2022 Reflections
I’m a big believer in the power of reflection. It’s the moment to pause that lets us see how far we’ve come, what we’ve learnt, and what we’re taking with us into the year ahead.
It’s a privilege to reflect on our year at CVL on behalf of the team. It’s a year that started with uncertainty, is ending with new opportunities and has had a lot happen in between! This statement feels true for both me and us as a business.
Our purpose or Kaupapa is about ‘Changing Lives, Creating Success’, and this comes to life in both the little and big moments. Over the past 47 weeks we’ve worked with 42 different organisations supporting their leadership development, their business strategies, their growth.
It’s a year where hybrid working has become the norm. The reality of this for us has been 5089 Zoom meetings, 375 in-person workshops with >5000 leaders, and 356 one-on-one coaching sessions. Our larger leadership programmes are a mix of virtual deep dives and co-creation together in rooms over a period of months. We’ve ensured that the time spent in our residential experiences cover all the things that are harder to do online, building foundational relationships across teams which you can then bounce from in your everyday connections. We’ve used over 2,400 paper post-it-notes to help teams make sense and align on key areas, and thousands more on top of this in Miro board virtual post-it-note collaborations.
I could continue on but these data points are each about human connections, transforming conversations, shifting roadblocks, engaging individuals and teams in meaningful work that matters for them. We’ve noticed that in 2022 leaders have been appreciating the space to reflect on the craziness of the last few years and we’ve worked to support them on their next steps, how to provide stability for individuals and teams during ongoing ambiguity, and how to manage their own needs and worries.
What I’m most proud of across this year is how our team have shown up.
CVL started 2022 still feeling the impacts of Covid’s fragility, volatility and uncertainty. We pulled together and have delivered work of a higher quality than ever, delivering more than we thought possible at times, and have welcomed four new team members into our whanau.
We measure our success on the impact we have. We have many leadership stories across our team where fundamental positive shifts have been made for people. Here’s a few examples I’ve personally had the privilege to hear:
“You have helped me break intergenerational abuse” (Coaching Client)
“I come in here full and you help me make sense and file things in my head” (Coaching Client)
“Courageous Conversations has changed how I communicate with my husband” (Leadership Programme Participant)
“I’m now aware that I’ve not empathetically listened ever as a leader” (Leadership Programme Participant)
“I now connect with my children and developed a relationship I’ve never had before. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life” (Leadership Programme Participant)
“I have the confidence now; it’s ok not to have all the answers” (Leadership Programme Participant)
Our work is about the personal impact for people, knowing that leadership is about our homes, our communities and our workplaces. I’ve watched our consultants show care, commitment and curiosity in their work – looking out for the latest research, making sense of what’s going on in the world and what it means for leaders, converting new innovations into impactful experiences, fully changing plans on the day to meet what a team need in the room, and challenging people to unlock the insights and learning. I’ve watched our programme team work hard at our offices, connecting, co-ordinating, problem solving on the go as the glue that supports our consultants. Thank you for making such a difference to so many leaders.
As we look to the year ahead we’re asking ourselves how we can best support you.
Businesses are facing skills and labour shortages, inflation and cost of living pressures, the personal impact for people living with constant external changes at both pace and complexity, and new opportunities to be grabbed and run with.
“This is a time when human-focused and empathy-based leadership is the key to thriving. Seeing the whole of a person, seeing teams working as a whole together, connecting with the purpose of organisations to make the sometimes impossible possible.”
I can often be heard in workshops saying “leadership starts with you”. For me this holiday period is a time to reflect on my own leadership and what our team needs, so that we can best support you in 2023.
My personal commitments are about space, connection and kindness.
I have struggled all year with balance knowing the best thing I can give our team is my time, and like many of us, it’s time that has been hard to make space for this year. I’ve felt compromised – sandwiched between our own business pressures, wanting to support clients we have long standing relationships with, and knowing my key role is leading our CVL people and not being sure we’re doing enough for them.
The advice I’m giving myself is to take heed of my learning this year - create space, ensure connections continue across the team, use my time where it will have the greatest impact for others and be kind on myself and those around me.
As you wrap up your calendar year, I encourage you to take a moment and acknowledge the work you’ve done – what are you proud of? What impact have you made? What do you need to replenish during the break? What are you excited about in the year ahead?
I look forward to picking up the conversation with you when we’re all back.
Nga mihi, Leah.
