Coaching to Success

Our business is your success

Habits

Is your business ‘mentality’ much like the 17% of UK homes that DON’T use the internet?

We were reading an ‘Office of National Statistics’ article that stated that 4 million homes in the UK are still not connected to the internet.

Imagine that, in today’s society, people still don’t use the internet when just over half of the adult population accessed web browsing over their mobile phones! Internet access plays such an important part in all our lives both for social and business needs.

To add to this, there are interesting questions being posted on legal LinkedIn groups inquiring the validity of electronic signatures.

So all of this got us thinking. How many businesses out there are still using old fashioned accounting systems, the equivalent of using the abacus when calculators became the latest gadget. Do people still use facsimiles to send documents? Are we locked to the desk with stand-alone PCs rather than laptops or tablets?

Times have rapidly moved on and maybe now is the time to look at how your organisation works. If you’re stuck doing the same thing in the same way but don’t like where it’s taking you, you can be assured, unless you change, your final destination remains set.

Much as technology continues to rapidly move on, so must you engage new ideas (and the hardware if you still use the abacus!) here’s some food for thought to boost that workplace productivity level and change your destiny!

  1. Focus on the ‘Team’ – We once worked with a distribution firm who wanted the sales force to work together to win contracts only then to promote that the highest ‘individual’ achiever of the year would win a family break in Euro Disney!! How contradictive is that? Getting your team to work ‘together’ toward a common goal certainly boosts productivity as well as relationships thus removing the chance of conflict.
  2. Avoid Micromanaging – Yes, you could do it better! (think of it as differently!) but micromanagement leads to stress, despondency, lack of trust, contempt or even fear. Management adds the structure, good leadership lets people thrive. Learn to let go and treat people like adults. Accuracy and retention of good workers will then be gained.
  3. Scramble Monotonous Tasks – make sure you don’t allow those tasks to continually land on the same people’s desks. Share tasks around. This aids communication, keeping fresh ways of achieving them flowing and the tasks, as they’re not always done day in, day out in become less tedious!
  4. Laughter – One of the biggest forms of learning and high productivity is gained from simply having a laugh. If adopted already, loosen the “it’s not the way we do things around here” attitude as when people enjoy what they do, knowing that they can laugh without reprimand, productivity soars.

Still unsure? Well if you are still on that same road, what have you to lose? Be brave, step away from your comfort zone and see what difference will be had from making a difference and believe in what you’re doing.

Should you be looking to change the way you currently do things, Coaching to Success specialise in change management and the affects it has on people, call Neil on 07761 187238 or email info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation

Bring the sunshine into the office!

Isn’t it amazing how wonderful we feel once that star at the centre of the Solar System breaks through and the clouds part to let it shine? People reach out to each other and smile.

Much like the sun, a bright positive environment within the workplace brings about not just smiles but also opens the creative right side of our brain. It allows you and your teams to think laterally and creatively, exploring new.

So how do we bring sunshine into the workplace? Often, as Leaders we expect others to do as we have been led by example. It’s difficult to break the mould but if you’re organisation is heading down the same path, then change is a must and ‘old’ ways need to be re-visited.

Quite simply, to get the most out of those around you, become a better boss or role model for peers to follow. Consider the following:

    1. Set an enjoyable environment – Do things differently from the norm. Have a ‘Fun’ day or a dress down day once a month. Issue equipment relevant to the tasks being performed, ie are you still using Word 97-2003? Daily, place a joke or cartoon where everyone can see it. Above all else, ask those around you what they consider would help towards an improved environment, where feasible, act on it.
    2. Praise in Public, Reprimand in Private! – Too many times I’ve seen the opposite. A Shop manager disciplining a member of staff not only in front of their peers but customers too! People remember ‘praise’ and seek to receive the same reward. Reprimanding in public will only alienate potentially brilliant ideas as individual’s fear of humiliation being thrown in their direction.
    3. Communication

 

– Walk & Talk is by far the best way. Every day, as a leader, walk around your team and spend just a couple of minutes actively listening to them without distraction of emails or phones. Squash the likelihood of office gossip or rumours by insuring the team know what’s happening. Hold regular weekly or monthly meetings. Invite people from all levels involved. Allow everyone to address areas of success, concern or puzzlement. Keep it truly open without hidden agendas and take criticism as an area to improve, not to launch a counter-attack.

  1. Become a better leader – Read articles, go to seminars, get a coach, take up evening studies or open university courses (that worked for me some 14yrs ago! Break the ‘habit’ mould). Lead through enjoyment rather than despondency. Think about any occasion where you’ve walked into another working environment and I bet the atmosphere is a result of the leader and not the business!

This is just the start, imbed these ideas into your workplace and after a few months, we guarantee you’ll see a noticeable and positive difference.

Coaching to Success encourages change allowing teams to bond and thus increase growth/productivity. If you’re looking to get the best out of your team(s), start by contacting Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or email info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation. The first step to a positive outcome is in your hands, act on it or simply continue the way things are.

