Beat Inertia - Just do something!

I was hit with an overwhelming feeling of what to do next last week, the result was paralysis, I found myself doing nothing. Sometimes when we hit that brick wall, the only way out is to just DO SOMETHING. For me it started with buying some Christmas cards, which led to online ordering of Christmas presents, which led to cleaning the living room so I could put up the tree and then write my cards. You get the picture! If you are stuck in the inertia trap, close your eyes, waggle your index finger and let it land on something on your to do list - then just do it. The rush of adrenalin from just doing something will get you up and running.

Building your learning brand

When you think of any of the top brands what do you think of? Exactly what they want you to think is the quick answer.

When you think of the learning you provide - what do you think people will say about it? Building a brand for your learning is as vital in L&D as it is for any business. It will help you defend budget, build a following and inform strategy.  As such you will enjoy this short video of Richard Branson being interviewed to help you on your way to sharing your passion for learning with those around you.

Just ask

I was reminded of a story about the power of asking the other day when I was at Euston station. Toilet costs are 30p and the change machine as you approach the turnstile was out of order. Chaos reigned as people stood blocking the turnstile as they looked around for help. Others put 50p in and in one instance £1 -all to spend a penny!

There were infact 2 working change machines maybe 5 steps away but they were blocked from view.

So my message for you is when there are times that you feel out of control, unable to take action - help might just be around the corner if you open your mind to the possibility and ask!

Have a fun day!

Do one thing

Following on from my diary discovery last week I have made a commitment to action. I refuse to get sucked into trivia and commit to taking a more positive approach to all areas of my life. As such I wanted to share these 3 sites with you to hopefully help you ponder on what you can do too.

Do one thing - reminds you that you are simply a speck of sand on this planet of ours yet your actions matter.

A recent discovery that helps remind me we are all connected human beings not just work or home  makoodle

And this has been a favourite of mine for many years now - We are what we do!

I hope they spur you on to your own actions as much as they have me - happy activity!

Curb your perfectionist streak

As well as my day job, I am also a Town Councillor and last night the Town council put on a big firework display. There were thousands more people than we expected which caused momentary friction that was dispelled immediately the show began - it was spectacular.

As people were leaving I stood on the gate saying good night and thank you. Everyone had big smiles on their faces and thanked us for such a wonderful show. After the last stragglers had left I spoke to  the people invovled in the show. They were feeling really deflated and frustrated and this carried on overnight until this morning. Their perfectionist streaks took hold and they analysed every little detail leading them to the opinion that they had failed.

Granted, yes we could have done better. But you have a choice to let this weigh you down or learn from it. They were choosing to let it weigh them down until I repeated some of the comments we had as people left.

Learning

So, when you put on a show (this could be training) you put your heart and soul into it. You plan it and know it by heart. You see all the little flaws because you are so close to it. But those on the receiving end don't see this - they only have an experience and if that is experience is good enough for them; then its good enough.

Use this knowledge to spur you on to better things next time, not to get caught in a loop of analysis that builds self-criticism and frustration.

What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?

I loved this short blog from Richard Branson - take a look here

Something that popped up for me is that Entrepreneurs want to make a difference to people - so reflect on your week and ask yourself three questions:

1. What have you done this week that really makes a difference?
2. What else could you have stretched to where you missed an opportunity?
3. What 3 things will you do next week to make that difference?

Innovative approaches to design for students

Love this approach to design for students. It really engages them in the real world and how they can bring their ideas to life.

It supports the power of experiential learning and creates such an engaged learning experience.

Fan funding

Amanda Palmer's album was made with "a million raised from fans in a month" WOWZA!
Take a look at how she did it here

And it got me thinking about fan power within L&D.

Here's a bit more of the story first

She says "I have a long term relationship with my fans. Countless 10s of 1000s of hours connecting with my fans, I don't just get on the stage and play, I like to meet people, hang out.... I connect with my fans constantly, nowadays through twitter but it used to be through My Sapce, emails and meeting after a gig. You add up all those relationships and I have a real connection with my fans. I don't just send them a missive occassionally and hope that they support me, we all really know each other. They have also  been following my story about surviving in the music industry since leaving my major music label.

An example of her movement

Her music company objected to the exposure of her naked stomach. Her fans responded by blogging their own photos of bellies with messages on them saying "free the belly" - thousands of people around the globe responded with positive messages and photographs.

