How Whole-Self Leaders Create Social Coherence
What is Social Coherence Anyway?
Imagine this. You go into work. You are energized because you get to do what you are best at. You are “practicing” your talents –every day. With intentional application, feedback, and a framework, you are growing your talents into strengths.
Your ever-evolving strengths are aligned with your role, and more importantly, relationships, communication, and the inclusive culture make you feel you belong. Your leaders are modeling and inspiring you to be your authentic whole-self.
This is not a pipe-dream. It is possible. Coherence, not team cohesion, is the key.
In a coherent team, there is freedom for individual members to do their part and thrive while maintaining cohesion and attunement within the larger group’s intent and goals.
And there’s an important distinction to be made between coherence and cohesion.
Cohesion refers to being united; connected. The team is working on deliverables “together,” yet inconsistent results and 50-70% disengagement are common.
Coherence refers to being connected and also in harmony. The team is not just “together” but is in harmonious alignment, allowing for the flow and utilization of personal and collective energy – facilitating the communication required for collaborative results.
It’s the element of harmonious alignment that makes all the difference.
There are different types of cohesion, but harmony is their common thread.
And this is important because…
A group that is in coherence behaves much like an interdependent organism operating with a high degree of collective energy – which can produce resilient high performing teams and individuals.
Which means…
When it comes to leadership, creating social coherence is the path to high performing, resilient, and inclusive teams.
Here’s How You Can Use Integrated Whole-Self Leadership™ to Create Social Coherence
When the goal is to bring people together in coherence, we have to start by looking inward. We must first learn how to listen to our head, heart, and gut. These three brains, or Whole-Self Intelligence™ help us make better decisions.
We must also learn how to listen to others – and I mean really listen. When we learn to effectively listen to others and shift our perceptions, we can avoid triggers and create a trusting and highly-productive work environment. (…And building trust is a key driver to a leader’s effectiveness.)
Here are the foundational steps to create social coherence in the workplace:
1. Create an culture the develops and encourages strengths to contribute
Commit to building strengths-based teams by identifying and then developing the talents of individuals and facilitating their transformation into whole-self leaders. The capacity to self-lead, self-regulate strengths use, and EI is key to strengths-based teams. This is a long term commitment.
2. Equip teams to embrace inclusivity and collaboration
Understand and engage in activities that increase inclusion. Diversity matters if you want next-level engagement and results, yet building a culture on a foundation of belonging is the key.
3. Create spaces for open dialogue
Adopt a common language and encourage individuals to communicate ideas, feedback, and feedforward. Making time to create safe spaces to nurture trust is a leadership responsibility. Develop strengths-based Integrated Whole-Self Leader™to make open dialogue a value proposition for the organization.
4. Practice Authentic Listening.
The practice of listening needs to be intentional in a whole-self leader. Organizations need to add this as part of training and development. Understanding the different types of listening is essential, as with the various skillsets of an Integrated Whole-Self Leader™.
Supporting these elements of social coherence is the work of Otto Sharmer, Senior Lecturer in the MIT Management Sloan School and founder of the Presencing Institute. I study his work.
Sharmer has worked with top brands to develop strategies for leadership development and innovation. In his work, Sharmer explains that the collective capacity to successfully (and brilliantly!) co-create innovation, change, and social coherence requires:
1) A social grammar: a common language
2) A social technology: methods and tools
3) A new narrative of social change
These three tools give leaders and organizations a process for co-sensing and co-shaping.
Which, of course, is foundational to creating social coherence and what I help facilitate.
We specialize in helping teams and organizations understand and implement practices that cultivate the power of interdependence.
The Wellsiliency™ Institute has developed a series of interdependent courses to comprehensively address the knowledge and skills leaders and teams need to build strengths-based values-driven performance cultures where all experience belonging.
Is cultivating a deliberate culture that leaves a lasting legacy of positive impact in the lives of others important to your organization?
Our institute has designed five program pillars to help leaders be well and lead well through a skill progression from Whole-self Intelligence™ integration to boost resilience and confidence, strengths-based wellbeing, strengths-based team building, strengths-based leadership, and psychological safety to unleash collaboration.
We don't believe in providing superficial programs; instead, we strive to become your collaborative partner by equipping your leaders with the skills they need to create meaningful, enduring outcomes. Our ultimate goal is to help you build a legacy of leadership excellence that will make a real difference in your organization's success.
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Let’s partner to create a more harmonious and sustainable future, where cooperation and mutual support lead to thriving.