Reflections

                 “A mind stretched to a new idea, never returns to its original dimension.” 

                   Oliver Windell Holmes 

                 “Great minds have purpose.  Others have wishes.” 

                   Washington Irving

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 Welcome to my latest Newsletter . Please forward  it to any of your friends or colleagues who may  find it of interest .

They can subscribe to free future editions by sending an email to me headed SUBSCRIBE at PeterCobbe@coachingcosmos.com

In this issue :

1.Career Insights -  The new Monster job and career site.

2.Communication skills insights - Active listening

3.Business insights - McKinsey Survey , Business plans , Harvard Review Insights, Strategy - Porters 5 Forces and insights on Marketing Strategy

4.Leadership insights - Effective leadership  and some leadership snippets

5.Life Coaching insights -  Work /Life Balance by Karen Revell

6.Useful web sites - For example see the Amazing www.breathingearth.net site....

7 Newsletter archive

 CAREER INSIGHTS

Monster’s website, has recently undergone a £90 million global overhaul and have developed some unique and exciting features designed to help job seekers find that perfect job. The new enhancements include many features such as a career-mapping tool letting users follow the careers of similar people, and a career benchmark so they can measure themselves against other individuals.

 

Career and life change : 

  Active Listening

Hear What People Are Really Saying

Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of your relationships with others.

Consider: We listen to obtain information.
We listen to understand.
We listen for enjoyment.
We listen to learn.

Given all this listening we do, you would think we’d be good at it!

In fact more often we are not not.

Depending on the study being quoted, there is fair evidence that  we remember a dismal 25-50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers or spouse for 10 minutes, they probably only really hear 2½-5 minutes of the conversation.

Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being presented with information,  maybe you aren’t hearing the whole message either.

You hope the important parts are captured in your 25- 50%, but what if they’re not?

Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade negotiate. What’s more, you’ll avoid conflict and misunderstandings – all necessary for workplace success.

KEY LEARNING POINT Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. By understanding your personal style of communicating, you will go a long way towards creating good and lasting impressions with others.

 

WHAT CAN WE DO ?

The way to become a better listener is to practice “active listening”.

This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, to try and understand the total message being sent.

In order to do this you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.

You cannot allow yourself to become distracted by what else may be going on around you, or by forming counter arguments that you’ll make when the other person stops speaking. Nor can you allow yourself to lose focus on what the other person is saying. All of these barriers contribute to a lack of listening and understanding.

Tip: If you're finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say it – this will reinforce their message and help you control mind drift.

To enhance your listening skills, you need to let the other person know that you are listening to what he or she is saying. To understand the importance of this, ask yourself if you’ve ever been engaged in a conversation when you wondered if the other person was listening to what you were saying. You wonder if your message is getting across, or if it’s even worthwhile to continue speaking. It feels like talking to a brick wall and it’s something you want to avoid.

Acknowledgement can be something as simple as a nod of the head or a simple “uh huh.” You aren’t necessarily agreeing with the person, you are simply indicating that you are listening. Using body language and other signs to acknowledge you are listening also reminds you to pay attention and not let your mind wander.

You should also try to respond to the speaker in a way that will both encourage him or her to continue speaking, so that you can get the information if you need. While nodding and “uh huhing” says you’re interested, an occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message as well.

 

Becoming an Active Listener

There are five key elements of active listening. They all help you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are hearing what they are saying.

1. Pay attention.
   Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message. Recognise that what is not said also speaks loudly.
   • Look at the speaker directly.
   • Put aside distracting thoughts. Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal!
   • Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
   • “Listen” to the speaker’s body language.
   • Refrain from side conversations when listening in a group setting.
2. Show that you are listening.
   Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
   • Nod occasionally.
   • Smile and use other facial expressions.
   • Note your posture and make sure it is relaxed,open and inviting.
   • Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.
3. Provide feedback.
   Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
   • Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is…” and “Sounds like you are saying…” are great ways to reflect back.
   • Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say…” “Is this what you mean?”
   • Summarise the speaker’s comments periodically.

Tip: If you find yourself responding emotionally to what someone said, say so, and ask for more information: "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally. What I thought you just said is XXX; is that what you meant?"

