Flourishing People

Sometimes we hide behind words.  Either we are worried about political correctness, concerned to be so PC that we don’t risk offending anyone, or that being too open may be viewed as weakness.

It is sometimes easier to refer to problems as issues, challenges or even opportunities.  If we do see a problem as an insurmountable obstacle, then it can defeat us before we even attempt to tackle it.  My initial reaction to some problems is often ‘no’ , it can’t be done.  But then the trouble-shooter in me looks again to identify possible flaws - ways over, round or through the problem.

This last week has been half-term and leaving the computer and office behind, we went to our son’s house to check out the new patio doors and design the patio area.  We had just two days to remove several tonnes of turf and earth.  And we needed a skip.  Amazingly a skip was delivered an hour after a phone call on Saturday morning and by Monday afternoon it was full, the patio area was levelled and the landscape gardeners had agreed the design and a quote to do the work.  While we could remove tonnes of soil, we didn’t have the experience and skill to build the walls and lay the stone slabs - certainly not before the winter frosts set in.

A problem, at least in Action Learning vocabulary, is a significant issue with no obvious solution.  Conversely a puzzle may be very complicated but has one unique solution.  Problems are worth clarifying, discussing and inviting others to inquire into, so that as the problem-holder, you can decide what you can do about it.  Sometimes that will mean action on your part, sometimes calling in other expertise and resources.

Moving the soil was a puzzle.  There was one solution and really only one way of doing it - by spade and wheelbarrow.  Laying the patio had various solutions, ranging from DIY to bringing in the experts.  Add the question of design and which stone to use and we had a problem to tackle.

So if something is a problem, let’s call it that by name.  Then look at the various options to tackle it - head on, or sideways; on our own or with others’ help; now or later.

The benefit of using a consultant in business is that they can focus on a specific problem and help you identify how it can be resolved.  External people are less distracted by all your other issues, often puzzles, and more removed from the organisational politics that may stifle resolution.

Happy problem-solving!

November 2008 | Tags: action learning, problems, puzzles | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This last month I have been focusing on marketing. But my focus has been more fundamental than who to advertise to or through which medium.

The book ‘Get a Life’ tackles three questions.  Although its aim is individuals and especially our spiritual life, it seems to me that these equally apply to a business or organisation.  The first question is that of identity: who we are.  So in a business or workplace context - what business are we in?  What defines us as people and as organisations?  What are our values and principles as individuals and businesses?

The second question is that of purpose: what are we here for?  What are our organisational aims, our strategy, our objectives?

And the third question relates to choices: how are we going to be and do what we hope to?  There is very rarely just one way to approach a challenge, a goal, a problem.  We usually have to choose from a number of options.  The choice may be very obvious or complex - more compromise than consensus.

So who are we, what do we hope to do and how are we going to do it?  Who - what - how.

Paul Valler, the author of ‘Get a Life‘, suggests that when we get all three sections into harmony, then we achieve a sense of ’shalom’ or deep peace in our lives.  In organisational terms, I suggest this means there is a synergy and strength.  The three sides of the triangle creating the strongest shape.  As in life, so in business - this is a dynamic rather than static process.  Each of the 3 elements changes over time as we know and understand ourselves better, clarify our purpose and are faced with new choices for the journey.

And marketing?  For me, it’s meant a challenge to define what I and the business are all about - who we are, what we can and want to do, and how we can move forward.  One product result is the revised website.  Hopefully it makes our identity clearer, what we aim to do and how we can do it.  Has this been achieved?  Comments welcome!

September 2008 | Tags: aim, identity, objectives, purpose, strategy | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

I am a keen advocate of a good work-life balance - although I prefer the term work-home or work-leisure balance as so much of ‘work’ is part of ‘life’. When working within organisations I tried to model, talk about and even lecture colleagues on maintaining a healthy balance and not ‘over-work’. The tyranny of the urgent, or apparently urgent, meant people came in early, worked late and didn’t take proper lunch breaks away from the computer and the desk. The result was often stress, sickness and sometimes significant mistakes.

Rhythm is part of life which we disregard at our peril. We see in agriculture how the natural rhythm of the seasons produces a good crop whereas imposing an unnatural rhythm by forcing crops or animal rearing leads to inferior, bland produce. The rise in interest and value of organic produce is evidence of our appreciation of more natural, rhythmic agriculture.

