One of the most rewarding aspects of my work as an executive advisor and leadership team coach comes when facilitating, observing, and learning from fireside chat sessions.
Some of the deepest insights about life, leadership and teamwork come during these after-hour exchanges where leaders speak candidly about their concerns, frustrations, and aspirations.
Executives often say that when they look back at their team transformation process, the fireside chats, with its non-judgmental atmosphere, were team-tipping points for them.
Here are a few comments and questions from executives during unscripted fireside moments recently, see what is relevant for you and your team:
“You need to turn from the top. Lead step change and stay with it. You cannot be ambiguous from the top and remember, you cannot have a focus on everything.”
“Let’s discuss how we sponsor truly purposeful projects and how clearly and quickly we let go of status quo, pet projects that suck the time, energy, and passion out of our people.”
“Let us ask the people that report into this leadership team how we help them succeed and where we hold them back? If we want to create an agenda for change, it must start with us asking these questions.”
“How are we learning from failure? What are the most significant failures we have experienced in the past 60 days? How much time and energy have we invested in cultivating our learning from failure and mistakes – certainly, we talk about it, now let us do it.”
While a campfire is not a prerequisite for meaningful and intimate discussions, intentional listening, personal and collective vulnerability, and a non-judgmental atmosphere are most certainly needed.
How do you get to the real heart of the emotions, concerns, and ambitions of your leadership team?
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash