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Identifying Your Learning Patterns
By: Nancy Pennebaker, CEO, Senior Consultant
 Have you ever gone to a meeting and left frustrated and angry because it was a total waste of time? Was the meeting discussion full of picky detail? Was it abstract and unfocused? Or was it just too subjective and intuitive? Before getting upset, consider this….The chances are you experienced a learning style that was different from the one you use to acquire and process information.
Each of us has a dominant way of learning that is influenced by our individual personalities, social interactions and experiences. These influences affect each person's way of learning as it evolves over time, resulting in very different styles between co-workers. Some of us are more comfortable grasping concrete facts. Others like to visualize abstract concepts and mental images while some prefer a more intuitive approach. Each of these different preferences is neither right nor wrong. However, not understanding our own learning styles and those of our teammates can get us into real trouble.
The two types of learning abilities that we all use and share are perception and ordering.
- Perception is the means by which we grasp information. It includes: abstractness-the quality that enables us to conceive, and mentally visualize data; and concreteness-the quality that enables us to process data through the direct use of our physical senses.
- Ordering is the way in which we arrange, reference, and dispose of information. It includes: sequential-the quality that causes our minds to organize information in a linear, step-by-step, methodical and predetermined order; and random-the quality that causes our mind to organize information in a nonlinear, galloping, leaping and multifarious manner.
The way we use, emphasize and interrelate each of these qualities gives us our particular learning style. While we can adapt to many learning styles, we all have a dominant preference and it was learned during our early childhood.
Why is it important to consider learning styles? Knowing your style will help you in being more efficient in processing information. In work groups, it is most beneficial to know how you and each of your teammates learn. This understanding can prevent conflict and frustration. The value in identifying learning styles is that it can help you to answer questions such as:
- Am I giving information in the way my team learns best?
- Why does a co-worker not follow through on an assignment?
- Why am I frustrated with brainstorming sessions, checklists, outlines, or personalized examples?
 The Learning Style Delineator, a research-based self-assessment instrument by Anthony F. Gregorc, PhD, is designed to provide the tools necessary for creating the effective communications we need to lead in the world today.
Creative Energy Options, Inc. (CEO) has a popular workshop that is designed to help you understand and apply these principles.
This interactive workshop is a fun and valuable learning experience that can define the unique learning style characteristics of your team of co-workers and provide transformational change in the business of getting things done in the most effective and efficient way.
Interested in having your team walk away with clear, definitive and meaningful instructions?
Please call Mary Jane Saras at (570) 636-3858 for more information or email maryjane@ceoptions.com for details on arranging the "Learning Style Patterns at Work" program.
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BALLE
Business Alliance for Living Local Economies:
Pioneering Sustainable Practices in a World out of Balance
By: John Paulding Meade, CEO, Senior Consultant
 BALLE, Business Alliance for Living Local Economies, was established about five years ago as a catalyst to strengthen and connect local business networks committed to evolving sustainable economies. As much of the world continues on its current path in denial or ignorance of the impending crisis, BALLE is the vanguard acting to turn the tide and guide things back into balance. Its member networks are taking the lead in public education and the development of programs to steer their communities into sustainability as we encounter more dramatic economic and environmental challenges.
BALLE's 4th Annual Conference was held recently in Burlington, Vermont, and featured presentations by many visionary writers, political activists & business leaders. The days were filled with many interactive topic seminars, tours of exemplary local businesses & community projects and networking events. Some of the topics included practices for developing local networks, local currency & loyalty card programs, economic development policy & tax incentives, local farming & food distribution, land trusts, localized renewable energy systems, environmental design, recycling into valuable products & services, business ownership structure, investment strategy and business financing.
Burlington, Vermont is a progressive city and was an exemplary host location for the conference. Visits were arranged to innovative, "triple bottom-line" oriented companies including an organic farm incubator program that currently supplies 15% of the city's produce. The surrounding county has been placing land into trust for anticipated future farm development. Burlington has established its own public utilities, is actively engaged in quality urban renewal projects and is investigating creating a local currency program.
