by Julia Felton | Dec 20, 2012
When we hear a team member say of another team in the company “We can’t trust them with that” or a manager say to a team member “I don’t trust you with this task” we are hearing the word ‘trust’ used in a very explicit way. Yet trust (and distrust) shows up more often in invisible ways:
- A team member is given extra responsibility.
- A reorganisation moves some teams into more critical positions.
- Customers stop buying a particular product…
When we have a suspicion that trust has fallen, we may open up some conversations or make some enquiries but the dynamics of trust remain grey and cloudy. Within Talent Dynamics, the invisible becomes visible by recognising trust as having five distinct aspects. These aspects are all measurable and allow us to see where any individual, team and company are most trusted and least trusted. When we know this within a team, we can transform results rapidly by aligning activities to those we trust most in them and build the team to support each member where trust is lowest.
Here are the five aspects of trust:
Innovation
This is the degree to which your team trusts that you can be consistently relied on to come up with creative solutions and plans. Dynamo frequency profiles naturally create the most trust in this area.
Communication
This is the degree to which your team trusts that you can be consistently relied on to share information and listen effectively. Blaze
frequency profiles naturally create the most trust in this area.
Service
This is the degree to which your team trusts that you can be consistently relied on to look after customers and team members.
Tempo frequency profiles naturally create the most trust in this area.
Measurement
This is the degree to which your team trusts that you can be consistently relied on to measure and refine your own performance.
Steel frequency profiles naturally create the most trust in this area.
Spirit
This is the degree to which your team trusts that you can be consistently relied on to remain resilient and positive. Those who build
this on their path through their leadership naturally create the most trust in this area.
When we stop trusting a team member or an entire team to deliver in a particular area, we often let the factor in which we are not trusting them to overshadow any areas in which we do trust them and so throw out their strength with their weakness.
By assessing all five areas, we can quickly become aware of where we have hidden, unutilized talent just waiting to be unlocked.
We are excited that Stephen R. Covey will be the keynote speaker at the Talent Dynamics Trust Conference next year.
Want to discover your frequency. Take the Talent Dynamics Test here.
by Julia Felton | Dec 12, 2012
Team dynamics is one of the overlooked parts of a business. Yet it affects so much of a how a business operates, from the individual in the team to the company as a collection of teams to the entire market place.
If a team is out of sync or out of flow, things happen slowly or at worst not at all, accuracy levels decrease, absence increases, motivation is lacking and an unhealthy degree of competitiveness enters the workplace. The team members fail to trust one another. The team fails to work effectively. The business suffers. Does this problem sound familiar?
When looking at a business you need to identify areas where value and trust is lacking and how team work is being blocked. Imagine a team that worked well together, could anticipate each other and could back each other up. A team fully ‘in flow’. What economic impact would that have on your business or organisation?
Every person has something of value they bring to the team, a strength or a talent. This needs to be harnessed and encouraged to bring value to the team and increase the level of trust.
Julia Felton is an accredited Talent Dynamics Consultant and can help you improve and manage performance in your enterprise.
by Julia Felton | Dec 5, 2012
“Intention is comprised of our passion or desire to manifest. Intention has energy, it has life.”
– Ariana Strozzi, Horse Sense for the Leader Within
When the seemingly relentless demands at work and burdens of a busy life take their toll on work performance, we tend to think that managing our time better will improve the situation. If we can just work faster, multi-task more efficiently, things will be better, we think, as we buy the latest time management gadget or software.
However, as Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, authors of The Power of Full Engagement, explain, it is the skillful management of energy, not time, that most significantly affects high performance. Too often, we squander this valuable resource through energy-taxing habits—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual habits. Take this Self-Quiz to see how well you are managing your energy.
1. I rely on sugary or carbohydrate-rich snacks for bursts of energy when I need an energetic pick-me-up.
2. Life is an endless marathon to be endured; you just have to keep on running.
3. I tend to do what feels immediately pressing and easier to accomplish rather than make intentional choices about how I spend my time and what matters most.
