Motivation

Aug 30 2017

The payback of perseverance …

I spent a gruelling bank holiday weekend building a defence barrier against a stream at the bottom of our garden with extremely heavy railway sleepers. Fortunately at intermittent times, I had family and friends to add moral and sometimes physical support to see it through to the end.

In this instance, it was physically exhausting but I could see and remained focused on the long term objective and benefit it would bring. Much like business, I was looking to stop things slipping away in an eventual landslide as a known factor, in this case running water!, could take control if I didn’t see this through.

Perseverance to see things through to the bitter end can be exhausting. If we remain unfocused and unmotivated it can easily be lost. Procrastination steps in to offer her enticing wares to steal you away. Interest can wain and attack the psyche as to how important it now is and conspires with procrastination taking you off the well thought plan.

So how do we battle with these two enemies of our mind? Here are a few guidelines to consider and work with:

Clarity: Know the reasons for reaching your objective. If unclear, get the clarity you need so you have purpose.
Intention: Don’t base it on a whim. Work out what and who you need to help achieve it. What is the strategy? Establish the timeline. Not just the end but for each step along the way.
Recognition: Know and acknowledge what you have achieved against your time frame. The goal is 100% and at the beginning you will be full of energy to reach it. If you get past the middle, the end is in sight. The middle is the tricky area where continued focus and recognition is required. Share your successes with others and have the courage of your own conviction to see it through.
Live now: All too often we dwell on the past. That has gone and changes cannot be made so live now. Negative memories do not contribute to our moving forward so let them go. Refrain from allowing these emotions or feelings to keep a hold over you.
Review: Check daily on how you are progressing. What areas need tweaking or have slackened. How well are you doing against targets and celebrate each passing goal reached.
Regeneration: I learned a long time ago the importance of making time for yourself. Move away from the task or project completely for a spell. Easier said than done when the pressure to complete is mounting but the best thing you can do is take a scheduled break. Do some exercise (I practice martial arts to get my frustrations out, I apologise now to my training partners!). Work on your sleep and what you eat/drink. Listen/read articles based on stress release.
Optimistic: Remain positive along the journey. Check in with others who know of your objectives and each day, or at least every other day, write a note to yourself on how well you’ve done to date. One client used to write these positive affirmations at the end of each day and stick his successes in a jar. At the end of each month, he would tip them all out to read which helped keep the morale going.

Back to our wall by the stream. It was completed and the sense of achievement still fills me with pride days after having built it and will for some time yet as the garden takes a different form resulting from what has been achieved.

Henry Ford once famously stated “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” So the biggest aid to perseverance is Positive mind talk. In this time of assumed negativity, buck the trend and start thinking positively! See how things start to happen for the better.

If you are feeling downtrodden or your team has lost that spark, contact Neil on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk, where you will be assured a warm, friendly welcome and the chance to discuss ways we can work together to get that drive back once more.

Aug 14 2017

Just so we’re clear, I’m right!

We all have something that hits us emotionally when someone says something against our own beliefs or values, this is when conflict can start.

I’m no exception to this. Last year a person bought the property behind us with the full knowledge there were trees running all the way along ours and neighbouring properties. His opening comment when he arrived at our door was “I want to come to a compromise regarding the trees”.

No discussion had been held before and no opening gambit concerning tree size was even mentioned, only that he wanted a ‘compromise’ which was possibly not the best way to start a positive relationship with your new neighbours.

With this in mind and memories of historical working ‘disagreements’ I thought I would share my top 6 tips towards conflict resolution:

“What’s it all about?” Clarity is the key. Not always apparent, maybe a constant niggle which can soon develop. It is imperative to establish, through discussions, what the disagreement is and each side’s stance. Usually we only break through the surface and seldom drill down to the core so an arbitrator (someone who is not affected by either party) is a great person to have to ask incisive questions. If they are not available, both parties should write down every little detail that they feel applies.
Find the common objective. Take a pragmatic approach rather than relying on emotion. Just for a while, drop the barriers or defence, as I did with the neighbour, take a breath and both sides discuss what each of them would like to see happen. Search for the commonalities and work from these.
“That won’t work because..” Before you start, establish what the barriers are as these are what need to be worked on/through. What was it that started the conflict and why was it important to take the stance. Once these have been established, then a resolve can be worked towards but they need to be delivered in a logical way rather than emotional. Should there be areas that there is no way to change, discuss methods of getting around the impasse.
Positive discussions. Avoid debating or arguing who is right or wrong. Now it is time to listen, truly listening to each other and coming together to work towards the common objective. This part is probably one of the hardest parts, especially if the dispute has been building. But it is critical to drop the defence and look to positive outcomes.
Yellow brick road. Much like the Wizard of Oz story, work towards the end goal and deal with issues along the way and find solutions. What do both parties need to do to reach the objective? What are the common grounds to work with? Reflect back on what the catalyst was to insure there is purpose behind reaching the objective together.
Own it. Insure that both parties understand what their responsibilities are to reach the agreed goal. From an NLP perspective, it is important to verbalise your own responsibilities rather than being told them. Use your own words and actually saying them out loud, the likelihood of making them work is massively increased. Sentences such as “I agree to take responsibility for…”.

This is much easier when a dispute is in its infancy, however, when items have started to really set root, these steps need to be revisited regularly and often at each stage along the agreed path.

Talking of roots, we did have a tree surgeon come round and lop some off the top and all overhanging branches to their side. Possibly not to the degree they wanted but that was what he wanted – a compromise!

If you are having a dispute where there doesn’t appear to be a reasonable outcome either yourself or members of your team, contact Neil on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk, where you will be assured a warm, friendly welcome and discuss what it is you wish to achieve.

Jul 03 2017

Building on past setbacks. How to develop your resilience…

People often refer to how Thomas Edison persevered over others’ scepticism of his diversity. There are others, such as James Dyson, who likewise fought through challenges. Taking 15yrs, 5100+ attempts creating a bagless vacuum.

Resilience is the ability to get back up when knocked down or not going to plan. So why is it so important?

People often comment on how I overcame throat cancer diagnosed in Feb 2008. I use this as an example for most wouldn’t even know I suffered with it or the hard work it took to be able to eat the simplest of meals but this is another form of resilience. I would not be beaten, so now enjoy a wide variety of foods that otherwise I would not have had if not for resilience.

In business/life, it is critical that we neither dwell upon nor wallow on how things appear unfair. Resilient people acknowledge and learn from mistakes or situations, using this as ammunition or stepping blocks to forge forward.

Resilience is as much about the mindset and self-talk as it is about viewing the glass as half full, not empty (or as some have said, “Neil, your damn glass is overflowing”!). It is about how you perceive life and situations. We will always be subjected to knock-backs but it is how we deal with these that our strength of character and persistence originates. Here are some areas that I noticed the aforementioned people used:

GOAL SETTING: Obviously, as a business coach, I believe this to be one of the most important areas. You can set SMART goals and make sure they align with your beliefs as well as values to insure a higher chance of success.

PERSPECTIVE: put things into perspective. They may seem overwhelming but assess what affect this may have long-term. Incorporate these areas into your goals and know how to break them into manageable or relevant parts.

POSITIVE THINKING: Consider how you talk to yourself or mind-chatter when something goes wrong! Do you focus on the negative or look at it as a lesson to be learned? Convert to the positive, eg “That didn’t work” to “knowing that, how can I…”. Reframing the way you talk externally and internally changes the mindset.

SELF-CONFIDENCE: Believe in yourself and work from the success you have achieved including those at school, college, University and the workplace. Self-confident people will also learn to take risks (as did Dyson). Confidence encourages taking these necessary risks from as early as taking the stabilisers off our bikes for the first time!

LEARN: Mistakes can be painful. The first fall once the stabilisers have been removed, but we move forward by getting back on (excuse the puns) and learning from the experience. Never stop learning and always find ways to improve from reading, watching experts, observing others and taking risks.

FLEXIBILITY: Kodak, Encyclopaedia Britannica and Woolworths ignored how the world was changing. Sticking by the old format and failed spectacularly. Constantly refer back to your objectives/goals making sure they can bend to accommodate new elements for development. It is important to work to a plan, however, constantly review and change where necessary.

RELATIONSHIPS: A great asset to have in building your resilience is a strong network of friends, family and colleagues. Stephen R.Covey wrote about ‘Interdependence’ emphasising the importance on building strength through experts around us who support us in areas of uncertainty or needing help.

