Our life should to tell a story…

Without getting philosophical, spiritual, or religious about things, at a basic level we all have the gift of life and surely our aim should be to tell a story!?

Whether that story has a big impact on society, the world, or just those around you.  Or whether the story is more personal, is up to you.

One thing is for sure though, none of us want a boring or stagnant life do we?  So, we should all challenge ourselves to think ‘what story am I telling and is it how I expected or wanted it to be?  Is it interesting to me?’

I had opportunity last week to participate in an amazing client experience – one of those programs that doesn’t come along every day, where the client wanted to make a difference and wasn’t afraid to take risks – or our counsel – on how to do it.  The result – an amazing leadership program that not only satisfied the stated learning objectives, but went far beyond in terms of creating momentum and a spirit with the participants.  Interestingly, a large part of our approach focused on how to tell a story – and how to tell a different story when organizational change is a stated goal.   Immersive environments, professional actors, and illustrators all combined with one goal – to re-write the story.

Sometimes just such a break from the past is needed to re-launch our story or to ensure that its constant evolution is on the path that we desire (professionally or personally).  If constant ‘change’, in our personal and working lives, is here to stay… How can we embrace and use this to find opportunities and steps we can take to enrich our life stories and achieve our goals?

It’s just too easy to fall into the trap of stagnating – and we are all guilty of doing it at one stage or another – unless you find time to take stock and look at life through a different lens, with a fresh perspective.  We have to take positive action to navigate to a new part of our story… This could start with learning or experiencing new things, thinking differently, or visiting somewhere new and inspiring.  Look for opportunities to intentionally put yourself outside of the ‘norm’ or your comfort zone.  You may be surprised where this takes you…

Learning new things, thinking differently, and being inspired are great places to start.

How tough are you?

Resilience at work

If there is one thing that managers and leaders have  experienced over the last 18 months it has got to be dealing with constant pressure and change.  Ironically, it seems the only constant is how many times  this topic is mentioned as a top challenge. (Including our latest research)!

From my experience, leaders are challenged to drive for consistently improved performance, while finding ways to embrace new ways of thinking and behaving. As I referred to in a previous note, the days of a steady job, with a predictable workload, are over. Instead, we need talented, resilient, adaptable, imaginative and trustworthy people (these five traits forming the mnemonic TRAIT) to help achieve success. And I would call out ‘resilience’ as being  first among those.


As a leader, by managing your personal resilience and acting as a role model, you have considerable influence over your team’s culture.   The goal is to develop these coping skills within your team, gradually shifting the mindset to one where change is viewed as a positive challenge and something to look forward to.

But this is not just the realm of managers. All business professionals need to build their own resilience and ensure they are working in a positive and sustainable way. The trick is getting the balance right between managing and sustaining optimum levels of pressure, without getting unduly stressed. If the business can get this right then it can ensure people deliver sustainable and positive performance regardless of the environment.

This has become such a hot topic recently that we have introduced two new resilience courses into our portfolio to help people develop in this area:

• Building Resilience and Sustainable Team Performance - For Managers and Leaders
• Working Positively and with Resilience for Business Professionals

But that’s enough promotion, there are certain things we can all do to build our resilience at work…

• Know the difference between pressure and stress – Google 'stress indicators' and be aware about how you respond to pressure.
• Understand the impact of the language we use on others – Before you give someone some work to do, put yourself in their shoes, how will they best respond to your message?
• Try to be self-aware and be mindful of your emotional state - Stay positive and deal with uncertainty (after all it’s the new normal, so you’d better get used to it)… Remember to assess what you can impact/influence and what is out of your control – it is a wasted emotion to get stressed about things out of your control (although we all do it to some degree – it’s natural ;-))

So, next time you are faced with a stressful situation, see how you can approach it differently and pay attention to how people respond to you.

Could you benefit from 'learning by stealth'?

A common criticism of face-to-face training is that it gives people a moment of epiphany…but then it’s back to work and, all too often, back to business as usual.  It is well documented that any new skill requires repeated hours of practice to master – yet, we don’t always structure our own personal development in a way that facilitates repeated practice.  So why is that?

The reality is that people are in a hurry.  Development is often viewed as one more thing on the ‘to do’ list and thus the entire process is managed as an event.  As if we don’t learn when not in the ‘training event’!

But learning opportunities are constantly around us.  What if our developmental programs were so well-integrated into daily life that you didn't even know you were being trained?


‘Learning by stealth’ isn't as far-fetched as it might sound.  It’s simply a case of providing a learning experience that is more naturally orchestrated within the day-to-day rhythm of the business. Just think of the advantages:

• The learning is directly related to your own personal circumstances and work objectives
• Learning can be reinforced many times over, ensuring a sustained advantage
• Learning budgets potentially go much further
• Higher participation rates (how many people don’t think they need or have time for training versus how many people would miss a scheduled ‘meeting’)

But learning by stealth still takes a concerted planning effort to pull off – it can’t be left to chance.  Only the most experienced trainers/facilitators can provide the right combination of challenge and support that’s required to bring out the best in each individual, and to ensure that the primary goal of the intervention really is rooted in learning -- otherwise it will just be a meeting!  

And all of these learning opportunities should still be managed in a cohesive way…a stealth architecture perhaps!

The key advantage of this type of approach is that it can be much more impactful than traditional theory and practice style training.  And for many, who in today’s fast-paced and highly entertained world would resent anything akin to boilerplate development, stealth training can achieve breakthrough results.

So next time you’re offered an opportunity for a ‘day of training’ – why not consider how you would structure that development in a way that embeds and sustains your development right in the context of your day.  Perhaps the day of training, is 8 stealth opportunities that just ‘naturally appear’ in the course of your day.  I think you’ll find this approach ensures greater connectivity and relevance, and thus assures you more natural points to practice and develop new skills.

Don’t forget the soft stuff

More and more research validates that universities are not equipping graduates with the real skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

Employers are saying that it’s not enough just to have technical or academic ability. Understandably, they want to recruit candidates who will be a good ‘fit’ in their organization. Usually this translates as: will they get along with other people? Can they cope with life in the workplace?  Are they adaptable as things change? It seems what is missing, for many graduates, are the ‘softer skills’ that relate to their ability to empathize and interact effectively with others, to communicate well, and to work in teams. And these are the key skills for aspiring professionals and managers!

These issues aren't likely to go away, and in my opinion if anything will be exacerbated by other environmental shifts.  I grew up in a generation where my social interactions with others were constant, and face-to-face.  Matter of fact, I can still remember my only negative report cards from early education typically containing some language to the effect of cautioning about the extent of my ‘socialness’.  Not only didn't my educators recognize how this aided my development, they actually felt I was hampering others in their noble quest to diagram a sentence or memorize the periodic table!  Today’s generation (our up and coming workforce) has developed in a much more ‘heads down’ mode.  While a more technology-agile workforce will have some advantage, a workforce whose primary method of communication is texting, may not.  What’s worse is that this generation is entering the workforce at a time when many organizations, looking for budget cuts, aren't investing as heavily in the very skills that will be needed for survival.

Back in 2012, we highlighted that business should really be looking for five specific traits and a mind-set for success, in new recruits.  Because the days of hiring people for a steady job - with a predictable workload - are over, our argument is that employers now need to recruit and develop individuals who are talented, resilient, adaptable, imaginative and trustworthy. These five traits form the mnemonic TRAIT. Adaptability is vital, as today’s recruits will need to become, to some extent, a Jack or Jill of all trades. The most important thing, though, is having the right mind-set, because that will impact on whatever job they’re asked to do.

So, why aren't these skills overtly learned at universities or business schools? Perhaps because ‘soft skills’ can actually be the hardest skills to teach? Getting people to behave differently, take a different approach, or have a different attitude, takes a more sophisticated approach to enabling learning.

Two things are needed to resolve this situation. First, students themselves must take more responsibility for developing the skills that will make them more employable. Secondly, universities and business schools need to update their formula. This could mean supplementing their capabilities with an alternative approach, partnering with soft skills providers to provide subject matter expertise and delivery know-how. Not only will the result be valuable for students in their work, but it is likely to help them in their lives generally.  And even then, the workforce must be ready to accept new graduates and understand the fundamental shift that occurs during that first transition to the working world.

So, the real challenge for organizations is to identify and develop candidates that not only have the technical skills required for a task, but also have the right traits and the right mindset for success.

Back to the US

Well I guess I should have headed first to Plymouth and then set sail for America.  I have returned to the US this week, following my predominately London-based assignment of the past 3 years.  While I skipped the symbolic re-enactment in favour of the comfort of my airline seat, I must admit that I am feeling the same mixed emotions that my American forefathers must have felt centuries ago. And while it is pouring rain as I sit and write this from my DC office, I have to say that other adjustments are going to feel, well, foreign!

As any American, I went to the UK prepared for warm beer and bad food J.  But I found many other things that I wasn’t expecting...

• A society far more civil and respectful of individual differences than sometimes encountered in the US
• News that actually covers world events in an objective manner
• The proper pronunciation of ‘aluminium’ – though I still can’t say it without laughing
• Proper manners for queuing (ok, I’m still not really good at that)
• Football matches where someone doesn’t have to win for all to have a good time (sorry, Broncos fans)
• Shoe shopping in stores that actually carry my size
• The difference between my s’s and zed’s
• Why everyone appreciates British humor (humour!)
• The thrill of losing pounds (both in the gym and on Oxford St.)
• McDonald’s apple pies that are still fried (why do we still offer burgers and fries and feel a baked apple pie makes it all better….?)
• How to calculate proper margins on a bottle of Grey Goose
• 101 things to occupy myself in the rain
• Many new friends

Immersing yourself in a culture that is different from your own is an opportunity of a lifetime and I will forever be grateful to my extended UK family for making my time feel as if I belonged.  I will be back to the UK often, and I’m comforted in knowing that it will always feel like a second home.

I do look forward to my time in America, and catching up with family, friends and colleagues -- and most importantly, my dog!  Professionally speaking, there are exciting plans for our US operation and I will enjoy being close to the action.  And let’s face it -- the UK doesn’t have an IHOP, so really how long could that have lasted?

Those that have known me the longest were amazed I willingly embraced the opportunity to live abroad.  I typically prefer the comfort of my surroundings and routine, and I don’t like to eat anything that ‘mama didn’t cook’.  But as I reflect, I have to say how pleased I am that I went exploring.  It is one of the biggest learning opportunities one can experience.

I realize most people won’t get the opportunity to experience total immersion in a new culture – but one thing we can witness is the impact that cultural differences and personal histories have in our everyday workplace.  It seems that most of us come naturally from a position of feeling that the way we have always done something, or been taught to do something, is the best.   Certainly, as a proud American, I assumed we had it all figured out!  Opening your mind to consider that there are different, even better, ways of doing something is a reaction that should be cultivated.  Relocation just forces it in a big way!

In today’s world we are each surrounded by people of different backgrounds and beliefs, usually without leaving our own backyards.  Allow yourself the freedom to learn from others, their ‘norm’ and the collective power that diversity of thinking breeds.

Ready, Set, Engage!

Over the past several months I have written about the significance of learned and ‘unlearned’ behavior, and more the notion that how we are conditioned as children has unintended consequence on how we behave as adults in our professional lives.

The difference in a child’s excitement and wonderment is even more evident at holiday time.  I recently had the pleasure of spending time with my extended family over the holidays, and it reminded me just how easily children get excited and engaged in something new – and how contagious that can be for all that are around them.   When is the last time you experienced that level of excitement about something at work?

In some ways, as adults, we can tend to be less enthusiastic about getting involved in new things, perhaps as conditioned from past experience.  This, in turn, impacts how we view opportunity and risk, and how comfortable we are in stepping out of our ‘comfort zones’.   In my experience, this presents a danger of people getting ‘stuck in a rut’.   In fact I read recently that as many 26% of employees in US businesses are reported as being ‘disengaged’, with a subset of that being reported as ‘actively’ disengaged.   If that’s true, what are we missing in terms of organizational productivity? Imagine if you had 26% more resource available to accomplish your business objective….for free!  You do, you just have to figure out how to tap into it.

Engaged employees perform better and stay longer, and this, in turn, leads to greater productivity and higher customer satisfaction levels. So, tackling employee disengagement can create a lot of positive energy.  The problem is where do you start?  It’s not easy to get people to feel passionate about their work or connected to their employer, especially in a virtual workforce (an increasing reality for many of us).

Numerous studies indicate that the number one driver of employee engagement – or disengagement as it may be– is our relationship with our immediate supervisor. So improving that relationship, and specifically teaching our first line leaders how to motivate and excite employees to encourage engagement, seems a logical place to start.

You can go further though…I have recently witnessed as an exciting new piece of work drove higher levels of engagement in my team.  Just as importantly as the project, was the nature in which we decided to tackle it -- fast-paced and energetic, with everyone having an opportunity to pitch in using their strengths, regardless of formal role or assignment.   It was as if team members ‘caught the bug’.  Individuals that were disengaged became curious.  Folks that were already engaged became even more so.  Even people that were productive and working on other things, started to look at what they were doing by comparison and to make connections about how their products could be improved.  It seems you can also boost employee engagement by ensuring that they have projects to work on that challenge and inspire them, and by ensuring that you engage them in it fully from the start.

