Coaching to Success

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Team Building

MOTIVATION… WHO DRIVES YOURS?

The fun and festivities of Christmas and New Year will soon become fond memories as we drive forward into 2013… Oh, and on that note ‘Happy New Year’ to you. So with regards getting up on damp, dark and cold mornings, what’s going to be your motivational push?

One of our primary motivators is to work on our strengths rather than highlighting potential weaknesses! However, sometimes we don’t really know what our core strengths are in ourselves or for those we’re responsible for.

As an example, let’s use the Olympics and the gold medal winners. We have Greg Rutherford who took it in the Long Jump, Tirunesh Dibaba took the 10,000km, Barbora Spotakova secured the Javelin and Usain Bolt took the 100m. Now the team coach/manager wouldn’t look to someone like Usain to compete in Greg’s given strength or Barbora to run in Tirunesh’s given sport of long distance running. Each have different skill sets and different characteristics from endurance to knowing when to jump or release the javelin to give it the greatest distance or have muscles that explode with power for the sprint! Bosses, Managers, Leaders all too very often miss out on individuals strengths and focus on weaknesses as do we with ourselves and this can be such a demotivate outcome when criticism is handed out under the banner  ‘areas for improvement’!

Negative feedback often gets us, or those we distribute it to, to become defensive and the desired result is rarely obtained as we seldom believe what is being said is actually true but more of a personal attack! The outcome is usually that we don’t feel ‘motivated’ to do anything about it. However, think back, when praised we feel like we are doing something worthwhile, we feel appreciated and seek to receive the same ‘reward’ by continuing with the positive behaviour.

A tool that coaches often use is to create our own survey on how others see our strengths and is known as ‘The Reflected Best Self’. So how do we go about achieving this, here we go…

  • PUT OUT A SURVEY … Choose 10 people (Existing colleagues/boss, clients/customers, old acquaintances, family members, friends … generally, a broad spectrum of people who know or have known you). Ask them to consider what they believe to be your strengths complemented with an example so it quantifies what they are writing. Also, stress that this isn’t simply ‘work’ orientated but aligns to what they see in you as a person.
  • IS THERE A THEME APPEARING? … When you have them all back, group the responses into ‘theme’ groups. There will be the obvious ones you’ve always been aware of but you will undoubtedly find new ones that you hadn’t even realised others see within you because this is something that’s natural to you and you just take it for granted!
  • CREATE YOUR ‘STRENGTH PROFILE’ … take the key strengths that emerge and write a few paragraphs that summarize what you are really good at. The purpose of this is two-fold, one, this acts as a support when confidence may somewhat escape you and, two, it will help you guide forthcoming actions and choices.
  • PLAY TO THESE STRENGTHS … so you now have your list of strengths, how do these fit in with your current role? Are you playing to these strengths? If you’re great at analytical work but not so hot on cold-calling, is there someone else within your firm, team, organisation, that are more people orientated that could do that task and you get on with accumulating data? I think you get the idea.

 

This simple exercise allows you to truly understand your own strengths as well as those within your responsibilities (or even suggest this to your manager/director as a good idea to consider) and by playing to your strengths your SELF MOTIVATION will improve accordingly resulting in not only a better outcome but one that you’ll wish to continue pursuing.

Coaching to Success helps firms/companies and the people therein to develop motivation through such activities both one to one and in teams whilst also building confidence through the benefit of praise within the workplace. If this is an area you are looking to develop within your working environment to either simply increase the positive atmosphere or to improve performance, take the next step by speaking to someone who can help. 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.

IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE… NO, NOT JUST CHRISTMAS!!

Woo Hoo! Christmas is upon us and whether religious or not, what a time of year to get together with family, friends, colleagues and customers/clients by way of celebrating. Look how the BBC recognised some of the years’ achievements with the Sports Personality of the Year award held on Sunday night. Now that was something worthwhile celebrating! But what of yourself? How has 2012 been for you PERSONALLY? It’s time to celebrate YOUR successes.

