Priorities and Finite Time

Over the last few weeks the subject of priorities and finite time has arisen for me.  This has sadly been brought on by a number of unexpected deaths within my sphere, albeit not too closely.  Yes, I know, but this isn’t going to be one of those morbid rants about how we should embrace life and live for the day!

My reaction to these sudden demises was tempered with a week long holiday to Cornwall where I was able to get perspective from disbelief, grief and generally trying to work out what my reaction should be having not experienced a funeral since 1997.  It started me thinking about my emotional intelligence report from 3 years ago which indicates that I have emotional self awareness and good empathy, but that my reality testing is potentially wanting, as is my impulse control.  In this way, I have been a shoulder to cry on, but then made a complete faux pas stating “How beautiful the lilies look on the dresser.”  Believe me, this is improvement!

I think if I were to carry out another EQ-i today, there would be differences and hopefully a more balanced result as I have been worked within Zest Business Coaching for many years now and had

coaching and mentoring from the best of the best.  For me it’s been learning to listen more, to measure my reaction to a situation, to not feel that I have to fix everything and be able to see other viewpoints without being overcome with the frustration that nobody can see mine.  It is still work in progress of course.

What these losses have given me is a little more perspective, a little more appreciation and a little more gratitude.  Combined with my holiday recharge I have come back to life and work with a slightly different and more positive outlook.  The EI distinction between work and life is a little blurry and the question of EI a big one for me.  Zest have carried out many EQ-i on a variety of staff at differing levels of seniority.  It has been interesting for me as I process these reports and almost never get to meet the subject of the report.  There is a long standing question of how important Emotional Intelligence is in the workplace, but maybe this recent article will give you a glimpse as it makes the point, “We would argue that success in business is a function of four things: Your IQ (how smart you are), your prior experience (including your education, work experience and training), the level of effort you put forth and your emotional intelligence.” http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248329

The bottom line is that it is important and one takes the emotional intelligence of our being into the workplace 5 days a week (give or take), to work as a team, to manage, to communicate, to succeed, to nurture, to perform and to grow a business.  DO NOT underestimate its significance.  Build your team strategically taking the best of an individual’s EI and put it to use purposefully to bring out the best in them.  A person with low self-actualisation and independence is unlikely to succeed if “left to it”.   Supported by a team with people who are high on the interpersonal scale, they will shine and their potential can be realised.  An EI profile enables you to identify the characteristics and leaning that an individual may not even acknowledge themselves and perhaps as their manager, you may not be aware, but by being informed you have the ability to nurture.  Well worth the investment at £75!

So in conclusion, I am going to learn from my recent experience of demises, take stock emotionally and let it enhance my EI.  Time is finite and there will always be priorities, but for me, the trick is to be emotionally grounded and aware of emotional shortcoming in order to be the best one can be.

What has the world come to? by Sellena Ford

At the ripe old age of 44, I have just exclaimed out loud for the first time “What has the world come to?”  Utah university latest to introduce 'texting lanes' for pedestrians glued to their mobile phones

Mobile technology has reached out and enslaved us all.  Even I must admit that when I recently dropped my mobile phone down the toilet, I unexpectedly felt cold and very alone.  Suddenly I couldn’t connect with anyone or anything and that made me feel vulnerable.  How bizarre that I grew up in an age where communication boiled down to letter writing and being static whilst on the telephone as it was attached by a cable to the wall.  We even had a customised telephone seat with an integrated small table and cupboard which allowed telephone directories (do you remember those?) to be secreted and not on show.

So, is being able to simultaneously speak, respond to business emails, tweet, check weather and know how many calories you’ve burned so great?  Face to face contact is reducing with the popularity of “at home working” and being able to carry out business using conference calling, skype, webinars and whatever else is out there.  My personal opinion is that it is starting to put immense pressure on us as it impacts and invades our downtime which is all important in this fast world which is getting faster, and stress being at an all time high.

We run a communication workshop that elaborates on the fact that you cannot NOT communicate.  By NOT responding to texts or emails, we are communicating and potentially being judged.  It is maddening.  A good lesson to remember is that the most effective communications are those that send messages (and I don’t mean electronic necessarily) and present information according to the recipients’ needs.  Interestingly, body language accounts for 55% of communication when in a face to face situation, but only 10% when on the phone.  70% of phone communication is down to the tone of the voice; barring the lack of being able to hear it due to bad reception!  We also have “text speak” which I refuse to engage in as I believe it was invented because people are lazy, have terrible grammar and can’t spell.

