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June 2, 2006 21:45 - Making a Beeline
One of the joys of working for yourself, is the opportunity to take a day off in the week.
So, yesterday found me catching up on a bit (and I mean a bit!) of garden work, after all the rain we have had. And quite a few solid days working on the business front too.
Not being one to overstetch myself, a moment of rest descended on me as I fell between things to trim with the hedgetrimmer (once you get one out, it's kind of hard to stop, really!).
So I took a lie down on the grass and catch a few seconds of sun.
After just a few moments, something was crawling up my leg so I shifted a bit and turned over - just in time to catch a glimpse of a couple of cavorting butterflies aroound a pretty purple-flowered plant (no idea what it is called - I just admire the things).
Then I saw the bees - just a few of them. Busy, as you might have guessed.
Without any need for support, help, encouragement or expensive team-building away days in a country house, these 'workers' were just getting on with it.
I reflected on the difference between these workers and those in our world.
Driven by a higher level of intellect, the people we work with need more than just the chemical, autonomic, response that animals make.
The price we pay of having higher level awarenesses, is that they need that nurturing, praise and development.
Driving your people to deliver through it 'just being their job' isn't enough, satisfying enough it might be for the bees.
People need more.
June 4, 2006 20:18 - Valuing Mistakes
Let's face it - things go wrong.
It's life and getting all upset when things go wrong is going to get nowhere. Being able to accept this and learn from it is one indicator of a true manager and leader.
There's a famous story of a senior executive at a large American corporate. A project went badly wrong, costing them some $40M. He was in line for a fiercely contested promotion and there were other great candidates.
In the end, he was the successful candidate and when those responsible for choosing him were challenged on the validity of their choice, they replied that he had $40M invested in his development already!
Projects don't work out 100% perfectly. That is how it is. So part of the challenge, say, where it goes 30% wrong, is to get value back from that 30% in terms of learning.
Planning projects, delivering them and reviewing are three key components for success.
Yet many spend 20% of the time planning (on a good project), 75% delivering and 5% (if they are very lucky and focused) on the reviewing part.
And that is just the spot to add value lost and gain the bonus of the learning for the future.
It might not be worth $40M.
Then again it might be!
June 7, 2006 22:13 - Reverse Engineering
An interesting article appeared in The Times on Monday, June 5th.
In it, two women had utilised their management skills to transform their relationship with the men in their lives.
They were applying, quite logically, all the people skills they had learnt and used to develop and motivate their people in that very delicate of human relationships of all, their life partners.
Whilst this is quite remarkable in itself, there is another fascinating lesson to be learnt from the Times article about the book.
In a summary of the 'Nine Core Areas' covered, it lists the following:-
- Become My Friend
- Become Self-Sufficient
- Become Productive
- Become an Involved Father
- Become a Beliver in Ritual
- Become my Lover
- Become a Domestic God
- Become Fiscally Responsible
- Become the Man You Want to Be
Whilst this struck me as a wonderful review of what very personal relationships can be, it also seems that some (though perhaps not quite all in the same context - the lover bit needs some extrapolation in a work situation, or it's asking for trouble!) can be a model for developing managers to at least explore.
Sometimes a different spin gives great insights.
So, by taking a look at "The Scorecard: How to Fix Your Man in One Year or Less" by by Julie Bell and Donna Brownmight teach us more aboput ourselves as well as our partners. And that's a wonderful opportunity back in the workplace!
It's a book that will be on my booklist too, despite (or perhaps because of!) being a man.
See also The Times for the article in full.
June 10, 2006 09:05 - Quite Early Coaching
The very first album/record (you know those black disc things with a hole in the middle), I ever bought was 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme', by Simon and Garfunkel.
It is still one of my absolute and all-time favourites.
Around this time 'The Graduate' (a symbolic movie, if ever there was one, for a teenager just finding his way in the world), came out and 'Mrs Robinson' fascinated an era of hormonal males, just like she did Dustin Hoffman, [playing Benjamin, the easily tempted student in the movie).
And that's still one of my favourite movies!
In April it was my birthday (belated congratulations? Thank You!) and I was presented with an i-Pod (hey, despite my age, I can do cool!).
Around the same time, right through my door, came one of those innumerable freebie CD's that appear (almost every day now, it seems).
It was a collection of Art Garfunkel - the following week came the second CD!
I was in heaven! Since most of my S&G collection is on disc (and not a hard disc, I might add), I was able to rediscover the sounds I'd loved as a teenager (driving early girlfriends crazy in the process!). 'Mrs Robinson', being one of those great songs.
It fascinated me, this morning, how one of the lyrics in that song seemed to bring me full circle into the work I do now - helping great individuals and teams find their own ways to success, through the abilty to realise their own potential. I share it with you below.
We'd like to know a little bit about your for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself.
Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes,
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home.
Maybe there's not so much that is new in the world, eh?
June 12, 2006 07:36 - Crisis Management
In an ideal world, we would never have crises. Yet in the real world we do.
Managing them in quite a challenge, so here are some thoughts on how to make it work best for you... (Read Article)
June 12, 2006 20:58 - The Offside Rule - for Girls!
With the world-cup with us right now (it's half-time in the Italy v. Ghana game!), I'm indebted to someone I work with who shared this with me.
