Organizations as Living Systems
April 4, 2024
Hosted by Monique Daigneault
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
We often make the mistake of thinking about companies/corporate entities as if they are machines with parts that we can replace when they aren’t working the way we want them to. Organizations are made up of humans and are more like the human body than like machines. All the people, departments, and programs must work together for it to survive. It is more effective to see organizations as living things that can learn and grow and that can heal from injury or sickness, because organizations can experience trauma just like individual people can. To do this, we need to apply systems thinking, which simply means understanding that everyone is connected to each other in a system. For the system to do its work effectively, everyone needs to be on the same page about basic mission and values, even while each person is doing something different. Systems thinking encourages us to look at events and patterns by focusing on the connection and relationship between the system’s parts instead of only looking at the individual parts in isolation. To do this, we need to recognize system problems rather than applying the machine mentality to problem solving.
Leading with Intention
Thursday at 9AM Pacific on VoiceAmerica Business Channel
Challenges in the workplace and within teams is only increasing as companies struggle to transition to a post-COVID 19 remote work situation. These unstable times have stretched companies and their leaders beyond their capacity, and they do not know how to maintain a balance of authority, empathy, compassion, and assertiveness toward their coworkers, much less continue their own career trajectory. Leading with Intention offers support, encouragement, and tools to help corporate leaders address their personal shortcomings and emerge from these unprecedented times as well-rounded, self-assured leaders. The show focuses on execution - helping leaders learn how to improve soft skills, leadership competencies, and work-life balance. Most importantly, how to ensure that their organization is in alignment from the top down, including leaders and their direct reports.
Monique Daigneault
Monique Daigneault is the President and CEO of MD Consulting. She has been a trained executive coach since 2003 and, as an Accredited Master Coach, has logged over 3,000 coaching hours with corporate executives on six continents, in over 15 industries. Monique helps clients set goals, pinpoint the root cause of business problems, explore solutions, address workplace dysfunction, and implement sustainable and measurable changes. She helps clients unpack how their conscious and unconscious behavior impacts their leadership abilities. The outcome of her process gives them more acute insights about their workplace relationships and the ability to drive bigger change throughout the organization. By engaging in her proprietary process, Monique’s clients also build business agility, resilience, and influence. Monique is a survivor of childhood trauma, workplace micro-trauma, and has Complex PTSD. Despite that she has achieved seven business certifications, an Associate and Bachelor of Science in Management, and a Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is a contributing author of two self-published books, as well as the author of her newest leadership book which she is currently pitching to publishers. Monique has leveraged her traumatic past and made it her mission to shift behavior in the workplace and empower leaders to be more impactful and influential.