Best of all, these things cost little and not only improve organization productivity, but also make for a happier work atmosphere as well.

So, as we start 2014 remember the path to greater engagement has to be ignited somewhere, and could easily begin with some small steps.  Get your leaders ready, set yourself up for success, and look for opportunities to engage the wider organization more fully.

Don’t mind your own business

Many of us in the workplace today were taught, from an early age, to ‘mind your own business’. I am reminded any time I am around children, frankly, how many times they ask the question ‘why’, with each successive response from the adult eliciting another ‘why’.  In my experience, this toing and froing typically ends in one of 2 responses – ‘stop asking why’, or ‘because I said so’.  As children, curiosity might have led us to ask penetrating questions that were purposefully valid for our development, but unfortunately the responses we were conditioned to receive were ‘mind your own business’. It was as if those questions were considered rude or just not appropriate. The upshot was we began to hold our tongue. So, are we worse off because of this?

Possibly scarred by this kind of experience, many employees still ‘hold their tongues’ in the workplace. They’ve learned a behavior that might not be that great as a consequence… They simply accept the status quo. They don’t ask ‘why are things done this way’? They don’t question the received wisdom.  In the worst cases, they don’t even bother paying attention anymore.

My view is that sometimes we shouldn’t mind our own business. Individuals should be encouraged to ask and truly understand ‘why?’. They should feel able to challenge the current practice, protocols or behavior without feeling they will be criticised for it. They may understand ‘what’ they’re supposed to do and ‘how’ they’re supposed to do it, but maybe ‘why’ they should do it simply hasn’t been explained to them!?  Asking questions can give them a clearer perspective on their own purpose at work and ultimately will help them understand what is needed, engage and do a better job.

For those who have worked most closely with me, they know that I will often take an opposing view (sometimes even to my own thinking) just to ensure that challenge is being encouraged in the workplace.  I can even recall a social experiment that I ran years ago in a work setting, where I secretly asked an influential member of the team to only use the word ‘why’ in a particular meeting.  What happened was amazing, every time a point or decision was raised, an influential role model said ‘why’ and what ensued was a more interesting debate and, dare I say, outcome of the meeting.

Are people in your organization wearing blinkers? Do they avoid speaking up? If so, they’re missing out - and so is your business… Performance improvements can be sparked by questions from every level of staff and understanding ‘why’ can help everyone do a better job.  It also means employees have to have the courage to ask ‘why’ and be nurtured by a culture that accepts that not minding your own business brings diversity of thinking and input, greater buy-in to the eventual direction, and ultimately greater understanding and connectivity of individuals to the business.

Simon didn’t say… Are you giving permission to perform?

(I apologise for the gap in blog posts, I’ve just enjoyed some well-earned leave.)

Remember playing ‘Simon Says’ as a child? Sometimes fun and sometimes exasperating!? Not knowing if you have permission can be a bit like that…

It’s usually seen as a good thing to invest in customer service training. But actually you’re wasting your money if you don’t give employees permission to use their skills and to exercise their own judgment to do what’s right for customers.

I endured an example of this recently when my mobile phone died prior to the end of my contract. While I must admit I was enjoying the momentary respite from our connected world, I was also being prompted daily by my mother that a new phone was needed as she could no longer ‘facetime’ me or play ‘Words with Friends’.

A new mobile phone – how hard could it be?

Arriving at the flagship London store of my mobile provider, I was greeted promptly and courteously by a sales associate, who had clearly received the necessary technical training -- quickly spouting off details of the various phones, plans, and options. Upgrading 60 days early due to a maintenance issue, however, was not a straightforward situation, and as became obvious during a highly frustrating experience, his training fell down in one key area: he didn’t have ‘permission’ from his company to use his initiative.

While I won’t bore you with the finer details, the sales associate’s computer system was set up to penalize folks wishing to upgrade early, not taking into account other reasons why a client might find themselves in this situation. It was painfully clear to the associate (and his manager) that an insignificant fee, that they weren’t allowed to waive, was actually incentivising me to take my business elsewhere. In short, I left on a principle, and they lost a long-term client, simply because they had no permission.

I quickly found another provider.  Same phones and same phone plans – but they had permission, working creatively to ensure that the penalties being assessed by my old provider were negated in the new sale.

Even though renewing my phone contract took longer than it did to buy my car (seriously!), this experience taught me that you can’t create a customer service mentality if you don’t give people permission to perform. So, don’t make your team feel like they are playing ‘Simon Says’, give them permission to do a great job!

