Facilitator for Executive Retreats
Facilitation is the exact opposite of speaking. Eileen designs one-of-a-kind sessions, normally based upon intense interviews with stakeholders. Depending upon the desired outcome, she creates a process that opens up conversation among participants. They talk. She works the process.
Retreat to Advance - Management Offsite for Resiliency
Actually, I call them ADVANCES. We "retreat" (come away) so we can ADVANCE.
Each business advance is structured around the need of the client and the desired outcome. In most cases, it involves hours of interviews, the development of issue papers (written in third person), and a process to bring participants to individual and professional insights. No one ADVANCE is like another.
In Her Own Voice™ retreats are more personal in nature. Through a process of reflection, journaling, and communal sharing, participants discover what is their desired Act III.
Look at the case studies below and you will have an idea as to the concept.
Watch Eileen in Action!
Case Study
Pharmaceutical Company Needs To Cement Team Despite Restructuring
Situation
Significant structural reorganization for global leaders in the regulatory division of major pharmaceutical company. New players have been brought in from the outside and other internal roles have been shifted in a quest to respond to a changing environment. The head of the group knows he has individual world-class performers but needs them to operate as a team and come together to solve issues that transcend geographical boundaries.
Challenge
Develop a Resilient Senior Leadership Team that responds well to change.
Solution
Conducted intensive interviews with every member of the senior team to identify issues, opportunities, and areas of concerns. In the process, discovered that not only was there confusion about roles and goals but they really had no understanding of each other as human beings. Because of a lack of understanding, potential turf wars loomed. I discovered duplication of effort, work either underdone or overdone, and procedures that were either outdated or time wasters.
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Developed a three-day offsite retreat that used music as a theme: "Orchestrating world class medicines with world class performers."
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Created a workbook/notebook with the compilation of the issues, data on individual behavioral styles, and plenty of information about all of the team.
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Provided a process to generate expanded appreciation for the diverse backgrounds, interests and skill levels of all in attendance.
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Used interaction and a web exercise to unravel the questions related to roles and goals.
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Interspersed three-days with opportunities for laughter and casual conversation.
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Developed action plans and individual commitments so that the alignment and conversation became ongoing.
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Provided small black books so they could record what they are doing differently and what ideas and relationships they developed. These were used as a tool post meeting to capture examples of positive and negative experiences with fellow team members to be used in a follow up exercise to maintain momentum of the workshop.
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Held a video conference two-months later with all attendees to see progress on actions and commitments.
Feedback
According to the Senior Vice President:
"The team started to think for each other. We built the foundation for a transformative team. We now understand how we operate and who we are as individuals. We learned how to have the difficult conversations without being difficult. Eileen pulled us together and got people to tell the truth. She also made it fun. There were plenty of laughs along with very serious moments. I've seen a real improvement into the team's thinking. It's a complex business model and how she pulled it together was very powerful.
She hit every single issue she thought we had. She distilled it down. She has a unique ability to gather data and say, 'This is what matters.'
We spent the last day talking about action steps and made commitments-which she gave us back in writing-about what we said we would do for each other. She gave us a small black book to track our progress and two months later, we all checked in via video conference to see exactly how we are doing.
Nine months later we continue to grow and have transformed into a high performing team."
Case Study
Clinical Division of Fortune 100 Company Needs a Collaborative Offsite
Situation
Team members are from around the globe. Different practices. New technologies. Communication and understanding need to be improved. This is the third year for a three-day symposium.
Solution
Eileen worked with the team for 6 months to design the event. She helped the design team consider creative alternatives to stand-and-deliver presentations. Her knowledge of group dynamics, effective meetings, and facilitation allowed her to serve as both the keynote speaker and subsequent moderator and facilitator of the event.
Feedback
The team reported that attendees rated the symposium with the highest marks and also indicated how they would continue building the bridges the symposium created. Eileen has been asked back to help the team for the 4th year.
Case Study
Community College District Trustees Fraught With Mistrust
Situation
Trustees in the college district are elected and wear both political hats as well as community hats. Strife and misunderstanding run roughshod. The Chancellor - whom they all think highly of—believes the animosity and “camps” can be broken apart. Challenge: There is only a 3 hour window.
Solution
Eileen interviewed several county leaders to thoroughly understand the issues. She conducted a full-day Change Mastery session with the Board of Supervisors, leading them through a transition model. The group then crafted a “preferred future” statement.
Feedback
County leaders moved out of gridlock to a place of understanding, courage, and commitment.
