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A new TOWARD offering in the COVID-19 crisis

For the past 14 years, TOWARD has been supporting organisations and leaders to build resilience and resource themselves in an ever changing and complex world.

As the TOWARD team, we are passionately committed to supporting our clients in the current global crisis.  To this end, we have developed a proposition which we hope you will find compelling.  Our offer is underpinned by a low cost investment as we seek to make our contribution in partnering with clients to navigate the COVID-19 crisis.  

During this crisis, we want to support people to feel connected, calm, resourceful and focused.  

The Current Context

In response to the Coronavirus crisis, many companies are encouraging employees to work remotely. Whilst this promotes safety in response to the crisis, it can also enhance feelings of isolation, disconnection and anxiety.  All of these factors can undermine a person’s wellbeing and performance. This poses a leadership challenge. 

When people collectively operate out of fear and anxiety, it can have a negative impact upon the system that results in overwhelm or collapse. When we feel vulnerable, unsafe, or that the sands are shifting beneath our feet, we are prone to knee-jerk decisions that seem appropriate in the now, but in fact contribute to long term systemic problems. 

TOWARD is now offering a bespoke intervention for leaders that will support them to test and moderate their behaviours, decisions and actions in ways that not only help them but also the complex adaptive system they are part of. Particularly in times such as these, we need to hit pause, lift our heads, step back and reflect in order to lead others with purpose and authenticity.

How We Would Like To Help

  • Light-touch, blended support delivered over a 4-week period
  • 2 x 45 minute 1:1 coaching sessions with an external coach
  • 2 x 90 minute group coaching conversations with an external coach and no more that 5 participants (representing different teams)
  • 4 x 15 minute podcasts that support the participant in the following areas:
    • The Key Principles of Deep Sleep 
    • Building an Immune Enhancing Diet 
    • Developing a Positive Relationship with Stress 
    • Calmness: How to Manage your Emotions and State 

The coaching sessions, combined with the podcasts, will resource people to lead from their core, while maintaining a calm presence. Our aim is to support you and your team to become increasingly resilient. 

The Framework

Drawing on the VUCA[1] model, the group and 1:1 coaching will use a series of questions that are designed to optimise emergent thinking and collaboration.  Guiding questions will focus on the following areas:

  • Developing flexible, adaptive and responsive plans
  • How to listen attentively
  • Building a flexible mindset 
  • Accessing and sharing information
  • How to develop psychological safety in remote teams
  • How to enhance sustained and consistent energy in remote working environments
  • How to develop and engage collaborative mindsets
  • Developing an open and invitational presence 

The Outcomes

  1. Creating an outlet to declutter and decompress
  2. Developing increased emotional & psychological capacity to navigate uncertainty
  3. Fostering networks of support & accountability amidst rapid change and unrest
  4. Enhancing collaboration & dialogue with colleagues with a view to strengthening the organisational systems as a whole 
  5. Building tools to improve health & wellbeing

“Change always involves a dark night when everything falls apart. Yet if this period of dissolution is used to create new meaning, then chaos ends and new order emerges.”

Margaret J Wheatley

The Rollout

  • All group and 1:1 sessions are conducted remotely
  • We will work with your HR team to agree and allocate appropriate teams and times to participate
  • We will send all joining instructions to each participant in advance

The Impact

As with all TOWARD coaching and leadership programmes, we will measure the impact of learning.  Pre and Post intervention evaluation will be captured, and a responsive, coaching approach will allow for real-time iteration to best support participants.

Get Started

Contact info@towardltd.com or +44 (0)28 9065 2325

The TOWARD Team

[1] Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity

This is for a limited time as we seek, together, to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

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