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? For the average senior executive (if there is such a thing) the larger the organisation in which you do business, the chances are the less you really know about what people think. Even in a smaller business, if you're the boss then there's always a barrier of sorts between you and your people. Not a barrier of your making necessarily, but a barrier created by position and responsibility. However, your people have huge influence over your organisation's efficiency, profits and public image....
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Problem-Solving
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Problem-Solving Every executive or senior business manager has problems to solve. They may be your own or you may be coaching a colleague. It might be sales, turnover, team performance, marketing strategy, customer complaints, the list goes on. However, often the bigger problem is how to solve the problem to the satisfaction of others: customers, staff, shareholders, etc. They all have different interests depending on their stake in the problem at...
Workplace Assertiveness
Business depends on good communication. In order to work together, Production must understand Design; Marketing must understand the customers; senior executives must understand everything. You would think that with this great need for understanding, people would place a premium on 'win-win' communication in which each party seeks to understand the position of the other. However, business also thrives on competition and in the workplace we often see the 'win-lose' principle of competition...
What Drives Us?
? Lots of factors drive us to do things in life. Look at any executive or colleague in your business - or look at yourself - and ask why they might have chosen design, production, marketing, etc. On a day-to-day level, it can be difficult to understand why people sometimes respond the way that they do. As ever, by taking a think positive approach, we can find a tool to help with that job.
Whether looking at self-awareness or examining our interactions with others, a coach may use...
Emotional Intelligence
Some executives are better at budgets, analysis, research; the logical stuff. Some, on the other hand, are better at relating to people, motivating their team, gaining an understanding of how customers might think. Of course, some people believe themselves to be good at both skill sets but if you ever think you could improve on the second then think positive because the concept of emotional intelligence might just be of help.
There has been research on emotional intelligence - often referred...
Project Management - Basic Principles
Project management is a key business skill for today's executive. However, a whole industry has sprung up around it and although projects can be complicated, sometimes the jargon doesn't make it sound any simpler: GANTT charts, PERT, Critical Path Analysis, PRINCE2, it's easy to feel daunted. It can also sound too boring and technical for some sectors, such as fashion. But the Milano Fashion Institute's Masters Degree in Fashion Project Management is now in its second year. Yes, project...
Career Management - Making Your Movie
Recent years have seen successful executives increasingly realise that the best succession planning in business is a combination of external recruitment and growth of internal talent. In these times of economic downturn, making the most of what you have got is common sense.
Ultimately, responsibility for an individual's career rests with that individual; whether you or one of your people. However, organisations usually offer some form of advice and support through appropriate coaching;...
Training & Development - Who is Responsible?
? Training and development (also labelled as "learning and development") is always acknowledged as crucial to the success of any business; both in-house and outsourced; whether training courses, on-line learning or executive coaching. Conversely, it is often the first area to feel the cutbacks when times are hard. As a busy executive, it can be challenging to balance the responsibility for developing your team with reducing budgets and focusing on the bottom line. However, think positive, it...
An Introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
An Introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) In the workplace environment, as managers and executives we often find that our best business tool is an understanding of people; how they operate, how they respond, what drives and influences them. However, the sheer unpredictability of individuals can lead to frustration when their motivations and preferences are in conflict with our own. Well, think positive because the theory behind the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can help...
Image Management
The corporate environment tells us that performance is important. We have performance targets, performance reviews and performance-related pay. However, performance is not all there is, there are also unwritten rules in every organisation. Whether you like it or not, people judge you based on what they observe. It's human nature; we all do it, often without even realising it. In the workplace this means that judgements about you are based on all sorts of factors; not just your productivity....
Workplace Stress
Stress at work appears to be one of those issues that never quite goes away. A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) survey states that in 2008/09 up to 415,000 people believed they were experiencing workplace stress at a level that was making them ill. With this in mind, it is likely that stress may be an issue for you or your teams at some point. From a profitability point of view, the figures also suggest that stress costs UK businesses up to £700 million per year. So let's think positive...
Your Network
There may be times when you feel stuck. Sometimes you're missing a vital piece of the puzzle. Sometimes you're just having a bad day and need a little help. Well think positive; that's what your network is for.
So what is it? Put simply, your network is everyone you know: friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, clients, neighbours, and so on. With some, the connection is strong and reinforced every day; with others, you may not have spoken for years but the connection (however tenuous)...
