The Blue Pea Leader

Coaching is a powerful technique for helping someone unlock the potential inside of themselves.  It can be very empowering, motivating and inspiring for the person being coached.  It can also be rewarding for a leader.  Whether you are the person coaching them, or an external or you’re doing pincer coaching.  Seeing an employee grow in confidence and be able to handle challenges in work in a proactive way is one benefit. The other benefit is that it often frees up your time to focus on bigger things, so you’re both making a larger contribution.

Aside from the confusion over coaching versus mentoring here are the most common myths I’ve heard in my time which means that you’ll get none of the above benefits.

Having this mindset when you’re coaching is guaranteeing disaster.  Who wants to open up and share with someone who views them this way?  And if the leader says ‘hey you need some coaching, I’ve got you one’, but this is the message behind the reason for having one, it’s not a great start to the sessions either.

I’ve been coaching now for 20 years, and some people did arrive having been given this message, either spelt out or inferred.  And yet every single person I’ve coached has already experienced success.  Those that start out having got this unhelpful message, well we have a few hurdles to get over.  Usually, it is about reconnecting them to the success they have experienced and then moving forward.

In other cases, the individual actively seeks out a coach.  They are also successful, and they want even more from their work, career, business, leadership – they’re just not totally sure how to get it.  What’s more, they’re not deluding themselves into thinking they have to figure this out all by themselves.

I’ve also met people who no longer enjoyed their job, who perhaps had become disillusioned and found the support and structure of coaching got them back on track quickly, and they tasted success once again.

By the way, this myth’s sister rides under the banner of “you’re broken, and I can fix you.” Yikes, run…..

Yes, you can coach anyone and first they have to want to change, to go for their goal.  If they don’t have a well-defined goal, by all means, help them to define one.  That said if someone is happy with their life, no matter what your view is as to what’s possible, respect them. When you remove choice, you disempower.

That said, if you’re their leader and you know that if nothing changes, they won’t be able to do their role in the future, then you do have to explain the consequences and impact further down the line of their choice not to change.

Oh, and let’s not forget, even if they have a goal, they also have to trust you enough to open up and be honest.

Coaching is about asking questions.  The skill here is in asking the right question, the one that’s going to help your coachee unlock the secret within themselves. It’s about switching off all mind reading abilities; and knowing which wave to ride.  It’s also about knowing the depth of question to ask, e.g. is this a behaviour question, a skill question, an identity question etc.  Lastly there is the very important active listening and a few other skills too.

Compared to what?  Imagine having the career and life you want, doing the things you love, being who you know you truly can be?  And all this more easily and effortlessly than before.  How many people do you know deal with life through alcohol, drugs and foodstuff?  If you don’t achieve your goal, what will it continue to cost you emotionally, physically as well as financially?

I’ve heard leaders say it’s so much easier just to tell them what to do, that they’re so busy currently they don’t have the time to run a coaching session or even have a coaching conversation.  And if they keep this thought approach up, then nothing will ever change.

Coaching takes as long as it takes.  Loosely speaking it depends on the size of the gap between where they are right now and where they want to be.  However, when you coach you don’t have to coach them to the end.  Sometimes the value you add is at the beginning, or the earlier phase of their outcome, helping them build momentum.  It might be a goal that could take a year to achieve. However, you might only be required for the first 4-6 months.  In which case it takes very little time.

I have coaching clients who have a knotty problem. They tell me they go to pick up the phone to run something past me and as they’re about to dial, the question I’ll ask them pops into their head and voila… the knot begins to unravel, and no call was made.  In this case, I have an ongoing coaching relationship with them.  The side benefit of the coaching is you do learn how to think differently and so only need your coach for meatier, more complex stuff.

I also have clients who see me for ½ a day, and that’s enough to get the traction and momentum they need.

Coaching is powerful when used right and without subscribing to these myths.  Where could it take you?

About blue pea POD

At blue pea POD, we are in the business of enabling leaders and organisations understand who they are, their identity and purpose, creating the profitable future they desire now.

Blue Pea POD works internationally with a client base that includes the FMCG, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. You can subscribe to our podcast here and then if you would like to find out more about how we can help you get in contact here. Or call +44(0) 845 123 1280

The post 5 Coaching Myths That Can Hold You Back appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

[This is a transcript – apologies for any typo’s]

Hello, it’s Ruth here. And today, I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on leadership in this modern world. It is probably based on the several conversations I’ve been having in the last two to three months.

I was running a particular course for senior managers, and there was a moment where the words that came out of my mouth was leadership is a service. And we proceeded to have a conversation about it.

I feel that many years ago, leadership was a role, a title.   Sometimes I think people got confused between all leadership is just the sexy version of management, all of those kinds of things. It came with some entitlement expectations on the side of the leader. And, and over the years, I think if I’m looking at people who I consider good leaders, then this was the thing that I have is leadership is a service.

And the reason I’m sharing this is because we got to the end of the day on the course and I asked out of today, what’s really stood out for you? And a few of them said that particular phrase “leadership is a service”, so hit home because it was a way of thinking about leadership that was actually really, really helpful.

I was chatting with another manager who was sharing the fact that we were discussing one to ones and coaching and he turned around and said, well, you know, I like to give my guys a lot of freedom. And so they know that if they want a 1:1, they can book it. It’s in my diary, and we will have it. It’s not a problem. But otherwise, if they don’t want one, I don’t make them have one. I don’t want to do it every month and be it a tick box exercise.

And one to one’s really should not be tick boxes. Um, if they are, something’s going wrong. And he turned said, you know, it works really well because I travel a lot, so this is good.  My response was, so how often do they take you up on a one to one and what happens in your one to ones?  What generally gets discussed.  He says, well if they’ve got a problem then we sort out their problem and things like that.