Whether you refer to it as a Goal, Dream, Objective or something else, we live in a goal-orientated culture but all too often, we get a buzz over achieving that ‘task’ and before we know it, we’re onto the next! SLOW DOWN… let’s take stock of what you have done, and learn to celebrate what you actually may consider as just something that had to be done.

We’re about to leave 2012 and cross over into a New Year, so take stock of what you’ve accomplished before you do. By undertaking this little exercise, it will help give inspiration to step into 2013, develop confidence and a healthy pride, as well as offer proof that we are growing and succeeding in life and/or work. This is what we refer to as ‘evidence based’ proof rather than the internal critical voice that puts doubts in our head without any foundation other than negative beliefs we build for ourselves.

 

“So what have I achieved?” is a question we rarely ask ourselves. Here are 3 successes people tend to gloss over without stopping to think about:

  1. Steps towards the BIG GOAL! Each step is like learning to walk; the first teetering wobbles, standing upright for the first time, the bigger steps, jogging then running, and eventually winning the 100m race. We know how to acknowledge winning the 100m, but celebrate each milestone along the way!
  2. Inner achievements not recognised by the wider society! These are another part of those achievements which mean something to us personally. For example, Christmas is coming but you have no idea how to cook a roast and now you’re planning to cook a turkey, a joint of beef, and a slow-cooked gammon joint!! So once the Christmas meal is over, allow yourself time for reflection and to enjoy the sense of satisfaction on successfully completing something you were nervous, or even scared to start. What an inner achievement  – careful how you celebrate though, as I know how easily the Christmas spirit flows, hehe!
  3. Overcoming Failures & Mistakes! Celebrate these; we only make mistakes because we’ve stepped out of our comfort zone, so look at them as learning experiences, and not mistakes. Thomas Edison once wrote “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.”

Back to your success, consider the following to help you realise what you’ve achieved this year. Get a note pad and put each question as a header on a separate page (7 in all):

  1. What were or was your biggest achievements this year?
  2. What are you most proud of?
  3. What were your minor achievements that led to the bigger goal?
  4. What has surprised you with regards an accomplished achievement?
  5. What were those times of ‘Ooops!’? Those moments of Failure or Mistake? What did you learn from this and what was the resulting sense of achievement or feeling of pride by overcoming them?
  6. What are those ‘Personal’ achievements (like cooking the roast, sorry if I’ve led your thoughts that way!)
  7. AND NOW TO CELEBREATE… How are you going to celebrate those successes? How are you going to recognise them?

Celebration is personal to you. Whatever takes your fancy… go out for a meal with someone you care about (honestly, food isn’t the only thing I think about). Buying some reward whether it is something small or large, you have to recognise that this is bought because of your achievement. Go for a massage or a spa. Take a hike, climb a mountain, get on your bike to take time out for yourself! Just make sure it’s something significant enough to remind you of the reason you have or have done it.

Coaching to Success has helped firms/companies and the people therein to develop strength through building confidence and understanding the need to celebrate ourselves as well as helping others understand the benefit of praise within the workplace. If this is an area you are looking to develop within your working environment to either simply increase the positive atmosphere or to improve performance, take the next step by speaking to someone who can help. 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.

What are the benefits of ‘Positive Mind Thoughts’ in these times of reported doom and gloom?

On Sunday, the Times headlined ‘High slump hints at a black Christmas’, National Statistics revealing that volumes dropped by 0.8% October month-on-month comparison, whereas, the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) recently commented on ‘Employment outlook remains positive for the rest of the year’ stating that employment is forecast to grow steadily throughout the rest of 2012. This being the third consecutive quarter of projected growth recorded!

Which do you tune into… the negative element of slump in sales or the positive affirmation of improved employment levels? One thing is for certain, Individuals, teams, firms or companies work much more congruently and ‘positively’ when engaged in a positive atmosphere.