4. Defer judgment.
   Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.
   • Allow the speaker to finish.
   • Don’t interrupt with counterarguments.
5. Respond Appropriately.
   Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting him or her down.
   • Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
   • Assert your opinions respectfully.
   • Treat the other person as he or she would want to be treated.

Key Learning Points:

 

Executive business coaching insights

A recent McKinsey survey* highlights several process steps that are strongly associated with good financial and operational outcomes.

  Executive Summary

 Executives from around the world were asked about a specific capital or human-resources decision their companies made in the course of normal business. The aim was to learn who was involved, what drove the decisions, how deep the analysis was, how unfettered the discussions, and how and where politics were involved. 

 Respondents also described the financial and operational outcomes of the decisions.

 The results highlight the hard business benefits—such as increased profits and rapid implementation—of several decision-making disciplines.

 These disciplines include ensuring that people with the right skills and experience are included in decision making, making decisions based on transparent criteria and a robust fact base, and ensuring that the person who will be responsible for implementing a decision is involved in making that decision.

 Finally, although corporate politics sometimes seems to undermine strongdecision making, some types of consensus-building and alliances apparently can help create good outcomes.

 

* The survey was in the field in November 2008 and received responses from 2,327 executives from the full range of industries, regions, and functions.

 Type of decision

 

• Expansion into new products, services, or geographies      34 %
• Organizational change for other reasons                             21%
• Investment in existing products, services, or geographies   15%
• Building new infrastructure                                                   12 %
• Mergers and acquisitions                                                     11%
• Maintenance of existing infrastructure                                    5%

 

Source of decision

 

• A majority of decisions were undertaken at the behest of the CEO or the executive committee, with only a minority (23 percent) driven by some sort of immediate threat.
• More decisions were made outside an annual planning process than within one and nearly two-thirds of respondents say they expected their decision to pay off within two years of implementation.
• Operations executives had significant influence on only about a third of the most financially unsuccessful decisions, reinforcing findings from other surveys that companies frequently overlook execution when making decisions.

 

Outcomes

• Overall, outcomes for these decisions were good. Among decisions for which the outcome was known, about two-thirds met or exceeded executives’ expectations for revenue growth and cost savings.
• Furthermore, strong majorities of respondents say the results of their initiatives met their expectations for speed, implementation cost, and gains in market share or efficiency.

 

 

What goes into a good decision?

 

The survey emphasises that good decision making involves avoiding some basic mistakes. Decisions initiated and approved by the same person generate the worst financial results—indicating the value of good ,wider discussion.

 

Decisions made at companies without any strategic planning process are twice as likely to have generated extremely poor results as extremely good ones—more than a fifth of them generated revenue 75 percent or more below expectations. This may indicate an overall lack of rigour at these companies.

 

 

Furthermore, the survey highlights several elements of decision-making processes that are associated with good financial and operational outcomes, whether the goal is revenue growth or cost savings. strong relationships linking financial success, clarity about who is responsible for implementation, and the involvement of that individual in the decision-making process

 

Other important findings concern the types of analysis, discussion, and corporate politics that are associated with successful decision making.

 

1. Performing sensitivity analysis and creating financial-risk models 
2.  Including comparable situations from one’s own or the firm’s experience

3. Examining the risks of the project combined with the risks of other projects in the firm’s portfolio
4. Creating a detailed financial model of the decision

 

The survey also indicates that including analogous situations from outside

of the organization improves some outcomes, notably expected profitability and revenue growth.

 

To a large extent, decision makers considered . . .

 

• Expected profitability
• Expected completion speed.
• Intelligence about the likely reactions of current and of potential competitors, doing sensitivity analysis and financial
• Studying multiple comparable cases to provide a reality check on financial analysis, creating a detailed financial model of the decision, analyzing the potential reaction of capital markets and analysts, studying comparable situations from both inside and outside the firm, including information that would contradict the investment hypothesis, and basing the decision largely on intuition.
  

