Self-leadership

I’ve been watching some films from the archives. Although, they are by no means archives for the people who we created them with.

I’ve been watching some films we’ve done at See Learning, specifically with charities.

It’s some of our favourite work! Are we allowed to have favourites?

Why? Because of the nature of the content; the emotional work, and the emotional labour, and because of what filming allows us to capture, about the human condition. Real-play, not role-play.

To learn, and to actually change behaviour and do something different as a consequence of choosing a different option (especially when demonstrating a new skill), means that emotion will be present. Stepping outside of our comfort zone into ‘stretch’ and feeling uncomfy because the new, the change, the different, is shaking up the ‘known’ and the ‘way we’ve always done it’. Our behaviours are rooted in our core beliefs and assumptions about the world arounds us and the people in it. Including ourselves. They’ve very likely been there ages. They keep us safe, secure, confident, sure… and feeling competent. When we, or something or someone nudges us towards change, this bedrock experiences a mini earthquake; emotion. Perhaps a fight or flight because this newness and change (whether or not we want it) threatens our current status quo. This is a GOOD thing. And a normal thing. And I would argue, it’s an essential thing.

So how do we intentionally bring emotion into learning? In a way that invites people to ‘go there’… to step into their stretch zone voluntarily. And it needs to be invite, because pushing is risking panic zone, and for long-term behaviour change it’s not helpful if. Not if aim if for people to take on and accept new information, make more skillful decisions and take more masterful actions at work.

The most remarkable video I watched today was about self-leadership. I had to pause it and go and make a cuppa because it was overwhelming. My obvious bias aside in promoting our own filming (however, I hadn’t seen it before or been part of the team producing it), it moved me. The filming took place in the workplace, in the person’s home and other locations in the community. The bigger picture and the details. Inclusive leadership and how you can use this approach to promote and enable self-leadership was demonstrated – to my ears, my eyes, my head and my heart.

Film often moves me. Does it move you? Isn’t movement what we’re looking for?

If there is movement, there is learning.

If you want to read more about the active/experiential learning theories in play here, have a look at Greenaway, and Kolb, and self-determination theory re motivation and change.