In times of New Work, self-leadership is a highly demanded competence and therefore also a much-discussed topic. But how does self-leadership work? Does it bring you forward? And is self-leadership crucial for the success of your team?
Tommaso’s beautiful metaphor on self-leadership is: Are you the thermostat or the thermometer? Because as the thermostat, you act and regulate the room temperature. On the other hand, as the thermometer you only react to the room temperature and have no decision-making power yourself. This is a principle that can be applied to every situation in life. If you consciously lead yourself, you examine your options for action and decide independently what to do. This independent behaviour is an essential prerequisite for acting on one’s own responsibility and making wise decisions.
In this newsletter, we introduce you to the effective tools with which we shed light on your personality, identify strengths and potentials and create the conditions to consciously lead yourself. In addition, we offer you a personality portrait and our full attention in a free coaching session, so that you can get to know yourself better. In this sense: There is nothing good unless you do it.
Leadership starts with you. You have the freedom to decide what you do in every situation. Regardless of what others do or expect of you. In order to make good and responsible decisions, it is important to be aware of your options and to act reflectively. This is how you can lead yourself and grow. And this is where Lumina comes in. With the Lumina Learning Tools you get the opportunity to learn more about your personality, to recognise behavioural options and to share them in coaching. I have summarised what Lumina can do in five points.
- Discover hidden pearls
In each of us there is hidden potential that we do not yet use in everyday life. With the Lumina portrait you become aware of these “hidden pearls” and discover new qualities in yourself. - Say what you can
Describing your strengths precisely is not easy for most people. The descriptions in the Lumina portrait enable you to clearly formulate what makes you tick. This improves cooperation. - Valuing and using diversity
Teams are successful when skills complement each other. With Lumina, we identify the different strengths and preferences of your team members. This helps you understand each other better and use the differences to optimise your team’s performance. - Dealing better with stress
In your Lumina portrait you learn what stresses you and how you react under stress. Based on this, we can discuss behavioural possibilities to equip you for these situations or to free yourself from them. - Define own goals
With Lumina and in coaching, you receive comprehensive input to define your personal development goal. In this way you are well prepared to take the next step.
so much for the theory.
off to practice.
As a systemic consultant, entrepreneur and managing director of the Lumina Learning Strategic Alliance Germany, I highly appreciate working with the Lumina tools. In more than 1,500 coaching sessions , I have experienced how extremely helpful the profiles are for each individual, but also for team building. When I met Tommaso and with him Equine Guided Education, I was immediately fascinated. We realised that our approaches complement each other perfectly and developed the holistic equilibrio programme in 2018.
equilibrio picks up where Lumina leaves off. That is why some participants call it “Lumina Next Level”. During the coaching sessions in nature and with the horses, the all-important reality check takes place. Get out of your comfort zone! We consciously put you under pressure. You will be confronted with your emotions, inner hurdles and physical reactions. You recognise your stress behaviour, can consciously counteract it and build resilience. This equips you for challenging situations in everyday (work) life.
Equilibrio transforms consciousness into action. You learn to use the space between stimulus and response and can consciously guide yourself.
Working on the Lumina Mat creates awareness of one’s own body language and authentic goal setting.
During coaching in nature and with the horses, the important reality check takes place.
You want to learn more about yourself, your strengths and preferences? As an introduction we’ll create a free Lumina personality portrait for you. Simply click on the link and fill out the questionnaire. Afterwards, we’ll arrange a coaching session to discuss your portrait and bring out your hidden pearls.
We treat your information of course strictly confidential.
Inspiration is usually found when you keep an open mind and try something new. To get inspired, we expanded our radius and spent a few days with four very different young women of various nationalities who already knew equilibrio. We were simply curious about what interests, drives and inspires them and what we can learn from them. Thrilled by their honesty and energy, our conversations quickly went deep, and we realised: These smart women are open-minded, courageous, reflective and up to something new: very refreshing!
Fun and meaningfulness make a good team. The ladies find inspiration for personal development playfully with “Spark by Seek Discomfort” and on digital platforms such as the YouTube channel “Yes Theory” (see below). Experiencing nature is just as important. This is another reason why the four are real equilibrio fans.