So back to texting lanes?  It’s not just the USA that’s gone mad, it’s the rest of the world too, with Belgium trialing designated smartphone pedestrian lanes and a smartphone sidewalk in Chongquing.  I can only think that encouragement of this will lead to an increase in the number of accidents as awareness of environment is impacted.  I shall also personally mourn the loss of eye contact and engagement and a polite good morning.  My mother doesn’t often get it right, but her phrase of “Everything in moderation” seems to be the way to go.  Don’t be enslaved by technology, utilise it to your advantage without compromising your work and social community.

A smile is not compulsory, but it helps... by Sellena Ford

I have recently returned from an impromptu trip to America; a trip which became urgent due to the illness of a close relative.  I arranged my flight(s), 6 of them altogether, 2 days before departure as speed was of the essence.  A gruelling 19 hour journey entailed, combined with the panic of a slightly agoraphobic woman (me), having to leave her micro managed life behind.  My return flights allowed me plenty of time for reflection on my week long experience from a business perspective…

Having arrived at Birmingham airport at five in the morning, I proceeded to check in, having not been able to do so online.  I was travelling light, with only hand luggage and just needed boarding cards.  An airline attendant began the procedure and then looked slightly puzzled as she started pressing keys on her keyboard, clearly willing them to work.  My anxiety was rising as she called a gentleman colleague over who proceeded to tell me that they couldn’t generate my boarding cards as I had to change airports in New York, arriving at Newark and departing from La Guardia, 24 miles away and with 2½ hours from touchdown to next take off.  What????

In my anxiety due to the nature of the trip, I clearly hadn’t read the itinerary correctly and had failed to notice this rather glaring, time constrained and potentially “smooth trip” affecting situation.  I stood there dazed, muttering that I didn’t know how this had happened; the colour drained from my face.  The gentleman appeared to take pity on me and with not so much as a smile, just cool professionalism, said that he would take care of it and change my ticket so that I could fly from Newark.  Relief flooded me and I patiently waited for him to work his magic.  There was no banter, no joke making, no facial expression.  To be honest, I like to bounce off other people and this guy clearly wasn’t inflated.  He competently got the job done.  The relief and gratitude I felt were immense and I did profusely tell him that he was a wonderful man and that I was so thankful.  He modestly accepted my praise and off I went.

Scene change to a hospital in Palm Springs 20 hrs later…  More customer service scenarios.  In the whole of my 5 day hospital experience, the best customer service that we received was from a lady who was running the Starbucks facility.  Having ordered coffees on 3 occasions, every subsequent visit to the café was prompted by said lady pre-empting our order, even when I was fumbling over my brother’s order of a macchiato, with an extra shot and no foam (who drinks this???!), she would say, “Don’t worry, I know what you need.”  An employee probably on minimum wage, but who clearly has the wherewithal to make her customers feel important, recognised and remembered, having sympathy at their potential reason for being in a hospital and providing a prompt and efficient service, and all with a smile on her face.

This was so much in contrast to the sloppy, uncoordinated, poor service of hospital staff, from auxiliary staff to doctors (and inclusive of nurses!).  I hate to complain, I’m British, but having nurses come into the room to ask what medication the patient had already had was slightly speech rendering.  A doctor examining my frail relative and only realising after 20 minutes that he was with the wrong patient… the black mould and dirt in the isolated room for a patient with pulmonary issues… days of unnecessary nil by mouth orders for a patient already underweight…

After 5 days of hospitalisation, my brother, who has been an American citizen for 20 years, and I called a meeting with 5 key hospital staff, the essence of which was to advise them of our intention to take legal action and involve the media.  Only in America!  My brother walked the walk and talked the talk and advised me that this really was the only way to get things moving.  We questioned their communication, their ownership, their lack of duty of care and their leadership processes.  Funnily enough, everyone could not do enough for us from that point and procedures went ahead and my relative was finally released from hospital 2 days later, diagnosed, a little improved and well on the way to treatment.  There is a whole department dedicated to patient support services to which we made statements and our experience recorded.

On my flights home, I looked at our scenario from a business perspective and in contrast to the service I had received both in the UK and my “less important” happenings like my Starbucks encounter.  It boiled down to taking responsibility and caring about what you do.  Good customer service is imperative to ensure a client’s good experience; how else do we improve on reputation and build business.  Good leadership enhances and substantiates this.  Communication is paramount, regardless of whether you are at an airport, a coffee shop or a hospital.

A smile is not compulsory if you are competent and proactive, but it does help.

There is hope however; this article highlights some amazing customer service stories from last year http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234956

The Myth of Multi-Tasking by Sellena Ford

Time and time again I have an internal debate about multi-tasking, because I just can’t get away from it!  Just the other day I jokingly said to a friend’s husband, “Not too good at multi-tasking are you!”  He didn’t take offence, but merely turned to me with a look that said, why would I want to?  And actually he is right; it’s not big and it’s not clever.  There are numerous articles that back up the myth around multi-tasking.  It’s a necessity, but an unwelcome one.  I personally believe it’s more common in women; the ability to field phone calls, cook dinner, check accounts, walk the dog, time manage, ensure attendance at children’s evening clubs is most mother’s weekday night and I haven’t even tackled the working mother.