So how does this fit for us in L&D?

This, for me, a classic example of connecting with your world. It is easy to get suckered into general busyness, but, in reality, without a fan following how will you ever conjure up enough support for sustainable learning & development in your organisation?

So get out there, connect, make friends, show you care. Set yourself a target for building your internal network daily and ensuring that you show they are important to you, all the time.

Get creative, think what lessons can you directly take from this in the way your market your work to help build your fan following!

Enjoy success.

Can Business Nouse be taught?

Is having a ‘head for business’ instinctive, or can business savvy be taught?

In 1996 Michelle Mone started up her designer lingerie company, MJM International. Today her business is thought to be worth £50 million. Carol Savage has headed up marketing for leading brands such as Sara Lee and Disney. They tell Jenni Murray what they think on Woman's Hour. You can access it via this QR code.

They talk about the key being about determination, having a fire in your belly - your attitude sees you achieve.

Jenni compares two incredible business women. Michelle Mone who grew up with Richard Branson pinned on her wall instead of pop stars.  And Carol Savage who decided to study an MBA whilst pregnant and stumbled upon a great idea for business.

Their 3 key pieces of advice are:

1. Be prepared to build relationships that enable you to rely on people who have great skills e.g. in L&D build your relationships with marketing or finance so that you really do get to know the business inside out.
2. Challenge people strongly and positively to hone your understanding
3. Seek out ways to learn continuously.

So, yes the practicalities of reading balance sheets and understanding the theory can be taught but business nouse really comes from continuously challenging yourself, your understanding and the understanding of those around you.

Hidden talent in everyday things

Kelli Anderson is an artist and her aim is to find hidden talent in everyday things.
She says "The world is full of order that doesn't deserve our respect" and this got me thinking. What do we automatically respect that doesn't deserve it.

Take a look at her short Ted video and whilst you do ponder on that question?
Enjoy

Questions to ask as we introduce new ideas to someone

When you design learning what comes first in your design process?
Where do you seek inspiration from?
How do you check that what you are doing is pushing the right buttons for learners and the organisation?

Let's focus on getting learner buy in here.

Before people are prepared to take action, they will ask certain questions so make sure you have answers for all of these and share these answers as a way of getting learners on-board with learning.

·         Why should I listen to you?

·         Do I trust you?

·         Am I afraid of it?

·         Will this work for me?

·         Who says it's important?

·         What will my peers think?

These are all variations of one complicated thread: how will this process make me feel?

 

I had a maths lesson at my son's primary school today. The headteacher teacher started by explaining that the way we teach maths has changed, it's important not just to learn tricks of the trade like maybe you did but now they realise that children need to gain a deeper understanding and whilst we don't expect you to teach your children; we know that you'll want to support them in practice. So today is all about helping you to have fun with your children whilst they deepen their understanding.

Now what do you think of that? What a great expression of switching a group of adults on in a topic they were anxious about. She could have just gone straight into policy and what they do but this short introduction answered many of the concerns that parents had and you could see the group physically relax once this had been stated... and in doing so, making them ready to learn, to challenge, to question and to put it into practice.

Even though these questions are what leaners care about, i still see L&D practitioners often launch in to new ideas without ensuring that people are bought in – make sure you don’t make this mistake. Take time in your positioning and remember that this often comes even before learners have started their learning process.

How would you describe being a Learning Entrepreneur?

We made this little wordle to demonstrate the qualities of a learning entrepreneur - enjoy.

In extreme conditions

We have recently experienced floods in our Town and it was incredible to observe the sheer resourcefulness and resilience of people within that community. I guess we were lucky compared to many other people – it was only one street of 51 houses. But that is 51 families whose lives have been tragically and irrevocably been affected.

It is important to remember that people experience change in all sorts of different ways both inside and out of work and as we continue to cope with austerity it is critical to spend time in understanding, being compassionate and exploring options with people so they can move through their own cycle quickly.

Takae a look at our change articles for practical ideas to help - here's one for starters

What made you go WOW today?

Sometimes it is the simple things that have the most impact I found this article today and it made me go WOW take a look! 8 ideas, 10 guides and 17 tools for a better professional learning network.

What is your 'Golden Thread'

I heard this phrase again last week form Ray Pendleton at Thirsty Horses and it really made me think about what my golden thread is.

A golden thread is a term used to describe two elements that are linked in their most direct form.

e.g. Organisational rhetoric into action or people with places.