Together we openly shared our feelings, experienced powerful moments outside the comfort zone and experienced and learned an enormous amount from each other. We want to share some of this in this newsletter. With the inspiring tips of the young women, we invite you to leave your comfort zone and share personal topics with others. You will be surprised what comes out of it. In this sense: Seek discomfort!
seek discomfort.
and explore your natural leadership.
If you always stay on familiar ground, you stand still and will get rusty. Personal development requires a step out of the comfort zone. And the courage to take this step. In the equilibrio workshops we take you out of your comfort zone and make you aware of how you act and are perceived under pressure. In coaching supported by the work with horses you will be confronted with your own emotions, inner hurdles, and physical reactions. In this way you learn to recognise your stress behaviour, to counteract it in a targeted way and to build resilience. Do you want to change or realise new plans? Sign up for one of our workshops right away.
“Life’s greatest moments and deepest connections are outside your comfort zone.” With this belief, Ammar Kandil, Thomas Brag and Matt Dajer produced their first YouTube videos in 2015. Today, their platforms “Yes Theory” and “Seek Discomfort” have a worldwide community. In a short, inspiring video, the founders describe how dreams become realities. Just watch the film and take the first step yourself to make your dream come true.
Did you have a good start to the new year? And have you already made plans? The beginning of the year is a good time to boost your own development, because now the “awakening phase” is the time for new beginnings. We have a desire for something new and are ready to take off. We at equilibrio are also entering the new year full of energy and, in addition to our regular programme, are now offering virtual workshop programmes which we will introduce to you in this newsletter.
What do I want to change? What is the next step? In which direction do I want to go? It is often the case that you know what you don’t want, but only have a very vague idea of the direction you might adopt. This is how Dörte felt when she joined equilibrio at the end of 2021. In an interview, the current consultant describes how she experienced the equilibrio programme and the impact the programme had on her. Thank you, dear Dörte, for your candid words and for being part of our community.
Are you wondering where you could go next? We are at your service and look forward to many exciting and inspiring workshops in 2023.
giving direction to change.
a conversation with dörte abild
Dörte with one of our coaches at the equilibrio Refresh Session in January 2023 in the Lüneburger Heide. After a workshop with the horses, your head, your heart and your gut are once again in balance.
Dörte came to equilibrio during a period of change. Despite her successful career, the international HR manager felt she was treading water. She left her job to take a sabbatical and find out what she wanted to do in the future. In the interview, the current consultant describes how equilibrio influenced her decision-making.
equilibrio: “Dear Dörte, why did you decide to take part in the equilibrio programme?“
Dörte: I have many ideas and I always see opportunities for change everywhere, be it in my job or in life as a whole. Logically and practically, I know how to find a solution for almost everything, but the feeling and intuition have often fallen by the wayside. I wanted to change that.
equilibrio: “What did you learn from the horses?”
Dörte: The horses’ reaction is so real and unfiltered, which we probably rarely experience in normal life. To see and to feel what is possible when we connect with the horses is very emotional. I often remember this sensation in everyday life. And suddenly I find myself in front of the horses in the pasture and think to myself: stay in the now, just be yourself, and do and say what you feel.
equilibrio: “What has changed through equilibrio?”
Dörte: Some peace and calm have returned. Of course, my job has not become less challenging, and my head is still full of ideas, which is a good thing. However, I notice how my emotions are becoming more and more my inner compass. This doesn’t happen by itself, but I can practise again and again to keep my compass switched on. I find that very reassuring.
equilibrio: “Thank you, Dörte, for your insights!”
ready for something new.
our virtual workshop formats.
Only those who are willing to change remain true to themselves. To be even more connected with you all, we are now offering two virtual workshop sessions to complement our existing equilibrio programme.
virtual natural leadership
refresh session
An equilibrio workshop has an impact in your life. It is important to stay connected and to integrate what you have learned in your daily life. Our virtual refresh session is for all who have already participated in a Natural Leadership Workshop and offers you new impulses, valuable feedback and exercises that you can practice regularly. The exchange within the equilibrio community is a real enrichment because you learn with and from each other and expand your network. Simply register now.
virtual natural leadership
introduction session
What can I expect in a Natural Leadership Workshop? And how does coaching with the horses work? In our new virtual iIntroduction sSession, you get to know us and better understand the role of the horses. In a Lumina cCoaching session we first identify your strengths, preferences and personal development goals. During the virtual iIntroduction Ssession you receive important impulses from Tommaso about your deeper emotions and gain an impression of what coaching with the horses can achieve. You are thus perfectly prepared to enjoy our workshops in person and in nature.