4. I hate routines; they’re too much like being stuck in a rut. I prefer to be loose and spontaneous.
5. I’m so busy I rarely have time to reflect on what I value most deeply.
6. I seem to be stuck in overdrive; I feel like I’ve lost the ability to shift to any other gear.
7. I work out (cardiovascular and weight training) irregularly, if at all.
8. I regularly get less than six hours of sleep.
9. I rarely take breaks; that way, I can get more done.
10. When I take the time to notice, my breathing seems shallow; I seem to go a long time without taking a deep breath.
11. Anxiety, frustration and overwhelm seem ever-present for me.
12. When I’m under pressure, I easily become harsh or defensive with others.
13. Personal relationships are not something I devote a lot of energy to. If they don’t work, I move on.
14. I smoke and/or drink; to be honest, doing so really helps lower my anxiety level.
15. It’s been a long time since I’ve done something purely because it was enjoyable or felt good.
16. Downtime is wasted time.
If you answered “true” to more than just a few of these statements, you’re probably not performing—or feeling—as well as you could be. If you would like to explore how to live in a way that enhances your energy, not depletes it, then you need to be in flow. Please don’t hesitate to contact me so that I can help you discover your own secret recipe for putting energy and flow into your life.
by Julia Felton | Nov 28, 2012
A number of my clients always ask me what it feels like to be in flow and in this Ted video Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains that flow is the secret to happiness.
In summary when we are in flow the following occurs:
- Completely involved in what we are doing – focused and concentrating
- A sense of ecstasy – a sense of being outside everyday reality
- Greater inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done, and knowing how well we are doing
- Knowing that the activity is doable – that are skills are adequate to the task
- A sense of serenity – no worries about oneself, and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego
- Timelessness – thoroughly focused on the present, hours seem to pass by in minutes
- Intrinsic motivation – whatever produces flow becomes it’s own reward
You can access the TED video here at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html
So do you know when you are in flow and what your path to success looks like?. Imagine how easy success is when you are in flow. In you would like to discover your flow profile take the test here.
by Julia Felton | Nov 21, 2012
“The greatest source of unhappiness comes from inside.” —Jim Rohn
If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. I call leadership the great challenge of life.
What’s important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:
Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.
Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.
Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you’ve got to walk in front of your group. You’ve got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.
You’ve got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.
Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It’s when you don’t know that you don’t know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.
Develop humor without folly. That’s important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it’s okay to be witty, but not silly. It’s okay to be fun, but not foolish.
Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I’d like to think it’s unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It’s fascinating. And I’ve found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community, and at home.
Article by Jim Rohn
by Julia Felton | Nov 14, 2012
I came across this 1928 article (anonymous) called ‘10 Ways to Kill a Team’. I smiled as a I read it and thought you’d enjoy:
- Don’t go to team meetings. Complain about the inconvenience of scheduling – place – time.
- If you do go, go late and offer a creative excuse. Do create distractions when arriving.
- If the weather doesn’t suit you, don’t even think of going. It’s not convenient anyway.
- If you attend, find subtle fault with the work of the team leader and team members.
- Never accept leadership as it is easier to criticise than to do things and take the heat.
- Get sore if you are not appointed to special teams, but if you are, don’t participate.
- If asked by the team leader for your opinion, don’t give it – complain after the meeting.
- Do the minimum, when others jump in to help, complain that a clique runs the team.
- Don’t pay your dues or coffee / birthday / anniversary fund collections, or pay very late.
- Don’t recruit new members, “Let George do it”. Complain about quality and production.
Do you know anyone who does these things?!
If any of these resonate then I would strongly urge you to look at your team and how to engage them in your business. One great way to do this is to get your team members to take a Talent Dynamics profile test. You can take the test here.
by Julia Felton | Nov 13, 2012
One in 20 bosses. That’s only 5%.According to this research cited in Management Today, for every company that has 20 bosses (your average 200-300 employee firm), only one of them is likely to be a good boss. For a public sector body with say 5000 employees, it may have 25 good bosses. Puts things into perspective wouldn’t you say?
How on earth does this happen in today’s world when it would be easy to think that businesses understand the value of developing their people? It’s not like there aren’t any books on the subject or even free information out there on the good ol’ web…
I’ve pulled together these critical danger points for you to look at for yourself and/or to work through with the leaders and managers in your organisation. They come from my personal experience and learning so I’m not saying this is all there is to it, please add your own insights too in the comments:
Critical Danger Points
Not understanding that different people need different approaches so they treat all people the same.
This can come from a genuine wish to do well by others, so many of us learned “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Treating people with kindness and compassion makes you a good person. Giving all your direct reports public praise and recognition may not make you a good manager though – some will love it and others may be mortified. The same applies to how much time you spend handholding and ‘helping’ your team. Some may really appreciate help, others will just feel micro-managed and that you don’t trust them.
Not ensuring people work to their strengths and talents.
The evidence is overwhelming on this point. When managers and their teams really get how to leverage their talents across the team (and between them and other teams in the organisation) not only does productivity and effectiveness go up, motivation and engagement usually increases too.
Underestimating the importance of good people management the higher up the ladder they go.
I’ve heard several HR people talk as though senior leaders don’t need to focus so much on their people management skills because their direct reports are also more senior and should know what they’re doing. Maybe so, however, there are some other factors to consider. Their direct reports are people too and they have the same emotional needs as any person does. Remember “All the world’s a stage” and people are watching how senior managers manage to get clues about what is really valued by the big bosses, no matter what leaders say. So maybe it’s more important the higher up they go as they get to influence a greater sphere of people. After all, people do as you do, not as you say..
They lack self-awareness
As cited in the Management Today article self-awareness is very important. Imagine a leader talking at a staff conference about people coming forward with ideas and interacting when they had shouted at people only a few minutes earlier? Leaders and mangers may believe that their past successes were all down to them and discount the contribution of others. Nothing rankles so much with people as when blame and credit are unfairly attributed. There may be times when us development and HR peeps have to bite the bullet and help leaders to understand the impact of their behaviour – get your CV ready and tread carefully though, not all leaders will want to hear it because…
They simply don’t care and purposely choose a domineering or bullying stance
because they believe that’s what gets results. It will definitely get results; the ones where people do a lot of politicking to stay on their right side. The kind of results where people won’t pass on valuable data for decision-making because it conflicts with what they know or think the leader wants to hear. This not caring often results in the best people leaving the business at the first opportunity because they’re not allowed to do their best work. The research cited in the article found that 47% of respondents felt threatened at work, instead of praised… The end result of all this is usually a downward spiral for the organisation.
They don’t manage change very well.
Any research on change will indicate that participation and communication are the two most important elements of successful change. Yet time and time again bosses don’t do either very well. All too often in my experience decisions are made without genuine interaction with others in the organisation. Often those making the decisions on changes don’t know what really goes on in the level of detail that team members do. Give people a chance to input BEFORE decisions are made. Not all change will be good for each individual in the business but for those that it is make sure to communicate that as well as why the change is so vital in the first place. Then communicate that again and again and again and again until people complain that they’ve heard this message several times now!
The business hasn’t got the right leader in the right place at the right time.
In the way that team members will get to perform at their best when they get to work to their strengths, the same applies to leaders and managers too. Yet more than this, each leader will have a time and place in the organisation that is most suited to their talents. When a leader is great at innovating and problem solving, don’t put them in charge of customer service because they are likely to innovate their way out of service issues. This is especially true when the business (or product) is at the point where it is building a solid customer base. In the same way, a leader who is great at managing risk is not going to excel if the organisation really needs to boost the performance of its staff. In addition, the economy goes through cycles (or seasons) too and this also influences who is best to lead at a particular point in time. You don’t want the person who was so good at tightening your belts to restrict growth when the economy turns from Winter to Spring.
by Julia Felton | Nov 8, 2012
According to research cited in Management Today, only one in every 20 bosses (5%) is a good leader. So for every company that has 20 bosses (your average 200-300 employee firm), only one of them is likely to be a good boss. For a public sector body with say 5,000 employees, it may have 25 good bosses. Puts things into perspective wouldn’t you say?
How on earth does this happen in today’s world?. In John Maxwell’s experience most people stop growing when they reach their 20’s. Rarely do you find a person committed to a personal growth plan into their 30’s, 40’s or beyond. I know that when I worked in the corporate world bosses were so busy working that they rarely had time to develop themselves. And yet the irony is that great leaders never get to the point where their influence has maxed out. They always have unreached potential waiting to be fulfilled. In leadership, how far you go depends on how much you grow. Your growth as a leader is within your control; you can do something about it. You’ll grow the most when you know the most about how the process of personal development happens.
There are three basic laws of personal growth:
1) The Law of Intentionality: Growth Doesn’t Just Happen
Seldom do we lack access to information that can help us grow, but rarely do we apply the resources at our disposal. Put simply, knowing isn’t the same as growing. Whilst old age may happen automatically, growth doesn’t necessarily come with experience. This reminds me of the adage:
To Know and Not To Do is Not Yet To Know
In order to grow to our potential, we have to discard the mistaken beliefs that prevent us from moving forward. Two such beliefs are:
- that failure is fatal
- that we don’t have time right now to pursue a growth plan.
For starters, failing doesn’t mean that someone is a failure. Mistakes are an inescapable part of life, and failures often teach us lessons that we could never learn otherwise. Indeed, failures are steppingstones to success. With respect to time, the longer we intend to do something without taking action, the greater the odds that we will never do it. Time is the one resource we cannot recapture once it’s lost; there’s no way to make up for months and years of neglecting personal development.
2) The Law of Awareness: You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself
Personal growth isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for self-improvement. For personal growth to be beneficial, and not a waste of energy, it must be suited to your unique strengths and particular temperament. Not everyone shares the same learning style: what works for one person may be completely inappropriate for another. In addition, personal growth requires you to identify your purpose in life. Unless you’re clear where you’re headed, you won’t know which ways to grow. On the other hand, once you have a definite vision in mind, you can begin to develop the specific set of skills needed to accomplish it. Knowing your Talent Dynamic profile provides great insight into the best way for you to grow, a way that matches your learning style and uses your gifts to their best ability.
3) The Law of Consistency: Motivation Gets You Going, Discipline Keeps You Growing
Anyone who has successfully lost weight through regular exercise can tell you that there were days when they didn’t feel like going to the gym. All of the excitement about getting in shape dissipates at 5:00 am when the alarm clock rudely reminds you to get out of bed for a morning workout. To develop the discipline to keep growing, we must constantly remind ourselves why personal development means so much to us. As Simon Sinek reminds us – we must have a great reason why because unless we have clarity on Why we are doing something we will never maintain the motivation and discipline to continue when times get tough (and they inevitably will).
To get where you want to go in life, personal growth cannot be overlooked, postponed, or taken for granted. Your development requires intentionality, focus and accountability. It also requires a plan. If you would like help developing your plan sign up for one of my complimentary Grab The Reins – Lead Your Life Discovery Sessions where we will uncover what is holding you back from reaching your full potential.
by Julia Felton | Oct 31, 2012
“You are responsible for your life. And what is your life? What is all life?
What is every flower, every rock, every tree, every human being? Energy! Oprah
If trying to maintain balance in your life makes you sometimes feel like Terrifico, the Terrified Tightrope Walker in the Circus of Life, working without a net while the crowd below holds their breath in anticipation of a slip, you’re not alone. Over the last few months I have so been in this place. These days almost all of us have so many demands placed on our time and energy, life can feel like a three-ring circus. And if you’re not up there on the tightrope, you’re down on the ground in the midst of tigers and lions, in charge of keeping a couple of dozen plates spinning in air.
Maintaining balance isn’t easy. It requires holding steady with the many responsibilities that are a normal and everyday part of life: home, family, friends, horses and work, while at the same time recognizing and fulfilling personal needs and wants. Finding and maintaining balance when life can be so complicated and demanding is both an inside and outside job.
Inside—Only you can take care of yourself.
Consider how well you take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. Do you eat healthfully and exercise regularly? Do you get check-ups and take preventative precautions? Do you set aside personal, quiet time for yourself? Do you make time to enjoy nature and art, filling yourself up again and again? I know I have been doing really badly on this front this year.
Outside—Reaching outside yourself gives meaning.
Think about how you reach outside yourself for sharing and giving meaning to your life. Do you spend quality time with family and friends? Do you give back to life through your time, energy and experience? Contributing to the larger world provides connection and purpose.
Balance—The key to a rich and fulfilling life.
To discover how well balanced your life is, keep a log of how you spend your time. In a little notebook you can carry with you, write down the hours you spend under the broad headings: “for me” and “for others.” Also make notes of requests for your time (from family members, from co-workers or professional obligations). Include “requests” from your physical and emotional self: “I wish I could take time to take a walk today.” Or “Gee, I’d love to take a nap.”
Also jot down your feelings about the time you’re putting in. Do you resent the responsibilities at home? Do you feel like you never get to do what you want to do? Do you rearrange your time, taking away from what you’d planned to do for yourself in order to do something for others? How does that feel? Honestly?
After a week or two, you can expect to have some pretty clear messages on where there is balance in your life and where there is not. You might also come to see what’s important to you and how you can make changes in your life that will create a life of health, well-being and joy—a balanced life.
If after doing this exercise you realise that you need to put some balance in your life why not sign up for one of the limited number of complimentary strategy sessions I offer every month to help you get clarity in your life and business. You can sign up here.
by Julia Felton | Oct 28, 2012
‘Before you are a leader success is all about growing yourself.