So when was the last time you were part of a high-morale, highly-motivated team? You’re in one!, great… if not, when you were, you were probably happy going to work collaborating with work colleagues and/or clients and, together, came up with some great ideas and due to the enthusiasm, created some of your best work. Being happy and highly motivated creates a condition where you accomplish far more than those who are in a state of low morale.

Here’s a few guidelines to help yourself or those you are responsible for to be happy and engaged…

  • BE A POSITIVE LEADER… Teams follow the lead! Focus on your own happiness, emotional intelligence and well-being. Change the way you address things from a negative to a positive affirmation (eg from ‘I want to GIVE UP smoking’ to ‘I want to BECOME fitter and live a healthier life’) and we all know about the SWOT analysis (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) in business but try carrying one out on yourself! Finally, look at your own state of emotions when becoming a ‘positive’ leader.
  • OBSTACLES TO POSITIVITY – GET RID OF THEM!…  Obstacles block the positive thought process and until this has been accomplished, neither you or your team will become motivated. Look at policies or procedures within the organisation, training needs, clear differentiation of roles, responsibilities or autonomy. Also, be aware of the general demeanour and working environment! Would a lick of new paint brighten the place up, what’s the state of work stations like (cluttered desks = cluttered minds). Do you recognise and reward achievements! Just a few areas to consider.
  • POSITIVE MANAGEMENT… Charters are great in defining people or team roles. With these you can ascertain what the expectations are for individual’s and the team or group’s outcome providing both the necessary focus and consequent direction. From this, you can then establish the objective which helps with the motivation as both teams and individuals know what their worth is through clarity of their role and how this benefits the firm or organisation. Keep people informed about what is happening with regular meetings to discuss how things are progressing, updates, changes etc, this transparency helps with building trust as well as giving opportunity for people to voice their concerns. Finally… Support! This is a crucial element and can be aligned to having the right tools to do the job, the manpower to handle the tasks with training/coaching offered to help those who would benefit from it.
  • NOW LET’S REINFORCE IT!… Now you have great ‘positivity’ or at least the road map to achieving it, don’t slip back into old ‘negative’ ways, let the new positive become the new habit! Celebrating success is a fantastic way of creating this new motivational outlook but this can be expensive… actually, it doesn’t need to cost a penny, it’s amazing how much a simple element of recognition can be. A public ‘Thank You, well done’ gives the recipient a feel and a beacon of light to others that they too could be praised or recognised if they were only to step up or over the mark. On the other hand, a bottle of French Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru would also go down well (but then, at around $940 I should hope so). Be aware of the ‘grumps’, one person is all it takes to change the good positive vibes. These people need to be addressed before they bring the rest of the team down, and this needs to be done early and face-to-face. Ascertain what the problem is playing on their mind and don’t just think that they have to change, it may be something you need to look at (google emotional intelligence?). And to wrap up, either coach those around you or employ the services of Coaching to Success or someone like them to use ‘Affirmations’ and for these to be ‘positive’ thus overcoming negative thinking.

Coaching to Success have helped firms/companies and the people therein to develop strength through motivation and pleasure within the workplace so if this is an area you are looking to develop within your working environment to either simply increase the positive atmosphere or to improve performance, take the next step by speaking to someone who can help and call us to arrange a free consultation, contact Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk… We’re here to help

I’VE GOT TOO MUCH WORK TO DELEGATE… NOBODY CAN DO IT AS WELL!

Hmm, and therein lies the egotism or even the lack of confidence of those who need to share the workload. Many years ago, I too foolishly believed that only I knew everything, others simply couldn’t do it as well or to the same standard as me, surprising how much better the company grew once I started to delegate, trust those around me and act like the director that I’d been employed to be.

Delegating is a critical skill and not an easy one to manage. Often we feel like we should be seen to be under stress with massive workloads, however, efficiency is all about insuring the operation runs smoothly and with direction, if you don’t delegate tasks that others can do, it builds distrust, feeling of reduced worth and despondency.

