MILEthe extra

motivate inspire lead engage

autumn 2013 * Issue 5 September 2013

PART 3 OF THE BOB MASON SERIES ON

MOTIVATIONI Need;

Therefore I am Part II

read more

THINGS WE LIKE!TAKE YOUR FREE QUIZ TO FIND

OUT THE LEVEL OF PEACE IN YOUR LIFE

with a briliant special offer from the author of

GREAT PEACEMAKERS Are you

OVERWHELMED? 3 great tips from Meg Bertini

read more

The best read articles with our

twitter top 4 for September

IN THIS ISSUE

the UK’s most prolific

tells Us aboUt why and how

he became a mentor to hUndreds

of sUccessfUl bUsiness owners

information prodUct creator

Peter thomson

Click here to read

HR MATTERS FEMALE

LEADERSHIP TODAY

NICOLE LE MAIRE

Dr Peter Honey author of

The Manual of Learning Styles (with Alan Mumford)

Reviews Informal Learning At Work

In This Issue

We think our September issue is the best yet. We are constantly evolving our design and I hope you like the look and feel of this month’s issue.

I’m very excited to introduce you to my mentor Peter Thomson, who, with his team, really makes a difference to businesses in the informational product field. Do get signed up for his regular TGI Monday blog, as a lifelong learner, Peter understands us only too well.

Again, I have to thank our wonderful contributors. Because of them we are able to share a wealth of leadership and people development knowledge from across the globe. We just know you are going to enjoy their valuable insights.

If you are a leader, business owner, HR professional, a personal coach, then do sign up for our regular news. We share information from across the web designed to help you.

If you are a leadership, HR or personal development expert, then do get yourself listed in our great expert index. We have a great special gift coming the way of anyone who signs up for a free listing during October. So don’t miss out!

ARTICLESTHE EXTRA MILE INTERVIEWWITH PETER THOMSON OF PETER THOMSON INTERNATIONALBY CHRISTINA LATTIMER PAGE 4

YIN YANG LEADERSHIPBY cHARLIE EFFORD PAGE 14

IS INNOVATION PROCESS AN OXYMORON?BY JON TVETEN page 16

aTYPICAL VIEWS ON “WHAT TO CHANGE”BY JARO BERCE PAGE 20

I NEED; THEREFORE I AM PART IIBY BOB MASON page 24

THE POWER OF VISUALIZATION FOR ACTUALIZATION PERSON LEADERSHIPBY ROOPAK DESAI page 28

THE SOUP METHOD FOR BUILDING TEAMSBY DAVID R FRICK page 32

OVERWHELMED? THREE KEY STEPS TO GET YOUR LIFE BACKBY MEG BERTINI page 36

hr matters - FEMALE LEADERSHIP TODAYBY NICOLE LE MAIRE page 38

BOOMER LIT IS A WAY OF THINKINGBY CLAUDE NOUGAT page 44

the 7 deadly workplace sinsBY CHRISTINA LATTIMER page 46

FEATURESfROM aROUND THE WEBPAGE 8

MONTHLY INFOGRAPHICPAGE 9

Book reviewby dr PETER HONEY page 10

THINGS WE LIKEpage 12

THE e.MILE blogPAGE 18

THE e.MILE EXPERT INDEXPAGE 22

TWITTER TOP 4PAGE 48

CONTACT USPAGE 50

By Christina lattimer

In This Issue

We think our September issue is the best yet. We are constantly evolving our design and I hope you like the look and feel of this month’s issue.

I’m very excited to introduce you to my mentor Peter Thomson, who, with his team, really makes a difference to businesses in the informational product field. Do get signed up for his regular TGI Monday blog, as a lifelong learner, Peter understands us only too well.

Again, I have to thank our wonderful contributors. Because of them we are able to share a wealth of leadership and people development knowledge from across the globe. We just know you are going to enjoy their valuable insights.

If you are a leader, business owner, HR professional, a personal coach, then do sign up for our regular news. We share information from across the web designed to help you.

If you are a leadership, HR or personal development expert, then do get yourself listed in our great expert index. We have a great special gift coming the way of anyone who signs up for a free listing during October. So don’t miss out!

ARTICLESTHE EXTRA MILE INTERVIEWWITH PETER THOMSON OF PETER THOMSON INTERNATIONALBY CHRISTINA LATTIMER PAGE 4

YIN YANG LEADERSHIPBY cHARLIE EFFORD PAGE 14

IS INNOVATION PROCESS AN OXYMORON?BY JON TVETEN page 16

aTYPICAL VIEWS ON “WHAT TO CHANGE”BY JARO BERCE PAGE 20

I NEED; THEREFORE I AM PART IIBY BOB MASON page 24

THE POWER OF VISUALIZATION FOR ACTUALIZATION PERSON LEADERSHIPBY ROOPAK DESAI page 28

THE SOUP METHOD FOR BUILDING TEAMSBY DAVID R FRICK page 32

OVERWHELMED? THREE KEY STEPS TO GET YOUR LIFE BACKBY MEG BERTINI page 36

hr matters - FEMALE LEADERSHIP TODAYBY NICOLE LE MAIRE page 38

BOOMER LIT IS A WAY OF THINKINGBY CLAUDE NOUGAT page 44

the 7 deadly workplace sinsBY CHRISTINA LATTIMER page 46

FEATURESfROM aROUND THE WEBPAGE 8

MONTHLY INFOGRAPHICPAGE 9

Book reviewby dr PETER HONEY page 10

THINGS WE LIKEpage 12

THE e.MILE blogPAGE 18

THE e.MILE EXPERT INDEXPAGE 22

TWITTER TOP 4PAGE 48

CONTACT USPAGE 50

By Christina lattimer

The The Extra MILE Interview with The Most Prolific Information Product Creator, the eminently successful

Peter ThomsonI’ve always been a lifelong

learner, and business publications, books, videos and audio’s are part of my daily routine. There is always something to learn! It was inevitable I would encounter Peter Thomson on my journey, given his knowledge and experience in the informational product field.

As one of the most influential players in this arena, Peter’s “Achievers Edge” monthly audio magazine accompanied me on most of my many car journeys around the UK.

When I decided to set up my own business I knew I needed a mentor, and was looking for someone who would have the right experience and vision. It was not easy!

I believe in synchronicity and I don’t think it was a mistake when one day out of the blue, an invitation to one of Peter’s events in Manchester landed in my inbox. Knowing only too well the unmistakable experience and expertise of Peter, I was absolutely amazed at the low cost of the day and immediately signed up. As

a result, Peter became my mentor for the first year of setting up my business and the subsequent journey has been amazing. I was absolutely delighted and honored when Peter agreed to be interviewed, as I was keen to share how he helps business owners to get their message out. Here is what Peter had to say:

Peter so far, you’ve shared your immense business experience, knowledge and network with many hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years. What inspired you to mentor others?

“You know – that’s such a great question as it’s making me think back to the basics of what is now a major part of my business model.

As you know I’m just so involved in writing, creating and marketing my own informational products and showing other coaches, consultants and fellow small business owners how to do the same.

A few years ago I was running a two-day event where I was showing the delegates my ideas on information products and on the evening of the middle day I was talking to a friend of mine, telling him just how much I was enjoying the seminar and how I was looking forward to the others I’d planned.

He asked me what proved to be a high-profit question. “Peter, what’s your back-of-the-room sale?” And what’s crazy was that I hadn’t planned any selling in the seminar – I was having such a good time. He also suggested I should think about how people could spend more time with me.

So in about 10 minutes on a single piece of paper I answered the self-question: “How can I possibly help the delegates on this course get even more of the results they were looking for when they booked their ticket in the first place?”One of the many answers was: Start a mentoring programme.So on the afternoon of the second day of the event – I explained to the people on the course – my thoughts on my intended mentoring programme. I was just amazed at the response.

By Christina lattimer

Now because I wanted to just test the idea to make certain it worked well for everyone before I rolled it out – I was only prepared to accept 3 people into my one-on-one programme and just 10 people on the group programme.

If I’d accepted all the applications I’d have sold £220,000 of places. But I decide to stick with my plans and just do 3 plus 10.

And it worked – the results people were getting were brilliant.

And now – I run two mentoring groups per month, plus a quarterly group for

those who’ve been a year’s programme with me – and a business growth group and I’m just considering an SME owners’ group.

I just love these mentoring programmes.”

What does your current mentoring programme involve and what are the main benefits to mentees?

“The way I decided to run it from the beginning, and I haven’t changed the model as it’s worked so well, is the programme is split into two parts. The first part is a day per month throughout the year where we meet as a group and I share my knowledge, experience and expertise in writing, creating and especially marketing all types of information products. From audio programmes to seminars, from DVD sets to webinars, from mentoring groups to

running effective survey. Creating a paid-for newsletter, as well as numerous ideas on business growth; from selling to running a systemized referral process, from time management to success principles.

During the year two of the mentoring days take place at my home in Spain – where we have two focused days plus lots of fun, swimming, barbecues and just a couple drinks. People return from those on a real high with true focus on where they’re going.

Then in addition to the one-day events as a group, each

Member has a one hour coaching session with one of my colleagues who help them implement the ideas that have been shared on the monthly meetings and help them with any challenges they are facing.

In addition to that any of the Members can send in questions and if they have a marketing piece they’ve written they submit it and get feedback on it and help to make it more persuasive. It’s a very hands-on process.”

Who will benefit most from being mentored by you and why?

“I find that the vast majority of our mentoring Members come from these sectors:

Coaches, consultants, speakers, trainers, hypnotherapists, accountants and small business owners.

Now I know that’s pretty far-ranging. It’s quite simple to describe them. People involved in what I’d call the ’helping’ industries. People who know that it makes such sense to have an information product of their own to be able to share their authentic messages with more people than they could ever hope to reach on a one-to-one basis.

People who want to stop ONLY swapping time for money. People who want to

“How can I possibly help the delegates on this course get even more of the results they were looking for when they booked their ticket in the first place?”

The The Extra MILE Interview with The Most Prolific Information Product Creator, the eminently successful

Peter ThomsonI’ve always been a lifelong

learner, and business publications, books, videos and audio’s are part of my daily routine. There is always something to learn! It was inevitable I would encounter Peter Thomson on my journey, given his knowledge and experience in the informational product field.

As one of the most influential players in this arena, Peter’s “Achievers Edge” monthly audio magazine accompanied me on most of my many car journeys around the UK.

When I decided to set up my own business I knew I needed a mentor, and was looking for someone who would have the right experience and vision. It was not easy!

I believe in synchronicity and I don’t think it was a mistake when one day out of the blue, an invitation to one of Peter’s events in Manchester landed in my inbox. Knowing only too well the unmistakable experience and expertise of Peter, I was absolutely amazed at the low cost of the day and immediately signed up. As

a result, Peter became my mentor for the first year of setting up my business and the subsequent journey has been amazing. I was absolutely delighted and honored when Peter agreed to be interviewed, as I was keen to share how he helps business owners to get their message out. Here is what Peter had to say:

Peter so far, you’ve shared your immense business experience, knowledge and network with many hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years. What inspired you to mentor others?

“You know – that’s such a great question as it’s making me think back to the basics of what is now a major part of my business model.

As you know I’m just so involved in writing, creating and marketing my own informational products and showing other coaches, consultants and fellow small business owners how to do the same.

A few years ago I was running a two-day event where I was showing the delegates my ideas on information products and on the evening of the middle day I was talking to a friend of mine, telling him just how much I was enjoying the seminar and how I was looking forward to the others I’d planned.

He asked me what proved to be a high-profit question. “Peter, what’s your back-of-the-room sale?” And what’s crazy was that I hadn’t planned any selling in the seminar – I was having such a good time. He also suggested I should think about how people could spend more time with me.

So in about 10 minutes on a single piece of paper I answered the self-question: “How can I possibly help the delegates on this course get even more of the results they were looking for when they booked their ticket in the first place?”One of the many answers was: Start a mentoring programme.So on the afternoon of the second day of the event – I explained to the people on the course – my thoughts on my intended mentoring programme. I was just amazed at the response.

By Christina lattimer

Now because I wanted to just test the idea to make certain it worked well for everyone before I rolled it out – I was only prepared to accept 3 people into my one-on-one programme and just 10 people on the group programme.

If I’d accepted all the applications I’d have sold £220,000 of places. But I decide to stick with my plans and just do 3 plus 10.

And it worked – the results people were getting were brilliant.

And now – I run two mentoring groups per month, plus a quarterly group for

those who’ve been a year’s programme with me – and a business growth group and I’m just considering an SME owners’ group.

I just love these mentoring programmes.”

What does your current mentoring programme involve and what are the main benefits to mentees?

“The way I decided to run it from the beginning, and I haven’t changed the model as it’s worked so well, is the programme is split into two parts. The first part is a day per month throughout the year where we meet as a group and I share my knowledge, experience and expertise in writing, creating and especially marketing all types of information products. From audio programmes to seminars, from DVD sets to webinars, from mentoring groups to

running effective survey. Creating a paid-for newsletter, as well as numerous ideas on business growth; from selling to running a systemized referral process, from time management to success principles.

During the year two of the mentoring days take place at my home in Spain – where we have two focused days plus lots of fun, swimming, barbecues and just a couple drinks. People return from those on a real high with true focus on where they’re going.

Then in addition to the one-day events as a group, each

Member has a one hour coaching session with one of my colleagues who help them implement the ideas that have been shared on the monthly meetings and help them with any challenges they are facing.

In addition to that any of the Members can send in questions and if they have a marketing piece they’ve written they submit it and get feedback on it and help to make it more persuasive. It’s a very hands-on process.”

Who will benefit most from being mentored by you and why?

“I find that the vast majority of our mentoring Members come from these sectors:

Coaches, consultants, speakers, trainers, hypnotherapists, accountants and small business owners.

Now I know that’s pretty far-ranging. It’s quite simple to describe them. People involved in what I’d call the ’helping’ industries. People who know that it makes such sense to have an information product of their own to be able to share their authentic messages with more people than they could ever hope to reach on a one-to-one basis.

People who want to stop ONLY swapping time for money. People who want to

“How can I possibly help the delegates on this course get even more of the results they were looking for when they booked their ticket in the first place?”

relax when they’re on holiday knowing money is still being made by ongoing sales of their information products.”

How else can our readers benefit from your extensive experience?

“Well – how to answer that in just a few words!As you might expect over the years I’ve written and recorded so many information products. 3 books, over 100 audio programmes, over 100

DVD programmes and so many reports and tips booklets.

My suggestion is this. Be totally clear about everything in life, and of course your business life. So that means:

• Your website is crystal clear with it’s message and call to action. There’s no confusion about what you want a visitor to do.

• The copy is clear and compelling and anyone could understand the benefits they’d get by buying.

• Your personal goals are clear – you know where you going, how to get there and most importantly why you want to go there.

• Your communication is clear – there’s no ambiguity (unless it’s on purpose) about anything you say, or write or communicate in any way whatsoever.

• You have a life of clarity – and creates a business and a life of choice.”

We have many overseasreaders, how canthey access yourextensive knowledge,experience andexpertise?

Well - I’d like to give yourreaders a free gift. Here’s howwe can move forward with thisSimply pop over to www.peterthomson.com and there you can get your copyof my special report called:Time Management - the 7 BIGMistakes - How to avoid themand squeeze more out of everysingle day.

You have met and interviewed many global business icons. Who inspired you most?

“You’re right. In fact I’ve interviewed 156 successful leaders from all walks of life; sport, business, the world of entertainment, authors – even a famous magician.

But of all of them the one that stands out for me is Roy H Williams who’s known as

The Wizard of Ads. In a forty minutes interview with him I learnt more than in any other 40 minutes of my life and probably more than in many months of my life – and I’m a voracious reader and life-long learnerHe was just awesome! His understanding of the mind and how it deals with information, his clarity about customer communication and differences and so much more – just so insightful.

Difficult to pick one out of all the great people I’ve spoke to – but if it’s only one – then it has to be Roy.”

What is the best business advice our readers would benefit from?

Now this is an easy question for me because there’s one idea I’ve used so extensively since I learned it.

I picked this idea up from the brilliant audio programme ‘Lead The Field’ by Earl Nightingale probably the godfather of the personal development movement, the co-founder of the Nightingale Conant Corporation of Chicago.

