Connecting at its worst and best!

Una and I talk about being prepared to give of yourself, your ideas, your resources and your contacts openly and willingly to those you meet.

Last night I went to a great fundraiser locally and it reminded me of the consequences of holding back and at the same time the advantages of giving.

The restaurant we booked bent over backwards during the booking saying yes to everything including closing its doors to the public so we could have the place to ourselves. We arranged speeches (fun and more serious). an entertainer and of course the compulsory raffle draw! :-)

When we arrived there were other diners and the manager refused to accept that he had said he would close. Infact he continued to let people in. The entertainer arrived and the manager said he had no prior knowledge of this (not true) and that as there were other diners this was making his life really difficult. He put up the prices of his drinks (verified by regular users of this establishment) and generally treated our guests in a surly manner.

It didn't stop us though - we were all determined to have a great time and using our best assertiveness techniques we managed to get the entertainer in.

Before we sat down to eat, one of the guests commented that he was surprised we didn't use the restaurant next door as they had a great relationship with them and then went on to say "infact let's pop round maybe they'll give us a prize in the raffle" This we duly did and they were thrilled to contribute a £30 restaurant voucher as a prize wishing us a wonderful evening... no conditions, no exceptions just given with kind hearted openness. As we walked back in to our restaurant, we thought we might as well ask if they would donate a prize as we were holding the event there on what would have been an extremely quiet night otherwise... maybe just a  bottle of wine. "No" was his reply.

As the night went on and everyone had finished eating, we went around with the raffle tickets and included the other diners (by this time there were only 4 tables) The diners on the first table were indignant that they had been asked but you know what they were quite happy to stay for a further hour and enjoy our very funny entertainment - interesting! Two of the other diners both won prizes in our raffle and soon became part of our extended 'family' Enjoying it so much they asked to be on the mailing list for future events.

So the point of my story is two fold

1. Which of the diners had the best experience and why?
2. Which restaurant did we recommend to our 75 guests who. because of the experience are absolutely going to make a point of visiting it soon!

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” 
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan


Trust in the goodness of others ans expect nothing - just act. Think about how you can support others every day.

Have fun!

It's an exercise in matching and motivating

Company culture draws on so many influences and diverse dynamics. We put great store in detailed recruitment processes only to throw it away at the door when a new recruit starts with little welcome and in some cases, not even a  computer set up. Their team are busy getting on with BAU and have little time to look up and smile let alone welcome and guide.

But fit is so critical success that why don;t more managers spend time assessing, chatting, exploring with new staff what turns them on, what's important to them in work and what their purpose is - if we can tap into that real potential each time we recruit then the first 100 days would simply be, a breeze so wise up, find out what's important and let your team fly.

And if you want to know whether Gandhi was always the way you imagine take a look at this.

What's your fit?

I've just had a wonderful 30 minutes trawling around Linkedin and found some incredible things. One is a company called Roundpegg - The Culture company who relate culture to wine. You can see it here.

A good reminder that when you are doing something that doesn't fit with your values in a way that doesn't fit with your style then work can be tough. So this is a urgent call to all you managers out there! How confident are you that you fully understand the top 3 values of all your staff and their preferred way of working? How confident are you that your approach fits with these needs? Enjoy your pondering!

The power of crowdsourcing

Years ago the Jam published a song called 'In the crowd' with the lyrics 'when I'm in the crowd I can't see anything, my mind goes a blank...', However, today the concept of being in the crowd, thanks to social media is one of enlightenment, enhanced thinking, exciting challenge and connectedness.

The concept of crowdsourcing, where online communities are used to elicit ideas, opinions, content and information from a wide and diverse community, is being used widely. Evidence can be seen of its power, from IT organisations using it to develop environments like Moodle to Government bodies using the concept to gain input to Government policies. People taking part in discussion forums are contributing to the practice of crowdsourcing everyday and long may it continue. It is a great way of testing your views, seeking further information and sailing beyond your comfort zone. Are you brave enough?

Boxed in by Fear

This is Alfie cat, and as many cat lovers will appreciate, where there is a box (or a bag, or a drawer, or a cupboard) there is a cat hidey hole.

Alfie is a bit of a scaredy cat though, so will resort to hiding to avoid the unknown.

His recent dive into this box made me reflect on what makes me 'dive into my box'.




It didn't take me long to come up with a list which included:

• Things I don't know how to do.
• Things I might fail at.
• Things which if they go wrong will be BAD BAD BAD

This is all fear of the unknown kinda stuff and it often gets in the way of me starting things which, once I have begun the task seem to be so much less scary. So how do we conquer that initial fear. Here are my 3 tips:

• Believe in yourself. Think how often you have done something you didn't think you could do.
• Don't fear failure, embrace it. As Thomas Edison says, 'genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration'. Remember, to fail is to learn and to learn is to move forward.
• Step out of the hidey hole and be brave. You miss so much being stuck in a box, embrace the unknown and discover the endless possibilities it offers!