And there was this part of me that came back to ‘leadership is a service’. How are you being of service to your guys? Yes, we could turn around and say he got out of the way of his people. You know, if they didn’t want a one to one, they didn’t have a one to one.  He wasn’t forcing it on them. But on the other hand, when they were happening, it was because there was a problem that needed to be solved.

So I said to him, well, how often in these one to ones do you ask them for their ideas on a particular initiative? How often do you share your crazy ideas and sense check your ideas to see if they should they be progressed or binned?  How often is it literally that just about, we have a problem and now I want to chat to you about how to solve it?

And I said to him, “what value do you add to them and their role”? And it got him thinking, and over the next couple of days, he was like, do you know what I’m having light bulb moments. I’m having light bulb moments of there are things that I am doing that is very genuine. I am adding value, and you know I am being of service. And he said, but actually over the last couple of days as we’ve been doing the bits that we’ve been doing and as I’ve been thinking about that question, I also realize there are things that I aren’t doing that I, at the very least in the next one to one with these guys should turn around and say, is this something that if I did it would be of value or use to you?

I think, I think that’s it. It’s just about turning around and saying to yourself, as a leader, where am I being of service and in what ways can I be of more service, add more value to the, well, initially we could turn around and say to the people that we are responsible for the people that work for us, but we could then broaden it out. In the many ways, you and I both know we can start and broaden it out.

I’d just leave you with this thought. If leadership is a service, in the coming 12 months, how could you be of more service?  Until next time.

At blue pea POD, we are in the business of enabling leaders and organisations understand who they are, their identity and purpose, creating the profitable future they desire now.   

Blue Pea POD works internationally with a client base that includes the FMCG, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. You can subscribe to our podcast here and then if you would like to find out more about how we can help you get in contact here. Or call +44(0) 845 123 1280 

The post Leadership Is A Service appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

[This is a transcript of the podcast]

Hi. It’s Ruth here from Blue Pea POD, and today, I want to talk about what I think it takes to be good at listening. Which, let’s face it, is a crucial skill when we want to build strong relationships. So whether it’s that we’re coaching, whether it’s that we want to build a high-performing team, whether it’s that we want people to trust us, whatever it is, listening is a key quality.

But we’re not just talking about the basics of listening. We’re talking about really, really listening to everything. The minutiae. In essence, it’s just how aware are we of what is present or absent in that moment, and I mean, the most common way of talking about this is active listening, as opposed to not actively listening, passively listening, kind of waiting for the person to shut up, so that you can then say whatever pearl of wisdom you want to say.

So then listening is a full-on sensory experience. We are looking at the person, paying full attention to their body language, their tone, their words. Is there congruence? Do they match? Or is there something that’s at odds here? I think one of the key ones is that as we are listening to somebody, we don’t interrupt. And let’s face it. That can be something of a challenge at times, particularly if it is a subject matter with which we are very passionate about or we have a very strong difference of opinion on. We can’t then wait to interrupt or talk over the person.

So it really is about letting the person finish, say what it is they want to say. Which kind of leads to the next bit, which is never underestimate the power of the pause. Because people often turn around and say to me, “Oh, but Ruth. What I’m really worried about is that, you know, I ask somebody a question. They give me an answer. And if I’m listening to them, like proper listening, like you’re telling me I should, then when they finish talking, I won’t know what to say next.” And I’m like, “Well, if you’re full-on listening to everything they’re saying, it’s when they’re finished that then you know what’s the next thing you want to say, what’s the next question you want to ask.” Until then, you’re preoccupied in your head thinking, it’s the same as interrupting. You’re thinking about what to say next.

So in that pause, which for the other person is never going to feel as long as maybe it feels for you, if you get into that pause and just go, “Okay, having heard all of this, what’s the next thing I want to say? To add, to contribute. The question I want to ask.” Actually means you have more meaningful conversations.

One of the other things I think it takes to be a good listener is that you show that you empathize. Empathy. We’re talking about a demonstration of appreciation for what they’re going through. We’re not saying that we understand or we know or we may or may not have felt something similar, but we are showing an empathy and a connection. We’re not criticizing. We’re not arguing. We’re not judging. We’re not, we’re not patronizing the person. We are just showing that we genuinely care for them and what they’re going through at this particular moment in time.

I often find that if people at least feel heard, listened to, that even if you don’t necessarily always say the correct word… there is saying the right thing but your body language being completely wrong that can be more infuriating, than somebody feeling you genuinely care about them, but then you somehow don’t say quite the right set of words.

Which leads me to body language. Actually pay attention to your body language when you’re talking to people. When you’re listening, what’s your body language saying?

I observe leaders when I’m training them in the arts of coaching and mentoring, and you know, sometimes they’re just not aware that as they’re listening to the person, if they’re kind of going, “Oh, God, you’re going into a lot of detail that I don’t want to know here.” Sometimes, their body language is actually communicating that. Their face may not necessarily be communicating that, but the rest of their body language is.

Or if they’re starting to get tense about what question do I ask next or something, they’ll stop and fiddle with their pen. And in fiddling with their pen, it’s like, what does the other person make that mean? And sometimes they make it mean that the pen fiddler is irritated or annoyed or nervous or unsure, and that may not be the message that … It may not be how we feel, but it also may not be the message that we want to communicate.

So it’s about making sure that your body language is also empathetic, is also attentive, is supportive. It’s showing that you are present and there for the person. That this conversation matters. How many times have we had a conversation, or how many times has somebody, here’s the classic. You know, “how are you? How was your weekend?” Those kind of things. The social politeness. And we know, sometimes we just know the person’s asked us that, and it’s like, I’m not listening to your answer. I’ve just asked. And we go through this kind of polite social dog dance. But you know the person, just from their body language and everything else, you know the person’s not listening to your answer. So you could say absolutely anything, and they’d go, “Oh, lovely, lovely.” And then move on.

But equally you know the difference when someone really is paying full-on, close attention. And I think one of the other things that we have to remember is that, and this maybe relates with empathy, is that we, and particularly when we want to build more trust, people aren’t going to reveal to us what’s really going on if we reveal nothing about ourselves.