Corporate politics has a bad name, but respondents suggest that the effect of politics depends on the nature of the tactics used. When executives involved in a decision were primarily concerned with its effect on their business unit rather than the overall organization, for example, financial results and all other measures of success were much likelier to fall far below expectations. Simply put, a silo mind-set hurts performance. In addition, slow project completion times are associated with selective information reporting.

However, the survey results suggest some types of informal alliance-building and  horse-trading among executives may help companies make good decisions. We asked about six ways that politics can affect decisions.6 Better-than-expected completion  speed is associated with executives forming alliances to craft consensus for action across business units and with executives making exchanges across alliances to build support for different projects.

Finally, a word about CEO involvement: Respondents say CEOs tended to have a large role in instigating both the most and the least successful decisions. Perhaps this indicates CEOs are more likely than other executives to place—or be able to secure approval of—risky bets with big upsides and downsides. This result also suggests that thorough examination and devil’s advocacy will be particularly valuable when CEOs champion pet projects.

 

Looking ahead

Unlike the external risks that accompany most strategic initiatives, the analysis of a project, its discussion, and the management of the internal politics lie entirely within the control of the top leadership team. Companies not using the best practices identified here should be able to improve their decisions simply by following these guidelines:

• Pay particular attention to the risks of the project, examined through a detailed financial model, sensitivity analysis, and the relationship of those risks to the risks of other projects in the firm’s portfolio. Learning from past comparable situations also is beneficial.

• Ensure that participants in the discussion about any decision are included onthe basis of skills and experience, that decision criteria are transparent, and that the decision is discussed in relation to the organization’s other strategic decisions.

• Put organizational goals ahead of business unit goals, and encourage efforts to build consensus across business units. 

BUSINESS COACHING INSIGHTS

BUSINESS PLANS

USEFUL PRESENTATION HERE on HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN : http://www.slideshare.net/tosime/how-to-write-a-business-plan.

 

 

 

 HARVARD REVIEW INSIGHTS

Last year’s “Breakthrough Ideas” list from Harvard Business Review reflected the growing belief in social networking, open source collaboration, and other advancing technologies to improve business management. One example:

“The future of ‘experts’ is clouded by the rise of ‘wisdom of the crowd.’”

This year’s just-released 20-idea list is, as you might anticipate, less visionary, more concrete and practical.

In “Just Because I’m Nice, Don’t Assume I’m Dumb,” Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy shows how managers can avoid snap judgments of fellow workers — something all of us are genetically programed to do.

My favorite HBR idea to contemplate so far is “The Dynamics of Personal Influence.” The authors argue that our ability to influence others ends at about three degrees of separation from the influencer. “This has implications for business,” HBR editors observe, “where the success of campaigns to foster, say, creativity or worker safety may hinge on enlisting employees to influence colleagues’ behavior.”

Here’s the complete list. Visit the HBR Web site for more details on each idea.

1. Just Because I’m Nice, Don’t Assume I’m Dumb
2. Beware Global Cooling
3. Institutional Memory Goes Digital
4. Stumbling to a Longer Life
5. The Rise of Economic Forensics
6. Launching a Better Brain
7. The IKEA Factor
8. Consumer Safety for Consumer Credit
9. State Capitalism Makes a Comeback
10. Now’s the Time to Invest in Africa
11. A Central Nervous System for the Earth
12. A Looming American Diaspora
13. Harnessing Social Pressure
14. Western Union World
15. How Social Networks Network Best
16. Should You Outsource Your Brain?
17. What You Need to Know about the Semantic Web
18. The Business of Biomimicry
19. The Dynamics of Personal Influence
20. Forget Citibank - Borrow from Bob

 

 BUSINESS STRATEGY - PORTERS 5 FORCES

“Porter’s five forces” have shaped a generation of academic research and business practice. This article provides practical guidance for users of the framework, and offers a deeper view of its implications for strategy today.

In essence, the job of the strategist is to understand and cope with competition.

 Often, however, managers define competition too narrowly, as if it occurred only among today’s direct competitors. Yet competition for profits goes beyond established industry rivals to include four other competitive forces as well: customers, suppliers, potential entrants, and substitute products. The extended rivalry that results from all five forces defines an industry’s structure and shapes the nature of competitive interaction within an industry.