The article link below from Forbes in November last year, did stop and make me think.  “And not only that, trying to do too many things at once causes the brain to lose the capacity for deep thinking altogether.”  Well actually, put like that….

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2014/11/26/the-myth-of-multitasking-and-what-it-means-for-learning/

Zest run a workshop around exactly this subject.  I have attended it, thoroughly enjoyed the concept of how to focus one’s energy and actually put this into practice once back in my real life.  Like many training programmes, courses and workshops, the learning is sometimes short lived.  We are totally committed initially, but as time (and life) moves on, we forget the learning as everything else takes over.  What we should be doing is making time to remember the benefits of energy focus, ridding ourselves of distractions and working out what matters most.

Looking after our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual energy are paramount when looking at being a good decision maker, a good leader, a good mentor and a good team player.  Concentrating on the job at hand, being motivated and centred, rather than fractured and “flitty”, can only benefit the organisation, your colleagues and ultimately yourself.  So essentially, this has been a reminder to you, and to me, that you need to go “Beyond Multi-Tasking”, as this place really does exist.

The 2014 Google Snapshot of the World by Sellena Ford

As the first month of the new year comes to a close, I felt it important to look at the world from a Google perspective from 2014 (don’t ask me why, but Google seems to know a lot about a lot!).  The top 10 Global Trending Searches 2014 - does any of the below surprise you, Flappy Bird at number 6 maybe!?

1.            Robin Williams

2.            World Cup

3.            Ebola
4.            Malaysia Airlines
5.            ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
6.            Flappy Bird
7.            Conchita Wurst
8.            ISIS
9.            Frozen
10.          Sochi Olympics

In terms of the top 3 global trending people in 2014 (different from sheer number of searches), Jennifer Lawrence finished in first place, followed by Kim Kardashian and Julie Gayet.  2013 saw the top three people as Nelson Mandela, Paul Walker and Malala Yousafzai.  I wonder what the balance will be in 2015; perhaps the General Election will encourage more googling on political figures this year?

The top three “how to…” Google trends in the UK were How to draw, How to kiss and How to crochet.  The USA “how tos” were How to AirDrop, How to contour and How to vote.  Touchy, feely United Kingdom?

So what has the trend been for Zest in 2014?  We saw continued growth and in particular, organisations who had drawn their training budgets internally during the recession, beginning to reinvest in their people once again.  We have seen an increase in organisations developing their internal coaching capacity through the coaching skills workshops we offer, developing through CMI Coaching and Mentoring programmes and bespoke workshops.

2015 has seen a major change for Zest with the retirement of Paul Cook from the business.  He has been a breath of fresh air and a hugely positive influence and Elaine and I are sorry to see him go, but wish him well in his new venture.  What does this mean for Zest?  We strongly believe that “when one door closes, another opens.”  Zest's future is developing our business model further and working more regularly with our expert business associates, in order to offer a broader range of workshops.  One of the things we love doing is nurturing the relationship with our existing clients; Elaine most enjoys these meetings when they involve discussions over coffee and cake!  This year we will concentrate on how we offer supervision and support to the ‘super coach’ groups we have already developed within some of our client organisations and look to offer our now considerable experience of growing coaching cultures to more new clients.

And you and your businesses for 2015?  What will you do differently, what’s working, what’s not…?  It would be good to hear your story, even better, if you would like a chat with us (don’t forget prerequisite coffee and cake!) please get in touch.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY CHOICE! by Paul Cook

Together with my excellent and incredibly attractive colleagues at Zest (my lawyers have informed me to say), I have been writing Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accreditation material for a ‘First Line Management’ course during which time my auditory senses drifted onto Absolute Radio and an old favourite track of mine.  I am paraphrasing now but basically let me ask some questions;

Don’t you like the way, I move when you see me?

Don’t you like the things that I say?

Don’t you like the way, I dance? Does it bug you?

Don’t you like the cut of my clothes?

Don’t you like the way, I seem to enjoy it?

Stick my fingers right up your nose!

Or listen to the song if you prefer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1F1Ez4-VOM

Jean Jacque Burnell and Hugh Cornwall’s seminal punk band (The Stranglers) had stumbled on something here because their strapline ‘something better change’ tends to indicate a futuristic analogy which in 1979 may have been unintended at best, and unimaginable at its most zealous.  There is another possibility; they both have time travel capabilities and penned the lyrics based on what life is like for a manager in 2014 or beyond.