If we come across as nothing’s happening or we’re completely perfect or we’ve got it all totally and utterly sorted, or we’ve never ever screwed up at all in our entire life, or whatever else it is, it’s about being able to offer some level of self-disclosure, and again, do it in a way that is supportive and is meaningful for the other person.

We’re not offering too much. We’re not offering it too soon. It is about the self-disclosure, the vulnerability. And it’s about asking yourself why am I sharing this? In what way do I think it will help this person?

Because sometimes we can self-disclose, and it was for our own ends. It was to make us feel good. It wasn’t actually about helping the other person. Sometimes we can self-disclose and it was with the pure intent of helping the other person, but the response and feedback that we get is maybe it was a little too much or a little too soon, and this is just how we learn how to get better and better at it.

And that’s the listening. It’s not just, we do something, and it’s like we’re observing the reaction of what it is we’ve just done and course-correcting from there. But if we’re not fully listening, then it’s like the equivalent to thrashing around in a pool and hoping you’re going to make it to the other side.

So really, we’re listening with our mind. We’re listening with all our senses. We’re listening with our heart, our soul. In that bit of being fully present in that moment, having that level of awareness to what is. I love the phrase, “Awareness is the birthplace of possibility.” And if we have that level of awareness, which we get by that level of listening, then possibilities emerge that we could never in our head, just using our intellect, have ever worked out.

Sometimes, one of the challenges that people face is they get better at this level of listening, and they get better at asking questions, is they turn around and say … You know, my guys turn around and say, “Oh, you know. Thanks, but I obviously didn’t need to come and chat to you, didn’t need anything.” It’s like they didn’t seem to realize what I did, because the person came in, talked, I asked them a few questions. They worked out, they answered themselves. So they did it all themselves. And it is about letting go of the need to be seen to be doing all of those things, and just knowing that in the richness of somebody truly listening to you, being present to you, that, after a while, you do still want to have conversations with those people.

And they’ll come and maybe they will also start and get into things that are of more and more importance to them or the problems that are bigger for them, complexities and uncertainties that they’re still attempting to resolve. Or they’ll come to you with ideas and creations that they feel are going to be more honoured. Doesn’t necessarily mean to say it’s the best idea or the best creation, but they feel that they can share that with you, and so, again, there is more possibility.

And if you want it to work, if you want relationships, I guess, in which there is a high level of trust and you and them can go on to create things that maybe you didn’t first think was possible, then active listening is a good skill to practice getting better at.

Until next time. Go be the difference in leadership.

The post Active Listening is a Valuable Coaching and Leadership Skill appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

Failure, failing, screwing it up, making mistakes.  Things we prefer to avoid like the plague.  Yet in our desire to prevent this, we also miss out on the good stuff.

Failure approached with the correct mindset and actions leads to rapidly embedded learning, increased competence, wisdom, innovation, humility.  All of which are things we want to embody as a leader and wish our employees would develop.

Failure approached with a wrong mindset not only means we miss out on the above. It can also lead us to feel shame, reduction, contraction, hostility, toxicity.

I frequently hear this mantra, “fail fast, fail forward,” I’ve even used it myself.  Sometimes it’s used correctly, other times it’s like slapping a sticking plaster on a large wound. Still bleeding but just not so obviously in your face.

Here are two real situations from leadership training’s I’ve run.

The first was a guy, let’s call him Peter, who was creating and presenting his team vision to a group of other leaders.  It’s a process that nicely broken down into steps; each once completed builds on the other, and support is given along the way.  The final test is presenting the vision to all the other leaders in the room, who have been creating their team vision and will also present.  We then give feedback on what worked well and share our thoughts and ideas on making it even more powerful.

Peter stood up and did his thing.  And I mean did HIS THING, for whatever reason he had decided that he didn’t need to complete the steps and he certainly didn’t need to implement any of the presentation advice.  What we got was epic boredom.  He got feedback.  He was none too impressed with his audience.  He then shrugged his shoulders and with a laugh said, “well fail fast fail forward, “ and then sat down clearly indicating for the next person to go.  I’m like ‘hold your horses,’ and I asked him, “what have you learnt?”

The rest of the conversation went on to illustrate that while he had indeed failed and spectacularly at that.  He hadn’t learnt anything, no insights, not even regarding our experience of how we heard his vision.  Our feedback apparently was all wrong.  He isn’t the first person I’ve overheard use the saying as a mask to give the illusion of learning.

Again they’d been practicing steps and were now putting them all together.  There is a lot to be aware of, and no, I don’t expect people to do everything.  At the end of the session, the observers give their feedback.

In this instance, the lady, let’s call her Jill, had done somethings well and yet missed various key aspects.  She said she’d lost concentration, struggled to find the thread and then just kept on going in the vain hope that the conversation would lead to some insight or solution for the coachee.  It hadn’t.  Jill described it as an epic fail and a few more words besides.  I said “OK, it didn’t turn out as you wanted it to and let’s explore for learnings” and there were several things, useful things.  I then asked, “why did you continue when you’d realised what was happening?” She thought about it and had further insights.

Now if ever there was a good use of fail fast, fail forward, this was it.  In 45 minutes, she’d learnt a lot.  However, she wasn’t the only one to benefit.  The observers who were still to practice their coaching also learnt a lot too.  Not only from the observation of the session but from the quality of reflection and discussion afterward.

This was no epic fail but epic learning, which didn’t stop there and continued as the day went on.  More pennies dropped, and things came together.  As the course went on, participants were now happily sharing their mistakes and learnings rather than keeping them quiet and to themselves.  This was also accompanied by a greater sharing of what they felt were successes and went well.  Failure was no longer a demon in the room.  Or in their mind.

