Then there was the problem of winter with seasonal visitors gone. How could they maintain revenues during this traditionally slow period? They brought in cinema nights where you can watch films from the warm lapping water in inflatables and Zen sessions in which to receive a lulling massage on lilos on the warm water of the indoor pool whilst others master yoga and Thai- chi around the outdoor pool.

His major problem was overcoming the belief by the Authority that a swimming pool was a place just for swimming. His vision not only fuelled the innovation and commitment of his team but also managed to convert the cynics to support these changes. Now he has a profitable pool with an enviable reputation.

I came away from this conversation completely inspired by how simple and easy to apply these ideas were and what a significant difference it had made. He explained that his ideas started from simple conversations with his customers, like the one we had that started with him asking if we needed an ashtray! His openness and enthusiasm was contagious and stimulating.

So a question, how much do your organisational beliefs about your products and services restrict the possibilities and profitability of what you can do?

And if you could do anything at all with your products/services what would your vision be?

It was incredibly simple but portrayed a depth of understanding and feeling that would have taken a huge number of words. Watch this 1 minute video for inspiration and then draw your representation of engagement in your organisation. Ask others in your company to do the same and use it as an opportunity to compare ideas and thoughts. You may be surprised by some of the thinking that comes out. I'd love to hear (or see) what you think.

On a recent visit to the hospital I was taken aback by the time taken by all, whether they were the auxiliary staff or the consultant. They were extremely busy but, because of the nature of their job, they knew it was essential to reassure and build trust through the way they conducted themselves not just relying on their technical competence to do that for them.

And it got me thinking about the world in which we live and everyone, it would seem, is running around at breakneck  speed. Do we really take the time  to have those significant conversations at work or at home that will build a strong relationship?

So many jobs are not just about the specialism of that job but just as much about the way that people conduct themselves within that job. A customer service advisor is not just someone to answer queries. You only trust that they will do what’s been agreed when you feel they have empathised with you and they reassure you. So many times customers ring back simply because they are unsure that they can trust that person, no matter how factually correct the answer was. And in turn, when an advisor doesn’t do something that a manager has asked, more often than not, it’s because they don’t trust that person who has asked but rather that the manager hasn’t spent the time previously to warrant that trust and respect.

The conversations the nurses and consultants had were calm, soft and concise but left you with a sense of confidence you were in the best hands. Let’s face it, if anyone needs to run around with urgency isn’t it all those people that work in hospitals? But yet there is a sense of calmness and thought. So to all of you out there, a question for today. What is your “bedside manner” when talking to your people? I don’t mean that you have to spend significant amounts of time, this level of empathy can easily be demonstrated in a 5 minute conversation too.

However what your people need to know is that they are in the best hands with someone who they can trust and has their best interest at heart.

Go on, select one person, give it a go see the difference you can make today-good luck!

Isn’t it interesting how we can view exactly the same situation and have extremely contrasting interpretations depending on your perspective?

When we are within a system, that system shapes our perspective. As a leader in an organisation you are part of the ‘leadership system’ and as a front-line  Agent, for example, you are part of the ’staff system’. As such, you are likely to have differences of opinions based on your inclusion in one system or the other. And whilst we might like to think that we know what people in another system are thinking, we simply can’t.

The impact of this is profound. Over time, for staff,  it breeds cynicism and distrust; a desire to tow the line rather than excel and for leaders it propagates the belief that staff do as little as possible to get by (but they wouldn’t dare openly admit it, instead they just act as if it were true), a focus on task rather than spending the time with their teams, reporting through email and numbers rather than face to face and with feeling.  Connection is lost.

Our ability to connect in today’s fast moving world is essential. We connect to things, technology, people. We share information at an unprecedented rate and without this connection we will be ‘at sea’. Organisations change products and processes almost daily without a manager being truly connected to their staff how can staff possibly interpret and apply these changes at speed?

But all is not lost, time is a great healer. No-one really knows whether the coalition will last and if it can achieve what it suggests. But time will tell. No-one really knows if you will be the great leader you want to be, only time will tell and the decisions you make. So a question, “What information do you need to uncover in order to help you on this path?”

Last week people voted. Everyone was talking about who they could trust, which party really did have the best interests of the country at heart. The newspapers were full of it. The rhetoric from all parties was about trusting in them to deliver for us, the party manifestos and newsletters were all designed to encourage us to believe in them and their abilities, to trust in them to lead our country. I was lucky enough to be at an electric election night count. The reporters were buzzing and all of them had voted for the same man who was duly elected against the odds. These reporters were non partisan. We got chatting and I asked why they had voted for him. The said ‘we trust him.’  I asked, ‘how do you know?’ To which they all replied (individually) ‘because he listens more than he talks and he genuinely shows that he cares.’ Interesting that in short snippets of conversations, over a relatively short period of time, that was the criteria for some people. Clearly it is not as simple as just that. These behaviours attracted people to vote, but what do you think the impact will be if these behaviours aren’t demonstrated beyond the election? Isn’t this one of the reasons that so many people are disaffected? The same is true, not only in politics, but also in organisations the length and breadth of the country. Many of which have strong leaders, with vision and drive who share a powerful story of a better a future but when this is distilled into departmental actions, something is missing.

When we examine the losses many of us have experienced during this global economic recession one of the significant losses is surely the loss of trust. Many leaders in organisations fell short of the required leadership at this difficult time but all is not lost. Those leaders that are prepared to rebuild and acknowledge will make significant improvements in the performance of their teams.