On ‘Lead The Field’ (which I later had the honour of re-voicing for the UK market) Earl tells the story of Ivy Lee a management consultant – and his conversations with Charles Schwab of Bethlehem Steel. In these conversation Lee explained the double-prioritised Do List and it’s power.

“I’ve interviewed 156 successful leaders from all walks of life”

WEBSITE: Peter Thomson

LINKEDIN: Peter Thomson on LinkedIn

EMAIL: peter@peterthomson.com

TWITTER: Peter Thomson on Twitter

Peter Thomson is now regarded as one of the UK’s leading strategists on business and personal growth. Starting in business in 1972 he built 3 successful companies – selling the last to a public company, after only 5 years trading, for £4.2M enabling him to retire at age 42.Since that time Peter has concentrated on sharing his proven methods for business and personal success via audio and video programmes, books, seminars and conference speeches. With over 100 audio and 100 video programmes written and recorded he is Nightingale Conant’s leading UK author.

Earl Nightingale explained that a successful life was made of successful years. Successful years were made of successful weeks and months, which in turn were made of successful days. Days were successful when the vast majority of the time was spent on important rather than urgent tasks and that could be so easily accomplished by the use of the humble yet brilliant double prioritised Do List.

My version is this:

Start the day with a Do List. Either the night before, or first thing in the morning write down a list of the tasks you wish to undertake. Then having carefully considered the items on the list – prioritise just the top 3 items. Marking them 1, 2 and 3.

Then do item number one until you can do it no more, it’s finished or has to be passed to someone else.

Then – BEFORE moving on to item number 2. Reprioritise the list. Then select the new number one, which may be what was item 2. Do it! Then reprioritise the list again before starting number 3. And so on throughout the time you’ve allocated for working on your list.

1,2,3. 1,2,3.

On some days it might only be 1, 2. Or just 1.

But it doesn’t matter. You’ll always be working on the highest priority items and if you don’t get everything finished in the day – it doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t have been able to do any better with any other system. Remember of course

that delegation of tasks is part of the prioritising actions.

That’s it! Simple isn’t it. And I’ve used that idea for over 25 years in various forms and it’s the best idea I know for getting stuff done!

If you’d like to know more of my idea and get a free report on so called Time Management just mouse over to www.peterthomson.com If you’d like to know more about writing, creating and marketing your own information products pop over to www.peterthomson.tv

Thank You Peter, we’ve put many of ideas into practice and we know they work! Here at the Extra MILE we are putting into practice many of your expert tools, techniques and valuable advice and we couldn’t have done it without you!

THE BENEFITS!

• Your website is crystal clear with it’s message and call to action. There’s no confusion about what you want a visitor to do.

• The copy is clear and compelling and anyone could understand the benefits they’d get by buying.

• Your personal goals are clear – you know where you going, how to get there and most importantly why you want to go there.

• Your communication is clear – there’s no ambiguity (unless it’s on purpose) about anything you say, or write or communicate in any way whatsoever.

• You have a life of clarity – and creates a business and a life of choice.”

PETER THOMSON

relax when they’re on holiday knowing money is still being made by ongoing sales of their information products.”

How else can our readers benefit from your extensive experience?

“Well – how to answer that in just a few words!As you might expect over the years I’ve written and recorded so many information products. 3 books, over 100 audio programmes, over 100

DVD programmes and so many reports and tips booklets.

My suggestion is this. Be totally clear about everything in life, and of course your business life. So that means:

• Your website is crystal clear with it’s message and call to action. There’s no confusion about what you want a visitor to do.

• The copy is clear and compelling and anyone could understand the benefits they’d get by buying.

• Your personal goals are clear – you know where you going, how to get there and most importantly why you want to go there.

• Your communication is clear – there’s no ambiguity (unless it’s on purpose) about anything you say, or write or communicate in any way whatsoever.

• You have a life of clarity – and creates a business and a life of choice.”

We have many overseasreaders, how canthey access yourextensive knowledge,experience andexpertise?

Well - I’d like to give yourreaders a free gift. Here’s howwe can move forward with thisSimply pop over to www.peterthomson.com and there you can get your copyof my special report called:Time Management - the 7 BIGMistakes - How to avoid themand squeeze more out of everysingle day.

You have met and interviewed many global business icons. Who inspired you most?

“You’re right. In fact I’ve interviewed 156 successful leaders from all walks of life; sport, business, the world of entertainment, authors – even a famous magician.

But of all of them the one that stands out for me is Roy H Williams who’s known as

The Wizard of Ads. In a forty minutes interview with him I learnt more than in any other 40 minutes of my life and probably more than in many months of my life – and I’m a voracious reader and life-long learnerHe was just awesome! His understanding of the mind and how it deals with information, his clarity about customer communication and differences and so much more – just so insightful.

Difficult to pick one out of all the great people I’ve spoke to – but if it’s only one – then it has to be Roy.”

What is the best business advice our readers would benefit from?

Now this is an easy question for me because there’s one idea I’ve used so extensively since I learned it.

I picked this idea up from the brilliant audio programme ‘Lead The Field’ by Earl Nightingale probably the godfather of the personal development movement, the co-founder of the Nightingale Conant Corporation of Chicago.

On ‘Lead The Field’ (which I later had the honour of re-voicing for the UK market) Earl tells the story of Ivy Lee a management consultant – and his conversations with Charles Schwab of Bethlehem Steel. In these conversation Lee explained the double-prioritised Do List and it’s power.

“I’ve interviewed 156 successful leaders from all walks of life”

WEBSITE: Peter Thomson

LINKEDIN: Peter Thomson on LinkedIn

EMAIL: peter@peterthomson.com

TWITTER: Peter Thomson on Twitter

Peter Thomson is now regarded as one of the UK’s leading strategists on business and personal growth. Starting in business in 1972 he built 3 successful companies – selling the last to a public company, after only 5 years trading, for £4.2M enabling him to retire at age 42.Since that time Peter has concentrated on sharing his proven methods for business and personal success via audio and video programmes, books, seminars and conference speeches. With over 100 audio and 100 video programmes written and recorded he is Nightingale Conant’s leading UK author.

Earl Nightingale explained that a successful life was made of successful years. Successful years were made of successful weeks and months, which in turn were made of successful days. Days were successful when the vast majority of the time was spent on important rather than urgent tasks and that could be so easily accomplished by the use of the humble yet brilliant double prioritised Do List.

My version is this:

Start the day with a Do List. Either the night before, or first thing in the morning write down a list of the tasks you wish to undertake. Then having carefully considered the items on the list – prioritise just the top 3 items. Marking them 1, 2 and 3.

Then do item number one until you can do it no more, it’s finished or has to be passed to someone else.

Then – BEFORE moving on to item number 2. Reprioritise the list. Then select the new number one, which may be what was item 2. Do it! Then reprioritise the list again before starting number 3. And so on throughout the time you’ve allocated for working on your list.

1,2,3. 1,2,3.

On some days it might only be 1, 2. Or just 1.

But it doesn’t matter. You’ll always be working on the highest priority items and if you don’t get everything finished in the day – it doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t have been able to do any better with any other system. Remember of course

that delegation of tasks is part of the prioritising actions.

That’s it! Simple isn’t it. And I’ve used that idea for over 25 years in various forms and it’s the best idea I know for getting stuff done!

If you’d like to know more of my idea and get a free report on so called Time Management just mouse over to www.peterthomson.com If you’d like to know more about writing, creating and marketing your own information products pop over to www.peterthomson.tv

Thank You Peter, we’ve put many of ideas into practice and we know they work! Here at the Extra MILE we are putting into practice many of your expert tools, techniques and valuable advice and we couldn’t have done it without you!

THE BENEFITS!

• Your website is crystal clear with it’s message and call to action. There’s no confusion about what you want a visitor to do.

• The copy is clear and compelling and anyone could understand the benefits they’d get by buying.

• Your personal goals are clear – you know where you going, how to get there and most importantly why you want to go there.

• Your communication is clear – there’s no ambiguity (unless it’s on purpose) about anything you say, or write or communicate in any way whatsoever.

• You have a life of clarity – and creates a business and a life of choice.”

PETER THOMSON

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SOUL PANCAKE ON YOUTUBE

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ONE SECOND ON THE INTERNET

MONTHLY INFOGRAPHIC!

From Dailyinfographic.com

From around the web......

SOUL PANCAKE ON YOUTUBE

INTERESTING FACTS FROM MENTAL FLOSS

AWESOME INVENTIONS -If you’re stuck for present ideas, these are some really great, practical, fun and completely unsual gifts

ONE SECOND ON THE INTERNET

MONTHLY INFOGRAPHIC!

From Dailyinfographic.com

Book Review

A very long time ago, in May 1970 actually, I wrote an article called ‘Stop the courses, I want to get off!’. I had become disenchanted with the futility of running formal courses when evaluations clearly showed that most of the learning was lost as people re-entered the real world of work after a period of time in a classroom. My suggestion was that courses should be banned for a period of at least one year to ‘force’ trainers to find alternative ways to help people improve their performance. I even went so far as to recommend that trainers should receive an electric shock every time the word ‘course’ passed their lips. When the article was

published, in Industrial and Commercial Training, I received a number of abusive letters from trainers with a vested interest in maintaining the illusion that courses worked!

I only mention this so that you can see that for over 40 years I have been advocating that work based learning, ‘real’ learning, should take priority over formal courses and programmes of instruction. Some years later (but still a long time ago!) in 1994 I published a paperback called ‘101 ways to develop your people, without really trying!’ encouraging line managers to use everyday happenings at work as learning opportunities.

Despite the book being reprinted four times, with over 20,000 copies sold, and despite the advent of flexible ‘anytime, anyplace’ eLearning, I still find that informal learning at work is vastly underutilised.

“Imagine my delight therefore when I read Paul Matthews’s book extolling the advantages of harnessing informal learning”.

The first two chapters leave one in no doubt that integrating informal learning into the culture of organisations is essential, not just to survive but also to thrive, in an increasingly competitive world.

But the book does not merely make the case for informal learning, valuable though that is, it also gives numerous examples of informal learning in action. There are at least two chapters packed with ideas – over 50 of them - on how to get informal learning at work to

Dr Peter honey reviews ‘informal learning at work: how to Boost PerformanCe in tough times’ By Paul matthews

happen in utterly practical ways that will enhance performance.The book also gives advice on how to tackle obstacles and there is a very valuable chapter on the implications emerging informal learning has for L&D professionals. ‘There is a fundamental change in the role of L&D, from producing and delivering formal learning to creating and managing environments in which learning is part of work......The challenge now is to help people to be more effective when they are learning informally. It is about giving people the tools they need and the skills to use those tools to manage their own learning requirements in the moment’.

I smiled my way through Paul Matthews’ book and I very much hope it will have more impact than my previous offerings. The continued underutilisation of work-based learning is short-sighted and wasteful. Informal learning

opportunities are not only plentiful; they arerelatively inexpensive and always timely and relevant.

I say a loud hurray to Paul Matthews’ book. We all need it.

WEBSITE: Dr Peter Honey

DR PETER HONEY

Dr Peter Honey reviews ‘Informal Learning at Work: How To Boost Performance in Tough Times’ by Paul Matthews

I am a Fellow of the RSA and, until recently, the CIPD. I was a founder member of the distinguished group that produced A Declaration on Learning and I am a Patron of the Campaign for Learning and a Trustee of Prison-ers Education Trust.

I am a dedicated lifelong learner and, rather to my surprise, a popular conference speaker. I am also a pro-lific author with a monthly column in TJ and a regular blogger for People Management. I have written over 20 books including: The Manual of Learning Styles (with Alan Mumford)

(extract from bio featured on Dr Honey’s website)

Book Review

A very long time ago, in May 1970 actually, I wrote an article called ‘Stop the courses, I want to get off!’. I had become disenchanted with the futility of running formal courses when evaluations clearly showed that most of the learning was lost as people re-entered the real world of work after a period of time in a classroom. My suggestion was that courses should be banned for a period of at least one year to ‘force’ trainers to find alternative ways to help people improve their performance. I even went so far as to recommend that trainers should receive an electric shock every time the word ‘course’ passed their lips. When the article was

published, in Industrial and Commercial Training, I received a number of abusive letters from trainers with a vested interest in maintaining the illusion that courses worked!

I only mention this so that you can see that for over 40 years I have been advocating that work based learning, ‘real’ learning, should take priority over formal courses and programmes of instruction. Some years later (but still a long time ago!) in 1994 I published a paperback called ‘101 ways to develop your people, without really trying!’ encouraging line managers to use everyday happenings at work as learning opportunities.

Despite the book being reprinted four times, with over 20,000 copies sold, and despite the advent of flexible ‘anytime, anyplace’ eLearning, I still find that informal learning at work is vastly underutilised.

“Imagine my delight therefore when I read Paul Matthews’s book extolling the advantages of harnessing informal learning”.

The first two chapters leave one in no doubt that integrating informal learning into the culture of organisations is essential, not just to survive but also to thrive, in an increasingly competitive world.

But the book does not merely make the case for informal learning, valuable though that is, it also gives numerous examples of informal learning in action. There are at least two chapters packed with ideas – over 50 of them - on how to get informal learning at work to

Dr Peter honey reviews ‘informal learning at work: how to Boost PerformanCe in tough times’ By Paul matthews

happen in utterly practical ways that will enhance performance.The book also gives advice on how to tackle obstacles and there is a very valuable chapter on the implications emerging informal learning has for L&D professionals. ‘There is a fundamental change in the role of L&D, from producing and delivering formal learning to creating and managing environments in which learning is part of work......The challenge now is to help people to be more effective when they are learning informally. It is about giving people the tools they need and the skills to use those tools to manage their own learning requirements in the moment’.

I smiled my way through Paul Matthews’ book and I very much hope it will have more impact than my previous offerings. The continued underutilisation of work-based learning is short-sighted and wasteful. Informal learning

opportunities are not only plentiful; they arerelatively inexpensive and always timely and relevant.

I say a loud hurray to Paul Matthews’ book. We all need it.

WEBSITE: Dr Peter Honey

DR PETER HONEY

Dr Peter Honey reviews ‘Informal Learning at Work: How To Boost Performance in Tough Times’ by Paul Matthews

I am a Fellow of the RSA and, until recently, the CIPD. I was a founder member of the distinguished group that produced A Declaration on Learning and I am a Patron of the Campaign for Learning and a Trustee of Prison-ers Education Trust.

I am a dedicated lifelong learner and, rather to my surprise, a popular conference speaker. I am also a pro-lific author with a monthly column in TJ and a regular blogger for People Management. I have written over 20 books including: The Manual of Learning Styles (with Alan Mumford)

(extract from bio featured on Dr Honey’s website)

I really enjoy writing to you about things we like, but today I get to write about something we love—a book called Great Peacemakers. Winner of more than thirty awards, Great Peacemakers is endorsed by three presidents and three Nobel Peace Prize winners.

This concise and easy-to-read book tells the inspiring true life stories of twenty great peacemakers from around the world—some of the most effective leaders of our time—from famous ones like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa to lesser-known ones like Brazilian musician Anderson Sá and Iranian-American architect Nader Khalili.

Exploring a wide range of approaches to peacemaking, Great Peacemakers is organized into five paths to peace: choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life, and caring for the planet. Each path showcases the true life stories of four amazing peacemakers who have successfully cultivated peace in a variety of ways.

Replete with abundant photos and thought-provoking quotes, Great Peacemakers is ideal for parents seeking positive roles models for their children, educators looking for thought-provoking material for their students, business people trying to learn effective leadership strategies, or simply anyone wanting an uplifting read.

Written by husband and wife team, Ken Beller and Heather Chase, this book is a real gem. In the words of Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace prize winner, “Powerful, well-researched, and above all, timely, Great Peacemakers should be required reading for the youth of the world.”

And the best part is that on the weekend of September 21st, to celebrate the International Day of Peace,

the authors gave away over 10,000 free eBook copies at Amazon.

I hope you were one of the lucky ones to grab a free copy, but if not, no worries, the authors have agreed to keep the price reduced to only $0.99 through the rest of September.