No one sets out to screw up.  And we do.  Especially when we’re practicing something we’re not yet familiar with.  Learning something while trying to avoid errors means we keep it small.  Learning something and putting pressure on yourself to get it 100% right, wow pressure indeed, as if the thing we are learning isn’t challenging enough.

Our mindset or attitude to failure, while we learn something, makes a huge difference in whether we really do learn everything we could.

Our mindset or attitude to failure while we lead and support others also makes a difference.  If we really want to build a workforce and workplace that is resilient, agile, and innovative, then re-examining our approach to failure could pay dividends.

At blue pea POD, we are in the business of enabling leaders and organisations understand who they are, their identity and purpose, creating the profitable future they desire now.   

Blue Pea POD works internationally with a client base that includes the FMCG, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. You can subscribe to our podcast here and then if you would like to find out more about how we can help you get in contact here. Or call +44(0) 845 123 1280

The post Why Epic Failure Done Right Strengthens Your Leadership appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

On my way back from delivering a leadership course in Europe last week I was drawn to a post from Leigh Branham on why employees leave their organisation; it’s based on a book of his that is an excellent read. 

It highlighted that nearly 90% of managers think employees leave for money when the figure is closer to 12%. The post continued that 90% of Business Leaders believe an engagement strategy would make a difference and improve business performance. However, less than a quarter had any form of employee engagement activities happening in their workplace; shocking isn’t it?  

Then how about this post from Personnel Today who shared a report by employee communications platform Speakap which revealed how vital workplace culture is to employees. 

The research revealed that 42% of the 1000 people surveyed would rather work a 60-hour week than work for a company that does not value its culture. 

Six in 10 (58%) said they would take a job with their organisation’s competitor if it had a better culture than their employer, while only 13% said culture was not vital to them. 

This leads me to the nub of today’s post; what do our employees want from us. It would be easy to make assumptions so here are a few things to consider based on the many conversations I have with training course participants and coaching clients every week. 

When did you last say thank you to a member of your team? I know we are all time–pressed and here to work through our ‘to-do’ list and…. I’m still waiting for an answer…… 

All too often we forget to give our employees the respect they deserve. Do we ask for their opinion or input? All too often I’ll hear a coaching client lament that when they went back into their organisation, their new idea was dismissed without a second thought. 

In turn, as you value and respect your team, they respect you too, and trust builds. 

Goal setting is vital to business performance, of course, and building a vision that everyone can get behind is an essential part of the equation too. 

If you want to see this in action visit any Disney theme park or Ikea store where a strong vision has built a fantastic culture that spawns happy employees too. 

When Walt Disney was created in 1923, it had a simple vision. The company wanted to be the “world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.”  

Its core theme was to bring happiness to millions. It achieved that mission by imprinting magical and inspiring experiences on children that stuck around well into their adulthood. Disney’s vision has led it to be one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world for almost a century. 

 The key thing here is that Disney’s success has come from the power of its vision. A company’s success depends on having a solid vision for the future – and employing an engaged team that is dedicated to making that vision a reality; which your employees want, by the way.  

Though this statement from Richard Branson might be well worn, I am going to share it anyway. Sir Richard is quoted as saying that why would you employ great people and then get in their way? 

Many people do though. 

It’s better to work with your employees and discuss the outcomes you want. You might just be surprised by solutions you had never thought about. 

Depending on the size of your organisation, are your systems still fit for purpose? Or are they outdated and desperately in need of a refresh? 

As human beings, we work better within a system that is built around structures and frameworks too. 

Does your infrastructure give your employees the tools they need to excel in their role? This could include creating clear processes, providing adequate training, support and a clear career path. With all aspects being transparent. 

Fact: All human beings want to get ‘better’ at what they do. Though according to the popular press it’s only Millennials who want to be ‘developed’, but this simply isn’t the case. 

As human beings, we are all success seeking creatures according to Maxwell Maltz the best selling author of Psycho-Cybernetics. This means that development is critical for everyone in our organisation and creating an organisation where ‘being’ developed is part of how things are done and will consequently lead to a workforce which feels their contribution is important. 

How does your organisation fair? Are you a ten out of ten in all five areas? 

At blue pea POD, we are in the business of enabling leaders and organisations understand who they are, their identity and purpose, creating the profitable future they desire now.   

Blue Pea POD works internationally with a client base that includes the FMCG, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. You can subscribe to our podcast here and then if you would like to find out more about how we can help you get in contact here. Or call +44(0) 845 123 1280 

The post The 5 Things Your Employees Want From You appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

Burnout is a genuine and increasing concern for many leaders I’m working with today.  Now their focus of interest regarding burnout is their staff. However, my observation is that there is also an increase in burnout among the leaders.  It’s a kind of slow, creeping death.  In fact, in some cases, I’d go as far as to say that because the leader is experiencing some burnout, they can’t see it in their staff.  Who they genuinely care about.  It’s like becoming blind to what is.

Burnt out staff are more likely to seek alternative employment, take sick leave, have accidents, make avoidable mistakes or errors in decision making.  All these have their costs to the business.

Have you checked that your expectations of what’s involved in their role, or what the deliverables are, match with their expectation and understanding?  Many times there is a mismatch here, which comes to light at a review.

If you’re lucky it’s a monthly or quarterly discussion and there is plenty of time to get things back on track.  If you’re unlucky it’s the annual performance review, and by that time there is a lot of water under the bridge and getting back on track is even harder.  This is not just because their performance didn’t match your expectation.  But because they’re now disappointed, doubting either themselves or you or both.  I sometimes describe this as a year of ‘whacking lemmings’.  A lot of effort has been put into the year, but no fruits are reaped.

Obviously, in an ideal world, the workload would be consistently perfect.  In reality, we get peaks and troughs, or what can happen is we have peaks and lesser peaks.  The troughs – i.e. rest points, disappear.

As work becomes more dynamic, then what’s required of us changes and fluctuates.  What we can’t do is keep taking more on without taking time to reflect and ditch what’s no longer needed or working.

Covering for a colleague for two weeks is possible while doing our job.  Covering their role and ours for six months is unrealistic and unworkable.  Yet I’ve seen people do this.  Not because at the beginning they knew it was six months but hey “they like a challenge so let’s try doing two jobs for the pay of 1”. Instead, it was a temporary thing that kept on going, and they didn’t want to let anyone down.  On top of this either their bosses were too busy on other matters to address this or didn’t see the person was starting to drown.

When we begin to experience overwhelm in our workload, however, it is caused, we need our leaders to help us prioritise better.  That way we have a better idea of what to let go of, what to put on hold.  We also get insights into where we need to develop and strengthen, so we’re less likely to experience the overwhelm.

We’re always on, connected to the world, carrying it around in our pocket.  Email, phone, messaging.  We look around at our colleagues and leaders and see how they respond to these and then react the same.  In a meeting, if the person’s phone rings do they instantly answer it and put that meeting on hold?  At night do they send out a bunch of emails and what’s more do they expect a reply outside of regular working hours?

Firstly lets look at the phone.. When you sit down and put it on the table, instantly you signal to the other person that should anything happen ‘on this device ‘I’m responding.  Which means the phone is more important than this conversation.  Just looking at whatever pops up is an interruption, a distraction, a response, yes choosing to ignore it is a response, just as choosing to answer it is one. At that moment it breaks the connection you have with the other person.  Now in some meetings that doesn’t matter and in other conversations it most certainly does.

Emotionally intelligent leaders keep their phone out of sight.  If there is something serious going down, they explain that they might need to take the call.  However, this isn’t the introduction to every meeting as a way of sneakily making it OK to use their phone.  My experience has been that 98% of the time they show up and keep their phone away.  Out of all the times they’ve ever said anything only 1 has a call come in.

Secondly, let’s look at evenings and weekends and holiday – do you still respond and keep in touch?  Where is the cut off point for you?  What’s your expectations of your team and their behaviour during these periods?

Taking time away from our phone, email and messaging allows our brain valuable space for it to process, file, defrag, recharge and rejuvenate.  Which, in turn, reduces our stress levels, which means we’re less likely to burnout.

Of course, if we can do something pleasurable when we’re disconnected, then that’s even more beneficial and therapeutic.  It’s also been shown to make us more creative and productive back at work.  Win-win.

The key to disconnecting though is discipline.  Set yourself boundaries and stick to them.  Increase them over time.  Disconnecting too much too quickly can lead to anxiety.  As you get more disciplined you’ll become aware of what causes you to break your boundaries, also useful information in terms of your development.

Just starting with one of the routes mentioned above will begin to make a difference.  You’ll know right now which one is the most feasible for you.  Then build on that.  As you change your behaviours, your team will probably shift theirs.  And if they don’t well you can have a conversation with them from a perspective of the difference it’s made to you, rather than do as I say and not as I do.  You can also download your copy of our free report on ways to increase your resilience too, which will give you more tools to reduce burnout.

The post 3 Ways to Avoid Burnout in Your Team appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

Do you have any of these in your team right now?

If you do have any of the above it can be a sign that the desire for safety is an important element right now.

And by safety, I mean that cloak of invisibility we put on that allows us to experience some sort of predictability.  However unproductive and frustrating it might be.  Safety, stability, comfort.  That sense of knowing that you can do the same thing and get the same result; even if the result is poor, but you’re not rocking the boat.

Now no one’s going to check, so let’s have a moment of candid honesty with ourselves.  Have you ever made the choice to sort for safety rather than anything else? And might you be tempted in the future, depending on the stakes?

What can I say, there have been times in my life when I’d have mugged Harry Potter for his invisibility cloak.  Empathy is a critical quality in a leader, as is vulnerability and confessing to the fact that we weren’t born perfect and have made some lousy decisions and choices in our journey as a leader.  Part of my growth was in realising what was behind my choice for safety.  Or putting it another way what were the fears that were dictating my choices.

You’ll also notice that if this desire for safety is a regular situation for someone, then they’ll have gone to the trouble of having got some really good, plausible excuses in the bag to support the current situation.  And what’s more, they’ve worked out where to point the finger.  Usually, at a 3rd party, a them or department rather than a specific person.

Think back over the last few conversations you’ve had with staff – are they showing the signs of sorting for safety?  As a leader this can be really frustrating and unrewarding when you’re doing your best to find ways of engaging staff, getting real commitment, investing in team development, working on building trust.

So, if safety is paramount for that person right now, then what’s going on underneath?

If we’re being our self, offering our ideas, putting our self on the line then we’re scared we’ll be judged as not being good enough or acceptable to the team. If there is a change being introduced and we’re not fully on board we stay silent and don’t voice our concerns, especially if it’s the boss’s pet project.  Fitting in is more important than anything else right now.

What if we say something and it offends another person. We don’t want to rock the boat, be rejected (see above) or reported to HR for making a politically incorrect comment, so we say as little as possible, or talk vaguely or compromise or pacify.

Here’s one example, I work in manufacturing sites. I’ve had conversations with teams about the current challenges on the site and what they see are the risks, solutions etc.  I get the party line, and then I ask them what they really think is going on.  Eyes search the ground, feet shuffle and then after a gulp of air, the group fix me with an intense stare and say well it wouldn’t be politically correct.  Then I get the truth as to how they see it.  Now I have something to work with.  I’m not suggesting people should talk like that all the time, but if they’d been more honest with their leaders earlier I don’t think we’d have reached this position and things could have been improved far earlier.

We all like to have the answers, to be perfect, to not propose a solution or idea and look stupid. So we sit tight and keep quiet, working it all out in our head until we have it sorted.  By then of course the whole conversation can have moved on and we’ve missed the moment.