REACTION: Bad news or negative actions can have a devastating effect on how we respond. For example, going back to the cancer, the news was not only shocking but impacted on the future. Treatment options were considered and chosen, developing a positive plan.

SLEEP & EXERCISE: As much as releasing endorphins, which stimulate positive thoughts, exercise helps stress-management. Being in a sedentary job, I go out walking at least 5 miles per day, helping clear the mind and giving focus when I return to work. Whether it be the gym, walking, cycling, a sport or, as is my other love, martial arts, find an exercise you enjoy and insure you get quality sleep to rest your body and mind too.

This is an area Coaching to Success are well versed in so if you or members within your team are finding Resilience to be out of reach or slipping through your grasp, then contact Neil to discuss how he can help by emailing neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or 07761 187238.

And why not get a feel for the person by checking out our short ‘interview’ video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco

Jun 06 2017

Avoid making ‘Goal Setting’ mistakes…

In this day and age of ‘too much to do’, how often do we set off with the best intentions only to find time flies past. We start off well with apparent progress. We feel good about the progress and what lies ahead but then…

We neglect to look back at previous successes. Motivation wains and before we know it, we convince ourselves that it probably will not work anyway!

Don’t worry if this sounds all too familiar, I too used to fall foul to procrastination or setting unrealistic goals. Having learned by my own mistakes and concentrating on what obstacles are in the way of us achieving our end objective, I felt this was too important to keep to myself so happily share some of the findings with you now.

Error 1: Unrealistic Goals

Having worked in sales and being set unrealistic targets, I can really relate to this. The acronym SMART(ER) Goal Setting should never be underestimated.

Let your imagination go and allow doubt to have a say but not to rule! Once you have set a goal, step back and assess the facts to check that it is achievable and in the set time frame. Remember, “A dream is but a dream but a goal is a dream with a deadline!”.

For example, my wife decided to Walk-the-Walk (26ml through London at night in aid of breast cancer research). She did not wake up on the morning of the event and think to herself “I’ll do that”. It took months of training to obtain the right level and as a result she achieved it within her time frame.

SMART(ER) goal settings focus on being Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound and recent additions include Evaluate and Re-adjust.

Error 2: Underestimating Time

Time and valuation seem to constantly occur as being underestimated. Looking at time, think back on previous projects. How many were rushed at the end or not completed within the time frame at all?

This is one of the killers to motivation.

Look to use tools such as ‘scheduled’ to-do lists. Allocating time for the goal or parts therein. Consider project planning tools such as ‘Tasks’ in Outlook or search the web for ‘Top 10 best project management software’ to see what is appropriate.

And always, ALWAYS allow extra time in your estimate to allow for unknowns and/or setbacks.

Error 3: Not reviewing

Unless the goal is so simplistic that it does not require breaking into segments, ‘Evaluate’ where you are along the given path and then making relevant ‘Readjustments’ (See ER above in SMARTER) is tantamount to signing off failure.

If still on target, celebrate the success. The reward does not need to be high (I like to treat myself to a decent coffee and half hour break to enjoy it once these blogs have been completed) but treat yourself, acknowledge yours or the team’s success.

If not, re-adjust so the end can still be met.

Error 4: Too many goals

Once we start it is so easy to keep going with the ideas and goals but there are still only 25 hours in a day (or, so one of my ex-bosses used to believe!). Time-Management is a misdemeanour as you can’t manage time (unless you are Dr.Who) but manage what you have to do, in the time before you.

If there are many aspects to the overall goal, I use the Wheel of Progress which is a great tool to compartmentalise each section. Contact me if you wish to talk about this.

Simply, consider the ‘R’ in SMART and be realistic in what you can achieve. Success relies on quality not quantity and achievement of a few things at a time.

Error 5: Too few areas

In as much as it is important not to set too many goals, it is equally important to make sure there is a range of goals.

Doing ‘fun’ objectives that bring you joy are important to offset those ‘tasks’ that are necessary within your work goals that may not be that interesting or enjoyable.

This can be important elements to the Wheel of Progress mentioned earlier.

Error 6: Setting Negative goals

No one does this intentionally but all too often we set negative goals that affect our belief in our abilities to achieve them.

For example, to improve work life balance, refrain from setting “stop staying behind at work” to “leave work by XXX and spend more time with YYY)

Negative goals suggest we have to give something up. Look to reframe them with a ‘Positive’ outcome which becomes a more desirable objective.