Don’t wait; get your copy now by going to Amazon.com. USA: amzn.to/1bAD4wa UK: http://goo.gl/CgQ5Pa

ThingsWe Like!

Find out in a Free Quiz.

A fun way to reflect on the current level of peace in your life and explore ways to increase it. After taking the quiz, you’ll have a chance to download a helpful and insightful free article titled “5 Keys to Inner Peace,” inspired by luminaries in the book Great Peacemakers. Winner of 30+ awards and endorsed by 3 presidents and 3 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Great Peacemakers, tells the life stories of some of the most effective peace leaders of our time. Start enjoying more peace in your personal and professional life today!

Get the eBook now at Amazon. Only $0.99 thru Sept., 2013!

How Peaceful are You?

I really enjoy writing to you about things we like, but today I get to write about something we love—a book called Great Peacemakers. Winner of more than thirty awards, Great Peacemakers is endorsed by three presidents and three Nobel Peace Prize winners.

This concise and easy-to-read book tells the inspiring true life stories of twenty great peacemakers from around the world—some of the most effective leaders of our time—from famous ones like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa to lesser-known ones like Brazilian musician Anderson Sá and Iranian-American architect Nader Khalili.

Exploring a wide range of approaches to peacemaking, Great Peacemakers is organized into five paths to peace: choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life, and caring for the planet. Each path showcases the true life stories of four amazing peacemakers who have successfully cultivated peace in a variety of ways.

Replete with abundant photos and thought-provoking quotes, Great Peacemakers is ideal for parents seeking positive roles models for their children, educators looking for thought-provoking material for their students, business people trying to learn effective leadership strategies, or simply anyone wanting an uplifting read.

Written by husband and wife team, Ken Beller and Heather Chase, this book is a real gem. In the words of Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace prize winner, “Powerful, well-researched, and above all, timely, Great Peacemakers should be required reading for the youth of the world.”

And the best part is that on the weekend of September 21st, to celebrate the International Day of Peace,

the authors gave away over 10,000 free eBook copies at Amazon.

I hope you were one of the lucky ones to grab a free copy, but if not, no worries, the authors have agreed to keep the price reduced to only $0.99 through the rest of September.

Don’t wait; get your copy now by going to Amazon.com. USA: amzn.to/1bAD4wa UK: http://goo.gl/CgQ5Pa

ThingsWe Like!

Find out in a Free Quiz.

A fun way to reflect on the current level of peace in your life and explore ways to increase it. After taking the quiz, you’ll have a chance to download a helpful and insightful free article titled “5 Keys to Inner Peace,” inspired by luminaries in the book Great Peacemakers. Winner of 30+ awards and endorsed by 3 presidents and 3 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Great Peacemakers, tells the life stories of some of the most effective peace leaders of our time. Start enjoying more peace in your personal and professional life today!

Get the eBook now at Amazon. Only $0.99 thru Sept., 2013!

How Peaceful are You?

If I apply this model to leadership, I draw the conclusion that a leader cannot be truly successful if they are focused predominantly on drive, energy and determination.

There will be times when these qualities are needed, but there will be others when being intuitive, sensitive and compassionate are just as important. I therefore see male and female qualities coming together in a successful leader.

I don’t want to get into the debate about whether we should have more women in positions of leadership (although I don’t think the balance right). However, what I would like to see is our leaders being prepared to acknowledge and use both their male and female qualities in equal measure.

I have incorporated these ideas into a new concept called Conscious Leadership, which looks at the balance between “being” and “doing” as leaders increase their level of consciousness. You can find out more at www.conscious-leaders.co.uk

I therefore wonder if the growing awareness that I see in the world is part of a broader movement to re-establish balance. We have had male orientated leadership for a long time and maybe it is time to change. If we were to recognise the value and importance of female qualities in leadership we could create a much healthier work place. I suggest therefore that we encourage and allow our leaders to use both their Yin and Yang energy to provide vibrant leadership for us all.

WEBSITE: Explore the world of Conscious Leadership

LINKEDIN: Charlie Efford on LinkedIn

EMAIL: charlie.efford@conscious-leaders.co.uk

TELEPHONE: 01832 281442

See our Conscious Leader programmes

CHARLIE EFFORDJohn Charles Management ConsultantsI live the principles of Conscious Leadership and am dedicated to bringing these ideas to the workplace. I also aim to provide a forum where challenging ideas and stimulating debate can create new ways of working.

Yin Yang

Researchers have invested lots of energy in trying to

identify the characteristics required for successful leadership and come up with a range of models and theories. Much of the research has focused on past experience and may not be giving us the answers we need for the future. I found myself asking two questions:

• How common is our understanding of good leadership?

• Is our view changing?

When I explored ideas about successful leadership, I realised that male qualities such as being assertive, competitive, having self-confidence, drive and being achievement focused came high on the list. Female qualities such as compassion, being sensitive to others, being intuitive and friendly were much lower down, if they were there at all.

I was tempted at this point to explore gender differences and look at why we have more male than female leaders in top jobs. However, others have done this far more thoroughly than I can. They observe that:

• The “glass ceiling” is no longer a helpful metaphor

to explain why women are underrepresented in top jobs. The structural barriers have largely been removed.

• At a societal level – the qualities we look for in our leaders are still typically associated with male rather than female characteristics.

• It is less desirable at the moment for women to behave like men when they are in positions of power.

I concluded from this, that as we have long valued qualities that are typically associated with being male in our leaders, it is not too surprising that we have looked primarily to men to take up these roles. (I tread carefully here) This probably made sense when we were growing an empire and fighting wars, but I am not sure it is what we need in the world today.

If I look at what is happening all over the globe there are some significant trends. As the ability to share information and communicate has increased, people have started to realise their power and are demanding more from those in authority. I think people want to be valued and have more say in their own destiny. A good friend of mine illustrated this perfectly. He told me that

Leadership By Charlie efforD

when he is recruiting, he still interviews the “Boomers” but those from Generation Y interview him!

I think we want leaders who can create a compelling vision and lead us with conviction. However, I also think we want them to listen and demonstrate that they have our best interests at heart too.

At this point I started thinking about the Chinese concepts of Yin and Yang.

Yin represents typical female qualities such as readiness to receive, intuition, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. Yang represents typical male qualities of energy, work, achievement and drive. The Chinese acknowledged that we need both Yin and Yang to operate effectively. They recognised the natural cycles that flow throughout life and noticed that although Yin and Yang will be dominant at different times, one cannot exist successfully without the other.

If I apply this model to leadership, I draw the conclusion that a leader cannot be truly successful if they are focused predominantly on drive, energy and determination.

There will be times when these qualities are needed, but there will be others when being intuitive, sensitive and compassionate are just as important. I therefore see male and female qualities coming together in a successful leader.

I don’t want to get into the debate about whether we should have more women in positions of leadership (although I don’t think the balance right). However, what I would like to see is our leaders being prepared to acknowledge and use both their male and female qualities in equal measure.

I have incorporated these ideas into a new concept called Conscious Leadership, which looks at the balance between “being” and “doing” as leaders increase their level of consciousness. You can find out more at www.conscious-leaders.co.uk

I therefore wonder if the growing awareness that I see in the world is part of a broader movement to re-establish balance. We have had male orientated leadership for a long time and maybe it is time to change. If we were to recognise the value and importance of female qualities in leadership we could create a much healthier work place. I suggest therefore that we encourage and allow our leaders to use both their Yin and Yang energy to provide vibrant leadership for us all.

WEBSITE: Explore the world of Conscious Leadership

LINKEDIN: Charlie Efford on LinkedIn

EMAIL: charlie.efford@conscious-leaders.co.uk

TELEPHONE: 01832 281442

See our Conscious Leader programmes

CHARLIE EFFORDJohn Charles Management ConsultantsI live the principles of Conscious Leadership and am dedicated to bringing these ideas to the workplace. I also aim to provide a forum where challenging ideas and stimulating debate can create new ways of working.

Yin Yang

Researchers have invested lots of energy in trying to

identify the characteristics required for successful leadership and come up with a range of models and theories. Much of the research has focused on past experience and may not be giving us the answers we need for the future. I found myself asking two questions:

• How common is our understanding of good leadership?

• Is our view changing?

When I explored ideas about successful leadership, I realised that male qualities such as being assertive, competitive, having self-confidence, drive and being achievement focused came high on the list. Female qualities such as compassion, being sensitive to others, being intuitive and friendly were much lower down, if they were there at all.

I was tempted at this point to explore gender differences and look at why we have more male than female leaders in top jobs. However, others have done this far more thoroughly than I can. They observe that:

• The “glass ceiling” is no longer a helpful metaphor

to explain why women are underrepresented in top jobs. The structural barriers have largely been removed.

• At a societal level – the qualities we look for in our leaders are still typically associated with male rather than female characteristics.

• It is less desirable at the moment for women to behave like men when they are in positions of power.

I concluded from this, that as we have long valued qualities that are typically associated with being male in our leaders, it is not too surprising that we have looked primarily to men to take up these roles. (I tread carefully here) This probably made sense when we were growing an empire and fighting wars, but I am not sure it is what we need in the world today.

If I look at what is happening all over the globe there are some significant trends. As the ability to share information and communicate has increased, people have started to realise their power and are demanding more from those in authority. I think people want to be valued and have more say in their own destiny. A good friend of mine illustrated this perfectly. He told me that

Leadership By Charlie efforD

when he is recruiting, he still interviews the “Boomers” but those from Generation Y interview him!

I think we want leaders who can create a compelling vision and lead us with conviction. However, I also think we want them to listen and demonstrate that they have our best interests at heart too.

At this point I started thinking about the Chinese concepts of Yin and Yang.

Yin represents typical female qualities such as readiness to receive, intuition, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. Yang represents typical male qualities of energy, work, achievement and drive. The Chinese acknowledged that we need both Yin and Yang to operate effectively. They recognised the natural cycles that flow throughout life and noticed that although Yin and Yang will be dominant at different times, one cannot exist successfully without the other.

WEBSITE: Organizational Solutions

TWITTER: Jon Tveten

TELEPHONE: 1-909-335-9003

JON TVETENOrganizational Solutions

We engage client organizations to clarify focus and create alignment, in the process helping them build high-performance cultures that deliver results for employees, customers, and investors. We bring an organizational model and methodology and help our clients discover the expertise, knowledge, and solutions that their people can deliver.

While it is important to manage expectations, i.e. the company will not be able to implement the vast majority of ideas submitted, it is still possible to honor and appreciate all who contribute. And while the vast majority of ideas will not advance far, none should be forever discarded. Some wild idea today could inspire something truly exceptional tomorrow.

Let’s Try It and See

After generating ideas the next steps involve iterative screening to identify the most promising ideas. The specific screens employed will depend on what kinds of ideas are being evaluated, but the basic plan is to rely on the judgment of those most knowledgeable to assess feasibility, cost/benefit, and risk/benefit. Relying on people’s judgment allows expeditious screening at low cost, but there is a caveat:

Ideas that pass muster during initial screening

should then be tested in a small-scale, limited risk setting. The most innovative companies today are big on experimenting. Ideas that look/sound good are put to the test, and the results of that testing critically reviewed. “Fail fast” is the concept of giving a fair trial to ideas while scrutinizing for weaknesses that eliminate them from further development, all on a fast cycle. Ideas that fail are dropped so attention and resources get redirected toward the next promising

idea.

Innovation is engaging. People who contribute ideas, people who screen ideas, and people who test ideas are all engaged in making things better. People whose ideas don’t pan out because of some fatal flaw uncovered during screening or testing will remain engaged and keep contributing. In fact, they’ll probably try harder. People whose ideas always seem to fall on deaf ears will not.

Is Innovation Process An Oxymoron?

The problem with innovation is that it must be coupled with discipline in order to contribute to value creation. An innovation free-for-all can quickly run through all of a company’s scarce resources: money, time, talent, and management attention.

The trick is being able to generate an abundance of ideas, but invest significant resources in only the most promising. And that, my friends, is where a process for managing innovation can be advantageous.

Process is a loaded term in the workplace in that most people dislike the very notion. That probably goes double or triple for creative types.

This presents a significant challenge for our firm because we do organizational design, and since form follows function, org design begins with the core process of creating value. We are generally able to

get permission to discuss process by staying at a high level, because what most find objectionable is the prescriptive nature of a detailed, step-by-step mandate of how to do something.

A high-level process defined by the interim and final desired outcomes is usually acceptable, though, so we will pursue that angle for innovation.

More Ideas Increase Chances of Great Ideas

Ideas are cheap and plentiful, but most of them never amount to anything. Therefore, the initial focus of innovation needs to be on promoting the generation of ideas, and getting past the attitude of “Why bother?

They’ll never act on it.” How do you encourage everybody in the organization to share their ideas for addressing unmet needs of customers,

reducing costs, streamlining their work, eliminating obstacles, making work more enjoyable, etc.? I can tell you how not to do it:

We worked with a small engineering firm whose founder liked the idea of a good old-fashioned suggestion box. His employees liked the idea, too, until one day a senior engineer was found holding court with a small crowd of colleagues by reading aloud and ridiculing suggestions from that opened box. Needless to say, no more suggestions were ever submitted.

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it” - Albert Einstein

By John tveten

WEBSITE: Organizational Solutions

TWITTER: Jon Tveten

TELEPHONE: 1-909-335-9003

JON TVETENOrganizational Solutions

We engage client organizations to clarify focus and create alignment, in the process helping them build high-performance cultures that deliver results for employees, customers, and investors. We bring an organizational model and methodology and help our clients discover the expertise, knowledge, and solutions that their people can deliver.

While it is important to manage expectations, i.e. the company will not be able to implement the vast majority of ideas submitted, it is still possible to honor and appreciate all who contribute. And while the vast majority of ideas will not advance far, none should be forever discarded. Some wild idea today could inspire something truly exceptional tomorrow.

Let’s Try It and See

After generating ideas the next steps involve iterative screening to identify the most promising ideas. The specific screens employed will depend on what kinds of ideas are being evaluated, but the basic plan is to rely on the judgment of those most knowledgeable to assess feasibility, cost/benefit, and risk/benefit. Relying on people’s judgment allows expeditious screening at low cost, but there is a caveat:

Ideas that pass muster during initial screening

should then be tested in a small-scale, limited risk setting. The most innovative companies today are big on experimenting. Ideas that look/sound good are put to the test, and the results of that testing critically reviewed. “Fail fast” is the concept of giving a fair trial to ideas while scrutinizing for weaknesses that eliminate them from further development, all on a fast cycle. Ideas that fail are dropped so attention and resources get redirected toward the next promising

idea.

Innovation is engaging. People who contribute ideas, people who screen ideas, and people who test ideas are all engaged in making things better. People whose ideas don’t pan out because of some fatal flaw uncovered during screening or testing will remain engaged and keep contributing. In fact, they’ll probably try harder. People whose ideas always seem to fall on deaf ears will not.

Is Innovation Process An Oxymoron?

The problem with innovation is that it must be coupled with discipline in order to contribute to value creation. An innovation free-for-all can quickly run through all of a company’s scarce resources: money, time, talent, and management attention.

The trick is being able to generate an abundance of ideas, but invest significant resources in only the most promising. And that, my friends, is where a process for managing innovation can be advantageous.

Process is a loaded term in the workplace in that most people dislike the very notion. That probably goes double or triple for creative types.

This presents a significant challenge for our firm because we do organizational design, and since form follows function, org design begins with the core process of creating value. We are generally able to

get permission to discuss process by staying at a high level, because what most find objectionable is the prescriptive nature of a detailed, step-by-step mandate of how to do something.

A high-level process defined by the interim and final desired outcomes is usually acceptable, though, so we will pursue that angle for innovation.

More Ideas Increase Chances of Great Ideas

Ideas are cheap and plentiful, but most of them never amount to anything. Therefore, the initial focus of innovation needs to be on promoting the generation of ideas, and getting past the attitude of “Why bother?

They’ll never act on it.” How do you encourage everybody in the organization to share their ideas for addressing unmet needs of customers,

reducing costs, streamlining their work, eliminating obstacles, making work more enjoyable, etc.? I can tell you how not to do it:

We worked with a small engineering firm whose founder liked the idea of a good old-fashioned suggestion box. His employees liked the idea, too, until one day a senior engineer was found holding court with a small crowd of colleagues by reading aloud and ridiculing suggestions from that opened box. Needless to say, no more suggestions were ever submitted.

