EVOLVING GROUPS INTO HIGH
COLLABORATION AND FLEXIBILITY
PERFORMANCE -- UNLEASHED
MISSION:
ProSocial Dynamics, LLC’s mission is the advancement human wellbeing in organizational settings. ProSocial Dynamics fosters the
EVOLUTION
of groups, building a climate of
MINDFUL PRESENCE, TRUST, COLLABORATION, COOPERATION AND FLEXIBILITY
across the system.
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I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BENEFIT FROM CLAIRE READ'S TREMENDOUS PROFESSIONAL INSIGHT. HER ABILITY TO PRESENT CHALLENGE WITH COMPASSION WAS ESSENTIAL FOR TAKING ON THE TOUGH WORK THAT COMES WITH GROWTH. MY WORK PERFORMANCE IMPROVED TREMENDOUSLY AND MY CAREER TRAJECTORY SKYROCKETED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HER THOUGHTFUL GUIDANCE AND INSTRUCTION.
THIS PAST MONDAY I HAD THE PLEASURE TO ATTEND A WONDERFUL WORKSHOP ON “HOW TO TRANSFORM DYSFUNCTIONAL TEAMS” WITH CLAIRE READ. I LEARNED THE TRUE MEANING ABOUT WORKING WITH YOUR SENSES AND EMOTIONS AND HOW THOSE CAN PLAY A ROLE IN SOLVING PROBLEMS WHEN WORKING WITH TEAMS. IT ALSO TAUGHT ME ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A “SHARED PURPOSE” AND HOW WE CAN TRULY WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A MORE PRODUCTIVE AND HAPPIER TEAM!
CLAIRE CLEARLY AND ELOQUENTLY ILLUSTRATES SYSTEMS BY WHICH YOU CAN KEEP YOUR TEAM FUNCTIONING SMOOTHLY. NOT ONLY WOULD THIS BE A HELPFUL SERVICE FOR TEAMS WHO ARE CURRENTLY STUCK OR FUNCTIONAL, BUT I FOUND THIS TO BE THEORETICALLY USEFUL TO KEEP TEAMS IN A PRODUCTIVE, COHESIVE STATE BEFORE THEY GET TO A POINT WHERE THEY ARE NOT FUNCTIONING WELL AS A GROUP. I LEFT A SESSION WITH CLAIRE FEELING PARTICULARLY INSPIRED REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY I SAW TO USE THE PROSOCIAL MATRIX IN MY PERSON LIFE IN REGARD TO MY OWN RELATIONSHIPS AND GOALS. OVERALL, I FOUND A LOT OF VALUE FROM MY SESSION WITH CLAIRE, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND HER TO ANYONE WHO HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN THE DYNAMICS OF THEIR TEAM.
WE SURE DID GAIN FROM THE STUDY AND HAD OUR TEAMWORK IMPROVED AMONGST MANY OTHER THINGS LEARNED ESPECIALLY THE "SCHEMAS." PERSONALLY, I WAS SO LUCKY TO HAVE WORKED WITH YOU, YOUR TRAINING AND GUIDANCE NOT FORGETTING THE PATIENCE WITH WHICH YOU HANDLED US WERE SOMETHING UNFORGETTABLE AND ICONIC. MANY MORE BLESSINGS IN YOUR CAREER AND ANY FUTURE STUDIES YOU MAY PURSUE. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR GIVING US A CHANCE TO BE PART OF THIS AMAZING WORK WHICH LEFT US QUITE POSITIVELY IMPACTED.
YOUR EXCELLENT TEACHING SKILLS AND COURTEOUS PERSONALITY HAS HELPED US TREMENDOUSLY IN IDC, YOU FILLED MY HEAD WITH KNOWLEDGE, YET YOU HAVE ALSO FILLED MY HEART WITH THE LOVE OF LEARNING. I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU AND I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE. YOU ARE SUCH A REMARKABLE TRAINER. FOR THAT I THANK YOU.
HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL AND REACHED HOME SAFELY. I CAN’T FORGET THE GREAT JOB YOU DID FOR OUR TEAM IN BUILDING IT THROUGH THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE YOU SHARED, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL.. THANKS
I RECENTLY WORKED WITH CLAIRE WHEN SHE TRAVELED TO UGANDA TO OFFER TRAINING ON EMOTIONAL CONTAGION AND BEHAVIORAL ENTRAINMENT. SHE FOLLOWED THIS UP BY TRAINING STAFF IN THE PROSOCIAL PROCESS FOR TEAM SELF-GOVERNANCE, WHICH SHE GAVE THEM A FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH THEY NOW HAVE INCREASED TRUST AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY. CLAIRE AND I MET AS SOON AS SHE LANDED IN UGANDA. WHAT AN AMAZING PROFESSIONAL. HER SKILL SET IN TRAINING ORGANIZATION STAFF IS INCREDIBLY HIGH AND ADMIRABLE. I WITNESSED HER SHOWCASE HER CULTURAL SENSITIVITY AND TOLERANCE IN A LOCAL VILLAGE WHICH IMMEDIATELY CALMED EVERYONE DOWN. SHE WAS ABLE TO ARTICULATE EVERYTHING TO THE TEAM. SHE ENCOURAGED ALL PARTICIPANTS TO PARTICIPATE DURING THE TRAINING AND BY THE END, THE CONFIDENCE AROUND THE TEAM WAS SKYROCKETING. CLAIRE, THROUGH HER TRAINING, CHANGED THE LIVES OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS JUST LIKE SHE DID FOR ME DURING THE TIME SHE AND I INTERACTED. SHE'S A VERY GENEROUS PERSON WHO MAKES SURE EVERYONE IS GIVEN THEIR FAIR SHARE OF OPPORTUNITIES. I KNOW THAT I AM GOING TO WORK WITH HER MORE TIMES THAN SHE KNOWS. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CALL HER UP IN CASE THEY HAVE ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING WORKS. CLAIRE, YOU ARE AMAZING!!
I SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS WITH CLAIRE TRAINING ON ACT. SHE TAUGHT ME SO MUCH ABOUT WORKING WITH A VERY DIFFICULT BOSS AND EASING MY FRUSTRATION WHEN I FELT DISRESPECTED AND TAKEN FOR GRANTED AT WORK. I LEARNED TO NOT ENGAGE IN ARGUMENTS THAT WOULD LEAD TO ANGER AND FRUSTRATION, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MY PRIORITIES WERE PERSONALLY AT THIS JOB, AND TO FOCUS ON MY VALUES EVERY DAY BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY. CLAIRE IS VERY GOOD AT WHAT SHE DOES AND I RECOMMEND HER TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR EFFECTIVE TRAINING AND CULTURE ADJUSTMENT IN THE WORKPLACE.
SINCE TAKING CLAIRE READ'S ACT TRAINING LAST FALL MY AWARENESS AND ABILITY TO TUNE IN TO WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND ME HAS DEFINITELY INCREASED. WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN SITUATIONS WHERE I'M GETTING OVERLY EXCITED/ANGRY/FRUSTRATED I FEEL I'M MORE ABLE TO STEP BACK "IN THE MOMENT" AND OBSERVE WHAT'S HAPPENING AND NOT GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THINGS. I'VE ALSO DISCOVERED SINCE THE TRAINING THAT I'M MUCH MORE TUNED IN TO THE ALIGNMENT OF MY VALUES, OR LACK OF ALIGNMENT, WITH OUR STAFF. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND CLAIRE'S TRAINING.
WHILE WORKING ON A PROJECT IN AFGHANISTAN, CLAIRE CAME OUT TO PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT AND STAFF CARE. AFGHANISTAN IS AN INCREDIBLY STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENT, WITH A BRUTAL COMBINATION OF UNDERLYING FEAR AND DAILY MONOTONY THAT TESTS THE MOST RESILIENT OF PEOPLE. CLAIRE WAS INSIGHTFUL, CARING, AND HELPFUL, WITH SOME STAFF REACHING OUT TO HER FOR ASSISTANCE MONTHS AFTER HER WORK. HER WORK WAS VITAL TO REPAIRING/BOLSTERING MENTAL HEALTH OF STAFF IN A DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT.