When you think about your work in L&D what is your Golden thread? How do you ensure that you really are connected in the strongest way possible in your work?

So a couple of questions for you:

1. How clear are you on how your work directly impacts the organisation vision and strategic objectives?
2. How clear are others in this?
3. How well do you challenge your team on their contribution to this?
4. How well do you explore with stakeholders how you can maximise value beyond simple actions?
5. How well do you use the process of learning as well as content to embed these underlying principles?

But more importantly are you passionate about it? Remember you wouldn't say "Will you marry me, you're interesting?" No of course you wouldn't (Larry Smith at TED speaking about why you will fail to get a great career.
So Q6 is...

6. If the golden thread is the direct link, the link where you know you are making a massive difference, how will you get juiced, really juiced about it so you can create the highest expression of your talents.

The Secret to self discipline

There are so many ideas and opinions out there, our aim, as always is to help you become more resourceful by bringing you the most current thinking and practical ideas.

I found this wonderful manifesto today that I wanted to share from www.changethis.com. 

By Rory Vaden it will provide you with some interesting food for thought about how you spend your time.

This is the introduction...

“Today’s work environment has been dubbed everything from the Age of Distraction and the Age of Inattention to The Multitasking Generation. The bottom line is this: regardless of your job title, we are all trying to accomplish increasingly more with increasingly less resources—whether those resources are money, time, focus, or energy. How can we achieve success—however you define it—given these constraints?
I study successful people for a living, and I believe the answer can be boiled down to one word: self-discipline.
It’s not a breakthrough idea, and it’s certainly not popular. But it’s an old-school way of thinking that has unfortunately fallen out of vogue—and one that can yield measurable results when applied to the challenges of working in modern business.”


Remember change one thing!

The old proverb says "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step"

High energy!

Getting high and resourceful is a key factor in becoming a Learning Entrepreneur -without energy and focus you will wilt and feel drained. In today's economy where you are expected to do more with less getting into peak state will support you and enhance your performance.

Tony Robbins suggests the hour of power in the morning and if you really don't have an hour 30 minutes to thrive.

In this Fast Company article you will find "What successful people do with their first hour of each day"
Read it and get resourceful!

There are plenty of additional ideas on our site www.connectingdots.co.uk just type in state management and feel your energy build

State of the Economy - hear it as it is!

For fans of John Philpott the ex CIPD Economist you may be delighted (as we are) that he has set up his own blog spot. John made many appearances on BBC News commenting on the economy and impact of Government policies and didn't pull punches.

If you want to take a look at his blog it is  John Philpott - The Jobs Economist

Creating a longing to learn

Saw this great little video on YouTube and was inspired by it. If you are a parent struggling to know if you should protect your child or let them take risks and explore then this is the video for you. In just a under 5 minutes you can discover the joy of creating a longing to learning in children and adolescents!

The Help

 

 The notation on the front of 'The Help' says "Change begins with a whisper"

For me the book (and the film) were captivating and encouraged me to think that anything pursued with a passion and conviction can infact change the world. In a previous post I talked about the lollipop moment and that we are often too frighted of the enormity of the task of leadership that we fail to recognise the opportunity within ourselves but infact, when caught up with enthusiasm, a seemingly fleeting thought can lead to enormous opportunity.

Seize the day and see what you can achieve.

85% is a really big number

Building on the theme of challenge. This is a wonderful narrative by Margaret Heffernan of the benefits of exploring disconfirmation and constructive conflict. Openness alone isn't enough to create change, she says; constructive conflict challenges assumptions and is a sign of love. If it weren't why would people commit the time and energy required. So rather than seeing conflict as destructive how can organisations embrace it to help them and the people within them flourish?




85% of exectives in recent european surveys say they had issues or concerns that they are afraid to raise. They are afraid of the conflict that would be provoked or the difficult conversations that would ensue. So the staus quo remains. In times of trouble, less people will raise thier head above the parapet to challenge for fear of the loss that might come as a result.

But when we dare to create conflict, dare to be bold we create an environment where others can do their best thinking.

Dare to be bold, be a hero today!

Are you passing the buck?

Saw this short poem and it is a quick reminder of the need to grasp the nettle and take action - enjoy it

Passing The Buck

Whatever the task that comes your way,
Just take it as part of your luck.
Look it right square in the eyes, and say,
'This is my task, I'll do it to-day':
Don't pass the buck.