Error 7: Depreciating failures

Really? I need to look and appreciate my failings?

No matter how focused you are on the outcome, reaching every goal is not always possible. With the confidence to accept this, it becomes possible to learn from them.

Each of the above areas need to be considered and worked on when setting goals/objectives.

It is not easy to give honest views of what we can achieve in the time we have due to other influencing pressures but to achieve them, all too often you need to find that strength to be truthful not only to yourself but the task ahead and the realistic time frame.

At Coaching to Success, Neil specialises in helping individuals or teams to set realistic goals and then support them through the challenges ahead to insure they are met. If you or those around you could benefit from a one-to-one with Neil to see how he can help, contact him by emailing neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or 07761 187238 to discuss how Coaching to Success can help you.

And why not get a feel for the person by checking out our short ‘interview’ video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco

May 22 2017

First Strategies… Then Capitalise

One thing I noticed in my earlier days of management was that to truly succeed, you need to work ON the business and this requires a strategy.

How is your business? Are you simply working to keep your head above water? Are you drowning in areas that, quite frankly, are avoidable? What plans have you made for tomorrow, next month or a future point? These are all reflective questions I would ask people to look at.

With a strategy model you can formulate a plan to truly promote your great product or service. Lafley & Martin 5-Step Strategy Model has some interesting elements to consider.

WINNING ASPIRATION – The organisation’s goal or objective. Not simply about making money but market placement and establishing YOUR aspirations.

In coaching, we use the ‘Rocking Chair’ tool where we ask clients to mentally move away from today and cadge a lift in Dr.Who’s Tardis to drop them at a time in the future so they can envisage on how their business is doing.

Here you can see where you are compared to competition. Do you aspire to be #1 or increase your percentage of market share etc. Be realistic as much as optimistic. Know where you wish to be in a given time. “A dream is but a dream, but a goal is a dream with a deadline!”, set that deadline and imagine what your endeavours now will lead to.

WHERE WILL WE PLAY? – Know your market, the players and the customers. As a business coach, I can work 1-2-1 either face-to-face, over the phone or Skype so potentially my clients are global. However, when I run workshops, at the moment I tend to keep them UK bound due to the return on investment. I specialise in ‘Business Coaching’ rather than encompass other areas such as Youth or Retirement so I become a known specialist that helps businesses flourish.

If you sell a product, get to truly know your market rather. You’re your target audience. Is it B2B, B2C, OTC, Local, European, Global? Establish this clearly and focus your energy in a given direction rather than scattergun.

HOW WILL WE WIN? – After research comes ‘Strategy’. This is where the most valuable time is spent.

Careful consideration is required here to establish your position in the market and where your competition can challenge you! Look to incorporate your Unique selling Proposition (USP).

Quite simply, your audience requires a good product/service at a fair price. Think about quality and time frame, know what your market requires and create a strategy towards that.

CAPABILITIES NEEDED – Your action list. As a coach, I helped one client ascertain his team’s skillset. It became apparent that some were better in certain areas than others. We juggled members around to fit those they were more proficient in and productivity increased resulting from staff being in the optimum place.

What of technology, do the team work with laptops or have they to return to base wasting valuable time? Complaint procedures, route to market, your organisation’s infrastructure all of these require consideration and planning and not simply to be left to chance as you meander forward.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REQUIRED – Up to know, it has predominantly been management. This area refers to the ‘Leadership’ of people therein.

Dwight D. Eisenhower said “Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because they want to do it.” So the key is to have the person who ‘Leads’ to drive the passion of the businesses objectives through those who actually make a difference.

Avoid top heavy, glory seeking and self-promotion management structures. Delegate sensibly and without ‘dumping’. Understand your team’s workload and apply pressure NOT stress (there is a fine line!).

Although extremely simplified to serve this feature, it opens thought processes that time spent creating a workable with focused strategy is valuable. Much like a swan on fast running water, looking beautifully serene on top while paddling away frantically just to stand still. Whereas, with less effort, one which knows its surroundings better will fly to where the same effort put in will cover so much more ground reaping better rewards.

Should you or your organisation be looking to create a strategy bespoke to your business, then contact Neil by emailing neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or 07761 187238 to discuss how Coaching to Success can help you.

And why not get a feel for the person by checking out our short ‘interview’ video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco