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Sharpen Your Leadership Edge:

The world has changed. The job market is uncertain. Market growth has slowed down. Companies are spending less time developing their leaders and yet see leadership as an essential aspect of embracing the turbulent economy. Research we recently conducted with over 100 CEOs and executives revealed the glaring need for leaders to lead their organizations differently in the 21st century. Come join us for a three-day oceanside retreat in Long Beach, California. This intimate retreat will provide a chance for you to reflect, explore and create new possibilities for your life and your leadership.

Many global business leaders are asking:

• Where do I turn to grow myself as a leader and world changer?
• How can I grow my leadership edge?
• What is required to take me to the top of my game?
• How can I prepare myself to move powerfully into the next decade?

Which one of these questions is coming at you at 90 miles an hour? We know these questions can be disorienting … if you want to hit one of these questions and emerge with more clarity, then this retreat is for you.

Breakthrough Leadership Series: From the Inside Out is designed to take you on a journey to expand your impact as a leader. We understand the challenges leaders face and the discipline it takes to grow your leadership edge from the inside out. This three-day experiential learning retreat designed by industry leaders in transformational business coaching and personal development is tailored specifically for CEO’s, executives and partners. You may be asking partners? Yes, life partners or business partners. We believe there is tremendous value in sharing your leadership journey with someone who shares in your journey. This retreat is not about gaining more leadership information but about unleashing the greatness inside you as a leader. Please join us in part one of a four-part series which will build on each experience.

Objectives:

• Identify and develop your primary and secondary approaches to leadership
• Learn and experience a four-part tool kit to engaging in transformational leadership
• Experience – through practice – the latest research in integrative leadership
• Create a relationship alliance with your partner
• Build a relational network of executives from around the world

Dates: September 24–26, 2010

Location: Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California
700 Queensway Drive
Long Beach, CA 90802

Transportation: LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) is the nearest airport to Hotel Maya. Further details will be provided to registered participants.

Fees & Sign-up form: Sign up by July 29, 2010 and Save! Please click here to register and for more info

Schedule: Please click here for more info

FAQ’s: Please click here for answers to some frequently asked questions

Facilitators & Guest Speakers: Please click here for full bios

Cynthia Loy Darst, MFA, CPCC, ORSCC, MCC, Global Leadership Trainer
Named “One of the Top Ten Most Influential Coaches in the U.S.,” Ms. Darst is playful and inspiring, working with all kinds of people to move them past limitations and into action & fulfillment. Darst is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, a Certified Relationship & Systems Coach and one of the first to receive the designation of Master Certified Coach from the International Coach Federation.

She and her husband, David Darst, CPCC, PCC, also a coach, are partners in their company, The Inspiration Point. They do work with individuals as well as teams, couples, partnerships and organizational systems.

David Darst, Professionally Certified Coach, Global Leadership Trainer
David Darst recently earned the coveted credential of Professional Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation. He is also a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and a popular Course Leader at The Coaches Training Institute where he has trained over one thousand coaches in both one-on-one coaching and relationship & systems coaching.

Thought of as a “Renaissance Man,” he brings a strong and eclectic background to the profession of coaching. Accomplishments along his personal path have included being a master carpenter and furniture designer, work in the entertainment industry—both in front and behind the scenes, as well as ten years of experience with people in the recovery of alcohol and drug addiction.

Demore Barnes, Professionally Certified Coach, Corporate Trainer
Demore Barnes is a Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) by way of the internationally renowned Coaches Training Institute (CTI). He is the co-creator of Create Possibility a coaching and leadership development company and a member of the International Coach Federation. He is fascinated with the study of human potential and the means through which it’s greatest expression can be achieved. Demore works with executives and corporate teams to clarify and unlock what they are truly made of in the context of both life and leadership.

Shauna Barnes, Certified Professional Coach, Corporate Trainer:
Shauna Barnes is a consultant and the Director of Operations at The Awaken Group. She is a professionally trained Career and Performance coach, CPCC, and member of the International Coach Federation. Shauna Barnes’s professional experiences have led people to confront themselves so they may live their best lives. She started this pursuit as an advertising executive at TELUS Mobility, one of Canada’s leading telecommunications companies, where she led Marketing teams with innovation. She learned about the complexities that contribute to excellence in marketing and within people.

