The Worklife Makeover Review

I ran my first The Worklife Makeover workshop last Friday. Sure, I’ve run workshops before, but it was the first time I’d done so under A Different Kind of Work’s banner.

I loved every minute of it, which at a level would have been success enough. But, as it happens, the workshop was successful on many more fronts.

Over the weekend, I asked myself what had contributed to it having achieved such a great outcome.

Great People

The most amazing group of people turned up. Some were readers, some bloggers, some clients, some friends and some a mixture of all four. Whatever networks had brought us together initially, I realised after that I had a mutually trusting and respectful connection with each of them. There was, for me, some magic in that.

Everyone who said they’d be there turned up. I had zero drop-out. Quite unheard of. They all came with the expectation that they were there for an experience and so they got it.

One of the key contributing factors to the day was, then, the power of relationship, and the solid foundations that gives to doing impactful self-development work.

Belief

As the people who were there on Friday will testify, belief is a big theme of mine!

Looking back, I know that I went into the day knowing that it would be great. In fact, I’d designed, developed and planned the whole event on that basis. That indeed it was so reinforces to me the power of operating from that place.

Play

I ran this version of the workshop as a pilot and was quite upfront with people about just that.

Taking any pressure off of myself to need to get it right freed up space in me to relax, play and be in the moment. In other words, I made it okay for myself just to be.

Venue

The room I chose for the event was awesome. I wanted a venue where people could gather in what would feel like a comfortable front room. It needed not to be some mediocre training room with a board table and bottom numbing chairs.

Charlotte Street Hotel excelled on all fronts. A beautiful room and immaculate, inobtrusive service simply and elegantly set the stage for the work we were doing.

Presence

Last week was an odd week for me in one major regard: I could not write to save myself. Luckily, with the benefit of the insights I’d had the previous week, I didn’t force it.

My sense now is that I was somehow gathering up my creative energies for the workshop. I reflect that so much of what makes a difference in my work is, well, me. Yes, my session had structure and content. But it was being worked around people’s real, burning issues. There’s no amount of mental preparation you can do to be with that. I enable the shifts because something of my presence in the moment facilitates it.

That requires me to be available.

And I was.

I could not be happier with the feedback I got. People emailing and Twittering. And, if you want to share some of the online buzz, head across to Eleanor Edwards and read it from her too!

Related posts:

1. Who Else Wants A Free Worklife Makeover?
2. Here’s How New Work Pioneers Navigate Their Journey
3. 10+1 steps to make coaching work for you
4. The Birth of a New Work Pioneer