Oh! whether you cook, or whether you fight,
Or whether you trundle a truck,
Just tackle your job and do it right:
Don't pass the buck.


The wheels of the earth have gone, alack!
Deep into war's mire and muck.
If you want to put it again on its track,
Don't shift your load on another man's back:
Don't pass the buck.

 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

With Hind-Sight

As scores of teenagers get their exam results today, emotions will be high. Those with the results they wished for (or better) may be planning University life or envisaging their great career prospects. Those who fared less well may consider their dreams to be shattered, if so then please DON'T think like that.......

Going back many (many, many) years to my own A-Level results. They were not good. In fact they were flippin' appalling. I can remember a sense of failure, shame and a 'well that's that' mood. But if I had the hind-sight I now have I would have said to myself that day, that the path I will travel may be different than that I had planned but I will travel and I will succeed.

Umpty tumpty years later I have achieved all the qualifications I could wish for, I have had a fantastic and varied career taking me through IT, project management, learning and management and importantly I am happy with my achievements and experiences.

For all you students who may not have achieved the results you were expecting today. Take heart from my hind-sight, see this as your chance to be different, to take a new path, to achieve your dreams a different way or even to form different dreams. Life has many paths, there is no one right path for you, just a plethora of exciting options waiting for you to choose and make the most of.

Live life and live it to the full people!

Join In - taking forward the Olympic legacy

One thing the Olympics has shown is the capacity for individuals to come together voluntarily to achieve great things, hats off to the Olympic 2012 volunteers! I have heard people contrast the 'feel good' factor of August 2012 in the UK to the anger and riots of just one year ago. Yet even then there was the enormous public response to the riots with people using social media to bring together large groups to undertake the post riot clean up. We saw armies of individuals with their mops, buckets and brooms descend voluntarily onto local high streets to scrub, brush and clean business premises of complete strangers.

Post Olympics there is a drive to keep the momentum of interest in sport moving forward, to help get more people involved and to either take up sport or provide support for those that do. The chance to become part of this movement begins on 18th and 19th August (yes next weekend). This Eddie Izzard video gives you more information.

Pass the message on and lets continue to build on this force for good that is in all of us!

Is regret a good thing or a bad thing?

I am sure if we think about it we all have something we regret. Some regrets will be big, some small and some not important in the grand scheme of things but they still niggle at us from time to time. 

I have a niggle from early in my career which was when I completed two thirds of a Dale Carnegie course and then pulled out due to pressure of work. 

These days this is a cardinal sin to me but back then I just felt unable to cope with everything that was happening and took the easy way out and gave up.

Did it matter, in the long run? No. Has it made a difference to my career – I doubt it. Has it affected my personal behaviour – oh yes! These days I never fail to finish anything. So is regret a good thing or a bad thing – well for me it is good and has spurred me on to behave differently and that is what life is about – lessons learned! How have your regrets spurred you on to great things?

The Power of the To Do List

As another week begins, my porridge is eaten and Milly cat survived her first scrap of the working week (lots of meowing in a neighbouring garden then a scurry back over the fence at high speed), I set about creating this weeks To Do list. 

There is something calming and focused about this for me. It gives shape to the tsunami of thoughts kicking around in my head and creating a slight aftershock in my belly as the number of 'must do's, should have done's, have to begin, must finish..' type of thoughts echo relentlessly in my head. The fact is that letting these thoughts continue unformed creates more anxiety than just pinning them down in a list.

The trick for me is to write it all down and then highlight my priorities of the day in a highlight colour of my choice - today is yellow. Now I have tried using electronic lists (Outlook, Blackberry etc) but there is something completely satisfying at taking an ink pen and crossing something off the list. At the end of the day you can see the progress. Deleting tasks or calling them 100% complete doesn't come near for me. Also electronic To Do lists always get lost in the myriad of other windows I have open on my PC. Whereas the paper copy on my desk is visible (especially with the highlighted bits). 

Call me old fashioned but long live the paper 'To Do!' Oh and I will now cross 'Do Blog' off my list - whooo hooo!!!

 

China Leaves UK Behind

Ok if you are reading this and thinking it is about the Olympics then you are forgiven. At the time of writing this, sure enough China have 30 medals to our 10 but that is not what this is about. A recent article in People Management  discusses research by the Credit Suisse Research Institute claiming that companies with at least one woman on the board produce a 16% return on equity, 4 percentage points higher than companies with no female board members.

