John Engels founded Leadership Coaching, Inc. in 1996, based on the integration of three cutting-edge research disciplines: neuroscience, Bowen Family Systems Theory, and the evolution of leadership in non-human species. Under John’s guidance, his consulting team continues to draw on decades of learning with family researchers and with accomplished scientists who study the leadership behavior of wolves, elephants, chimpanzees, and other animals. John earned an undergraduate degree in mass communications from St. Bonaventure University, and a master’s degree in theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. After those formal studies, Engels began his “real education” 20 years of study in Bowen Family Systems Theory, and 20 years of monthly visits to a lifer’s group inside Attica Prison. As both learner and teacher, John has traveled to many of the world’s most challenging environments, including Bangladesh, Haiti, Lebanon and post-Apartheid South Africa. He has addressed global audiences on topics related to the science and practice of high-maturity leadership, including at the American University of Beirut, Caritas Bangladesh, Cornell University, Enterprise Worldwide, The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Japan Family Center, The Port of Beirut, Simon School of Business, Taziki Psychiatric Hospital in Okinawa, and The United States Military Academy at West Point.
Course Overview
Family businesses are complex systems of personal and professional relationships. In this course, you will assess the emotional and habitual patterns that underwrite your familial and business relationships. Through stories and examples, you will explore the value gained from bringing emotional maturity into interpersonal relationships, both at work and at home.
You will explore the qualities and actions expressed by emotionally mature people. With this foundation, you will discuss important skills, such as recognizing the common ways that people avoid accountability, shifting your focus to become more self-responsible and having an honest conversation about a problem before jumping to judgment. You will also examine a relationship triangle from different perspectives and assess your impulse to solve problems when they are brought to you by another person. Finally, you will arrange to have a personal interview with someone in your family with whom you want to develop a deeper relationship then reflect on that experience. By the end of the course, you will better understand emotional maturity and be able to apply new strategies for success in your relationships with others.
Key Course Takeaways
- Identify the characteristics of emotionally mature relationships
- Scrutinize beliefs and biases about yourself and your family
- Understand how relationship triangles work in families and businesses
- Practice connecting with others in more mature ways
How It Works
Course Author
Who Should Enroll
- Family members employed in running a family-owned business
- Non-family employees involved in running a family business (key leaders, management)
- Individuals interested in broad-based family business dynamics
- Consultants
- Lawyers
- Accountants
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