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 H
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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