As different from one another as industries might appear on the surface, the underlying drivers of profitability are the same.

The global car industry, for instance, appears to have nothing in common with the worldwide market for art masterpieces or the heavily regulated health-care delivery industry in Europe. But to understand industry competition and profitability in each of those three cases, one must analyze the industry’s underlying structure in terms of the five forces.

If the forces are intense, as they are in such industries as airlines, textiles, and hotels, almost no company earns attractive returns on investment.

 If the forces are benign, as they are in industries such as software, soft drinks, and toiletries, many companies are profitable.

Industry structure drives competition and profitability, not whether an industry produces a product or service, is emerging or mature, high tech or low tech, regulated or unregulated.

While a myriad of factors can affect industry profitability in the short run—including the weather and the business cycle—industry structure, manifested in the competitive forces, sets industry profitability in the medium and long run.

Understanding the competitive forces, and their underlying causes, reveals the roots of an industry’s current profitability while providing a framework for anticipating and influencing competition (and profitability) over time. A healthy industry structure should be as much a competitive concern to strategists as their company’s own position. Understanding industry structure is also essential to effective strategic positioning. As we will see, defending against the competitive forces and shaping them in a company’s favour are crucial to strategy.

Forces That Shape Competition

The configuration of the five forces differs by industry. In the market for commercial aircraft, fierce rivalry between dominant producers Airbus and Boeing and the bargaining power of the airlines that place huge orders for aircraft are strong, while the threat of entry, the threat of substitutes, and the power of suppliers are more benign.

 In the film industry, the proliferation of substitute forms of entertainment and the power of the movie producers and distributors who supply movies, the critical input, are important.

The strongest competitive force or forces determine the profitability of an industry and become the most important to strategy formulation. The most salient force, however, is not always obvious.

For example, even though rivalry is often fierce in commodity industries, it may not be the factor limiting profitability. Low returns in the photographic film industry, for instance, are the result of a superior substitute product—as Kodak and Fuji, the world’s leading producers of photographic film, learned with the advent of digital photography. In such a situation, coping with the substitute product becomes the number one strategic priority.

Industry structure grows out of a set of economic and technical characteristics that determine the strength of each competitive force.

Copyright © 2007 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.

 

USEFUL INSIGHTS ON MARKETING STRATEGY

THE ANSOFF PRODUCT-MARKET MATRIX

The Ansoff product-market matrix helps to understand and assess marketing or business development strategy. Any business, or part of a business can choose which strategy to employ, or which mix of strategic options to use.

This is one simple way of looking at strategic development options:

	Existing products	New products
Existing markets	Market penetration	Product development
New markets	Market development	Diversification

 

Each of these strategic options holds different opportunities and downsides for different organizations, so what is right for one business won't necessarily be right for another.

 

Think about what option offers the best potential for your own business and market. Think about the strengths of your business and what type of growth strategy your strengths will enable most naturally. Generally beware of diversification - this is, by its nature, unknown territory, and carries the highest risk of failure whilst also enabling opportunities.

Here are the Ansoff strategies in summary:

Market penetration - Developing sales of existing products to your existing market(s). This makes sense if there is market share to be gained at the expense of your competitors, or if the market is growing fast and large enough for the growth you need. If you already have large market share you need to consider whether investing for further growth in this area would produce diminishing returns from your development activity. It could be that you will increase the profit from this activity more by reducing costs than by actively seeking more market share. Strong market share suggests there are likely to be better returns from extending the range of products/services that you can offer to the market.

Product development - Developing or finding new products to take to your existing market(s). This is an attractive strategy if you have strong market share in a particular market. Such a strategy can be a suitable reason for acquiring another company or product/service capability provided it is relevant to your market and your distribution route. Developing new products does not mean that you have to do this yourself (which is normally very expensive and frequently results in simply re-inventing someone else's wheel !) - Often there are potential manufacturing partners  who are looking for their own distribution partner with the sort of market presence that you already have. However if you already have good market share across a wide range of products for your market, this option may be one that produces diminishing returns on your growth investment and activities, and instead you may do better to seek to develop new markets, as in the next strategic option

Market development - Developing new markets for your existing products.