Now the discussions then ensue about reliability of data, sector specifics and so on. But the statistic which is more thought provoking is shoved down to the bottom of the article. The number of female board members is growing in the UK, up to 16.7 from 12.5% a year ago, but in China it rose from 6.5%  in 2005 to a whopping 50% in 2011. What did they do? Did they just mandate it, are these women truly influential on the boards. Gosh, so many questions. It will be fascinating to see what difference this makes to the Chinese economy. Maybe the medals will be in the board room as well as the sports field in future years.

Is cycling the most collaborative sport?

As I watched the women's cycling event on Sunday and cheered Lizzie Armistead on to her silver medal I sat in awe at how the leading three women, despite being in competition, worked together until the very last 100m.

In pouring rain, they each took turns to lead and take the slip stream, it was a lesson in collaboration and sports-woman-ship.  It made me reflect on some of the programmes I have worked on in the past where each project manager has their own objectives to deliver but ultimately the whole programme team must work collaboratively to make the programme an overall success. So here are three things that the cycling reminded me of:

• When working collaboratively we all need to take our share of the strain.
• It is not being at the front that matters but bringing other people with you, eventually you all need each other.
• Recognition is not just from the ultimate outcome but from how you endured the journey.

Do you have any others to offer?

Finally, what a different race, different approach and different  outcome to the previous days men's cycling event!

A Walk in the Park

As the weather warms up, your eyes may wander more often towards the window and the bright sunshine and azure blue skies. When my brain refuses to focus and problems clog up my thought process I take a walk through the park and let the ideas free fall. There is something about the fresh air, bright sunshine, green spaces and exercise that together release something in my head; allowing my thoughts to start to take shape again.

If you are reading this and thinking that such an activity would be seen as a waste of time in your office, consider this, how much time do you waste whilst in the office? Try releasing some time and giving yourself some space for quality thinking.

Here are some ideas:

1. Tidying the email in box - do you really need to read all of your emails! Learn to keep only the important stuff in your inbox and introduce sub files for other emails. Emails which are sent to everyone and not tagged as URGENT should not be top of your reading list! 
2. Not attending all the meetings you are invited to - when did you last kick back and say no to a meeting, be more picky!
3. Train others to respect your thinking time, it is ok to ask people if their interruption is urgent and if not then suggest you talk later.
4. Take the urgent reads on a walk with you. Often if you escape from your desk you get less interruptions and more quality time to think, also every interruption requires you to take time to refocus to get started again. The less interruptions you allow, the less time you will need to get the job done. Also remember that you don't have to be at your desk to be working effectively!
5. Take a colleague with you and bounce ideas as you walk. It is amazing how two people can resolve problems when they are walking and all other distractions are removed.

Now get out your walking shoes and off you go!

Are your creative juices flowing?

I have absolute faith and belief in the power of everyone to be creative and innovative. Just spend a few moments watching a child play and you will see how a box becomes a house, a smarties packet becomes a train or spy glass and so on. Somewhere along the way as we progress to adulthood we can lose our belief in our own abilities to be creative and innovative and only look on in wonder at those who are. 

Take time today to open yourself up to innovation. Brainzooming offers 8 Innovation Perspectives that are well worth taking a look at to get your innovation juices flowing. Here are three tips for getting the most out of this link:

1) Check your mood - we are more receptive and open to new ideas when we are happy and relaxed. If necessary go for a walk first!
2) Pick one activity from the list to try and then do it with passion.
3) Recognise your own creativity and keep a note. When it comes to annual review time being able to point to examples of creativity and innovation at work will set you apart from the crowd.

Good luck.

Powerful Pairings - Introverts and Extroverts

I always like having a scoot around the Forbes website as they have some great articles. This week is no exception as ForbesWoman,  Jenna Goudreau has written a great little article called The Secret Power of Introverts.

The article raises an interesting thought, she believes the world today is geared to extroverts, in business we recruit with an extrovert bias and in schools we educate from an extrovert perspective.

