Realms of Attention

Today’s leaders face so many challenges, including finding enough time for thinking, and staying attentive to and informed about the world outside of their own lives and organisations. The world is changing, the future likely to be a very different one from now, and as leaders we need to engage in conversations with people who come from different contexts and who hold diverse views to our own or we can become blinkered to other realities.

I have long been fascinated in the work of Iain McGilchrist (the acclaimed Lecturer, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, and Author of “The Master & His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World”). He

Iain believes that the brain is not a mere machine but an inseparable aspect of our whole selves AND of the culture in which we have taken a part in creating because of the way our brain hemispheres attend to the world.

In other words, the differences in our two brain hemispheres are responsible for moulding the world in which we now live.

So why is this important for leaders? Well we look to leaders to lead on creating culture. We look to them to question, explore and innovate so we can do the same. And if a leader is living in a bubble, they won’t be able to do that. They will shape according to the world they see, but they are only seeing it through their eyes. So it’s only partly real. And so….

In a unique first…

Iain and I have put together a 2 day residential event where we’ll bring together two sets of powerful ideas — The Divided Brain and the Thinking Environment (a values-based philsophy of relationships and communication that helps people to think and generate ideas together) so that participants will be able to engage in fascinating and stimulating discussions about our brains, or worlds, our lives and our future.

And for those who already use the Thinking Environment, it will deepen your skills, understanding and appreciation of this generative, generous way of being with others.

With talks from Iain, hosted and facilitated by me and supported by highly skilled Time to Think colleagues, this will be an experience, not a conference. In fact it promises to be a feast of thinking!

What’s the format?

Over two thoroughly engaging days, we will look at the structure and function of the two brain hemispheres, how they contribute differently to our own experience of the world and indeed how we have shaped the modern Western world because of the way our brain experiences it.

We will blend Iain’s lectures with world café style groups in a Thinking Environment to explore the implications of the Divided Brain in the fields that interest you. For example, you might want to think and exchange ideas about education, commerce, government, health and social care, leadership, society, environment and more.

As well as formal sessions and breakout groups there will be plenty of stimulating conversations with Iain and the group during meals and in the bar after dinner so you will be developing your thinking throughout the two days.

What are the key themes?

Myths — many brain myths abound, including that the left and the right sides of the brain do different things. Yet it’s not the what they do, but the way they do it that matters.

Attention — what we find depends on the kind of attention we pay. And because the two hemispheres attend differently, they produce two kinds of world. Is either world true?

Reality — the nature of the hemispherical differences has some important consequences and we can fail to perceive and experience meaning and the (closest we can get to) full reality of nature and of life. Is “Post Truth” our new reality?

Metaphor — metaphor links language to life yet do some popular metaphors reduce our capacity for insight, for example, the brain as a machine instead as an inseparable aspect of a whole person?

Paradox — paradox is everywhere and perhaps more noticeable in our lives than ever before. For example, in our quest for more happiness, more wealth, more possessions, more connected technology, have we become unhappier, poorer in spirit, where possessions feel worthless and technology disconnects and isolates us from close relationships?

Hope — are we running out of time to save ourselves, humanity, and our planet? Was the surprise Brexit result a manifestation of hope? Is populism here to stay? Are we “shuffling like a sleepwalker into the abyss?” And if we are, what can we do about it?

Who is this event for?

This is a personal and professional development experience open to all who get energy and inspiration through talking and thinking about profoundly important issues. Whatever your profession or area of exploration, we expect that like us you will be keenly interested in questioning the nature of existence and how our world works. And what part we can play in making it better.

How to book?

Limited to 35 residential and 5 non-residential places you can find out more by visiting http://bit.ly/2kp1G5C

How will you benefit?

Access to profound, sometimes challenging information from this unique thinker. Many opportunities to ask your own questions and bring your own thinking to the group. Great conversations, new learning and insights, perhaps unexpected shifts in perspective. Deepening experience of the egalitarian Thinking Environment way of being. Inspiration, new relationships, warmth and fresh connection to a ‘thinking tribe’.

For more information about Iain and me visit:

www.iainmcgilchrist.com

www.coachingforleaders.co.uk

© Linda Aspey 2017

The Two Day Time to Think Foundation Course - Oxford, 12 & 13 November 2012

With Time to Think Specialists Linda Aspey & Ruth McCarthy

"The Thinking Environment® has a profound effect on the quality of people’s thinking; Linda Aspey and Ruth McCarthy are among the finest Thinking Environment experts in the world.”

Nancy Kline, Time to Think

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Would you like to help people to transform the quality of their thinking & discussions?

