THE POWER OF FORUM

A week in Hong Kong with 15 other professional facilitators who genuinely care about creating transformational learning experiences – yes please!!

Last week I had the pleasure and honour of participating in the Asia Pacific regional conference for YPO Certified Forum Facilitators (CFFs). It was a wonderful week filled with adventure, connection, and learning with like-minded people from all corners of Asia.

As a CFF – I have the privilege of working with YPO members and supporting their journey into better ways of learning, connecting and growing.

So what is YPO?

YPO is a global leadership community of chief executives, with the purpose of Building Better Leaders through learning and idea exchange. YPO is a membership organisation, run by members, for members. Members are under 45 years of age and lead organisations that meet specific size criteria.

Leadership can be lonely. By joining YPO, members are no longer alone as they meet and connect with other leaders who share their unique experiences of leading sizable organisations, with all the benefits and challenges this brings.

YPO is organised into regions and chapters. Membership opens the doors to local, regional, and global networks who participate in exceptional events and learning experiences. But far the greatest espoused benefit for members is access to a Forum. A Forum is a group of 8-10 members from non-competitive industries who meet monthly in an atmosphere of complete confidentiality and trust.

The ‘power of Forum’ is regularly discussed in YPO circles. It is powerful because what members learn when they join a Forum are the principals and practices that enable relative strangers to form bonds of confidentiality, trust, respect and authentic connection very quickly. The process of Forum is a language that allows members to cut directly to the heart of human experience in search of ways to be better leaders, and better people.

Inherent in the design of a Forum meeting is the necessity to be vulnerable. To share not just issues, challenges and opportunities, but the reasons why these things are important, and how they make us feel.

The skills that members learn in Forum are directly transferable to how leaders lead within their organisations, families and communities. Leadership is not about telling, directing, forcing, or controlling in any way. Instead, members learn that leadership is about creating environments where experiences can be shared ‘unfiltered’, where access to the collective wisdom creates opportunity for new ideas and new learning to occur, and where vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.

As a Certified Forum Facilitator – I am “YPO” certified – accredited to work with Forums and members to help them find and experience the ‘power of forum’ – a transformational shared group experience that changes the way leaders connect. It also means I collaborate with other CFF’s at our annual global conference in amazing places like Hong Kong.

If you want to find out how I work with YPO members and forums – check out my YPO programs.