Group Work Empowers Business Leaders

An article by Marti Glenn Ph.D. about the benefits of Group Work for individuals and business teams.

“Group Work Empowers Business Leaders”, is an exploration showing how “Working in a Group Setting = Success,” both personally and in the business environment for both team members and business leaders.

Group Work Empowers Business Leaders

Group Work Empowers Business Leaders… and how “Working in a Group Setting = Success!”

Together we can do so much more than we can on our own. I have seen evidence of this over the years in my practice and proof of this in my own life. When we gather in groups of like-minded souls, we can support each other and do what is necessary for this time of awakening.

Supportive Groups are Needed Now More Than Ever

Given the state of our current world, the changing terrain in business, and the stress we carry in our personal lives, leaders are being called now, more than ever, to step up and to step into what is possible. By using the “Group Work Empowers Business Leaders” concept we are engaging the most effective and efficient way to Create Positive Change from the inside out. How? By learning to focus on the heart (emotion) as much as we focus on the logical brain. The Lone Ranger approach is no longer an effective long-term strategy for any effective leader. True leaders lead from within, lead from behind, and lead toward the good of all.

In order to do all that is required of us now, we must have substantial support. Research, case studies, and years of experience show us that this is best done in a focused, consciously led group. Within such a group, leaders can transform the old habits and patterns that have run their lives and create new ones. Together, they will support each other to dream new dreams and reach new heights that none of us could have imagined or accomplished alone.

Accelerated Group Work Empowers Business Leaders is what Propels You Forward… Faster!

In thinking about how powerful our Ryzio groups are for helping people transform their lives, I remember how we first came to offer group experiences. While training graduate students in clinical psychology, my husband, Ken, and I began facilitating intensive group retreats for leaders. By the early 1990s, we discovered that we could accomplish more in a weekend group intensive than we could in coaching people individually once a week over the course of months! This was contrary to what we had been teaching. We later left academia and continued group work because the results were so powerful.

As an example, I remember Josh, a tall commanding presence, and a CEO of a large financial institution. He had a kind heart and wanted to have meaningful relationships. He had been in individual therapy, working on issues with his wife. She complained that he didn’t listen and was harsh with her. She had begun to shut down and he was afraid of losing the relationship.

We later discovered that this same behavior was not serving him in his work environment. During an intensive weekend, he got support from other executives who understood that his behavior may have helped him get to the top but didn’t serve him now. I recall one exploration where he discovered that his well-intentioned rigidity followed by harshness stemmed from experiences with his alcoholic father. With support from his colleagues, he began to understand his early survival skill of taking charge, being demanding, and making things work. He could see that what saved him then was killing him now. With deep understanding, being seen, accepted, and supported by his colleagues, he was able to release the shame and blame. He began to feel safe enough to slow down, listen deeply and bring his softer, more authentic side into his relationships and his work. This intensive weekend was the support he needed to ignite his true fire, to bring his authentic self into his marriage and his work.

After several of these experiences, I began to see firsthand how “Group Work Empowers Business Leaders” was something that was not really being taught and yet seemed to be highly effective. I then began to comb the scientific literature for indications that we were on the right path. We discovered that research from diverse fields was all saying similar things about what we need to do to release old patterns, discover our purpose, and transform our lives. The scientific data from the disciplines of Epigenetics, Neuroscience, Polyvagal Theory, and Psychology all demonstrated that the methods we had discovered, and continue to use to this day are not only Powerful Tools for Transformation but essential processes as well!

Group Work Empowers Business Leaders

Research has clearly indicated that we need three things to heal and transform our lives:

  1. We need experiences of safety. It is essential to experience, on a visceral level, that “Who I am and how I show up are welcome here. I can bring my needs, my ideas, and my gifts. And I can make mistakes and still be okay.”
  2. We need experiences of our true selves: “I am capable, worthy, and lovable. In the core of my being, I am good and I have unique gifts to offer.”
  3. We need to have our experiences, our innate goodness, and our gifts, witnessed by others whom we trust.

What Makes Group Work So Powerful?

We discovered that it is within a small group setting that we can most quickly experience each of the three things research indicates we need to transform our lives, have healthy relationships, and make a difference in the world. Currently, there are more and more people suffering from loneliness and feelings of isolation, which is one reason group work is more relevant than ever.

Connection
Group work brings the sense of camaraderie, commonality, and community we all need, often crave, yet find missing in our everyday lives. That deep sense of belonging and being part of a supportive community has been missing for many. Knowing there is always someone there, someone who has your back gives us the courage to stick with it when things are tough and to celebrate milestones along the way.

New Perspectives
Having a supportive group helps us see different perspectives and look at every area of our lives without judgment so we can make changes as necessary. It often unveils our innate biases or prejudices and helps us take a larger, more compassionate perspective.

Hearing others’ experiences reminds us of the places where we personally get stuck and witnessing someone else’s process often gives us new possibilities for moving forward. Seeing how someone has overcome adversity also gives us hope.

Trust
Within a group, leaders learn to build trust and be vulnerable. Knowing there is a commitment to confidentiality, we can safely share our inner thoughts, fears, and aspirations.

Group members also learn new ways of communicating, exploring, and expressing their needs, feelings, and ideas. A mindset of curiosity is adopted, knowing we don’t need to have all the answers. These behaviors naturally flow back into the workplace as well as the home environment.

Benefits of Group Work

During group work, we learn and practice things such as communication skills, compassionate curiosity, and deep listening, which benefit all our relationships and aspects of our lives.

We not only experience greater mindfulness and self-awareness, we understand, appreciate, and learn to utilize our strengths and our gifts. We also become able to recognize and encourage the strengths of others.

Within groups, business leaders experience that life, work, and relationships do not benefit from the old ‘zero-sum game’ where, in order for you to win, someone else has to lose or vice versa. We learn, instead, that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” As we support others to go further, it benefits us personally.

Being a part of a professional community provides a safety net and helps us have the confidence to show up and bring all our skills and ideas. It also gives us the courage and support – and sometimes the needed challenge – to take the next steps and implement change.

Who benefits from group work?

  • Executives who are dedicated to making a difference in their own lives and the lives of their people
  • Leaders in transition in their personal or professional lives
  • Anyone who is experiencing stress or burnout
  • People aiming for promotion to a leadership position
  • Anyone who wants to overcome past blocks, discover and live their purpose, or help create meaningful change in their own lives, their company, their family, and the world.

In closing, the idea of how “Group Work Empowers Business Leaders” is more than just a novel concept or “feel-good” approach… it really is shown in both research and in my own Ryzio Institute observations, that group work is the single most important element of the work we do..

In the end “Group Work Empowers Business Leaders” really underscores how, by working together, we can create real, and long-lasting transformation!

Related articles:

  1. Embodied Leadership Empowers Businesses
  2. A Ten-Second Trick Puts The Calm back in Leadership

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Do you want to learn more about how “Group Work Empowers Business Leaders” and how this could benefit you, your business, or your business team? Contact us to learn about our group programs as well as our tailored programs for specific business needs by calling (877) 642-5656 or sending us an inquiry.

 


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