So what was the same? The power of Dependable Strengths to transform was evident by Day 2.  In the sharing of “Good Experiences”, the long faces we had seen a day earlier had begun to relax – smiles and laughter replaced them.  Friendships and mutual respect began to develop quickly, as is always the case when sharing Good Experiences.  The program is so cleverly structured to allow space for personal reflection plus peer feedback and support.  The latter component is so powerful – we are so hard on ourselves.  Others almost always see us more positively than we see ourselves.  Here’s how it felt for a few of our participants:

“Who cares about my weaknesses – I’m dynamite!”

“I learned, or had confirmed, that acknowledging my strengths is very empowering.  The collective experience of the group shows that overcoming anything is possible.  I found a new supportive community.”

One of the other things we noted, yet again, was these women’s depth of engagement and effort spent on creating their Dependable Strengths Reports.  They brought each draft to us with such pride – bursting to hear our feedback.  Trevor and I love to read these.  Reading them is like watching an inspiring movie where the writer is the heroine.  You somehow feel you know this person, in the space of one page.  These reports are as heart-warming as the women who wrote them.

Another re-occurring phenomenon we saw with this group was the degree of risk-taking – in their self-disclosures, in trying out new ways of thinking, and in making new contacts in an unconventional way.  There’s no going back once you’ve seen what’s on the other side.

It is a privilege for Trevor and I to witness the blossoming of self-esteem among our participants.  This is why we do this work.  This is why I brought Dependable Strengths to Canada.

Spring is metaphorically associated with re-birth and new beginnings.  How appropriate to have held our second Dependable Strengths workshop in this particular season.  Once again, Trevor and I delivered the program to clients of Dress for Success.  Word travels quickly.  This time we had 16 seats available, and 50 applications to screen.
In reflecting back, I’ve decided to report on what was different about this session – my next entry will feature “what was the same”.  Before I get to that, I am bursting to share the results from this group!  By Day 5, these outstanding women had generated the following impressive results in just 1 hour of using the DS techniques:

• 25 new contacts – here’s a sampling of their feedback: “You’ve done all that?” “Wow”, “Amazing”, “I’m blown away”
• 16 new job ideas
• 12 referrals and 2 follow-up meetings requested
• 23 Dependable Strengths reports given out and 3 resumes requested
• 10 business cards collected

So what was different this time? It seemed that the economic situation had cast a shadow over our job seekers – more so than in March.  On Day 1, there were a lot of long faces.  This time, I had asked the group to come to class prepared to share a metaphor to describe how they were feeling about their current employment situation.  Some of the ones we heard included “I feel like I have one foot in heaven and one foot in hell”, and “I feel like I’m running in a hamster wheel”.  Trevor and I were a little worried…

This time, my other associate, Jim Smyth, joined us for a few days to observe and soak in the Dependable Strengths magic.  Jim is undergoing his facilitator training in July at the University of Washington, Seattle.   Jim’s involvement sparked some lively discussion about entrepreneurship, as he is the WIP in-house expert on this.

Trevor and I learned a lot from our first pilot session.  One of our lessons was to lengthen the program to allow for even more engagement in the learning.  We felt rushed during the March offering, so increased the program length from 21 to 24 hours this time.  It worked out perfectly – just as originator Bernard Haldane had envisioned when he recommended this length.  We also traded segments this time, so there was a deepening of our own learning of the material.  Now that Trevor and I have each delivered all segments of the workshop, we have earned our Level 2 Facilitator Certification!

By the end, our worries had vanished.  Here are just a few of the comments we received, after the long faces were lifted by smiles:

“A group of lucky women were given the opportunity to take part in a Dependable Strengths workshop.  In this, everyone gained a better awareness of their skills and strengths, and most important, renewed self esteem.”

“It is a very powerful workshop.  It helps people who are stuck in their career path.  Every unemployed person should come to this workshop.”

I just wanted to let everyone know that we will be running a Dependable Strengths® Workshop from July 6 to 10th. In order to give everyone an opportunity to find out what the Workshops are all about, we will be holding free information sessions on the following dates.

June 5 9-11 AM  Cascade Village Recreation Centre, Burnaby
June 18 10AM - 12 Noon   Vancouver Public Library (Alma VanDusen Room)  Downtown Vancouver

Advanced Registration is Required …
please send an email with the time and date of the session you will be attending, or
phone 778-892-8225 to register or for more information.

So what was it like to learn how to deliver Steve’s life-changing work?  In a word, intense. In another word, profound. The workshop took place in my home in Lions Bay, with the spectacular setting of the ocean and mountains of Howe Sound in the background…  What a perfect environment in which to do the inner work required to get at the core of our “raison d’être”.  We spent 10 ½ days in a row, 10 hours per day, dividing our time between playing the roles of participants for each other, and rookie facilitators.

We struggled to learn the material, wanting not only to do well, but also to do the content and the process justice.  It was a fascinating and fully engaging experience.  What struck us was not only the universality of this learning, but also the continuity of self-awareness work throughout one’s life.  Having all been through the program as participants in the recent past, we continued to deepen our self-understanding, which paved the way for understanding each other at a deeper and more compassionate level.

As a tightly-knit group, with a mix of learning preferences, we somehow managed to harmoniously plan our learning and delivery strategies together, we took risks in trying out different techniques, we shared feedback openly with each other, coached one another, and listened intently to Steve’s stories as he mentored us in the most focused and caring way.

So what did we learn, and how will this be useful to you, our clients?   We learned that the journey of self-awareness is a humbling experience, not for the timid.  What we are most afraid to share with others - our fears around our own significance, competence, and openness, are the very things that when we risk exposing, bring us closer to one another.  It is only through this level of self-understanding, risk-taking, and sharing, that we can connect with our Essence, show up in the world in the most authentic way, and create love in the world through a relentless pursuit of our Work Purpose.

What I can pass on to you, our clients, is the realization that once you discover your Work Purpose, you will become energized by the career planning process, instead of feeling stuck and/or drained.  Your choices around work will become more conscious than ever, with a clear focus and intentionality.  You will understand the power and joy of aligning work with who you are at your core.

Work In Progress™ will begin offering The Implicit Career Search® workshop in December of this year. Trevor and I have also been trained to deliver Steve’s work in a one-on-one coaching format.  I promise to keep you posted on this (information sessions, program dates).   In the meantime, I welcome your inquiries.

Linda

So how does the Implicit Career Search® relate to Work In Progress?  As a previous participant in an ICS workshop, this company was created based on my own Work Purpose statement: “To be a channel for people’s growth in self-esteem so that they can unlock their potential in life.”

My Work Purpose statement forms the foundation of my company mission statement:

“The mission of Work In Progress Career Transition Strategists™ is to guide and support our clients’ self-learning, with the aim of enhancing their feelings of self-esteem and self-efficacy.  We believe that by learning to recognize and embrace the uniqueness that lies within one’s self; individuals will naturally develop the courage and energy to unlock their potential, in both career and personal realms.  Work In Progress’s philosophy is that transition can bring with it opportunity, obstacles can be creatively overcome, and that a better quality of life is within reach.”

Once I became clear on how to live my purpose through work, this has become the filter through which I select service offerings for our clients.

I shared with Steve Miller that it’s almost as if The Implicit Career Search® found me.  Rarely does such a clear validation of our inner yearnings land in our lap.  Or maybe it’s just that I was open to receiving it.  Thank you, Steve.