OCL role: Facilitator
Day job/career: I have been involved with Leadership Development for the past 10 years in various capacities within Barry-Wehmiller and Our Community Listens
How did you become involved with OCL? After the launch of Communication Skills Training (Listen Like a Leader) within Barry-Wehmiller in 2009, Bob and Cynthia Chapman were so impressed with the overwhelming positive comments they received from participants, they decided they wanted to bring this experience out to the world. In a proof-of-concept experience, we taught the class to community members in Phillips, Wisconsin. The response was overwhelmingly positive! After that, we formally paved the way to open a non-profit organization called PhillipsLISTENS to help build listening communities throughout the US with dreams of expanding out to the world! For the next five years, I walked the path that helped us create listening communities; recruiting and training very talented people to help us spread our seeds; before returning back inside the company and to other large organizations, eager to adopt Truly Human Leadership.
What is your hope for OCL? That it will truly be the catalyst to inspire World Peace!
How do you most often find yourself using what you learned in CST? Every day, I take a more considerate approach to my communication with others—thinking about what they may be going through, how they would like to be communicated with, observing their nonverbal behavior so that I can get a clearer glimpse into their world. I try to approach every interaction with genuine curiosity so that I can more fully appreciate what the other person may be experiencing.
Three things that make you smile: Young children laughing; puppies; my grown children successfully navigating “adult” life.
Your favorite quote: “People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” ---Audrey Hepburn---