Spring Update

Preparing for the economic upswing

GAINMORE™ Leadership Advantage Handbook 3rd Edition

Courageous Conversations - Overcoming the fear of those 'difficult' conversations

DSM - the global leader in animal nutrition asked us to design a programme for the regional team to address two specific issues: finding and developing new business and having the courage to conduct those 'difficult conversations'.

In business, it seems that leaders are meant to be unqiuely unhuman – they are not supposed to worry about their emotions and should simply get on with those courageous conversations.

Most of you receive training on how to control and hide their emotions and behave in a professional fashion. However, professionals have emotions too. These feelings and emotions are critical components of many conversations. As Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen (1999) point out in their book, Difficult Conversations, unexpressed emotions leak into conversations, take a toll on our self-esteem and relationships, and make it difficult for us to listen to what the other person is saying.

The programme and supporting coaching has yielded excellent results in the workplace. New clients, previously firmly stuck using a competitor have come on board. Poor performance within teams has been addressed. Existing clients who resisted price increases are willingly paying more, and overall customer satisfaction has improved. Well, we would say that wouldn't we, so let us put you in touch directly with participants and hear their experiences direct.

Take Back Your Time!

It seems like I hear more and more often from our coaching clients that they do not have enough hours in a day to accomplish what needs to done.

Here is what they say:
They are being pulled into meetings at the last minute and have to cancel agenda items to accommodate. They are stretched by the needs of family and friends. The wonderful new technologies make them so accessible to the needs of others they barely have time to breath. The phone rings during lunch, so they can't remember with whom they had lunch, never mind what they ate. E-mail systems beep to tell them of a new message breaking their concentration required to complete that important report. Their open door policy allows free access to them by their colleagues and subordinates, but little space in which to accomplish the real work at hand. The result is a frazzled, short tempered, scattered, unhappy, minimally productive, minimally appreciated, person that works long hours and is rewarded with little sleep, no real nourishment of body and spirit and a "to do" list a mile long and reaching for two. Does any of this sound like you?

If it does, read on, because I have news for you. It does not have to.

Too often we stay on the "gerbil wheel" of life feeling incapable of making the choice of taking the first jolting step off and instead we are thrown off by an illness or major difficulty.

Have we all forgotten and missed the true meaning of the simple warning given at the beginning of every flight we take: "If the oxygen masks should fall, indicating a change in cabin pressure, put on your own mask first, BEFORE helping your children or others in need." Or, in everyday terms: If your life should get so full that you are losing control of even the most simple of tasks, take care of your health and well-being first so you have the ability and energy required to support the ones you love and accomplish the tasks required.

So what can you do to soften that first step off the "gerbil wheel" of life? First: stop thinking it is out of your control. You can and do have control, but you have to choose to exercise it. Second: Begin to look at all the areas of your life that are out of control or on the verge of being out of control and choose just one to look at, for the present. Third: Take one small step to gain back some time for you.

Here are some suggestions:
1. Maybe it is closing your door for two hours each day and not answering the phone, so you can concentrate on that important project.
2.Perhaps forwarding your calls or putting a message on your answer service that you will be out of range for an hour and a half and you have a relaxed business lunch or lunch with a friend.
3. You could take the alarm system off your computer e-mail and set 2 to 3 periods a day when you will read and respond to your e-mail. A time of your choosing. If this is a big change, make sure people know this and tell them when they can expect a response.
4. Set a boundary with your family or work staff and colleagues that a certain time each day is off limits time. They are not to disturb you for any reason. Then define emergency very clearly! Kids of a certain age love to be made the guard and reminder. Tell them what time you need and that it is their job to remind you and then be sure no one interrupts it. It will be a game and can be fun!

All of these ideas will help you focus on what is real and necessary and will begin the process of your taking back your time. This is just a beginning, think for yourself where you can make a difference in your life. After all, you didn't give away your time all in one day, it probably happened gradually. Expectations were built, but these too can be modified.

Be sure to explain your changes to all the people that they may effect, this is part of the remodeling of expectations. Also set up stopgaps for problems that may arise. Get someone to cover for you if that is possible. If not, make sure people know when you will be available again to help them.

As you begin to gain some time for clarity and focus, you will notice your energy improves and your productivity will increase. You will gain even more time. Be sure you allocate some of that time for self care of your physical, personal and spiritual being.

Bryan Dyson, the former CEO of Coca-Cola explained that he feels we juggle 5 different balls: a health ball, a family ball, a friends ball, a work ball and a spirituality ball. Four of the five are made out of crystal. If we drop them, they are going to shatter. Only one ball is made out of rubber and bounces back: the work ball.

Coaching Challenge: Find one area in your life to which you are willing to apply these principles and go for it!

New Associates

GAPPS ³ for Recruitment

• An objective review of the candidates leadership strengths and development areas.
• A detailed understanding of each candidates competency and organization cultural development needs.
• Excellent brand building as an employer.
• Detailed competency based questions presented to the interviewer for deeper probing, reducing time and vastly improving the success rate for recruitment.