I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO ASSUME LEADERSHIP OF A HIGH-PERFORMING TALENT MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT THAT CLAIRE READ ENVISIONED AND BUILT FROM SCRATCH IN A LEADING INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING FIRM. WHAT STRUCK ME IMMEDIATELY IN MY NEW POSITION WAS THE HIGH DEGREE OF ESTEEM THAT OUR FIRM’S CONSULTANTS HELD FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, AND THE ENDURING LOYALTY THAT RESULTED. THIS IS A TESTAMENT TO THE GREAT CARE AND PERSONAL ATTENTIVENESS THAT CLAIRE INVESTED IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP SHE CULTIVATED WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE FIRM, AND THE HIGH STANDARDS FOR INTEGRITY, FAIRNESS AND PROFESSIONALISM THAT SHE HAS ALWAYS EMBODIED. CLAIRE TAKES A PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE SUCCESS AND WELL-BEING OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT COMMUNITY, PROVIDING CAREER COACHING, CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS COUNSELING, AND WORK/LIFE BALANCE ADVISING FOR NUMEROUS SENIOR-LEVEL PROFESSIONALS MAKING THE DIFFICULT TRANSITION FROM HOME TO INTERNATIONAL POST, INTERNATIONAL POST TO HOME, OR TO ROLES OF INCREASING RESPONSIBILITY AND STRESS. ONE OF CLAIRE’S KEY STRENGTHS IS HER ABILITY TO ASSESS, DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN STAFF ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION TO CREATE A CULTURE OF SERVICE WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION. SHE HAS DESIGNED AND DELIVERED VERY WELL-RECEIVED WORKSHOPS STRUCTURED TO GUIDE STAFF TO VISUALIZE THOSE FACTORS THAT BRING THEM THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF INSPIRATION IN THE WORKPLACE, AND TO IDENTIFY CONCRETE ACTIONS THEY CAN TAKE TO BRING THEM CLOSER TO THIS IDEAL. CLAIRE HAS LED SUCH WORKSHOPS AND FOLLOW-ON SUPPORT TO STAFF IN THE US AS WELL AS IN AFGHANISTAN, AND HAS MADE A VERY POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE LEVELS OF STAFF SATISFACTION AND MORALE IN OUR ORGANIZATION. IN ADDITION, IT IS THROUGH CLAIRE’S EFFORTS THAT OUR FIRM ADOPTED A FORMAL STAFF SUPPORT AND WELL-BEING INFRASTRUCTURE. A LONGTIME SPECIALIST AND ADVOCATE FOR THE PSYCHOSOCIAL AND WELLNESS SUPPORT OF FIELD-BASED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STAFF, CLAIRE ENGAGED SENIOR MANAGEMENT TO UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT TO OUR STAFF IN CONFLICT AND POST-CONFLICT ENVIRONMENTS. SHE DEVELOPED A MODEL FOR STAFF CARE THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO THE CULTURE OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND THAT PROVIDES FIELD STAFF WITH THE TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES, AND ONGOING SUPPORT TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE AND PROACTIVELY TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES IN DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENTS. SHE HERSELF TRAVELED TO AFGHANISTAN TO WORK WITH STAFF AND ESTABLISH THE FRAMEWORK FOR STAFF CARE THAT THE ORGANIZATION WOULD THEN BUILD UPON. AS A SCHOLAR-PRACTITIONER IN THE ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT FIELD, AND AS A COACH, MENTOR, COUNSELOR, STRATEGIC PLANNER AND COLLEAGUE, CLAIRE READ IS ABSOLUTELY TOP-NOTCH. BEHIND THE EXCELLENT SKILLS AND PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES THAT SHE BRINGS TO HER WORK IS A PERSON THAT DEEPLY CARES ABOUT PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND STRIVES TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO SUCCEED. I RECOMMEND HER UNRESERVEDLY TO ANYONE SEEKING TO BENEFIT FROM HER MANY STRENGTHS AND SKILLS.