Now ConnectingDots was formed by Una and Caroline, an introvert and extrovert pairing if ever there was one (we will leave you to work out which is which). Far from creating conflict or causing chaos, this pairing of opposites really works for us. Whilst the 'Exxy' is out there bouncing ideas and creating a tsunami of possibility, the 'inny' is able to mull the ideas (as the 'Exxy' moves onto the next exciting thing), ask the questions that give it substance and provide the infrastructure to anchor the ideas. The 'Exxy' is fantastic at meeting new people, building relationships and exciting passion and interest. The 'inny' is able to put the detail in place to ensure that level of confidence is maintained and the relationship sustained.

With the two different perspectives you might ask, what is it that binds us together so successfully. Well the answer for us is shared values, with this perspective there is plenty of space in the world for both of us!

The 13 presuppositions of nlp

Here is a quick reminder of the core principles of nlp and as you read them think about:

• An example of where, perhaps these principles could have guided a more resourceful learning process
• An example of where, unconsciously you were able to draw on these presuppositions to enable others to better understand their situation and choices – how did it help you and what can you bring into your conscious mind to help you in the future
• How can you be the best role mode you can be for others?

The 13 presuppositions.

There is a more detailed article on these and what we can learn from them to use in our role as Learning Entrepreneurs on our site under stretch.

1.                   People respond to their experience, not to reality itself.

2.                   Having a choice is better than not having a choice.

3.                   People make the best choice they can at the time.

4.                   People work perfectly.

5.                   All actions have a purpose.

6.                   Every behaviour has a positive intention.

7.                   The unconscious mind balances the conscious; it is not malicious.

8.                   The meaning of the communication is not simply what you intend, but also the response you get.

9.                   We already have all the resources we need, or we can create them.

10.               Mind and body form a system. They are different expressions of the one person.

11.               We process all information through our senses.

12.               Modelling successful performance leads to excellence.

13.               If you want to understand – Act

A short video on keeping things in perspective!

Sometimes you see something and just say WOW!! I love this video which with its simple approach really tells a powerful story and puts all our little troubles into perspective. Enjoy

Works Well Under Pressure.....

Years in large organisations meant I have been subjected to other people's views of my performance for decades.

Questions were continually asked - did I deliver on time, could I take the pressure, was my thinking analytical, did I work well with others? Over the years several trees and umpteen gallons of ink must have gone into analysing and shaping me into who I am today.

The phrase that often arises on these occasions is 'works well under pressure'. Now anyone who has had that said about them is probably proud and perhaps feels they must be courageous and resilient. What strikes me though is many of us don't work well unless there is pressure! Think about it, when you have no deadlines to meet, no adrenalin coursing through your veins are you really 'on your game'. I suspect the answer is no. In fact I suspect that without the 'fear and panic' factor you join me in a feet up, have a cuppa, relax on the sofa, it can wait kind of approach.

So for all those in the business of designing performance criteria I urge you to change this phrase to a much better one:

Works well even when NOT under pressure!!

Now it must be time for another cuppa.......

Perseverance - from coat hanger to CEO!

I loved this video where Andrea Jung, CEO at Avon talks about the importance of perseverance. Sometimes things seem pointless or hard or just plain boring and we are tempted to quit, however, success is often dependent on us keeping going regardless. Here are some tips to help you keep going:

1) Focus on the outcome you are trying to achieve not the current 'pain'
2) Establish little milestones you can celebrate along the way - getting a paper accepted by the board, good feedback from a pilot programme, completing a video production
3) Get tips from those who have gone before you, revel in their war stories and tales of overcoming adversity
4) Keep your energy high, ensure you take time to relax and recover your energy levels
5) Never say 'if' say 'when'

Searching for Socks!!

As you woke up this morning and set about your day, were you searching for your socks or searching for inspiration? If we keep our mind open to new ideas and input   it is surprising where inspiration can come from. Here are some  examples of sources which may encourage you to open your senses and your mind to look for inspiration in the oddest of places!

a) Watch how children interact and talk to each other. What can you draw from that about body language, transactional analysis, communication?

b) Close your eyes in a meeting and just listen to the words and how people are saying things, what different perspective does this give you. Often we are moved by what we see over what we hear.

c) Take a walk and soak up your environment, the colours, the smells, the sounds, the sunshine (or rain!). Let your thoughts tumble freely and relax. See what new thoughts form in your mind.

d) Listen to a talk in a totally different area of expertise to your own. TED Talks are a great place to start, how can you apply what you see and hear to your own area of expertise?

e) Spend some time on social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit etc and see what ideas are coming up and where they take you, be brave and follow the weird, wacky and off piste stuff!

