Lead Yourself First: Engaging in Coaching to Overcome Organizational Gaps and Improve Results Exponentially

Lead Yourself First: Engaging in Coaching to Overcome Organizational Gaps and Improve Results Exponentially

Marella Big Mountain | 2015

Abstract

The 2014 “Lead Yourself First” workshop, held in China, was completed as part of a service learning program for Panda Mountain, a U.S. organization that promotes hands-on participation in panda conservation. The workshop was a key component of a National Geographic Student Expedition that traveled to the town of Chengdu and to the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China. This expedition involved youth and young Americans in activities that focused on building individual leadership value alignment and engagement. This event garnered a high level of engagement, energy and trust from the group of young American attendees. An analysis of the data gathered from these participants revealed some valuable findings which were used to develop a future Department of Defense (DOD) “Lead Yourself First” workshop on the same topics.

Organizations such as the DOD hoping to improve organizational alignment around core values need to focus on the basics by coaching individual leaders how to better align themselves to individual core values first to increase authentic leadership and engagement throughout the organization. There is an epidemic level of disengagement plaguing global organizations today which can only be countered by individual leaders who are committed to taking on the challenge of “leading themselves first.” This workshop is designed to address that challenge.