OnBeing Mindful Mentoring

Impact Mentoring Program Structure

Overall Focus:

This 12-week mentoring journey is designed to help leaders shift not only what they do, but how they do it. The focus is on creating sustainable leadership habits that have a lasting impact, both personally and professionally, while aligning actions with values and enhancing overall well-being.

Weeks 1-2: Grounding in Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness

• Week 1: Introduction to Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Mindfulness as foundational skills for impactful leadership. Focus on building awareness and attention through mindful practices (e.g., Three Breaths, Focused Attention).
• Week 2: Begin integrating mindfulness into daily life and leadership, emphasizing the role of attention and presence in decision-making. Introduce key practices for staying present in complex situations, such as Mindful Listening.

Outcome: Participants start to develop the presence and clarity needed for mindful decision-making in leadership, with attention to values-driven actions.

Weeks 3-4: Deepening Self-Awareness

• Week 3: Explore self-awareness, with a focus on emotional intelligence and how emotions manifest physically in the body. Use practices like Body Scan and Head-Body-Heart Check-in to increase emotional clarity.
• Week 4: Shift from emotional reactivity to emotional intelligence by practicing mindfulness in challenging emotional situations. Use tools such as Journaling and Mindful Eating to enhance self-awareness.

Outcome: Leaders increase their emotional self-awareness and begin to manage emotions effectively, supporting clear and compassionate leadership actions.

Weeks 5-6: Building Self-Management

• Week 5: Introduce self-management techniques to handle emotional triggers more effectively (e.g., SBNRR - Stop, Breathe, Notice, Reflect, Respond). Explore how to regain balance in emotionally charged situations.
• Week 6: Deepen the ability to manage difficult emotions with acceptance and self-compassion practices. Focus on building resilience and maintaining well-being in the face of leadership challenges.

Outcome: Participants strengthen emotional regulation skills, enabling more balanced and effective responses to challenging situations, thereby enhancing their leadership capacity.

Weeks 7-8: Anchoring Motivation and Purpose

• Week 7: Align actions with values and cultivate intrinsic motivation. Begin exploring meaningful work through Values Exercises and Envisioning practices to clarify leadership goals.
• Week 8: Build resilience, focusing on both emotional and cognitive resilience. Learn to navigate setbacks and challenges with greater optimism and a growth mindset.

Outcome: Participants gain clarity on their leadership purpose, aligning actions with values while fostering motivation and resilience in their work.

Weeks 9-10: Developing Empathy and Connection

• Week 9: Cultivate empathy by deepening self-awareness. Learn how emotional intelligence and empathy are interconnected, and practice skills like Empathetic Listening and Seeing Similarities to create deeper connections.
• Week 10: Focus on applying empathy in leadership. Learn how to balance empathy with decision-making and use compassion to create inclusive, empowered environments.

Outcome: Participants develop greater empathy, allowing them to lead in a way that ensures others feel seen, heard, and empowered, while maintaining strong leadership.

Weeks 11-12: Leadership Integration and Commitment

• Week 11: Integrate the core emotional intelligence and mindfulness skills into leadership practices. Focus on leading with insight, especially during difficult conversations, and explore how compassion enhances leadership.
• Week 12: Solidify leadership habits through the Leadership Commitment exercise. Set goals for continued growth, sustained impact, and ongoing practice of mindfulness and emotional intelligence.

Outcome: Participants leave with a clear leadership plan, strong emotional intelligence skills, and the practices needed to maintain their personal and professional well-being while continuing to grow as impactful leaders.

Team Coaching Program Structure

Overall Focus:

The Team Coaching program is designed to help teams improve effectiveness, communication, and collaboration by developing emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and empathy. Through facilitated discussions and interactive activities, team members will learn to better understand themselves and each other, creating a more cohesive and high-performing team environment.

Session 1: Introduction to Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness for Teams

• Focus: Introduce the foundational concepts of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Mindfulness, specifically as they apply to team dynamics. Discuss why EI is critical for team effectiveness, especially in complex, high-pressure environments.
• Activities: Interactive mindfulness exercises (e.g., Mindful Listening), followed by group reflections on how attention and presence impact communication and collaboration.