"Every moment and every event of every mans life on earth plants something in his soul" (Thomas Merton)

Staying Focussed When All Hell Breaks Loose!

It has been a particularly difficult week. I won't go into detail but it has involved, travel, hospital trips, legal paperwork, moving large amounts of boxes and even the cats bringing live animals into the house to add to the chaos.

I have had to work out how I could remain focussed and get the important things done whilst dealing with a lot of other pressing needs (and feline distraction)s. Here are the 5 lessons I learned:

One - not everything is urgent, pick out the MUST do and re-prioritise the rest (should, could and would do if I had lots of time)!
Two - double up. Look for opportunities to tick off two items at once e.g. adapting something so it meets the needs of more than one audience, covering two errands in one round trip.
Three - pick your moments. Do not do things just because it is morning and you ought to be working. It is ok to do things in the evening if that works better for you.
Four - ask for help. Let people know if you are struggling and look for things that others can temporarily take over for you. THEN LET GO!

Five - be kind to yourself. The world will not end if an email is sent a day or two late or if things are not perfect. In times of crisis the aim is not to be at the top of your game but to survive as best you can.

For fellow survivors I hope this helps and next week is better!

Pay it forward

In Paul Cash's book "In Remarkable we Trust" there is a timely reminder about the power of pay it forward. You may remember the film from 2000 with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment in which a school boy experimented with the impact of doing something for someone else and expecting nothing in return.

 In today's fast paced world riddled with celebrity, some people expect 'something for nothing' or instant reward for action.

I challenge you to do 5 things for others to help them in their job this week. It could be sending them a link to a useful article, connecting them with someone or giving them a card or small gift because they deserve it. Do it just because you can and not because you think it will lead to something.

Please share what you have done on this site... you never know it might help someone else too. Thank you.

#BeRemarkable

I have been very lucky to have been given a copy of a new book by digital marketing guru Paul Cash @zagology. It's a wonderful scrapbook of ideas on how to create a truely Remarkable brand in today's crazy age.

As Learning Entrepreneurs this is an invaluable insight into tangible actions we can take to reinforce our value and shout about the contribution we make and on this blog I will share some of these insights and how they translate to us.

This quote really struck me as valuable to our community
"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can't read & write, but those who can't learn, unlearn and relearn"Alvin Toffler, Futurologist

If you had to change 5 things in your role right now what would you stop and what would you start?
Our article on "The fantastic power of failure" challenges and supports us to take responsible risks to stretch our approach and offer more.

How to laugh off failure and giggle our way to success

I don't think many of us could fail to be bewildered at this June 'summer' weather. My neighbour and I set up a relay this weekend of taking our washing in and out of the garden in response to weather which went from heavy downpour to blistering sunshine in seconds.It made me wish I had had the stuff on a pulley and could just press a button to have it rotating in and out of the house as needed. Bedraggled, bemused and wet as we were, nevertheless we laughed - well you have to don't you!

Then the most vivid memory I have from Jubilee weekend is those poor singers on the barge bellowing out 'Land of Hope and Glory', whilst dripping wet. They were hardly visible from the torrent of rain hitting them and yet as soon as the song switched to a little sea faring shanty, the audience and royals alike were knees bending, swaying and singing in time to the music.

I am a firm believer that this sort of 'British Weather induced Humour' has given us all a much needed workplace skill. Humour can and should translate to the workplace. If you can't laugh and carry on you may as well give up. I can remember someone who worked for me many years ago made an almighty IT blooper which crashed the entire system, his response was a cheeky grin as he uttered the phrase 'ooopps'. Well he could have made excuses, tempers could have flared and we could have wasted time worrying. Instead we all burst out laughing and rallied to fix the problem. This I think is why humour is so powerful, it stops us getting caught up in excuses, pity, worry and anxiety and quickly moves us to getting on and sorting things regardless.

Maybe we need to look at having a course on how to laugh off failure and giggle our way to success!!

Whats the difference between L&D and OD?

Now this is something that has been puzzling me for a number of years. What exactly is OD and how does it differ from L&D. Linda Holbeche has at last brought some light to my murky darkness on this topic in her Training Journal Article .

