You’ve reached your tipping point – top 5 signs

An athlete’s optimum level of performance involves them having the right balance of the right things in place. In sport ‘perfect’ involves:

• passion for the activity – enough to motivate you to turn up each day
• smart scheduling – for maximum exertion plus maximum recovery
• great nutrition – to give body and mind the highest quality energy to call on
• quality sleep – good yin, good yang
• being totally present – fully aware of the task and how you’re going to deliver when the time comes
• commitment to improvement – learning equally through successes and challenges
• an excellent support team – coaches, sparring partners, nutritionists and sports therapists

There’s no doubt a person can be talented at more than one thing, but choosing to commit to more because of what other people want, keeping people onside or being seen to be super-capable – these are not good enough long term motivators. And you will speedily reach your tipping point.

A person’s working life has extraordinary parallels to the life of an athlete, so you’ll know you’re at your professional tipping if you notice these 5 main factors:

1. Your motivation has reduced– you’re imgining being somewhere else and you’re no longer stretched by the role
2. Decisions are less clear – when you’re involved in an activity that doesn’t sit inside your sphere of being ‘purposeful’ it’s harder to intuit the next right move
3. You’re getting panicky – the list of ‘to do’s only ever gets longer. You’re getting 8 things ticked off it each day, but 12 things are going on. You’re living with a growing sense of ‘I’m only reacting – there’s nothing strategically though out going on’
4. Relationships are stretched – at work and at home ‘the unspoken’ is getting louder. You haven’t the time to work stuff out so the tension grows as collaborative conversations are replaced with direct requests and instructions.
5. Core value are being compromised – many top execs know that they can high perform only when the fundamentals are in place. Quality sleep, good nutrition, regular exercise, supportive relationships being maintained, clear vision of the benefits of investing their professional time. When you begin to operate in the absence of these things on a regular basis stress and anxiety will increase

The tipping point is a real thing. If these 5 points are present for you then quality conversations focusing on change are required. Speak to your director, HR head, coach, or mentor. Define what ‘best working practice’ for you looks like and take some practical steps to ensure your core values are re-instated and any excesses in what you’ve said ‘yes’ to are edited back to an absolute minimum.

About Author

Jennifer Broadley is one of the UK's leading executive coaches. She works with corporate leaders, business directors and successful entrepreneurs. She specialises in CEO coaching, prosperity coaching and providing the most cutting-edge and intuitive leadership and personal success programs in the UK. Jennifer is passionate about the ongoing self improvement of the world's future business leaders – the way-showers for our precious next generation. She coaches, speaks, writes and runs workshops on 'The 7 Steps to Personal & Professional Freedom'®. Her book of the same name from www.Amazon.co.uk You can call, email or message Jennifer from www.jenniferbroadley.com

Top 5 ways to manage conflict at work

Conflict at work is the number 1 biggest stress factor for those signed off from their work. I covered those stresses in my last post. So here’s my top 5 ways to keep conflict to a minimum at work:

1. Be generous with information
It’s a challenge to stay in relationship with a colleague when they can’t do their job as effectively because they don’t have all the information. When projects, teams, schedules or leadership change make sure everyone who needs to know – bosses, peers, direct report, PAs – has the information and the context. If at all possible inform your network before the decision is done and dusted because there may be knowledge around that, if shared in a timely way, could influence a richer outcome for all.

2. Name the challenge
If I had a pound (or a dollar) for the number of times I heard a professional not take accountability for something not going 100% to plan I’d be … well, richer than I am right now. Here’s how to name a challenge: ‘I would be more effective next time if I:

• develop my communication skills’
• shared more information before the meeting
• ask for contributions from the board, the team, our customers in time to influence the outcome
• learned how to use that software more efficiently
• was completely prepared around the numbers before I make a decision
• listened more and talked less
• let go of a bit more control and perhaps delegated some of the tasks to other departments who’re better informed

When you’re in the business of taking responsibility for your contribution you’re in the business of successfully being able to refine your skills to get a better result next time. Blame is exhausting, demoralising and  part of ‘the old game’.

3. Respect difference
It’s comfortable to surround yourself with people who agree with your style and those who affirm to each other how right they are. It’s also a sure sign that the business you’re in will have a shorter life-cycle than a competitor with a healthy culture of challenging, debating, refining processes, and exploring new markets, clients, systems, team mixes and partnerships. It’s not necessarily about having a mix of age, gender, culture, belief, sexual orientation, mental & physical ability or faith groups among your employees (although that’s a good start), it’s more about having an openness to feedback and new suggestions whether from employees or from customer.

