What ‘Coaching’ means to a hotel management team

I recently came across this article, and thought I couldn't have said it better myself, so here it is:

Retreat for Summer Miracles

Indians, we are told, do it more than any other nation. People with religious beliefs often do it once a year. Captains of industry do it less often. You can do it whenever you like.

For centuries, the practise of taking time out to do something different has been recognised as a sure-fire way of recharging your batteries, igniting your enthusiasm and solving problems. In commerce it is sometimes called a sabbatical, others may call it going on retreat, I’ve often called it an away-day.

We could all benefit from this simple procedure, couldn’t we? I’ll even go a step further. You don’t have to spend a week as a hermit on a mountain top. Just one day will release amazing benefits and the best part is that it doesn’t cost anything.

As a coach, I see that many of my clients benefit from this simple change to their routine. When you put a little distance between yourself and your routine challenges or issues, you see them in a different light and from a different perspective. You may even create a few miracles for yourself as a result. These will come as flashes of intuition that can lead you to take the action needed to resolve a problem.

Look at it this way, If you look at something, say an apple, and hold it close to your face so that it is touching your nose, you will see a very small part of it. Hold it at arms length and you will see the whole apple and its texture and colours. Look at it from the other end of the room and you won’t see the detail but you will see it in the perspective of its surroundings and in true proportion. It is the same with issues or problems. You add distance and see them from a new angle.

I know the weather out there this week might not seem like summer, but this is a great time of the year to do this. Simply set a weekday date in your diary right now, when you will take off to the countryside, the hills or the beach. Go by car, bike, train or on foot but go to somewhere that you have never been before and where you can be sure of some space alone. Set off early and plan to be out all day. Leave your mobile phone at home and travel light. Then just wander around for the day, thinking of nothing, focusing on the ‘now’ experience.

Many coaching clients are amazed how easy this is. They are ‘off the leash’ and just by being in a different place they find that their thoughts turn to solutions and answers rather than problems and challenges. You create in life what you think about.

So, make that date in your diary now. Look forward to it, keep it without guilt, enjoy it and return refreshed.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of my approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can contact during usual office hours on 01633 769657 or by email.

If you do the same thing, in the same way, you will get the same results. Your away- day summer retreat may be the one enjoyable change that you need to create those spectacular ‘miracle’ results that you know you deserve.

12 Customer-centred tips – whatever your business

1 Serve others or yourself: your choice

We have a choice every day of serving or being self-serving. Too many leaders are self-serving. We need new role models for leadership.

2 What business are you really in?

The financial services industry should aim to be in the "peace of mind" business. Disney doesn’t say "We’re in the theme park business." They say ‘We are in the happiness business."

3 What are your values?

Only 10% of companies set values. Those that do tend to make two mistakes – too many values (research shows people can only handle three or four) – and failing to rank the values. Life is about value conflict.

4 Stop killing creativity

What kills creativity? In large organisations you have to prove that a new idea will become a £50 million business before you can launch it. Those kinds of projections don’t work. You don’t know if it’s going to be a £50m business. I don’t know. Nobody knows.

5 Stop accepting other people’s frameworks

Once you have learnt someone else’s framework, you are bound to think within it. Michael Porter and others will tell you your strategy is based on how you create value through your value chain. But, good strategists by-pass the value chain completely. Michael Dell’s business plan was rejected by his Professor because it defied Porter’s reliance on a value chain. So, Dell launched it anyway. Don’t use frameworks or case studies to learn. Think about the product, service or company five years from now and how it should be. That is where your strategy starts: it frees you from having a limiting framework.

6 Knowledge is obsolete. Sense is not.

It’s not the knowledge economy. The Japanese compulsory education system takes nine years, in which you have to memorise masses of knowledge. That knowledge can be condensed onto a pound coin. But, you can’t automate ‘That sounds right’ or ‘That feels right.’ Today, those two things are far more important than the ability to say ‘That’s the right answer.’"

7 Know what motivates people.

It’s different for different people – including yourself. Sir Steve Redgrave, the five-times Olympic Gold Medal winner summed it up: “Some people train to win. I used to train just not to lose. Know what your motivation is. That’s what will bring consistency of perfection.”

8 You can’t manage customers

I hate the use of the words Customer Management. It assumes we can do things with them. When we talk about Customer Relationship management or CRM, what is the assumption we make? That WE can manage the relationship, that the consumer is passive and a recipient.

9 You cannot market an experience

Just think of high net worth experiences for a moment – a meal in a top notch restaurant, an concert with your favourite band, choir or orchestra, an exotic holiday. The people who sell these things aren’t selling at the cost of provision, because you pay for the experience. You cannot market an experience, You co-create it. It’s contextual and depends on who you are with.

10 We misunderstand customer-centric

Prof CK Prahalad, the distinguished corporate strategist said "Becoming customer-centred does NOT mean the firm becomes more customer oriented. It means the consumer becomes part of the unit of analysis, becomes part of the value creation."

