The Longest Day

Yes - today's the day when I hear if I'm successful in the next stage of the OD review.
- I have been told that I will get a call between 10-11am with an update
Get up early 6.15 - didn't sleep that well
Have coffee
Send kids off to school - why's Dad quite tetchy today? - Don't ask!
7.50 - Check e-mails - maybe the announcement has come on line - but nothing.
Start writing up visits at 8am to keep my mind active and off the call.
Notice a reply e-mail stating two of my colleagues are on holiday - I wonder how they will be informed.
Send a few good luck text messages to some of my colleagues - I'm sure they're feeling the same - It will be ok - but will it????
I get some nice replies (and start to wonder did I send the texts genuinely or merely to get a nice response back!) - I'm sure I did it for the right reasons - but this OD review can play funny tracks with the mind.
9.15 - can't concentrate so nip out to Starbucks for a quick caffeine injection to calm me down
Back at 9.45.
I might get that call early..................
10.00 - continue to write up visits to keep my mind busy and active
What do they say ' a watched mobile never rings!'
10.15 - no message so far but they've plenty of people to contact so don't worry
10.30 - no message so far but they've got plenty of people to contact so don't worry - honest
10.35 - no news is good news isn't it?
10.45 - no news is in fact no news
10.50 - text Jane (my wife) to say no news as yet
10.58 - two minutes to deadline
10.59 - one minute to deadline
11.01 -
11.02
11.05 - Obvious;y extra time
11.10 - Have they got the right number?
11.12 - Yes I know I'm on a course of Friday afternoon at Chesterfield all about delivering and receiving bad news but please someone just let me know

11.19 - I know I will blog my feelings - hopefully sharing the stress can be good for you
I will let you know how I get on.
Phil.

Random Acts of Kindness!

Many of you may have seen the writer/TV presenter Danny Wallace who wrote an excellent book 'join me' which resulted in a cult being formed whose role was to perform 'random acts of kindness'
This may sound somewhat 'cheesy' but the art of performing a random act of kindness is by its very definition a really good thing to do!

I would recommend purchasing the books 'Join me' and 'random acts of kindness - 365 ways to make the world a better place' because the theory and practice of thinking of others is - in my opinion - at the heart of what a brand such as the Post Office stands for!

http://www.join-me.co.uk/

It can make us stronger and more effective managers because it gives us a more rounded perspective of life and the organizational Design review.

Try it........

Buy a six pack for the world cup and give two away
Record someone's favourite programme for them.
Smile at your line manager more often
Tell a call centre adviser that you enjoyed their choice of holding music
Sign a petition

See... It's easy but it makes the world and our life a better place!

Cheers

Phil (ED)

I'm Inspired

A Great Article about inspiring others from Charlie Feld

CHARLIE FELDTOTAL LEADERSHIP
How To Inspire Your Team
A high-performance staff needs your trust, optimism and encouragement
In the "Ring of Gyges" fable from Plato's The Republic, the philosopher poses this question: If a ring could make you invisible, would you steal, cheat or even murder? Or would you always do the right thing even though no one would know? Those who answer yes to the first question believe that people are inherently corrupt or lazy, and the only thing that keeps civilizations together are laws, rewards and punishments. Then there are people who believe in the basic goodness and industriousness of individuals; to them, people will always do the right thing when given a choice. From that dichotomy springs different management systems and environments in the workplace. One is full of rules; the other isn't. Both can deliver good results in the short to medium term, but it's the management system based on the more charitable view of human nature that sustains an organization and allows it to grow in an era of constant change. Assuming you buy that assertion, then as a leader it is critical for you to act in a way that attracts, excites, expands and sustains the human spirit. Some people refer to this aspect of leadership as values; others call it the corporate culture. As leaders, we create the environment wherein people operate. If it is one of fear, then people will become risk averse. If it is one of criticism, then people's confidence will erode. But if you believe that people perform best when you trust in their better nature, then you have to foster an environment that offers your staff the freedom to do their best. Let's assume that you have established the core leadership competencies I've discussed previously: You understand the lay of the land; you've built a great team; you have partnerships with stakeholders; and you are able to act decisively and stay focused. What, then, are the most important beliefs that can help you build a sustainable high-performance team? Trust Trust in your staff is table stakes. You cultivate trust by setting boundaries, within which people have certain freedoms (to make decisions, to take risks, to speak their minds) as well as certain obligations (to speak the truth, to be accountable for their decisions, to learn from their mistakes). People can't be productive when they are driven by rules, nor can anything be achieved when there are no boundaries and chaos reigns.
If you believe that people perform best when you trust in their better nature, then you must act in a way that excites and sustains the human spirit.
I've seen cultures at both extremes over the years. In one company where I worked, there were rules for everything and bureaucracy dominated the management system. The environment was orderly. But there was almost no room for individual judgment, and therefore, no one felt any ownership of their work or motivation to do it quickly. At the other extreme, I worked for a company that was so decentralized it was chaotic. Every group made up its own rules as it saw fit. Neither of these environments led to high performance. But in a framework where people are trusted to operate, people will give their best. I have gone into environments where teams within the IT department were so rigidly organized that one group was unwilling to share its expertise with another. When we reorganized, my direct reports agreed to be evaluated on how well they shared their staffs with each other. They stopped hoarding talent and started trusting each other. Employees became more productive, and quality went up. Hope Next, it is important to understand that high-performing people have dreams for achievement that need to be fueled by hope. It's a truism that people will flourish when they have hope and that they give up when they become despondent. High performers thrive on the recognition they get from working through hard issues and persevering. This perseverance requires optimism. The job of a leader in a hopeful environment is to be realistic and optimistic at the same time. Realism acknowledges the facts of a situation, no matter how unpleasant; optimism dictates that given the facts, we continue to work toward our goals. When I have been confronted with a team that has lost hope, I have taken on the role of a coach. Together, we acknowledge the facts and then begin to generate ideas for how to solve our problems. Enjoyment Now, make the environment enjoyable. People perform at peak levels when they enjoy what they do and whom they do it with. Don't confuse enjoyment with frivolity, or the absence of challenging work. Real enjoyment at work comes when you and your team are deeply immersed in tackling a problem, and you persevere together. You can be intense and relaxed at the same time if you are confident in yourself and those around you. Just as you can sense this tension in athletes when the game is on the line, you can sense it in a leader. When you communicate that combination of competitive fire and inner peace, you communicate to your team that—if we give everything we have and support each other—we will persevere. You can set the tone that work is fun by demonstrating that you enjoy your job, that you like your staff and that you appreciate how hard they work. Sometimes, this is as simple as saying thank you to someone who worked all weekend. If you can laugh at mistakes instead of blaming people for them, your team can focus on winning instead of failing. If someone is working 60 hours a week, you shouldn't care if he takes a two-hour lunch. Opportunity The last challenge is to create an environment wherein people can grow. Top performers need to learn new skills and develop new ideas in order to work at their peaks. People who learn new things, work with diverse groups of people and are given the opportunity to experience different roles that expand their worldview produce a richer organization. These skills and perspective-building mechanisms help to create people who respect differences, people who are more self-assured, who listen well and are more curious. As Peter Senge argues in The Fifth Discipline: This is different than the step-by-step process of acquiring skills that we know, but it's necessary because the rate and scope of change has increased so dramatically. As a leader, you have the power to influence people and therefore their performance. If you believe in creating an environment where trust, optimism, enjoyment and personal growth are encouraged, then you will build a sustainable, high-performing team—and, in the process, create many new leaders.


Link of the day;
http://www.inspireme.net/

Learning Styles

I'm Inspired

Here's a great little site that gives you an easy to understand chart on establishing your learning style.
Give it a go at..

http://www.chaminade.org/inspire/learnstl.htm

Regards
Ed