This episode is part two of a four-part series where I look the Effective Challenge BEST model.  The focus is looking at the impact of our environment in the pursuit of a particular goal or project. I consider what triggers can be helpful to introduce into an environment to support more of what you want and less of what you don't want. To illustrate a practical use of the environment analysis I provide some examples of the work I did to consider how to create what I believe I need to train for the 2020 Tour of Flanders sportive.

You can download a free Environment workbook from www.effectivechallenge.com to undertake your own environmental analysis.  I'd love to hear how you get on or answer any questions you may have.

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ECP12 Behaving your BEST

In this episode, I introduce one of the models I use when working with individuals and teams - BEST. Where BEST stands for Behaviour, Environment, Skills and Time.  More specifically in this episode, I look at assessing our behaviour to get to improve our performance. With a particular goal in mind I do this through three areas:

In future episodes, I will look at the three areas of the BEST model in more detail.

Please subscribe to receive future episodes and if possible please leave a review - they really are appreciated.  Alternatively drop me a line directly to  [email protected]

In this episode I talk about a sporting challenge I'm taking on in 2020.  It's the Tour of Flanders in Belgium something I've wanted to do for while yet put off as I didn't want to commit to the training required.  The podcast cast draws parallels to other situations you might face in other settings.  Here are three:

As always I'm in interested in any feedback or questions you might have.  Please send me an email to [email protected]

Something a bit different in this cast - the first Effective Challenge in Conversation episode.  This is the first of what I hope will be a number of conversations with people from different settings.  The overriding topic of these conversations is exploring how people have achieved change to improve performance. 

Those of you who have listened to previous casts or engaged with other Effective Challenge material will know that getting basics in place and functioning well is a key element of sustained high performance.  

The conversation is with Casper Chittingden and Richard Brockhurst – founders and owners of the 3 Aces Cross-fit gym, London. It's longer than previous episodes. This is deliberate to allow people to get a better feel for the Approached used by Caspar and Richard.

In the conversation we cover a wide range of topics including:

· The benefits of physical exercise and its impact to wellbeing outside of the gym environment

· Working out how to get the best from people

· Overcoming challenges through practical action and a mindset which encourages growth and learning. 

Whilst the conversation if biased towards exercise, the majority of approaches used by Casper and Richard are readily applicable to other settings.

Slight health warning on this one.  The recording took place in the gym which is located under the arches of a train track.  From time to time you'll hear the trains going by. I really hope that doesn't detract too much from what I hope is a useful conversation.

As always I’m interested in your feedback - please drop me a line [email protected]

If you feel so inclined please subscribe to receive future episodes or leave a review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks in advance.

In this episode I discuss my observations of the different states people can find themselves in as they look to make sustainable changes to their performance.  I draw on work by Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross who made observations of the states people go through when receiving a terminal diagnosis.  This work has been adapted to help individuals and organisations manage change.  I have my own version of this which I have observed when leading change with individuals, teams and organisations. I encourage you to consider: The differences between enthusiasm and commitment. What emotional aspects might show up as you look to make change and balance these with the often more obvious tangible elements like goals and plans. Where possible doing this work up front to help you avoid the less helpful states towards the progress you want to see. If you are struggling to make sustainable change which of the seven states you could be in and what questions you could ask to help make the progress you desire. As always I'm interested in any questions and or feedback you have - please drop me a line to [email protected] For more information about how Effective Challenge can help you make the progress you are looking to achieve, please drop me a line or have a look at the website.

Prompted by an incident at the 2019 Giro D'Italia, where two riders got themselves into an exchange of words that led to one giving an apology and the other gracefully accepting it, this episode looks at what we could learn from their situation in everyday life.  

It considers:

Previously I'd written about the Giro issue on the Effective Challenge Blog.  You can see what the two riders actually said to each other here:

http://effectivechallenge.com/lesson-from-the-giro-giving-and-accepting-an-apology/ 

In this episode I discuss some of the challenges of trying to manage too many things inside your head and some options to consider to improve your performance in this area.  This includes getting better objectivity, getting better at prioritising thoughts and setting up your environment with appropriate thought capture tools.  

I make reference during the cast to Brain Toss. This is an app I use for capturing thoughts I have whilst doing exercise. Here's a link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/braintoss/id576226036?mt=8 I imagine it's available on other platforms too. If you have alternative tools then please let me know.

I'm always interested in any feedback you might have.  Please subscribe if you  enjoyed this and please share if you think you know others who might get some benefit from the podcast. 

In this week’s cast I discuss careers and what it means to get your own definition of a career and how to pursue it. 

Considering:

- The implications of being in a career rush or rut. 

- How to tackle overwhelm when you’re not sure what to do.

- What you can practically do to build momentum in your career.

As always, I’m interested in your thoughts and or observations about the cast and any topics you would like to see covered in future episodes. Drop me a line [email protected] 

Many organisation are setting up objectives for people to deliver. Of a standard approach is used for the wording of these objectives.  The SMART acronym is a common in example.  In this podcast I look at getting beyond the words and considering the relationship between the individuals delivery the objective.  Looking at challenge and support, the role each individual has to play and setting up a way of working which increases the chance of delivery success. The topics discussed are applicable in multiple settings not just business.