Notes from Q & A phone conversation with Paul Donovan taken by Kathryn Tonges about L.E.T. – 25 July 2023
Background: Paul is currently changing his website to reflect what he does now which is a boutique business specialising in facilitation of senior executive teams and coaching with on-the-spot tuition. He has moved away from running L.E.T. courses and enjoys being a practitioner not training. He has not taught L.E.T. for some years.
What is the demand for the course?
Large companies have large budgets and their own consulting companies that develop training packages though none as good as L.E.T. The market is moving and there is more likely to be opportunities with medium to small companies though their budgets are far less and pressure for staff to be working not training. They can be hard to get to, however. Consider membership organisations where small and medium businesses hang out and develop relationships.
Is it contemporary enough?
LET is timeless. Needed as much as it ever was. Most transformational programme I ever taught though it is now a harder world to receive it.
Why is it harder and why is it needed?
- Larger companies now with budgets that use their own materials even though not as good as LET. LET is heads and shoulders above anything else.
- EQ is going down therefore less ability to have conversations in the workplace.
- Most people believe they are good listeners, but they are not.
- There is an avalanche of anxiety.
- Levels of disengagement are at 70% in workplaces.
- Increasing centralised authority leading to unhappy workers.
- Bosses have become more autocratic than ever before.
What other advice would you give?
- LET is fantastic. The model is elegant and inspired. It is a worthy cause.
- Hang in there. Be patient could be a long haul.
- Be a presence using social media posting, videos, blogs.
- Connect with businesses by using the language that businesses want to hear like psychologically safe workplaces; collaborative; mental health; increased professional democracy; EQ. LET is a wonderful response to that.