Erwin McManus, Guest Speaker
Erwin is an author, speaker, activist, filmmaker and innovator who specializes in the field of developing and unleashing personal and organizational creativity, uniqueness, innovation and diversity. Engaging in such issues as culture, creativity, change, and leadership, Erwin is widely known as a thought-provoking communicator. His travels have taken him to over 30 countries and he has spoken to over a million people from a wide variety of audiences, including the NFL, Lionsgate, New Line Cinema, and ILOG. His work is featured in numerous films, articles, and magazines globally.

Erwin is a native of El Salvador, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Southwestern Theological Seminary.

So-Young Kang and Shauna Barnes with SAGE students

So-Young Kang was selected to be one of the judges at Santa Monica High School’s SAGE (Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship) presentation on July 16, 2010 to support entrepreneurship and the youth community.

SAGE offers high school students the opportunity to complete business and social ventures to improve their communities under the guidance of university business consultants and mentors. At the end of the academic year, student teams showcase their efforts on a regional, national and world stage. The Santa Monica High SAGE Team (2010 National Champions) will represent USA in South Africa at the 2010 SAGE World Cup at the end of July 2010.

To learn more about SAGE, please click here

2010-07-15 Human Leadership from The Awaken Group on Vimeo.

The Awaken Group’s So-Young Kang and Shauna Barnes held “Human” Leadership: How to create and lead a “human” organization – Webinar #2 on July 15, 2010 5pm PST (July 16, 8am SIN) to continue the exploration around the powerful integration of the head, heart and hands as a critical framework for effective leadership. The Webinar #2 explored what it means to have a ‘human’ leadership within an organization and how it differs from how most other organizations are managed today. So-Young and Shauna also shared ways in which leaders can create ‘human’ leadership in their businesses today.

What some of our participants had to say:

“This discussion brings new vitality into the leadership vision, a more human and incarnational approach.” - Jim Beise, Executive Director, La Fonderie

“I enjoyed the ‘human’ case studies, specifically [about] TOMS Shoes.”

If you would like a copy of the content for “Human” Leadership: How to create and lead a “human” organization – Webinar #2, please click here for content.

The Awaken Group officially started a new series of four Webinars on June 17, 2010 with “Bringing the heart back into leadership – Improving your impact as a leader” presented by So-Young Kang and Shauna Barnes. The Webinar series will continue to explore the powerful integration of the head, heart and hands as a critical framework for effective leadership. We believe there is significant untapped potential for increased leadership impact when we become more consciously aware of both what motivates our leadership decisions as well as both our intended and unintended impact.

What some of our participants had to say:

“I appreciated the attention to ‘heart’ matters which is not often discussed in the context of business.”

“The Awaken Group is the first organization to address this topic which I’ve been learning on my own through books, experience, etc.”

“The content was useful and relevant in our world today.”

If you would like a copy of the content for “Bringing the heart back into leadership – Improving your impact as a leader” Webinar #1, please click here for content.

	Video Excerpt: Be Like Water – Cultural Adaptability An Interview with Dave Gibbons

The Awaken Group: Dave, Congratulations on your book “Monkey and the Fish” which has been given several awards recently. What is it about?

Dave: In one word, it’s about “adaptation.” In two words, it’s about “painful adaptation.” How do people weave in and out of multiple cultures; what’s the mindset and skill sets necessary to do that?

The title comes from an Eastern parable: a fish looked like it was caught in a maelstrom and a monkey saw it and thought that the fish was in trouble. So the monkey went into the water and took the fish to dry land, believing that he had just rescued the fish. The monkey left the fish on dry land to rest and then took off, thinking it had done something heroic.

This is similar to how we tend to enter into other cultural contexts—whether it’s an organization, country, or city—we go in with our own preconceptions and own frameworks, and we really don’t listen nor do we know how to adapt to the lives of humans within our reach.

The Awaken Group: What are some of the common challenges you have seen from your international experience when leaders are not adaptable?

