Are you feeling festive?

My social media feed is full of people saying that they're now feeling festive. Generally this feeling has been preceded by seeing or doing something - whether that's receiving their first Christmas card, wrapping the presents, singing the first carol or, as in my case, decorating the tree. 

In other words we're attributing a feeling we're having to an external stimulus. 

It's interesting that we often forget this wonderful strategy when we're in need of changing how we're feeling. I'm sure we can all recall times when for example being more confident, positive, calm, or focused is eluding us, and yet is just what we do need for the task in hand.

We have a choice in that moment about staying with the state of mind we're in, or doing something to change it.  

It's a bit like the song that's just started playing on my ipad - we have a choice what style we sing Hark the Herald angels in. We don't have to end as we started. In any moment we're free to turn the dial up or down, to find just the right emotion we need. 

   

I've written before about my prescription for positivity. It's a checklist I have for things I know shift my state to a more positive one. A list that includes listening to songs that help, and will now have another Pentatonix song added to it "Mary did you know" - which gives me goosebumps and a sense of connection with all that is, and of hope for the future. A sense of hope that I take into my work after listening to it. (Or perhaps I'm just in a Pentatonix sort of mood :-) - they were recently on The Voice over in the US singing Jolene with Dolly and Miley!)

The prescriptions we have to achieve any emotion will be unique, and will also include things to stop doing as much as things to start doing as I wrote about in posts about happiness, not spending time with miserable mackerels, or sitting at my desk and trying to be creative!

Other posts I've written have explored the strategies we may employ to achieve states of mind such as creativity, more bounce, and presence. 

Using external triggers to shift our state of mind is also a frequent theme I explore over on Landscaping your Life where I use nature to inspire change - posts have included confidence, and speaking with confidence.       

What state of mind do you need to achieve your goals today, and what do you need to do to be fully present in that state?   

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Inspiring change inside and out

and sometimes feeling festive may just require waiting for a different time of day!

Follow the hypertext links in the text to other posts I've written on the subjects highlighted.

Are you in the right state of mind?

I love this image - a great reminder that at any point we need to be mindful of our state of mind and body. Perhaps more importantly to ask ourselves is that state appropriate to the outcome we're wanting. If it's not appropriate it's about doing what you have to do to shift that state. If negative what do you need to do to be a little more positive, if lacking confidence how can you be more confident, if muddled how can you get more clarity. Too easy perhaps to think we're stuck with the state we're in rather than realising there's lots we can do. 

What state do you need to be in today, and how will you ensure you achieve it when it's needed? 

This prescription for positivity might help give you some ideas. 

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Inspiring change - inside and out

Begin with the end in mind

During last week's Category Management workshop we discussed how to ensure we start meetings/workshops, and our day, in the appropriate state of mind to achieve the objectives for the session.

All to often we rush from one meeting to the next, grab a coffee, answer a few emails and start the session distracted, and already thinking about the next meeting.

With all this rushing about and busyness the challenge is we're not always in a state of mind, body and emotions that is conducive to an effective and efficient meeting.

The solution is so simple it's often seen as common sense, and therefore ignored, with assumptions being made that "we're already doing all this", or "we don't have time to do it right so let's just get on with the meeting before we waste any more time!" or even worse thinking "I'm ok so everyone else must be too!"

There's so much we can do to ensure we shift into a resourceful state at the start of the meeting and this can include:

Looking after our well-being

• Ensuring we're appropriately fed and watered (dehydration can hinder thinking - so too grumbling stomachs or too much caffeine or sugar) 
• Ensure room temperature and ventilation is at appropriate levels (such an easy thing to get wrong and can be the source of much distraction)
• Having had some quiet time during the day (because otherwise you will be trying to do too many things in the meeting rather than pay attention)
• Ensuring regular breaks are taken
• Taking responsibility for our body posture (because a tense body leads to tense thinking)

Clarity of objective

• Agreeing the outcome needed
• Agreeing the process to be used to achieve this - this may be achieved via an agenda
• Agreeing timings
• Agreeing roles and responsibilities 

Agreeing how to minimise distractions 

• Taking time to write down what you're thinking/worrying about to pick it back up at the end of the meeting (childlike perhaps and an effective tools for compartmentalising the meeting for our brain, and therefore metaphorically leaving everything else at the door)
• Closing emails on laptops/phones
• Having a car park for unrelated issues to discuss at a later time
• Having a red/yellow card to use for rabbit holes

Agreeing what won't help the meeting achieve it's objectives

• Talking about unrelated topics
• Gossiping (I may write a blog on this as it's interesting how often we can fall back into behaviour that could be described as gossiping)
• Talking over others
• Repeating past grievances
• and so on

What behaviours are agreed as unacceptable will be culturally specific - for example the acceptable level of, and vocality of disagreement could be very different between different teams/countries. I know from recent experiences in the Netherlands and Finland that both find a less direct approach very frustrating.