If we do speak up, or share how we see reality right now, or we point to the dead moose on the table, are we going to be shot down, shut out or taken outside and “had a word with”? What happened to the last person who did this, where are they now, what impact did that have on their career progress?  These are all things we take in to consideration at some point, and then make a decision to speak up or not.  Rarely do we subsequently review the decision we made, unless of course some pain comes along to prompt a review.  Meaning your staff could be operating from a work environment that was years ago, their experience of another leader, or even from another company.

Well like just about anything in leadership, we model it.  We review how often we let any of these fears creep in to our choices and are demonstrated in our behaviours.  Not sure if you’re seeing yourself as others do, then you can ask someone to help you – ask your coach or mentor, they are an external party to what’s happening and often are the most objective.

Then when you’ve had a look at yourself you can go out there and help your staff reduce their fears.

The benefits of taking the time to do this – well increased trust, at least between you and them, but probably with others too.  You’ll have more engagement and commitment, problems will be tackled with more agility, hey they might even be nipped in the bud before they become problems.  There are others, but these are guaranteed, especially if you’re modelling what you want to see.

The post 4 Fears Reducing The Performance Of Your Team appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

This year some of my conversations and work with my clients have encompassed the power of our identity and our story, or script, that we unconsciously let shape our life and consequently our leadership.

Right now, I’ve just relocated from Cheshire to Cornwall, a vision that’s become reality about 2 years earlier than I thought it would.  Which means that it comes with several challenges, as well as lots of good stuff.  You must seize opportunities when they present themselves and have faith that you’ll figure out the gaps as you go, imperfect action beats no action.  Plus, there is nothing like pushing yourself to new frontiers to reveal how you sabotage yourself and how your sense of identity enables you to achieve something or not.

If you can hold the silence with yourself long enough, you’ll hear the quiet voice running the script of your life.  “people like us don’t do this.” “this is easy for me, I’ve always succeeded at this” “are you crazy lady, not all of the pieces of the puzzle are sorted yet”.  This Script has both positive and negative components to it, and its over-riding intention is to keep you safe in life.

The thing is when we’re pushing new frontiers, when we’re going for our vision then very often our script and sense of identity needs to shift.  And we have to silence our saboteur so we can do the necessary work.

By now you’ll have your goals, intentions, and desires mapped out for this year.  So, this is the perfect time to take a look at writing your script for this year and beyond.

In essence, it’s that simple, you simply write the script for your future.  A little like writing a chapter of a book.  2019 is a chapter in your life, put pen to paper and write it down, then go out and live it.  If in December it doesn’t quite match up, you have information you can do something with.  You have the capacity to course correct.  If you don’t write it down, then you have no idea what or where you could improve.  What you will do is live 2019 according to the current and probably ancient script you have about yourself.  This could even be the script that was handed to you by your parents.  Which might even be one that was handed down to them by theirs.  Now I’m all for heirlooms and I’m not sure that this one is always the most valuable.

One of the most common ways we sabotage our self is by being too busy, tired, distracted to actually write things down.  Your script doesn’t have to be war and peace or worthy of the Pulitzer Prize.  Really quite frankly anything (like bullet points) is better than nothing.  That said, how much do you value your life, your self, the goals and vision you’re going for?  If the answer is not much, then quick, look busy and distract yourself now.

We also sabotage our self when we write vague things down.  Use bold words, ones that inspire and ignite you.  Here are a couple of illustrative examples.  Just read the difference between I am a woman, I am a successful woman, I am a loving, imaginative, vibrant woman.  This isn’t about your ego, it’s about proclaiming who you are in a way that makes you feel alive.  The same goes for writing about achievements, get specific.  I’ll make a profit, I’ll make six figures, I’ll make 143,000 pounds, euro’s and dollars thank you very much.  There is a lovely phrase, “you have to name it to claim it”.  Until you do it’s all wishy-washy.  What’s more, you can never own something until you first claim it.  So name it, claim it and then gratefully own it.

Many of us want to be happy and have meaning in our life.  We’re seeking to make a difference to those we interact with.  To the extent that we play small and faff about we’re limiting our capacity to experience what we desire.  We’re also shortchanging those we lead.

I love my work with leaders helping them play full out.  I also know there are only so many leaders and teams I can work with.  So I’m also enjoying the challenges of writing a book, so I can be of service to more people and it can help them in some capacity too.

I’m also re-thinking how I can best support leaders to be resilient, authentic and fearless.    Which means I’ve been practicing what I preach.  I’ve been rewriting my script, my sense of self, I’m silencing my saboteur and on that last point sometimes I’m more successful than others. He can be a crafty little critter.

Look back at your vision or your goals for this year.  To what extent do they ignite you enough to say I’m prepared to play full out?

Set aside 5 mins every week to remember your vision, re-commit to your goals and run through the next chapter of your life.  Make any improvements you want. (Notice I said improvements, this is not the opportunity for your saboteur to have its wicked way and diminish your future.) Then go off and do whatever you’re inspired to do.

You may also become aware of the kinks in your current script that need sorting.  Some of which you may resolve yourself and others you may want help with.  It’s one of the ways I help my clients get their desired results faster than they otherwise would.

You never know if you like it enough you could have yourself another one next month.  Mine is just crammed full.  Unpacking boxes, creating my new home, book writing, client sessions, creating a new programme as well as making preparations to celebrate the entering of a new decade of my life.  So for me, March is going to be just fab-u-lous and I might even share some of my thoughts regarding turning 50 in a future post.

In the meantime, here’s to playing full out leading and living your best life.

The post It’s time to re-write your life script to improve your leadership appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

There was a time when people looked for job security, for the right remuneration package and the career ladder.  However what people want now is meaning and significance in their work.  When we talk about employee engagement or employee satisfaction is what we’re interested in them showing up and completing some tasks and feeling OK about it?  Or do we want them to show up, fully present, committed to the company’s mission, vision, and values?