Here are some simple steps to help you along the path of delegation:

  1. DUMP THE EGO! – No, you’re not the only person in the whole world that can do that job. Ok, it may not be done to the standard YOU BELIEVE to be correct or the way that you would do it but we’re all different and with guidance, training and some support someone else can do specific roles and possibly even have the ability to do it faster or even better than you… there’s a thought!
  2. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, ANYONE? – You may end up waiting some time for someone to offer to help. If they don’t realise you need assistance, they’ll get on with their own jobs. Think about if someone asked you for YOUR help, would you? More than likely you would so put it out there. Don’t wait for someone to come to you whilst building up your frustration of why no-one’s offering
  3. WEAKNESS – It is not a sign of weakness to delegate but strength, know your people and show your trust. Maybe there’s feeling of shame, guilt or wanting your own badge of honour showing what a martyr you are by letting everyone see how you manage to continue handling everything yourself. Be truthful with yourself as to the reason why you don’t delegate, it IS NOT a weakness to delegate but shows signs of trust and responsibility… ok, stick by your thoughts there’s no one responsible enough to hand it to!! Been there, seen it, got the badge and proved totally wrong.
  4. BE OBJECTIVE NOT PROCEDURAL – Two forms of management, Micro and hands off, both equally incorrect in their opposites! Insure you delegate the task and what the outcome is that you’re looking to achieve and show them how to do this and that they can come to you. Indicate that they can do it as they wish but the outcome, the objective is what is at stake here and set SMART goals. Allow sufficient time for them to be innovative in what they are doing or to learn their own way, we do, after all have a prefrontal cortex that allows us to think for ourselves.
  5. PATIENCE – Are they likely to get it right first time without making a single error? If yes, why didn’t you delegate it ages ago, if not, well, this is the learning curve. Mistakes will likely to be incurred, a line I used in the last blog… Thomas Edison commented when he eventually found how to create electric light “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”, don’t assume it will be carried out perfectly first time round as if they already have a track record of success, this isn’t their fault it’s yours for assuming too much without giving the FULL guidance and support needed in the first instance.
  6. BACK-UP PLAN – If handing tasks that have a deadline, support your delegate with that given task. Remember, they too will probably have other tasks to perform within their day-to-day workload, systems to deal with that aren’t infallible (don’t you just love technology when it goes foul?) and uncertainties that creep in. Approachability is key, let them know that if there is a problem, come to you immediately so between you, you can resolve it but without the fear of reprimand or belittling and certainly without the fear that if it’s not accomplished on time… over to you Jack, it’s ALL yours! Remove this sense of potential fear before it even crops up, if they feel they have your support, they won’t be looking for excuses as to why it failed.
  7. RECOGNITION – When everything goes well, don’t take all the credit! Bestow credit where it’s due. Your superiors (if there are any) will see how well you manage your team/staff and your delegate will see their worth in not only your eyes but the firm/company’s too and will be more likely to be more confident with handling other such like tasks. Notoriety is a reward in its own right. Also, on this, show your own recognition and gratitude for the work completed, say Thank You and truly show your gratitude, this feeling of appreciation will certainly do you well when the next task comes along.

Coaching to Success understands the complexities that directors/associates/partners and managers undergo, we’re here to help you understand how to let tasks go and the great freedom this allows those who delegate to concentrate on what they should be doing, ie direct or manage the workload. If this is an area you feel you or members of your team would benefit from, take that first step by speaking to someone who can help you improve the power of delegation and thus becoming even more productive, after all, that’s what coaching is all about so pick up the phone to arrange a free consultation on how we can help, contact Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk… We’re here to help.

SO HOW’S THE MORALE IN THE TEAM YOU’RE IN, OR RESPONSIBLE FOR, DOING?

Whether you’re into it or not, the footy season is upon us and new teams have been formed, existing teams re-jigged, new members joined and established members have departed… not much different to the world of commerce really but how does that leave you especially if the morale of the team has taken a knock?

