Week 1: Understanding and Identifying Cognitive Biases

Week 1 Objective:

Equip participants with the ability to recognize and challenge cognitive biases that may be hindering their business decisions and leadership effectiveness.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a recent decision or challenge faced in your business where you suspect cognitive biases might have played a role.

3. Discussion on Cognitive Biases

• Explain what cognitive biases are and how they distort our thinking.

• Discuss the significance of recognizing biases in leadership.

Quote: "Your opinions are the result of years of paying attention to information that confirmed what you believed while ignoring information that challenged your preconceived notions." — David McRaney

4. Case Study Discussion

5. Identifying Personal Cognitive Biases

6. Actionable Strategies

7. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to observe and note instances of cognitive biases in their decision-making throughout the week, to be discussed in the next session.

Week 2: The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Recognizing Your Blind Spots

Week 2 Objective:

Develop self-awareness to accurately assess skills and knowledge, ensuring leaders remain open to learning and growth.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a moment in your leadership journey where you realized you didn’t know as much as you thought you did.

3. Understanding the Dunning-Kruger Effect

• Explain the Dunning-Kruger Effect: Overestimating one's abilities due to a lack of self-awareness.

• Discuss how this bias affects leadership and decision-making.

Quote: "The more you know, the less confident you're likely to be. How can experts be so sure? They are aware of how much they don't know." — David McRaney

4. Group Discussion: Identifying Blind Spots

5. Case Study: The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Action

6. Strategies for Overcoming the Dunning-Kruger Effect

7. Personal Reflection and Application

8. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to actively seek feedback from their team or peers over the next week, focusing on areas they identified as potential blind spots.

Week 3: Confirmation Bias in Business: Seeing Beyond Your Beliefs

Week 3 Objective:

Learn strategies to counteract confirmation bias, enabling participants to make more balanced and informed business decisions.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a decision you made recently where you later realized you were primarily seeking out information that supported your existing beliefs.

3. Understanding Confirmation Bias

• Define confirmation bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions.

• Discuss how confirmation bias can distort business decisions, leading to suboptimal outcomes.

Quote: "You are unaware of how unaware you are. You are unaware of the influences that shape your decisions." — David McRaney

4. Group Exercise: Identifying Confirmation Bias

5. Case Study: Confirmation Bias in Leadership

6. Strategies to Overcome Confirmation Bias

7. Personal Reflection and Action Planning

8. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to apply their action plans to a current business decision and observe the outcomes. Encourage them to note any changes in their decision-making process or the results.

Week 4: The Anchoring Effect: How Initial Information Shapes Decisions

Week 4 Objective:

Develop techniques to mitigate the anchoring bias, leading to more objective and flexible decision-making processes.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a time when the first piece of information you received significantly influenced a decision you made, either your business or personally.

3. Understanding the Anchoring Effect

• Define the anchoring effect: The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the "anchor") when making decisions.

• Discuss how anchoring can distort judgment in pricing, negotiations, and strategic planning.

Quote: "The first information you find out about a subject influences the way you think about the information that comes afterward." — David McRaney

4. Group Exercise: Identifying Anchors in Decision-Making

5. Case Study: The Anchoring Effect in Business Negotiations

6. Strategies to Mitigate the Anchoring Effect

7. Personal Reflection and Action Planning

8. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to apply their strategies to an upcoming decision or negotiation and observe how they manage the influence of anchoring.

Week 5: Building Authentic Connections in Leadership

Week 5 Objective:

Cultivate deeper, more meaningful professional relationships that enhance collaboration, trust, and business growth.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a story about a professional relationship that significantly impacted their leadership journey, either positively or negatively.

3. Understanding Authentic Connections

• Discuss the concept of authentic connections, focusing on the elements that create true, meaningful relationships in a professional context.

• Explore the challenges of building authentic connections, particularly for leaders who may feel isolated or disconnected due to their roles.

Quote: "True connection is an authentic connection, which requires you to be willing to see and be seen for who you truly are." — Teal Swan

4. Group Discussion: Barriers to Authentic Connection

5. Case Study: Authentic Leadership in Practice

6. Strategies for Building and Sustaining Authentic Connections

7. Personal Reflection and Action Planning

8. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to focus on improving one professional relationship over the next week, using the strategies discussed, and observe the impact on their connection and leadership effectiveness.

Week 6: The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Week 6 Objective:

Enhance participants' emotional intelligence to improve team dynamics, leadership effectiveness, and organizational culture.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a story about a professional relationship that significantly impacted their leadership journey, either positively or negatively.

3. Understanding Emotional Intelligence

• Discuss the key components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills, and motivation.

• Explore how emotional intelligence helps leaders navigate their own emotions and those of others, fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Quote: "To be emotionally intelligent, you must first be emotionally aware. This means acknowledging and understanding your own emotions and how they influence your thoughts and behaviors." — Teal Swan

4. Group Exercise: Assessing Emotional Intelligence

5. Case Study: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

6. Strategies for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence

7. Personal Reflection and Action Planning

8. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to consciously practice their chosen EI strategy in their interactions over the next week and reflect on the outcomes.

Week 7: Transformative Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurial Success

Week 7 Objective:

Empower participants to adopt a growth mindset, fostering innovation, resilience, and long-term business success.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a story about a professional relationship that significantly impacted your leadership journey, either positively or negatively.

3. Understanding Mindset Shifts

• Discuss the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

• Explore how adopting a growth mindset enables entrepreneurs to embrace challenges, persist through setbacks, and continually improve.

Quote: "Your mindset is the single most important factor in determining success. It’s not just about what you do, but how you think about what you do." — Brianna Wiest

4. Group Exercise: Identifying Limiting Beliefs

5. Case Study: Mindset Shifts in Action

6. Strategies for Cultivating a Growth Mindset

7. Personal Reflection and Action Planning

8. Reflection and Takeaways

Homework: Ask participants to apply their growth mindset strategy to a real-world challenge during the week and observe how it influences their approach and outcomes.

Week 8: Integrating Cognitive and Emotional Mastery

Week 8 Objective:

Synthesize the cognitive and emotional insights gained throughout the program and create a comprehensive action plan for sustained leadership growth and business success.

Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Icebreaker Activity

• Activity: Share a story about a professional relationship that significantly impacted your leadership journey, either positively or negatively.

3. Review of Key Concepts

• Cognitive Mastery: Revisit the key cognitive biases and strategies covered, including the Dunning-Kruger Effect, Confirmation Bias, and the Anchoring Effect.

• Emotional Mastery: Summarize the emotional intelligence skills discussed, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy.

• Group Discussion

4. Case Study: Integrating Cognitive and Emotional Skills

5. Developing a Personal Integration Plan

6. Peer Feedback and Support

7. Reflection on Personal Growth

8. Final Takeaways and Group Reflection