In 1979 there were some massive changes happening; the Ford Cortina MK 2 became the Ford Cortina Mk 3, pubs were allowed to open past 1030, TV gained a new fourth channel (shrewdly entitled Channel 4), and some other things around school milk I think?  So let’s grade the lyrics from time travelling punk rockers as if a manager today, because inclusion is powerful and difficult at the same time; you may not agree with the way somebody moves, verbalises ideas, dresses or acts, but as a manager (within the realms of morality or professionalism) do you have any choice?  As a manager in 2014 look what you are embracing; mass immigration, constant legislative updates, austerity fluctuation, global competition, high tempo risk, political intervention, technological acceleration, complex employee flexibility and a workforce designed to test you in all of these spheres.

So ‘something better change’ should really be ‘everything always changes.’

I recommend many techniques and skills for being an excellent change manager but not necessarily inserting a digit into a person’s olfactory gland.  Instead look at your people, admire what the collective brings, grab the differences and realise the no choice potential.  There will be amazing professions out there that do not even exist yet!  Just ask The Stranglers when they get back from 2054.

“People will try to tell you that all the great opportunities have been snapped up.  In reality, the world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions, including yours.” -- Ken Hakuta

Career Progression Spins Around your Head - by Paul Cook

The energetic airstream rushes violently through the unsuspecting lungs, limbs turning to lead, head thumping whilst defensive adrenaline pumps and the cyclic rage of the elements force oxygen and gravity into one confined yet terrifying moment. It was only a micro second before that the balmy autumn breeze had bought calmness and serenity into its world which had then been crushed by the selfish actions of another.  This terror, this self-seeking action maintained purely to gain an outside chance of mystical futuristic financial success, is not based on science, but pure superstition. Yet it did know that if unlucky it, or other members of its family, may experience such an event two or three times in a lifetime, the linyphiidae or more commonly referred to ‘money spider’ is routinely and randomly spun around one’s head three times in attempts to brighten up the fiscal future.
 

There are of course other ways of progressing financially and generally these traditional approaches do not involve arachnid manoeuvres.  You could win the lottery, inherit a fortune, invent something that everybody wants, have a risky punt on the stock exchange or bet your house on a rank outsider.

All commendable and achievable (not without some external risk factors) of course but I want to explore the more commonly used system of ‘getting promoted’.

Our neuro pathways have the astonishing ability to tell us things that are not true; ‘you are not good enough for this’, ‘the competition is better than you’, ‘you don’t deserve this’, and others which can be only tailored to you.  And as I have mentioned many times in previous blogs these barriers are sometime known as limiting beliefs.  So add a couple of other factors.  Other people also have the astonishing ability to add to your own limiting beliefs; some of these naysayers start on you when you are about five years old; they don’t mean to  they just think they are helping; ‘don’t do that you might get hurt’, ‘don’t look down’, ‘you’re not good enough for that yet’.  As advice progresses through into adult life we hear gems such as ‘look them in the eye’, ‘the competition is tough this year’, ‘don’t move your hands around’, ‘sit up straight’ and my favourite, ‘make them laugh’ (the latter is of course extremely good advice if you are prepping for a job at the circus).

Now let us add these excellent approaches to what your body can also achieve.  You can become the money spider, lungs filling, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, limbs failing and blood sent to everywhere apart from where it’s needed.  A very good friend and ex colleague of mine who I shall call JK described one of his interview experiences thus; ‘all of a sudden the clock got louder, the furniture got bigger, my legs got shorter and I started to swing them like when I was a schoolboy’, which, he had become!  Even when he tried his best line to add comedy value whilst looking the chairman in the eye he actually saw the dry tumbleweed root cartwheeling across the carpet.  The formula for this is now known as:

Bitter experience+ poor advice x limiting belief = JK aged 7 ½

There is a much more effective and highly successful method to progression and success.  This method is unique because it is only available and tailored to you.  Click on the image for more information.

Reference articles:
National Geographic
Spiders do not have lungs or need interview technique to survive
Medellin Cartel (Colombia)
There are other ways to make money

“The only thing limiting your aspiration is your imagination.” ― Stephen Richards

The Art of Looking Good by Paul Cook

L'arte di guardare bene.

During the cold war John Cleese  documented the daily lifestyle of some Eastern European peasant village folk as they happily went about their chores on a farm; after narrating their apparent simple routine he then delivered the line ‘who would have thought these seemingly happy people are so hell bent on destroying western civilisation’.   

Mrs Cook and I have recently returned from a fantastic ten day escape to the beautiful region of Tuscany; beautiful is obviously a perception as it is straddled precariously amongst that ancient metaphor which culminates with ‘in the eye of the beholder’.  So I beheld vast tracks of olive groves, moody mountain range skies and an infinity pool of famed vineyards.  The Italian folk in that region have kind of cracked it if you apply pureness to what makes one happy; type into your favoured search engine (my lawyers have advised me to write) ‘what makes people happy?’ and you will find an overabundance of research, quotes, academic psychological observations and nuance; you will be given the top 3 the top 5 the top 100 etc.  You will even be given advice bordering on instruction!  It, (the engine), is like an agony aunt responding to your every indulgence - ‘Dear Google (oops) how can I be happy?’ – ‘about 270,000,000 results (0.37 seconds)’ what!  And why time it?  So a medley of options include; get a friend, grow organic veg, donate to charity, eat ice cream regularly, learn to tap dance.  I don’t think these things should happen in one day, but I’m sure someone has tried.  The simple answer if you ask me is go to Tuscany.  The people are encircled with great wine, fabulous food, amazing climate and relaxed tempo.  They are helpful, courteous, gracious and charming, until you get into and drive a car!

 

Our Fiat Punto duly arrived with the friendly sales bod, all wavers signed and off we head into our happy tourist world just at the exact time to re-enact the script from that well known literary giant author Daniel Handler, Lemony Snickets A Series Of Unfortunate Events.  Now I don’t mind receiving feedback from other motorists if I make a slight mistake but saying you will kill my mother seems a little strong; overtaking on a blind uphill left to right bend is also ok provided you do not feel the urge to barge me into the ditch at the same time and please, whilst standing next to your articulated petrol tanker which is also parked at a gas station, make some attempt to get a few feet away as you smoke your Marlboro Light.  However my favourite experience of all is the Italian ability to, no matter where or at what speed, drive centimetres away from your rear bumper whilst emitting a continuous noise only a hand on a car horn can achieve.

Yes, the happy people can also be brash, flash and flamboyantly passionate; it just perhaps manifests in different ways; this is culture and the strange thing is the behaviour transfers.  I started to drive like them; if that’s what they want, that’s what they’ll get.  I can do the signs, the language, the aggression; is it what we do to keep up, to be part of the crowd, to be accepted, to go with it, join in?

So is your business culture where you want it to be?  If it is then sip the Chianti, if it isn’t, then who is driving?  To the world, are you looking good; an art the Italians pride themselves in?  L'arte di guardare bene.

Legal note- None of my Italian friend’s egos were harmed during the composition of this blog.

My first work assignment after returning home was to visit a company near Milton Keynes. The people there seem happy enough; they thought my driving a tad aggressive.

“You don't have to fear your own company being perceived as human.  You want it.  People don't trust companies; they trust people.”   Stan Slap

Change Management Is Like The A4 London Road (Slough) by Paul Cook

If only the Britons had radar a few months before the Romans invaded.  Actually I’m not sure if radar works on wood, maybe a new app is needed?

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/change_management.php

As you exit the M4 junction 5 near Slough, Berkshire, you then enter a winding slip approach road which extends onto the A4 towards London.  This dual carriageway runs parallel to one of the biggest trading estates in Europe.  The slip is a few miles long and controlled by no fewer than 14 separate sets of traffic lights set at approximately 300 metre intervals.  Planning and speed are vital because it is a strange anomaly that if you meet the first of these light sets as they turn to red, you will then encounter every single one thereafter just as it turns to red; no amount of acceleration, revving, anger, handbrake turns or sat nav adjustment can alter it.  Conversely if you arrive at set one on green, then you sail majestically through to your business destination at a steady and comfortable passage casually observing the easy change of each.  It’s all about timing speed planning and patience.

Indulge me in suggesting that you cast your minds back to my previous blogs which reference emotional intelligence, emotional quotient and its link to self-management.  In her seminal book Emotionally Intelligent Living, Geetu Bharwaney explains, ‘The signal received by the brain from the heart is the most powerful signal in the body.  The electro-magnetic field produced by the heart is five thousand times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain’.  I recently experienced this surge in my own national grid whilst (under time constraints) attempting to operate my smart phone, pad, sky drive and search engine in unison, thereby conducting a speedy efficient completion of several business proposals:  It was at this point my information technology apps took on their own characters.  MS documents became known as ‘not responding’, Nokia 620 ‘signal unavailable’, cloud ‘not recognised at this time’ and google chrome advised me in a Dickensian accent (in my own mind) ‘Did you mean to spell it…?’  My verbalised descriptors of inanimate objects surprised even me as my frontal lobe was hijacked by the surge of heart sent electricity designed adjectives.

So there shouldn’t be any surprises really because after my dip in emotional control I quickly regained reality remembering that not so long ago these apps would have been regaled as nothing short of technological (or other) miracles; things change and so with that change aligns our human ability to rely on them and demand the best.  And if your competitors have something better then you must find a leveller.