Pursuing the pioneering path of developing a truly sustainable, community-oriented business and economic alliance can be extremely challenging. This conference provided tremendous resources, networking and encouragement to the over 450 participants committed to such a future.
BALLE has local chapters around the country and to see what's going on in "your area", please visit their website at www.livingeconomies.org to learn how you can make a difference. Remember, we're all connected; no one wins unless we all do!
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WELL: Women Executive Leadership Learning
presents
"Inspired to Lead: How Women Change the World of Work"
 Women who excel in business blend logic and intuition, strength and gentleness. The WELL Retreat targets specific ways women can enhance their leadership skills in today's fast-paced work world. Work in the 21st century is a place to grow and create as well as a place of profitability. Women play a key role in this new paradigm. Blending patterns, once relegated to either men or women, into seamless whole changes everything from leadership to operations to marketing and sales. Come join other women executives for a program of keen insights into:- Communicating so everyone gets the right points
- Assessing strengths and weaknesses to enhance strengths
- Understanding how to clear conflict situations
- Observing patterns that sabotage personal and team success
- Creating an action plan for health and prosperity
The Country Place, a corporate retreat center, White Haven, Pennsylvania, will be the site for WELL, October 25th-27th. View splendid photos and learn about the natural beauty of The Country Place by visiting the website, www.retreatpa.com. Spend two days in an exciting, relaxing, rewarding multimedia retreat where great food, time in nature, spa amenities and stimulating discussions give you many "aha" moments to take back to your home life as well as to your work environment. You will be inspired by Sylvia Lafair, Ph.D., President of Creative Energy Options, leadership educator and coach for more than 30 years. Sylvia will go to the WELL and give you the skills to create the work environment of your dreams. Sylvia has a rich and extensive history of work in the corporate world and brings knowledge to WELL on skills needed to work in today's world of work. To register for this inspiration in leadership either call Mary Jane Saras at 570-636-3858 or email maryjane@ceoptions.com. |
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 The Pleaser | Karen, the Director of Sales and Marketing, dressed impeccably, was well respected by her colleagues and appeared to enjoy all facets of her work. She worked in a Fortune 100 company with posh offices, sleek marketing tools and a corporate culture of teamwork.
She said "Yes" to any new assignment and was enthusiastic about new challenges. When asked to devise a marketing campaign for the newest product she readily agreed with the ideas of the VP of Marketing. She confirmed that the new product he proposed was trendy and had mass appeal to their target market, and yet she had lots of inner doubts.
She left the meeting feeling frustrated and concerned believing it was not what their recent research had indicated was needed. In fact, the research showed their competition would run circles around them.
Why didn't she speak up--why didn't she explain the recent research--what was she afraid of?
As a pleaser, Karen is someone who agrees verbally or externally, yet internally disagrees and is fearful of conflict or disappointing others. Karen avoided conflict like most people. She didn't want to be seen as disagreeable or confrontive. Internally she was unsure of herself and felt she was safe so long as she was a team player. She lacked the positive self image to take a stand, ask more questions and say what she really thought. Karen wanted to please her boss and go along with all his suggestions at all costs.
As a pleaser, she only confided in a few close peers to share her concerns. Her confidant, Tom, was experienced in pattern awareness and quickly saw what was at the core of Karen's pleaser personality. Through an open and trusting discussion Tom talked with Karen about her fears of how she would be perceived if she disagreed with the VP. He also helped her see the consequences if the project failed. Karen began to feel the knot of her double bind - to speak out or go along. She felt an uncomfortable kinship with Hamlet.
Karen took a deep look into her reality--if she didn't speak up and the project failed, she had taken the easy road. If she did speak up she could be seen as a nay sayer and banished from the inner circle.
Karen's talk with Tom gave her the courage to move from pleaser to truth teller. She took a risk and to her surprise the VP willingly looked at the data and decided to put off the launch and do more data gathering. New information gave the project a better spin. Karen won, the VP won and so did the bottom line of the company.
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