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it” - Albert Einstein

By John tveten

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THE LATEST BLOG POSTS FROM CHRISTINA AT PEOPLE DISCOVERY

3 Ways We Block Success 3 Reasons Why A Great Engagement Strategy Isn’t Enough

3

10 Ways to Get Focused When You Simply Have Too Much To Do

Sales People, Can They be 100% Honest?

MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATIONS THAT GET YOU NOTICEDUse your experience in Management

To achieve a recognised CMI qualification

Level 3 – First Line Management• CMI Certificate or Diploma in First Line ManagementFor first line managers who have operational responsibility; gives juniormanagers the skills to help improve operational efficiency.

Level 5 – Management and Leadership• CMI Certificate or Diploma in Management and LeadershipFor middle managers and those aspiring to senior management.

Level 7 – Strategic Management and Leadership• CMI Certificate or Diploma in Strategic Management and LeadershipFor senior managers who have responsibility for translatingorganisational strategy into effective performance.

We also offer• CMI Level 5 Certificate or Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring• CMI Level 7 Certificate or Diploma in Leadership Coaching and Mentoring

A choice of study routesBy work-based approach or attend a taught programme

Head Office: Room LN21, Armstrong House, First Avenue, Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster DN9 3GATel: 07939 518451 Skype: chrysoshr Email: info@chrysos.org.uk Website: www.chrysos.org.uk

E L CPROVIDER NUMBER

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perceived as a Holy Ghost; a (private) property, which equals to omnipotence – the God; and a labor, which can be linked to a sacrifice for higher capital gains – Jesus Christ. Is then the economy just a new “global religion” with all needed attributes? If you remove fundamental attribute of any religion -“trust”- from all economics factors, what do you get? A meltdown of today currencies, companies values, stock markets … Or choose a next attribute – “permanent growth” of profits which is in collision with all natural laws (even Universe is limited). The focal point of economy driven capitalism paradigm is the accumulation of capital or wealth. It propels uncontrollably, destroying the natural environment and exploitation of resources beyond recovery. There is also no room for other ‘opinions’ than economic measures that drive our lives today. Is this a kind of a “medieval” way of thinking?

All parts in Nature are interdependent. Just like a team of players during a game. The team is not alone on the playground. It has the counter-party, there are judges, there are physical constraints engaged, and lastly there are spectators involved. All of this forms a system. It is the

same with Nature. That is why the economy should not be the only ‘player’. Times and circumstances may change, but systems tend to endure. If we don’t understand this, wrong decisions, sometimes disastrous, can happen.Today more than ever we are in need of change spurred by atypical thinkers, inspiring employees to confront problems, in need of workers that stay on task, and voice their opinions. There are

hundreds of books addressing the “outer” leadership, complete with checklists, game plans, and how successful, effective or efficient people exercised leadership. These are obsolete views and we are in need of a much different leadership approach that currently prevails around the globe. Leadership that can lead across “the cultural background noise” and connect west and east, internal and external …

JARO BERCEI was fortunate enough to have lived, been educated, worked, and experienced in many different places of culture starting in Europe via Africa and USA and more. At the beginning my work focused only on research and development. Later on, I build expertise also in project management, organization restructuring, management consultancy and entrepreneurship. I co-founded, managed, and served on the board of directors in both the private and public sectors. Connected to those issues, my different views and thinking also come from my martial arts practice and their philosophy toward life and fights.

LINKEDIN: Jaro Berce on LinkedIn

EMAIL: jaro.berce@fdv.uni-lj.si

TELEPHONE: +386 41 898 191

BOOK: Leadership by Virtue

Atypical views on “what to change”

Have you met a person that was thinking in a completely different way to yours? What kind of impression does it leave on you? Do you dismiss it immediately, or you find it worthy, erroneous …?

For me it is exciting, definitely because my life path is somehow atypical, too. In our core we people are similar no matter where we come from. Not long ago I had a TEDx talk about the human behavior that surpasses “the cultural background noise” – “the noise” that accompanies us throughout our life and normally influences our values, ethics and morals, mentally and subconsciously. Unfortunately, this kind of reasoning I find that is still missing in common stances and leadership practices. Let me try to show some examples which are going to be based on atypical views.

From the management’s perspective, managers perform tasks, manage people and do business. Accordingly, there are numerous methodologies and tools helping to manage business and people: Just In Time Production, Kobayashi’s 20 keys, Six Sigma, Business Process Reengineering … to name some. In business environment, do all these methodologies and tools really come out the way we need them to? Current economic

and financial situation makes us doubt it. If these tools were as efficient and as great as claimed, then we should not see companies struggling and vanishing. Why it is then so?

Management may conclusively respond that an organization strives to achieve only one ultimate goal: to become a competitive profit oriented “machine”. To do that the key device of modern management is in lowering costs: pushing on suppliers’ side, on employees, on product development and production, to name just some. And the outcome that we see all over the world is ever faster cycles of crisis.

A lot of researches show that ignoring other peoples’ work is as bad as shredding it, but we still do it. People like “to fight” and have challenges. It motivates them. The motivation can take on most, if not all, obstacles. But, in MBA schools managers go through courses and books teaching them how to control people mostly by using a zero-sum game, i.e. — someone wins and someone loses. A good example of it is the case of ‘the best of the month’, where only one employee can achieve it, all the others are losers. And this is quite a popular practice. Dan Gilbert said in his TED talk: “In pre-industrial area Adam Smith was right about efficiency,

but not now, in Knowledge-economy, where Karl Marx is right about motivating by meaning!”

As the organization grows larger and more complex, management at the top begin to lead and decide less by firsthand experience, but more and more on heavily processed data. From their position they rarely see the business flowing in the same way as do the people down in production or on the sales floor. Four decades ago, IBM tried to unify corporate culture in its subsidiaries all over the world. Geert Hofstede carried out a world-wide survey on employee values. The result was very informative and demonstrative. There were other researchers of the same topic too. A common conclusion of all those studies is that “we are definitely different”.

Back to Adam Smith. He characterized economy as three orders in society: those who live by the rent, by their labor, and by the profits. Joseph Schumpeter described economy also as three-folded: monetary, interests, and value theory within a natural-law perspective. And they were not alone in dividing economy in three parts. One does not need to be an outstanding expert to deduct: a (free) market, which by definition is something imaginary, can be

An outstanding Leadership for cross cultural team(s)By Jaro BerCe

perceived as a Holy Ghost; a (private) property, which equals to omnipotence – the God; and a labor, which can be linked to a sacrifice for higher capital gains – Jesus Christ. Is then the economy just a new “global religion” with all needed attributes? If you remove fundamental attribute of any religion -“trust”- from all economics factors, what do you get? A meltdown of today currencies, companies values, stock markets … Or choose a next attribute – “permanent growth” of profits which is in collision with all natural laws (even Universe is limited). The focal point of economy driven capitalism paradigm is the accumulation of capital or wealth. It propels uncontrollably, destroying the natural environment and exploitation of resources beyond recovery. There is also no room for other ‘opinions’ than economic measures that drive our lives today. Is this a kind of a “medieval” way of thinking?

All parts in Nature are interdependent. Just like a team of players during a game. The team is not alone on the playground. It has the counter-party, there are judges, there are physical constraints engaged, and lastly there are spectators involved. All of this forms a system. It is the

same with Nature. That is why the economy should not be the only ‘player’. Times and circumstances may change, but systems tend to endure. If we don’t understand this, wrong decisions, sometimes disastrous, can happen.Today more than ever we are in need of change spurred by atypical thinkers, inspiring employees to confront problems, in need of workers that stay on task, and voice their opinions. There are

hundreds of books addressing the “outer” leadership, complete with checklists, game plans, and how successful, effective or efficient people exercised leadership. These are obsolete views and we are in need of a much different leadership approach that currently prevails around the globe. Leadership that can lead across “the cultural background noise” and connect west and east, internal and external …

JARO BERCEI was fortunate enough to have lived, been educated, worked, and experienced in many different places of culture starting in Europe via Africa and USA and more. At the beginning my work focused only on research and development. Later on, I build expertise also in project management, organization restructuring, management consultancy and entrepreneurship. I co-founded, managed, and served on the board of directors in both the private and public sectors. Connected to those issues, my different views and thinking also come from my martial arts practice and their philosophy toward life and fights.

LINKEDIN: Jaro Berce on LinkedIn

EMAIL: jaro.berce@fdv.uni-lj.si

TELEPHONE: +386 41 898 191

BOOK: Leadership by Virtue

Atypical views on “what to change”

Have you met a person that was thinking in a completely different way to yours? What kind of impression does it leave on you? Do you dismiss it immediately, or you find it worthy, erroneous …?

For me it is exciting, definitely because my life path is somehow atypical, too. In our core we people are similar no matter where we come from. Not long ago I had a TEDx talk about the human behavior that surpasses “the cultural background noise” – “the noise” that accompanies us throughout our life and normally influences our values, ethics and morals, mentally and subconsciously. Unfortunately, this kind of reasoning I find that is still missing in common stances and leadership practices. Let me try to show some examples which are going to be based on atypical views.

From the management’s perspective, managers perform tasks, manage people and do business. Accordingly, there are numerous methodologies and tools helping to manage business and people: Just In Time Production, Kobayashi’s 20 keys, Six Sigma, Business Process Reengineering … to name some. In business environment, do all these methodologies and tools really come out the way we need them to? Current economic

and financial situation makes us doubt it. If these tools were as efficient and as great as claimed, then we should not see companies struggling and vanishing. Why it is then so?

Management may conclusively respond that an organization strives to achieve only one ultimate goal: to become a competitive profit oriented “machine”. To do that the key device of modern management is in lowering costs: pushing on suppliers’ side, on employees, on product development and production, to name just some. And the outcome that we see all over the world is ever faster cycles of crisis.

A lot of researches show that ignoring other peoples’ work is as bad as shredding it, but we still do it. People like “to fight” and have challenges. It motivates them. The motivation can take on most, if not all, obstacles. But, in MBA schools managers go through courses and books teaching them how to control people mostly by using a zero-sum game, i.e. — someone wins and someone loses. A good example of it is the case of ‘the best of the month’, where only one employee can achieve it, all the others are losers. And this is quite a popular practice. Dan Gilbert said in his TED talk: “In pre-industrial area Adam Smith was right about efficiency,

but not now, in Knowledge-economy, where Karl Marx is right about motivating by meaning!”

As the organization grows larger and more complex, management at the top begin to lead and decide less by firsthand experience, but more and more on heavily processed data. From their position they rarely see the business flowing in the same way as do the people down in production or on the sales floor. Four decades ago, IBM tried to unify corporate culture in its subsidiaries all over the world. Geert Hofstede carried out a world-wide survey on employee values. The result was very informative and demonstrative. There were other researchers of the same topic too. A common conclusion of all those studies is that “we are definitely different”.

Back to Adam Smith. He characterized economy as three orders in society: those who live by the rent, by their labor, and by the profits. Joseph Schumpeter described economy also as three-folded: monetary, interests, and value theory within a natural-law perspective. And they were not alone in dividing economy in three parts. One does not need to be an outstanding expert to deduct: a (free) market, which by definition is something imaginary, can be

An outstanding Leadership for cross cultural team(s)By Jaro BerCe

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We aim to be the “Go To” Index, Directory and Community for All things People Development and Management - Including

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT HR EXPERTISE

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BUSINESSES IN THE PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

AND MANAGEMENT INDUSTRIES

If your business is in any of these categories then you can get listed for FREE

Special Offer: Apply to get your business listed for FREE by the end of September and

We give you a FREE Upgrade to FULL Membership for a year worth £72*

(*profiles must be fully completed to qualify)

COME AND GET LISTED FOR FREE!

PETER THOMSON INTERNATIONALAs the UK’s leading strategist on business and personal growth and the UK’s most prolific information product creator I can help you by sharing tried and tested ideas from my 40+ years in business

THE SURVEY INITIATIVEWe focus on the design and implementation of employee research and surveys to deliver valid, meaningful and actionable results for our clients.

PEOPLE ALCHEMYWe focus on providing online performance support resources for managers. Alchemy for Managers is an online management support toolkit that provides just-in-time resources for leaders and managers. The result? Better managers. With around 130 topics this toolkit includes management methods, tips, and practical information written by over 100 industry experts.

FRIDGE PRODUCTIONSFridge Productions make high quality video and have a background assisting executive boards and consultancies to communicate leadership, employee engagement and cultural change throughout their organisations or client base.

CAFE STYLE SPEED TRAININGCafé Style is bite-size chunks of experiential learning activities that can be facilitated by anyone, any time and any where!

BONNIE WILLIAMS THE WHOLE PACKAGEBonnie speaks at events and leads workshops and in-company programs in The Netherlands and across Europe, with a strong focus on future-proofing people and organizations: promoting the fusion of professional success and personal fulfilment.

CATALYST INCCatalyst is a direct and digital marketing agency that helps clients acquire, retain and develop long-term relationships with their customers. We take the guesswork out of marketing decisions by combining intellectual curiosity and inquisitiveness with hardcore analytics, deep customer insight and a measurement mindset.

Bob Mason helps companies develop energized leaders, engaged employees, and more profits by teaching supervisors and managers to lead.

BOB MASON

Expert Index

Yes Please! List My Business For Free!

Physiological needs still concentrate on an individual’s survival and safety but notice the dotted line relationship in the model, indicating that there is a link, but it’s not a hierarchy. It is possible to be motivated toward higher level needs even when the physiological ones are not completely satisfied.

There is a definite progression from the belonging block to the self block. While there may be people who achieve self-esteem without much socialization, that is extremely rare and at a person’s deepest level there will be some socialization and acceptance need. If those needs aren’t satisfied, that person is less likely to be a productive worker, or may be productive but disruptive. Next month we’ll examine how leaders can use the model to understand and help worker’s motivation.

From the “Belonging” block, we move to the “Self ” block of the model. Here we see self-esteem again. I cannot overemphasize how important this is. Employees who don’t feel good about themselves will not be good, productive workers. Again, this doesn’t mean an “everyone gets a trophy” attitude but the type of self-esteem that comes from being appreciated for abilities and accomplishments. True self-esteem, as used in this model, develops over time and comes from success and accomplishment.

Leaders can help workers meet their self-esteem need by giving them opportunities to succeed. This need is never completely satisfied as the normal course of human events will tend to make a person’s feeling of self-esteem wax and wane.

The last point in this model is challenge. Challenge is a different concept than Maslow’s self-actualization but is similar in that not everyone will necessarily be motivated to fulfill this need. This challenge need causes people to seek out a challenge that makes them stretch and develop new capabilities. For some it’s the thrill of the chase. For others, it’s the satisfaction of learning something new or conquering a difficult task. There are a couple of important points to understand about the challenge need.

There are many people who, while they may not actively seek out a challenge, will respond positively when one is presented. If that challenge isn’t overwhelming, but is something they can achieve with a modest level of effort, they are more likely to seek out another challenge. Since challenge is so closely related to self-esteem, this can become something of a loop where motivation towards self-esteem becomes motivation to take on challenges.

The concept of challenge is especially important with members of the Millennial Generation who are much more likely to enter the workplace with the expectation of tackling new challenges. Leaders should embrace this tendency and provide increasingly challenging opportunities.

Next In The SeriesThe Motivation Puzzle: How It All Fits Together

Engage!: How Understanding Motivation Can Create Engaged Workers

WEBSITE: Plan Lead Excel

TWITTER: Bob Mason on Twitter

EMAIL: rlm@planleadexcel.com

BOB MASONBob Mason helps companies develop energized leaders, engaged employees, and more profits by teaching supervisors and managers to lead. A retired military officer, he has over 30 years of real leadership experience from small teams to large, complex organizations. Bob’s third book, Don’t Worry, You Can Do This: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership was recently released on Kindle.

I Need;Therefore I am

Part II

THE

BOB

MASO

N SE

RIES

Dr. Abraham Maslow gave us an excellent look at the needs that drive people’s motivation but his hierarchy was not universally accepted. The most controversial element was the hierarchical structure itself that suggested movement to a higher level need was not possible until the previous need was satisfied.