New markets can also mean new sub-sectors within your market - it helps to stay reasonably close to the markets you know and which know you. Moving into completely different markets, even if the product/service fit looks good, holds risks because this will be unknown territory for you, and almost certainly will involve working through new distribution channels, routes or partners. If you have good market share and good product/service range then moving into associated markets or segments is likely to be an attractive strategy.

Diversification - taking new products into new markets. This is high risk - not only do you not know the products, but neither do you know the new market(s), and again this strategic option is likely to entail working through new distribution channels and routes to market.

This sort of activity should generally be regarded as additional and supplementary to the core business activity, and should be rolled out carefully through rigorous testing and piloting.

Consider also your existing products and services themselves in terms of their market development opportunity and profit potential. Some will offer very high margins because they are relatively new, or specialised in some way, perhaps because of special unique selling propositions (USPs) or distribution arrangements. Other products and services may be more mature, with little or no competitive advantage, in which case they will produce lower margins

With this in mind the Boston Matrix is a useful way to understand and assess your different existing product and service opportunities: 

THE BOSTON MATRIX 

The Boston matrix model is a tool for assessing existing and development products in terms of their market potential, and thereby implying strategic action for products and services in each category.

 

	Low market share	High market share
Growing market	Problem child	(Rising) star
Mature market	Dog	Cash cow

 

Cash Cow - This metaphor is based on the idea of 'milking' the returns from previous investments which established good distribution and market share for the product. Products in this quadrant need maintenance and protection activity, together with good cost management, not growth effort, because there is little or no additional growth available.

Dog - This is any product or service which has low market presence in a mature or stagnant market. There is no point in developing products or services in this quadrant. Many organisations discontinue products/services that they consider fall into this category, in which case consider potential impact on overhead cost recovery. Businesses that have been starved or denied development find themselves with a high or entire proportion of their products or services in this quadrant.

Problem Child - These are products which have a big and growing market potential, but existing low market share, normally because they are new products, or the application has not been spotted and acted upon yet. New business development and project management principles are required to ensure that product potential can be realised and disasters avoided. This is likely to be an area of business that is quite competitive, where the pioneers take the risks in the hope of securing good early distribution arrangements, image, reputation and market share. Gross profit margins are likely to be high, but overheads, in the form of costs of research, development, advertising, market education, and low economies of scale, are normally high, and can cause initial business development in this area to be loss-making until the product moves into the Rising Star category, which is by no means assured - many problem children products remain as such.

Rising Star -  are those which have good market share in a strong and growing market. As a product moves into this category it is commonly known as a 'rising star'. When a market is strong and still growing, competition is not yet fully established. Demand is strong; saturation or over-supply do not exists, and so pricing is relatively unhindered. This all means that these products produce very good returns and profitability. The market is receptive and educated, which optimises selling efficiencies and margins. Production and manufacturing overheads are established and costs minimised due to high volumes and improved economies of scale. These are great products and worthy of continuing investment provided good growth potential continues to exist. When it does not these products are likely to move down to cash cow status, and the company needs to have the next rising stars developing from its problem children.

After considering your business in terms of useful thinking aids such as the Ansoff matrix and Boston matrix there are other important considerations such as:

• What is the significance of your major accounts - do they offer better opportunity for growth and development than your ordinary business?

 

• Do you have a high quality; specialised offering that delivers better business benefit on a large scale as opposed to small scale?

 

• Are your selling costs and investment similar for large and small contracts? If so you might do better concentrating on developing large major accounts business, rather than taking a sophisticated product or service solution to smaller companies which do not appreciate or require it, and cost you just as much to sell to as a large organization.

LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS

Leadership insights

A series of articles providing perspective on leadership

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

Just what is it that distinguishes 'good' leaders from 'mediocre' ones? Is it their decision-making abilities, their charismatic persuasiveness, or the clarity of their vision? Do great leaders have these qualities naturally, or are they acquired  somehow?

 
One perspective

J. Livingston, a professor at Harvard Business School, observed that four key skills  seem to define successful leadership:

1. Effective decision making.
2. Successful problem finding.
3. Effective opportunity finding.
4. Leadership style.

He suggested that by proactively developing your skills in these fundamental areas, you can lead people, and inspire change, be dynamic and effective in solving problems and meeting both daily challenges whilst looking at future opportunities.

Effective Decision Making

The ability to solve problems and make good decisions is extremely important for effective leadership.  Livingston suggests that if you face a problem believing that you have to find the 'right' answer, this can actually lead to failure. For example, you can analyse a problem forever, and still not be 100% sure that your solution is the best option.

For Livingston effective leaders use practical and responsive approaches to decision making. They know they often can't wait to make a 'perfect' decision.. This often means that a situation has to be evaluated quickly and  then there is a need to take the action that has a high probability of success.

From this perspective leaders make decisions under pressure that might not be perfect, but they're consistent with the desired outcome. This thinking implies that problem solving and decision making  are subjective and not an entirely rational processes. We all have biases, specific experience ,thought filters, and emotions, so perhaps completely objective decisions don't really exist.

Livingston proposes that what sets apart effective leaders is that they know HOW to decide. They know when to take the time to use more analytical and thorough decision-making processes. They know when to engage the whole team, and when to make the decision on their own: this knowledge doesn't come from theory alone, but from practical experience

.A developing leader should look for opportunities to make decisions in a wide variety of situations to help  gain experience.

Problem Finding

Leaders don't simply solve problems that people bring to them - they look for problems that may be hidden. In other words, they often recognise potential issues before they become problems.  Skilful leaders are proactive, and they continuously ask questions.

Opportunity Finding

Often problem solving is aimed at dealing with the current state, status quo and issues generated from the “ way we do things now” . In contrast opportunity finding focuses on step changes  in terms of new strategies and tactics , new  operating models, entering new markets , developing new products etc.. As management guru Peter Drucker famously said, "The pertinent question is not how to do things right, but how to find the right things to do, and to concentrate energy, resources and efforts on them."

Livingston argued that there is no one correct leadership style that everyone can use across all situations. He said that strong leaders know this, and adapt their approach as necessary. But they always use authentic styles that naturally fit their personalities. From this perspective some common themes of inspirational leadership emerge:

§         Impressive leaders  are emotionally intelligent ,believe in continuous personal development, are very self aware, lead by example, provide an excellent role model, and make actions align with intent and vision ( “walk the talk”)

§         Effective leaders demonstrate willingness to accept responsibility and accountability.

§          Inspiring leaders demonstrate integrity and trustworthiness and are committed to an open and honest approach with everyone they meet and  in doing this they leave positive impressions

§         Transformational leaders always aim to develop a motivational climate, inspire trust; have a clear vision; are trustworthy; and are genuinely committed both to their people and to improving the organisation.

§          Transformational leadership implies that a leader creates an inspiring vision of the future, communicates powerful themes that are easy to understand and enable people to buy in and commit to the change journey, ensures a motivational culture to enable change and directs detailed and pragmatic implementation of the vision.

 

      

 

    LEADERSHIP SNIPPETS :

==============================================================================

If you're transitioning into a new leadership role, your actions in the first months can mean the difference between success and failure.

•Score early wins that produce tangible operational and financial improvements using these steps: Establish A-item priorities -- major objectives you must accomplish in the first few years in this role.

•Identify a "centre of gravity" -- a business area or process where early wins are probable and will support your A-item priorities.

•Initiate pilot projects in the center of gravity to secure swift successes.

•Achieve these early wins in a manner consistent with how you think your group should work. For example, if you want to see more collaboration, create cross-functional teams to lead the pilot projects you've designed. 

=========================================================================================

1. Don't Get the Wrong First Impression

In the first week of leading a new team, you'll probably sort your new employees into two groups based on your perceptions of their intellect, cooperation, and initiative: those you'll rely on, and those you won't. This sorting is necessary, but risky. Labels stick. If you've erred in your sorting, mislabeled team members will find it difficult to change your perceptions. You will manage them according to your beliefs (for example, micromanaging if you think they need it) and they will probably disengage. To avoid this, test your first impressions. Get to know your employees. Find out what they're good at and where they should develop. Your labels will be more accurate, and your management approach more effective.