Agreeing what will help you achieve the objectives

• Reminding ourselves what state of mind and body will be most appropriate - for example if creative thinking is required how can you do something that will inspire that type of thinking. Sitting around the same table in the same building may not do that - whilst going for a walk outside might! Or perhaps get the Creative Whack Pack out.
• Common suggestions for helpful behaviours include: respect, courage to speak up, receptivity, openness, honesty and so on.
• I sometimes use cards (see pictures above or below) by way of a discussion about what is needed for the session. Years after I'd left full time employment the team I used to work with still used these cards to start meetings - that is they'd found it was a useful way to keep meetings on track - and not just a peculiarity or foible of my meetings :-)

Starting by being in rapport with each other

• Starting by focussing on what everyone agrees on, and has in common with each other - it may be the current situation, the problems, the need to find a solution (see this blog for more on rapport)
• Doing something together - the obvious - having a drink, introductions, sharing updates etc
• Doing something together - not for everyone - mindful breathing, showing appreciation ;-) 

I know much of the above is common sense but a reminder of these best practices at the start of a meeting ensures they are fresh in people's minds. 

Rather than repeat the above lists at every meeting you may just want to start the meeting with:

• What Worked Well - at the last or other meetings
• Even Better If - from previous or other meetings

That is have a discussion about how you all want the meeting to be conducted - this will enable you to discuss positive behaviours it's easy to forget about, and less than positive behaviours its easy to let back in. Remembering that bad habits, as well as good habits, can find their way into unconscious competence/incompetence.

I'd love to read your suggestions on how you ensure everyone gets the most from their attendance of a meeting, and how you ensure objectives are achieved.

For more about the content of the training last week do see yesterday's blog on "I've written a blog on that".

Creativity and courage

We've all gone penguin mad - and I know it's not just me *.

I would say John Lewis have a lot to answer for - but the following leadership book involving penguins was written a number of years ago. So too the leadership book mentioned last week. **

 

A peacock in the land of penguins is a fable on creativity and courage and tells the story of Perry the peacock who goes to live in the land of the penguins.

 

 

The key strategies outlined when faced with resistance to change, and an editt from the top that everyone follow penguin etiquette, are: 

• Strategy of support - catch people doing the right thing (as discovered by Edward the eagle)
• Strategy of hopeful thinking - act on assumptions you would like to be true (as discovered by Helen the hawk)
• Strategy of calculated ignorance - act puzzled if caught doing unpenguin like things (as discovered by Mike the mockingbird) 
• Strategy of safe learning - expose senior managers to new ideas in safe environments (as discovered by Sara the swan)

Not a great story for endorsing these strategies though, as all the non penguin birds who refused to become penguin like left the land of penguins and went to the land of opportunity.

 

So perhaps more a tale of foreboding for those who aspire to be like the penguins. A tale that reminds penguins that for creativity to flourish they need to allow other birds to:

• Be themselves (nothing stifles creativity more than spending lots of energy trying to fit in)
• Be unique (after all isn't that why you employed them)
• Bring best practice into the organisation

And they personally need to have an attitude of:

• Openness to new ideas
• Willingness to listen
• Eagerness to learn
• Desire to grow
• Flexibility to change 

Are you a penguin or one of the other birds? More importantly what changes can you make to ensure what you're doing succeeds?

Alison Smith
Inspiring change inside and out - when what you're doing isn't working

* I was very excited when @mablethepenguin agreed with me on twitter that she needed to stop wishing her life away.

 

And yesterday Monty wished Smudger my cat a speedy recovery :-).

** Last week's book included Kotter's 8 steps for implementing change which were contained in a book entitled 'our iceberg is melting'. Fred the penguin had the unenviable task of trying to persuade his fellow penguins that their iceberg was melting and change was needed if they were to survive.

Is your state appropriate to the task in hand

It's my birthday today and many of the cards are wishing me a happy birthday (Fab at 50 seems soooo long ago!). In 6 weeks time (to the day folks) it's Christmas, and in even fewer weeks than that merry Christmas cards will start arriving.

At these times we're being wished a state that it's generally easy for us to take on ie happy or merry (however you wish to define merry!).

However there are other days when, not only do we not get the reminder from others, but we also have difficulty being in the right state. Especially if the number of tweets wishing it was Saturday are anything to go by!

You know the times:

• You're just about to stand up and present your strategy to the board and your heart rate is sky rocketing and you don't seem to be able to remember anything you were going to say
• You have 15 tender responses to analyse, and you can't concentrate
• It's your team away day and you just want to sleep and stay away from everyone
• It's opportunity analysis development day with the project team and creativity has flown out of the window
• You have an annual review with a team member and you just can't stop talking!
• You're sitting there staring at the excel spreadsheet and the logic of how to pivot the table is eluding you
• Your boss is telling you what she needs you to do whilst she's away and you can't listen
• You have a difficult phone call to make and you keep finding other things to do

Times when the right state is no where to be felt - rights states such as those listed below

I'm sure you can think of many more examples.

The key is starting each day/meeting aware of what state you're in and what state you need for the task in hand. Once you understand the gap then you can identify how you're going to close it.

My prescription for positivity might help identify some suggestions for closing the gap. Over the coming month, as I'm attending a workshop and then working with a client out of the country, blogs are going to have to be shorter. So think I'll just pick a state and explore the means of accessing it - suggested states most welcome.

Alison Smith
Inspiring change inside and out - when what you're doing isn't working

Cards shown are from the Frameworks for change coaching process I use in individual coaching, and in group facilitation sessions.