Dave: There are multiple problems but the one that affects most people is relationally—they don’t know how to intersect and to actually listen well, and to learn and serve one another. Typically, I’ve found that because of that, they don’t deal with what I call, “the last 10%”—the difficult part of the relationship that no one wants to talk about. They avoid it, but that’s the very thing that will help take the team get to another level. So the challenges in dealing with third culture and adaptation have to do with relational intersections.

The East-West relationship is another significant challenge; leaders not knowing how to go over to the other side.

The Awaken Group: What does it take to be cultural adaptable as a leader?

Dave: It takes a mindset and will to love, learn and serve in any culture.

1. Listen: Are you really in a posture to hear? Or do you see yourself as a teacher? You will probably learn more from the locals by listening.
2. Learn: Get to know the culture by spending time in the environment and understanding the beliefs and mindsets of the culture.
3. Serve: Have a service mentality. Humility goes a long way in different cultural contexts. When people see a spirit of humility, kindness and compassion, it translates well into many cultures.

By the way, we would love to communicate with you vs. just share information with you so please post your comments or e-mail us anytime.

For the latest news and updates, please visit our Current page.

Michelle Lee recently joined The Awaken Group. Her experiences in working and studying abroad in Hong Kong and Seoul for business led to a keen interest in Asia’s impact on the global economy. It also triggered a passion for international travels and a deep appreciation for meeting new people from different cultures.

Michelle is very excited to be a part of The Awaken Group with its cutting edge projects in a entrepreneurial environment, and learn about leadership and from those who have gone before her.  She looks forward to bringing her enthusiasm and passion for the vision behind this company.

Growing up in a small resort town in the San Bernardino Mountains in CA, she became very adventurous and loves outdoor sports such as wakeboarding, snowboarding and cliff jumping. Her interests also lie in serving the homeless community and fighting against injustice of sweatshop laborers with the organization, Made in L.A. Michelle graduated from UCLA with a double major in East Asian and Global Studies.

Tsun-yan Hsieh previously wrote a guest post for Harvard Business Review’s (HBR) blog on recognizing the decisive moments in leadership. In his second installment for HBR’s blog, he recently co-wrote “How good are you at Critical Conversations?” (please click here) with Anthony Tjan, which expands on the previous theme and is based on Tsun-yan’s leadership research from the last five years in Asia, North America, and Europe.

Key speaker Dave Gibbons discussed third culture leadership at the National Conference, an annual leadership conference, in Melbourne, Australia held on May 3-6, 2010.

Third culture is not only about adaptation, it is about painful adaptation. It involves the mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort.

Erwin McManus spoke at the West Coast Catalyst in Irvine, CA on April 23, 2010, which is a conference specifically focused on leaders under the age of 40. With a unique approach to programming and learning and defined by a fun, dynamic attendee experience, leaders were personally challenged to become “change agents” within their organizations and communities. Over 3,000 leaders attended this year’s event in Irvine.

Leadership has been the topic of focus for the Catalyst brand since its inception and will continue to be so. Catalyst and the annual Conferences address a variety of topics specific to “Next Generation Leaders”—including organizational leadership, personal leadership, integrity, character, relationships, and teamwork. Catalyst has only just begun to go deeper with the Catalyst Community in taking them beyond a conference experience and into a relationship that provides ongoing support for growth and continued learning.

So-Young Kang, Catalyst, Founder & Managing Partner of The Awaken Group, held a seminar on “Global Leadership: What is Required?” organized by MEP Asia in Singapore on April 30, 2010.

Topics discussed included top leadership challenges facing CEOs, Presidents and Owners today: Enhancing ability to adapt to change, Hiring right managers and leaders and Creating a culture of innovation and creativity within organizations. Participants were challenged and encouraged to think of ways in which they can begin to impact their organizations to be more “human, creative and adaptable.”

We would like to thank each participant for their insights and thoughts around global leadership. We would also like to thank MEP Asia for helping us in coordinating a great event in Singapore. We look forward to more seminars and workshops around the world.

What some of our participants had to say:

“Challenging & thought provoking.”

“[I enjoyed being] able to relate to current organizational needs and sharing views/ideas with the rest.”

“I understand the need for a change and [realized that I] have fundamentals to execute them.”