Numerous studies have shown that when an individual has a personal connection to the organisations purpose their productivity, motivation, creativity and resilience increase.  It’s also worth noting that absenteeism, sickness, and stress are significantly reduced.

Victor Frankl, a psychotherapist and Holocaust survivor, found that those that survived did so because there was meaning for them.  Meaning to their life, meaning beyond the ditch they were currently digging.  That those who let go of life lost meaning first.

We all have commonly acknowledged needs, love, recognition, security, we also want to experience growth and be of service.  It is in having all of these met that we feel fulfillment.

As a leader, we first have to find this within our self and then we are challenged to help others find this within themselves.  It’s no longer a case of providing, care-taking or parental leadership.  Employees should feel responsible and accountable for their own life and career.  However, as a leader, we need to guide and sponsor them in finding their answers and their path.

As a leader the challenge is to help those around you connect to the vision, to understand their values and to find their voice?

Authentic leadership is about “empowering” others to step up and lead.  In the 21st century organisations of empowered leaders will be far more successful than those leaders focused on power, authority and their title.

Authentic leadership and creating a workplace that’s infused with meaning and fulfillment gives a level of shareholder value that you just can’t buy.  If someone has a job and things go wrong on the production line, they may stay late if there’s overtime.  If someone has a career and things go wrong on the production line, they may reflect on what caused the problem.  If someone has a purpose and meaning and things go wrong on the production line, they will stay late whether or not there is overtime, they will look for causes and they’ll look for solutions to ensure the problem won’t happen again.

What is meaning? – There are many definitions, a sense of significance, the purpose of an act, the interpretation of some intention.  However, the common aspect is that we experience the sensation of meaning when we can connect our thoughts, actions or values with something else in such a way that it creates a personal sense of relevance.

As we can see for something to have meaning or to be meaningful it’s a personal connection and connectedness that’s established.  We cannot then find a one size fits all approach for the workplace.  In fact, this is something that we can only facilitate our staff when they are ready to make the connection themselves.

Here are several ways someone can find meaning in their work:-

Whilst we often say money is rarely a motivator it can be important if it allows you do something that fuels your passion, for example, this could be a hobby or it could be your children’s education.

This aspect of meaning is achieved through balance, the inputs are equal to the outputs and the outputs (rewards) are desired by that person, for some this reward is financial, for others it’s job security, others its recognition or awards.  What has shifted in the workplace is the length of time between the input and the output.

This gap is closing, people are seeking the reward earlier, it’s not about working hard for a promotion and reward that may come in 2 – 5 years down the line as jobs and roles are shifting so much faster, this reward may not be there.  We also have a Generation X/Y dimension.  Those born after 1980 are seeking instant gratification from their efforts.

Work-life balance is still one of the most talked about issues in the workplace.  If your work has meaning then it is much more a part of your life.  If your work is just something you do and you derive your sense of meaning outside of work then you will see a definite split between work and life.  The conversation will be about work or life, work or play, ease or struggle, commitment or sacrifice, work or family.

An organisation going through significant change, or where uncertainty and market demands can fluctuate can experience a weakening of human bonds and relationships.  This can be through constant restructuring, internal completion around jobs (especially if there has been a round of job losses) or because the focus has shifted to the task and process rather than the person doing the task.

Some people will find a way of bonding together, others look to band together around a common cause, others are more free-spirited and look for mini parties with those they experience a connection with, however, they don’t expect the parties to last.

However people choose to find their sense of belonging, it’s important the organisation doesn’t become so focused on outputs, processes, and systems and the people are seen as the executioner of these.  This can be mitigated by establishing a level of trust at all levels.  Then irrespective of the market changes and the consequence of this there is an internal resilience within the organisation that can handle this without the loss of relationships.

If people know the ‘why’ and they buy into it then they can work through tough times in a way that would otherwise be unthinkable.  The company’s purpose, its reason for existing shouldn’t be a few nice words hung on the wall.  Some companies aren’t clear why they exist and of course, this means they blow with the wind and are moved by the storms.  If the company purpose doesn’t invigorate an individual is there a site purpose or a line purpose.

These ‘smaller’ purposes should be connected to the overall purpose, it’s just that for some people the overall purpose is too large or far away for them to see and connect with.  When some people stand on the shore they look at the waves lapping the sand, others look at the swell and vast body of water and others look at the horizon and notice the tiny speck of a supertanker.  If you know someone’s focus and frame of reference you can help them connect to a purpose and a why that is meaningful.

A sense of continuity and history is a powerful way of creating meaning and one that is so often overlooked and undervalued.  The more you understand the core of an organisation the more you can connect the current goals and actions to that core.  Again it stops work feeling like some random serious of events or flavour of the month fad.

The founder of Jus-Rol had a dream, what’s the 21st-century flavour of that dream.  Do people know of this or is there an assumption that it’s obvious, or is it no longer valued.  People are staunchly proud of their heritage, I’m from Yorkshire, I’m from Scotland.  The heritage of a business is the same.  Just as if you ignored the DNA of a human being and kept changing things without regard you’d eventually kill the human, an organisation is no different.  Look at all the companies and brands that have fallen by the wayside because the DNA, the core of the brand was ignored in favour of some quick sales win.  What’s the history of the brand and the site that can be tapped in to?  What are the core values that connect to the DNA and yet work for the business now and into the future?

What others think of the organisation we work for is important to us.  There is a sense of pride in mentioning a brand with which we have a positive experience.  We see the brand as a reflection or extension of ourselves.  I wear Armani, I wear George from Asda.  I drive a Fiat, I drive a Ferrari.  I buy Tesco own label, I buy Heinz baked beans.

Employees have a deep sense of how their sector of the business or the company as a whole is perceived.  It could be a brand, it could be the collection of brands, it could be the company overall or some will have a connection to the field as a whole e.g. Food Manufacturing or FMCG.

