Integral Relational Leadership
Do you wish to lead from a deeper, more authentic place inside yourself - and strengthen your capacity to respond effectively to complex challenges?
Do you want to take your organisation to the next level of its potential?
do you wish to establish a culture of empathic listening and candid feedback - an incubator for innovation and increased performance?
Integral
Leadership Coach,
Supervisor, Facilitator and Organisational
Development Consultant.
15 years of experience coaching executives and building transformational learning communities within organisations - for NGO’s, educational institutions, public health and the corporate world.
Relational Leadership
All leadership challenges, when you look at them closely, are relational - the way we relate to those we lead has tremendous influence on the results we achieve. What is required is not only behavioural changes, but an update of our relational operating system - we not only need to change the way we lead but a shift to a different place inside ourselves from where we lead. I can help you - and the people in your team - lead and relate from a deeper, more authentic place that is aligned with your purpose and your values - and that consistently empowers and inspires trust. From there, we will explore what leadership styles are most effective in order to achieve the results you wish for.
Presence
Many leaders see emotions and feelings as an unnecessary distraction at best, at worst something that gets in the way of effectiveness. An important aspect of relational leadership is the ability to stay present in relation to others, and to use our body and our feelings as a source of information and intuition. Working with me will enable you to develop your emotional intelligence, uncover your blind spots in relation to others, and learn to trust your intuition - your ability to sense what is going on with the people around you, as well as the wider system you are a part of as a leader.
Scaling Leadership - building developmental learning communities
The most powerful and sustainable way to accelerate the unfolding of your organisation’s potential is through building truly developmental learning communities with an open, empathic feedback and interaction culture.
Addressing Individual and Collective aspects of Leadership
To make transformation sustainable, we must address both individual and collective aspects of dynamic change and evolution together. It requires the deeper individual work of transforming mindset and uncovering evolutionary purpose, as well as addressing group dynamics and creating a space for authentic connection. I have spent many years working on both ends of the spectrum and developed an approach that integrates individual and collective processes of change and transformation.
My background
My 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist and supervisor have given me both systemic awareness and the methods to tackle the blocks to change and transformation that we usually encounter in groups, teams and most social organisms. I have designed transformational leadership development curricula in Germany, Cambodia, Pakistan, Ghana, the UK and Slovakia - for NGO’s, public health, educational and social work institutes, and the corporate sector. Please see below for examples and testimonials.
Services
Integral Relational Leadership Coaching for executives and teams
Relational leadership involves not only what you do and how you do it, but brings awareness to the mindset with which you are currently looking at your challenges - the unconscious beliefs you have about yourself and other people. The stories we tell ourselves exert tremendous influence on the way we relate and lead. They are keeping us from seeing ways out of our dilemmas, and blocking the way forward toward the results we want to achieve.
Are you willing to deeply examine the assumptions that drive your leadership decisions so far?
Do you relate to your colleagues in a way that inspires trust?
Do your leadership choices reflect your true values, and are they aligned with your true purpose?
This is deep personal work that takes courage and bring lasting change in your attitude and behaviour.
When working with teams, we take a look at the counterproductive patterns of relating that inevitably shape the quality of collaboration within a team. From there, we co-create conscious practices that will sustainably improve not only team performance but make working together more joyful and satisfying. Our work in this arena is inspired by recent studies in developmental psychology that show how fostering the quality of connection between stakeholders can turn into the most powerful leverage for lasting change available to you.
Relational Leadership Development Curricula - workshops and capacity building programs
Innovation projects fail or fall short of their potential because real, empathic listening and authentic feedback do not happen on a regular basis. We offer a range of different formats, from one day taster workshops to year long programs with several modules.
Rather than offering standard programs, our program designs are based on a systemic assessment of the developmental needs of your organisation. Instead of imposing change from without, we look at what is wanting to happen - what is the next evolutionary step in the unfolding of your organisation’s potential? What stakeholders are involved, and how could they feel more engaged and inspired to contribute to the future you can co-create with them?
It is not only what happens during our workshop modules but the practices that guide your daily interactions that become the main vehicle of transformation.
Facilitation training for leaders
Do you wish for the meetings you chair to become more joyful and productive incubators of creativity and innovation? Every leader is also a facilitator - that is, to the extent that he or she is able to host transformation, and leverage diversity towards a climate where creativity and innovation naturally thrive. This is hands-on training in which you will learn to scale your leadership through developing systemic awareness, the ability to encourage meaningful connection between stakeholders, and to trust your intuition. It will deepen your ability to bring out collective intelligence by responding to what emerges in the moment.
Integral approach. Dynamic change and evolution.
Projects
Peiner Träger Gmbh
In partnership with Frischluft Beratung (https://www.frischluft-beratung.de/), an award-winning consulting firm from Berlin, we designed a seven day curriculum in “Relational Leadership” (Beziehungsorientierte Führung), for the operative leadership of a steel making corporation. We focused on building a transformational learning community among operative leaders and worked intensively on increasing emotional and relational intelligence, Leadership styles, embodying authority, power and rank, deepening self-reflection, conflict competence, facilitation and coaching skills, and creating a high quality feedback culture. Our engagement with this company is ongoing and we are about to start with the second cohort in february. https://www.peiner-traeger.de/
dBs - Deep Blue Sound Music School Berlin
“dBs Berlin benefited greatly from leadership coaching and facilitation training with Romeck for just over a year. The insights our team gained from working with him made a significant difference both in how we work together and in how we operate as individuals.”
- David Louis Puttick, dBs Music School
the PATH project with Kybele Ghana - Leadership Development to reduce neonatal mortality in a large regional hospital
A leadership development curriculum spread over 2 1/2 years, with 25 doctors, midwives and senior nursing staff. Two articles have been written about the project - one for a medical journal describing in detail how the Integral Road Map was used to improve leadership, written by Kybele and awaiting publication. I wrote another article on “Creating a Culture of Accountability in a Low-Resource hospital in Ghana”. Both are available on request.
“Romeck Van Zeyl led a leadership development program in West Africa for front line healthcare workers at a large, referral hospital. He used personnel interviews and focus group discussions to identify leadership gaps and then built a multi-faceted program that addressed leadership styles, emotional intelligence, communication, accountability and compassionate care. In particular, the materials Romeck designed and delivered around accountability and compassionate care were cutting-edge, well-received and excellent.
Romeck works dynamically across cultures and engages clients in meaningful ways both one-on-one and in group settings. Romeck has a sincere interest in the clients he serves, working alongside them to identify and successfully overcome their personal leadership challenges and barriers. He knows his subject matter well and can made spontaneous adaptations while facilitating a small group exercise. Romeck does a wonderful job facilitating role play exercises and interactive sessions, in a warm, inviting and humorous manner, drawing people towards participation.”
- Medge Owen, President & Founder of Kybele, Professor of Obstetric Anesthesia at Wake Forest University in Winston- Salem, NC and Medical Director of Global Health at Novant Health Maya Angelou Women's Health and Wellness Center:
Centre of Inclusive Care and Therapy Works, Pakistan
2018 - With Aysha Jamall from CIC, I facilitated Relational Leadership workshops at six different educational institutions in Karachi, with sometimes up to 100 teachers and administrative staff in senior positions. We focused on establishing a - for most participants - new level of trust and connection through listening exercises that invited deep reflection as well as candid feedback. From there, collaborative initiatives for lasting change were developed within the institution.
Recognizing how shaming is often being used as an “educational tool” by teachers and parents, and how harmful and counterproductive its effects are, we designed “Education without Shaming” workshops aimed at addressing this. We also ran courses in Couples’ Counselling for psychology students at Karachi University, and workshops in Trauma and Secure Attachment for therapists and parents of special needs children.
2011 and 2013 - I taught several diploma courses in Body-Centered Psychotherapy, Trauma Therapy and Systemic Therapy for Therapy Works in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad
“I remember the first time I had supervision with Romeck: it had such a powerful effect on me of feeling more embodied. I remember noticing how well supported I felt in my work from then on. He has been a mentor, a coach and inspiration in my journey both professionally and personally. I attribute a large part of finally realising my dream of founding CIC to Romeck. His encouraging, gentle yet challenging way in Supervision made me own my vulnerability as my biggest strength. I look forward to having his continued mentoring and wisdom with me as I move forward in my journey.”
- Aysha S. Jamall, Chief Care Officer and CEO, Centre of Inclusive Care, Karachi
VBNK Cambodia
2010 - a one year leadership development curriculum in 5 Modules for NGO managers, in five modules, and simultaneously build capacity among Cambodian facilitators. My job included capacity building among my colleagues and supervising/coaching/training for a number of other local NGO’s (SSC - Social Services Cambodia and TPO - Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation) http://www.vbnk.org/
Central themes of the five modules:
1) My sense of self as a leader - what shaped me, strengths and values
2) Relational leadership - emotional and social intelligence, communication skills
3) The leader as part of a larger system - systemic awareness, systems theory, constellation work
4) Dealing with Obstacles - work on mindset, limiting beliefs, how apparently external obstacles can be overcome by facing inner obstacles
5) The leader as Agent of Change - work on purpose and expanding one’s positive impact as a leader.
“Romeck is the most insightful practitioner I have worked with in more than 25 years as a social worker and human services educator. He has a unique ability to empathise and challenge concurrently in a warm, intuitive and inspiring way. His capacity to engender trust in the most suspicious and traumatised is exceptional. Romeck creates innovative and exciting practical exercises to draw out clients and workshop participants so that they gain deep self awareness and learn new skills. He also has the capacity to foster great respect and friendship among his colleagues. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from working with Romeck. Knowing him both professionally and personally is a treasured privilege.”
