The School of Life for Business:Professional Development

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 –

*Development Economics Group (2015)

Whether or not we acknowledge it,

At the School of Life, we have identified a

business is a deeply psychological arena.

checklist of some common psychological

The modern world of work requires

obstacles that get in the way of staff

each of us to build healthy relationships

doing their best work. They are what we

with numerous colleagues and clients,

aim to cure – and involve such issues as:

and to manage our own emotions

poor judgement, disengagement, stress,

skilfully. This means our success

lack of confidence, office politicking,

relies as much on our mind-sets as

timidity, social awkwardness and a lack

on our strategy.

of imagination.

Research suggests that poor ‘soft skills’

We have built our business around

will cost the UK economy over £8bn by

addressing these psychological obstacles

2020 in lost productivity*. Fostering

with a range of tools - in ways that

emotional intelligence in employees is,

enhance staff morale and that ultimately

therefore, far from a luxury.

improve the bottom line.

»

Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast

«

Peter Drucker, Consultant, writer and ‘founder of modern management thinking’

– Our Approach –

Our knowledge-base is drawn We start with a conversation with

from psychology, philosophy and

you to understand the particular

psychoanalysis - as well as culture

psychological obstacles that are at

more generally. The ideas we work

risk of holding your business back.

with are rigorous, useful, intelligent and (where relevant) playful.

We aim to build lasting relationships

Emotional development is our

with our clients, and our suggestions

mission.

involve a range of interventions, from regular classes to more in-depth,

Have it your way

immersive experiences.

Our sessions are flexible in terms of group size and timings. We

Our goal is to create real and lasting

offer talks, discussions, group and

changes to the emotional intelligence

individual activities that will be

of your organisation.

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.

Meaning + Culture + Value

In partnership with

Our upcoming 2015 conference focusing on meaningful work and staff engagement

– LEARN FROM THE BEST –

Alain de Botton is founder

Maurits Kalff is a

Robert Rowland Smith

and chairman of The School

psychologist, coach, trainer

was a Prize Fellow Philosophy

of Life. He is a writer who

and magistrate. As well

lecturer at Oxford University,

explores the philosophy of

as teaching at The School

before becoming partner in a

everyday life. His books

of Life he runs his own

leading firm of management

have been bestsellers in

coaching psychology

consultants. Now he divides

30 countries.

practice, working in both the

his time between consulting,

public and private sector.

speaking and writing about the philosophy of life.

Cathy Haynes is a London-

Tazeen Ahmad is a

Samantha Clarke has

based curator, artist, writer

broadcaster, investigative

worked as a brand and

and educator. She is regularly

reporter and a former

strategy consultant, trend

a guest speaker for cultural

foreign correspondent. She

and innovation researcher,

and academic bodies, and

also works as an executive,

emerging markets connector,

was formerly the Curator of

business and career coach.

and fashion stylist.

Public Programmes at The School of Life.

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.

John Armstrong is a

Brennan Jacoby is a

John-Paul Flintoff

philosopher and the author

philosopher, freelance writer

is a writer, performer and

of several internationally

and consultant. He is a

coach. He spent 15 years as

acclaimed books on art,

specialist in trust and gained

a journalist at The Sunday

aesthetics and philosophy.

his PhD in Philosophy from

Times and The Financial

He was until recently

Macquarie University in

Times, and his books include

Philosopher in Residence

Australia.

How to Change the World.

David Baker is a writer,

Ed Halliwell is a

Gaylene Gould is a writer,

coach and consultant based in

mindfulness teacher and

broadcaster, coach and arts

London. He was the launch

writer. He is author of

consultant. She has worked

managing editor of Wired

Mindfulness: How To Live

in the international cultural

Magazine in the UK. He

Well By Paying Attention and

sector for twenty years, has

specialises in using simple

co-author of The Mindful

lectured extensively and is a

language to bring complex

Manifesto.

published author.

at the Melbourne Business School.

topics to new audiences.

»

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 Experiences are 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

– CREATIVITY –

Most people agree, creativity is essential to

Workshops and Classes

the entrepreneurial spirit that gets businesses started. But it can also sustain a company

» how to be more creative

and help it grow, especially in an increasingly

» how to think like an entrepreneur

innovation-driven economy.

» understanding the creative brain » unleash your creative confidence

Business success often requires the

» generating creativity workshop

imagination, ideas and passion of all staff

» copying and originality:

members – it’s rarely just the select few who

have ‘creative’ in their job title.