Good leaders know human behavior is not so clear cut and after many years of study and observation in various leadership roles, I’ve found a different model is more descriptive. (Studying only the Hierarchy of Needs is a limited view of Maslow’s work. His death in 1970 prevented completion of an effort to combine his theories with others that were more management related.)

The Needs and Needs

Relationship model borrows from Maslow’s ideas but presents needs differently. The “Belonging” block includes socialization and acceptance. Socialization is the human need to interact with others.

The intensity of this need varies from person to person. On the surface, there appears to be a change as electronics seem to make socialization possible without actual face-to-face interaction. While texting and social media certainly have changed the landscape, people still have a need to interact in a personal way.

This was illustrated to me in a restaurant when a group of teenagers gathered at a nearby table. They immediately began typing on smart phones. I don’t know who they were communicating with but it was

clear they also valued being together as they still interacted with one another and would occasionally share what was appearing on their phones.

Physically being with other people is not enough. There is also an innate need for people to be accepted by those with whom they socialize. To illustrate this, dress in your best business attire and go hang out at your local biker bar. You’ll probably notice the group does not accept you which makes you uncomfortable. (This is a thought experiment. If you actually do this you’re on your own and I accept no responsibility for the consequences.) Workers who don’t feel accepted, either by their peers or supervisors will be just as uncomfortable and will be considerably less productive.

By BoB mason

Physiological needs still concentrate on an individual’s survival and safety but notice the dotted line relationship in the model, indicating that there is a link, but it’s not a hierarchy. It is possible to be motivated toward higher level needs even when the physiological ones are not completely satisfied.

There is a definite progression from the belonging block to the self block. While there may be people who achieve self-esteem without much socialization, that is extremely rare and at a person’s deepest level there will be some socialization and acceptance need. If those needs aren’t satisfied, that person is less likely to be a productive worker, or may be productive but disruptive. Next month we’ll examine how leaders can use the model to understand and help worker’s motivation.

From the “Belonging” block, we move to the “Self ” block of the model. Here we see self-esteem again. I cannot overemphasize how important this is. Employees who don’t feel good about themselves will not be good, productive workers. Again, this doesn’t mean an “everyone gets a trophy” attitude but the type of self-esteem that comes from being appreciated for abilities and accomplishments. True self-esteem, as used in this model, develops over time and comes from success and accomplishment.

Leaders can help workers meet their self-esteem need by giving them opportunities to succeed. This need is never completely satisfied as the normal course of human events will tend to make a person’s feeling of self-esteem wax and wane.

The last point in this model is challenge. Challenge is a different concept than Maslow’s self-actualization but is similar in that not everyone will necessarily be motivated to fulfill this need. This challenge need causes people to seek out a challenge that makes them stretch and develop new capabilities. For some it’s the thrill of the chase. For others, it’s the satisfaction of learning something new or conquering a difficult task. There are a couple of important points to understand about the challenge need.

There are many people who, while they may not actively seek out a challenge, will respond positively when one is presented. If that challenge isn’t overwhelming, but is something they can achieve with a modest level of effort, they are more likely to seek out another challenge. Since challenge is so closely related to self-esteem, this can become something of a loop where motivation towards self-esteem becomes motivation to take on challenges.

The concept of challenge is especially important with members of the Millennial Generation who are much more likely to enter the workplace with the expectation of tackling new challenges. Leaders should embrace this tendency and provide increasingly challenging opportunities.

Next In The SeriesThe Motivation Puzzle: How It All Fits Together

Engage!: How Understanding Motivation Can Create Engaged Workers

WEBSITE: Plan Lead Excel

TWITTER: Bob Mason on Twitter

EMAIL: rlm@planleadexcel.com

BOB MASONBob Mason helps companies develop energized leaders, engaged employees, and more profits by teaching supervisors and managers to lead. A retired military officer, he has over 30 years of real leadership experience from small teams to large, complex organizations. Bob’s third book, Don’t Worry, You Can Do This: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership was recently released on Kindle.

I Need;Therefore I am

Part II

THE

BOB

MASO

N SE

RIES

Dr. Abraham Maslow gave us an excellent look at the needs that drive people’s motivation but his hierarchy was not universally accepted. The most controversial element was the hierarchical structure itself that suggested movement to a higher level need was not possible until the previous need was satisfied.

Good leaders know human behavior is not so clear cut and after many years of study and observation in various leadership roles, I’ve found a different model is more descriptive. (Studying only the Hierarchy of Needs is a limited view of Maslow’s work. His death in 1970 prevented completion of an effort to combine his theories with others that were more management related.)

The Needs and Needs

Relationship model borrows from Maslow’s ideas but presents needs differently. The “Belonging” block includes socialization and acceptance. Socialization is the human need to interact with others.

The intensity of this need varies from person to person. On the surface, there appears to be a change as electronics seem to make socialization possible without actual face-to-face interaction. While texting and social media certainly have changed the landscape, people still have a need to interact in a personal way.

This was illustrated to me in a restaurant when a group of teenagers gathered at a nearby table. They immediately began typing on smart phones. I don’t know who they were communicating with but it was

clear they also valued being together as they still interacted with one another and would occasionally share what was appearing on their phones.

Physically being with other people is not enough. There is also an innate need for people to be accepted by those with whom they socialize. To illustrate this, dress in your best business attire and go hang out at your local biker bar. You’ll probably notice the group does not accept you which makes you uncomfortable. (This is a thought experiment. If you actually do this you’re on your own and I accept no responsibility for the consequences.) Workers who don’t feel accepted, either by their peers or supervisors will be just as uncomfortable and will be considerably less productive.

By BoB mason

FIRE FREE WORK DAY

How To Get More Done Have More Fun & TAKE CONTROL

Of Your Time

TODAY

Download your free eBook

NOW www.FireFreeWorkDay.com

Click here to get your free e.Book!

They're waiting…

They're waiting for you to tell them what the company is really all about.

They're waiting for you to tell them why they are important to that mission.

They're waiting for you to give them goals they understand and can be excited about.

They're waiting for you to tell them why they should be engaged.

You think they already know these things?

Ask them!

Then send an email to rlm@PlanLeadExcel.com for a free consult and eBook.

Learn how clear vision, mission, and goals are keys to employee engagement.

Learn how to set goals that will move your company forward.

© Phil Date | Dreamstime Stock Photos

RLM Planning and Leadership

FIRE FREE WORK DAY

How To Get More Done Have More Fun & TAKE CONTROL

Of Your Time

TODAY

Download your free eBook

NOW www.FireFreeWorkDay.com

Click here to get your free e.Book!

They're waiting…

They're waiting for you to tell them what the company is really all about.

They're waiting for you to tell them why they are important to that mission.

They're waiting for you to give them goals they understand and can be excited about.

They're waiting for you to tell them why they should be engaged.

You think they already know these things?

Ask them!

Then send an email to rlm@PlanLeadExcel.com for a free consult and eBook.

Learn how clear vision, mission, and goals are keys to employee engagement.

Learn how to set goals that will move your company forward.

© Phil Date | Dreamstime Stock Photos

RLM Planning and Leadership

In late 1960, it all began with the extensive research by Dr. Ira Progoff who then developed the Intensive Journal Method to provide a way to mirror the processes by which people become dynamic and develop themselves.

The fundamentals around this method focuses on the ability to connect to your true self and then to become immersed in your own growth, drawing forth your unique potential and unfolding life process. It was in 2001, when Dr Laura King after extensive research in the field of positive psychology, personality processes, meaning in life, motivation and folk theory of a good life who really put forward the power of intuition, magic and meaning. She pioneered the first experimental study of optimism by having a group of participants do what’s come to be known as the “Best Possible Self” exercise. And the research publication by Dr. Sonja Lyumomisrky on “How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and

visualizing best possible selves” in 2006 gave us correlation around visualization of our best possible self, positive emotions and well being. Question: What is the first step for applying the visualization technique to achieve your vision? Braco: The vision is not a single statement or a thing that magically presents to you. It is something you want to become or achieve in a finite period of time. You must first find what it is and then write down what you want or become in the next 5 years. The key to the visualization technique is the ability to see, feel and experience the vision coming alive through the minds eye. Then taking action towards it as you find the opportunities. Question: Why do you think visualization plays the vital role in achieving the vision? Braco: There is science behind the visualization technique. As per neurosciences, the brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine which enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move towards rewards. Thus, the very act of

providing the detailed picture of your end goal is enough to release the same dopamine as to actually meeting success to steer you towards success. Question: What is the impact of visualization on NP (Neural Programming) of the brain? Braco: The brain undergoes changes throughout the entire life like the body goes through changes. The changes are based on what you think, act and experience. This can be related to Neuroplasticity which is ability to create new neural connections throughout our entire life. And as research suggested that with visualization of our best possible self it generates positive emotions to induce positivity and optimism which translates the brain to reorganize its responses to new situations and environments of greater belief in yourself. Question: How does visualization help the mind to drive toward the goals and vision? Braco: If you don’t see goals being achieved, then you may

We all have dreams but we fail to see the future view of ourselves as part of our dreams. Most of the time our dreams are short lived and don’t make it to a vision. Why is that so? What is limiting us to go for it and fulfill our dreams? In order to persevere towards your dream with a vision, the key differentiating factor is how strongly you believe in yourself and your vision. With a powerful purpose, you can do anything. But you have to have that knowing inside you, in a deep and resonating way. Visualization technique is a process that allows you to connect deeply with your

purpose, and you will be able to persevere through any obstacles you encounter. Not only that, it helps and guides you to take small steps as you go along and build your vision into a reality. The technique of visualization according to me is a process that helps to drive your vision into a reality through intention which creates Focus, attention that gets you Committed and manifestation to see Possibilities. I happened to learn visualization technique and process while attending the Happiness Advantage: Level 1 program delivered by the

Institute for Advanced Human Performance (IFAHP). Recently, I had an opportunity to have a very exciting

conversation with Braco Pobric founding member and Chief Happiness Officer of the Institute which led to unleash some very grounding research on how the visualization technique came into existence and understanding of the power of visualization to actualize your vision and dreams.

The Power of Visualization for Actualization

Personal LeadershipBy Roopak Desai

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you this strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world” - Harriet Tubman

In late 1960, it all began with the extensive research by Dr. Ira Progoff who then developed the Intensive Journal Method to provide a way to mirror the processes by which people become dynamic and develop themselves.

The fundamentals around this method focuses on the ability to connect to your true self and then to become immersed in your own growth, drawing forth your unique potential and unfolding life process. It was in 2001, when Dr Laura King after extensive research in the field of positive psychology, personality processes, meaning in life, motivation and folk theory of a good life who really put forward the power of intuition, magic and meaning. She pioneered the first experimental study of optimism by having a group of participants do what’s come to be known as the “Best Possible Self” exercise. And the research publication by Dr. Sonja Lyumomisrky on “How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and

visualizing best possible selves” in 2006 gave us correlation around visualization of our best possible self, positive emotions and well being. Question: What is the first step for applying the visualization technique to achieve your vision? Braco: The vision is not a single statement or a thing that magically presents to you. It is something you want to become or achieve in a finite period of time. You must first find what it is and then write down what you want or become in the next 5 years. The key to the visualization technique is the ability to see, feel and experience the vision coming alive through the minds eye. Then taking action towards it as you find the opportunities. Question: Why do you think visualization plays the vital role in achieving the vision? Braco: There is science behind the visualization technique. As per neurosciences, the brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine which enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move towards rewards. Thus, the very act of

providing the detailed picture of your end goal is enough to release the same dopamine as to actually meeting success to steer you towards success. Question: What is the impact of visualization on NP (Neural Programming) of the brain? Braco: The brain undergoes changes throughout the entire life like the body goes through changes. The changes are based on what you think, act and experience. This can be related to Neuroplasticity which is ability to create new neural connections throughout our entire life. And as research suggested that with visualization of our best possible self it generates positive emotions to induce positivity and optimism which translates the brain to reorganize its responses to new situations and environments of greater belief in yourself. Question: How does visualization help the mind to drive toward the goals and vision? Braco: If you don’t see goals being achieved, then you may

We all have dreams but we fail to see the future view of ourselves as part of our dreams. Most of the time our dreams are short lived and don’t make it to a vision. Why is that so? What is limiting us to go for it and fulfill our dreams? In order to persevere towards your dream with a vision, the key differentiating factor is how strongly you believe in yourself and your vision. With a powerful purpose, you can do anything. But you have to have that knowing inside you, in a deep and resonating way. Visualization technique is a process that allows you to connect deeply with your

purpose, and you will be able to persevere through any obstacles you encounter. Not only that, it helps and guides you to take small steps as you go along and build your vision into a reality. The technique of visualization according to me is a process that helps to drive your vision into a reality through intention which creates Focus, attention that gets you Committed and manifestation to see Possibilities. I happened to learn visualization technique and process while attending the Happiness Advantage: Level 1 program delivered by the

Institute for Advanced Human Performance (IFAHP). Recently, I had an opportunity to have a very exciting

conversation with Braco Pobric founding member and Chief Happiness Officer of the Institute which led to unleash some very grounding research on how the visualization technique came into existence and understanding of the power of visualization to actualize your vision and dreams.

The Power of Visualization for Actualization

Personal LeadershipBy Roopak Desai

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you this strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world” - Harriet Tubman

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30 Practical Activities which together will not only create a great motivational environment, but also help to engage and focus on your team to get great results!

end up in a negative mindset and your mind will give you responses of it cannot be done. But with visualizing that your goals are being met, you are seeing them happening through your mind’s eye. It has been studied and researched that the mind does not like the gap between what you see and what is the reality. So it helps you to steer and take action for inching forward towards your goal and vision. Question: How does visualization help in connecting deeply with the purpose and feeling strongly about the vision?Braco: The first level where you can apply the visualization is by setting goals with defined objectives and seeing it happening. The second level is seeing yourself in let’s say 2, 5, 10 years of what you become on the broader scope and building that vision into reality. The third level is dreaming which is at a much larger level encompassing long term vision.

As you visualize yourself beyond goal, vision and dream it helps you to realize the underlying purpose of your thoughts, actions and beliefs. You then slowly evolve in connecting your vision and dream to a larger purpose which becomes an internal source of motivation and drive to fuel yourself.

I have undergone a transformation as I continue to practice visualization through visioning meditation for my goals and vision. Seeing myself successful in my vision of what I plan to become in 5 years, I am able to see and unlock the doors of opportunities to build upon in a way that otherwise would not have even come close to thinking of the possibility.

WEBSITE: Inspire -> Motivate -> Innovate -> Succeed

FACEBOOK: CoachRoopakDesai on Facebook

TELEPHONE: 848 248 1865

Visionary ** Motivator ** Forward Thinker Leadership and Motivational Coach to help succeed for what you aspire, to be happy for what you are and designing life to live by….Make a difference!!! Coach at Institute of Advanced Human Performance – http://www.ifahp.com to facilitate Life Success and Happiness Advantage program.

ROOPAK DESAI

The visualization technique can help you to overcome obstacles and difficulties as you march towards your goals. It helps you go beyond your self-limiting beliefs about yourself and moves you beyond current circumstances. It instills the strong belief of your ability to achieve your goals and thus if makes you ask questions like “what if’ or “what else” and thus opening doors of possibilities and opportunities.

The power of visualization to actualization according to me is nothing but the power of believing yourself. The only enemy of oneself is self. You need to look, feel and experience beyond your personal circumstances or limitation to achieve what you vision and dream about.

The vision to see, the faith to believe, and the will to do will take you anywhere you want to go.

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30 Practical Activities which together will not only create a great motivational environment, but also help to engage and focus on your team to get great results!

end up in a negative mindset and your mind will give you responses of it cannot be done. But with visualizing that your goals are being met, you are seeing them happening through your mind’s eye. It has been studied and researched that the mind does not like the gap between what you see and what is the reality. So it helps you to steer and take action for inching forward towards your goal and vision. Question: How does visualization help in connecting deeply with the purpose and feeling strongly about the vision?Braco: The first level where you can apply the visualization is by setting goals with defined objectives and seeing it happening. The second level is seeing yourself in let’s say 2, 5, 10 years of what you become on the broader scope and building that vision into reality. The third level is dreaming which is at a much larger level encompassing long term vision.