8 Tips for those who want to stay ahead…

Being a beautiful Bank Holiday weekend, Thought I’d make a start on tidying up the garden and didn’t realise how much the grass had grown while I was busy with a growing business. Which then got me thinking about the comparisons, so, as a consequence, this week’s blog is asking you if your business is growing as fast as the grass is?

Now, without taking control of the lawn and garden in general, you can see how unmanageable it can soon become and much like business, what starts off as a flourishing beginning, you still need to maintain and keep on top of it otherwise weeds take over and the beauty of it all becomes lost.

Well enough of the analogies, let’s have a look at eight ways that you can stay on top of your game where the business is concerned.

  1. What Elephant in the room? – Deal with the Big jobs first, stop putting them off until later because later rarely comes. The smaller jobs will fit in and around the larger one so avoid trying to get rid of them first… Prioritise.
  2. Don’t take on too much! – Time management is one thing. This is all about managing what you have to do and fitting it into the time you have available but if you take on too much, then there is still only 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour and sometimes you have to realise when you need to say ‘No’.
  3. Delegate – Usually as we work up through the ranks, we feel that we not only have to carry out the task of the new role, but we also have to manage everything else we’ve done so far to get here! It’s time to delegate those tasks that are less important for the role you hold and, besides which, the person you delegate tasks to has a new sense of self-worth because of the trust you bestow upon them. This is not a simple or straightforward thing to do, so please check out This Post which will help in this area.
  4. Create your ‘Scheduled’ To-Do list the day before – For those of you who know me well, you’ll know I’m a great fan of the To-Do list. Not any ordinary one but a scheduled one! (Contact us if you want a copy). Make this the last task of the day to complete the following days list. As your day moves through it and other jobs come about, start creating the following days list and finalise it at the end of the day. Start this the minute your day begins avoiding unnecessary tasks or procrastinations.
  5. Got to check those emails! – As part of your ‘To-Do’ list, introduce a couple of times during the day that you will check emails and then turn the auto alerts off. Simple. Once mid-morning and the other mid-afternoon. Having set this time, mentally you’ll soon allow yourself the freedom to not having to read and respond to each one that comes through.
  6. Be process driven – Having a decent system in place certainly cuts back on wasted time. For example, if you are a solicitor with a new contract in place, create a checklist for the front of the folder that insures that each step from logging full client details all the way through to final account is there. This way, at any time, you or colleagues can see where you are in the process, what has been completed and, in turn, saves having to continually re-read over old stuff just to bring yourself up to speed as to where you are in the process.
  7. Manage meetings – To be a busy business person, you have to have lots of meetings! Really? Don’t waste your time going to meetings that aren’t relevant to you or your business. Check the frequency, if you’re managing meetings, do they have to be every day? Every week? Can you relay the important stuff in half an hour rather than the usual two hours and consider ‘where’ you meet. Do you need to travel or could you hold an ‘electronic’ meeting?
  8. Short, un-interrupted bursts – Rather than allowing those phone calls to interrupt what you need to do, turn your mobile off, ask reception to hold all calls for a given period of time and make sure those other distractions (emails, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc) are also turned off. Then fully concentrate for 30-40 minutes to complete whatever your task is. Do it in one un-interrupted burst that will take you so much less time than just periodically drifting in and out of doing it.

It’s wise to know that coaching isn’t something that firms, companies or organisations use just when areas need to be improved. We would ask you to consider some of the great leaders and organisations around at the moment. You can be assured they’ll have a coach on board to insure they remain that one step ahead of their rivals.

Coaching to Success frequently keeps their clients one step ahead and invite you to contact Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation should you be one of those great businesses that wish to step ahead of your rivals.

If you want to win ‘by-election’!, then you have to first listen

Politics isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but just as a comparison, the current political situation in Eastleigh, Nr Southampton is all about who can shout the loudest, parties all trying to make their point heard and this is no different in the world of commerce… It all comes down to ‘communication’.

In coaching/mentoring, we often refer to ‘Two of these and one of these, use in that order’ referring to our ears and mouth. As an individual, business owner, company, solicitor or practice then this advice rings true too and to succeed, you first have to listen … not just hear but ‘truly’ listen! In this age of whiz-by technology, can we honestly say we do as the next distraction flashes across our retinas?

