Powerful Choices® is a one-day classroom, instructor-led program that creates awareness and the desire for changing behaviors that contribute to superior performance in both the professional and personal environments.
The Model: Choice, Results, & Effectiveness
The model summarizes the concepts around personal accountability in that we choose behaviors that give us results that either increase or decrease our effectiveness.
For a person to grow in their effectiveness, they will need to change the behaviors that prevent them from achieving their desired results. This could require adding or stopping behaviors.
Session 1
The change process is introduced as:
- Awareness
- Desire
- Knowledge
- Practice
- Encouragement
- Habit Integration
The course begins with an overview of the model that includes a self-assessment around work related behaviors. There is interaction in small groups, self-reflection, application activities, and large group discussion throughout the day.
Participants begin the change process by becoming self-aware of how/why they make choices.
This includes:
A “Personal Values Survey” that uncovers the “driving” behaviors that influence them at work. Some examples would be approval, achievement and loyalty. This is then linked back to their jobs.
They look at how they change behaviors in different environments. For example, how do they think they act around senior management versus their peers.
They formulate a foundation of understanding workplace practices, responsibility, and consequences to choices surrounding these concepts.
They discover how they rationalize behaviors and how to stop those that create negative consequences. This concept involves “self-limiting thoughts” and counters to them.
These activities show how our self-directed behavior is a necessity for change and ultimately increased effectiveness in our professional and personal lives.
Session 2
From this foundation, the DiSC®Classic [Personal Profile System® 2800] is used to create awareness on another influence to our behavior. This tool allows for activities around improving relationships with co-workers and managers that have different behavioral styles. Diversity, teambuilding, customer service, and conflict resolution are now more meaningful because of the self-accountability foundation laid in choosing behaviors. Instead of rationalizing each behavior style, participants now examine choosing behaviors which require them to adapt in more positive ways to create win/win and trust among employees.
Some of the outcomes of PC are Empowerment, Initiative, andAccountability and Adaptability
Self-Leadership Initiatives
Before individuals can effectively lead others, they need to be aware of their personal strengths and challenges that hold them back.
Building awareness of behaviors that are not effective and providing the framework for choosing behaviors and taking personal responsibility for daily choices.
Business Initiatives
Uncovering strengths that each individual brings to an organization. Empowering employees to make choices in their behaviors that create confidence balanced with personal accountability for the consequences.
Raising awareness of the diversity in the workplace around behavior styles, generational work challenges, and values that provide a common language for the workplace and effective team relationships.
Helps break down the barriers between divisions and departments while creating common bonds of communication and behavioral styles.
Allows a forum for open discussions of challenges that encourage problem solving and assertive communications and behaviors that improve the success of the organization.
Enlightens the participants on the values that drive their business decisions, so that they can uncover the conflicts and mixed messages that their behaviors exhibit.
Allows them to tie personal goals to professional goals that will benefit both them personally, as well as the organization as a whole.
What to expect from different Target Populations:
Managers – First raising awareness that they can make choices in how they deal with co-workers that could be more effective for the relationship and performance. It encourages them to direct their behaviors for results that will be more successful for them. Uncovering rationalization for behaviors that they might have a right to exhibit, but have a greater responsibility not to exhibit. How their “drivers” tell the subordinates what they really value in behaviors. Gives them an understanding of how and why subordinates react to their behaviors.
General Contributors - They become self-aware of their actions and like managers must accept the responsibility for their choices. It reinforces the concept that “you can’t change others’ behaviors, only your own.” In the extreme, the process highlights the “victimization” or the “entitlement” mentality that can begin to cause employees to make poor choices. The skill building gives them the tools to act on more positive behaviors. The awareness and understanding of rights and responsibilities empowers them to accept the choices they have, or to make better choices for reaching personal and professional goals.