Outcome: Teams understand the importance of mindfulness and EI in their interactions and begin developing a shared language around these concepts.

Session 2: Building Team Self-Awareness

• Focus: Explore how self-awareness in individuals contributes to team effectiveness. Help participants identify their emotional triggers and how these impact their interactions with others.
• Activities: Guided Head-Body-Heart Check-ins followed by group reflections on emotional patterns within the team. Practice emotional awareness through group body scans.

Outcome: Teams gain insight into each member’s emotional landscape, fostering better understanding and empathy for each other’s reactions and behaviors.

Session 3: Managing Emotions and Reactions within the Team

• Focus: Develop strategies for managing emotions and reactions within the team, with a focus on maintaining balance in high-pressure situations.
• Activities: Introduce and practice the SBNRR (Stop, Breathe, Notice, Reflect, Respond) technique as a team tool for navigating emotional triggers. Use real-life scenarios for group reflection and practice.

Outcome: Team members learn to self-regulate and manage emotions more effectively, reducing conflict and enhancing collaboration.

Session 4: Building Team Motivation and Alignment

• Focus: Align individual and team values to create intrinsic motivation and shared purpose. Explore how team members can find meaning in their work by connecting it to shared values.
• Activities: Values exercises to help team members identify their personal and shared values. Group journaling and reflection on how these values guide team behavior.

Outcome: Teams develop a stronger sense of shared purpose, aligning their actions with collective values for greater engagement and motivation.

Session 5: Enhancing Empathy and Communication in the Team

• Focus: Develop empathy as a core skill within the team, helping team members better understand each other’s perspectives and emotions. Focus on listening as a key to effective communication.
• Activities: Practice Empathetic Listening and Seeing Similarities exercises in pairs and small groups, followed by reflections on how empathy influences team dynamics.

Outcome: Team members enhance their ability to communicate empathetically, creating a more supportive and collaborative team environment.

Session 6: Creating Psychological Safety and Trust

• Focus: Explore how to create an environment of psychological safety, where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, taking risks, and expressing vulnerability without fear of negative consequences.
• Activities: Practice Open Awareness and other mindfulness techniques that foster trust and safety. Team discussions on how to implement these practices in their day-to-day interactions.

Outcome: Teams build a foundation of trust and psychological safety, enabling open communication and innovation.

Session 7: Developing Resilience as a Team

• Focus: Strengthen the team’s collective resilience by developing strategies to navigate setbacks, challenges, and change. Focus on both emotional and cognitive resilience.
• Activities: Engage in group resilience practices (e.g., Hands on Chair, Envisioning). Reflect on past team challenges and how resilience strategies can be applied moving forward.

Outcome: Teams become more resilient in the face of adversity, equipped with tools to maintain focus, motivation, and collaboration during tough times.

Session 8: Managing Difficult Conversations as a Team

• Focus: Equip the team with strategies for handling difficult conversations, both with each other and within the broader organization. Learn to navigate conflict with emotional intelligence and compassion.
• Activities: Apply the Difficult Conversations framework to team scenarios. Role-play exercises to practice navigating challenging conversations with insight and empathy.

Outcome: Teams learn to approach difficult conversations with greater emotional intelligence, reducing conflict and improving communication.

Session 9: Leading with Compassion and Influence as a Team

• Focus: Encourage team members to lead with compassion and influence in their interactions with each other and with external stakeholders. Explore how compassion enhances leadership and team cohesion.
• Activities: Practice Compassion Reflections and engage in discussions about how compassionate leadership can enhance team performance. Focus on real-world applications of these skills.

Outcome: Teams begin to lead with compassion, empowering each other and creating a positive, supportive work environment.

Session 10: Team Leadership and Commitment to Continued Growth

• Focus: Reflect on the journey and solidify the team’s commitment to ongoing development. Focus on how to sustain emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and collaboration practices beyond the coaching program.
• Activities: Leadership Commitment exercise to help the team set long-term goals and practices for continued growth. Discuss how to maintain the progress made during the coaching program and how to hold each other accountable.

Outcome: Teams leave with a clear commitment to sustaining the practices learned, ensuring long-term effectiveness, collaboration, and continued growth as a cohesive unit.