As you visualize yourself beyond goal, vision and dream it helps you to realize the underlying purpose of your thoughts, actions and beliefs. You then slowly evolve in connecting your vision and dream to a larger purpose which becomes an internal source of motivation and drive to fuel yourself.

I have undergone a transformation as I continue to practice visualization through visioning meditation for my goals and vision. Seeing myself successful in my vision of what I plan to become in 5 years, I am able to see and unlock the doors of opportunities to build upon in a way that otherwise would not have even come close to thinking of the possibility.

WEBSITE: Inspire -> Motivate -> Innovate -> Succeed

FACEBOOK: CoachRoopakDesai on Facebook

TELEPHONE: 848 248 1865

Visionary ** Motivator ** Forward Thinker Leadership and Motivational Coach to help succeed for what you aspire, to be happy for what you are and designing life to live by….Make a difference!!! Coach at Institute of Advanced Human Performance – http://www.ifahp.com to facilitate Life Success and Happiness Advantage program.

ROOPAK DESAI

The visualization technique can help you to overcome obstacles and difficulties as you march towards your goals. It helps you go beyond your self-limiting beliefs about yourself and moves you beyond current circumstances. It instills the strong belief of your ability to achieve your goals and thus if makes you ask questions like “what if’ or “what else” and thus opening doors of possibilities and opportunities.

The power of visualization to actualization according to me is nothing but the power of believing yourself. The only enemy of oneself is self. You need to look, feel and experience beyond your personal circumstances or limitation to achieve what you vision and dream about.

The vision to see, the faith to believe, and the will to do will take you anywhere you want to go.

host meetings in a somewhat unconventional place or time – an outdoor courtyard, off-site meeting room, at 10:00pm, in someone’s home, etc.

In a soup, the broth applies uniform heat throughout, and collects flavor contributions from all ingredients while simultaneously making it equally available to everything else. So the potatoes taste like potatoes, but enhanced with broth of rosemary, onion, garlic, etc. In highly effective teams; solutions and decisions are never one-dimensional. They are the result of carefully analyzing, discussing, arguing, and enhancing the contributions by everyone – the ‘broth’ is the similar language everyone uses that represents a true collection of ideas.

3: Be open to the various contributions of others.

Whatever they give, be grateful and accept the gift. It may look like scraps, leftovers and broken pieces; but that is precisely what produces amazing results. You likely have to bear through some tears as you chop an onion; but when cooked, they become soft, with complex

and mellowed flavors that play a crucial role to the finished result. Any ordinary chef can make incredible ingredients look and taste good, but only a great chef understands precisely what ingredients compliment each other, and when to add each ingredient to the pot.

Your people are full of passions, ideas, and experiences – these benefits may be hidden behind some defense mechanisms. As a leader, it is your opportunity to find these qualities and learn how to work with them to produce the best results. While not everybody gets featured as the main ingredient; it would

be pretty boring without a rich support team.

4: Share with others.

Openly share the possibilities, responsibilities, resources, gains, glory, challenges, and ALL information. Just as it is your task to combine the ingredients at appropriate time; it is also your task to provide the recipe so everyone understands their contribution.

It wasn’t until the travelers offered to share the Stone Soup that they were able to get any actual ingredients from villagers. People truly want to belong to something worthwhile, and exciting. By sharing openly, you create a system that offers a return on value for what each contributes.

Like other timeless recipes, its simplicity is misleading. Remember that recipes are tools, designed to share easily and actually increase in value the more they are used and interpreted. Perhaps the best way to introduce this idea to your team is in the kitchen as you make your own pot of Stone Soup. I’m certain it will nourish your creativity at the office as well.

DAVID R FRICKSuccessVentures

Cultivating a spirit of Leadership, Collaboration, and Success Mindset among business professionals and entrepreneurs.

WEBSITE: David R Frick

LINKEDIN: David R Frick on LinkedIn

EMAIL: davidrfrick@gmail.com

The Soup Method For

Building TeamsI love to cook, and love to eat. It not only gives me pleasure to prepare and serve a meal to friends or family (even just myself); it also nourishes my inspiration. In exploring theories, techniques, histories, and cultural contributions of soups; I read the following story about “Stone Soup” and saw the business correlation.

The story starts off in a land and time far away…

A couple of weary travelers from a foreign land came across a village and asked residents for a simple meal and a place to stay for the evening, but got rejected every time. As the sun set, the travelers built a small fire in the street and placed a pot with water with a few stones to cook. One by one, villagers approached; curious of the contents. The travelers answered each villager the same way, “Traditional stone soup from our homeland. It is amazing! We would be happy to share a bowl with you, if you could spare some scraps of onion, bits of carrots, potatoes, etc.”As the evening went on,

more and more villagers were intrigued and added something to the pot until one of the travelers decided it was ready, and began sharing with all who contributed. A brilliant meal was enjoyed and the travelers were welcomed into the village.

The idea behind making a soup evolved out of necessity - to transform mundane or nearly intolerable ingredients into something tasty and nutritious. In order for this to happen in your business; here are a couple of guidelines to follow.

1: Take complete inventory.

Often when putting together a team, we are not given the most ideal circumstances. Accept the situation as it is right now and start working with what you have to make it better. Look at everything and everyone with the perspective that they can somehow add to the solution.

Your miniscule budget, rapid deadline, high expectations, and lack of an assigned team are similar to our traveling friends who merely had a pot and deep hunger. They found some

stones, added water, fire, and sense of mystery.Explore the hidden talents among co-workers; a receptionist with art skills; a clerical intern with a knack for building and construction; the programmer who used to be a teacher; and the new guy in sales with a photography hobby. These under-utilized skills can provide the exact foundation that is needed to bring life to a new project or resurrect a de-commissioned one.

2: Provide a safe place to collaborate.

Creative ideas, whims, suggestions, skills and passions (especially ones we keep to ourselves) are often attached to very delicate emotions. But typical meetings and conference rooms are filled with power plays, role expectations and egos that often prevent people from speaking up and offering new ideas.

To reduce the ‘threshold of contribution’; establish an environment free of judgment, authority, status, position, and where everyone is of equal importance. It often helps to

By DaviD r friCk

host meetings in a somewhat unconventional place or time – an outdoor courtyard, off-site meeting room, at 10:00pm, in someone’s home, etc.

In a soup, the broth applies uniform heat throughout, and collects flavor contributions from all ingredients while simultaneously making it equally available to everything else. So the potatoes taste like potatoes, but enhanced with broth of rosemary, onion, garlic, etc. In highly effective teams; solutions and decisions are never one-dimensional. They are the result of carefully analyzing, discussing, arguing, and enhancing the contributions by everyone – the ‘broth’ is the similar language everyone uses that represents a true collection of ideas.

3: Be open to the various contributions of others.

Whatever they give, be grateful and accept the gift. It may look like scraps, leftovers and broken pieces; but that is precisely what produces amazing results. You likely have to bear through some tears as you chop an onion; but when cooked, they become soft, with complex

and mellowed flavors that play a crucial role to the finished result. Any ordinary chef can make incredible ingredients look and taste good, but only a great chef understands precisely what ingredients compliment each other, and when to add each ingredient to the pot.

Your people are full of passions, ideas, and experiences – these benefits may be hidden behind some defense mechanisms. As a leader, it is your opportunity to find these qualities and learn how to work with them to produce the best results. While not everybody gets featured as the main ingredient; it would

be pretty boring without a rich support team.

4: Share with others.

Openly share the possibilities, responsibilities, resources, gains, glory, challenges, and ALL information. Just as it is your task to combine the ingredients at appropriate time; it is also your task to provide the recipe so everyone understands their contribution.

It wasn’t until the travelers offered to share the Stone Soup that they were able to get any actual ingredients from villagers. People truly want to belong to something worthwhile, and exciting. By sharing openly, you create a system that offers a return on value for what each contributes.

Like other timeless recipes, its simplicity is misleading. Remember that recipes are tools, designed to share easily and actually increase in value the more they are used and interpreted. Perhaps the best way to introduce this idea to your team is in the kitchen as you make your own pot of Stone Soup. I’m certain it will nourish your creativity at the office as well.

DAVID R FRICKSuccessVentures

Cultivating a spirit of Leadership, Collaboration, and Success Mindset among business professionals and entrepreneurs.

WEBSITE: David R Frick

LINKEDIN: David R Frick on LinkedIn

EMAIL: davidrfrick@gmail.com

The Soup Method For

Building TeamsI love to cook, and love to eat. It not only gives me pleasure to prepare and serve a meal to friends or family (even just myself); it also nourishes my inspiration. In exploring theories, techniques, histories, and cultural contributions of soups; I read the following story about “Stone Soup” and saw the business correlation.

The story starts off in a land and time far away…

A couple of weary travelers from a foreign land came across a village and asked residents for a simple meal and a place to stay for the evening, but got rejected every time. As the sun set, the travelers built a small fire in the street and placed a pot with water with a few stones to cook. One by one, villagers approached; curious of the contents. The travelers answered each villager the same way, “Traditional stone soup from our homeland. It is amazing! We would be happy to share a bowl with you, if you could spare some scraps of onion, bits of carrots, potatoes, etc.”As the evening went on,

more and more villagers were intrigued and added something to the pot until one of the travelers decided it was ready, and began sharing with all who contributed. A brilliant meal was enjoyed and the travelers were welcomed into the village.

The idea behind making a soup evolved out of necessity - to transform mundane or nearly intolerable ingredients into something tasty and nutritious. In order for this to happen in your business; here are a couple of guidelines to follow.

1: Take complete inventory.

Often when putting together a team, we are not given the most ideal circumstances. Accept the situation as it is right now and start working with what you have to make it better. Look at everything and everyone with the perspective that they can somehow add to the solution.

Your miniscule budget, rapid deadline, high expectations, and lack of an assigned team are similar to our traveling friends who merely had a pot and deep hunger. They found some

stones, added water, fire, and sense of mystery.Explore the hidden talents among co-workers; a receptionist with art skills; a clerical intern with a knack for building and construction; the programmer who used to be a teacher; and the new guy in sales with a photography hobby. These under-utilized skills can provide the exact foundation that is needed to bring life to a new project or resurrect a de-commissioned one.

2: Provide a safe place to collaborate.

Creative ideas, whims, suggestions, skills and passions (especially ones we keep to ourselves) are often attached to very delicate emotions. But typical meetings and conference rooms are filled with power plays, role expectations and egos that often prevent people from speaking up and offering new ideas.

To reduce the ‘threshold of contribution’; establish an environment free of judgment, authority, status, position, and where everyone is of equal importance. It often helps to

By DaviD r friCk

WORKPLACE CULTURE BOOTCAMP - DISCOVERING

“A Great Team Building Event!”Understanding ‘The Way We Do Things Around Here’

This one day event will give you and your teams an understanding of what some of the cultural barriers are to your success and what you can do about it. It will help managers and employees think differently about workplace culture and will bring your organisations values to life.

‘Unwritten Ground Rules’ or UGRs® are people’s perception of ‘this is the way we do things around here’. They exist in every workplace and drive people’s behaviour – but are rarely talked about openly. Understand your UGRs® and you understand your culture.

What your team will get from the day:

1. They will gain an understanding of what UGRs® are, how they manifest themselves and the impact they have on your corporate culture and your business

2. They will be fully engaged with your organisations values, have a clear understanding of how they contribute to workplace culture, business success and ultimately the customer experience – and they will have fun doing it!

3. They will be able to identify some of the prevailing Unwritten Ground Rules taking placein the workplace now within your business - by conducting a ‘mini UGRs® Stock Take’

4. They will leave the event knowing how crucial UGRs® are in the workplace, what they can do about them and a prioritised view of some UGRs® that need to be tackled to start releasing the untapped potential of your corporate culture

For more information, to get a quote or to book an event for your business thencontact Richie Maddock at

Richie@lynchpinsolutions.co.uk or visit www.lynchpinsolutions.co.uk

Martin Luther King had a

dream

And so do I...

Let One Legacy change

the way you think about business

onelegecy.net.au

Chandra Clements

IBA Bronze Medalist

International Executive of the

year 2013

Helping People Choose an Ethical & Innovative Executive

Path

Education & Awareness =EMPOWERMENT & SOLUTIONS

28 Countries, Six Industries, One Legacy

Key Note SpeakingWomen’s Rights AdvocateInnovation & Diversity Strategy

Strategy DesignCreating a Great Place to WorkBehavioral and Efficacy Analysis

WORKPLACE CULTURE BOOTCAMP - DISCOVERING

“A Great Team Building Event!”Understanding ‘The Way We Do Things Around Here’

This one day event will give you and your teams an understanding of what some of the cultural barriers are to your success and what you can do about it. It will help managers and employees think differently about workplace culture and will bring your organisations values to life.

‘Unwritten Ground Rules’ or UGRs® are people’s perception of ‘this is the way we do things around here’. They exist in every workplace and drive people’s behaviour – but are rarely talked about openly. Understand your UGRs® and you understand your culture.

What your team will get from the day:

1. They will gain an understanding of what UGRs® are, how they manifest themselves and the impact they have on your corporate culture and your business

2. They will be fully engaged with your organisations values, have a clear understanding of how they contribute to workplace culture, business success and ultimately the customer experience – and they will have fun doing it!

3. They will be able to identify some of the prevailing Unwritten Ground Rules taking placein the workplace now within your business - by conducting a ‘mini UGRs® Stock Take’

4. They will leave the event knowing how crucial UGRs® are in the workplace, what they can do about them and a prioritised view of some UGRs® that need to be tackled to start releasing the untapped potential of your corporate culture

For more information, to get a quote or to book an event for your business thencontact Richie Maddock at

Richie@lynchpinsolutions.co.uk or visit www.lynchpinsolutions.co.uk

Martin Luther King had a

dream

And so do I...

Let One Legacy change

the way you think about business

onelegecy.net.au

Chandra Clements

IBA Bronze Medalist

International Executive of the

year 2013

Helping People Choose an Ethical & Innovative Executive

Path

Education & Awareness =EMPOWERMENT & SOLUTIONS

28 Countries, Six Industries, One Legacy

Key Note SpeakingWomen’s Rights AdvocateInnovation & Diversity Strategy

Strategy DesignCreating a Great Place to WorkBehavioral and Efficacy Analysis

OVERWHELMED? Three Key Steps to Get Your Life Back

Feeling overwhelmed is the flip side being in-the-zone. If you work for twelve hours and feel purposeful and as though you’ve accomplished something meaningful, you’re in the zone. If you work for twelve hours and feel like you’ve wasted your day and wonder where the time went, you’re overwhelmed.

1. The first step to getting your life back is to understand and accept where you are:

Do you snap at people – coworkers, friends, spouse, children – for interrupting you?

Do you feel guilty about the emails and calls you haven’t returned?

Do you feel tense, anxious or annoyed when you find out you’re invited to a meeting you’re expected to attend?

Do your family or friends complain you’re on the phone or computer too much? (yes, texting counts!)

Do you feel like you’re doing too many things and yet not accomplishing anything?

Do you take a vacation only to find yourself on your laptop or mobile device for extended periods?

2. The second step to getting your life back and feeling less overwhelmed is to spend time doing what’s important to you. In 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done, Peter Bregman discusses taking control of your life by figuring out what’s important to you and then figuring out what you need to do to support those things.

Stephen Covey described a similar concept in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. He divided activities into four zones, and if you’re spending most of your day, everyday, in the “urgent, not important” zone, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed.

3.The third step is to avoid common time traps and to take care of yourself better when you start to feel overwhelmed.

• Stop feeling like you’re going to miss out on something online. The compulsion to be current on everything out there will drive you crazy. Set a time each day to spend on social media. Set an alarm for how long you want to spend, then move along to another task when the alarm goes off.

• Do what is important to you first in the morning. If this means getting to the office before everyone, so be it. If it means ignoring emails until later in the day, then do it. If I means getting up an hour earlier, go for it.

Ignore email and social media until you’ve accomplished at least one thing that’s important to you.

By meg Bertini

I finally started doing this and am astoundingly happier. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn will not implode if you’re not there.

• Get over the idea that you need to respond instantly (or get a response instantly). Unless you’re a medical professional, there’s no need to be available 24/7.

