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.

Every Silver Lining has a Cloud by Paul Cook

1984: ‘As they round the third and penultimate lap the lead runner quietly and gently moves across the arena and allows Sebastian Coe through for his all-important moment of glory; years of sinew stretched training, hour upon hour of regulated self-disciplined drill, planning, observing, and marking the competition.  This is it; he crosses the line, glimpses at the crowd and basks in his merited glory leading to a future of success in everything upon which he lays his hands.’

1992:  ‘The highly tuned and beautifully engineered Mercedes AMG thrust to all extremes of its energy efficient tarmac hugging superstructure manoeuvres determinately across the red hot tarmac track, dragged behind it a stream of sleek low slung pursuers eager to take up pole and fame; at bend 13 AMG respectfully bows out waves to his champion; Nigel Mansell accepts the nod guns, the F1 and strikes through the remainder of the race to become the new world champion applauded for years thereafter.’

At this point I am tempted to stop and continue a new career as a sports writer for which I have always had a secret ambition (feedback to Zest inbox please), however the reason I think I wax lyrical about Nigel Mansell, Seb Coe and could have done so for many others is simply because the thought of such success always charges me up to motivation level 10; you see it’s all in the language.  To stand alongside someone or a group of people and radiate motivational, forward, positive thoughts is vitally important and I guess that the majority of humanity get that.  And I select the word majority as there are always exceptions; I mean who in their right mind would want another person to think anything other than positively?  Who would want self-doubt to creep into a talented soul?  What would make you want your employees to believe anything other than a progressive future?  

Then I thought about a few recent personally observed illustrations.  My good friend and golfing partner Steve who recently told me I wasn’t getting any younger!  A young mum telling her agile and dextrously confident son not to look down ‘cos it really hurts if you fall!  A senior manager explaining to his team that the 3 year strategy probably won’t work but they’ve had instructions to give it a go!  The careers advisor impressing on the 13 year girl old that she might as well be realistic!

All these comments may have honourable intentions (apart from you Steve), so what about the formula for success?  My brilliant colleagues at Zest like to think of this as towards language.  State your intentions in the positive, identify and remove any limiting beliefs, look at all your options, clarify your goals, identify what resources/skills/training you need, take your first positive step. Coaching to high performance.

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

Oh, and back to Seb Coe, Nigel Mansell et al.  You may care to add; these people are brilliant at what they do and passionate about the end result; everyone in the world will have a brilliance within them in whatever world they are in; finding it and developing it is the skill.  What was missing from my earlier striking narrative (plug sports commentary skills) is the pace runner standing aside, the pace car moving over and both at exactly the right time for the champion to finalise that victory.  This is what excellence is in coaching; we are your pace runner and pace car; that is our passion.

I have changed my mind about sports writing, I’m not getting any younger you know.

“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you've felt that way.” ― Charles Bukowski

Emotional Intelligence and War and Peace

Want to understand Emotional Intelligence? Read War and Peace.

IQ = Intelligence quotient.  The ability to complete a task based on information you have.

EQ = Emotional quotient.  The skills most needed to survive as a human being, experience life to the full and be highly positively impactive on those around you.

‘Prince Vasili always spoke languidly, like an actor repeating a stale part.  Anna Pavlovna Scherer on the contrary, despite her 40 years, overflowed with animation and impulsiveness.  To be an enthusiast had become her social vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew her.’ 

So is set the scene at the audacious Russian royal court in Leo Tolstoy’s epic and colossal novel ‘War and Peace’.  If my English teacher (hope she isn’t reading this somewhere) set the task, in 500 words or less explain Tolstoy’s understanding of how the main characters primed themselves for war with France?  Answer Prince Vasili wasn’t bothered and Anna Pavlovna Scherer pretended everything was alright, the end.  (Sorry Mrs Cameron).  In slight digression to this and as the novel moves on it retains little surprise that Napoleon Bonaparte wasn’t a man to be trifled with or trusted, so being overly underwhelmed or overly enthusiastic may not have been the best leadership formula.  What (I believe) the reality of Tolstoy’s work had unwittingly uncovered was that strong Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the greatest asset in leadership in any era and Anna displays it magnificently; she was enthusiastic even when she did not feel like it and in order not to disappoint others.

This trait in leaders is stark throughout history and is prevalent in todays’ greatest.  Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognise and understand one’s own emotions and their effect on others, how to manage those feelings and add to your general happiness and well-being.  Emotion is often referred to as coming from the heart, 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.

It therefore translates that the happier we are the more effective we become; place that into a business environment and observe:

 

·         Changes in performance
·         Reduction in recruitment
·         Increase in talent
·         Inclusion, innovation and creativity
·         Excellent customer service and feedback
·         Lower stress/ sickness/absenteeism
·         And beyond
 

If only we could measure someone’s emotional intelligence before we recruit them, promote them, delegate to them etc. and yes of course we can.  What is your recruitment cost?  If you could save 10% what does it look like now?  No, the reality is not 10%, it is at least 70% if you profile your candidates properly, what does that look like now?  And then some, because what are the re training costs?  Customer re engagement costs?  You can identify the most emotionally suited people to your organisation in any circumstances.  Or, let’s ask Tolstoy if everyone in your business wanted to be there, was happy to be there and was optimistic about the future; what would that look like?

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

Here is another essential time saving device.  War and Peace has 1,400 pages and over 560,000 words.  Below is my précis:

The French invaded Russia, five Russian families tell the story, eventually Bonaparte was kicked out because it was too cold and they wrote an overture to celebrate.  Move on we’ve got some excellent people to recruit.

If IQ is the technical, then EQ is the edge. 

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)