The School of Life for Business:Professional Development

good ideas for developing your people

The SchooL of Life iS focuSeD on PSychoLogicaL DeveLoPmenT anD emoTionaL maTuriTy.

We Work WiTh inDiviDuaLS anD organiSaTionS To heLP Them DeveLoP The SkiLLS anD aTTiTuDeS They neeD To SucceeD anD groW.

–The Psychological obstacles

of employees hold companies Back

–

Whether or not we acknowledge it,

business is a deeply psychological arena.

The modern world of work requires

each of us to build healthy relationships

with numerous colleagues and clients,

and to manage our own emotions

skilfully. This means our success

relies as much on our mind-sets as

on our strategy.

Research suggests that poor ‘soft skills’

will cost the UK economy over £8bn by

2020 in lost productivity*. Fostering

emotional intelligence in employees is,

therefore, far from a luxury.

At the School of Life, we have identified a

checklist of some common psychological

obstacles that get in the way of staff

doing their best work. They are what we

aim to cure – and involve such issues as:

poor judgement, disengagement, stress,

lack of confidence, office politicking,

timidity, social awkwardness and a lack

of imagination.

We have built our business around

addressing these psychological obstacles

with a range of tools - in ways that

enhance staff morale and that ultimately

improve the bottom line.*Development Economics Group (2015)

»

cuLTure eaTS STraTegy for BreakfaST «

  Peter Drucker, consultant, writer anD ‘founDer of moDern management thinking’

–our approach

–

We start with a conversation with

you to understand the particular

psychological obstacles that are at

risk of holding your business back.

We aim to build lasting relationships

with our clients, and our suggestions

involve a range of interventions, from

regular classes to more in-depth,

immersive experiences.

Our goal is to create real and lasting

changes to the emotional intelligence

of your organisation.

Our knowledge-base is drawn

from psychology, philosophy and

psychoanalysis - as well as culture

more generally. The ideas we work

with are rigorous, useful, intelligent

and (where relevant) playful.

Emotional development is our

mission.

Have it your way

Our sessions are flexible in terms

of group size and timings. We

offer talks, discussions, group and

individual activities that will be

relevant to different kinds of staff.

The School of Life Sunday Mornings 14th September 2014 theschooloflife.com

One of our previous corporate events

An afternoon with today’s brightest thinkers exploring how brands can better bridge the gap between the need for profit and the deeper emotional needs of consumers.

In partnership with

Meaning + Culture + Value

Our upcoming 2015 conference focusing on meaningful work and staff engagement

Alain de Botton is founder

and chairman of The School

of Life. He is a writer who

explores the philosophy of

everyday life. His books

have been bestsellers in

30 countries.

Cathy Haynes is a London-

based curator, artist, writer

and educator. She is regularly

a guest speaker for cultural

and academic bodies, and

was formerly the Curator of

Public Programmes at The

School of Life.

Maurits Kalff is a

psychologist, coach, trainer

and magistrate. As well

as teaching at The School

of Life he runs his own

coaching psychology

practice, working in both the

public and private sector.

Tazeen Ahmad is a

broadcaster, investigative

reporter and a former

foreign correspondent. She

also works as an executive,

business and career coach.

Samantha Clarke has

worked as a brand and

strategy consultant, trend

and innovation researcher,

emerging markets connector,

and fashion stylist.

–Learn from The BeST

–

Robert Rowland Smith

was a Prize Fellow Philosophy

lecturer at Oxford University,

before becoming partner in a

leading firm of management

consultants. Now he divides

his time between consulting,

speaking and writing about

the philosophy of life.

Ed Halliwell is a

mindfulness teacher and

writer. He is author of

Mindfulness: How To Live

Well By Paying Attention and

co-author of The Mindful

Manifesto.

Gaylene Gould is a writer,

broadcaster, coach and arts

consultant. She has worked

in the international cultural

sector for twenty years, has

lectured extensively and is a

published author.

David Baker is a writer,

coach and consultant based in

London. He was the launch

managing editor of Wired

Magazine in the UK. He

specialises in using simple

language to bring complex

topics to new audiences.

Brennan Jacoby is a

philosopher, freelance writer

and consultant. He is a

specialist in trust and gained

his PhD in Philosophy from

Macquarie University in

Australia.

John-Paul Flintoff

is a writer, performer and

coach. He spent 15 years as

a journalist at The Sunday

Times and The Financial

Times, and his books include

How to Change the World.

John Armstrong is a

philosopher and the author

of several internationally

acclaimed books on art,

aesthetics and philosophy.

He was until recently

Philosopher in Residence

at the Melbourne Business

School.

Our events, workshops and talks are created and delivered by a distinguished Faculty of more than 250 leading philosophers, writers, artists, scientists, thinkers and psychologists.

»

i.Q. iS a ThreShoLD comPeTence. you neeD iT, BuT iT DoeSn’T make you a STar. emoTionaL inTeLLigence can.”   «

  warren Bennis, leaDershiP consultant anD author, mit anD harvarD

inTeLLigence anD PracTicaL knoWLeDge are BaSic reQuiremenTS for SucceSS aT Work. BuT Taken aLone They Won’T make inDiviDuaLS or organiSaTionS STanD ouT.

more Than ever, STaff ToDay neeD To Be aBLe To come uP WiTh creaTive neW iDeaS, To communicaTe engagingLy, To manage Their emoTionaL STaTe WeLL anD To foSTer meaningfuL reLaTionShiPS WiTh ThoSe arounD Them.

aS a reSuLT , our Learning exPerienceSare DeSigneD arounD four core ThemeS:» creaTiviTy» communicaTion» WeLLBeing » LeaDerShiP

»

every chiLD iS an arTiST. The ProBLem iS STaying an arTiST When you groW uP   «

  PaBlo Picasso

Most people agree, creativity is essential to

the entrepreneurial spirit that gets businesses

started. But it can also sustain a company

and help it grow, especially in an increasingly

innovation-driven economy.