“Morale is the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose” is how sociologist Alexander Leighton puts it so it’s critical to invest time in developing good morale for your organisation to flourish, those that do experience much higher productivity, profitability and staff retention, decreased level of absenteeism and turnover of employee numbers as well as producing an amazing place to ‘want’ to come and work in!

So what are some common factors to cause morale to dip, check off those you feel within your environment…

  • Dismal communication.
  • Difficult co-workers.
  • Heavy workloads and/or stress.
  • No recognition or reward/gratitude.
  • Restructure or Layoffs
  • Deplorable leadership.
  • Inflexible working conditions.
  • Loss of contract that’s had a lot of time/resources ploughed into it.
  • Cancellation of team benefits.
  • Lack of enablement or autonomy.

And how frequently do Managers or Leaders turn a blind eye, or not even realise the state of morale by just putting it down to workload pressure. How often can the following clues be overlooked…

  • Increased absenteeism.
  • Increased staff turnover.
  • Lack of enthusiasm by not only individual members but groups too.
  • Obvious despondency.
  • Decreased productivity.
  • Increase conflict between team members.
  • Increased complaints about work, or other team members.

You don’t have to be an Associate, Partner or Director of a firm or company to be a leader but whatever your role, Lead from the front and build your own positive attitude or outlook. See what difference this has on those around you. Understand what’s affecting your morale and then ascertain means by which you can address this to create positive affirmations even through the quagmire of assumed despair. Self-confidence inspires others, ‘Positive’ thinking encourages positivity around you (negative has the same effect but in the wrong direction), Quick wins results in improved morale with confidence flourishing in your team as well as yourself and understanding of the reality of the situation not just the emotive shackles we often tie around our own ankles.

Some other tips to consider:

  1. CONNECT WITH YOUR TEAM – Avoid hiding behind a desk with closed doors. Get out there, speak to the team, find out about personal as well as work subjects and show interest. Show presence by walking around and being approachable, keep communication channels open and get to ‘feel’ what’s happening around you, this is ‘emotional intelligence’ and don’t run from it, embrace it and show empathy with commitment to deal with issues arising. Remember earlier the ‘No recognition’ comment, reward your team/members and this doesn’t have to cost a penny, simply making an announcement to all how well a member or team have done builds positive feelings but physical rewards work well when they’re due or even awarding time off.
  2. CLARITY OF DIRECTION – Set ‘Clear’ goals. This way members ‘know’ what they should be doing or aiming for. SMART goals, yeah, I know, business spiel but it works!
  3. COMMUNICATION – The mother of all problems! Without clarity, rumours start and with rumours come the segregation within any organisation even if it’s sound as a bell, so it’s imperative that timely and accurate information is given. If there are changes being made, keep those around up to date so they can’t make their own ‘assumptions’. Express how things will affect them but remember to ‘Receive’ as well… after all, communication means “the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behaviour”
  4. ENVIRONMENT – You’d be surprised to what a lick of paint, new air-conditioning, personal storage facilities, cooking equipment etc etc may have. Bright airy rooms to work in have extremely positive outcomes, tidy environment brings order both physically but mentally too.
  5. DEVELOPMENT – Regardless of managerial belief, people generally want to improve their lot, as it were. Find out what needs for development exist in your team(s), especially if there have already been lay-offs. By offering this, a better sense of security in what they do can be seen
  6. MAINTAIN MOTIVATION – All too often there’s a positive ‘get up and go’ approach and the following month, life’s back to normal! Know what makes your team members tick, it’s not always financial! (look into Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs). Keep up with SMART goals and stay ‘Connected’ with your team(s).

Coaching to Success understands where individuals and groups can suffer from the drop in Morale and how to help those leaders develop a positive environment and helps keep you motivated to succeed through these times as well as supporting you along this path. If this is an area you feel you, your team or firm/company would benefit from, take that first step by speaking to someone who can help you improve morale whilst keeping you on track to reach them, after all, that’s what coaching is all about so pick up the phone to arrange a free consultation on how we can help, contact Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk… We’re here to help.