Do you, like many people, spend most of your time at work in meetings, and yet sometimes find them unproductive and uninspiring? If so imagine that you – with simple yet profoundly impactful skills and tools that built upon your existing expertise – could transform meetings so that people come away feeling energised.

And what if, through applying these skills and tools, you could also deliver more engaging, more impactful presentations, could deal productively with conflict, and could bring out the best in people’s group problem-solving and creative abilities?

This is what you will gain through the Time to Think Foundation Course, grounded in the Thinking Environment, the unique and powerful framework for generative thinking developed by Nancy Kline of Time to Think.  This quietly powerful way of being is supported by a growing body of neuropsychological research* that demonstrates how and why the quality of one or more person’s attention determines the quality of another’s thinking.  Attention is indeed an act of creation.

What is the Time to Think Foundation Course?
It is a two day intensive, experiential course exploring the theory and practice of the Ten Components of the Thinking Environment and its use in a variety of contexts. You will explore and use the four “Building Blocks” to generate thinking, facilitate groups, transform meetings, deliver winning presentations, and more.

During the course you will be learning from each other as well as from the two consultants. Working in pairs, small groups and the large group gives real depth and breadth to your development experience.

Who is this course for?

This is vital expertise and exceptional professional development for coaches, mentors, psychologists,  executives, managers, HR and OD professionals, consultants, leaders - all those who want to develop their capacity to create conditions where people’s thinking can flourish.

Course aims and objectives:

·  To explore and experience the Ten Components of the Thinking Environment and its applications

·  To examine and practise the ways in which communication within a variety of contexts can be transformed into clear-thinking, invigorating, positive experiences

·  To enrich your interpersonal style by listening to ignite rather than listening to respond

·  To begin to introduce confidently the principles of the Thinking Environment into your life and your work with clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and others.

Comments from previous participants:

“Inspiring, thought-generating and energising.”

“I found the course so empowering!” 

“Among other things, this way of running a meeting seems both disciplined and democratic.”

“I feel more confident about my ability and ready to take more risks!”

And from a client who uses the Thinking Environment:

“In team meetings, I often talk too much and feel responsible for starting discussions when no one else will. Using the Thinking Environment gave me permission to keep quiet and encouraged everyone to speak, so unusually we heard from everyone and got more ideas on the table than I could have dreamt possible. We never knew we could be so creative and so open, fearless even. It also gave me the space to be more reflective and more impactful when I did speak. “

Course details
Dates	Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th November, 2012
Times	10.00am -5.30pm
Venue	Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel, Abingdon Road, Oxford www.four-pillars.co.uk
Places	A maximum of 12 participants.
Fee	£525 (+ VAT), inclusive of course manual, refreshments and buffet lunch on both days. Optional overnight accommodation is available for an additional £115 (incl. breakfast and VAT).

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About the Facilitators

Linda Aspey is a Fellow of BACP, a BACP accredited counsellor / psychotherapist, an APECS accredited executive coach, and has a Masters in Strategic HR Management.  As MD of two companies - Coaching for Leaders and Aspey Associates - she has 20+ years’ experience in organisation development and executive coaching. In 2009 Linda began training with Nancy Kline, qualifying as a Time to Think Coach, Facilitator and Consultant; all her work is now underpinned by the principles. She delivers Thinking Environment events across many sectors including media, travel, healthcare and charitable sectors. 

Ruth McCarthy’s career began in UK book publishing and journalism. She trained in the mid 1990’s as a coach, took a Masters in Critical Thinking in 2000 then qualified as a Time to Think Coach, Facilitator and Consultant.  From her  coaching consultancy Think it Through, (www.thinkitthrough.co.uk) Ruth delivers in-house Thinking Environment development days and leads Thinking Environment courses in London and Dublin. For the last three years Ruth has been working intensively with Nancy Kline, absorbing the cutting-edge ‘freshest thinking’ that is the hallmark of the Thinking Environment way of working and being.

To Book a Place on the Course:

Word Document: Please go to http://tinyurl.com/c2n2nlr to download a Booking Form along with Terms and Conditions.

PDF version: http://tinyurl.com/d7nzrtp

If you have any questions please contact us at timetothink@coachingforleaders.co.uk

You can read more about the Thinking Environment here:

Developing Leaders magazine:

Time for a Rethink - New Pathways for Executive Development

Therapy Today:

The Art of Coaching - Thinking Partners

Best books for new managers (and leaders)

An interesting question was posed on Linked In recently - If you were in HR what 4 books would you have in your library that you would recommend to all new people managers? 