So this week review how deep the trust is that your team have in you. Be that leader who reaches out, ask questions and listen more to what is being said around you. When you do, do it without judgement, excuses or criticism, allow people to talk.  Think about how you can use these elements to deepen your relationships, not just at work but also at home too.  As Stephen Covey says “nothing is as fast as the speed of trust”. If you want to grow and do it fast, trust is a great foundation.

This is the third blog in which we have chatted about creating a following. In this short blog we share our thoughts about getting going to attract your customers to you.

You can no longer push your products out there with the promise of free gifts, clever ads or the more romantic/ aspirational gestures. Customers are too savvy now. Just as the premise of the  marketplace for great employees has been blown away by new entrants with a promise of ownership, excitement and responsibility, so has your customer marketplace. You once spoke to your customer one customer at a time, in one home at a time, now you speak to millions all over the world at the press of a button. No longer are people happy with you controlling the agenda, they want to discuss the things that are important to them, with people who they respect, at a time and pace that is right for them. So pushing your products and services to the many waiting hoards is no longer an option but how do you pull them towards you? How do you start a meaningful dialogue with the people you need to buy from you?

They need to be courted, just like you before you started dating! You don’t just pitch up at a random house and knock on someone’s door asking for a date, do you? You go to the places that people who you think you’d like hang out. You start chatting to people, asking questions, showing you’re interested. You want to be guaranteed of a yes before you pop the question!

So as an organisation who is courting customers and great staff ask yourself:

1. Where should you hang out to start building that relationship?

2. What things do you need to be interested in to help galvanise their interest in you?

3. What questions can you ask to start the dialogue?

4. What do you need to offer your ‘following’ to keep them interested?

Love to know what you think.

Caroline

What would enable your organisation to flourish? What differences in the way you could operate would help with this aim?

For those of you interested in wikis the origins of the phrase are interestingly penned out here

So what’s the connection between generating tribes and your organisation flourishing?

We can spend so much time thinking about how to connect with our customers and our Brand image that we overlook the need to connect with our staff. Your people are your biggest tribe, and the largest group who can help you make that connection in every transaction they perform on behalf of your company.

What single action could you initiate that would start to develop a tribe within your organisation?

Quick check to help you decide whether this is important to you or not.

As the ‘human face “ of your business, are your people talking passionately about where they work and recommending their company to friends and family to join them as an employee or to buy their products?

If we can develop our internal tribe not just so they like their work, but rather that they love their work and shout about it, if we translate that sense of engagement to outside of work with our friends our community wow we really could be ‘ Cool Britannia’ again!

In this Youtube video Seth Godin, challenges you to create a movement in 24 hours, to step up and be the change you believe in… will you do it?

As adults we are no different. If someone tells us to how do something we might not have the confidence to try it. But if we can experience it safely, without reprimands then we are more likely to build the skill and confidence to do it again when it matters. Training still often tells people what to do by an ‘expert’ at the front of the room but with the constant challenges of the speed of change in our world now, we cannot rely on this ‘expert’ and their own knowledge. We have to learn for ourselves how to do and how to adapt. This process of learning builds our intuition, our problem solving and the depth of our analysis. Without it, organisations rely on too few many people to shape their world. With it, every single member of staff can play a vital role in the development and success of the organisation.

So come on you managers, leaders and L&D professionals, release control and encourage every individual to learn for themselves. Help to create the right conditions to ensure your people thrive. Take a look at our L&D report on how our world is changing ‘Time for a change’

It was a great night in our house for a lifelong Fulham fan (well at least 5 out of his 9 years) and his more recently converted Dad and older brother but as I’m no football pundit I decided to listen to Roy Hodgson’s interview for his views on the secret of their success.

Two things came up very strongly:

1. The team played to their strengths. Even after going 1-0 down following a brilliant Hamburg goal they stuck to their plan and continued to play in a way that suited them rather than making a desperate change. They plugged away and were rewarded with two goals.

2. Once again Hodgson praised the character and determination of the team something he has done consistently all season.

Both of the above are consistent with so much that has been written about great leadership – try any of Marcus Buckingham’s books for a start – and reflect our beliefs at Leaps & Bounds too.

So, are you encouraging your people (at work and at home) to play to their strengths and continually giving them the support and praise that will develop a real determination to succeed?

I do hope Roy can do that for Fulham for one more game. Come on you Whites!

Gill

I’d decided that making cookies would be a great way to pass the time on an afternoon off school and only 5 minutes into the process I was having second thoughts. With a whole bag of sugar on the floor and butter stuck to the window their level of shrieking seemed to be rising in exact proportions to my frustration. I was just about to utter the words ‘If you can’t do this sensibly then we won’t do it at all!’  but I stopped myself just in time. All that would have meant was that the mayhem would transfer to another room.

Instead, and I’m not quite sure where this came from, I took a deep breath and asked ‘Who’d like to chop up chocolate with really sharp knives?’  Three shouts of ‘Me, me, me!’ followed so I found three chopping boards, three knives and let them get on with it. Now I did still watch from a distance and gave very clear instructions about knives and fingers before they started, but the mood in the room changed instantly. High jinx was replaced with calm concentration which held up long enough to finish the cookies and put them in the very hot oven.

And the point about behaviour? If we want to influence others to behave how we would like them to then it’s own own actions we have to consider first. When we put our trust in others and give them meaningful and challenging work we may just get the performance we are after. So, whether at work or at home see what  relinquishing control and handing over the reins can do for the performance of your people.

Oh, and the cookies tasted pretty good too

Gill