If you are in L&D and considering the move to OD (or vice versa), I recommend you read this article. In a nutshell these are the top three insights I gleaned from her article:

• L&D Professionals who also have mastery of Human Resource Development Disciplines are well equipped to cross the divide between L&D and OD due to similarities in the disciplines
• One reason for my own confusion is that so many of the 'techniques and tools' of OD have been mainstreamed that it is hard to spot where the 'edges' are and what defines OD
• OD practitioners think strategically and systemically, rather than viewing change projects in isolation, as such they work 'apart' rather than 'within' the business enabling them to challenge and surface conflict

As OD by Linda's definition is about giving people the tools and resources so that they themselves can build internal capacity and capability. As the role of L&D is becoming less about formal delivery of learning and more about enabling people to undertake self directed learning, perhaps the division between L&D and OD will narrow naturally. What do you think?

Music and optimum performance

I have just written a new article on www.connectingdots.co.uk about the role of music in learning and in my research I found this.

This year, Red Bull has teamed up World Champion Hurdler Dai Greene with Sports Psychologist Dr Costas Karageorghis and Music Producer Redlight to create a bespoke music track, scientifically designed to help improve his performance whilst he is training.

The track is due out later this week and it will be amazing to hear how this specially recorded track combines, rhythm, tempo, timbre, and build up of energy to provide the optimum focus for this athlete.

So what can we do as Learning Entrepreneurs to provide the same mental support for our learners to help them engage with their work. their learning and the power that is within their minds to exercise on behalf of the organisation? Take a look at the full article for more details.

Look in your mirror and see an Entrepreneur!

There is a lot of talk about entrepreneurs these days, even the Government thinks they are the saviours of our economy and our route out of recession.  

But hang on - what is an entrepreneur? Can we be an entrepreneur if we are an employee in a big organisation, is this a status achievable by  most of us?

If you think of  entrepreneurs as people who own  their own businesses and are the Richard Bransons and Lord Sugars of this world then you are not alone. However, surely, there is something about applying an entrepreneurial spirit which we can all do.

According to Wikipedia an entrepreneur is  an enterprising individual who builds capital through risk and/or initiative, they are willing to launch a venture and take full responsibility for the outcome. Entrepreneurs are innovators who seize opportunities and are well positioned to take advantage of them. Wowza, wouldn’t it be great to be one of these!

Well there is a great little article on Forbes this week called 5 Ways to be an entrepreneur for life what is great about this article is that it recognises that people can be employees and still act in an entrepreneurial way.  The author Victoria Barrett suggests the following to help you adapt to being entrepreneurial in spirit even as an employee:

• Learn how to use social media to keep tabs on your industry by finding the expert voices
• Talk about what you have done and delivered rather than where you have worked
• Cultivate your connections
• Ask your social networks for help
• Work outside your office

This article fits so snugly with our aim to create learning entrepreneurs, that I had to share it with you. In our minds a learning entrepreneur is a type of individual who harnesses the spirit of the entrepreneur to really add value to the business. Our short video explains why we think taking an entrepreneurial approach to learning is crucial. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look and then share our mind-set of the Learning Entrepreneur!

A quote courtesy of Nike

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."

What will you do today that says you are strong enough, good enough, talented enough? 

Seek first to understand

Typically we seek to be understood. 

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand. They listen with the intent to reply.   

They are either speaking or preparing to speak. 

They are filtering everything and interpreting it in the context of their own lives.

And in today's world of instant communication with tweets, facebook notifications and emails popping up all the time the problem is compounded. Just take a minute to reflect on some of your conversations over the past 2 days..... would you have made the other person/people feel like the most important people in the world? If not, then you are falling short in your journey to becoming a Learning Entrepreneur... read on!

Levels of listening

Four common levels of listening have been identified, they are:

1. Ignoring.
2. Pretending to listen - i.e. “Right”, “Yeah, Yeah”, “OK, OK”.
3. Selective listening - hearing only certain parts of the conversation that have a particular interest for them.
4. Attentive listening – paying attention and focusing on the words.

Empathetic listening

The highest form of listening is empathetic listening, in other words listening with the intent to understand.  It involves more than registering the words that are spoken; it involves trying to understand what the person is saying, feeling and thinking.

To develop empathetic listening use your ears, eyes and heart.

You listen for feeling, meaning and behaviour.

This approach is a power resource for your networking helping you access needs that will enable you to fully connect with that person and offer tools/ people/ resources that might be of use to them. 

So over to you, will your listening be a power resource or a power zapper?

Connected posts

The joy of networking