bring HAPPY to your forum.
A practical way for forum members to start thinking about the life they want to live. Run it as a 20 minute session in a regular meeting, or as a full workshop at your retreat.
- From 20 mins to full retreat
- Virtual or in person
- Built for forums
focus on the life you want to build
Forum is where members hold each other accountable for the 5% that is holding them back or driving them forward.
This session helps you focus on the life you want to build: what you actually want to be living, and what you are going to do about it.
happiness is progress towards purpose.
Stephen is a founding member of EO Ireland and an active member of the Europe Bridge Chapter. He is a former Global Chair of GSEA and the MC of GLC Dublin, so he knows forum culture from the inside.
the HAPPY framework
A simple framework for working out what matters, and a plan for acting on it.
pick the format that suits your forum
the short forum session
A practical working session that slots into a regular forum meeting, for example in place of a deep dive or as the learning slot. No prep is needed from the moderator. Members start thinking about the life they want to live, and leave with something written down.
- Fits inside a normal forum meeting
- Works on Zoom or Teams, or around the table in person
- Members use the HAPPY framework to start putting words on the life they want
- Everyone leaves with a short written starting point and one next step
- No prep or pre-reading, and flexible if another deep dive runs long
- Easy to repeat: a forum can come back to it each quarter or each year
the retreat workshop
The full HAPPY Work Life MAP, run as a core session in your forum retreat, with optional extra sessions.
- The full HAPPY Work Life MAP: reflection on all five dimensions, small group sharing and better clarity for each member of the forum
- Each member builds their own Measurable Action Plan across this year, the near term, the medium term and the long view, plus their own timeframe, and leaves with one 90 day commitment
- Can run as a half day, a full day, or a set of sessions across a multi day retreat
- Suitable for one forum, several forums together, chapter retreats or regional events
- Facilitated by Stephen from start to finish, shaped to the retreat agenda
add a leadership session
A session built on the LeadershipProfile assessment, which identifies each person's leadership style from eight styles, along with their strengths and their blind spots.
Members take the assessment before or at the retreat, then explore how their style shows up in the forum, in the business and at home, and how to work better with people who lead very differently.
It pairs naturally with the HAPPY Work Life MAP: the MAP answers what life you want, and leadership style explains how you lead on the way there.
which one fits your forum?
| Compare | Short forum session | Retreat workshop |
|---|---|---|
| Time needed | 20 to 30 minutes | Half day to full day |
| Format | Virtual or in person | In person |
| Best for | A regular meeting or a first taste | A retreat or learning day |
| What members leave with | A written starting point and one next step | A full personal MAP and a 90 day commitment |
| Add ons | None | What's Your Leadership Style? |
- Forum session
- 20 to 30 minutes
- Retreat
- Half day to full day
- Forum session
- Virtual or in person
- Retreat
- In person
- Forum session
- A regular meeting or a first taste
- Retreat
- A retreat or learning day
- Forum session
- A written starting point and one next step
- Retreat
- A full personal MAP and a 90 day commitment
- Forum session
- None
- Retreat
- What's Your Leadership Style?
Not sure which? Let's have a chat.
Let's have a chat
built for EO forums
speaks the forum language
Built by a forum member, so it sits naturally alongside presentations, updates and deep dives.
confidentiality respected
Forum rules on confidentiality and trust apply throughout. Nobody is asked to share more than they choose.
any scale
A single forum, a chapter's forums together, a regional or global retreat, or a learning event.
members, SLPs and next gen
Works for member, SLP and next gen forums, and for mixed groups where the forum wants that.
Also run for YPO forums and other peer groups, and for leadership teams.
from the EO community
I've sat in a lot of rooms. The morning after Stephen's workshop was the first time in years I picked up a pen and started writing down what I actually want.
Stephen did a phenomenal job. He brought the perfect mix of energy, presence, and timing. That's a craft, and he made it look effortless.
Run successfully in:
tools for your forum, free
stephen shortt
Stephen Shortt built the HAPPY framework for himself, during a period when work had stopped feeling the way it used to and he needed to find his way back. It worked well enough that he began sharing it.
He is a founding member of EO Ireland and an active member of the EO Europe Bridge Chapter. His sessions have run successfully in the Netherlands, Prague, Istanbul and more, including with EO next gen, members and chapter managers, and with non-EO executives.
He is clear about what this is: a practical structure for thinking about work and life, not a guru talk.
questions from forums
How long is the short session?
20 to 30 minutes. It is designed to slot into a regular forum meeting, for example in place of a deep dive or as the learning slot.
Can it really run online?
Yes. The short forum session works well on Zoom or Teams, which makes it a good fit for virtual forums spread across countries. The retreat workshop runs in person.
Do we need a moderator or facilitator on our side?
No. Stephen facilitates the session. Your moderator just needs to make the time in the agenda and invite Stephen in.
How many people can take part?
Forums are often 6 to 10 people, and that works perfectly. Retreats can bring several forums together, and bigger groups are fine too. Tell us your numbers and the session will be shaped around them.
Does it work for non-EO groups?
Yes. It has been designed with EO forums in mind, and it also runs for YPO forums, other peer groups and leadership teams.
Can we combine it with the leadership style session?
Yes. What's Your Leadership Style? is an optional add on to the retreat workshop. The MAP answers what life you want, and leadership style explains how you lead on the way there.
What does it cost?
Let's have a chat. It depends on the format, the group and where you are, and we will find something that works.
let's have a chat
Tell us about your forum or retreat. Stephen will come back to you to talk it through and shape the session around your group.
- From 20 mins to full retreat
- Virtual or in person
- EO forums and any peer group