An international airline overhaul and maintenance company wanted to develop the Leadership Skills of their Senior Management Team. Like many engineering managers, they were primarily ‘task focused’ and to date most emphasis had been on technical training.

Yet, this team’s main responsibility was to lead and manage a complex mix of people, skills and interests, whose effectiveness was vital to success. Their role also required them to set the tone and create the necessary conditions so safety, problem solving & innovation could flourish. A further challenge was to manage themselves skillfully within a complex matrix reporting structure.

Joanne was invited to design and facilitate a Mindful Leadership & Emotional Intelligence programme.

Outcomes of Leadership programme:

Participation in the full Developing Leadership Skills Programme was strong despite the difficulties posed by travel, work commitments etc. At the end, reported outcomes were captured in a survey. The numbers reflect the percentage of respondents who agree or strongly agree with the survey questions. Some verbatim feedback from respondents is also included.

Verbatim feedback from participants:

“I am more reflective and self aware, I am not giving myself such a hard time and have moved to being more real, more honest.”

“I am more aware of the impact of my emotional state on others. I need to listen attentively… I have a choice in how to respond in negative situations. I sleep better and notice I am less tired at the end of the day. The breathing is really helpful. I notice more support from team.”

“I see people as whole entities, rather than just roles and I’m more aware of what’s involved if you want to bring people along with you, less direction, more listening and leading. I understand why empathy matters and it impacts everyone.” 

More feedback from participants about gains made:

“I am using what I learned to develop a clear plan of action to achieve my objectices and inspire others to follow. I’m more open hearted. I see lots of changes in people and how they view experience and deal with everything. It was a fairly large step outside my comfort zone which pushed me to extend my accustomed boundaries which is good.”

“I am more present in meetings and conversations. I am more relaxed and more focused on the current task. It’s like I got in touch with myself ‘under the surface’.  I realise that the practice really helps to calm my mind and settle me. The insights I got were too numerous to mention – but key amongst them was the importance of empathetic listening and not having to have an answer for everything.”