What worked historically may not be a guaranteed formula for the product or marketplace to come. Developing a culture of many right ways is a formula for reducing conflict. Stepping away from black and white thinking and embracing infinite shades of grey!

4. Use time as a tool
It’s tempting to want to have a conversation or a decision concluded in a first meeting or by the close of play today. Information or conversations that make you uncomfortable are often pointing to areas that you many not have considered or may not be as familiar with as your professional norm. Ask yourself ‘where is there value in further considering this point’; ‘how can I test to see if what’s being said makes business sense’; ‘how can I learn to listen more un-judgementally’. And then give it a day or two – everything softens. Just because a conversation had a difficult outcome last time doesn’t mean that’ll be the case next time you try. Ultimately everyone finds conflict stressful, so use time to allow all parties to find a peaceful way forward.

5. Take nothing personally
Most people don’t mean to offend or challenge. Communicating with tact and being good with change and difference are skill sets; they can take years to develop and even then they’re constantly in need of refinement because business, diversity and social acceptability are moving, changing entities. Developing a mindset of ‘allowing’ is part of the process of mastery in leadership and professionalism. It’s not reasonable to go through life or work expecting never to be offended. When the times do come (and they will)  this STOP method is often a good prompt:

• Stop for a moment before you speak
• Take 3 deep breaths and smile (if you can)
• Observe what’s just been said; ask ‘why am I reacting to that’
• Proceed with compassion

Mastery in handling conflict is not about doing it better than other people, it’s about doing it better than you did last time.

 

About Author

Jennifer Broadley is one of the UK's leading executive coaches. She works with corporate leaders, business directors and successful entrepreneurs. She specialises in CEO coaching, prosperity coaching and providing the most cutting-edge and intuitive leadership and personal success programs in the UK. Jennifer is passionate about the ongoing self improvement of the world's future business leaders – the way-showers for our precious next generation. She coaches, speaks, writes and runs workshops on 'The 7 Steps to Personal & Professional Freedom'®. Her book of the same name from www.Amazon.co.uk You can call, email or message Jennifer from www.jenniferbroadley.com

 

Executive coaching Aberdeen – who’s in?

It’s a funny question to ask: who’s in for executive coaching in Aberdeen isn’t it? Why be so specific about a town, why be so focussed on senior leaders (CEOs, MDs, board members and senior directors)? And what are the benefits of answering ‘yes’ to this question? Are those who’ll benefit genuinely aware of how life could be richer (on every level)?

During the past 7 years UK businesses, like the rest of the world, have had challenges above and beyond anything experienced in 2 perhaps 3 generations. Funding from banks hit industry after industry, loans were called in, borrowing diminished, expansion came to a halt, businesses became leaner by cutting costs which meant jobs had to go, and with that tens of thousands of families had to make adjustments – some were major.

So, did this global financial adjustment impact all countries and all industries? Or have there been isolated sectors that have been relatively untouched (have some perhaps even thrived)? Well, here’s what doesn’t stop in the UK – a nation has to eat, a nation has to keep warm, a nation has to move its people and products around country and world in order to continue to trade. So food, energy and transport – untouched?

About 4 years ago I moved my family and my business out of London, 450 miles north to the east coast of Scotland. It was a temporary move for 18 months to allow me to write a book and to launch a new business brand. I arrived … and I stayed. In contrast to much of the country what I noticed was that Aberdeenshire was relatively buoyant in its industries. Energy, oil, sub sea solutions and supply, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals production were all continuing to hold their own … and in some cases they were expanding.

Energy in particular – which is what Aberdeen’s success is majoratively built on – continues to expand at an extraordinary rate.

So what does this mean for those leading the way in energy production, delivery and supply? It means that, for now, those leaders may well feel untouchable or they may feel under pressure – perhaps a bit of both. ‘It’s not going to stop any time soon’ (perhaps not in their own lifetime – not so for the next generation); ‘we don’t have time  to look at what’s coming next, there’s still so much to deliver now’; ‘we’re still expanding – it’s all good’.

And those are not necessarily unhealthy mindsets to have for a CEO, an MD or a senior direct – a company needs them to be convinced as well as convincing.