Feeling happy - is it natural or synthetic and does it matter?

Today the sun came out, the sky was blue and it was warm enough to sit in the garden with a cuppa. As I closed my eyes and listened to the noises of spring (birds singing, the occasional yap of a neighbours dog, distant music and plane flying overhead), I felt a genuine surge of happiness.Such simple things can bring real joy.

With this in mind I really enjoyed this TED Talk from Dan Gilbert on the science of happiness. Did you know there is a difference between natural happiness and synthetic happiness? I put my 5 minutes in the garden down as natural happiness but am I right. This research really makes you think about your own happiness and what we call happiness!

Una

Along the right lines...

Last Thursday Caroline (coloured scarf) and I (the other one in the middle with glasses) decided to do something different so we signed up for a London Literary Pub Crawl.

Well if you ever wanted to know what the great writers got up to in their down time, wondered where Fitzrovia is and wanted to chat to Charles Dickens or Virginia Woolf, this is your chance. Courtesy of the Maverick Theatre Company this was a fun, engaging and fascinating experience.

We won't issue spoilers in case you fancy giving this a go as a good night out with your colleagues, but it got us wondering how actors learn their lines. As L&D people we often need to commit things to memory so we can present ideas to others, so how do we do this? There are a few interesting discussions on the subject of memorising lines. Here are a few to get you thinking:


How do actors/actresses memorize their lines?
What Actors Can Teach Us About Memory and Learning

Actors Techniques on Learning Lines - BBC

Una

It's all about words in the West Wing

I don't know if it is a good or a bad thing that I have been loaned the entire box set of the West Wing. I am now hooked, good and proper.

BUT.....I am also very bemused and a tad irritated by a few things. Talking fast, very fast, in fact, so fast my ears cannot pick up all the words, seems to be taken as synonymous with showing intelligence. Scattering speech with acronyms and leaving things unsaid but accompanied by meaningful looks, all serve to make the case that if you don't understand, you don't belong.

It reminds me that corporate life is full of people enacting these sorts of behaviours and then we are surprised people misunderstand and that mistakes are made! So my plea this week is to KISS - Keep it so simple. De-mystify, de-clutter and 'de-clique-ify' your speech.

Una

Struggling with Focus

Ha ha. Thanks to +American Management today for the link to the Dilbert cartoon on working from home. Today being a Monday began with completing a task I had begun last Friday. A good way to start the week I thought. Tick one off the to do list and get the motivation to move to task 2. However, one look at my To Do list highlighted a problem, what should task 2 be. The scale of Urgent vs Important started to get drowned out by the interesting vs boring, which was also shouted down by the Must, Should and Could analysis.

So what won.... The 'dangle the pencil above the list with the eye's closed, circle it around a few times and then point' analysis has dictated a software amendment is needed. Thank goodness for scientific decision makeing eh!

That is Monday's for you!!

Have a good week.

Una

Learning through social media

Well I have to thank Lars Feldmann on Linked in for sharing this link to Jane Harts Blog. Having pondered earlier in the week what makes me click through on links I am sent, Jane's blog makes me add an additional thought - to learn more.

Jane shows a really catchy and inspirational way to help people learn through social media. I just love the thought. Thanks to Jane and thanks to Lars for helping me learn through social media!

Una

What makes you click?

My late Mum used to be a personal secretary, in the 'old days', as my children would say. She said she kept herself motivated by not focusing on her in tray, but looking at the growing content in her out tray. In those days her in and out tray were physical plastic trays and her technology was an electric typewriter. I am not sure what Mum would have made of today's business environment.

Today I reflected that I have 8 email accounts to monitor, three voice mail accounts two twitter accounts, two text message accounts and umpteen discussion forums I am part of. With all this 'noise', I pondered the question, "when someone sends me a link, what is it that makes me click on it?".

When time is so precious and information so overwhelming, why am I tempted to spend that extra few seconds on one link rather than another?

For me there are several 'grabs':

• Humour
• A (short) quirky comment.
• An eye grabbing picture.
• A puzzle.
• A topic of immediate interest.
• A person I know

What does it for you?

Una

Trust Your Gut

I have this game with my cat Milly. Each mealtime I hold up two different flavoured pouches of kitty food and let her decide which one she wants. She chooses (decisively if I might say so), by rubbing her whiskers across the selected pouch. If only all choices were so easy!!

From Government choices on increase spending vs imposed austerity to Milly and her food pouch, we are all faced with choices. So how do we know we have made the right choice?

Experience tells me that it is often not down to the facts, figures and feedback although they surely help. However, often these don't materialise till after the event, so how do you know in the moment? Sometimes it is just down to 'gut feel'.

So what is 'gut feel'? 
For me, a gut feel that something is wrong is summed up by uneasiness  a cold feeling coming over me, a lump in my throat, a niggle that won't stay quiet in my brain, a hesitation or a sleepless night.
A gut feel that something is right materialises as a lightness as though something has dropped off my shoulders, a surge of energy, a sense of achievement, a pride and a willingness or desire to tell someone.

Do you listen to your gut often enough?

Una

We all have them..........

.....Strengths that is. How much time do we waste worrying about the things we are not good at. The things you cannot do are what nature created all those other lovely people for!!

Caroline and I each have our own strengths which we bring to our partnership at #ConnectingDots. If we both focused on addressing our weaknesses all the time how mediocre and boring would that be. As each of us play to our strengths we not only amaze each other with what we can achieve but also (and this is important), we motivate each other to do even more. Be bold today and play to your strengths.

Una

Feed on the Fuel of Joy!!

As the clock passed midnight last night I sat huddled over my laptop, 4th cup of tea turning cold on the table and the murmurs of Meryl Streep on the TV in the background (how old is Silkwood?). Suddenly, I did a double take.Everything clicked into place. The problem I had been poring over in mind and on screen for over a week gave way to my 'eureka!!!' moment. I had found the answer.

I won't go into the boring and seedy depths of the problem but it involved variables, layered operands and multiple scenario's! When I realised I had 'cracked' it I jumped up and felt a surge of joy shoot right through me, which instantly energised me. So much so that it then took me another hour to get to sleep.

So when Milly cat became vocal at 6:30am demanding her breakfast, closely followed by her bro' Alfie, I could have been forgiven for chucking my pillow at the pair of them. But no, still energised on 'joy' I jumped out of bed and saw to their whims and furry demands. Then looking out the window I noticed the rain teeming down but did that put me off my jog? No, still riding on the crest of joy I donned my woolly hat,  jacket, mini ipod and jogged off.

The interesting thing is that each thing I did brought me more joy and energised me more. Is joy the fuel that keeps on giving? So my friend, what will bring you joy today? Can you start a tsunami of joy and feed off that energy to achieve even more fantastic things? Why not give it a go!

Una

Learning Technologies and Skills 2013

It was the Learning Technologies and Learning and Skills exhibition  at London's Olympia 2 this week. Sadly I was only able to make the last 2.5 hrs. As I fled through the doors, coat tails flying and ipod dislodging from my ears, I grabbed my conference mag, scanned my bar code and headed for the nearest source of caffeine. There I sussed out the floor layout and tried to identify who to see.

I had more than a slight niggle as there was no useful matrix to show me which suppliers did what. I wanted to look at providers of LMS's but had to resort to whizzing around the whole conference to see if I could spot what people did by looking at their stand material. Not good when you only have 2.5 hrs!!

I did have a couple of really great conversations and was able to pick the brains of someone who attended both days (thanks Owen at Goodpractice), which helped me focus some of my thoughts. I came away with 2 possible leads to follow up on LMS's, a free access to an LMS from a great little company called Udutu, a steer on how to resolve an e-learning design problem (thanks Tom at Articulate) and a good source of some research. All good.

What I did notice was that the Learning and Skills element which used to be far bigger than the Technologies bit is now far smaller. What does that tell us about where learning is going!!

A great use of an afternoon for me but ooooohh tooo short!

Una

Can CIPD engage with SME's?

I attended a really interesting talk last night by Peter Cheese the Chief Executive for CIPD. It was arranged by CIPD's North London branch - thanks folks! Now the little amusing aside was that ITV were doing a recording with pop bands 911, Bewitched and Five in the hotel bar. I did offer to do my Madness Dance to add a bit of 'light entertainment' to their documentary but strangely enough they declined my offer. 

Back to Peter. He gave an interesting perspective on why there had 'never been a more important or interesting time' to be in HR. For example, organisations such as banks are taking the need for culture change deadly seriously and HR is the profession that should understand this stuff.

He concluded this country has lost sight of the value of vocational education with the push to put 50% of young people through Universities which wasn't meeting their needs or those of employers. He outlined CIPD's strength in evidence based research and it's connection with the business community.However, as he pointed out, two thirds of employment in this country comes from small and medium sized businesses.

I put the challenge to him that having moved from a large organisation of thousands of people to being a small business with employees we can count on one hand, the relevance of CIPD has significantly reduced.  He acknowledged this and that CIPD needed to do more. The question though is what will CIPD do. Peter talked the talk around being committed to making changes to support SME's, let's watch and see what happens! But Mr Cheese if you need someone to act as a Jiminy Cricket you have a volunteer here. Albeit I may do the odd Madness dance!!

Una

Make Someone Smile Today

Ok so it's mid January, your new year resolutions (especially the personal one's) may be flagging a bit by now. Giving up alcohol or chocolate, and going to the gym or jogging more, may all have seemed great ideas during the early hours of 2013 but how do they seem now?

I am sure we all could do with a bit of cheerfulness injected into our mid January psyche.

So your challenge is to make one person smile or laugh between now and midnight. Can you do it?

So to get you in the mood  from the Yahoo Kids Site :

Q: What colour is a Burp
A:  Burple

(I am now ducking as the barrage of virtual coke cans, shoes and white board erasers come flying towards my head). Enjoy January!!