I work mainly with senior leaders who've been managers for a while, and so aren't new managers, however these four books immediately came to my mind as suitable for both new and experienced managers. So I thought I'd share them here:

1) "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni. One of the best, most accessible, sense-making and simple yet profound books on management. It's written in a "leadership fable" style, and it's a real page turner; rare for a management book! Everyone I have given it to (which is actually nearly every executive coaching client I have worked with in the past few years since it came out!) has identified with the story and really used the learnings from it.

2) "The Personality of the Organisation" by Lionel F. Stapley. It's not often one thinks about the need for managers to have an understanding of the unconscious life of an organisation but once they read this it makes their job so much easier! Drawing on basic psychodynamic theories, it explains in layperson's terms many mysteries such as why change can fail, what culture is and how it can be created. Equipping managers with an understanding of how groups work at the deeper levels with books like this is one of the best services you can do for them.

3) "Time to Think" by Nancy Kline. One of the skills most employees say their manager lacks is listening. It's not just for managers but I think all managers would benefit from reading it. I believe that a manager's job is to help people to think well for themselves, so that people can grow - and they achive that by being listened to and coming up with their own answers. This book takes the idea of listening to a new level. "Listening to Ignite the Human Mind" is its subtitle. And it does!

4) "More Time to Think" by Nancy Kline. Nancy explains more about the generative nature of attention and how it can transform lives, personal and professional. A must read if you've read Time to Think and are ready for more of this wonderful stuff.


I hope this has inspired you to look these up and get reading - you won't regret it!
Linda

What is The Thinking Environment?

The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first.

Yet when was the last time you really had time to think when you needed it, or before you acted or made decisions? Time to collect your thoughts, to let them flow, to move them around, to weigh them up, to go as deep or as wide or as focused or as bold or as high as you wanted?

And when was the last time you were able to think in the presence of someone else who genuinely wanted to hear what you thought, who invited you to truly think for yourself, who didn’t interrupt, question, advise, direct, analyse, interpret, assess or judge? 


The Thinking Environment™
Is a unique and powerful framework for generative thinking developed by Nancy Kline of Time to Think. Guided by principles and human behaviours known as the Ten Components of the Thinking Environment it enables people to think for themselves with rigour, imagination, courage and grace.

What is the Thinking Partnership?
The Thinking Partnership is the step-by-step process for liberating the human mind to think for itself with unprecedented clarity, originality and rigour, within the framework of a Thinking Environment. This is a creative partnership unlike any other: a Thinker and a Thinking Partner.

How it works

This simple yet profoundly impactful framework is supported by a growing body of neuropsychological evidence that the quality of one person’s attention determines the quality of the other person’s thinking. People can go much further in their own thinking if we listen to ignite their minds, rather than listening to respond with a question, a suggestion, or advice.

Attention is an act of creation. Given the right environment, the Thinker can generate a multitude of thoughts, ask their own questions, solve their own dilemmas, and identify their own untrue assumptions that may be stifling or hindering them. And with generative, clean input and precise, visionary questioning from the Thinking Partner, can instead become clear, creative, progressive and decisive.

What can it be used for?

The Thinking Partnership is regarded by many as an essential coaching skill; the training and application of it is also a unique personal development experience.

Applying the principles of the Thinking Environment can have a transformative effect in many contexts - day to day discussions, team meetings, client relationships, even family life all can be approached from a fresh perspective.

What does Coaching for Leaders offer?

Trained in depth to advanced Consultant level by Nancy Kline, Linda Aspey offers confidential one to one Time to Think Coaching sessions for senior managers, executives and business owners. Time to Think sessions can be complemented with traditional coaching methods and tools, depending on your needs. Time to Think coaching sessions can be one-off, ad hoc or at regular intervals - whatever works best.

Coaching for Leaders also offers "Transforming Meetings" a training programme that helps you to do just exactly that - transform meetings - in your place of work. Your meetings will never again be boring, one sided or unproductive. Instead they will be places and spaces where people create, share, listen, collaborate, support and feel inspired and energised.

 

For more information please just get in touch with Linda Aspey at

coachingforleadersltd@gmail.com 

You can read some of Linda's articles about Time to Think here:

Developing Leaders magazine:

Time for a Rethink - New Pathways for Executive Development

Therapy Today:
The Art of Coaching - Thinking Partners 

For more reading visit www.timetothink.com

The Three Day Thinking Partnership Course in London, 17/18 April & 14 May, 2012

Led by Time to Think Consultants and Coaches

Linda Aspey and Ruth McCarthy

"Thinking Partnership skill is profound in its effect on the quality of a leader's thinking and performance.  Linda Aspey and Ruth McCarthy are among the finest Thinking Partnership experts in the world."  Nancy Kline


Would you like to develop your ability to give attention so it is transformational?