• Don’t just have a to-do list. Have a when-to list: Make a date with yourself to do important tasks. For example, Wednesday at 2pm you’re going to make ten new-client calls. Tuesday at 10:00am you’re going to draft the proposal that’s due on Friday so it’s off your desk.

• Take a break to journal or go for a walk if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Break out of whatever rut you’re in by changing your train of thought and/or your physical environment.

• Yoga, and meditation are both good ways to get a handle on the emotional aspects of feeling in over your head. More generally, take care of yourself physically and mentally. The

mind and body are connected, and the connection flows both ways. Eat properly. Sleep. Exercise.

• Learn to say “no.” You’ll be surprised at how much other people respect you, especially when it saves them time from following up with you for no reason. In fact, you might find it easier to say “no” in the first place if you frame it in terms of how it benefits the other person.

• Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day. If you start everyday with a list you can’t possible accomplish, you’re going to feel overwhelmed at the end of the day. Why set yourself up for that?

• Stay in the present moment. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re thinking about all you need to get done by the end of the day, week, or month. What do you need to be doing right now? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

MEG BERTINIMeg Bertini is a motivational strategist at Goals Happen Here (goalshappenhere.com). She provides coaching, ghostwriting, and editing services to help you accomplish your goals.

FACEBOOK: Goals Happen Here

WEBSITE: Goals Happen Here

EMAIL: megbertini1@gmail.com

OVERWHELMED? Three Key Steps to Get Your Life Back

Feeling overwhelmed is the flip side being in-the-zone. If you work for twelve hours and feel purposeful and as though you’ve accomplished something meaningful, you’re in the zone. If you work for twelve hours and feel like you’ve wasted your day and wonder where the time went, you’re overwhelmed.

1. The first step to getting your life back is to understand and accept where you are:

Do you snap at people – coworkers, friends, spouse, children – for interrupting you?

Do you feel guilty about the emails and calls you haven’t returned?

Do you feel tense, anxious or annoyed when you find out you’re invited to a meeting you’re expected to attend?

Do your family or friends complain you’re on the phone or computer too much? (yes, texting counts!)

Do you feel like you’re doing too many things and yet not accomplishing anything?

Do you take a vacation only to find yourself on your laptop or mobile device for extended periods?

2. The second step to getting your life back and feeling less overwhelmed is to spend time doing what’s important to you. In 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done, Peter Bregman discusses taking control of your life by figuring out what’s important to you and then figuring out what you need to do to support those things.

Stephen Covey described a similar concept in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. He divided activities into four zones, and if you’re spending most of your day, everyday, in the “urgent, not important” zone, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed.

3.The third step is to avoid common time traps and to take care of yourself better when you start to feel overwhelmed.

• Stop feeling like you’re going to miss out on something online. The compulsion to be current on everything out there will drive you crazy. Set a time each day to spend on social media. Set an alarm for how long you want to spend, then move along to another task when the alarm goes off.

• Do what is important to you first in the morning. If this means getting to the office before everyone, so be it. If it means ignoring emails until later in the day, then do it. If I means getting up an hour earlier, go for it.

Ignore email and social media until you’ve accomplished at least one thing that’s important to you.

By meg Bertini

I finally started doing this and am astoundingly happier. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn will not implode if you’re not there.

• Get over the idea that you need to respond instantly (or get a response instantly). Unless you’re a medical professional, there’s no need to be available 24/7.

• Don’t just have a to-do list. Have a when-to list: Make a date with yourself to do important tasks. For example, Wednesday at 2pm you’re going to make ten new-client calls. Tuesday at 10:00am you’re going to draft the proposal that’s due on Friday so it’s off your desk.

• Take a break to journal or go for a walk if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Break out of whatever rut you’re in by changing your train of thought and/or your physical environment.

• Yoga, and meditation are both good ways to get a handle on the emotional aspects of feeling in over your head. More generally, take care of yourself physically and mentally. The

mind and body are connected, and the connection flows both ways. Eat properly. Sleep. Exercise.

• Learn to say “no.” You’ll be surprised at how much other people respect you, especially when it saves them time from following up with you for no reason. In fact, you might find it easier to say “no” in the first place if you frame it in terms of how it benefits the other person.

• Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day. If you start everyday with a list you can’t possible accomplish, you’re going to feel overwhelmed at the end of the day. Why set yourself up for that?

• Stay in the present moment. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re thinking about all you need to get done by the end of the day, week, or month. What do you need to be doing right now? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

MEG BERTINIMeg Bertini is a motivational strategist at Goals Happen Here (goalshappenhere.com). She provides coaching, ghostwriting, and editing services to help you accomplish your goals.

FACEBOOK: Goals Happen Here

WEBSITE: Goals Happen Here

EMAIL: megbertini1@gmail.com

FEMALE LEADERSHIP TODAY

The Davies report has highlighted inequalities at the boardroom level.

These are critical and must be tackled, as uniform boards reach uniform decisions. For the long term changes that are needed, we must build diverse pipelines, support and develop a much wider range of people with different skills, experiences, backgrounds, talents and ways of working. This is no niche agenda!

Businesses are constrained by a lack of talent.

We need our organisations to be a better reflection of the demographics of the communities and societies they serve. Balance with regard to women is the most obvious dimension of this challenge and, with more women graduating than men, the loss of women from the workforce at all levels is a huge waste. Flexible working is a crucial part of this.

Creating workplace cultures where managers have the confidence and leadership skill to get the best from flexible workforces will be better for all of us. The talent pipeline does not just start somewhere in the middle levels of management: it starts at school! We need to do more to encourage young women into more diverse roles and careers, and help break down job stereotypes.

Looking broadly at the British workforce, some progress has been made, thanks to the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts, and a slew of positive role models.

The workforce is now split almost evenly between men and women.

The labour market participation which indicates the proportion of all adults who work, details that the gap between the sexes has narrowed from 40 percentage points in 1971 to fewer than 10 today. Even so disparities remain.

It is important for women to have a space for safe conversations within their companies, where they can come together to share their thoughts and be listened to.

The reality is that with women it is not always about promotion and money, it is about feeling ownership, being emotionally engaged with the organisation, and feeling that the work they do represents their values.

There is also greater awareness in larger companies that flexible working is essential if they want to work to keep their top staff – both men and women.

By niCole le maire

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” Dolly Parton

Feminism used to get a bad rap from the media, but until there is gender equality in the world it is still very important. The profusion of women’s networks suggests that women connect in a different way to men and like to learn from and support each other.

Some men (and also women who sabotage other female peers, which is a current

problem highlighted in research) do need to change their attitudes and appreciate the differences between the way men and women network.

The proportion of female directors at FTSE 100 companies rose from 12.5 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2011 in the UK, but most women do not feel that change is going fast enough or far

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” J.K. Rowling -Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows.

enough. Quotas may be a blunt instrument but they may be inevitable. Having seen how slow things have moved in this direction, one can see that more and more people are less against quotas as before.

There are organisations using more innovative ways of introducing senior female leaders in their companies. PricewaterhouseCoopers, for

FEMALE LEADERSHIP TODAY

The Davies report has highlighted inequalities at the boardroom level.

These are critical and must be tackled, as uniform boards reach uniform decisions. For the long term changes that are needed, we must build diverse pipelines, support and develop a much wider range of people with different skills, experiences, backgrounds, talents and ways of working. This is no niche agenda!

Businesses are constrained by a lack of talent.

We need our organisations to be a better reflection of the demographics of the communities and societies they serve. Balance with regard to women is the most obvious dimension of this challenge and, with more women graduating than men, the loss of women from the workforce at all levels is a huge waste. Flexible working is a crucial part of this.

Creating workplace cultures where managers have the confidence and leadership skill to get the best from flexible workforces will be better for all of us. The talent pipeline does not just start somewhere in the middle levels of management: it starts at school! We need to do more to encourage young women into more diverse roles and careers, and help break down job stereotypes.

Looking broadly at the British workforce, some progress has been made, thanks to the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts, and a slew of positive role models.

The workforce is now split almost evenly between men and women.

The labour market participation which indicates the proportion of all adults who work, details that the gap between the sexes has narrowed from 40 percentage points in 1971 to fewer than 10 today. Even so disparities remain.

It is important for women to have a space for safe conversations within their companies, where they can come together to share their thoughts and be listened to.

The reality is that with women it is not always about promotion and money, it is about feeling ownership, being emotionally engaged with the organisation, and feeling that the work they do represents their values.

There is also greater awareness in larger companies that flexible working is essential if they want to work to keep their top staff – both men and women.

By niCole le maire

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” Dolly Parton

Feminism used to get a bad rap from the media, but until there is gender equality in the world it is still very important. The profusion of women’s networks suggests that women connect in a different way to men and like to learn from and support each other.

Some men (and also women who sabotage other female peers, which is a current

problem highlighted in research) do need to change their attitudes and appreciate the differences between the way men and women network.

The proportion of female directors at FTSE 100 companies rose from 12.5 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2011 in the UK, but most women do not feel that change is going fast enough or far

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” J.K. Rowling -Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows.

enough. Quotas may be a blunt instrument but they may be inevitable. Having seen how slow things have moved in this direction, one can see that more and more people are less against quotas as before.

There are organisations using more innovative ways of introducing senior female leaders in their companies. PricewaterhouseCoopers, for

instance, plans to boost the number of women it promotes to senior posts using a new “comply or explain” approach.

PwC denies that these targets were structured the same as quotas, an approach that has been criticised by senior women in business. It believes that introducing a ‘comply or explain’ approach is different to quotas, and that tokenism does not result in a meritocracy. Diversity needs to be consciously considered at every stage of people management and development; from recruiting and identifying key talent to development, promotion and retention.

Even if it is used, compulsion would not be high enough to bring about a cultural shift, and some have called on senior men to recognise the business case for change. Getting this right is not just about careers for women; it is essential for the

economy as a whole.

Businesses with equal numbers of men and women at the senior management level are more profitable than businesses with predominantly male leaders. What is more, demographic shifts mean that by 2030 the

UK for example, will be short of 1.3m people of leadership age. More women in senior management would address both these issues.

Men and women have a lot to offer to the economy

– be it by starting up their own businesses or by letting their entrepreneurial flair and business savvy shine in the corporate world.

Employers need to act out of self interest to broaden the pools of talent available to them and ensure they do not lose out on the skills, energy and passion professionals can bring to their workplaces if they were allowed to work more autonomously and flexibly.

Governments are right to actively stimulate the wider take up of flexible working by employers and to seek to support them in setting up and growing their own enterprises.

It makes perfect sense to find ways of helping people do this in order to build economic growth.

NICOLE LE MAIRENicole is an international HR Expert and a Professional Coach & Mentor. With a list of qualifications including an MBA, an MAHRM and an MCIPD she is at the top of her career path and perfect for the role she now finds herself in as the owner of a business with huge potential. Expertise and professional integrity are her catch phrases, while the comprehensive range of HR services and support which she and her team offer set them apart from the rest.

EMAIL: nicole@humanresourcesglobal.com

BOOK: The Female Leader

WEBSITE: Human Resources Global

instance, plans to boost the number of women it promotes to senior posts using a new “comply or explain” approach.

PwC denies that these targets were structured the same as quotas, an approach that has been criticised by senior women in business. It believes that introducing a ‘comply or explain’ approach is different to quotas, and that tokenism does not result in a meritocracy. Diversity needs to be consciously considered at every stage of people management and development; from recruiting and identifying key talent to development, promotion and retention.

Even if it is used, compulsion would not be high enough to bring about a cultural shift, and some have called on senior men to recognise the business case for change. Getting this right is not just about careers for women; it is essential for the

economy as a whole.

Businesses with equal numbers of men and women at the senior management level are more profitable than businesses with predominantly male leaders. What is more, demographic shifts mean that by 2030 the

UK for example, will be short of 1.3m people of leadership age. More women in senior management would address both these issues.

Men and women have a lot to offer to the economy

– be it by starting up their own businesses or by letting their entrepreneurial flair and business savvy shine in the corporate world.

Employers need to act out of self interest to broaden the pools of talent available to them and ensure they do not lose out on the skills, energy and passion professionals can bring to their workplaces if they were allowed to work more autonomously and flexibly.

Governments are right to actively stimulate the wider take up of flexible working by employers and to seek to support them in setting up and growing their own enterprises.

It makes perfect sense to find ways of helping people do this in order to build economic growth.

NICOLE LE MAIRENicole is an international HR Expert and a Professional Coach & Mentor. With a list of qualifications including an MBA, an MAHRM and an MCIPD she is at the top of her career path and perfect for the role she now finds herself in as the owner of a business with huge potential. Expertise and professional integrity are her catch phrases, while the comprehensive range of HR services and support which she and her team offer set them apart from the rest.

EMAIL: nicole@humanresourcesglobal.com

BOOK: The Female Leader

WEBSITE: Human Resources Global

Organisational Makeover Day - Virtual Team Bootcamp

Organisational Extreme Makeover Day

One-day Virtual Team Boot Camp

21st November 2013

Join the Inspirational Leadership, Management and Engagement group and connect with like

minded people!

JOIN US ON LINKEDIN

LinkedInHR QUALIFICATIONS RECOGNISED BY EMPLOYERS

Use your experience in HR or Learning and DevelopmentTo achieve a recognised CIPD qualification

Foundation Level 3• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource Practice• Certificate or Diploma in Learning and Development PracticeFor those aspiring to work or already working in a HR or L&D support role

Intermediate Level 5• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource Management• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource DevelopmentFor those working in a HR or L&D role at middle management level

Advanced Level 7• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource Management• Diploma in Human Resource DevelopmentFor those in a senior HR or L&D role

A choice of study routesBy flexible learning or attend a taught programme

5-week Intermediate Certificate in Human Resource ManagementCommencing February, June and September

At our training centre in Doncaster

E L CPROVIDER NUMBER

3069

APPROVED BY MoD IN SUPPORT OF

THE ELC SCHEME

Tel: 07939 518451Email: info@chrysos.org.uk

www.chrysos.org.uk

Head Office: Room LN21, Armstrong House, First Avenue, Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster DN9 3GATel: 07939 518451 Skype: chrysoshr Email: info@chrysos.org.uk Website: www.chrysos.org.uk

Organisational Makeover Day - Virtual Team Bootcamp

Organisational Extreme Makeover Day

One-day Virtual Team Boot Camp

21st November 2013

Join the Inspirational Leadership, Management and Engagement group and connect with like

minded people!

JOIN US ON LINKEDIN

LinkedInHR QUALIFICATIONS RECOGNISED BY EMPLOYERS

Use your experience in HR or Learning and DevelopmentTo achieve a recognised CIPD qualification

Foundation Level 3• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource Practice• Certificate or Diploma in Learning and Development PracticeFor those aspiring to work or already working in a HR or L&D support role

Intermediate Level 5• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource Management• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource DevelopmentFor those working in a HR or L&D role at middle management level

Advanced Level 7• Certificate or Diploma in Human Resource Management• Diploma in Human Resource DevelopmentFor those in a senior HR or L&D role

A choice of study routesBy flexible learning or attend a taught programme

5-week Intermediate Certificate in Human Resource ManagementCommencing February, June and September

At our training centre in Doncaster

E L CPROVIDER NUMBER

3069

APPROVED BY MoD IN SUPPORT OF

THE ELC SCHEME

Tel: 07939 518451Email: info@chrysos.org.uk

www.chrysos.org.uk

Head Office: Room LN21, Armstrong House, First Avenue, Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster DN9 3GATel: 07939 518451 Skype: chrysoshr Email: info@chrysos.org.uk Website: www.chrysos.org.uk

Marketing gurus will need to take into account these new baby boomer concerns when planning their next marketing campaign. Publishing and the film industry will need to do likewise. But then, many of them already are. Want some examples of commercial success? Last year, the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel about British retirees on a romp in India was a box office hit and Rachel

Joyce’s debut novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a surprising runner up to the Man Booker Prize, a major accolade in publishing.

If 2012 was a good year for Boomer Lit, 2013 will be a better one and one may expect it to grow over the next two decades at a fast clip, the way YA Lit once did. Boomer Lit is here to stay.