In the workplace we need to recapture a healthy rhythm where it’s lost. To move away from intense deadlines and working all hours with consequent stress and burnout to a gentler rhythm. From back-to-back meetings to making time for planning and reflection between one meeting and the next. Research studies have proved that efficiency increases with a rhythmic work pattern of breaks and reasonable hours. Changes in work patterns to include more elements of a job from start to finish, whether on a factory production line or in an office environment, generate more employee satisfaction and engagement.

I’m reading Paul Valler’s book ‘Get a Life’ to help me appraise my own work-home rhythm and balance and recommend it to anyone feeling the pressure of our modern lifestyles - it’s in the 3D HR Bookstore.

August 2008 | Tags: rhythm, stress, work-life balance | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

A crucial step in the learning cycle is monitoring and evaluation - taking a deliberate step back to reflect on what has been learnt and implications on future action. As others have said, if we keep doing what we’ve been doing, why be surprised when we end up with the same mistakes. Reflective evaluation is critical to move from a repeating cycle to an upward spiral.

One year ago we formed an independent company. So what have we learnt in those twelve months? It’s certainly been an adventure in learning new things, meeting new people and organisations, rising to new challenges. As well as new, it’s also provided opportunities to consolidate what I knew and adapt that knowledge for a different setting. Enjoying the freedom of not being in an organisational institution with apparently endless meetings and long-winded systems of decision-making.

The first year has not been without its downside. Coming to terms with the up and down swing of not knowing where the next opportunity will come from. Of the tentative nature of business plans, however well thought through. Taking deliberate steps to avoid the ‘loneliness of the sole entrepreneur’.

I am looking forward to working with one client organisation in facilitating Action Learning. So many organisations and indeed individuals are so busy that they don’t have - should be, make - time to reflect on what’s going on. If we all stopped for a moment and thought - on our own, as a team, as an organisation - then so often the answer we seek is already within us. For some strange reason we devalue time and space for reflection, it’s not seen as real work.

If I can help people make time for such reflection, then I’m sure great adventures lie ahead!

July 2008 | Tags: action learning, challenges, reflections | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

For a long time I have been interested in Appreciative Inquiry. It seems to make so much better sense to concentrate and focus on what is going right. Not ignore what is going wrong or could go better but rather celebrate strengths and successes. The corollary is the news in the media - so much focus on bad news that you wonder is there any good news?

A new client through an associate relationship has approached me to discuss and probably facilitate action learning in their organisation. To me it links with Appreciative Inquiry in the sense of making space and time for reflection. The idea behind Action Learning is that people learn best by taking a real example from the workplace, articulating the issue with a trusted small group, in confidence, and then working together to consider potential solutions. Next time, to have the opportunity and in fact the discipline to report back on the results and so monitor and evaluate the process. It is very much learner-centred learning - for which there is plenty of empirical evidence of its effectiveness.

Action Learning also links with Nancy Kline’s model of ‘Time to Think’ where a group meeting is structured to give participants a voice and chance to be heard and to reflect in the group setting. So often we - all of us - are so busy doing that we don’t make (have?) time to reflect. If we did, how often would we take a different route or other decision?

I’m taking the opportunity to train as an Action Learning Facilitator in a month or so. I think it will add to my skills portfolio as well as form part of my Continuing Professional Development which is something else that can so easily be disregarded in the busi-ness of working life.

What actions do you need to learn from and reflect on?

May 2008 | Tags: action learning, appreciative inquiry, time to think | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

There are some simple ideas that are well worth revisiting, especially when written in an accessible way. I have found that with Chris Kaday’s book ‘Grow your own Carrot’.

Chris was the speaker at a recruitment event for the Federation of Small Businesses - which I’ve now joined. With Bob Griffiths, Chris has shown how problems can become opportunities and how a sense of stuckness can be overcome. The model is well known in business circles and applies equally well to personal situations.

GROW: start with Goals. What do you want to achieve, what’s the objective? It won’t work if it depends on other people - you cannot live out your goals through others because you are unlikely to have sufficient authority or power to control what others do, at least in the medium to long-term. How will you know when you have achieved that goal? What is the success criteria?

Reality: identify and describe the current situation. Where are you at now? How near is that Goal?

Identify the Obstacles, the problems that stop you achieving that goal. What is in the way?

Consider the Options, what you can do to get round or through those Obstacles? This is where others can really help you to see new possibilities, ways to get through the ’stuckness’.

So then, what is the Way Forward? What are the explicit steps and actions you need to take to reach that Goal? Create then monitor the action plan until the successful outcome is achieved.

