Professional Passion

No one likes robots. Sure they may be efficient and they don’t talk back or chuck a duvet day to watch the world cup, but they are just machines. All a machine can do is what it programmed for and once a better machine comes along, it will be replaced. Machines cannot improve themselves (at least not yet). Every leader needs to look at himself once in while and see if he has become a machine – one that does a great job and stops there; with no ability to develop and grow. If you, on objective analysis, find that is happening to you, something is missing in your life. And that is passion.

Let’s not confuse doing well with success. Doing well is meeting expectations. Success is growth. To grow you need a passion to go beyond what is expected of you. An executive without a passion for his job comes across as dull, no matter how efficient he may be. And this concept of being dull is reflected back to you and feeds upon itself until the dullness becomes part of your personality. This personality will impact how well you perform. And worse, it will become part of how others treat you. You do not work in isolation. How you are perceived by others is an important of how successful you are. Not only will you not receive the respect you are due from your peers, you will become an uninspiring leader. The words boring and leader cannot coexist. A manager needs to inspire others to follow and work with him. If you are not inspired yourself, how do you expect to inspire others? No matter how boring and uninspiring your work is, your passion can turn that around, and the way you do it will be an example to others, allowing them to enable their passion. And that will earn you their respect.

Every job has it boring and frustrating moments – its when these get to be a major part of the job that passion dies. Do not accept boredom. Focus on the big picture. If you know where you are going, the boredom and frustration become only hurdles to be overcome, and not the race itself. If your target is not something that inspires you, your target is too easy and you are lazy. Just like a muscle, if your ambition is not exercised and pushed to do more, it will become weak. In fact, it may become so weak that you become incapable of even doing today’s job. If you are 40 today, you will not have the energy you had when you were 20. But that’s not important if your passion for your job pushes you to keep doing better. The passion in the mind and heart will more than compensate for the slowing of the body. If you allow your passion to carry your forward, you will be respected. And once you have respect, you will have opportunities to do more. And as you do and contribute more, you so will your need to continue on this path. And that need is passion.

What do you want in life? Once you know that, focus on how you will achieve your goal. Not if, but how. The “if” will be taken care of by your passion.

Building Trust in the Workplace – Authentic Leadership Master Class

Trust is a critical component to the success and performance of leaders and of a business.

There is a very simple equation:-

High Trust = High Speed + Low Cost

Low Trust = Slow Speed + High Costs

Look at the performance of your business, team, a specific relationship. Do things happen quickly or is everyone second guessing, double checking, re-doing and in the worst case preparing to cover and protect themselves should something go wrong?

Trust is a multiplier effect.  High trust people get the significant projects; you wouldn’t leave your child with someone you didn’t trust and a business makes no different decisions.

• High trust people get promoted and receive more of the company’s resources.
• Collaboration, engagement, innovation, job fulfilment all increase when there is trust.
• The ability to attract and retain talent increases where there is trust.
• Revenue, customer loyalty and referrals also increase if there is trust.

In fact research shows that high trust organisations out perform low trust ones by 278%

On April 15th at 4pm I’ll be interviewing Sue Swanborough, HR Director at General Mills UK, a company that yearly features in the Fortune Top 100 companies to work for.  Sue is an expert in trust and its impact and application throughout the business, from board level to shop floor.  The results of this have been evident in the business results achieved.

In the past Sue, a science graduate has worked in a number of fmcg businesses including Boots, Mars and most recently General Mills. She has moved cross functionally through R&D, supply chain, logistics and manufacturing before joining HR. She has held a number of generalist and specialist roles covering the full spectrum of HR. Her passion and expertise lies in cultural and leadership development through building trust to deliver excellent business results.

On this 75 minute tele conference call we’ll be discussing:-

• The impact trust has on the performance of a business
• What leaders need to pay attention to
• The top 3 mistakes leaders make and how this endangers the levels of trust they have
• Key strategies to build trust – whatever the size of your business
• Plus we’ll open the lines so you can ask your questions direct, as well as giving you the opportunity to send in your questions beforehand.

To secure your place and get a hard copy of the call, including transcript, follow this link – building trust

Increasing Staff Engagement – When Money Isn’t The Answer

As the economy and organisations emerge from survival to growth what about staff morale and engagement?  Just as leaders can get caught in post recession paralysis, so can employees.  After all the uncertainty and insecurity and with companies maybe asking that bit extra of staff to make it through the recession, what’s next in moving forward?