2022 is coming to an end. How did you experience this year? Have you already reviewed it and thought about how you can conclude it in a good way? Nature going into winter sleep is an important phase of completion after waking up in spring, growing in summer and reaching harvest time in autumn. So take the time to reflect, to look at where you are and to finish things before you start again in the new year. We are happy to support you in this. In our leadership programme we focus on the different phases of development and find out where you are and where you can go.
We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful pre-Christmas season and much success in concluding 2022.
the rhythm of excitement
based on the Dr. Richard Strozzi-Heckler model.
The cycle of nature can be applied to all situations in life, and of course to your professional situation. Are you at the beginning of your career or are you starting in another position? And can you find your way in your new environment? Are you in an important development phase? And can you fulfil your potential and that of your team? Have you already achieved successes? And are you harvesting the fruits of your work? Or is it time to end something professionally and, for example, start anew somewhere else?
It is extremely important to consider these four phases in your activities and to find out whether the current situation is good for you or whether you should change something. Only in this way can you be in balance and lead yourself, full of strength, into the future.
where are you and
where do you want to go?
Good coaching starts with you. With your strengths and your needs. With the Lumina Learning Tools we start with an assessment, look at where you are now, and together we then define your personal development objective. In our workshops we focus on the four phases of growth and make you aware of how you act. In an exercise with the horse, you go through the entire cycle from establishing contact and taking the first steps (awakening), through continuous movement (increasing) and a faster pace (containment), to the common completion. During this process it becomes clear what comes naturally for you and where challenges lie. This is because the horse directly reflects your emotions and hidden hurdles in its behaviour. Supported by Equine Guided Education Coach Tommaso, you gain important insights into your leadership style and see what you still need to work on, enabling you to apply what you have learned to your everyday work.
“it must be” by ludwig van beethoven.
Letting go and bringing something to an end has always been a difficult task. Ludwig van Beethoven asked in the final movement of his last string quartet Opus 135 in October 1826 “Must it be?”, and answered, not without irony, “It must be.” Simply listen to it, or preferably the entire string quartet. It must be!
How do you feel – now, at this moment? Probably like most in these challenging times. The terrible war, inflation, energy crisis and last but not least rising Corona numbers are valid reasons to worry about the future. But how can you switch off the racing mind? How do you manage to be focused and full of energy?
The key is presence. Because we can neither change the past nor foresee the future. But we can shape the present here and now. Presence makes you strong. When you are not distracted, but completely in the now, you perceive yourself and your surroundings consciously and more intensely. You have more energy and feel better. Because feelings of happiness only exist in the present. When you are present, you shape your life and are not shaped by it. In short: you can make a difference.
How does being present work? Just continue reading.
In our Natural Leadership Programme you learn to be present and self-aware. The low-stimulus, natural environment makes it easy to sharpen your senses and focus. “How do you feel?” Mood checks create an awareness of how you are feeling at any given moment. Working with horses in particular makes it clear how important presence is. To lead a horse, you need to be fully present. “Be open. Be connected. Be present.” Equine Guided Education Coach Tommaso supports you to be fully in the now and to connect emotionally with the horse. If this succeeds, the horse perceives you as a natural leader and allows itself to be led as a natural consequence. An experience that will change you and enrich your leadership style.
Does that sound exciting? It is. That’s why you or your team are welcome to register for one of our workshops and experience how much power it gives to be present.
Our book tip for more presence:
“the power of now” by eckhart tolle
Best-selling author Eckhart Tolle succeeds in conveying even deep truths with great clarity. Captivating in its simplicity and poetry, this book brings us to the Now. Here is a gateway, says the author, use it! So what are you waiting for? Look forward to sitting on your sofa and to a cosy evening full of insights.
