WE DEVELOP GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT TEAMS
AND GREAT LEADERS.
THIS IS WHAT WE DO. EVERY DAY.
That’s what we do at Westminster Associates. But what does that really
mean? interaction, and can help them to better respond to the demands of their
environment.
When we launched the company over 15 years ago, we wanted to take a less
conventional approach and be quirky, fun, engaging and, most importantly,
create a sustainable approach to developing people. Have you ever been
on one of those training sessions where your body is in the room but
your head and heart is somewhere elsewhere? Have you ever had to build
models with spaghetti and marshmallows in one of those sessions which,
whilst fun, gives you no real idea what the long-term benefit is, unless of
course you want a new, super-sweet sauce for your pasta? We’re not saying
that type of development isn’t useful and doesn’t have its place. It’s just been
around the block a few times, that’s all. We encourage people we work with to proactively use what they’ve
learned to identify key areas in which they can develop and take action,
and to share important aspects of their learning with colleagues. We
also encourage them to ask for feedback in areas which seem particularly
relevant for them, and then develop a plan of action to improve their
understanding of themselves and to better connect with others. In order to
achieve this, we use the following three models:
Our first tag line, “Inspiring People to Perform” is still as relevant today
(if not more so) as when we created it in 2003. Allowing people to be
themselves and to understand each other takes far less energy than for
all of us to try to be something we’re not. Don’t get us wrong: every
organisation and every role demands results which force us to stretch, but
there are many different ways to achieve those results, and it’s from those
differences that innovation comes. And that’s where we at Westminster
Associates come in. We develop people, teams, and leaders, and the work
we do is underpinned by Insights Discovery.
When we first came across Insights Discovery, we immediately knew it
matched our style and approach. It’s different, quirky, and engaging, and
it gives people a shared language which lives on beyond the initial session
in which it’s introduced and becomes part of everyday vocabulary. It helps
people understand themselves and others, and to connect with others who
have different ways of working. Insights Discovery encourages people to
change lanes, so to speak, by leaving their own path and joining others in
theirs. As they make this change, they understand the other person better
by experiencing things from a new point-of-view. And because we don’t
allow people to feel exposed or vulnerable, a level of comfort develops as
this change takes place which unlocks dialogues between people, which can
lead to breakthrough conversations.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS INSIGHTS DISCOVERY?
Insights Discovery is a four-colour model which is easy to understand.
The four colours refer to four different sets characteristics which describe
a person’s preferred or most natural way of being. Every person has all
four colour energies within them, but it’s the combination of the four
“colour energies” which creates each person’s unique approach. We like
to describe Insights Discovery as having “simplexity”, meaning it’s simple
to understand and use in practical, real-world situations, but also has the
complexity of a foundation based on research and academia. It’s built
around the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung as first outlined in his
1921 work “Psychological Types” and subsequently developed in later
writings. Jung’s work on personality and preferences is recognized as a
seminal work on understanding personality, and has been the subject of
study for thousands of researchers up to the present day. This research
suggests that a good understanding of self – including both strengths
and weaknesses – enables individuals to develop effective strategies for
The PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS model helps people perform at their
highest level by improving their understanding of themselves. People
can then easily adapt and connect with others, which leads to workplaces
where creativity and productivity thrive. Personal Effectiveness explores
things like interpersonal style, interacting with others, decision making,
strengths, possible weaknesses, communication strategies, blind spots, and
suggestions for development.
The TEAM EFFECTIVENESS model provides a team with the framework
and analysis needed to identify the most pressing and important issues.
It helps to diagnose and confront challenges and blockages, improve
relationships, inspire success and ultimately increase productivity. It
explores 8 Elements that impact team dynamics and are key to high a
performing team culture: results orientation, shared purpose, agility,
collaboration, trust, cohesion, working methods, and measurement.
The LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS model explores how leadership
capabilities are impacted by our preferred ways of working. It enables
people to understand how their unique Insights Discovery colour energy
mix creates both strengths and challenges in their leadership style. The
model comprises 8 Dimensions of leadership: delivering results, leading
change, creating a compelling vision, communicating with impact,
fostering teamwork, facilitating development, leading from within
(authenticity), and agile thinking.
These models can be combined to create a solution for teams or
organisations which help solve a vast range of business challenges,
including improving results, agility, innovation, and collaboration with
both internal and external partners, to name just a few examples.
At Westminster Associates, whilst we hope we are respectful of everyone,
we are far less impressed by positions, titles and affluence as we are by how
a person treats others. Whether that person is a business owner, leader,
team manager, or team player, we are all more powerful when we empower
others, and the easiest way to do that is to understand where that sense of
empowerment comes from. Behind every successful person is successful
support.
If you’d like to find out more about how you might create the right
support for yourself, your team, or your organisation, get in touch
at www.westminster-associates.com. An informal conversation costs
nothing, and the benefits are endless.
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