It is acknowledged that the only constant is change, if you stand still you will stay there, a year from now you will wish you had started change today, failing to plan is…etc.

We just operate in a business world that is, and has access to, a lot of stuff that must be fast, efficient, reliable.  It would be an erroneous supposition on my part, if I suggested that any of you now should commence a business protocol linked to change, and I recognise that we are in a fast moving world beyond that of which our parents, grandparents and ancestors before them would find unimaginable.  If you explain to a teenager about written records, collecting pictures from the chemist, filing information in a wooden box and telephones that were used to make phone calls!, said young adult would display features of surprise and horror only matched equally if you then invited them to climb a tree for fun; actually this latter arboreal challenge was (over the years) completed regularly and successfully by my offspring particularly when I didn’t expect or want them to do it.

So recognising speed of market and technological change, transformation, drivers, benefits, urgency, vision strategy, communication, empowerment, leadership; this is change and it is constant.

The last traffic signal at Slough is adjacently positioned to the regally designed 19^th century town hall and as you sit waiting at the last of your many red lights you have plenty of time to glance across and read the proudly displayed council logo ‘Mondays are rubbish days’          

“What if I told you that 10 years from now, your life would be exactly the same?  I doubt you would be happy.  So, why are you so afraid of change?” – Karen Salmansohn

Acquiesce – To agree to what someone wants - by Paul Cook

Back to work after the longer than usual holiday break and guess what? We have some conflict.  This is a common uplift in the business world based on people perception and change.  Taking that most amazing and free leadership skill second perceptual position (being and looking through the eyes of another person), we find that we have worked hard, become part of a magnificent high performance team, have great ideas for developing the business and on Thursday repaired to home for an extended and well deserved break (this section does not apply to those of you with young children).  During this sojourn our minds have integrated with relaxation, indulgence and social media and so has everyone else’s; ultimately Thursday’s team integration becomes Tuesday’s rebellion.

The leadership key is to assimilate all of it. Conflict is vital: the fact that it exists is recognition of free speech and/or ideas, as long as it is resolved effectively it will lead to personal and professional growth, working group to high performance.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/team_business_coaching.php

So capture the ideas that come from relaxation or indulgence, but what of social media influence?

I am not always sure if I enjoy the benefits of the immortal iconic front-runner in the social information technology genre, but I do know that Facebook is somehow influential.  The billion or so (apparently) human users have organically amalgamated into what I can only describe (to myself) as a plethora of daftness.  Unlike its more mature and responsible Uncle ‘LinkedIn’, snappy go getter cousin ‘Instagram’, global career sister ‘Twitter’ or genial originators Grandma and Granddad ‘Friends Reunited’, Facebook seems to be the child sitting in the family car screaming ‘I’m bored’, ‘are we there yet’, ‘I want an ice cream’, “LOL OMG” whilst uncle L calmly reassures them and big sis T exclaims ‘I told you we should have taken the train’, ‘Shut up, I’ve got more friends than you’ being the stark FB retort.

This latter brag is true by a country mile and therefore Facebook becomes a kind of road crash TV; not actually watching road crashes, but viewing pictures of dogs balancing cats on their heads, strangely shaped vegetables pitched against an Australian sunset, CGI video clips of goldfish devouring leopards and isolated empty bottles of gin nestled comfortably in fine sand on a beach in Anguilla. It is also important to ‘post’ life changing, globally poignant annotations poetic beyond all measure; ‘Today I’ve eaten the last of my Christmas peaches’, ‘I’m Corsica, which Mediterranean island are you?’  I’ve reached level 97 in Candy Crush Saga’.  So this is what is happening in the planet and we could believe it if it were not for the sake and saviour of reality; I can listen to Capital Radio or BBC 5 live, Conservatives or UKIP, Laurel or Hardy, Putin or Obama (not sure why I linked those), but in the end its choice and the choice of business.  As Buddha once famously quoted ‘Never believe anything you hear unless it relates directly to you, not even if I said it’

So do we acquiesce or do we resist?  Captain Picard was once told by some bloke from Sweden that resistance is futile and we know what happened there!  There is no conflict on a Borg ship but plenty in Star Fleet; I know where I’d rather work.

According to psychologists Art Bell and Brett Hart, there are eight common causes of conflict in the workplace.  Bell and Hart identified these common causes in separate articles on workplace conflict in 2000 and 2002.  The eight causes are:

1.              Conflicting resources

2.              Conflicting styles

3.              Conflicting perceptions

4.              Conflicting goals

5.              Conflicting pressures

6.              Conflicting roles

7.              Different personal values

8.              Unpredictable policies

I'm Dreaming of a..... by Paul Cook

You can time travel; with me or in fact any such qualified coach!  (There is only one other as good as me of course).

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/business_coaching_consultant_profiles.php

In essence we can take you forward or back in your own time.  This calm coaching technique takes place in a comfortable environment and facilitates your ability to ‘future focus’.  We will venture back in your personal history and uncover the time from which you may have developed your ‘limiting beliefs’ then repair the stuff that stops you achieving, that prevents you, that doubts ability, that even attaches fear.  This is generally referred to as ‘timeline therapy’.

http://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/hypnotherapist-articles/what-is-time-line-therapy

Our clients’ feedback indicates empowerment, focus and confidence to overcome that future barrier in whatever challenge they face.

Look into my eyes……..

It is the year 1977, 1978, 1979 or other such prehistoric technological period.  You are toiling at your formica specially designed office, symmetrical flying ducks or white horse sea pictures on the wall, huge metal filing cabinets neatly hiding all your treasured business files, Ford Escort company car in the car park, beige office telephone clipped to the wall and rolodex at the ready (please feel at ease to admit to flairs and tank top).  Business is modern!  You are of course blissfully unaware that out there in your future will be an A4 sized casing which will allow you to network across the globe, store information at a capacity beyond your imagination, scan opportunities, visually link to your partners in the U.S and most importantly watch videos of small dogs performing acrobatics.

Thus was the dream and plan of Bill Gates - ‘A computer on every desk, in every home’.  Back in your past your 1970’s personal or business past, sit there for a while and imagine what you would have given for the MS/Apple/IBM magic then?  What would you do with it, where would you be now?

You’re back in the room.

So, technological breakthrough and technological benefits are all wonderful and essential, but I can’t find the app that gives you these:

o   Increased productivity
o   Increased diversity
o   Retention of leadership talent
o   Increased team member satisfaction
o   Accelerated senior leader promotions
o   Increased client satisfaction
o   Improved teamwork
o   Increased quality of consulting services
o   Confidence
o   Support
o   Understanding
o   Life satisfaction

Oh found it  http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/executive_business_coaching.php

Our dream, ‘A coach for every person’.

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - Real life.  But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first.  Then, life would begin.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

ALFRED D SOUZA

I did indicate there is only one other coach of such stellar ‘timeline therapy’ skill base, however for you purists, Dr Who is also quite good but his consultancy rates are astronomical!

Paul Cook's 2014 Resolution: I know what, let’s not include everyone

“I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort, where we overlap.” ― Ani DiFranco

Casually trawling the end of year news reports is a tad encouraging to me, of course I’m not the solo investigator implementing the modernist art of reminding the populous what exactly happened in their preceding anno.  You only need to watch media rev up from about November and catch the euphoria of productions such as ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year’, ‘The Annual Comedy Awards’ (given the Ashes test sometimes confused with each other), soap awards etc.  These prestigious, yet traditional accolades have been around since Morecambe and Wise were our ‘X Factor’ and ‘Strictly’ equivalents and also why we learned to love looking back whilst exclaiming ‘was that only in January!’ or ‘that seemed like years ago!’

More recently however, the yearly reminiscent genre has evolved to become shall we say, slightly more diverse; ‘Scariest Police Chases’, ‘Best Confectionary Marketer’, ‘World’s Strongest Man’, ‘Greatest Movie Mistakes’ and my personal favourite ‘Most Improved Hedge Fund Operator of 2013’.  For this latter, I have a vivid vision of the awards ceremony being conducted in a small but expensive offshore studio and the nominees criteria including 2013 earliest prison release; ’And now ladies and gentlemen we are joined  by Marcus, live by satellite in San Quentin’.

As I mentioned in line one, I am encouraged; encouraged because the decades have gradually become more and more inclusive, wide-ranging, comprehensive, and broad: diversity in action.  This ‘media’ New Year resolution gains momentum to such an extent that we probably would not in 2014 even comprehend the 1976 versions any more than we would understand why songs of Eric and Ernie are motivational.

So why oh why do the hacks make this progress and then shoot themselves in the diversity foot?

 

On 2^nd January this year The Times and other notable publications reported back on the tragic case of Dr (Physics) Kate Stone who, whilst holidaying over Christmas near Fort William Scotland was unexplainably attacked by a full grown male highland stag; this caused Dr Stone to suffer horrific injuries.  Some headlines of this case read thus:

Transgender scientist in hospital after being gored in the throat by stag in horror Highlands attack

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/transgender-scientist-hospital-after-being-2974997

Transgender!  Exploring as deep as I could, it was impossible to find why this word in the strapline was relevant; have they found a transgender phobic member of the Deer family?  Are there warning signs in the paths around this winter retreat?  Look further, not only a transgender, but a transgender scientist!  Which aspect of the PHD thesis attracts this additional honour?  So I think 2014 resolutions should continue in this diverse way, headlines must mention race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and age.  And whether relevant or not.