Dealing with Difficult Customers & Clients
As we are all aware, our biggest difficulties and frustrations tend to come from people rather than things. Let's agree to view that as the inevitable flipside to all their good features. Now, while we are in this 'think positive' frame of mind, let's consider the customers or clients to whom you are trying to provide your products and services. Just as in conflict with anyone else, if you genuinely strive to understand their position and clearly explain your own then you will be on the right...
Facilitation Skills
If you have chaired a meeting in which the objective was to impart information to the participants then you needed presentation skills. If you have chaired a meeting in which the objective was to engage with the participants, encourage their input, discuss options and agree a consensus then you needed facilitation skills.
It is possible that there was a time when the manager or executive's role was simply to tell employees what to do. However, modern leadership, employee engagement and the...
Managing Your Time
Time: everybody has the same amount but nobody has enough. Sometimes it flies, sometimes it drags, and it always passes at the same steady rate. We talk of 'saving' time and 'spending' time as if it was money (and of course, there is the common phrase, "Time is money!") but in fact with every hour that passes we are using our time, hour by hour. The only valid question is whether we are using it to do the things we want and need to do.
It may often feel that you have too much to do in the...
Self-Awareness
How well do we really know ourselves? What do other people see when they look at us? Who are we, really? These questions all focus on the issue of our self-awareness. But why should we want to be more self-aware? After all, we might find some unpleasant truths if we examine ourselves too closely. Well, think positive. The more we know ourselves, the more we understand ourselves and the more our behaviour is a result of our choices rather than our unconscious drives and experiences.
When...
Coaching a Colleague
With a 'think positive' attitude to life, you may find that you stand out in the workplace and are noticed. Quite often this can lead to new opportunities and sometimes - because people hope your attitude is contagious - you will be asked to pass on your skills and knowledge to a colleague.
First of all you need to clarify what exactly you are being asked to do. If you have been asked to help a colleague with a specific task or process then you are probably expected to train them, rather than...
Team Dynamics
People are not the same - obvious perhaps, but true - and in any workplace team there will be a wide variety of types, preferences, attitudes, skills, knowledge, etc. All these differences will interact together and produce different team behaviours. Ultimately, the effectiveness and efficiency of your team will depend on whether these differences work together or against each other.
So, understanding the people in your team is crucial. As a manager or executive you need to know each...
Presentation Skills
It's a well-worn clichι that the brain never stops working, until the moment you stand up to make a presentation. Yes, they can be nerve-wracking things to do but like anything else you can learn to make good, even great, presentations. Think positive!
First of all, why are you making this presentation? Yes, it might be because the boss has told you to do it, but what is the actual objective? What do you want the audience to know or do after your presentation. The answer to this question will...
Network or Attraction Marketing?
? 2 Big Issues with Attraction Marketing
Attraction Marketing is a powerful concept that has actually been around since the beginning of time. Think about it, have you ever met someone who inspired you? Have you ever met someone who has whit, charm, and charisma? These are just a few of the many attraction marketing characteristics. If you have the right system to plug into, you can brand yourself as a leader and rocket your success! So whats the problem with attraction marketing? Well, its...
Everyday Assertiveness
Have you ever felt dissatisfied after talking to someone? Ever felt, "That could have gone better."? Do you ever walk away realising that you didn't get what you want? That you just weren't very assertive? There is a French idiom, "l'esprit de l'escalier", the wit of the stairway, which signifies all the things that you wish you'd said but only think of afterwards when it is too late (that is, when you're at the bottom of the stairs, having departed.) Well, rather than indulge in regrets,...
Conflict Management
Workplace conflict is common. With the increasing complexity of projects, products, marketing, strategy, policy, leadership, etc. it is inevitable that people will have differences of attitude, view, belief, opinion, value or need. This is often seen as a bad thing but wait... good decisions are those that take into account a number of perspectives. Without conflict we lose richness and our decisions lack depth. The more views taken into account in the decision-making, the less chance that the...
Personal Change (Part Four): Helping you on your way
Personal Change (Part Four): Helping you on your way Last week, we looked at the obstacles that might lie between you and your goals. Now, it's time to 'think positive' and examine the factors that are there to help you. Where can you find support for the changes you want to make in your life? Who can help you? Well, there are two answers to that last question: 1) Other people; and 2) You.
