Trevor Sherman – The Leadership Coach
An ideas exchange about what makes leadership at all levels in an organisation really work.
The Role of a Leader: Performance & Engagement
Communicating with Impact
Cultural Interpersonal Effectiveness
What can business leaders learn from directors of plays?
It’s been a while since I’ve directed a play. I miss it. I miss the freedom to be creative, I miss watching something take form, I miss seeing other people create performances around me. I miss realising a vision.
This last point is one that really interests me. Directing a play is about the most immediate and swift creation of a product I can think of.
Great leaders aren’t afraid to embrace peoples differences – and my grandma has a genius way of remembering why!
My Grandmother, may she rest in peace, had a saying: “If everybody liked the same thing, everybody would have fancied your Grandad!”
I mention this only because I’m struck by the continuing belief that in order to be a great leader you must treat all your people the same – and a fear that if you don’t you’ll be castigated in the name of equality.
This was brought sharply into focus for me recently whilst watching a training session where the group was asked if it was ever acceptable to discriminate in the workplace. After a slightly awkward silence the group responded dutifully that it was not – only to be told by (the fantastic) Chrissi McCarthy, of Constructing Equality, who was leading the session that, not only is it okay, but that they’re already doing it…
The shock was palpable…clearly this was some kind of mistake. This was a group of seasoned professionals with many years’ experience and a great deal of success under their belts. We wouldn’t – we couldn’t – possibly discriminate…except that we do. As professionals we are paid to make discernements and differentiations all the time.
The beauty of a great experience is how we face and learn from it. Whatever has made us feel disappointed or even fail, has certainly given opportunities which, sometimes, we may have otherwise not seen. So, with some effort and reflection (I use LARA model*), you will certainly be able to see different angles to the same event. By doing that, I really consider that “I never lose. I either win or learn.”
This article was inspired by the famous quote “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Nelson Mandela.
Have you ever faced a situation in which you wanted something so much and it didn’t materialize? How did you deal with it?
A couple of years ago, I peered up with HR on a hiring process where we interviewed more or less 20 candidates. We aligned on a number of questions in order to take the best out of the interviews and one of them was for the candidate to describe the time when he/she has had to deal with a setback or disappointment in work life.
There was a wide range of response and examples on what they identified as ‘seatback’. How they dealt with that and the outcome. I will obviously not disclose any specific story but revisiting my notes to produce this article, I found many examples that what was seen as setback was probably an opportunity disguised as temporary failure.
It was a simple but purposeful question with the hidden objective to identify candidates’ ability to cope with seatback and show drive and resilience. Whatever is the source of the seatback, important is how we handle it. When facing a difficult situation, you can choose how to respond to it.
We live in a wonderful world, full of wonderful people with an abundance of opportunities that sometimes we fail to see because we forget to love this world. Let’s go and give our best and have an epic day.
I just woke up and start packing my stuff for the day. Take out my bike and check the lights. It is very foggy this morning. I Start my bike ride, take a deep breath and take one minute of silence to enjoy the scent of positivity in the air. I clear my mind. I thank God for being alive and strong enough to ride to work once again this morning. I thank Him for having a job to go to this morning. I thank Him that I have two children to support so I have enough motivation to work hard and excel in what I do. I thank Him for my brothers and their continuous support. I thank Him for my friends who care for me, making me realize that there is an abundance of kind people in this world. I give thanks to Him for my colleagues who boost my competitive spirit, teamwork and make my workplace fun. I thank Him for my boss who doesn’t let me relax, always challenging me to do better every day. I give thanks to Him for my team who gives me the opportunity every day to serve them as a leader. I give thanks to Him for the cold breeze on my face as I continue riding feeling alive and full of love at this moment. Then I thank Him for my amazing life and my wonderful day ahead.
As leaders, we have a responsibility of coaching young executives in order to leave our legacy as part of their professional growth.
Let’s talk about work ethics. We live in an ever changing dynamic world where words like improvement, profit, market share, EBIT and success are sometimes more common than shopping lists and people’s names. Everyone wants to lead without having a clear definition of what it takes to become a leader. I have been listening a lot lately to talks about understanding the millennials and talent retention and I agree that we need to be more flexible going forward. However, there are some rules that even if we change them in the way we explain them and drive for the teams by in, we must not change the basic essence of them. As leaders, we have a responsibility of coaching young executives in order to leave our legacy as part of their professional growth.
“I’m flummoxed about why we’re hugely rewarding our organisational leaders to do what appears to me to be the wrong things”.
A favourite word of a US-based friend and business associated is “flummoxed”. I rather like the word myself. If you are as old as I am, you may recall a Monty Python sketch in which they attributed the characteristic of “woodiness” to certain words. The was a positive appellation. Flummoxed is a woody word.
I am flummoxed with what I see going on around me. Although I am a Liverpudlian by birth, I will avoid our natural inclination to ignore the golden rule not to speak about politics and religion. I am not going to slam-dunk popularism, nationalism or any other contemporary “-ism”, which suffix immediately makes a word “tinny” (see http://montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_4/23.htm).
What can a leader do to improve their gearing as part of the bigger organisational engine?
Today I would like to share some thoughts related to teamwork, cross-functional collaboration and accountability. Being in a small or big organization, all of us have at some point faced situations in which it was difficult to see the impact of the team or individuals to the overall business results. And that can give rise to frustrations or disappointment – especially when the team is manned by talented and high qualified people. Continue reading “Small Gearings of a Big Engine!”
Wouldn’t it be great if we lived on a planet where we ask every morning with a big smile on our face: how can I help?
A couple of years ago, I was struggling both in my professional and personal life. I started being over anxious about my future and so I was not enjoying my present. Does this sound familiar? Most of the time we get so immersed in ourselves that we fail to enjoy our life by missing out on those beautiful moments around us. I sat down and started thinking about what I could do to stop worrying so much and just allow things to be.
Is your business ready for the Apprenticeship Levy? How can the recent changes to apprenticeships benefit your business and help you to build organisational talent?
This April see’s the launch of the government’s Apprenticeship Levy, a tax on businesses to support the funding of apprenticeships and, more importantly, their growth as a means to bridging the significant skills gap in UK Plc.
The levy will be paid by any business with a payroll in excess of £3m per annum with their levy contribution being calculated as 0.5% of the aforementioned figure. These contributions will be taken each month by HMRC and placed into a digital account for use – by the organisation – on the training and assessment of their apprentices.
If these funds are not utilised within a 24 month period they will expire – meaning the employer can no longer use them – and be transferred into a general fund for apprenticeships.
Continue reading “The Apprenticeship Levy: A Taxing Opportunity”
As President Trump, as he is now called, took centre stage on Friday 20th January I watched his inauguration speech I was struck again by his hand gestures. Earlier in the campaign Trump’s hands were the subject of attack from his opponents but like so much with this Teflon-coated politician, the bad stuff doesn’t seem to stick. Things that reduce other candidates to rubble, Trump somehow survives.
His hands were a sensitive subject though and he pushed back quite vociferously. So it was during his first act as Commander-in-Chief that I was drawn back to this earlier subject of criticism. However, I am not interested in the size of his hands as his
As President Trump, as he is now called, took centre stage on Friday 20th January I watched his inauguration speech I was struck again by his hand gestures. Earlier in the campaign Trump’s hands were the subject of attack from his opponents but like so much with this Teflon-coated politician, the bad stuff doesn’t seem to stick. Things that reduce other candidates to rubble, Trump somehow survives.
Continue reading “Gesture: Authenticity and Consistency in the Age of President Trump”
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