Well the most superficial response will be bonus’s and pay rises.  Yes of course rewarding your staff is key.  But as Frederick Herzberg said donkey’s years ago, pay is a hygiene factor and not a motivator.  Without it you’ve got serious problems, but there is a point beyond which it doesn’t motivate or engage staff.

In fact Lord Richard Layard wrote a book Happiness – Lessons from a new science.  Research shows that there is a fiscal point above which earning anymore doesn’t make you happier.  If memory serves me right it’s £25K.

So what does increase employee engagement?  Achievement, Recognition, Responsibility, Promotion / Career Progression, Learning and Development, Relationships / Team work, Flexible Working.  These softer, more intrinsic aspects are what  we should ensure are present.  Typically when they aren’t that’s when people start demanding more money.  It’s a sign that they don’t feel valued but are at a loss to put in place the intrinsic factors, so the tangible cash solution is a sticking plaster that patches things up for a while.

As the profits increase staff will, quite rightly, expect a share of that somehow.  Yet in this emergent state your company may not be in a position to offer cash bonus’s.  However if you use the extra cash you have to invest in ensuring the more intangible, intrinsic motivators are present then the payoff’s could be far higher than a pure cash solution.

Routes to Business Growth – Emerging From A Recession

The creation of a values-led corporate culture within one of Britain’s most successful healthcare companies had engaged its workforce, driven growth and resulted in turnover rocketing from £60 million to £100 million in a handful of years, according to Chris Harrison of North West pharma company Fresenius Kabi.

Addressing business leaders from across the North West at this week’s ‘Emerging from the Recession’ conference at Manchester’s MacDonald Hotel, the Runcorn based Group Managing Director said the adoption of values-led leadership could assist organisations in weathering the economic storm.

“At Fresenius Kabi, values have provided an important underpinning of what we do as a business and they have enabled everybody within that business to be engaged,” he added.” I am convinced that our progress would not have been as sustainable without values.”

Ruth Sanderson,one of the conference organisers and MD of blue pea POD, the Chester based leadership consultancy told the delegates that all the speakers would outline their experiences of corporate culture and its impact on performance.

“The uncertain times have seen many companies lose their way,” she said:” But forward-thinking CEOs are working with their corporate culture and leadership values because they know these hold the key to business growth.

“The level of interest in this conference in Manchester is, in my view, a clear indication of the growing acknowledgement of the role of values in corporate life. We have senior players in attendance today who have all experienced the positive impact of company values. We want them to share their experiences with all our delegates.”

Her co-organiser Sue Coyne, Executive Coach and Culture Change Consultant of Stockport-based Connectiveness Ltd added that research had shown that the adoption of a values based corporate culture within an organisation had a measurable effect on performance from sales figures to the bottom line.

Mike Stevens, the Manchester based Group and UK Human Resources Director for the £300 million turnover Odeon and UCI Cinema Group told the conference that he became involved in building a values based corporate company when the Odeon and UCI operations were being integrated.

“We conducted a company wide survey of our employees and as a company we were shaken to the core when the results showed a worrying level of disengagement and negativity.”

“We made a conscious decision to apply values to the culture using engagement, communication and development. We have already seen some very positive results from our work and now values are integral in every aspect of our business.”

After the conference Ruth Sanderson said: “Many companies are now looking forward to emerging from this long and difficult recession and this conference was the start of a series of events to give our delegates the benefit of the experiences of our speakers, all of whom spoke very positively about values-led leadership and corporate culture.

“We believe in the effectiveness of values-led leadership and the end of the recession will give many companies the opportunity to examine the many positives from this approach to business. Putting in those values now will pay huge dividends as time goes on.”

Developing Your Organisation’s Culture – 7 Tips

Consciously developing your organizational culture is more important than ever.  At the end of the day if you aren’t developing it, then it’s developing you.

People are seeking to work for a business where they can experience fulfilment and authenticity.  Organizations which treat their employees well have experienced a better retention rate, increased productivity, increased innovation and lower sickness and absenteeism.

That said developing your organizational culture can be a big challenge for the leaders as well as its employees.   Here are few suggestions of things you can do:-

• Analyze your corporation’s existing culture and compare it with employees, suppliers and customers’ expectations and perceptions.  There are even tools that can measure this very accurately now and give valuable business insight that helps with performance and growth.

• Discuss the existing culture in your department.  What aspects of the culture are great, what’s good and what needs to change?  Then agree what you’d like the culture to be and how everyone can support and make it happen.