Christine is great fun, typically 'blonde' (though brunette at the moment) and is a great support for me in one of the pieces of work I try my best to do.
She explained the following as the girlie way of how to understand the football (or soccer for my American visitors) offside rule works. In the UK there is a standing joke about girls and the offside rule.
It is rarely understood by the fairer sex, so this metaphor helps!
Imagine you are in a shoe shop and you have found the pinkest pair of shoes ever. They are simply to die for. They are on the strappy side and exactly what you are looking for.
You get in the queue, with the cashier in front of you, with but one customer waiting in line between you both, as the cashier completes a little paperwork.
The shoes are almost yours. But wait, you realise that you have forgotten your purse. And they are the last pair they have. Oh no! Fear not, help is at hand.
Across the store you see a friend and you delicately shout across to her to throw you a little money over, in order for you to make your purchase. You are so excited, yet you know that if she throws it to you, with the one waiting customer ahead of you in the queue, that will be alright. It will be fair.
If however, in your excitement, you step ahead of the one waiting customer, that won't be fair if she throws it to you then. So you wait and catch the money in line, with one customer waiting and the cashier ahead of her.
Hope that's clear now girls.
PS, for cashier read goalie (or any other member of the opposition). And, of course, that other customer is also a member of the oppostion.
After all, she is ahead of you in the queue!
June 19, 2006 22:31 - Listen for More
Paying attention to your people is a hugely important relationship building skill. It is a skill that you can develop by listening intently, in space you provide for them, one at a time.
As you develop that listening skill - take it step by step to start with and give yourself credit as your listening 'muscle' strengthens - you will hear more than you thought possible.
And you will even start to hear things that aren't said.
These tiny 'inklings' are very useful indeed, as they give you an early indication of issues each of your people are holding onto, and not expressing.
And really where the meat of changes to your own attitudes and behaviours needs focus.
These fine sensitivities become an outstanding asset for you, as you build a strong and successful team, leveraging them into truly valuable business assets.
Take the time to really listen this week
June 20, 2006 08:49 - Let it Be
On the afternoon of the 64th birthday of Sir Paul McCartney, I was preparing to take the short flight back form Charles de Gaulle in Paris to Heathrow after a little R&R.
As I got on the Air France plane, we were pretty far back, in fact row 28 on the A320, which is one row back from the last row.
The overhead lockers were quite full and in an attempt to get my dinky little wheely suitcase in I put it longwise, rather than depth wise into the locker.
Basically, because someone else had put their long and thin bag all along the back. My way got my case in the locker as well as theirs.
Right at the back, looking her glamorous best was 'the purser', who admonished me for placing my case the wrong way round. When I said there was something at the back, she said, 'Well, give it a push, then", with a smirk. This I did, after moving the other bag around.
I was really irritated by the condescending attitude of this supercilious and jumped up flight attendant - so much so that I kept a close watch on her performance on the rest of the 40 minute flight (which took an hour actually, Air France).
She was pretty inept at her job (missed pack for a coffee drinker, one row missed altogether etc.) this purser and finally compounded her dodgy day by informing us, on landing, that the time was 2 hours later than it actually was.
And, you see, I wouldn't have noticed that much if she hadn't been quite so arsey with me, in the luggage rack scenario, in her snooty way. In fact she would have been much better if she had, 'Let it Be' at the very start of our relationship.
I will think twice about flying Air France again.
PS And, although I can't take my custom elsewhere in this case, it would be really good if Heathrow Terminal 2 passport control managers could arrange to have more people actually checking passports, than standing around at the back watching us all wait in a queue.
UK and EEC passengers were the lucky ones, the international arrivals queue was twice as long as ours, an excellent indication of how well we welcome our foreign guests.
Even the staff checking passports were complaining about it!
June 21, 2006 23:17 - Working in a Great Team
Just once is a while, a team experience really sticks in the mind.
Fortunately, I have been a part of one a few times over the years. One happened to me recently.
There is a lot going on about teams right now. Especially on a sporting front. yet there are times when all of us work in brilliant teams.
Often a little cameo effort where there is a short burst of everyone pulling in exactly the right direction.
What is it that makes a team of individuals come together and work so effectively and well?
Sometimes it is about total focus and commitment. Other times it is about the bonding and drive that utterly motivated people bring - especially for each other.
Ultimately it is about how, when both these ingredients come together, there is the opportunity for such fusion of spirit and togetherness, that it generates an outstanding performance.
Being a part of such a team is a wonder to behold and great to be a part of!
June 26, 2006 09:00 - Consistent and Flexible
Imagine this. You are an employee in a business. Your boss gives you an instruction to do something one day - and the next he or she gives you an instruction to do the task differently or worse, criticises what you did, even though you did as you were instructed.
Frustrated? Of course you are.
Imagine this. You like precise details of how you want a task to be done. You need your boss to be very precise, yet all he or she does is tell you the briefest of explanations and says that they will 'leave it to you' how you do it.
Edgy, fearing and frustrated, of course you are.
Two regular scenarios, seemingly different, yet strangely familar.
As the 'boss', you need to be able to tip-toe around how and what you communicate.
By being consistent in your approach, all the time when it comes to your requirements. And very clear about those.
And you need to be flexible enough to realise that each and every one of your people are different and need a different approach from you if they are to deliver their best.
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