2.When You Have to Deliver Tough News

To deliver bad news and rally people through the difficult changes necessary to address the problem, consider using these steps: Acknowledge the problem's seriousness. Use candid language, not euphemisms. Your honesty will send the message that you can be trusted. Lay out a path forward to a better future. Describe the goal in alluring terms, so your group will want to do the hard work of getting there. Close with a call to action. You've fanned your teams' enthusiasm, and they're ready to get started. Tell them what the first step should be in moving toward the goal.

3. Avoid Bad Decisions by Involving a Third Party

We make countless decisions every day: when to hold a meeting, who to hire for a critical role, whether to greenlight a new project. For high-stakes decisions where a mistake might be fatal, involve an impartial party in your decision-making process. Someone with a fresh perspective and without your emotional attachment to the situation can help identify where your decisions may be unduly influenced by past experiences. For example,ask a colleague from another department or an outside advisor/consultant to play this role. For crucial decisions, it will be well worth the time to seek that extra opinion.

4. Build Your Resilience

Resilience, decisiveness, adaptability — in these trying and rapidly changing times, leaders need these skills more than ever. The good news is that if these skills are not already in your leadership toolbox, you can develop them by managing your thoughts, actions, and behaviors. Here are a few simple things you can do right now: Think positively. Be hopeful and optimistic. Focus on what you want, not what you fear you will lose. Let go. Accept that change is going to happen with or without you. Know what is beyond your control. Take decisive action. Tackle problems, don't avoid them. Take a long-term perspective. Don't get hung up on a specific event or a day on the market.

Life Coaching Insights

Work/life balance - achievable or myth? 

by Karen Revell

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Email
enquiries@u-unlimited.com or visit the website at www.u-unlimited.com
 

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GREAT WEB SITES

 

 

Breathing Earth maps the carbon emissions and birth and death rates of every country in the world. Just mouse-over any country and see what is happening. An amazing simulation...

MINDMEISTER SITE : Mindmapping is a very powerful methodology for structuring your own ideas but also within workshops it can be a strong tool for both learners and trainers. MindMeister is a basic online tool. It stands out because of the clean and crispy interface, the excellent sharing options (share it really the way you want) and the user centric and personal service.

The Redundancy Expert site :  offers a unique reference point on comprehensive information and advice on redundancy.If you have been made redundant or are facing redundancy, this site has been written with you in mind. With an emotionally respectful perspective, Redundancy Expert offers all manner of practical and realistic advice for those experiencing this difficult time.  

Jing gives students and instructors the ability to capture an image of any graph or equation they see on their screen and share it anywhere else (message boards, emails, papers, digital assignments). Using Jing you can also record videos of up to 5 minutes in length

 Wolfram Demonstrations provides close to 3,000 interactive demonstrations on mathematics. Students and instructors can play with demonstrations by downloading Mathematica Player. Demonstrations can be written by anyone with a copy of Mathematica and are reviewed before they become part of the Demonstrations Project

Google Reader -  Aggregate and manage all the RSS feeds you want to read. 

Google Sites - This is very useful for quickly setting up a free website for individuals or groups 

Slideshare - Using Slideshare to store presentations is a great ,free online function 

 Skype, free software and use it frequently to communicate with colleagues, clients, friends and family all round the world at no cost

 People  per Hour - post work you want done and bid for work you would like to do.....

Click here to register free:

 

Earn extra cash now taking surveys on Panel Base or test free products with Toluna :

 

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Newsletter archive

FEBRUARY 2009 NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2009 NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2008 NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER NO 16

SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER NO 15 

JULY NEWSLETTER NO 14

MAY NEWSLETTER NO 13

MARCH NEWSLETTER NO 12

JANUARY NEWSLETTER NO 11

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER NO 10

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER NO 9

 

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I would really value your comments,advice and feedback as I develop this newsletter so please let me know any of your views at

PeterCobbe@coachingcosmos.com

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