» a mad hatter’s tea party:

a trip to the zoo with mark earls creativity immersive

Our Learning Experiences can help you nurture

» a eureka tour of london:

creativity in all your staff members and to

a walking tour of the creative

create an environment where good ideas are

process

able to emerge - and be taken to market.

» a creative safari: a creative

exploration of london

»

There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees

«

Michel de Montaigne

– Communication –

The way we communicate makes a continuous

Workshops and Classes

impact on those around us. » how to communicate better And it’s not just what we say that matters.

Facial expressions, body language and tone

» how to tell a story

at work

of voice can all affect how others feel - and

» how to manage client

ultimately make the difference between a happy

and successful workplace and one that fails to

» how to argue like a philosopher

thrive.

» improvise your way to the top

relationships

» the art of rhetoric Speaking with passion, building rapport,

» finding your voice

being fully engaged; these are just some of the

» the art of persuasion

skills that can prove pivotal in forming and

» visual thinking: networking

developing good relationships at work – and in

our personal lives.

» introversion: a superpower

for introverts

»

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

Workshops and Classes

directly hindered by the strain of having too much challenge - or the boredom of having too

» how to stay calm

little.

» how to be confident » how to be resilient

However, a healthy and happy workforce

» living your values

requires more than the absence of strain and

» how to balance work with life

boredom. Meaningful tasks, a sense of shared

» developing a compassionate mind

mission and positive appraisals from co-

» an introduction to mindfulness

workers all play a role.

» resilience & motivation

workshop

Wellbeing can’t be bought with a bigger wage

» how to realise your potential

packet. Instead, it often comes when people

have the freedom to do what is naturally right

» time, rhythm and ritual

for them; something which also promotes achievement and business success.

at work

»

Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them, well…

I have others

«

Groucho Marx

– LEADERSHIP –

Strong visionary leadership inspires the best

Workshops and Classes

performing teams. » how to be a good leader While the personal styles of successful leaders

» how to be a compassionate leader

may vary, many share similar qualities –

» How to (re)build trust in business

notably, something they feel passionate about

» how to manage change

and an ability to engage others. Their own

» truth, lies and business

levels of emotional intelligence allow them to

» how to make a difference

create and nurture meaningful relationships –

» how to make better decisions

in fact, it is key.

» Bespoke leadership development

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.

and coaching programme

– Partnership in Practice –

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…

– WALKER MEDIA –

– Global FMCG Client –

“the school of life have been great

We can work design and deliver a

partners for us, understanding our

totally bespoke workshop, aiming

ethos and translating it into an

to address a specific challenge or

inspiring, offbeat and original

ambition within your organisations.

programme. we look forward with curiosity and anticipation to our next sessions.”

Why we got together

anthony swede, head

of planning, walker media

This company wanted to create engaging physical and digital training materials that staff who worked

Why we got together

remotely would spontaneously want to use and share with each other.

Walker Media wanted to empower their staff to be more collaborative and create a culture where staff

What we are creating

felt willing to take more creative risks.

A series of fun workbooks in the form of ‘choose What we created

your own adventure’ graphic novels and a gamified ‘flight simulator’ app that allows staff to test out

An annual training programme with monthly

various scenarios and learn the best approaches

sessions providing new approaches to creative

through play.

thinking, and helping staff understand clients and consumers better. We are shortly due to begin our fourth term of activity with Walker Media.

– Prudential –

– Farfetch –

“a great course, among the best i

We can create and curate a series of

have attended. relevant, and good

classes and workshops – providing a

insights from the speaker.”

varied and in-depth exploration of a

prudential staff participant

certain topic or them.

Why we got together

Why we got together

Prudential wanted interactive training designed to

Farfetch wanted to help their upcoming senior

suit their culture and working practices that would

leaders develop the emotional intelligence

help staff stay motivated and energetic in a fast

competencies necessary to move into more formal

moving, stressful environment.

leadership positions.

What we created

What we are creating

A bespoke, one-day Resilience Workshop with a

A bespoke annual programme of workshops, and

series of practical exercises, tools and insights to

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

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

emotional intelligence plays in leadership, helping

of working life.

leaders develop their own authentic voice and their ability to practically lead and manage change.

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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depend on the package. but to give an idea, we can typically offer:

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» talks and shorter events from: £1,500

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» a package of classes

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from: £2,000 - £3,000 per session » bespoke workshops from: £7,500