LiFE Explorer™

About LiFE Explorer

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Charles J. Palus & David Magellan Horth

LiFE Explorer ™ is a tool that helps leaders of all kinds learn from their experiences. The LE deck has 52 Experience cards and 40 Lesson cards.  These enable self-insight and reflective conversations about the lessons from important experiences in one’s career and life. LiFE Explorer ™ is based on four decades of research by the Center for Creative Leadership, beginning in the USA and expanding to recent studies in India, Singapore, and China. “LiFE” is short for learning from experience.

Purchase LiFE Explorer

Participant’s comments after using LiFE Explorer:

“I did not realize how many experiences I have already had. I learned how many different experiences there are that I can have.
“You get to know others in a deeper way. This is a nice way to have a conversation.
“You find out that you are not alone – there are others who have had the same experience.
“As I kept meeting people I found out that I wanted to talk less about my own experiences and listen more to their experiences.
“You can learn some important things by talking with people about their experiences.
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Using LiFE Explorer :

Those who wish to succeed as leaders need knowledge about which experiences are the most developmental, and what leadership lessons are the most essential to learn.

By sharing their stories and reflections about learning from experience,  individuals and their circles of colleagues can become more competent and confident at leading.  LE also helps people to identify additional experiences they want to add to their portfolio of experiences, and what they hope to learn as a result.

The newest addition to this research is the book Developing Tomorrow’s Leader’s Today: Insights from Corporate India by Meena Surie Wilson, Ph.D. The classic work in this series is the book The Lessons of Experience: How Successful Executives Develop on the Job. A recent update appears as the chapter “Learning from Experience” in The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development, 3rd Edition.

For more information contact Meena Surie Wilson, Ph.D. and Ellen Van Velsor, Ph.D.

Learning from Workplace Experiences as the Portal to Successful Leadership

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Charles J. Palus & David Magellan Horth

These cards are great. It is like a mini career planner for understanding which experiences I’ve had–and which ones I haven’t.”

Anand Chandrasekar from the Center for Creative Leadership delivered an interactive workshop to 90 managers across four countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and India. This presentation was to CGG Veritas, a geophysical services company, with the theme of Learning from Workplace Experiences as the Portal to Successful Leadership.

Each manager received a LiFE Explorer™ card deck for inventorying past experiences and leadership lessons learned. The cards supported in-the-moment data collection and feedback to participants about the distribution of experiences and lessons in their organization.

Several levels of managers gained insights about how to build a personal portfolio of diverse experiences, and learn important lessons for becoming effective senior leaders. The session was well-received with participants commenting: “I thought I was the only person who had taken up an expanded role without promotion. Now I see that almost everyone in the room had.” … “These cards are great. It is like a mini career planner for understanding which experiences I’ve had–and which ones I haven’t.” 

Contact Meena Wilson Ph.D. about Learning from Experience resources at the Center for Creative Leadership, wilsonm@ccl.org. Purchase LiFE Explorer.

A video taste of LiFE Explorer™ in action

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Charles J. Palus & David Magellan Horth

Here is a taste of LiFE Explorer in action. Feel the excitement and warmth as participants explore the leadership lessons learned from one very memorable experience which they identify and share with each other. (LiFE Explorer was previously called Experience Explorer)  …

A scene from the video …

LiFE Explorer™ at ASTD 2011: An Introduction

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Charles J. Palus & David Magellan Horth

David Magellan Horth conducted the first Experience Explorer™ session outside of India during the ASTD 2011 Conference. The crowd loved it! Thanks to all our fine CCL colleagues who made this happen! (Now we call it LiFE Explorer™.)

Here’s the summary: