Leadership and Management

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Tiny Buddha – The Lori Deschene Interview

By Christina Lattimer • October 24, 2013 - 10:00 am Personal Development

Even before I realised how much I would get involved and connect with others across social media and the internet; one of the first personal resources I found which resonated with me was Lori Deschene’s Tiny Buddha twitter feed.

As a life-long learner and self-awareness student, I have read my way through literally thousands of books which speak to my heart and soul, and I have to say Lori’s work stood out in it’s simplicity but also because of the truthfulness and vulnerability contained in her articles.

So when I published the , one of the first internet resources I wanted to show my gratitude to, was, the Tiny Buddha, and I contacted Lori to get permission to use her branding in the e-zine. Not only did I get a swift and positive response from Lori, I was absolutely delighted to persuade her to let me interview her for a future issue of the E-zine.

I am delighted that this interview with Lori also coincides with the publication of her second great book . I pre-ordered the book and was struck by the powerfulness of the chapters within. A must read! (More later)

Lori’s inspirational first book “” is also available from Amazon.

So here is what Lori had to say about her work on the Tiny Buddha and also her inspirational new book.

Why do you think the Tiny Buddha has such a huge and loyal fan base?

I believe it has a lot to do with the heart behind the site. People share themselves honestly and vulnerably in their writing, and this invites a type of authentic connection that’s sometimes hard to find. I also think it has to do with the way the site has grown—organically. Even as it attracts more readers and writers and we launch new products and features, it’s never about maximizing page views or meeting traffic or sales goals. The purpose is always the focus, and everything else is secondary.

To read the full interview simply click on the image below:

By Christina Lattimer

If you are a leader, you are continually developing and "Sharpening the Saw". If you lead and manage teams, then you must read about our Inspirational New Leadership Programme. Sign up now to find out more details when we launch in July 2014. There is no obligation to undertake the programme, if you sign up today, you will simply be sent more information about the programme. You can unsubscribe at any time! Click below to register for further information.

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7 Common Qualities of Inspirational People, Leaders Should Know

By Christina Lattimer • March 7, 2013 - 9:26 pm Miscellaneous

Leaders can learn from inspirational people

I’d read about Philippe Petit some years ago, and while being amazed at his death defying tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, I was either was too young, too busy, in the wrong country or too focussed on other things to truly absorb his story. That changed last weekend when I happened upon an old documentary in which Philippe was recounting his experience on that day, 7^thAugust 1974, and the events leading up to it.

I realise as I write this, I am almost 40 years behind, but I also know there is a right time for everything, and I needed this story now, because it clicked into place a piece of jigsaw I was toying with, but not quite knowing where it fit.

I have always admired people who have made a significant impact, and have been inspirational people. People who particularly inspire me are Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, Viktor Frankl, Sir Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Abraham Lincoln , and latterly Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, and Steve Jobs, to name but a few. I am now adding Philippe Petit to my list.

These inspirational people on my list are famous for very different achievements. Some didn’t particularly set out to be “world” leaders in their field. But to me and many others of course, they are leaders, because by virtue of their achievements they have led a way, which has helped many people, and so been inspirational. Their stories and work have certainly changed my world.

Simon Sinek in his brilliant book “Start with Why” concludes the reason some inspirational people and their dreams (like Jobs and King for example) are globally successful is that they act from the inside out, they don’t sell their products, they sell their beliefs. It is these beliefs that other people relate to which harnesses their commitment, support, and buy in.

I was blown away when I heard Simon speaking about this phenomenon, because I know it to be true, certainly about me. I finally realised the reason I was so enamoured by these inspirational people was my interpretation of their beliefs and qualities embodied my own beliefs and value systems which I aspire to.

When I examined my own list of inspirational people, I discovered several qualities they displayed which I aspire to, and therefore inspire me.

They owned a deeply held vision
Inner and self- directed, they listened to their intuition and the world around them became secondary if it didn’t accord with their inner guidance.
What they did/shared benefitted the greater good, even if they didn’t realise it at the time.
They were committed and dedicated; in fact most, if not all, view their achievements as their life’s purpose.
They weren’t deterred by popular opinion,
They acted fearlessly, even if inside they felt fearful

And finally, what Philippe Petit made me see so clearly:

7. They are aspirational, they dare to attempt “the impossible,” feats and successes which any rationale mind may have said weren’t possible.

Inspirational people lead others by letting them see that their hopes, dreams, aspirations, and values are not only desirable, but are possible, by demonstrating they can be done. Once you have seen impossible being achieved, then the world has changed.

So how can this help our everyday leaders, who aren’t out to change the world, but who grapple with the day to day reality of where they are right now?

I asked this question of a very dear mentor of mine. “How can I lead in my small way, when all my inspiration comes from people who have changed the world, it seems overwhelming?” What he said to me can also be true for leaders in every field. He said, “Don’t concentrate on the world; apply your beliefs, principles and values to your world and the rest will take care of itself.” Although I agreed I still felt apprehensive. That was until I witnessed Philippe’s mad impossible mission and suddenly the impossible was possible, and the final piece of the jigsaw slotted into place.

You don’t have to walk a tightrope across tall buildings or ravines to inspire your employees and customers; all you need is a clear vision, faith, commitment and courage. Together with the knowledge you are making a real difference for the greater good. For me this is the real formula for success.

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What If Everything Was OK?

By Christina Lattimer • February 8, 2013 - 6:05 pm Leadership and Management

What if things were really ok?

Two nights ago, I went swimming. It was an activity I had been looking forward to all day. I usually go quite late because it tends to be more peaceful and as I swim I can ruminate and contemplate.

Tired and tense for the first 10 lengths or so, instead or relaxing, I found my mind worrying about a number of pieces of work I had still to complete. The anticipated peaceful relaxing swim was eluding me

As I carried on, I remembered a technique I use quite frequently with clients. It is the “What if” frame. It’s a well-known Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) technique used to help people tap into their imagination and explore situations they otherwise might consider being impossible. It is usually used to break down limiting beliefs.

For example, a friend of mine loves his sales job, but confessed once he sometimes felt frustrated because never seemed to earn more than £50k annually. He had never exceeded this figure and was convinced it wouldn’t get any better. When I asked why he thought that was, he explained he didn’t think the number of customers were available to exceed that limit.

I recognised his frustration because he had simply hit a limiting belief. I asked “What If you wereable to find ways to exceed earnings of 50k?” What would you have done differently, and what else could you do? He furrowed his brow and started thinking. What this technique does, is lift a person over the “I can’t” barrier, and helps open up possibilities, to incorporate ideas and suggestions, to achieve a different outcome.

Asking “what if” can be a powerful way to get your creative juices flowing. So when my daughter’s friend was planning her wedding, she floundered about the kind of venue she wanted and the colour of the bridesmaid’s dresses etc. So I asked her “what if, you had the wedding of your dreams, what would the surroundings look like?” This and questions like it helped her to begin to describe her highest desires. From there, she was able to begin to imagine and thus describe what would work for her.

When swimming, two nights ago, I didn’t need to use my imagination, or break down my limiting beliefs. On the contrary, my imagination was working overtime, and it was my lack of limiting beliefs, (I know only too well the possibilities open to me!), that were actually overwhelming me and making me feel stressed. So when the “ What if ” came to my mind it was in a different context again.

As I swam, I recalled the final way I use “What if” exercises with clients, which helps them to get in touch with feelings. Used in this way asking “what if ” is used to switch feelings. If you are feeling low because you are scared something isn’t going to happen, or things haven’t worked out in the first place, the state you are creating can become like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For example, you’ve applied for a job, but you didn’t get through the last job interview, and your confidence took a dent. Your anxiety about failing and the pressure you feel to be successful this time round simply intensifies. You worry about it for days beforehand, and by the time you get in front of the interview panel, you are so nervous, they can’t help but wonder if actually you are up to the job because you have been wringing your hands, and stammered your way all through the interview, simply because your anxiety took over.

If, before the interview, you had asked yourself the question, “What if I were successful at getting this job?” You imagine what it would feel like and get in touch with the joy, excitement, gratitude and enthusiasm you would experience. If you took that experience/state into the interview room, believe me, your interviewers would also have a completely different experience of interviewing you.

Ten minutes into my swimming session, I simply asked myself. “What if everything was OK?” I immediately stopped worrying, the knots in my back started to relax, and suddenly my state felt peaceful. As I swam on, I realised the worst thing I can do is not take my own advice. What was almost certainly going to turn out a most stressful hour of battling against feeling overwhelmed and anxious, completely switched. I realised if everything was OK, I could enjoy this hour, and simply unwind and relax. So I transformed the next fifty minutes.

Why not transform your next hour and imagine “What if, everything was OK?”

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When Trouble Hits – 8 Ways to Develop Resilience, Options and “Falling up”

By Christina Lattimer • October 25, 2012 - 7:56 pm Employee Development

Resilience is shown in the most unusual of circumstances

When I was small, my parents had a part of our garden tarmacked over. I can still remember my mother’s delight when the spring crocuses pushed through the tarmac to flower year after year. Whenever I think of our own resilience and ability to shine through adversity, I think of the hardiness of those delicate little flowers.

Like me, you know that in order to be successful in life and business you have to develop resilience. You are probably quite adept at being resilient in most parts of your life. A friend of mine has this saying whenever things get tough. “It’s character building.” A bit of a clique, but unless you give up, that’s precisely what challenges do; build character. I used to think she was being harsh until I grew up enough to realise that it’s more loving and kind not to reinforce a victim mentality. The problem with believing you are a victim is that it strips you of all power, and any hope of reclaiming yourself.

In his book the “ Shawn Achor describes a number of principles of positive psychology. One of which is about “Falling up”. Wherein he describes the psychological process of “Posttraumatic Growth” defined as “positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances”[i]

Achor describes three paths we can take following crisis or adversity. The first is to end where you start; no change results. The second path leads to further negative consequences; you end up worse off. The third path is the one that we should focus on, and that is using the crisis or negative event to grow and emerge “stronger, and more capable than before the fall”[ii]. I don’t know about you, but I know which path I prefer.

If you are faced with a challenging situation at work or even at home, there are a number of ways of refocusing your attention and efforts to help you and your team (or family) get through.

No matter how bad things are; always try to identify a positive outcome or a way to find an opportunity, even if it’s just to acknowledge that the challenge can be seen as an opportunity to grow.
Find ways to keep motivated, even if it means getting motivation from different parts of your life. For example, if you are facing adversity at work; renew your determination to make your family life better.
Deal with the “What if’s” – Don’t discount fears; deal with them head on. Set up an environment for you and your team which allows you to do this. Develop options in case the worst happens. Then keep focused on the positive possibilities rather than the worst case scenarios.
Deal with the uncertainty by imagining a future where you are in the right place, where you would feel as if you gained something positive from the experience.
Focus on what is in your control. You might not be in a position to decide what the outcome will be, or have any control over the situation. At the very least you can choose your reaction. If any of you doubt the power of choice here, you must read “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl, a holocaust survivor whose message of hope and resilience in horrifying adversity is truly amazing.
Recapture positives from the past. (This is not a time to count how many times you or others have been in similarly bad situations). Write down your successes and what you are proud of. Think, talk and write about things which make you (and your team) feel good about what they had achieved.
Turn round the negative chatter in your head. Simply refuse to listen to it. This is the time to be your own best friend. If you are facing problems at work, turn the rumour mill around and make sure speculation is not reported as fact. Make sure you and your team are only dealing with the facts and not the stories made up about the facts.
Don’t draw conclusions about yourself from the situation. Just because you’ve hit a bad situation doesn’t mean you are a bad person. This is life and many people hit bad times. Things happen which we have no control over and even if you’ve made a mistake, then forgive yourself. If you begin to think like this, then, hook up with your real best friend and get reassurance from them.

A few years ago I read that one of the reasons life is so painful is because we have forgotten to live and learn in love and trust rather than how the majority of us learn in fear and pain. Now whenever a situation comes over the horizon which has the potential for pain, I simply ask to learn in love and trust. And you know I think it works, and certainly that is what I wish for everyone.

[i] Tedeshi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (2004). Post-traumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundation and Empirical Evidence. Philadelphia, PA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

[ii] Achor S (2011) The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles that fuel Success and Performance at Work. New York: Random House Inc.

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Young Entrepreneurs – Start–up and Start-thinking

By Christina Lattimer • June 1, 2012 - 5:17 pm Personal Development

Start off by getting the detail right:

If you are thinking about starting up a business, you can get a head start by giving some serious thought to what is involved right now. I offer some introductory advice which might help you to formulate some questions for your mentor to help you decide if and how to get started. Before you enter the process:

If you have previously been employed, or have just come out of full time education; working for yourself can seem lonely. You need to have determination and self-belief at the outset and the ability to acquire resilience and the right personal qualities. It is not for the faint-hearted. Don’t let fear stop you however, if you’ve a great idea, with willingness, your personal qualities will develop as you grow your business.
Gather all relevant information so you understand the implications before you invest any money or effort.
Check you have industry level qualifications and experience relevant to your target market
Look at competitor websites and publicity information to see how they advertise their credentials for what you want to sell or deliver.
Develop your unique selling point, have some clear ideas about what will set you apart from the rest and be clear about your niche market.
More details will follow I believe about the process and how to access a mentor. There are currently well established mentor networks which you will no doubt be signposted to. In the meantime, your local business enterprise organisations can help you discuss your intended new business start-up and give you expert advice.
Work with a mentor who understands your industry/sector. There are many great business people from most industries who love to share what they know. When selecting a mentor, don’t be afraid to ask some basic questions to get the right one.
You can be thinking about what you might use your loan funding for, as well as any other capital you may have to invest. Have a realistic idea about how much help you need and how much it might cost. Make some initial enquiries and then prioritise when planning to use your loan and or capital.

Once you’ve entered the process: How will you promote your business?

Consider your brand. It’s competitive out there and great branding can set you apart. Your branding should clarify your unique selling point and appeal to your niche market. A good brand can include a logo and how you design your publicity material. You need to consider protecting your brand or product, by patenting or trademark.
Before you get started with a website consider exactly what the function of your website is. You need to be clear about the purpose before you go to any expense. Get some expert advice from more than one website designer, and be clear about the purpose and design needs so it is accessible and useful for your customers.
When choosing your web designer, be clear about how fixed or fluid you want your website to be. How often will it be updated and will you do this, or will you be paying them to do this on an on-going basis?
Understand on-going maintenance and hosting costs
If you haven’t any marketing experience then your mentor should be able to point you to some local firms which might give some initial free or low cost advice to get you started. You will need a good feel for how much your start up marketing costs might be, and any on-going costs. Remember, the money you invest in marketing should be giving you a demonstrable return on investment, so get some evidence about effectiveness before you pay hundreds of £s to place that advert.

Understand how widely you will need to network

There are many business networking groups based regionally. Networks can be great resources, offering news, learning and training events for members. These can help keep you up to date and current on many subjects. Some of these are free resources and some are subscription based.
Do your homework before joining and make sure that the network group is right for your kind of business before committing to subscription based networks
Get your social media networking right and if you aren’t already expert at this take advantage of one of the many courses out there. Online communities are growing especially on social networking sites like Facebook, Linked in and Twitter. At the very least sign up with these. But do not limit your online social media with just these three, there are many more. Much depends on how much time you have to develop relationships. Also search to find and join industry specific groups.

Consider where you might be located

Get your location right. You may need premises, a virtual office or work from home. To be effective you may want to use a combination of these. You need to think not only about the cost of hiring any premises, but also insurance costs while you are using the premises. You also need to make sure that if you work from home, your home insurance covers you.
If you work from home and wish to meet clients, you need to give some thought and maybe visit some local hotels to see if they have a business area you can use as a virtual office.
If you work from home, you may wish to consider hiring a PO Box or linking with a local enterprise centre who can offer virtual office facilities.

Understand the legal and financial issues

Don’t underestimate your initial investment and funding. You will need to provide set up costs and some on-going costs until your business begins bringing in customers. Most of the suggestions included in this article will have a cost attached to it, and you need to understand those costs before you start off.
Understand how your business is to be structured. HMRC have a number of publications which can help you understand your anticipated tax liabilities. Book a free tax surgery with a local accountant
If your new business start=up involves taking on employees, then make sure you get the right advice and understand what your legal responsibilities are. A good HR firm can give you expert advice and guidance at a relatively low price. ACAS also gives free advice and guidance with some great publications about employers’ responsibilities.
You will need a business bank account, and appropriate business insurance. Some websites offer a wizard to work through so you can determine the type and level of insurance you need.
Most banks offer free banking for the first year for new business start-up. There will be a monthly charge, but transactions are not billed. Banks offer a range of services included in their business bank account provision. Use a comparison website, or do your research to see which one will be best for you.
Business insurance is not a one size fits all and you need to make sure your insurance is customised and contains all the elements you need. Use a good comparison site to help you work through the maze of what’s on offer. Industry specific insurance is usually more competitive and can provide details which more general insurance companies miss. This should be your first search.
If your business will involve submitting tenders for contracts there will undoubtedly be insurance requirements. If this is over and above your regular insurance specification then make sure you cost this in.

You can usually find the I hope you found these start-thinking tips useful. There is lots of great information out there, so do your homework and good luck with your venture!

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The Steps to Organisational Change

By Guest Post • March 22, 2012 - 9:58 am Personal Development

Welcome to this weeks Guest Blogger. Paul Myers is the HR Manager for a local transport company. He has initiated significant change in his organisation and has managed to keep his staff on board. He is a people centric manager who has considered how to increase and harness employee engagement at every opportunity. Below he charts just one of the organisational changes he has led to transform the organisation.

The Steps to great organisational change

I moved into my current post as HR Manager 4 years ago. The company had at that time transferred from a deep cultured public sector organisation to the private sector. Invoking TUPE had meant the process had already involved a painstaking consultation period with trade unions. .

The organisation is complex. After the transfer, one of my objectives was the harmonisation of 28 shift patterns across 3 distinct teams, with varied terms and conditions linked to them.

The issues and reasons for harmonisation included.

Varying and different shift patterns being operated between three operational areas.
Not all shift patterns supported 24/7 working
New equipment meant a reduction of workforce and also a requirement for new skills.
Possible further reduction in workforce due to a new project.
Company commitment to minimising compulsory redundancies

Starting Consultation

The objective of the consultation was to mutually agree the harmonisation of the shift patterns, to agree one pattern for all. The consultation process was a time for all parties to gather and discuss the need for change as well as place suggestions for consideration, counter proposals and refinement. The objective was to mutually agree the way forward. The range of the consultation reflected the number of employees affected and the extent of change need to be implemented.

The outline of the consultation process was to:

Undertake consultation period with affected employees and their representatives.
Outline the need for change and timescales.
Set a period of time for suggestions of ideas, proposals and counter proposals
Reviewing and giving consideration to the proposals
Answering and addressing concerns and questions.
Agreeing the way forward.
Getting ready for change such as training and agreeing terms
Implementing change
Monitoring and reviewing the change.

Change Issues

Often with consultation and change programmes, it is difficult to get all parties and employees to agree to the changes in the working practices and terms of employment. If the changes had not been mutually agreed, an impasse may have resulted between the employees, their representatives and the company. If an impasse had resulted, then the organisation may have had to take the decision to invoke and enforce change. Whilst it is was hoped that an impasse was not reached, as long as the organisation had endeavoured to consult before enforcing change, this is likely to be valid with any employment tribunal.

The organisation launched the proposal for change for Economical, Technical, Operational (ETO) reasons. In these circumstances, when it can be proven that consideration has been given to all alternatives, or there has been refusal and objection to mutually agree the way forward, then the change is enforced by giving the contractual notice under the old terms of employment, advising and offering new terms of employment from a set date.

If reaching an impasse and enforcing change, the company may be at risk of breach of contract claims. This is as a result of the change and terminating the terms of employment, which exist. To defend such claims the organisation needed to prove the ETO reasons for change; that it had tried to implement due change on reasonable grounds; and that should the change not occur the business would suffer a severe detriment.

The organisation knew that at that time there was an increased risk of industrial action. This was to be avoided as well as was the leaking of any changes to the local press and media.

Achieving the Goal

Transparency with the Trade Union

I met with the union explained the plan we wished to peruse and set out our reasons. Also suggesting measures we could implement to effect the changes

Full staff Engagement

We stated our commitment to full staff engagement: Involving them fully in the decisions about their jobs to make it work

Accepted the need for disagreement

We used disagreement as a stepping stone to initiate full discussions to reach mutual agreement

The process for change

We started with staff meetings, which was a logistical nightmare due to 24/7 shifts patterns and getting the staff to participate in the meetings.

We worked in partnership with the union. We held meetings which were quite heated at times, although we were committed to coming to agreement.

Initially we reduced the 28 shift patterns down to 15, covering 24/7/365. A great deal of work then took place, evaluating salaries, allowances and leave entitlements. This information together with the advantages and disadvantages of each shift pattern were verified with the unions. .

We then conducted further meetings to discuss the various shift patterns to reduce the 15 to smaller number, to where we could then go into more detailed negotiations.

In the next stage we considered 3 different working patterns. We carried out further meetings to discuss the issues. The staff were asked to vote. One team was reluctant to agree and at that stage refused to reach agreement.

We initiated further discussions which revealed that the team identified a problem which meant that any of the patterns could result in a perceived detriment to their work/life balance. We suggested some slightly different terms and conditions which had a small cost but in the overall scheme was worth the investment.

Initially they refused to agree this renewed offer. We recognised however that we had been fair, transparent and given fair alternatives, so we advised them we had no option but to invoke an impasse and force change although we had been clear we had tried to avoid this throughout the process. We also suggested that we would remove the additional terms and conditions offered. At the eleventh hour the team agreed the newly offered terms and conditions.

Conclusion

We have now been working the shift patterns for 2 years, and they have been a great success. This is largely because we have continued with an open door policy with the staff and unions. As a result of the process we have successfully changed the culture in line with the current needs of the organisation.

The transparency of the process and the good employee relations built in that time helped in a subsequent change when the workforce was reduced by 52%, We had followed the same principles and feel we added the human factor into our HR practice, when dealing with those selected. During this time, we have also reduced sick absence from pre-transfer from 16% to a remarkable 0.8%.

I firmly believe to be effective in organisational change you must be open transparent and honest with employees and the trade unions to gain maximum effect.

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Paul began his career in the Infantry in the Army, He served 20 years in various locations and was discharged in 1992 at the rank of Warrant Officer

He commenced employment with his present employer in 1992. With no previous civilian experience, he started on the shop floor. He learned about the company and operations, and using his previous skills gained in the military and took the company through ISO 18001, 14001 and EMAS, gained all accreditations finally producing a integrated management system.

Prior to TUPE transfer on PFI he took the role on as HR Manager, responsible for delivering on the organisational change which involved reducing numbers and the reorganisation of the structure of the operational sections.

In 2 years staff numbers were reduced by 55% and all operational staff where on a one shift system. This was only achieved by being transparent with the unions and achieving maximum engagement with all staff.

He remains active in the ex military community he is trained as a welfare advice officer for SSAFA and The Royal British Legion

To achieve in HR he believes in putting the Human touch back into Human Resources, primarily effecting maximum engagement, transparency and fairness with all employees. He has dyslexia and this has never been a barrier to his success in life

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