So what is the value of an executive coaching in this scenario? It’s almost too huge to quantify. It only takes a glance at the list below to see why it makes sense though.Executive coaches are hired by senior executives to ensure that those carving out the future success of their industry:

    * Are clear, inspired, motivated and motivating
    * Have a plan for both product and people expansion
    * See the opportunities long before they make sense to the competition
    * Remain balanced in work and life
    * Are creative and convinced when it comes to risk taking
    * Have characters and lifestyles that inspire people to aspire
    * Consciously seek to do business with integrity, resilience and grace

Back to the original question then. If it’s an executive coach in Aberdeen you’ve worked out your company needs, (or in fact in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh or Manchester for that matter),  and if the above benefits sound attractive to you, I’d say you’re a step away from a breakthrough.

About Author:

Jennifer Broadley is one of the UK's leading executive coaches. She works with corporate leaders, business directors and successful entrepreneurs. She specialises in continued high performance, intuitive leadership and personal & professional accomplishment. Jennifer is passionate about the ongoing self improvement of the world's future business leaders – the way-showers for our precious next generation. She coaches, speaks and writes on 'The 7 Steps to Personal & Professional Freedom'®. Her book of the same name is available on www.Amazon.co.uk . To talk further you can call, email or message Jennifer from www.JenniferBroadley.com

It’s a funny question to ask: who’s in for executive coaching in Aberdeen isn’t it? Why be so specific about a town, why be so focussed on senior leaders (CEOs, MDs, board members and senior directors)? And what are the benefits of answering ‘yes’ to this question? Are those who’ll benefit genuinely aware of how life could be richer (on every level)?

During the past 7 years UK businesses, like the rest of the world, have had challenges above and beyond anything experienced in 2 perhaps 3 generations. Funding from banks hit industry after industry, loans were called in, borrowing diminished, expansion came to a halt, businesses became leaner by cutting costs which meant jobs had to go, and with that tens of thousands of families had to make adjustments – some were major.

So, did this global financial adjustment impact all countries and all industries? Or have there been isolated sectors that have been relatively untouched (have some perhaps even thrived)? Well, here’s what doesn’t stop in the UK – a nation has to eat, a nation has to keep warm, a nation has to move its people and products around country and world in order to continue to trade. So food, energy and transport – untouched?

About 4 years ago I moved my family and my business out of London, 450 miles north to the east coast of Scotland. It was a temporary move for 18 months to allow me to write a book and to launch a new business brand. I arrived … and I stayed. In contrast to much of the country what I noticed was that Aberdeenshire was relatively buoyant in its industries. Energy, oil, sub sea solutions and supply, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals production were all continuing to hold their own … and in some cases they were expanding.

Energy in particular – which is what Aberdeen’s success is majoratively built on – continues to expand at an extraordinary rate.

So what does this mean for those leading the way in energy production, delivery and supply? It means that, for now, those leaders may well feel untouchable or they may feel under pressure – perhaps a bit of both. ‘It’s not going to stop any time soon’ (perhaps not in their own lifetime – not so for the next generation); ‘we don’t have time  to look at what’s coming next, there’s still so much to deliver now’; ‘we’re still expanding – it’s all good’.

And those are not necessarily unhealthy mindsets to have for a CEO, an MD or a senior direct – a company needs them to be convinced as well as convincing.

So what is the value of an executive coaching in this scenario? It’s almost too huge to quantify. It only takes a glance at the list below to see why it makes sense though. Executive coaches are hired by senior executives to ensure that those carving out the future success of their industry:

• Are clear, inspired, motivated and motivating
• Have a plan for both product and people expansion
• See the opportunities long before they make sense to the competition
• Remain balanced in work and life
• Are creative and convinced when it comes to risk taking
• Have characters and lifestyles that inspire people to aspire
• Consciously seek to do business with integrity, resilience and grace

Back to the original question then. If it’s an executive coach in Aberdeen you’ve worked out your company needs, (or in fact in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh or Manchester for that matter),  and if the above benefits sound attractive to you, I’d say you’re a step away from a breakthrough.

Jennifer Broadley is one of the UK's leading executive coaches. She works with corporate leaders, business directors and successful entrepreneurs. She specialises in continued high performance, intuitive leadership and personal & professional accomplishment. Jennifer is passionate about the ongoing self improvement of the world's future business leaders – the way-showers for our precious next generation. She coaches, speaks and writes on 'The 7 Steps to Personal & Professional Freedom'®. Her book of the same name is available on www.Amazon.co.uk . To talk further you can call, email or message Jennifer from www.JenniferBroadley.com

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