What gets in the way of walking the talk?

“What are some of the obstacles that get in the way of everyone in your organization "walking their talk"? Can you make a list of those obstacles? Are there things on your list that you could do something about? Which obstacles are within your control to overcome or remove, and which obstacles are outside your influence?” ~Eric Harvey

These are great questions posed by Eric Harvey, they challenge us to consider where we are spending our time, energy and resources- on what we can control, or what is out of our control and influence?
As a consultant and facilitator I often see organizations spending time on removing the obstacles that they are unable to influence or change, instead of seeking ways to go around, through or over the obstacle.
This process of focusing on the obstacle often results in the blame game, comparing of the then and now, and feeling helpless. Organizations who identify the obstacle then focus their expertise on how to work around the obstacle tend to be more solution focused, and move more effectively to innovative solution finding.
Some strategies to deal with the obstacles that get in the way, consider the following:
- What is within your control?
- What can you influence (but not control)?
- Is it really an obstacle, or, is it just your perception?
- What action can you take to bring about a positive outcome?
- What can you learn from the situation to apply in future?
Sometimes obstacles seem to take teams back to the past, and some groups stay firmly rooted in the past. To help move teams out of the past and into the future, solution focused thinking, you can ask:
- What does that situation have to do with our current day challenge?
- What did we/you learn from that situation that can be implemented as a strategy this time around?
- What suggestions do you have for a different result?
- What are you committed to do in finding a solution?

I see time and time again, when the team is engaged in building the solution, the ideas are often far more creative, potential pinch points are identified earlier on, and there is more investment to the solution because the team has helped create it.

VP of First Impressions

While visiting a local business I was most impressed by the sign on the reception counter. The name plate said VP of First Impressions. The lovely employee behind the counter matched the sign with both her customer service skills and authenticity. I found myself thinking that this business “got it!” This business knew the important role that this person played in the business, and let customers know this. As you can imagine, my first impression of this business was extremely favorable.
After facilitating workplace violence prevention training for many years to many customer service representatives, municipal employees and other industry staff, I have learned that often it is the first face in the business that takes the brunt from agitated or dissatisfied customers. The receptionist, administrative assistant or front desk representative is often the first face that an angry or dissatisfied customer sees.
With small business week before us, please take a moment to recognize the staff in your business who are the VP of First Impressions!

Resilience on the Run

How do you maintain your resilience on the run? Many of us feel like we are constantly on the run, going from one meeting to the next, doing more in less time, and juggling more priorities than we have energy for. If this describes your average day, learning to be resilient on the run may be one of the best things you do in what’s left of 2010.
Resilience is typically defined as the ability to bounce back after change, challenge, crisis and adversity. I have created a definition that has become our business brand, and that is, the ability to Bounce Forward! Bouncing forward means more than just surviving or recovering from life’s situations. Bouncing Forward is about building your resilience, and managing your resilience on the run.
Here are seven tips to staying resilient on the run:
1. Ensure you are drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day (note that tea and coffee do not equate to water). When you are nourished, your energy is higher and your mind functions more effectively. Many people get dehydration headaches from lack of water. Drinking water is an important daily habit.
2. Stretch and move more- for those of you sitting for extended periods of time at a computer it is important to stretch every 20 minutes or so. When your body feels tense, we often feel tense emotionally.
3. Keep healthy snacks available in the event you are late with a meal (as skipping meals would be another tip).
4. Create a sense of routine during your day. For example, begin each day the same way. Routine makes us feel like we have more control over our life.
5. Every day spend 15 minutes (at least) doing something you enjoy. This helps fill you up so you have more to give to others.
6. Focus on the positive, what is going right, what you have control or influence over, and what you are grateful for. This shift in thinking and mindset is an important approach in being resilient.
7. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes, what you didn’t get done, or something you forgot to do. Instead, make a decision that you will fix, tackle or learn from it, and move on.
The more resilient you are on a day to day basis, the better able you are to handle the challenges that may come into your life. You will have more physical and mental energy and will find that you bounce forward, not back. The little daily steps make a big difference.
You can follow me on facebook (charmaine@hammondgroup.biz) or Twitter: hammondgroupbiz

What does it mean to communicate effectively?

Anthony Robbins says “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide for our communication with others.”
Recognizing that we are all different, and therefore hold different values, priorities, and expectations is an important realization. As a mediator for many years I often observed that the parties in conflict assumed that their beliefs were the beliefs (of everyone). When we can be just a little bit curious, we open up a door to understanding and seeing situations from another perspective. Sherry Buffington offers several important considerations and questions. She says that “In order to improve communications with others, a good first step is to understand your own communication style. Ask yourself:
1. What motivates me?
2. What gets in the way of my communicating well?
3. How do I like to receive information?”

Let these questions guide you this week in understanding other’s perspectives and communicating more effectively. I’d love to hear how this works for you.

What gets in the way of TEAM SUCCESS?

This quote by Eric Harvey, asks critical questions about the obstacles that get in the way of team success.
“What are some of the obstacles that get in the way of everyone in your organization "walking their talk"? Can you make a list of those obstacles? Are there things on your list that you could do something about? Which obstacles are within your control to overcome or remove, and which obstacles are outside your influence?” ~Eric Harvey
In my work with teams both as a team member, as a facilitator, consultant and corporate trainer, I have identified 8 obstacles that I see teams struggle with time and time again. In my Teamwork By Design (not by default) program I help participants to a) understand the 8 obstacles, b) participate in a diagnostic which identifies the current obstacles of challenge, and c) the part leaders really like… action to improve, and transformational change.
When I think back to the first “real” team I worked on as a full time employee, it was in the correctional system, a medium secure institution for adult male offenders. Being one of a few females, and fresh out of college, I learned a great deal about teams (and the obstacles). Eric Harvey’s questions guide us to consider:
• How congruent is our behavior and what we say, and what we value?
• What obstacles are we aware of, and avoiding?
• What are the obstacles that are within your control, or influence?
• And, how can you utilize your influence to overcome the obstacles and benefit the team?

Keeping these questions in the forefront of your mind can alert you to the obstacles sooner, and therefore deal with them in a more timely and effective manner. Watch for more on this topic in future blogs.

Looking at life from 39,000 feet!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the flight deck speaking. We are at 39,000 feet”.
Of course hearing that many people peer out the window to see what the view looks like at 39,000 feet. I travel a lot and I am still amazed at how the neat and orderly the land looks from this height. A bunch of square and rectangle parcels of land in different colours, a unique checkerboard so to speak.
If you could look at your life from 39,000 feet what would you see? How would your life look?