This Week at Integrity Integrated...
This week marked the end of one program, our Fall 2011 Leadership Development Program, and the beginning of another, the 2012 Quad City Leadership Academy.
On Thursday, the Leadership Development Program group met for their last and final meeting. During the session, participants discussed their Leadership Action Plans and shared words of gratitude and appreciation with each other. Lastly, they wrapped up the session with a “Gallery Walk” where the participants reflected on the lessons they learned thorughout the five-month program. It was a great group of leaders and we’d like to thank everyone who participated. It was a joy to have you in class!
The first session of the Quad City Leadership Academy kicked off this morning and was spent getting to know one another and discussing leadership in the context of leadership vs. management and what “makes” a leader. Doug Hultquist, President of QCR Holdings, met with the group to share his leadership journey and advice. Thank you, for sharing your time with us and for being the first community leader to meet with the group!
The participants also discussed their community involvement and the issues they are most passionate about. There was a lot of great momentum to start the program off. Big thanks to Augustana College for providing us with a great breakfast and wonderful location to host our first meeting!
On Monday we kicked off the first session of our new Negotiation Skill training program! This program is designed for individuals who work with internal and external customers in contracts, negotiations, and sales. The group sessions are facilitated by Terry Boles, Associate Professor at the University of Iowa. Terry is an expert in negotiation process and strategy. Throughout the sessions Ginny will be providing confidential one-on-one coaching session that will help keep the participants on track and challenge them to continue developing their negotiations skills.
During the first session the class discussed how to recognize negotiation situations and identify their strengths and weaknesses in conflict handling styles. The participants role-played negotiations and debrief as a group. They also discussed specific challenges participants have faced with negotiations in the past.
There was great discussion between the participants throughout the session. They worked hard on improving their negotiation skills and came up with some creative agreements. We are very excited for the upcoming sessions!
At Wednesday’s Conversations & Connections luncheon on Social Awareness and Political Savvy, we discussed new ways to face challenges with conflict, office politics, collaboration, and communication. We talked about meaningful and strategic ways to communicate and influence others by tapping into the true feelings of your boss, co-workers, and subordinates.
During the session, participants paired up to practice empathic listening. The challenge of this exercise was to speak in a way that demonstrates respect, understanding, and patience towards a team member, not necessarily giving advice or talking about a situation you experienced, but focusing on the other person. The listeners agreed it was a tough job!
We also simulated the challenges of office politics in an exercise called “Win As Much As You Can.” The steps to savviness that resonated the most with the group were to acknowledge that being savvy is a muscle to develop—a new habit to form—and seeking feedback from trusted friends and advisors.
It’s here! We welcomed the New Year with the new Integrity Integrated website! The new and improved site includes fresh content, new photos, and updated testimonials. Our new drop down menus make navigating the site much easier. Also, our Facebook activity and Ginny’s latest tweets are featured on the homepage. View our new website at www.integrityintegrated.com and let us know what you think!
Special thanks to Jon Folker and all the nerds from Nerdwerx for helping us upgrade www.integrityintegrated.com! View the video below to see what else goes on at the Nerdwerx office, besides making awesome websites.
On Thursday we had our annual Holiday Open House at our office in the Village of East Davenport. We would like to thank everyone who stopped by and brought holiday leftovers to share. It was great to catch up with old friends!
It’s that time of year… and we want to know your word for 2012! It’s become an annual tradition at Integrity Integrated to join Ginny in selecting a word to focus on in the New Year rather than making a New Year’s resolution. Ginny’s word for 2012 is MINDFULNESS. Feel free to share your word with us on Facebook or by leaving us a comment.
Just a reminder that our office will be closing early today, Friday, December 30, 2011 and will be closed all day Monday, January 2, 2012 in observance of the New Year Holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.
We would like to wish everyone at happy and safe New Year’s! See you in 2012…
P.S. Visit our website on January 1, 2012 to see some exciting new changes and upgrades!
(December 22, 2011)
All of us at Integrity Integrated would like to wish everyone a very happy Holiday!
Just a reminder that our office will be closed on Friday, December 23rd and Monday, December 26th in observance of the holiday. Our office will reopen on Tuesday, December 27th.
Holiday Wishes
We wish for you a holiday
That’s better than your dreams,
Filled with peace, good will and hope
And firelight that gleams,
Overflowing with holiday spirit
Good food and holiday laughter;
And when it’s done, We hope that you
Live happily ever after!
By Joanna Fuchs
On Tuesday we traveled to Cedar Rapids for our last Conversations & Connections session, Coaching for Performance, which is part of the Managing for Results series. During the session we discussed the best ways to handle difficult coaching conversations and tools for coaching your team towards great performances. Many people feel that they do not have the time to coach their employees. As a manager, it is important to provide feedback and opportunities for personal growth not only for the employee but also for the team.
“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear…so you can see what you don’t want to see…so you can be all that you can be.” – Tom Landry, Former Coach of the Dallas Cowboys
Stay tuned for our next Cedar Rapids Conversations & Connections series planning to begin after the New Year!
This week Ginny made her to way to Des Moines to kick off the Fall 2011 Women’s Leadership Development Program! She made a few pit stops along the way. On Tuesday, Ginny met with the Iowa City Women in Leadership group to discuss their heart’s purpose, values, and activating visions. Next, Ginny stopped in Cedar Rapids to facilitate a customized leadership training program for a client. Finally, on Friday, she made it to Des Moines where she met with a group of women leaders who are starting their year-long executive leadership journey together. Participants got to know each other by sharing stories of their backgrounds and leadership experiences. We are very excited to offer the program in Des Moines for the second year in a row!
We recovered from our turkey comas and were able to focus on a week of coaching sessions, group meetings, and two Conversations & Connections luncheons (and not the delicious pumpkin pie consumed last week 
).
On Tuesday we traveled to Cedar Rapids for the Strength Based Leadership session, which is part of the Managing for Results series. During the session we discussed how to incorporate a strength based leadership approach into your personal leadership style. We learned how to manage the strengths of a team and also how to help others navigate through their weakness. It was a great discussion and several of the participants left feeling rejuvenated!
The Self Management luncheon session was held in the Quad Cities on Thursday. This session is part of The Power of Emotional Intelligence series. Before the session, the participants completed an Enneagram assessment, which gave them insight into their personality type. The results led to a great discussion among the partakers. The group analyzed how life experiences contribute to the emotions in difficult situations. This is an important step in the self management process. Several attendees commented that this session provided great insight and they couldn’t wait to make their families and friends take the Enneagram assessment! Dessert at the luncheon was of course, pumpkin pie. Thanks to Sal from Culinary Kids for the tasty treat!
This week we are thankful for a three-day work week packed with customized trainings, group sessions, and coaching appointments.
Just a reminder that our office will be closed on Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th in observance of the holiday. Our office will reopen Monday, November 28th.
We hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday!