When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.’ Jack Welch
A recent survey conducted by Emergentics International revealed that Leadership development is the number one priority of HR and organizational development leaders, with 25% of respondents putting it at the top of their priority list. With organizations needing to meet ever-higher financial goals and growth targets, the emphasis on people development provides a window into the way companies are seeing their ability to rise to the top.
The emphasis on talent development and management over competencies like innovation and tactical elements like metrics points to a realization that positive advancements in organizations must start with people. The second highest response for organizational priority was employee engagement, at 22%.
So what is leadership? The Oxford Paperback Dictionary defines a leader as ‘one whose example is followed’. Leadership is that elusive quality that companies are looking for and yet, in my opinion, is so often lacking in organisations. Given the multitude of companies offering leadership training and the circa £3billion spent on external training annually in the UK, how come our companies are not some of the best performing in the world? To my mind, leadership and management are too often confused. We expect managers to lead and yet leadership and management involve completely different skill sets. Indeed, the Peter Principal invariably plays out in organisations. The Peter Principal states that ‘people are promoted to the level of their incompetency’. This is why all too often people get promoted only to fail in their managerial role because what they really need are leadership skills.
Complete leadership starts with the vision and builds relationships with the people that share the vision and who will take on the task of achieving the vision. This differs from management which uses structures, rules and processes in order to control and predict results in a more stable situation. Frank S. Greene notes that ‘the success of management is seen in the industrial empires where people can be used interchangeably and as replaceable parts.’
In order for any business to be successful it needs strong leaders and particularly so in this age of globalisation because whilst an individual might be able to mask their lack of leadership skills in a small organisation, in my experience once they have to manage across multiple locations they will be found out. Great leadership involves developing a blend of vision, relationships and execution and as an organisation expands, the need for the leader to communicate that shared vision to a diverse set of people becomes paramount because unless the vision is shared, the organisation will never meet its goals. It will become like a ship bobbing up and down on the ocean with no clear direction of where it is heading and wonder why the business fails to move forwards.
So how can Horse Assisted Coaching help people develop leadership skills? The answer lies in the fact that horses are always looking for a leader. As a prey animal, the horse always has to be aware of imminent danger or else he could end up as someone else’s lunch. This means that a horse always has to be alert to any danger in his surroundings and also be in a position to run away should that danger present itself. To ensure that the horse can survive being a prey animal it has evolved so that its natural behaviour and physiology can keep it as protected as possible. This is why horses have eyes on the side of their head, as it gives them nearly 360 degree vision to see any approaching danger. They are also acutely aware of any changes in their environment, as this could herald the onset of approaching danger. The sense of community and camaraderie they gain from living in herds also helps keep horses safe. I’m sure you’ve heard of the idiom ‘Safety in numbers’ – well, this is the premise that horses work from. The more of them that are together, the more eyes they have looking out for danger and so the safer they feel.
It is because of this desire to stay safe that a horse is always looking for a leader. Can you imagine living by yourself, never being able to rest and relax for fear of being attacked and eaten? This is a tiring place to be and the reason why a horse is willing to let us take up the leadership role with them. However, and this is a really big thing, we must prove to be a leader who can be trusted and who knows what they are doing. If we have no clarity or certainty and don’t evoke a sense of trust from the horse then he will not let us lead him and he will take over the leadership position. You see, unlike people who might be quite polite when their boss is not being a clear, decisive leader, a horse has no option but to act, his life depends on it, whereas in a business we continue to tolerate poor leadership until such time that the leader is removed from that position – ironically often promoted to another position.
Different from humans, horses don’t follow blindly, yet they are looking to be led. They cannot be coerced or influenced, they choose to follow. Horses have survived for thousands of years due to their ability to get along with, and depend upon, one another. They test each other to establish their position within the herd, deferring only to other horses they feel will keep them safe. In a world in which money, control and status are non-existent, horse leaders respond immediately to the thoughts, feelings and sometimes hidden agendas of those around them, and communicate with authority, purpose, authenticity and confidence – all without ‘saying’ a single word. Like some employees, horses can either be willing participants or resentful ‘herd members’, making them ideal partners for teaching self-leadership and teamwork.
Want to learn more about how horses can help you make systemic leadership changes in your organisation, then check out AHA! Programmes at www.unbridledsuccess.co.uk
