School of WorkLife Book Club Online Class The Kite Practice: How Fiction Develops Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Leadership
School of WorkLife Book Club Online Class
The Kite Practice: How Fiction Develops Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Leadership Class
What The Kite Runner Teaches Us About Human Behaviour, Relationships, and Working Life
What changes in leadership when we stop responding only to behaviour — and begin trying to understand the human experience beneath it?
Not in extreme situations — but in ordinary relationships, decisions, conversations, and moments of pressure.
This live online class from School of WorkLife explores how fiction can deepen empathy, emotional intelligence, leadership, and professional judgement through literature, story, reflection, structured thinking, and practical application.
Inspired by The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, this class is part of the School of WorkLife Book Club series — story-led live classes that explore professional learning through literature, reflective practice, and real WorkLife situations.
At the centre of the class is Amy’s story — a highly capable senior operations manager who begins questioning the way she interprets behaviour, conflict, disengagement, and leadership challenges at work. Through reading fiction, Amy gradually realises that many workplace problems cannot be fully understood by focusing only on visible behaviour alone.
Through her experience, we explore how empathy and emotional intelligence develop not through abstract theory, but through learning to stay curious about what may be happening beneath the surface of people’s actions, reactions, and communication.
The class introduces the KITE framework — inspired by The Kite Runner — a practical reflective structure designed to help you think more deeply about empathy, emotional intelligence, leadership, communication, and human behaviour in working life.
This is a structured, story-led learning experience that combines:
The Reading Room — where stories open things up
The Writer’s Table — where ideas become personal
The Workshop — where thinking becomes something you can use
The Rehearsal Space — where you begin to put that into practice
What to Expect
A live online 45-minute class
Exploration of how fiction can deepen empathy, emotional intelligence, and leadership
Small group learning (maximum 6 participants)
Guided reflection and notebook exercises
A practical framework you can continue using in your own WorkLife
A class PDF to return to afterwards
You will not be asked to share anything personal.
There will be opportunities for group reflection throughout the class.
Who This Class Is For
This class is designed for professionals navigating the realities of modern working life — including leadership, communication, team dynamics, conflict, emotional intelligence, management, relationship-building, and professional judgement.
It may be particularly valuable for people managing teams, leading conversations, supporting others through pressure or change, or trying to better understand the human dynamics shaping behaviour at work.
Preparation
Prior to the class, you’ll receive a short reflective question. This is the only preparation needed, along with bringing a notebook to the class.
You don't need to have read the book to engage with the lesson — though you may find yourself wanting to after the class.
Ticket Options
Signature — £35
Includes:
Live online class
Class PDF
Signature Plus — £45
Includes:
Live online class
Class PDF
The Story Lesson: How Reading Fiction Develops Empathy and Transforms Leadership
Signature Pro — £90
Includes:
Live online class
Class PDF
The Story Lesson: How Reading Fiction Develops Empathy and Transforms Leadership
The Power of Fiction: Developing Character Traits Through Reading WorkLife Compass Guided Programme
Booking Information
Tickets are non-refundable.
Thank you for respecting the time, preparation, and care that go into each class.
If you’re unable to attend, you’re welcome to gift your place to someone else — simply send me their name and email address so I can forward the class information and resources.
About School of WorkLife
School of WorkLife creates story-based learning resources designed to help people think more clearly about the challenges, conversations, and decisions that shape a working life.
The work combines storytelling, reflection, structured frameworks, and practical application to support self-direction, self-leadership, and meaningful professional development.