Organizational Book Program

As we learned in 2020, we are profoundly physically contagious. While learning to work and connect in new ways and navigating relationships, stress, and ambiguity at entirely new levels, we’ve learned that our leadership is also profoundly contagious. We’ve learned that a Contagious Culture (2015) is simply a bunch of CONTAGIOUS YOUs (2019) working together (remotely or in person). And we’ve also been challenged to become The Leaders (We) Will Be (2018). Anybody need a Survival Guide? (Ah, 2015! See below.)

If you’d told me that we’d have a pandemic right after I wrote all of these books (CY released in 11/19), I’d not have believed you. And yet here we are. And I’m so grateful I wrote these books because I think we need them now more that ever. Here’s why…

WE ARE CONTAGIOUS LEADERS. THE QUESTION IS, WHICH KIND?  

Our energy, emotions, behaviors, and attitudes are contagious. Complaining, blaming, busyness, toxicity, distraction, and all the other horsemen of cultural disease are contagious. Fortunately, courage, presence, authenticity, honesty, curiosity, kindness, boundaries, self-care, generosity, and “being in service of” are also contagious.

The way we show up — the intentions, energy, and presence (IEP) we bring to the table — makes the difference between people following us and working with us because they want to (they’re inspired and feel good) or because they have to (ie. it’s their job and/or they’re under contract). This also makes the difference between having a high-impact, authentic, accountable, results-oriented, happy, healthy culture. OR an unhealthy culture of burnout, dissatisfaction, subpar performance, negative dynamics, drama, stress, and focusing on all the wrong things.

The intentions, energy, presence, health, leadership, and energetic (not just physical) contagiousness of the people in your organization are even more important to tend to now as we re-enter workspaces, continue remote work, get our kids back to school, commute again (or not), and everything in between.

Fortunately, there is a lot we can do about this…

Awareness is 70% of the battle, what you do with it is the other 30%.

Once you have awareness of what’s happening, you’re in the power seat as now you have a choice to shift it. The next 30% is the “hard” part — where intention becomes reality and the work that needs to be done becomes clearer. This work starts with each person — every single one a part of the culture — doing their own work to come to the table at their best. This may mean having clearer intentions, managing their energy better, being more response-able for the energy they’re bringing, taking better care of themselves so they’re not exhausted, working on their presence, strengthening their leadership skills and ability to connect and create impact, or a little bit of all the above.

Book Club gives people awareness of what’s going on for them, and within the culture, and then provides the tools, frameworks, and resources to do something about it — starting with their own leadership and how they show up.

Can you see how this applies to you and your organization?

Can you imagine how every leader and employee coming to the table, conscious and intentional about how they’re showing up, the energy they’re bringing, and the impact they want to have would be an absolute game-changer for you, especially as you move into the next phase of this pandemic? Can you see how a community wide engagement would support learning, connection, and demonstrate care and commitment to those you lead?

If so, let’s talk.

I’ve found over years and years of working with different organizations that the best way to infuse this content into your organization is to be it. I’ve also found that the more senior leadership is involved in the principles of this work, and any supporting initiatives, the more their fellow leaders and employees are able to embrace it. Rolled out intentionally, this work becomes a top-down, bottom-up, inside-out approach that brings everyone together as humans simply showing up to do great work together.

For the Book Club program we have a proven 3-step process that helps us all do our best work together:

1. You’ll complete an “Entry Point Questionnaire” to assess your current challenges and which book would be most helpful to your organization right now. (If you already know, great! The EPQ will still give us great information to support you.)
2. We’ll meet and discuss the program, stakeholders, global workforce/time zone needs (if applicable), and different options that will best fit your culture and desired impact. We’ll co-design the high-level program proposal on the spot to ensure we’re 100% clear about our intentions.
3. We agree, set dates, sign contracts, and go!

Below is a high-level overview of (generally) what is included in the program. Sessions are most commonly done one month apart and are led by Anese WITH one of your key stakeholders/sponsors to support the container and integration of the work. (I promise, we make your participation totally fun and design it in a way that is comfortable for you!) The program, cadence, sessions, and more will be customized based upon your organization’s unique needs.

• Three 60-minute training sessions with Anese teaching the principles of Contagious Culture or Contagious You (or both, if you’ve decided to do a series)*.  These sessions are open to any employees and are co-led/hosted by a stakeholder. Each training session covers a section of the book with Anese emphasizing different areas based upon your organization’s needs.
• One final 90-minute Master Keynote with Anese to tie it all together. (Can do an optional panel with your executives to make this even more powerful and real for your workforce.)*
• Master Program Book Club Implementation & Discussion Guide for your marketing team and executives to promote the work and also support leaders in hosting their own conversations alongside the program (as they wish).
• Integration Worksheets & Tools to support each session for all participants (as well as to support everyone beyond the program). An optional subscription to “The Weekly BEAT” can be integrated into your program for “weekly coaching in your pocket” (see below).
• Prep calls integrated throughout with co-leading stakeholders/sponsors before each session for design, intentions, and outcomes alignment.

*All sessions can be recorded for internal use purposes so that you can share with those unable to attend live, have people participate again, and even integrate the program into your on-boarding process so your workforce has a shared language and framework to support their leadership, presence, and communication.

Michelle (Mick) Lee, Managing Director, Global Head of General & Shared Services, BNY Mellon

There are several additional tools and structures we can build into your club to make it even more special and sustainable. For example:

To support integration throughout the program (and after), you may arrange for participants to have the option to opt-in for a weekly BEAT audio (2-3 minutes with a 7-question online “journal” for their own use) to help them stay connected to content in between sessions. The BEAT is weekly “coaching in your pocket” with each Beat supporting the material we work on during each session. This in itself has helped people create great awareness and quick change in making the principles of positively contagious leadership real in their lives.

If you’d like to include an extra gift for your people, you can order a copy of The IEP Survival Guide: 1st Aid for Your Presence, a mini-book with 27 exercises (30 seconds – 30 minutes each) designed to make this work extra sticky.

This program has been crafted to support you in creating collaborative, conscious, intentional and real change and organizational health that is not JUST up to leadership, but in the hands of the entire workforce as well. Therefore follow up Learning Labs, IEP Sheets, and more can be organized to honor your unique integration needs. Let’s discuss!