- Cathrin Napier, Independent consultant: child protection; capacity development; social work; training; education
TPO Cambodia
Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation
“I worked with Romeck from 2010 till 2011 in the context of the international Tribunals that took place in Cambodia against perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge regime. Romeck trained and supervised a team of psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists in body-centered trauma therapy. His approach to therapy and his supervision were a significant contribution to the psychosocial care of the victims of severe human rights transgressions. Romeck also successfully designed and facilitated a one year Leadership Development program for NGO leaders at VBNK Cambodia. His psychosocial work with groups continued to make a positive impact in Berlin and Bad Belzig where he facilitated Intercultural Dialogues (“Kulturdialoge”) between refugees and locals. Because of his intercultural competence, his long term experience guiding people through challenging transitions and his skill with a variety of tools and methodologies, I highly recommend him.”
- Judith Strasser, independent consultant and psychologist at Charite Berlin, formerly TPO Cambodia
Leadership development for CARE Ratanakiri, Cambodia
“Romeck van Zeijl worked with a young, less experienced, but highly enthusiastic management team to assist this team to better understand some of the many complex issues around interpersonal relations, gender, and communication in a dynamic multi cultural workplace. In a clever balance of theory and practical exercises, Romeck guided the team in the development of their skills as reflective practitioners, facilitators, and leaders of teams, where there is a requirement for a focus on collaborative decision making, co-operation, and team work.”
- Jan Noorlander, Program Manager, Ethnic Minority Women, CARE Cambodia
Supervision, Coaching and Mentoring Diploma training, Bratislava, Slovakia
Between 2007 and 2009, I led the first ever 3 year diploma training in supervision, coaching and mentoring in Slovakia, with 35 senior psychiatrists and psychotherapists, for SIPS, the Slovak Institute for Supervision
“What I respect and appreciate during our training with you is your wisdom and compassion. You have a great gift of being so clever and educated and at the same time spontaneous, playful, creative, empathetic, and capable of self reflection. I admire your management of our sometimes childish provocations, you are really for me the nourishing parent. I have never been bored during our 2 1/2 year training, I was interested and attracted to everything you offered us.”
Ana Kollarova, psychotherapist and supervisor for SIPS
Knowledge Management: Building Sustainable Communities of Practice for CARE Asia, Bangkok
In 2003, with Rohit Ramaswamy and Graeme Storer, I facilitated a five day Knowledge Management train entitled “Building Sustainable Communities of Practice” for 35 frontline workers from more than ten countries for CARE Asia in Bangkok. The training methods were based on Appreciative Inquiry and storytelling. An article about this event is available on request.
Gender Dialogues: Transformation through Experiential Learning:
Between 2005 and 2007, I had the role of program designer and facilitator for Socrates/Grundtvig to create workshops and trainings designed to encourage organisations and individuals to balance the Masculine and the Feminine in their leadership, and to improve gender relationships within organisations and teams. We ran our programs in NGO’s and educational institutions in the UK, Spain, Poland and Germany.
Iron Mill Institute, Exeter
Between 2003 and 2010, I designed and facilitated a number of diploma courses in Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling for the Iron Mill Institute in Exeter (UK).
From Julie Hewson, founder and former director of the Iron Mill: “Romeck is an extraordinary and gifted teacher who combines spirituality and compassion with an understanding of many different approaches in applied psychology. I met him when he came from Holland, to integrate his existing training with a post qualifying Supervision training, which I taught. He then went on to become a valued teacher and lecturer at my Training Institute in the UK which attracted students and visiting lecturers from all over Europe and Canada and the United States.”
Integration work with Syrian and Afghan refugees in Germany
My work with refugees included organizing “Intercultural Dialogues” between local population and refugees, for which I developed a highly effective format. It also included therapeutic work with individuals and (men’s) groups, a theatre project, and supervision for social workers.
Between 2015 and 2017, I developed several projects involving mainly syrian and afghan immigrants:
I initiated the project “peoplemeetpeople” that won a Google Impact Award, and developed a format for intercultural dialogues that addressed themes like identity, gender relationships and religion. The initiative enabled many new connections between immigrants and locals in Bad Belzig.
From there, a theatre project emerged - with Julia Strehler, I co-directed “Morgengrauen Abendland” with a mixed group of syrian and german actors.
I collaborated with the german Gesundheitsamt to offer psychotherapy, men’s groups and supervision for the social workers who lead refugee homes in Berlin.
Contact Us
Our Office
Please write an email to: Romeckvanzeijl@protonmail.com
Phone nr 004915251829634
Street Address: Hasendorf 88/2
Sitzenberg/Reidling Niederösterreich Postal Code: 3454 Österreich