Other people tend to fall into three broad categories: 1. those who are on your side - they will help...
Your image - what does it say?
? Your image can be positive or negative. There is 'self-image' (how you see yourself) and 'public image' (how others see you.) They are often quite different but they both depend on similar factors. So if you want to 'think positive' about changing or improving your image, the same positive steps will impact on both.
But is it really important what other people think of you? It may seem self-evident that you would want a good self-image, but does your public image matter so much? Well,...
Dealing with Difficult Colleagues
Do you sometimes find the workplace difficult? The chances are that the source of the difficulty is a colleague. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with your colleagues (let's think positive, after all) but in any situation with a number of very different people (and we are all different) all trying to achieve a single goal there is bound to be some friction sooner or later.
So what form might this 'difficulty' take? Maybe it's a disagreement over strategy, or someone is blaming...
Think Positive in your Work
Do you remember a time when you were more enthusiastic in your work? Even passionate? When you felt you could make a difference? When every day was another opportunity? If that has faded over time, perhaps it's time to think positive. Would you like to feel that way again? What can think positive give you? By thinking positively you can have: improved performance, more productivity, better teamwork and less stress.
Thinking positively helps you: stay focused on solutions and get the job done;...
Motivating Others
Motivation often comes down to individuals and circumstances and what works today may not work tomorrow, which is why it can feel difficult and time-consuming. But work done willingly is always better than work done unwillingly and your people's commitment to their work is worth its weight in gold (even at today's prices!) so let's 'think positive' and take a look at motivation.
There is a huge amount of research and theory on what motivates people in the workplace (e.g. McGregor's X and Y...
Balancing your Targets
Key Performance Indicators or KPIs; love them or hate them, they are the reality of modern organisational life. There is even a free-to-join, online KPI library (www.kpilibrary.com) searchable by keyword to help you design or improve your own KPIs. Often dismissed as 'bean-counting', KPIs fulfil an important function: they help an organisation define what constitutes success and then measure to what extent it has achieved that success.
However, it is often easy to view KPIs negatively. For...
Personal Change (Part One): Audit your Life
Personal Change (Part One): Audit your Life "It is in the moment of decision-making that your destiny is formed." - Tony Robbins That's quite a statement. There is no escaping that it is the decisions you make that shape your life.
Our personal development does not stop once we reach adulthood; it merely enters a new phase. The world changes around you and your position in the world changes as you proceed through life. The key is to bring a positive attitude to life and take control of the...
Leading through Change
These days the theme of organisational life is change. Your teams are constantly subject to alterations and shifting priorities in working methods, market forces, staffing structures, etc. Of course, you too are subject to all of this. However, as the manager or executive, your role is to think positive and find a way through change; for both you and your people. If, as is often said these days, your people are you biggest asset then it makes sense to have their interests at the heart of any...
Personal Change (Part Three): What's holding you back?
Personal Change (Part Three): What's holding you back? Having conducted a life audit to identify areas for change and set some goals so to give a clear destination for which to aim, it is now time to think (positively, of course!) about turning those goals into action. The harsh reality is that in any attempt to change and improve your life you will probably encounter some barriers. Perhaps we can take heart from this quote from the American moralist, Frank A. Clark:
"If you can find a...
Personal Change (Part Two): Setting Goals
Personal Change (Part Two): Setting Goals Last week, we looked at conducting a life audit to identify those aspects of your life that you want to improve or change. The question now is: having named these areas for improvement, how do we move forward? It's time for some clarity. It's time to think about setting some positive goals for yourself.
Having a goal means having a definite destination in mind. After all, if you don't have a clear idea of where you're going, how will you know when...
Think Positive in your Life
What do you really want from your life? Have you got it? Have you unlocked your full potential or are you still looking for the key? There may be several locks on your potential: ability, opportunity, motivation, but the first key you need is always attitude.
Without a positive frame of mind, you may not even find the door. Thinking positively is crucial to your success. It has often been said that perception is nine-tenths of what you see. If what you see is your own lack of ability, lack of...
Working through Change
If you work within an organisation, you are subject to change. Of course, this is true just by being alive but the workplace is where change most often feels like something that is beyond our control. Whether it is the computer system, the entire staffing structure or even just the location of the water-cooler, the old clichι that change is constant has never felt more true.
So is it really beyond our control? Well, yes and no. We sometimes may not be involved in the strategic decisions that...
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