The Thinking Environment™ is a unique and powerful framework for generative thinking developed by Nancy Kline of Time to Think. This simple yet profoundly impactful way of being is supported by a growing body of neuropsychological evidence that demonstrates how and why the quality of one person’s attention determines the quality of the other person’s thinking.  This level of attention goes beyond listening to reply until it becomes  listening that ignites the mind of the Thinker .                                          

What will you gain by developing Thinking Partnership expertise?

The Thinking Partnership is regarded by many as an essential coaching and mentoring skill; the training and application of it is also a unique personal development experience. This course equips you with skills that can have a transformative effect in many contexts – 1:1 development, day to day discussions, team meetings, leadership and management, client relationships, even your personal life.  Essentially it improves communication on all levels, leading to greater insight and better, more fulfilling outcomes.

Who is this course for?

Coaches, mentors, executives, managers, HR / OD professionals, consultants - all those who want to become skilled in creating ideal conditions where people’s thinking can flourish. The course is highly participatory and teaches this process in depth, with a maximum 4:1 participant / trainer ratio.

Course aims and objectives:

·        To explore all Ten Components of a Thinking Environment and their application to individual thinking
·        To enable you to experience valuable thinking time both as a Thinker and a Thinking Partner
·        To enrich your interpersonal style by learning how to listen to ignite rather than listening to respond
·        To enable you to acquire extensive skill in constructing Incisive Questions™

The Thinking Partnership Session model – why it works

Attention is an act of creation. The Thinking Partnership is the step-by-step process for liberating the human mind to think for itself with unprecedented clarity, originality and rigour. So the Thinker is free to generate a multitude of thoughts, ask their own questions, solve their own dilemmas, and identify and challenge their untrue assumptions. And with generative, clean input and precise questioning from the Thinking Partner, thinking can become clear, innovative, progressive and decisive. This is a creative partnership unlike any other: a “Thinker” and a “Thinking Partner”.

The course comes with a comprehensive training manual, certificate, and also provides the foundation to the many other Thinking Environment applications and courses (www.timetothink.com).

Course Details
Dates:                  Tuesday 17^th & Wednesday 18^th April, and Monday 14^th May 2012

Times:                  9.30am -5.00pm

Venue:                 The Milestone Hotel, I Kensington Court, London W8 5DL                  

                             www.milestonehotel.com

Places:                 8 (2 groups of 4 participants with 1 consultant in each group)

Fee:                     £1,190 plus VAT (£1,428) inclusive of course manual, refreshments and buffet lunch

            10% EARLY BIRD BOOKING: before 24/2/2012 = £1,071, a saving of £119

How do I book?

Contact Ruth McCarthy on 07776 242005 or email coachingforleadersltd@gmail.com to check that a place is still available.

You can download the flyer here Course flyer

The booking form from here Booking form April/May 2012

Terms and Conditions from here Terms and Conditions

Time to Think Consultants and Coaches Linda Aspey and Ruth McCarthy

This course is a unique opportunity to learn with two experienced consultants specialising in the Thinking Environment. Each group of 4 participants will be led by one of the consultants, with both groups meeting for planning and debriefing at the start and end of each of the three days.

In this way, participants can benefit from both the safe and experiential environment created with their own small group and from the shared experience of learning with and from the other group. Places to each group will be allocated randomly, to allow for a beneficial mix of participants, and in line with our philosophy that we are all equal as thinkers.

Linda Aspey is a Fellow of BACP, a BACP accredited counsellor/psychotherapist, an APECS accredited executive coach with 20+ years’ experience in counselling and HR / OD consultancy (MA in Strategic HRM), and over 6,500 hours of executive coaching practice. In 2009 Linda began intensive training in the truly client-centred Thinking Environment with Nancy Kline, culminating in Consultant level qualification, and now all her client work with individuals, teams and organisations is underpinned by TE principles. For more visit www.aspey.com/linda

Ruth McCarthy’s career began in UK book publishing and journalism. She trained in the mid ‘90s as a coach, took a Masters in Critical Thinking in 2000 then qualified as a Time to Think Coach, Facilitator and Consultant. She delivers inhouse TE development days and leads Thinking Environment courses in London and Dublin. For the last three years Ruth has been working intensively with Nancy Kline, shadowing courses and absorbing the cutting-edge ‘freshest thinking’ that is the hallmark of the Thinking Environment way of working and being. For more visit www.thinkitthrough.co.uk

What is Coaching for Leaders?

Coaching for Leaders is a company dedicated to pursuing excellence in leadership coaching, coaching skills development, and coaching supervision. Established in 2006, it is a sister company to Aspey Associates.