Business success often requires the

imagination, ideas and passion of all staff

members – it’s rarely just the select few who

have ‘creative’ in their job title.

Our Learning Experiences can help you nurture

creativity in all your staff members and to

create an environment where good ideas are

able to emerge - and be taken to market.

workshops and classes

» how to be more creative» how to think like an entrepreneur » understanding the creative brain » unleash your creative confidence » generating creativity workshop » copying and originality: a trip to the zoo with mark earls » a mad hatter’s tea party: creativity immersive» a eureka tour of london: a walking tour of the creative process» a creative safari: a creative exploration of london

–creaTiviTy

–

»

There iS no converSaTion more Boring Than The one Where everyBoDy agreeS  «

  michel De montaigne

–communication

–

The way we communicate makes a continuous

impact on those around us.

And it’s not just what we say that matters.

Facial expressions, body language and tone

of voice can all affect how others feel - and

ultimately make the difference between a happy

and successful workplace and one that fails to

thrive.

Speaking with passion, building rapport,

being fully engaged; these are just some of the

skills that can prove pivotal in forming and

developing good relationships at work – and in

our personal lives.

workshops and classes

» how to communicate better at work » how to tell a story» how to manage client relationships» how to argue like a philosopher» improvise your way to the top» the art of rhetoric» finding your voice» the art of persuasion» visual thinking: networking for introverts» introversion: a superpower

»

The SofT STuff iS aLWayS harDer Than The harD STuff  «

  roger enrico, vice chairman, PePsico

–WeLL Being

–

Performance at work and quality of life can be

directly hindered by the strain of having too

much challenge - or the boredom of having too

little.

However, a healthy and happy workforce

requires more than the absence of strain and

boredom. Meaningful tasks, a sense of shared

mission and positive appraisals from co-

workers all play a role.

Wellbeing can’t be bought with a bigger wage

packet. Instead, it often comes when people

have the freedom to do what is naturally right

for them; something which also promotes

achievement and business success.

workshops and classes

» how to stay calm» how to be confident» how to be resilient» living your values» how to balance work with life » developing a compassionate mind» an introduction to mindfulness » resilience & motivation workshop» how to realise your potential at work» time, rhythm and ritual

»

ThoSe are my PrinciPLeS, anD if you Don’T Like Them, WeLL… i have oTherS  «

  groucho marx

–LeaDerShiP

–

Strong visionary leadership inspires the best

performing teams.

While the personal styles of successful leaders

may vary, many share similar qualities –

notably, something they feel passionate about

and an ability to engage others. Their own

levels of emotional intelligence allow them to

create and nurture meaningful relationships –

in fact, it is key.

Here is a taster of how we can help you

develop the emotional intelligence of your

team members and equip them with other

transformative leadership skills.

workshops and classes

» how to be a good leader » how to be a compassionate leader» How to (re)build trust in business» how to manage change» truth, lies and business» how to make a difference» how to make better decisions » Bespoke leadership development and coaching programme

Every organisation, and every culture is different. We know one-size doesn’t fit all, so our partnerships are tailor made. Whether it’s curating a particular mix of existing Learning Experiences, creating an entirely new workshop, talk or event, we will work closely with you to get things right.

Over the page are four sample case studies…

–Partnership in Practice

–

We can work design and deliver a totally bespoke workshop, aiming to address a specific challenge or ambition within your organisations.

Why we got together

This company wanted to create engaging physical

and digital training materials that staff who worked

remotely would spontaneously want to use and

share with each other.

What we are creating

A series of fun workbooks in the form of ‘choose

your own adventure’ graphic novels and a gamified

‘flight simulator’ app that allows staff to test out

various scenarios and learn the best approaches

through play.

“the school of life have been great partners for us, understanding our ethos and translating it into an inspiring, offbeat and original programme. we look forward with curiosity and anticipation to our next sessions.” anthony swede, head of planning, walker media

Why we got together

Walker Media wanted to empower their staff to be

more collaborative and create a culture where staff

felt willing to take more creative risks.

What we created

An annual training programme with monthly

sessions providing new approaches to creative

thinking, and helping staff understand clients and

consumers better. We are shortly due to begin our

fourth term of activity with Walker Media.

–WaLker meDia

–

–global fmcg client

–

We can create and curate a series of classes and workshops – providing a varied and in-depth exploration of a certain topic or them.

Why we got together

Farfetch wanted to help their upcoming senior

leaders develop the emotional intelligence

competencies necessary to move into more formal

leadership positions.

What we are creating

A bespoke annual programme of workshops, and

one-to-one coaching sessions, focussing on the role

emotional intelligence plays in leadership, helping

leaders develop their own authentic voice and their

ability to practically lead and manage change.

“a great course, among the best i have attended. relevant, and good insights from the speaker.”prudential staff participant

Why we got together

Prudential wanted interactive training designed to

suit their culture and working practices that would

help staff stay motivated and energetic in a fast

moving, stressful environment.

What we created

A bespoke, one-day Resilience Workshop with a

series of practical exercises, tools and insights to

help staff map how best to ride the up’s and down’s

of working life.

–Prudential

–

– farfetch

–

prices are flexible, and willdepend on the package. butto give an idea, we cantypically offer: » talks and shorter events

from: £1,500

» a package of classes from: £2,000 - £3,000 per session

» bespoke workshops from: £7,500

Let’s talk

For more information on how we might

work together, or to arrange a meeting,

please contact our Business Director,

Ewen Haldane

+44 (0)7833 206 765

ewen@theschooloflife

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