When you’re at a dinner party or down the pub, if your company, site or brand is mentioned do you have an internal glow and sense of pride or do you shuffle your feet and look at the floor.  Do you sing its praises, or refute any criticism, or do you chuck the hand grenade in first before anyone else can?

This is about helping the individual undertake actions and tasks that make a contribution.  Being busy and under pressure and delivering results and outcomes that make a difference is one thing.  However many people feel overworked and that their time is spent on pointless activities or activities that in the scheme of things will be lost, diluted or prove futile as the needs of the business demand the next thing.

If you are constantly firefighting or there are constant flux and change without an overall goal then the level of connection to work drops.  Also in multi functional teams, the impact of one person’s actions can have unforeseen consequences for another.  These can lead to silo mentality or micromanagement.  However the clearer you can be around accountability and responsibility and the better you are at delegation the more clarity of impact you’ll provide – or you’ll quickly find out that you’re asking people to perform irrelevant tasks.

People accessing their unique strengths tend to feel they are living more meaningful lives and as a consequence, their levels of happiness, motivation, and health are higher.  However, some appraisal schemes are set up to pinpoint weaknesses only and then work on reducing them next year.  No human being grows and develops as an ever-expanding circle we tend to grow in a more spiky fashion.  We will develop our logic or our emotions, or our character over our competence.

We also unconsciously encourage others to grow and develop in areas that we’ve found led to our success.  If we have qualifications in science we may see those in art as less valuable.  We may prefer a collegial approach to learning were others respond to hands on.  If you can help someone connect to their strengths and to find their unique gift to their work you witness someone light up like a Christmas tree.  From that point on they can see where they need to develop, which areas they should capitalise on and which areas are holding them back.  Now of course when they seek to reduce or mitigate a weakness there is a context for this and an internal commitment and desire to do so.

Thanks,

Ruth

Time is a precious commodity, and you don’t want to waste it or any other resources trialing various programmes to see what might have content and insights that work for you.

Leadership can feel like a lonely role especially in times of high change and uncertainty, and it’s good to have a sounding board and someone with experience of leadership and business.

Maybe there are challenges you want to resolve and goals you want to achieve right now?

Our VIP ½ day or 1-day coaching and mentoring package are designed to give you the confidence, clarity and action plan you need to get the desired results you want.

Spend ½ – 1 day with Ruth (either in person or on the phone) and move from chaos to clarity.  To discover if this is the right investment for you at this moment in your leadership journey contact us and we’ll arrange a conversation.

The post Is A Lack Of Meaning and Fulfillment Impacting Your Teams Success? appeared first on Blue Pea POD.

Fact and an uncomfortable one at that is; the stories we tell, to ourselves and others, predict our future. We are by nature story people, it’s a way of expressing ourselves, feeling valued, connected.  It’s also a way of framing what’s happened or about to happen in a useful and productive way.  Good stories move us – either into action or into retraction.

In which case I have 2 questions for you that I’d like you to reflect on and answer before you move on to read the rest of this article.

Let’s focus for a minute on question number 2, the stories you share with others.  How many of these are around the problems and challenges you’re facing right now and how many are about what’s working, a recent success or what you’ve just learned?

We’re always playing story snap – we share something and the other person counters.  I’ll see your economic challenge story and raise you a threat of site closure.  Boom, boom let’s share the gloom.

Now I’m not suggesting that we go into denial about what’s going on in our lives.  There are times when it’s all going pear-shaped and we begin to question our capacity to make decisions, see the wood for the trees or just have the strength to hang in there.  However, it’s important to remember duality, ebb, and flow, or that business is very much like seasons, just not quite as obvious with a calendar and daylight saving changes.

As I’m writing this the oak trees are shedding their leaves, they’re not hanging on panicking about whether there will be new leaves.  They’re shedding, disintegrating before renewal, growth, and blossom.  Neither are they looking at the conifers and feeling all unfair and unjust as to why there is no leaf drop for them.

If you can’t let go then you can’t create, grow or come back stronger.  If you can’t let go then over time you will be weighed down and eventually become obsolete, a historically talking point if you’re lucky.

So when you share your tough stories be mindful of your reason, is it to learn, grow, let go, get support, or are you resisting, fighting and just plain feeling sorry for yourself.

When you get better and spotting your real reasons for sharing tough stories you’ll get better at seeing the reason someone else is sharing tough stories.

When you hear a challenging story, how often do you respond with compassion?  Empathy and tough love are qualities we need to develop to be effective as a leader.   How else can we help the person view this situation, not so we minimise it, but in a way that expands their choices and options?  What are they missing, what resources do you see in the story that they’re currently blind to or overlooking?

Then again do you find yourself judging and comparing?  We judge a story and rather than help the person move through it we dispense our opinions and advice.  Or we’re going through something far worse and we let them know.

The more you share stories of learning, progress, and success (however small) the more you’re building your resilience.  Ironically by sharing these, you encourage others to look for theirs and then story snap takes on a different direction and purpose.  Then it becomes a valuable resource.

You can’t look at the floor and the ceiling at the same time, yet they both exist.  Your stories reveal your current focus and indicate the future.  So if something’s not working for you at the moment you might just want to pay attention to the stories you’re sharing.

Thanks,

Ruth

Time is a precious commodity, and you don’t want to waste it or any other resources trying various programmes to see what might have content and insights that work for you.

Leadership can feel like a lonely role especially in times of high change and uncertainty, and it’s good to have a sounding board and someone with experience of leadership and business.

Maybe there are challenges you want to resolve and goals you want to achieve right now?

Our VIP ½ day or 1-day coaching and mentoring package are designed to give you the confidence, clarity and action plan you need to get the desired results you want.

Spend ½ – 1 day with Ruth (either in person or on the phone) and move from chaos to clarity.  To discover if this is the right investment for you at this moment in your leadership journey contact us and we’ll arrange a conversation.

The post The Stories You Tell Predict Your Future appeared first on Blue Pea POD.