How would permission change things in your organization?  Do you have permission to even raise the topic of permission?  Challenge yourself and challenge others if this is an issue in your organization.

P.S.  I am happy with my new phone and service provider, but was particularly thrilled when calling back to officially cancel the old cell plan only to be greeted with the standard automated response “you are now eligible for an upgrade to your mobile phone…”  It turns out the computer didn’t have the permission either – it was in the phone all the time.

Seeing it their way

A lack of perspective can cause issues in any relationship, personal or professional, and lead to courses of action that no one envisioned or even wanted.

One of the most famous slogans to an American of my generation comes from Burger King’s famous 1970’s ad campaign, ‘have it your way’.  Indeed, probably no other slogan better sums up the American expectation for customer service.  Imagine for a moment if we were just as inspired by ‘see it their way’. What insights might we gain? How much more tolerant might we be?

So, when dealing with people, do you ever ask yourself: Why is this person reacting this way?

Years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a husband and wife executive coaching team, who were two of the funniest people I’ve ever encountered. They could have turned executive coaching into a successful Vegas show! One of their key lessons was an exercise called ‘the perspective of all perspectives’. The idea is to step outside of your own personal position on any subject and to think about it from the perspective of every other person or entity impacted.

Performing this ‘mental levitation’ forces you to be quiet, to listen, to pay greater attention to the detail and to think differently. In the process, you’ll start to see multiple angles, hidden motivators and different agendas which can help you to better understand someone’s reaction or viewpoint. This insight can help you frame questions to ensure absolute clarity.

My life has now placed me in a situation where the majority of my social and professional interactions are with individuals of different cultural background and upbringing.  ‘Seeing it their way’ is a whole new challenge, but one that ultimately enhances my perspective and effectiveness.

In your future exchanges, take a moment to imagine the perspectives of other people. ‘See it their way’; you may be amazed at what you discover.

Step out of line

A key challenge for anyone involved in learning and development is actually helping people to ‘unlearn’.

The problem is that, from an early age, we all become conditioned to respond in a certain way - and changing that conditioned behavior is not easy.

I recently encountered a prime example of this at London’s international train station, St Pancras. When you exit this very busy station, there’s a sign near the taxi rank that says: ‘Queue here’ - and everyone does. Every taxi stops precisely at the sign; every person queues the other side.  And consequently only one taxi loads at a time (despite there being hundreds of people waiting on an entire string of empty taxis right in front of them). By contrast to the long queue at St. Pancras, Paddington Station, another famous London train station, has nine taxi bays and an attendant ensures that each of them loads simultaneously – a seamless and efficient loading process. Someone has found a better way.

Why St. Pancras is set up this way I have no idea.  Why someone with any authority has never noticed the problem and addressed it, crazier still. But even more puzzling to me is the universal conformist human behavior that keeps everyone in line, even when the solution is so obvious. What is it that prevents a random collection of hundreds of people, from all walks of life, from stepping out of line?

From an early age we are taught – stay in line, toe the line, don’t cut in line. Hell, we’re not even allowed to color outside of the lines. Is it any wonder we are conditioned heavily against stepping out of line?

Are people in your organization rigidly adhering to a particular process because they’ve become conditioned to behave in a certain way? Do they continue that pattern even when a more efficient or logical solution is staring them in the face – just on the other side of the sign perhaps!

Step out of line occasionally. Noting that it is polite to explain to those around you why you are doing it.

In pursuit of happiness

So here goes with my first blog entry... On a theme of ‘keep learning'.

The US Declaration of Independence cites ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ as unalienable human rights. But what is it that really makes us happy?

A friend showed me a great ‘TED talks’ presentation last night – UK Statistician Nic Marks argues that happiness is a natural human aspiration - we all want happiness for ourselves, our families and our communities - yet ironically statisticians don’t measure happiness. Our dominant measures of ‘progress’ are built around what we can produce. Nic outlines the Happy Planet Index, which tracks national well-being against resource use. He suggests that in the same way that we should eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, there are five ways to wellbeing (that don’t have to cost the earth) and guess what... one of the 5 is keep learning. They are:

• Connect: invest time in your social relationships 
• Be active: it’s the fastest way out of a bad mood 
• Take notice: be aware of what’s going on around you 
• Keep learning: it doesn’t have to be formal learning, stay curious 
• Give: altruism makes us feel good 

Employee engagement is often seen as a key benefit of learning. But perhaps we should be thinking of learning as a way of making employees happier?

I passionately believe that we are all happier when we keep learning.