Leadership Lessons from the Pub with Irvine Nugent

Introduction: Irvin Nugent is a recognised Executive Coach, Internationally recognised Trainer in Emotional Intelligence and Top-rated speaker. He is also the Author of the book Leadership Lessons from the Pub: Harnessing the Power of Emotional Intelligence to Build a Fully Engaged Workplace. Irvine earned his PhD in Management from Capella University where his thesis focused on Leadership in times of crisis. He is a former Catholic Priest and CEO. 

 

Podcast Episode Summary

This podcast episode showcases the work Irvine does in the world to make Emotional Intelligence accessible and to make Emotional Literacy more common place. In our discussion we explore the many lessons for Leaders, Irvine brings to life in book, lesson like how to build bridges instead of walls, how to create the space to allow others excel, how to set the tone and to utilise the skill of storytelling. The episode is replete with anecdotes and practical suggestions to bring emotional intelligence alive. 

 

Points made over the episode

• Irvine Nugent was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in a period known as “the troubles” He lived with a question “can life be better” and this question saw him move first into Priesthood and then into the world of Teaching and Coaching to support others live richer lives 
• Becoming a Priest was the way he could express his inner desire to help others heal
• Leaving the Priesthood was one of the hardest decisions he has ever had to make but it became a question of Authenticity for Irvine -the confinements of the Church no longer suited him
• The book was borne out of the many armchair encounters Irvine has had with Leaders trying to wrestle with questions such as “how do I lead a team?” “How can I create a workspace where people can be themselves?” 
• The Space of The Pub is fascinating and whilst it has not been the subject of Sociological research it is a place where people feel comfortable to share their troubles to build community and to feel included
• Leaders similarly need to be able to build community to allow the diversity of workplaces to commune, to allow for tough decisions to be made in service of the whole. 
• Lessons from the book are often overlooked by Leaders. One such lesson is the potential to influence the mood of an organisation or team. Moods and Emotions are contagious-be careful with yours. 
• It is important for Leaders to be self-aware, to reflect and make choices about the Presence they wish to convey. 
• Our VUCA world often makes unconscious as Leaders. We have to be intentional with our practices. 
• Ideas like a 7 second reset are useful to be able to self-regulate 
• The Pandemic has resulted in a lot of teams suffering from Anxiety. An emotion that is craving clarity. The role of the Leaders becomes even more important in these time to offer the role of a “step-down Transformer” Calm and assuredness is required 
• When people lack clarity it is very hard to commit to action 
• It is important to find our Trigger Print. To become knowledgeable about what triggers us, the patterns we fall into etc.. So we can course correct. 
• When we are triggered we lose our capacity to be curious to be humble we rush to seek solutions which can often result in poor decision making 
• It is often hard to be instantaneously aware of our triggers we are simply transparent to them. We need to investigate their source. History often shares information about where these prints were laid down. 
• One way of moving out of being triggered or re-triggered is to get physically moving. 
• Our bodies are vital to our knowledge base on emotions and the body will signal to us our concerns and worries; get curious about our somatic discourse 
• Emotions provide information which gives us choice
• The sacredness of silence is often misunderstood. By giving people our full attention in silence we can create a space for real and generative thinking and alter the space between people 
• Silence is also a gift to ourselves 
• Creating a “Thin Space” is about connecting to that inside of us that is bigger than ourselves and is a way of expressing what Presence is really about 
• Irvine’s work see him be invited into a variety of groups and Leadership settings. He is currently working with Police Officer in the United States helping them access their emotional intelligence when often they are triggered. 
• There is always the space to learn with emotions and by using emotional intelligence 
• Build the capacity to cultivate two particular mindsets; one of Curiosity and Humility
• People express emotions very differently but it is important to recognise that we do have range. Irvin is often very curious when he hears people use a limited range of words to describe emotions. 
• The more people can name their emotions, the depth and range they experience the more they are able to enjoy interpersonal relations & connection 
• People have a rich deposit, richer than Gold in the range of emotions they have by which to navigate their circumstances. 
• Emotions are messages. They tell us what is happening in our lives, what concerns we might be having and what is not in play. 

Resources Shared 

• www.irvinenugent.com