·         January  36 year old man rescued by RNLI off Coast of Kent

The 6 man crew rescued Mr Goode after he had drifted 1 mile offshore, the daring rescue was carried out by the crew all of which authorities confirmed are heterosexual.

·         March  Scientists repair air cooling leak in Russian built module orbiting international space station

Both Anotov Gresniev and Uri Benetitz confirmed that the training and technical data skill saved many hours of research, they also went on to explain (through an interpreter) that neither of them had contemplated Hinduism at this important time

·         August  6% shift change in western economy over last quarter indicating encouraging signs for growth and employment. 

The G8 financial secretariat released a statement stating that data research indicates that some people are actually men and some are women, the controversial statement also goes on to mention  that all people affected will be either over 70 years of age or not.

2014 here we go.

Bring me sunshine; make sure you include everyone in your business.

Businesses recognise diversity in the workplace as a business strategy that maximises productivity, creativity and loyalty of employees while meeting the needs of their clients or customers.  If a company is only as good as their employees, then it stands to reason that a great deal of energy should be devoted to hiring the most diverse range of individuals.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/talent_management.php

Zest LLP would like to send its best wishes and a speedy recovery to Dr Kate Stone her family and friends at this difficult time.

Christmas is like Marmite by Paul Cook

In a business sense of course; because who in their fully functional, unaffected by experience,
vibrant mind would not love it? Good will to all (non-gender specific) humans, family gatherings, gifts, cards, bank holidays, excellent food (unless at mum’s house), chestnuts roasting by the open ‘gas safe’ appliance, synthetic tree shapes daubed in erm… things.  Yes ultimately time off from your busy, busy world and ready to regenerate back to post Auld Lang Syne Hogmanay in January fully refreshed; what could possibly go wrong?

Hard to comprehend for all you people who know me but I went to school in the 70’s!  Not in my 70’s although this is feasibly and unequivocally doable according to the Edinburgh News… ‘An Edinburgh man (Dr David Dick) who is believed to be one of Scotland's oldest graduates has received his PhD at the age of 84’.  The poetic descriptors of his achievement do not however mention when he started his studies so it may not be the exceptional accomplishment the strap line indicates.  Just jesting Dr Dick.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-23082335

If you eavesdrop the conversations (when they do occasionally utter recognisable English words) my offspring would have you believe that the 1970’s was just after World War 2!  Honestly it wasn’t, although in the grand scheme of global development it is merely a speck of time.  I have carried out some PhD research and made Christmas comparisons between decade 1970 and decade 2013 based on the Gregorian calendar since the previous one was hijacked by the Romans who, because it was their turn to be in charge of the world, decided in the name of god(s), to add two more months to the year, it was however, only officially adopted in 1582 by Pope Gregory.  Therefore:-

Calculating what should have been; his eminence owes me 2 x months per year x 431 years = 862 months: 862/12 = 71.83 years, thus the current year should be 1942.  PhD done easy and I’m only 51 Dr Dick.  Further to this extensive study I have discovered that in my Christmas schooldays one huge difference between then and now; Candy Crush Saga did not exist.  Recourse to similar strategic challenges was to be found at the Wednesday afternoon chess club mostly populated by pupils who didn’t want to be involved in a fascist version of ‘British Bulldog’ thinly veiled as PE, usually played in sub-zero temperatures and always victor ludorum Andrew Kent 6ft and shaving at the age of 10.

Subsequently (in my own mind) I became quite proficient at the ancient art (of chess) but sadly lost touch with it when I got into my full time sensible life and career.  Recently I took up the game again and lacking time, and or willing opponents, I now ironically find myself contesting with a computer on my smart phone.  Said computer has a built in programme recognising its adversary’s weakness and adjusts accordingly which leaves one in the catch 22 world of constant improvement whilst never quite winning!

And this is why this scenario is exactly like Christmas because on January 1st 1989 (Gregorian 1921), I saw one of my old colleagues (Sergeant Barry Fitzgerald) filling in his diary with shift patterns for the coming year.  ‘What are you doing Barry?’ I enquired.  ‘Writing nights, earlys, lates, nights, earlys, lates, nights, earlys, lates, scratch, scratch, scratch; year after year after year I do this’ he replied and then added, ‘and do you know what Paul, it got me thinking; my life is like a board game only I always seem to be playing against someone who is slightly better than me!’

Just realised that less months in each year equals more years, dammit, this PhD could take me until I’m 97.

I love marmite.

My wife hates it.

Checkmate.