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“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to end, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”. - Vivian Greene. Developing the resilience to adapt to a change in circumstances and make the best of them is a vital human resource. A recent study from the University of Toronto and Cornell has shown that humans began to develop resilience and adaptability as early as The Bronze Age.  Historians have found that early human settlements in Turkey learned, over a period of years, to adapt to environmental changes, producing a variety of crops on new land which meant they could not only survive but, vitally, thrive as a species. Charles Darwin once said about adaptability, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Darwin is of course talking about the origin of the species and the theory of evolution here, but his words still resonate in the modern business world.  Psychologist and online trainer Barry Winbolt found that those who are resilient are [...]

Effective coaching and mentoring are essential components in helping any member of staff to perform more effectively and helping a business to function more smoothly. As we see our economy on tenterhooks and we look over the edge of the cliff of a potential second lockdown, many businesses will welcome ideas and inspiration to lead their teams through this tough time, so this blog post runs through some ways in which coaching and mentoring are good leadership techniques. Investing in success When you’re applying coaching and mentoring techniques to develop a colleague, you’re helping them to succeed. Taking the time to carefully coach someone can seem difficult when your days are filled with important work, but the time invested in the short term is likely to lead to more productivity and effectiveness in the long term. As an article in the Houston Chronicle suggests, give positive and meaningful praise as part of your coaching and mentoring practices to boost morale and improve wellbeing. Empowerment Positive reinforcement from an effective leader allows team members to realise their full potential. Self-doubt can [...]

As we enter into a new school year, many of us are thinking about fresh starts, new routines and an all-round more productive life. Often, these ideas are fleeting, as we quickly get swamped with daily demands. But this year can be different – after almost six months of our routines being flattened by Coronavirus, it’s time for us to take charge and forge ourselves a new, more organised path. This blog post goes through some tools and techniques to help you achieve best practice and improve the way you work. Sometimes just the smallest of changes can make a big difference, so have a read, try some of our suggestions and see if these ideas could work for you. First things first Before we start, let’s remember that productivity starts at the very basics – at the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. If you’re eating   right, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep, you’ll be more effective without even thinking about it. As you work through the tips below, remember that productivity isn’t just about doing things [...]

A leader’s role is to give advice, guidance and direction to the people following him or her. A great leader inspires others to be empowered, creative and enthusiastic. If you can influence people to be their best, you’re already a leader, no matter what your job role or title. The best leaders in business are always learning, adapting and developing. They are looking for new ways to improve, which is where coaching and mentoring can help. This article explains why coaching and mentoring are essential as part of successful leadership development. People learn new skills in lots of different ways, but developing yourself as a leader takes more than attending training courses, reading industry publications or shadowing peers. People need to be in a learning environment where they can practice the skills and techniques they learn. Coaching and mentoring gives leaders this opportunity to practice as well as exploring issues and opportunities in a collaborative, personalised and nuanced way. An excellent coach can help a leader to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and determine how to fill any knowledge [...]

Decades of research has shown us that diverse groups are more innovative. Diverse groups, including people from different ethnicities, races, genders, and sexual orientations, have been proven to be more innovative than homogeneous groups. This is discussed in depth by Katharine Phillips in Scientific American, who concludes that diversity and inclusivity are giving companies a competitive advantage. It’s believed that this happens for two main reasons: People from different backgrounds bring new and differing information and viewpoints. Interacting with people different from ourselves forces us to be more prepared, to have more empathy, and to expect differing points of view. This article explores diversity and innovation in more depth. What is diversity at work? Employee diversity can include people with a range of backgrounds. Staff might be a range of ages, a mix of genders, from different ethnic minorities, different races, and different sexual orientations. It can also include people with a variety of experience in life, for example, the subjects they’ve studied, the industries they’ve worked in, their career path before joining your company, and the countries they’ve chosen to [...]

The pace of change was already at top speed - we were always running to keep up. Now Coronavirus has given us all a level of change that we’ve never experienced before. We’re feeling scared, confused and uncertain, and we’re working as fast as we can to mitigate the damage caused and to find new opportunities as the crisis passes. It’s highly likely that your teams are feeling the same way as you. They’re worried for their livelihoods and fearing the worst. It’s your job as a leader to make sure they know how much they’re valued and understand what’s in store for them. This blog post looks at different ways you can be a better leader through this period of major change. Alleviate worries By keeping your team informed about the importance of the work they’re doing, the security of their roles and the timing of future updates, you can help them to stay with you through these tough times. Even if your team members have been furloughed, you can keep them up to date about what’s happening at [...]

We have a global pandemic on our hands, thanks to a pangolin somewhere in China. A single event, originated in nature, has created effects that are unprecedented and has caused ripples across the globe. Image: A pangolin. From Wikipedia Commons. We’re at home for the foreseeable future and potentially facing a very different way of living and doing business for several months. Many of us are wondering how to keep our businesses afloat in these uncertain and worrying times. This article explores opportunities that could help us to develop ourselves and our businesses. What changes can you implement? We’re all now doing things that we never thought we could. All the businesses who felt they weren’t ready to adopt the remote working trend were suddenly forced to make it happen for themselves and their employees. Government offices were already pushing hard to deliver digital transformation and have begun to make great strides much faster than ever before because this is their only option. There’s been a shift in management styles, from bums on seats and micromanagement to project [...]

We often hear the saying that some people are ‘born to lead’ but is that really true? The adage of nature versus nurture is as old as time, and unfortunately it seems the debate is as true as ever when it comes to leadership skills. Are some people ready-made leaders? Like some people seem to have innate musical abilities, or possess athletic prowess from the get-go, so it can seem that some people are ready-made leaders. We all know the type. Those who just seem to seamlessly rule the room, adopting and succeeding in their positions as they go. However, it’s unlikely they’ve been dominating the social spheres since nursery. Rather time and experience (even those unassuming moments in your memory that you might want to gloss over) have come together to build a seemingly natural leadership persona. If you looked closer you’d often see a simple mix of self-confidence, communication skills, motivation, and initiative – drawn from learned experience. Dr. Michael Maccoby, a business advisor, believes that every leader needs thee inherent qualities - purpose, passion courage. Beyond this, [...]

I have been working with clients this week who are now entirely working from home. Adapting to the new work situation and being in such close proximity to spouses and children they are finding it difficult to get more than ten minutes’ work done at a time without being interrupted or distracted. I gave them some guidance on more effective home working, which I thought you might find useful in this unprecedented time. Create your own space I’m one of the lucky few who have an office space at home, which is a real luxury. Many people don’t have this, and the ones that do are currently sharing it with partners and sometimes their older children. One friend of mine has had to create space for herself, her husband who’s also working from home and her daughter who’s home from university but still learning virtually. They’re finding it really hard to give each other the space they need in a small house.If you have a spare room that you can use to create your space, that’s great. If not, you [...]

Have you ever wondered how some people become leaders? Some seem ready-made for the positions, others, well, we might internally ponder how they got to where they are. Leadership theories give us a way to explain why certain people become leaders. For a long time, the typical discussion revolved around nature versus nurture, and whether some people are born with the inherent skills they need to lead. Formal leadership theories are a more recent concept that offer reasoning and alternative hypotheses to explain why some leaders are successful whilst others fail. So how can we explain what makes a good leader? This article discusses some of the main theories. The Great Man Theory We’ve already touched on the concept behind this one. The Great Man Theory, whilst lacking equality in the title, takes the stance that people are born with leadership abilities and are predisposed to lead. This theory was established in the 19th century by historians, who suggested that the world's history is a collection of biographies belonging to great men Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is [...]