For those of you who may not be aware of what LIFT Ireland stands for, here is a brief summary taken directly from their website:
“LIFT Ireland is a social enterprise initiative aimed at increasing the level of positive leadership in Ireland. Leadership is not limited to a select few and everyone can be a leader in their own way. At LIFT Ireland, we want to help build a nation of positive leaders. We believe that the more people ‘living LIFT’, the better the future we create for our country.”
How do they do this? Through tailored models that all involve the unique LIFT roundtables at their core. I will again refer to LIFT Ireland for the most comprehensive explanation of the process:
“LIFT Ireland’s learning process is based on eight key leadership values. Each week, for a total of eight weeks, a certified facilitator guides a roundtable of 4-6 individuals through a specific leadership value. Using a proven systemic approach, the members of each roundtable reflect on what that value means to them and how they can improve in this area.”
Since becoming a LIFT Ireland facilitator in 2019 my respect and understanding of the power of incremental change has grown significantly.
When the first lockdown happened, like all good businesses, LIFT Ireland had to adapt quickly. They started doing roundtables online and never stopped! You can book to attend a roundtable via their website.
I volunteered to do an online roundtable once a week and three years later I’m also still there! If you are interested I run a roundtable every Monday at 4 pm and you can book via this link: https://calendly.com/liftireland/lift-ireland-roundtables?month=2022-11
Since I started facilitating roundtables I have learned three essential lessons.
Firstly – consistency matters. Each week when I facilitate a roundtable I reflect on a different leadership value. Every week. There is no opportunity to ‘forget’ or ‘get lazy.’ A gentle reminder and my weekly action step keep me on track and ensure that I am improving in a particular theme week in and week out (bar holidays!)
For example: let’s say I haven’t been doing a very good job of listening – perhaps I have been distracted. Well by setting my action step to put my phone away and listen intently I am making a significant difference to the person to whom I am listening. It matters. The more I practice, the better I get. I can tell you without a doubt that my ability as an executive coach and trainer has improved tenfold, as I now have the ability to listen from the top of my head right down to my toes and with empathy! I don’t miss a trick and it has paid off. I have picked up on things that have quite frankly astonished some of my clients!
Secondly – Learning from others helps us understand ourselves more. Although participating in a roundtable means it is a time for me to reflect on my own values, it is still an opportunity to learn from others. Through empathy, we can understand what it means to face challenges. It is also interesting to hear others’ experiences of how they are growing their leadership skills. I tend to find people who attend a roundtable are people with a growth mindset. They are open to learning and this encourages me to try harder and do better.
Thirdly – Taking time out to reflect each week brings many rewards. It gives you a chance to catch your breath, step back and see the bigger picture. It enables you to change course if you are on the wrong track. We are so caught up in the ‘doing’ that we forget about the ‘being’. I can’t tell you how many times after a roundtable I have decided to change tack on something (particularly after the theme on ‘Innovation!)
There may be weeks where there is resistance and that is when I know I need it more than ever! Here’s the clincher – I have never ever finished a roundtable feeling worse than I did before I started! 100% of the time I feel better and 100% of the time I learn something. Seriously, where else would you get it?!
I am thrilled to have recently become a LIFT Ireland partner and to have received my Living LIFT badge!
To find out more about joining a roundtable and or doing the training to become a facilitator check out the website at https://liftireland.ie/
To hear from others growing with LIFT on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOkm-SJmhco
If you are part of an organisation and would like to find out more about Partnering with LIFT Ireland, as I did, to create positive social change through personal leadership, contact anne@liftireland.ie
