Springtime is here. It is a time to plant seeds and to look forward to long summer days. Since ancient times, we have greeted spring as a time to celebrate birth and renewal.
As humans, we like to mark moments of transformation and change. As well as heralding the passing of the seasons, we have created elaborate rituals and celebrations to underscore birth, adulthood, marriage and death. Ceremony plays an important part in all of the great changes in our lives.
Ceremony eases our transition into new ways of being. It allows us to commemorate the past and to put it behind us before moving on to pastures new. It helps us to break old bonds and to build new ones. Take the example of getting married - a time of dramatic change. Fundamental relationships, like those between a mother and son, are completely transformed, so whilst a wedding is a time of great joy, many people are moved to tears as they experience a deep sense of loss.
As we contemplate change at work this year we would do well to remember the power of ceremony on the human psyche. We can use this power to help people let go of old ideas, outdated relationships and cherished habits, and to take on new ways of working and better ways of relating to one another.
And, of course, a training event is a form of ceremony. It’s said that after a training course you are allowed at least two weeks of eccentricity! Training therefore is of value not only in improving performance of current tasks, but in encouraging new approaches and new behaviours.
Enjoy the spring!
Our sponsored charity for 2011 is the Prince's Trust. The Prince's Trust is a youth charity that helps change young lives.
Thanks once again for a really strong program, which exceeded my otherwise high expectations.
We used your techniques and advice learnt on the course to guide us (both in the sales process and throughout the project) and it has been a resounding success!
It is the first course I’ve attended in a long time where the pitch/pace of the course felt right. The course was sufficiently interactive and interesting enough to retain my interest/attention. In fact, it was a surprise when breaks and lunch were announced.
Elevation Learning is an approved training centre for the Chartered Management Institute and endorsed training provider for the Institute of Consulting.
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