So, to win the hearts and minds of people, first listen. Here’s 5 tips to help you achieve this:

  • LET ME PROVE I’M LISTENING – Body language and actions that show you are. The occasional ‘Uh-huh’ or ‘yes’ encourages the speaker to continue. Use facial expressions appropriately like smiling. Nod in affirmation. Create a welcoming and open posture.
  • I AM PAYING ATTENTION – Refrain from reading/glancing at those emails or reports that find their way onto your desk. Look at the speaker not at other things. Don’t predict and mentally prepare a rebuttal. Look at the speaker’s body language and listen to that too! Try to put aside other distracting thoughts.
  • I WILL RESPOND APPROPRIATELY – Refrain from letting emotions over-run and take over what you really need to say. By all means, assert your opinion but do this respectfully. Do not hide, be open and honest with your reply and remember to always treat others in the same respect that you wished to be treated yourself.
  • LET ME GIVE YOU SOME FEEDBACK – A great way to repeat back what you have heard or your interpretation of what you ‘believe’ was meant. Turn it back so the speaker knows you are actually listening and has chance to make further clarification should it be needed. Use phrases such as “What I’m hearing is…”, “My understanding of this is …”. Every now and then, summarise back to the speaker just to ensure they know you are listening. And remember, if you are starting to get emotional about what is being said, do not make assumptions and react but ask for further clarification.
  • OK, LET ME HOLD BACK ON JUDGEMENT – As the ratio was stated before, 2-to1. Listen more intently before interrupting to make your point. The speaker will more than likely be put off a logical thought process in their deliverance and the outcome will likely be a more emotive conversation without being able to gain the full understanding. Allow the speaker to complete what they are saying ‘before’ raising questions.

It may sound easy when someone asks of you whether you are an ‘active’ listener… it isn’t. If it were, maybe our politicians would gain much more credence by listening and not just shouting. As a person, you will also gain the respect of those around you whilst also understanding what the people want.

Coaching to Success does just that, we listen first then ask incisive questions to dig further to the truth of what is being said. Should you be looking to develop your business, start off by talking to someone who will listen to your needs, call us to arrange a free consultation by contacting Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk. We’re here to help.

MULTITASKING! – Does it Really help you get more done?

To seemingly increase our productivity, many of us multitask with activities like being on the phone to a client/customer while reading through emails. The call ends and as we write up notes, we call a colleague. They answer and during that call we enter appointments in the diary/outlook as well as work through figures for a quote/invoice etc!

People who multitask are seen as effective as well as efficient in this hectic world that we’ve made for ourselves because we all know we get more done when we multitask… don’t we?

The Allegory of Productivity Through Multitasking

In simple terms, Multitasking doesn’t make us more productive! It IS a MYTH.

Studies show we can waste up to 40% of our time multitasking. Not saving time. Not being creative. Wasting it! Contrary to belief, we can’t actually focus on more than one task at a time. But we think we can so that’s the route we take.

Here’s a thought. Try having an emotionally charged conversation about whether it’s problematic or not to have horsemeat in our processed lasagne (hmm, rather topical at the moment) or something based around work that is a bit contentious and do this while writing an important report needing to be presented to the board or partners! Extreme but it sets an obvious benchmark for something that isn’t so obvious due to the extremes, nonetheless, even smaller tasks are affected.

What can I do?

A quick question… when you’ve accomplished something that you have allowed yourself to give full attention to, how satisfied did you feel. Also, to what level of standard was it achieved?

So what can be done? “It’s not that easy, I have soooooo many tasks, jobs, people to see over. I have to multitask” I hear the cries call out. Okay, I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to attempting more than one task at a time but areas that I look at trying to help me, fall into the following:

EMAILS – Turn off audible or visual warnings that an email had arrived. Helps avoid the temptation to continually check each and every new one.

MONOTASK SETTING – Focus on one task at a time. Although ‘Emergencies’ may arise, can you assess their urgency? Do they all need to be done NOW?

PROCRASTINATION – One of my favourite words! Try to guide your wandering thoughts back to where or what you are doing. If thoughts drift, acknowledge what you’re doing and a little self-talk of getting back onto the item in hand will at least help you regain focus.

BLOCK PLAN – knowing you have emails or calls to make, block in time throughout your day to accomplish these and do it then.

AVOID THE DARK SIDE – (I hope that’s not infringing copyright! hehe). When you are expecting to carry out a task, avoid wandering just to ‘check’ text or emails or even voicemails. Take a deep breathe, resist and get back to the task in hand.

STOP JUGGLING – You will inevitably drift back into to quagmire of multitasking and when you do, take a short break from everything! Allow your mind to re-focus, the stress levels to reduce and concentration to reframe itself.

PRIORITISE – Not only important but ‘urgent’ issues will come, there is no escaping this, however, take note of where you are concerning your current task. Jot notes to help you pick it up again and then deal with the ‘urgent’ (and truly assess its urgency over possible distraction or enjoyment (procrastination!)) issue. Once complete, return to the original task and pick up from where you left off as a result of the notes you made.

With any hope, this blog will have helped towards re-looking at the way we think about multitasking and how it actually reduces the ‘quality’ of our work. The fact it doesn’t normally save but creates more time accomplishing a given task and this is as a result of reducing our ability to focus.

Coaching to Success fully understands that this isn’t going to be an overnight cure for the multitasking junkies, however, with luck and some concentration, it may help you towards focusing better on tasks. We are here to support you in this and many other ways.

Why not read some of the historic blogs again, have a look at the web and then pick up the phone or send an email for an informal chat about how we can help you succeed in your goals or aspirations. Call Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

Our business is about your success and your future successes are in your hands so give us a call so we can help you turn the ideas into reality.