative Collaborator is Home for you, your challenge might be to access the quiet listening of the Organizer as a starting place. If you normally live at the Driver’s speed, you may find it hard to slow down enough to sense depth, rather than racing over the surface. If you normally live with the Visionary’s expansiveness, you may need enough centeredness to connect without losing yourself. Whatever your challenge, you now know how to access the energy pattern that can support you in building a practice of connecting with empathy.”

There are two important points that Dr. Whitelaw makes here. First, we see that the energy patterns can be a great supporter of our effort to summon empathy. If we need help seeing someone else’s vision, we can enter the Visionary energy pattern, which feels comfortable suspending prior beliefs and is open to new possibilities. If we need to better understand someone’s passion and enthusiasm we can enter Driver and use its intensity to better feel into their sharply-focused excitement. As we’ve seen with applications such as virtual leadership and creating a climate of engagement, each pattern has value when it comes to engaging in empathy.

The second point here is that it isn’t enough to just know about the patterns in general, rather we must understand how these patterns show up within ourselves. Our ‘personality’ is our individualized preferences for each of these patterns. Often times, one or two of these patterns are much more preferred, and thus utilized, over the others. When one of these patterns is used at the exclusion of the others, this can result in a gaping hole in leadership abilities.  For example, that micro-managing boss may be over using his or her Organizer pattern while not using enough of the Visionary's willingness to let things play out.  The bottom-line-above-all-else boss may be over using his or her Driver pattern, while not using enough of the Collaborator's concern for the impact on other people.

Before we are able to truly understand where someone else is coming from, we must first have a deep understanding of our own lens, which we use to interpret the world around us. This self-awareness provides us with an opportunity to see any distortions this lens creates.  With a deeper understanding of ourselves, we can begin to understand others from a much more authentic place. This skill is how we close the empathy gap, which is simply imperative for leadership success. In the words of Dr. Whitelaw, “Become the other, and it opens up a world of understanding, in which communication becomes naturally influential, and influence becomes just another authentic dialogue.”

 

To learn more about the energy patterns within you, take the mini-FEBI for yourself.

Take Mini-FEBI for free

 

 

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Topics: zen leader, the zen leader, FEBI, energy patterns, Ginny Whitelaw, empathy

Welcome to the FEBI Learning Lounge

The official FEBI blog

The FEBI Learning Lounge is the official blog of FEBI Assessment.  In this blog we discuss all things related to the energy patterns of FEBI, digging more into each of the patterns of personality and discussing various applications that can benefit from a pattern perspective.

Also visit the Zen Leader Blog

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