oikos LEAP Programme 2016/2017
Lead yourself to lead others
She leads a company. He leads a movement. They lead their lives. Actually, leading is most of the time related to others. When we speak about a leader, we think about someone bringing people together to help them achieve a common goal. Now ask someone “How to lead?”. You will notice that this question does not have one single answer, each one of us understands it differently. For learning how to lead you can take part in coaching courses, graduate in management or learn it by doing. But when you try to put leadership in practice, you ask yourself: what common goal do we want to achieve?
What you learn within the LEAP programme is much more than to lead people. It teaches you that you have to know and to lead yourself in order to lead others. Once you know how you react to certain situations, what you want to fight for, what really matters to you, then you can share your values and your vision. It is a hard path to take – first to admit that we still have so much to learn about who we are and then to go back into ourselves to better understand other people and the world we live in. Having found out what you want and having learned how to understand other people’s vision, you can be sure that you will achieve a common goal in a much more direct and easier way.
oikos LEAP programme
LEAP is the leadership programme of oikos. It is designed to inspire young leaders to become more 
responsible in their decision making and to equip them with insights, knowledge and tools to do so. The advanced track is the most intensive of the three LEAP tracks. It combines individual as well as group learning and it challenges participants to reflect upon themselves and their values at any time. All these activities together empower participants to develop their personality and leadership skills which can be directly implemented in oikos projects as well as in everybody’s personal and professional environments. Find more detailed information online.
Leadership & Consciousness
Leadership and consciousness are two important aspects in the context of the LEAP programme. In one of the webinars, Tim Peek from the Conscious Leadership Group presented to us the concept of conscious leadership. The idea of being a conscious leader is taking full responsibility for oneself and creating an atmosphere in which others can do the same. Rather than using blame or control to make things happen, people shall be empowered to use their full potential. People that live and lead consciously follow 15 commitments such as “being curious” or “stopping gossip” in their daily lives. Through these commitments, life is not just happening to them but their life is created by them. One key element to take ownership and responsibility for our own lives and to support others to do the same is listening. Conscious leaders listen openly, fully aware of themselves and others, without judgement. This allows to get the real message rather than to interpret what was said through personal filters. Hearing what somebody is really saying is crucial for leaders to motivate people to follow a common goal and act in ways that are in line with everybody’s values.
Learn to listen
Many of us LEAP participants have learned a lot about listening during the LEAP programme. We initially heard about the importance of listening right in the first Webinar with Robert E. Quinn on “Fundamental State of Leadership”. He taught us to be other-focused and externally open to learn from others. In our second on-site meeting, in Hamburg in March 2017, we practiced listening in a very unexpected way. We listened to someone who talked without speaking out loud, only telling a story in his/her mind. Through this exercise, we learned how much non-verbal communication can reveal and it raised our awareness to focus more on aspects that are not explicitly said. Inspired by a TED Talk from Julian Treasure, we practiced five techniques for intensifying our listening in our daily life. Afterwards, we reflected about our experiences on our own as well as with our peer group in one of the regular video calls. For some, listening was even at the core of their monthly one-on-one coaching sessions. During the coaching sessions with Adriana Troxler, professional coach, we understood how essential someone can be who consciously listens to someone’s story and how he/she is able to ask stimulating questions. Through these intensive listening practices, we started to listen more attentively and with less judgment. Thus, we now better understand what is really said.
This sounds great and you want to be part of it?
The registration for the LEAP Advanced Programme 2017/18 is open now. The only prerequisite is that you are an oikos member. The first LEAP Meeting will be held from October 7th to 11th, 2017 (before the oikos 30th Anniversary Events). Join this 9-months of personal development programme and register here.
Article by: Hannah Brack, Pauline Sprenger and Tiphaine Rouault in the name of the oikos LEAP Advanced group 2016/17
Useful links
- Conscious Leadership Group
- Blog of Robert E. Quinn
- Julian Treasure’s TED Talk “5 Ways to listen better”
