September 2007 Newsletter
With the arrival of autumn and our recent office move we’ve been doing lots of thinking about change. Change can be refreshing and energizing, it can help you to refocus and give you the momentum you need to reach your goals.
So this month we’re taking a look at breaking bad habits and making positive changes in your professional and personal life, how an understanding of coaching can help you make valuable changes to your management style, we’re giving you the chance to join us on one of our free taster events where you’ll learn useful strategies to help you improve your working relationships and we share our “Goal Getter” 7 essential tips to help you reach your all important goals.
Take a look -
Break a habit, change for the better.
Habits can be hard to break, you need focus and commitment and here we lend a hand.
Not all habits are bad. We all have rituals which help us to cope with daily life in a positive way too - getting up, having breakfast, looking out the window to check on the weather before leaving the house. But equally we all have a number of bad habits we know we should break.
To get a flavour of what yours might be we asked our colleagues, friends and family “if you could change 1 thing what would it be?”
Here’s what they told us …
• Get more exercise
• Drink less
• Spend more time with family
• Come to work less
• Be nicer to people
• Drink more water
• Think less
• Floss more
• Stop being late
• Stop worrying about things which are out of my control
Well done you lot! Identifying and understanding that you have a habit you want to change is the first step to doing something about it. But what do you need to do next? Studies suggest it takes 30 days to break a habit and only 1 day to make one – unless of course that relates to getting into the habit of taking more exercise which can take up to 6 weeks!
Here are some pointers to help you get started.
• Recognise and define your habit. What is your habit, when and where do you do it? How often and why? Answer these questions honestly.
• Make a plan for how you are going to break your habit. Some examples include replacing a bad habit with a good one, a cigarette with a 10 min jog or a glass of water, biting your nails with eating more fruit.
• Get some support. Tell friends, family and colleagues your plan and ask them to give you the encouragement you need to quit.
• Make it harder to do the naughty things. Take the TV out of your bedroom, set your alarm 10 minutes early so you get to places on time.
• Reward yourself when you do well. Spend the money you would usually spend on cigarettes on a massage or a visit to the cinema.
• Be positive. Imagine how you will feel when you actually reach your goal, see success in your mind’s eye and imagine how great it will feel when you actually manage to stop smoking or get to work on time!
• Just do it! Procrastination will only hold you back, believe in yourself and go for it!
Make breaking your habit your goal. Our 7 point "goal getter" below will give you all the advice you need by helping you to decide, define and break your habits by giving you all the important advice you need.
• Decide & Define it! Decide on your ultimate goal in whatever context you are considering whether that’s work, a hobby or a relationship. And then define it. Give it context and a realistic timescale. Saying "I want to be happy" is not nearly as useful as "I want to be enjoying my job by the new year". or “I want to be fitter and will run a 10K race by January 2008”
• Be Positive! Write your goal down on a piece of paper and make sure it uses positive language. Don’t write "I want to give up smoking" but "I will to be healthy and free from addictions by December 1st 2007". Language is important here, it’s not about what you are “giving up” but what you are “gaining”.
• Believe it! Write down what you believe about this goal. Is it achievable? Is it in keeping with your sense of who you are? Is it something you deserve? Why is it important? What does it mean to you? This will help you to really focus on the goal and bring it to life in your mind, generating energy around it.
• Plan it! Next think about the actions you will have to take and by when to achieve your goal. Be specific. Details matter. But also be realistic, small bite sized chunks are more realistic. One thing at a time. Looking at a 6 month training plan is daunting for anyone. Pick the most important items for the next 4 weeks – tackle them one by one. Then move onto the next stage and so on.
• Score it! Write down how motivated on a scale of 1 – 10 you are to complete the actions needed to reach your goal. If you have a low score then it’s likely you don't want the outcome enough to make a go of achieving it.
• Stick it! Post a list of the actions and your goal on the inside of your wardrobe door, the front of the fridge or somewhere you will see them every day to remind you of what you are doing and why.
• Keep it up! If you get stuck, keep trying. There can be many reasons why your progress has slowed; just talking it through with a friend, colleague or a trusted loved one can help you to build up your motivation. There are plenty of professional coaches these days who can help dig you out and find out what it is that’s holding you back.
Good luck.
For more information visit http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-Habit they provide a 9 step plan to help you break the cycle.
Why is coaching important and how can it make your life easier?
Find out how an understanding of coaching can help you to improve your management style.
Sometime ago we visited SMG and delivered our coaching skills training. In this month's communication we revisit one of the stars of the programme to find out how far he has come with his coaching skills development, which of the skills learnt on the programme really stand out and have proved most useful day to day and what attributes he thinks excellent coaches should have.
SMG is made up of 4 divisions Television, Outdoor, Cinema and Radio and includes Virgin Radio the national commercial pop and rock music station.
Our coaching programme looks at the importance of coaching and how it can make life easier and improve management style. The programme is interactive and hands on. Participants spend 2 days trying out coaching techniques directly and practically apply the strategies and approaches learnt.
Participants then revisit the results from applying the skills at work approximately 6 weeks later so we can gather feedback, examine key learning and help them formulate an action plan to continue growing as coaches in the future.
What did we do for SMG?
Day 1
Day 1 focuses on the background and instils understanding. We ask - What is coaching? Why bother with it at all? The first part of the session helps participants to understand the benefits of coaching. We ask them where they are on the “learning ladder” of coaching, participants then rate themselves on a scale of 1 –10 on how effective a coach they think they are right now.
Next we examine self-made blocks and barriers to true potential and bottom lining and its importance. The second part of the session concentrates on letting participants have a go at applying all they have learnt for the first time. We then look at how to give feedback successfully (see our article on giving feedback for more on this) we examine the difference between coaching and instruction and the times when one method is better used over the other.
Participants then split into pairs to experience what it is like giving and receiving advice. After they’ve had a go at what not to do we then try an alternative – asking questions. We also look at the effect adopting different attitudes has on our coaching success. Finally we cover staff development and the approaches that can be taken to develop people.
Day ones ends with participants noting their moments of genius. What really stands out for them? What lessons have they learnt about themselves and their management and coaching styles.
Day 2
The focus of day 2 is to really get hands on and apply everything learnt on the first day. We start the session with a brainstorm to help refresh the previous day’s learning asking what stands out from the experiences of day 1? What would you most like to keep from here on? What would you like to let go of from here on?
Day 2 is all about fresh Intention, a new day. We invite participants to think about their intention, what they really want to get out of the session and how motivated are they to achieve it.
Next we look at the importance of creating the right coaching environment and how to find the right balance between safety and challenge and which comes first. We also examine framing and the effect of framing the messages we need to deliver in the most positive and motivating ways possible.
We examine the GROW model, we then provide participants with some great questions to coach staff to the result they need using the GROW model as a platform. We round off this part of day 2 with an interactive session where participants try the coaching techniques out for themselves with colleagues giving feedback.
We cover where else you can use these skills, how to make well formed choices and we share our guide to creating a well formed outcome. Participants are then given time to put all they have learnt into a coaching conversation.
Finally we take a look at “coffee machine coaching” and share our techniques for having swift and effective coaching conversations when time is limited. Participants round off by drawing on all they have learnt and their conclusions about coaching and what key tips or nuggets they would wish to incorporate into what they do from this point onwards.
Throughout the day we make sure participants “keep it real” by using genuine topics and real examples that matter to them and importantly we stress the importance of respecting their fellow participant’s confidentiality.
Day 3 – follow up.
Day 3 forms a vital part of the programme. We revisit participants and discuss their experiences of coaching, what surprised them about coaching? What were the thrills? The frustrations? And what have they learnt? Participants give each other feedback and following this feedback coaches think about what they’d like to do more of, what they’d like to do less of and what their key challenges are for the future.
We end the session by looking at succession planning and the role that the coaching skills learnt can play here. Participants then commit to the next steps they will take in order to keep growing as coaches.
For more information about coaching skills training contact John on +44(0)20 7407 0044 or email john@you-unltd.co.uk.
How has Paul been using the skills learnt since attending our coaching skills training 18 months ago?
Paul Carolan, Deputy Sales Director at Virgin Radio tells us how an understanding and practical application of coaching at work has helped him professionally.
What is your job title and can you please outline the basics of you role at SMG?
I am the Deputy Sales Director at Virgin Radio directly responsible for the airtime and scheduling teams, and their performance (14 people in total). On top of that my main responsibilities are all budgeting, forecasting and revenue reporting. Finally as the Deputy to the Sales Director, I assume his responsibilities in his absence.
What have the benefits been to you both personally and professionally as result of attending the you:coach programme?
I think the biggest result has been in the way I approach discussions with members of the team. I try to put myself in their shoes as much as possible to understand their feelings and motivations. This approach has also helped when dealing with clients, as the same principles apply when dealing with any people.
Has an understanding of coaching helped you to develop your career?
Naturally it has, though I think it’s something that should be done on a more regular basis. We all have our ways of doing things, and constant coaching/mentoring would be really beneficial. After all, you’re never too experienced to learn how to coach people better.
As a manager – how has coaching helped you to get the most out of your team? And, how has coaching helped you to develop your staff?
Having worked in sales for 14 years, you learn that one of the best skills to have is listening. Unfortunately being in sales means that we’re not always very good at it! I remember in one of the role plays learning not only to ask the right kind of questions, but also learning to wait for an answer!
How often do you use your coaching skills?
To be honest not enough! As I’ve mentioned, I think it’s important to learn and re-learn, but one of the things initiated by you:unlimited was a system of mentoring with specific colleagues in the company. This has helped to remind each other of certain aspects of coaching, as well as to have a sounding board for different situations and get a different point of view.
What attributes do you think a good coach should have?
Someone who genuinely cares about individuals, and gets a real sense of pride in seeing them grow. I think a large dose of patience and understanding are incredibly important also, and an understanding of structure in coaching a team.
Are there any particular tips or practical exercises you learnt on the you:coach programme which particularly stand out for you?
Again I think the biggest lesson learnt has been in the way I approach discussions with members of the team by trying to put myself in their shoes as much as possible to understand their feelings and motivations. This has also helped me when dealing with clients.
If you could pass on just one tip/ word of advice to someone keen to improve their coaching skills what would it be?
If I could have three, they would be – Listen, Listen and Listen!
For more information about coaching skills training contact John on +44(0)20 7407 0044 or email john@you-unltd.co.uk.
Managing challenging people at work.
Join us for a free taster and learn how to "Herd Cats". Essential strategies for improving relationships with tricky personalities.
Rather than simply tell you about our great training we like to show you.
Our Herding Cats event will give you a 90 min taster of what we do every day. You'll meet some of the you:unlimited team, mingle with other training and HR practitioners who are also considering using us and discuss any specific training needs you may have.
If you haven’t worked with us before this engaging and energetic workshop will give you a taster of our training style and will also equip you with proven tried and tested techniques to help you improve communication with important and challenging individuals.
The team were fab and the training was excellent. I have come away very positive and ready to tackle those “big cats”!” Lorraine Shirley, Training Manager, OneBiIl Telecom.
Join us
Our “Herding Cats” taster session will be running in central London from 9am – 11am on Thursday 20th September. We’d love you to join us. Spaces are limited, so if you are a Manager or HR & Training professional with responsibility for booking training for your team, division or department contact john@you-unltd.co.uk or call him on +44(0)20 7407 0044 and we’ll book spaces for you and / or a colleague.
Meow.
Where are we now?
We've grown so we need a touch more space. Come and see us in our new home, there's usually a cup of tea and a biscuit floating about.
134 - 138 Borough High Street
London Bridge
London
SE1 1LB
Our number has changed to: + 44(0)20 7407 0044
Our email address and website address remain the same.
e:team@you-unltd.co.uk www.you-unltd.co.uk
Our nearest tube is London Bridge. If you are ever in the area please feel free to pop in and see us in our new home. You're always welcome.
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