THE INTERNATIONAL DONOR COMMUNITY HAS MANY QUALIFIED, SMART AND EFFECTIVE STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS. HOWEVER, CLAIRE READ STANDS ABOVE NEARLY ALL OF THEM BECAUSE OF THE HOLISTIC APPROACH SHE TAKES TO STAFFING DECISIONS. CLAIRE IS QUITE CAPABLE OF FILLING THE NEEDS OF PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS FACED BY PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES FACING JOB COMMITMENTS THAT OFTEN WILL TAKE THEM FAR FROM HOME AND, INCREASINGLY IN THIS VIOLENT WORLD, AWAY FROM FAMILIES. CLAIRE'S WORK IS FIRST-RATE.
I AM PLEASED TO WRITE THIS RECOMMENDATION FOR CLAIRE READ! CLAIRE INTRODUCED ME TO CBODN (CHESAPEAKE BAY OD NETWORK) LAST YEAR AND ALSO INSPIRED ME TO SHARE MY WORK WITH OTHERS IN THAT COMMUNITY. AS A RESULT, I AM NOW CONNECTED WITH SOME WONDERFUL COLLEAGUES FROM CBODN AND HOPE TO FURTHER DEVELOP MY PRACTICE IN THE WASHINGTON DC AREA. CLAIRE IS NOW A MEMBER OF THE "COACH CONSULTANTS CONSORTIUM" (SEE HTTP://WWW.COACHCONSULTANTSCONSORTIUM.COM) AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SOME WONDERFUL WORK TOGETHER IN 2009! I WISH CLAIRE THE VERY BEST IN ALL HER FUTURE ENDEAVORS!
CLAIRE IS MOTIVATED BY A TRUE SENSE OF CARING AND UNDERSTANDING FOR THE CHALLENGES OF HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT WORK. SHE IS A REPOSITORY OF BEST PRACTICES, AND SHE HAS CRUCIAL EXPERIENCE IN IMPLEMENTING THOSE PRACTICES.
IN THE SPRING OF 2022, WE HIRED CLAIRE READ TO CO-FACILITATE THE OCTOBER BOARD RETREAT OF THE MWEBAZA FOUNDATION IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO. CLAIRE, AND HER FELLOW FACILITATOR, LISA, REQUESTED THAT THEY BE ABLE TO INTERVIEW EACH BOARD MEMBER SEPARATELY BEFORE THE RETREAT. THEY ALSO CONDUCTED AN ONLINE SURVEY. CLAIRE CREATED A LIST OF THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS THAT PROVIDED THE FACILITATORS AND THE BOARD WITH SOME GREAT INSIGHTS ABOUT WHERE WE WERE AS A GROUP AND WHERE WE WANTED TO BE. AS A RESULT OF THEIR THOROUGH PRE-RETREAT EFFORTS, CLAIRE AND LISA WERE VERY PREPARED REGARDING THE DYNAMICS OF OUR BOARD AND COULD ANTICIPATE WHERE THERE WOULD BE UNITY AND WHERE ISSUES MIGHT EXIST.
CLAIRE WAS SENSITIVE TO THE EMOTIONAL SAFETY OF EACH BOARD AND STAFF MEMBER, AND STARTED THE RETREAT WITH THE CREATION OF “PERSONAL AND MEETING MATRICES.” THROUGH THIS THOUGHTFUL EXERCISE, BOARD MEMBERS CAME TO SEE THAT THEY WOULD BE SAFE TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND HAD A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE TO FOCUS THEIR ENERGIES DURING THE RETREAT TO ACHIEVE OUR JOINTLY-DESIRED PURPOSE.
CLAIRE IS AN EXPERT FACILITATOR, EMANATING KINDNESS AND SINCERITY WHILE KEEPING PARTICIPANTS FOCUSED ON REACHING SHARED GOALS. I WAS ASTONISHED BY HOW MUCH WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN JUST ONE DAY AND A HALF OF WORK. BY THE END OF THE SESSIONS, OUR BOARD AND STAFF HAD RESTRUCTURED OUR ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL, ELECTED NEW OFFICERS, AND DEVELOPED AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEXT STEPS TO BE TAKEN. WE ARE ALL GRATEFUL TO CLAIRE AND LISA FOR EXCEEDING OUR EXPECTATIONS AND HELPING OUR ORGANIZATION MOVE TO ITS NEXT PHASE THROUGH AN AFFIRMING, OPEN, COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.
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