Using the GROW process with 3D HR, we have identified the Goal of a sustainable income and a mixed, balanced work portfolio. The Reality is that work is coming in but insufficient demand for training workshops. An Obstacle is lack of marketing and the Options include proactive marketing and producing training materials on CDs. The Way Forward is to identify who can produce CDs in the most attractive format, at what cost and to send out to potential clients. Another Option is to work out what else can be done as part of the business using our skills and experience. It’s all very exciting!

Ref: Grow your Own Carrot by Bob Griffiths and Chris Kaday, ISBN 978-0-9555074 -0 -3

3D HR Bookstore

April 2008 | Tags: goals, opportunities, success | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

I have spent the last few weeks, between other jobs, putting together an interactive learning presentation on e-mail management. In previous roles I noticed how much strain people were under just trying (and mostly failing) to keep up with their e-mails. It was especially noticeable with international organisations were e-mail was the usual communication method. Somehow what should be a fantastic tool became a stressful monster!

I tried to find external resources to help with e-mail management training, only to be told “lot’s of people ask for that, but we haven’t got anything available”. So I developed a short internal presentation with help from one of the charity’s commercial sponsors and it seemed to help. At least people knew how to manage e-mail more effectively even if they didn’t make the time to do so!

Then at a learning resources exhibition in London earlier this year I came across the Adobe Captivate program. You can ‘capture’ screen shots and merge with PowerPoint slides and other material to create a stand-alone learning presentation which uses Flash Player. Part of the joy of being independent or freelance is that I can make time to enjoy learning new skills. Now I have a web-based learning presentation that people can subscribe to - I think a subscription makes something more valued compared to a freebie and it’s certainly cost me time to produce.

Hopefully people will begin to realise the gain rather than experience the pain of e-mail! Check it out.

March 2008 | Tags: e-mail management, email, training | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

Would you say you’re a pessimist or an optimist? And does it matter in the workplace?

I have just read both Authentic Happiness and the earlier Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman (see 3D HR Bookstore). Having spend years practicing ‘normal’ psychology of helping people move from say -6 to -2, Seligman posed the question why not be concerned with helping people move from say +2 to +6? Why not focus on strengths rather than weaknesses? So he created the field of Positive Psychology.

From many years of research, Seligman and his colleagues based at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that there are tangible benefits to being optimistic. These include better sales results, more success in recruitment and increased promotion prospects. A psychometric test was developed to measure a person’s natural level of optimism or pessimism. In summary, an optimist tends to attribute good events or experiences to themselves and bad events or experience to external factors. Conversely, a pessimist tends to attribute bad events or experiences to themselves and good to external factors (including luck, being in the right place, this time round etc). The more a person sees the bad experience as personal (”she doesn’t like me”), pervasive (”it doesn’t matter what I do”) and permanent (”this always happens to me”), the more pessimistic they are. And pessimism is a key contributing factor to unhappiness.

So can you do anything about it if you are a natural pessimist? Well, yes. Seligman introduces a simple and powerful ABCDE tool. An Adversity - a bad experience - leads to a Belief (I think that…) which gives rise to Consequences (so I feel like…). A downward spiral is created. But then you set up an internal dialogue to Dispute that Belief and Consequences. Which leaves you more Energised and a vicious spiral becomes a virtuous one. I’ve written a longer, one page summary in the How to… section on my website.

Thoroughly recommended reading!

February 2008 | Tags: authentic happiness, learning, optimism | Category: blogs | Leave a comment

The New Year is traditionally a time to take stock, to look forward, to make resolutions. Experience shows how useful or useless this tradition is. What I have found helpful is a three-stage process of

• Process the past
• Plan the future
• Action the present

If I live orientated towards the future, always making plans and setting goals, this diminishes past experience. It lessens the opportunity for learning and growth. It risks a cyclical pattern of repeating the same mistakes, however they may be camouflaged.

Conversely, for ever looking backwards - the golden era of “if only” - stifles advance and risk-taking which could prove highly rewarding. So learn from the past but don’t try to live there. And anticipate the future but don’t live there either - its time will come.

Hence action or manage in the present - for that’s all there is for certain. Therein lies authentic happiness - according to my latest reading from Martin Seligman (see the Bookstore or his website) . Moving deliberately away from its roots in pathology, Seligman promotes Positive Psychology with its focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. Doing for humans what Appreciative Inquiry attempts for organisations.

May 2008 be great and truly happy for you and yours!

January 2008 | Tags: future, goals, learning, past, present | Category: blogs | Leave a comment