• Induction.  This isn’t just about training new recruits in their job, it’s about making them aware of the culture you’re growing and how they can play their part.  Even though you’ve made the culture clear in the interview process, so you’ve not recruited a misfit, it’s not enough to think that’ll do.  There are of course still companies that spend all their focus on skills and fail to explain the culture and check for alignment – which of course is expensive as they can find themselves losing the new recruit within the next 6 months and having to start all over again.

• Communication.  And I’m not talking a quick 2 line email saying our culture / values are this,  it’s important and can you just send a quick reminder to all your staff.  Yes those emails are still too common, ouch.  I’m talking about a 2 way conversation where you bring awareness that this isn’t a band-aid or quick fix approach.  Rather an ongoing, strategic process to build a more attractive culture that fits the needs of the organization and that can improve its business growth.

• Have Champions.  This is a journey so it’s important to have people who whole heartedly support the creation of this desired culture.  Plus it’s important that the champions / key culture group realise that not everyone is going to jump onboard right away.  There’s going to be scepticism, even from those who would like the desired culture.

• Momentum and Measurement.  Developing the culture to being a sustainable, profitable and healthy one for both the business and staff takes time.  Look for low hanging fruit, celebrate what works, don’t re-enforce what doesn’t.  Lastly measure.  Not incessantly but say every 12 months assess your progress against the desired end point.

If you want to do more, if you’d like to measure your culture, if you’d like to discuss how you can not only manage your culture but generate wealth from it, then give us a call.

Are you fed up, disillusioned and ready to take your career to the next level?

Pretty much everyone we know has at some point, if not several, becomes disillusioned with their career or job. This dissatisfaction can get you down, especially if others around you are feeling the same. This can feel even worse now, as we have the news of layoff’s and redundancies on TV and in the Newspaper.
If you’re looking for some practical advice that you can implement straight away to rejuvenate your career then we’ve got just the ticket.
Our eBook, sensibly titled Career Rejuvenation Action Plan, covers things like

• What your current behaviour might be saying to your colleagues
• What to do if you’re in a downward spiral
• The common questions most people ask themselves to improve their performance – and why they don’t work.
• The 3 questions you should ask yourself to improve your performance
• What your strengths are, beyond your skills
• How to focus on getting the job you want

What’s more it’s yours with our compliments – get your copy here.

If you’re looking for even more help and advice, then check out our August offer.  Yes the lack of sun in the UK must have gone to our head.

Who experiences the highest level of job satisfaction?

Do you think that the co-worker who’s usually smiling is a happier employee than the one who seems distant or neutral?  You might just be wrong if you chose the smiling employee.

Job satisfaction measures more than outward appearances.  One employee may be better at hiding distress than another, so what you see doesn’t ring true with how satisfied that employee is in his or her career.  Maybe the smile is daydreaming about the next job interview!

According to the National Opinion Center at the University of Chicago, 86 % of Americans surveyed were satisfied with their jobs (2006).  If you think younger workers are the most enthusiastic and nearly retired workers are ready to ditch the 9-5 routine, think again.  Older workers are happier at work, with job satisfaction peaking at age 65 and over.

In the United Kingdom, slightly fewer or about 75% of workers were satisfied with their jobs, reports the Work Foundations’ 2006 Study of Good Work.  As in the US, older workers in the UK have the highest job satisfaction, with the over 55 workers arriving at work with much better attitudes than the 16-34 year olds.

As for job duties, it’s no surprise that workers in US and UK whose jobs are in menial labor (including unskilled occupations) are far less satisfied than workers in positions with the highest pay, status and education levels.

In the US, the level of job satisfaction among higher status workers was also influenced by geographic location. Managerial and professional level workers in Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas had the highest level of satisfaction with their jobs.

Regardless of pay scale, half of the survey respondents in the UK see their jobs as “a means to an end” yet only 9% thought of their work as “meaningless.” So while there may be the Monday morning temptation to hit the snooze alarm, once they get to work, their outlook seems to improve.

What does it take for an employer to create job satisfaction at work?  The answer to that question varies by job type and work environment.  One employee group might feel a renewed dedication to work if they only had a working kitchen in the break room to prepare lunch.  For workers in manufacturing plants, their needs might be more serious safety concerns or more frequent breaks from long hours of repetitive motion work.

Perhaps the best way to determine job satisfaction is to simply ask the workers in a given environment.  The old “suggestion box” can be a bit tired.  A more effective way to get this information is to post an online survey so that each worker has enough privacy and anonymity to give a candid response.

At all job levels, workers tend to be more satisfied when they are heard and their needs given genuine consideration. Making even a few changes based on employee recommendations sends a wave of confidence that shows the employer is response to workers and that makes a notable increase in job satisfaction on both sides of the “big pond.”

Career Change – Searching for a new job

If you’re in the process of undergoing a career change, you know that looking for a new job is not always as simple as mailing out CV’s / resumes or perusing the wanted ads.   Many jobs aren’t always published, and the competition can be intense.   Without the right network contacts, and not being in the right place at just the right time, you could be out of luck.

Then again when you’re looking to make your next career move, or indeed change career, the more you understand about you, not just your skills and competencies, the more you can search for the right match.  As our career path develops we’re always unconsciously looking for a company that fits with our intrinsic desires.  We’re consciously looking for a company that fits our current skills base and has the possibility of future development.

Each time we move job there is a risk, will it work out, will I fit in, will I get on, will I still have a job in the future or is the company going under.  If we change career the uncertainty and risks can appear even greater.  If we thought about it for too long we’d probably become paralysed and take no action, figuring it was better to stay where we were and make do.

Those who experience authentic career success are the one’s who have invested in making the unconscious drivers conscious.  Right now we’re being bombarded with news telling us there are a lot of companies struggling, what we hear less of are that there are lots of companies doing fine and some even experiencing growth.  These latter companies are still looking to recruit excellent staff, and yes now they’ll have even more choice.  So it’s even more important that you shine and that becomes far easier the more self aware you are.  It also reduces the risks mentioned previously.

There are many routes to this, you could read books, here are a few recommendations.  You could have some career coaching, there’s probably a few in your area, have a conversation with them first, even experience their coaching, so you know when you hire them they’re the right one for you.  Now sometimes this route either doesn’t fit your timeline, or doesn’t fit your budget.  Which was why we developed the option of a structured multi media format.  Through DVD, CD and workbook exercises you can rapidly increase your self awareness and discover what’s unconciously driving your career.  What’s more if you purchase this in January you’ll save 33% and the product comes with a 12 month risk free guarantee.

Whatever you decide about your career, don’t let inaction and analysis paralysis hold you back.

The Benefits Of Career Assessment

How often to you take time to evaluate the progress of your career?

Here’s the outcome for someone who did.

“By evaluating my life and going through career coaching, I was able to find a position that was more suited to my needs.  Plus, since I am happier in my job, I have been advancing faster.   I never thought that a career change at my age would be easy, but through my career coaching, I found skills that make me more adept at my job which helps me to excel more as well as to have more self fulfillment.”

“After I found a career coaching, things started to look up.  Sure, my life still follows that same lather, rinse, repeat pattern, but at least now I feel motivated at work.  For the first time, I feel at home at my job.  That comfort, plus the new challenges keep me happy and interested in what I am doing.  Now that I have a vested interest, I find getting ahead easier and my day no longer drags by.  I’m so glad that I sought out and invested in career coaching.”

You might not even need coaching.  Perhaps just giving yourself a little one on one time and asking yourself questions about your career will give you new impetus.  If you’re disillusioned, seeking a career change or just feel like you’ve plateaued or are about to stagnate, then treat yourself to our free 5 part course and a little one on one time.

Employee Presence versus Employee Engagement

Do you remember getting that perfect attendance sticker / pin / badge in infant school?  It was such a big deal, proving that you showed up on time every day for school, rain or shine.

In the workplace, attendance is also important – but it’s not a measure of effectiveness.

Whilst employees can show up every day to work it’s also possible for them to accomplish minimal productive work during that day.  Emails and meetings are two common activities that aren’t necessarily productive.  The difference between productivity and barely sustainable effort takes employee engagement.  The member of staff who’s fully engaged in their work is in agreement or alignment with the corporate goals and mission statement.  This person gets more than a paycheck every month, they also take home a greater sense of personal job satisfaction, perhaps not daily, but much more than once a month.

The UK Work Foundation discovered that the lower the job satisfaction level, the worse the productivity. Well no surprises there.  However when job satisfaction falls below 50%, productivity literally stagnates.  Research in 2002 found that the US and other countries competing with UK industries were 30% more productive than the typical UK worker.  And all the doom, gloom and continual talk of recession is hardly the obvious recipe for increasing happiness.  However that aside it’s possible to ride external factors by creating clear goals that inspire or at the very least motivate the team.