BLOG: Claude Nougat’s blog: The Wanderings of a Curious Mind

FACEBOOK: Claude Nougat’s Facebook Page

EMAIL: claude.forthomme@gmail.com

SEE OUR LATEST BOOK: I Will Not Leave You Behind

CLAUDE NOUGAT

Writer, economist, painter, poet, blogger. Author of sci fi series FOREVER YOUNG; Boomer Lit novel A HOOK IN THE SKY; Sicilian saga THE PHOENIX HERITAGE

Boomer Lit has in common with YA Lit yet another feature: it appeals to people of all age. That’s because the theme of transition to a Third Act in life is universal. Having to handle the ending of a career or of a longtime partnership or marriage, having to face aging and death, having to mediate inter-generational conflicts are perennial and fundamental themes of concern to all humans throughout History. Such transitions are part of the human condition and are at the center of great literature. Why is Boomer Lit suddenly attracting attention? Because there is now a market for this kind of literature that wasn’t there before. If YA Lit rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was due to the simple fact that baby boomers were at that time leaving en masse their teenage years behind. They wanted to read about what was happening to them. It was their first transition to adulthood - hence YA Lit’s success. Ditto for Boomer Lit: it’s what boomers want to read now. Stuff that concerns them in this particular stage in life. Stories that feature characters with whom they can identify, that meet challenges they recognize as their own.

Boomer Lit is not a demographic, it’s a way of thinking. It’s a new kind of literature whose time has come and that transcends the boomer generation. Many people think that

Boomer Lit is a quaint literary genre reserved for Baby Boomers, i.e. all those born between 1946 and 1964, as per the demographers’ definition of the boomer generation. So if you were born before or after those dates, you’re out of luck, Boomer Lit is not for you.

Wrong! Boomer Lit is very much like the famous Danish restaurant Noma’s cuisine that has introduced the world to the notion of “foraging for natural ingredients”: they are both a way of thinking. The notion of privileging natural ingredients found locally has nothing to do with traditional Nordic cuisine, it is an entirely new approach to gourmet cooking. And it is a notion that has displaced Bulli from the top spot, Barcelona’s restaurant famous for its “molecular cuisine”.

or the past twenty years, molecular cuisine with its granular, fizzy, spectacular results looked like the ultimate innovation. It seemed nothing could push off the top spot the Spanish chef ’s creative approach to cuisine that had itself kicked out French “nouvelle cuisine” from its lead role. Yet the unthinkable happened. Noma for gourmets around the world is the new Bulli and it has revolutionized high-end food.

Just like revolution has shaken the hallowed halls of gourmet cuisine, it is shaking literature. And it is going to change marketing too. And Hollywood. For the past forty years, Young Adult Literature has been the uncontested leading genre, selling more books than all genres combined. YA Lit protagonists, shaken by the angst of entering adulthood, have been the focus of marketing, tv series and films. As a result, our Society and our culture has been fixated on youth and staying young. No more. The Hunger Games are still big but there is space now

for mature protagonists, from the Descendants with George Clooney to the coming Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine.

Why is Boomer Lit becoming an increasingly successful genre? Simple, it’s a direct response to a growing market. Baby Boomers are between 75 and 80 million in the US alone and they control three quarters of the country’s wealth. Plus they have time on their hands to read and go to the movies or watch TV as they are beginning to retire, at the rate of 10,000 every day, and will do so over the next 18 years. Add to these figures what is happening elsewhere in the developed world, from the UK to Japan, and it becomes immediately clear that we are dealing here with a tsunami change in the market for books and films. And more broadly, in the market for culture products.

“Noma for gourmets around the world is the new Bulli and it has revolutionized high-end food.”

BOOMER LIT IS A WAY OF THINKING

By ClauDe nougat

Marketing gurus will need to take into account these new baby boomer concerns when planning their next marketing campaign. Publishing and the film industry will need to do likewise. But then, many of them already are. Want some examples of commercial success? Last year, the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel about British retirees on a romp in India was a box office hit and Rachel

Joyce’s debut novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a surprising runner up to the Man Booker Prize, a major accolade in publishing.

If 2012 was a good year for Boomer Lit, 2013 will be a better one and one may expect it to grow over the next two decades at a fast clip, the way YA Lit once did. Boomer Lit is here to stay.

BLOG: Claude Nougat’s blog: The Wanderings of a Curious Mind

FACEBOOK: Claude Nougat’s Facebook Page

EMAIL: claude.forthomme@gmail.com

SEE OUR LATEST BOOK: I Will Not Leave You Behind

CLAUDE NOUGAT

Writer, economist, painter, poet, blogger. Author of sci fi series FOREVER YOUNG; Boomer Lit novel A HOOK IN THE SKY; Sicilian saga THE PHOENIX HERITAGE

Boomer Lit has in common with YA Lit yet another feature: it appeals to people of all age. That’s because the theme of transition to a Third Act in life is universal. Having to handle the ending of a career or of a longtime partnership or marriage, having to face aging and death, having to mediate inter-generational conflicts are perennial and fundamental themes of concern to all humans throughout History. Such transitions are part of the human condition and are at the center of great literature. Why is Boomer Lit suddenly attracting attention? Because there is now a market for this kind of literature that wasn’t there before. If YA Lit rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was due to the simple fact that baby boomers were at that time leaving en masse their teenage years behind. They wanted to read about what was happening to them. It was their first transition to adulthood - hence YA Lit’s success. Ditto for Boomer Lit: it’s what boomers want to read now. Stuff that concerns them in this particular stage in life. Stories that feature characters with whom they can identify, that meet challenges they recognize as their own.

Boomer Lit is not a demographic, it’s a way of thinking. It’s a new kind of literature whose time has come and that transcends the boomer generation. Many people think that

Boomer Lit is a quaint literary genre reserved for Baby Boomers, i.e. all those born between 1946 and 1964, as per the demographers’ definition of the boomer generation. So if you were born before or after those dates, you’re out of luck, Boomer Lit is not for you.

Wrong! Boomer Lit is very much like the famous Danish restaurant Noma’s cuisine that has introduced the world to the notion of “foraging for natural ingredients”: they are both a way of thinking. The notion of privileging natural ingredients found locally has nothing to do with traditional Nordic cuisine, it is an entirely new approach to gourmet cooking. And it is a notion that has displaced Bulli from the top spot, Barcelona’s restaurant famous for its “molecular cuisine”.

or the past twenty years, molecular cuisine with its granular, fizzy, spectacular results looked like the ultimate innovation. It seemed nothing could push off the top spot the Spanish chef ’s creative approach to cuisine that had itself kicked out French “nouvelle cuisine” from its lead role. Yet the unthinkable happened. Noma for gourmets around the world is the new Bulli and it has revolutionized high-end food.

Just like revolution has shaken the hallowed halls of gourmet cuisine, it is shaking literature. And it is going to change marketing too. And Hollywood. For the past forty years, Young Adult Literature has been the uncontested leading genre, selling more books than all genres combined. YA Lit protagonists, shaken by the angst of entering adulthood, have been the focus of marketing, tv series and films. As a result, our Society and our culture has been fixated on youth and staying young. No more. The Hunger Games are still big but there is space now

for mature protagonists, from the Descendants with George Clooney to the coming Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine.

Why is Boomer Lit becoming an increasingly successful genre? Simple, it’s a direct response to a growing market. Baby Boomers are between 75 and 80 million in the US alone and they control three quarters of the country’s wealth. Plus they have time on their hands to read and go to the movies or watch TV as they are beginning to retire, at the rate of 10,000 every day, and will do so over the next 18 years. Add to these figures what is happening elsewhere in the developed world, from the UK to Japan, and it becomes immediately clear that we are dealing here with a tsunami change in the market for books and films. And more broadly, in the market for culture products.

“Noma for gourmets around the world is the new Bulli and it has revolutionized high-end food.”

BOOMER LIT IS A WAY OF THINKING

By ClauDe nougat

The 7 Deadly Workplace Sins

If an organisation is achieving good enough results then the imperative to grow beyond and above the cultural norm might be fairly weak. People need a good reason to up the game.

3. Concentrate on meeting targets instead of using targets as a tool for better serviceMeasures and metrics are brilliant and a must when used in context. Unfortunately when an organisation values hitting targets and profits margins above great customer service or quality teamwork then the result is likely lack of sustainability. When an organisation is focused on great customer service and getting the best out of the team, and targets are used as a tool to assist, the rest follows naturally.

4. Recruit based on competence instead of excellenceI know in recruitment circles, competency based recruitment is meant positively. Competencies have helped job sponsors be specific about the skills, behaviours and knowledge they need to select an effective candidate.

Competencies in themselves though are often not quite right. They often fail to miss the “x” factor needed for certain jobs and again and again, I have seen people recruited who meet all the competencies, but interviewers know they aren’t right for the organisation, or a specific role. The first question a great organisation should ask is: How can we attract excellence to raise the bar in the organisation?

5. Competitiveness across teams is fosteredI’m all for a little healthy competitiveness. Comparisons across results are a must. The problem comes when results become the bottom line. End of month or annual results might earn a team or an individual a bonus, but quite often fantastic teams can’t get good results for a number of reasons. It might be because they are doing the right things, but it takes longer to get better results in the long run for example.

Results must be tempered with a balanced overview. Unhealthy competitiveness comes in many guises, one of the worst is when a team will “protect” resources, or make decisions which aren’t for the greater good of the whole, but are simply to preserve status, resources, or accolades for the individual or a single team.

6. Inadequate leadership and management skills are tolerated. I know this is a common cry, but seriously, it only takes an organisation to get clear and get tough and the problem could be gone forever. It’s quite unforgivable to let this situation carry on for any length of time.

7. Allowing familiarity to preside over undignified behaviour Dignity at work is for me one of the most important values an organisation can prize. The problem is, if an organisation has people who have worked there for a number of years, it can become like a tired marriage and over time the tenet of “familiarity breeds contempt” can become a reality. I have heard many managers when challenged about less than dignified behaviour of their employees towards one another say things like “that’s just billy, (or Brenda, or bob etc. etc. ), it’s just the way they are”. Even worse if the employee feedback survey indicates even one member of staff feels like they are bullied, then inaction is tantamount to condoning unacceptable behaviour, or even the perception of it.

Whatever your role in the workplace, I’m betting you would like to go to work and be able to do your best in an environment which is fun, productive, friendly, happy, inspirational and positive, makes a difference, and has a great reputation (oh and pays enough to give you a decent standard of living).

Would I win my bet? If not, please contact me right away as I will be fascinated to know the reason why!

I’ve been in a minority at times given the grouches people have about their workplaces, as I have worked in teams where

the qualities listed above have been achieved. The problem is when you have a workplace which works really well, it’s usually rare, and doesn’t always last.

More frequently I’ve worked in places which haven’t been so positive, even though they may have aspired to be.

I’m a “towards” motivated person and am generally positive, so am more likely to begin by describing my vision or the positive qualities a leader should obtain, or even what makes a great team.

The other day someone asked me what were the biggest sins committed by organisations or teams which prevent them from realising a “dream team”. It’s not a place I start from very often so it got me thinking. The “sins” listed below are what I came up with.

Teams or organisations aren’t likely to create a dream team if they are guilty of the following 7 deadly workplace sins:They

1. Don’t know what a “great” workplace looks like and so lack visionThe problem is, if an organisation has never been great there is nothing to compare with. Most businesses have great vision about profitability, levels of service, and external customer services and products. What they often don’t have is a vision about how their team will be working together. It’s a little like a workaholic working all the hours he can and paying no attention to his health, eventually he will collapse.

2. Are just “good enough” and don’t stretch themselves Being in their comfort-zone can be one of the biggest barriers to achieving greatness for an organisation.

By Christina lattimer

The 7 Deadly Workplace Sins

If an organisation is achieving good enough results then the imperative to grow beyond and above the cultural norm might be fairly weak. People need a good reason to up the game.

3. Concentrate on meeting targets instead of using targets as a tool for better serviceMeasures and metrics are brilliant and a must when used in context. Unfortunately when an organisation values hitting targets and profits margins above great customer service or quality teamwork then the result is likely lack of sustainability. When an organisation is focused on great customer service and getting the best out of the team, and targets are used as a tool to assist, the rest follows naturally.

4. Recruit based on competence instead of excellenceI know in recruitment circles, competency based recruitment is meant positively. Competencies have helped job sponsors be specific about the skills, behaviours and knowledge they need to select an effective candidate.

Competencies in themselves though are often not quite right. They often fail to miss the “x” factor needed for certain jobs and again and again, I have seen people recruited who meet all the competencies, but interviewers know they aren’t right for the organisation, or a specific role. The first question a great organisation should ask is: How can we attract excellence to raise the bar in the organisation?

5. Competitiveness across teams is fosteredI’m all for a little healthy competitiveness. Comparisons across results are a must. The problem comes when results become the bottom line. End of month or annual results might earn a team or an individual a bonus, but quite often fantastic teams can’t get good results for a number of reasons. It might be because they are doing the right things, but it takes longer to get better results in the long run for example.

Results must be tempered with a balanced overview. Unhealthy competitiveness comes in many guises, one of the worst is when a team will “protect” resources, or make decisions which aren’t for the greater good of the whole, but are simply to preserve status, resources, or accolades for the individual or a single team.

6. Inadequate leadership and management skills are tolerated. I know this is a common cry, but seriously, it only takes an organisation to get clear and get tough and the problem could be gone forever. It’s quite unforgivable to let this situation carry on for any length of time.

7. Allowing familiarity to preside over undignified behaviour Dignity at work is for me one of the most important values an organisation can prize. The problem is, if an organisation has people who have worked there for a number of years, it can become like a tired marriage and over time the tenet of “familiarity breeds contempt” can become a reality. I have heard many managers when challenged about less than dignified behaviour of their employees towards one another say things like “that’s just billy, (or Brenda, or bob etc. etc. ), it’s just the way they are”. Even worse if the employee feedback survey indicates even one member of staff feels like they are bullied, then inaction is tantamount to condoning unacceptable behaviour, or even the perception of it.

Whatever your role in the workplace, I’m betting you would like to go to work and be able to do your best in an environment which is fun, productive, friendly, happy, inspirational and positive, makes a difference, and has a great reputation (oh and pays enough to give you a decent standard of living).

Would I win my bet? If not, please contact me right away as I will be fascinated to know the reason why!

I’ve been in a minority at times given the grouches people have about their workplaces, as I have worked in teams where

the qualities listed above have been achieved. The problem is when you have a workplace which works really well, it’s usually rare, and doesn’t always last.

More frequently I’ve worked in places which haven’t been so positive, even though they may have aspired to be.

I’m a “towards” motivated person and am generally positive, so am more likely to begin by describing my vision or the positive qualities a leader should obtain, or even what makes a great team.

The other day someone asked me what were the biggest sins committed by organisations or teams which prevent them from realising a “dream team”. It’s not a place I start from very often so it got me thinking. The “sins” listed below are what I came up with.

Teams or organisations aren’t likely to create a dream team if they are guilty of the following 7 deadly workplace sins:They

1. Don’t know what a “great” workplace looks like and so lack visionThe problem is, if an organisation has never been great there is nothing to compare with. Most businesses have great vision about profitability, levels of service, and external customer services and products. What they often don’t have is a vision about how their team will be working together. It’s a little like a workaholic working all the hours he can and paying no attention to his health, eventually he will collapse.

2. Are just “good enough” and don’t stretch themselves Being in their comfort-zone can be one of the biggest barriers to achieving greatness for an organisation.

By Christina lattimer

10 Reasons Why Emotions Are

Ignored

twitter top 4MILEthe extra

motivate inspire lead engage

We LOVE sharing great content on Twitter!Here is a summary of the most popular content we shared on Twitter last month. Simply click on the

images to access the original articles.

12 Sentences That Can Change Your Attitude at Work

Eleven Things Science Shows Will Make You Happier

Everyday

10 Most Common Mistakes In a Conversation

10 Reasons Why Emotions Are

Ignored

twitter top 4MILEthe extra

motivate inspire lead engage

We LOVE sharing great content on Twitter!Here is a summary of the most popular content we shared on Twitter last month. Simply click on the

images to access the original articles.

12 Sentences That Can Change Your Attitude at Work

Eleven Things Science Shows Will Make You Happier

Everyday

10 Most Common Mistakes In a Conversation

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