11 No more sectors

Stop thinking ‘sectors’. The consumers decide what sectors they are in, what their ‘portfolio’ is. For example, the individual consumer decides what their personal health portfolio of products and services is – their wellness portfolio – not Merck or Pfizer, who only have 10% of it. When you realise there are no sectors, you can create hybrids. Tesco and Asda are now in financial services. The traditional boundaries are irrelevant.

12 Failure isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

“The secret of success is the capacity to survive failure,” said Noel Coward. Failure teaches you about life. My life is, at the moment, much sweeter for it. - Gerald Ratner

Why not let the Enfys Acumen help you develop your business or organisation, have a look at our website for more information about organisational development and executive or management coaching.

Getting out of the grip of busy-ness

Regular readers of this blog, will know that I am quite a keen gardener and I try to spend as much time as I can in my allotment. I often end a session spending a few minutes just sitting on a bench admiring the sunset, listening to the birds, contemplating my seedlings and what I can plant next and recently I watched a couple of bats zigzagging around me hunting for their evening meal, I am in heaven.

However, I am also reminded of how we all get caught up in the grip of “busy-ness.” The compulsion to complete things, meet deadlines, fit in just a bit more and then a bit extra.

This was a timely reminder for me that being “on the go” over a long period of time does take its toll. I am reminded of the stress I suffered before escaping the rat race to start my own organisational development and coaching practice and live my dream.

We are living in times where busy-ness has become the norm for most people - beyond a choice – almost a survival necessity. But where does it end?

Here are some thoughts, reflections and reminders for you:

1 Being constantly busy can rob us from focusing on what is truly important rather than what is urgent along with a consequent list of activities to tick off. Keep an eye on your more developmental and progressive, long-term goals and remember, sometimes “less is more.”

2 Important and nurturing relationships can be overlooked in favour of other more pressing work demands. The quality of those very relationships, which provide us with nourishment and care, can suffer.

3 As much as we may love doing what we do, we are much more than our jobs.

4 Take a few minutes and do a “busy-ness scan”. Where and how might you be over stressing yourself? Watch out for any body signals that need attention. Do not ignore the basics of good health and self-care. This is what will give you the longevity so you keep doing what you love doing..…longer!

5 Consciously schedule time to chill out for some serious rest, relaxation and fun. Down times are good for re-fueling your mind, body and soul. And yes – you may have to re-visit your priorities, time frames, delegation, and practice of saying NO. And as you do this, how about a “gratitude scan” for all that is still wondrous about your life?

So take a pause and get in touch with where you might be out of balance and take some positive and healthy steps to connect with the neglected you.

Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. If you would like some coaching in your life - management, executive, corporate / organisational or life coaching, why not contact the Enfys Acumen today.

What makes a successful leader?

No one questions that effective leadership determines the success of an organisation. Management that places a strong focus on high impact leadership can instil trust and passionate commitment to the organisation's goals, mission and vision, even during turbulent times. It is that commitment that drives profitability and success.

How does an organisation define "high impact leadership" today, and how is that different from management models of the past?

The biggest change and trend in leadership has been a shift from a "command and control" model where decisions and orders are dictated from the highest levels to a model that works to inspire and motivate people through empowerment and active participation in decision-making processes.

As a specialist in organisational development, one of the most common requests the Enfys Acumen receives is for assistance in creating a strategic leadership plan that will implement this new model, focusing on identifying and developing key internal talent and linked to succession planning. This is even more critical as organisations become leaner and there is greater reliance on teams.

If you think about of leadership characteristics, there is g an underlying assumption that the individual has to have a good understanding of the business and to have "business savvy."

People skills

Beyond this, however, some of the most important leadership characteristics are strong "people skills," ie ability to build relationships internally and externally, and agility in managing constant change. A strong leader is someone who can create and articulate a vision, but strongly linked to this skill to the ability to motivate people toward that vision.

The emphasis on "people skills" as a critical leadership competency is not surprising. Research into the art and science of effective leadership has consistently identified "people skills" as the critical variable underlying not only successful leaders but organisations that are successful long term.

Effective leadership

What constitutes an effective leader? An effective leader brings out the best in the organisation's people in terms of their aspirations, potential, performance and contribution. They encourage collegial, collaborative and supportive work styles and use this to build strong teams. Leaders seek and welcome feedback and are comfortable analysing both their successes as well as their failures.

Self-awareness

A key component in effective leadership is self-awareness, the ability to recognise and understand your moods, emotions and drives and in particular the impact these have on those around you and the work environment. Leaders who have good self-awareness present as self-confidant without being arrogant, can voice unpopular views and are decisive in the face of uncertainty.

Self-regulation

The second skill is self-regulation. This refers to the ability to manage one's potentially disruptive emotions and impulses effectively, to remain composed during challenging moments and to be able to think clearly and remain focused when under pressure.

The Enfys Acumen’s executive coaching roles bring out the critical importance of self-regulation. One of the more common reasons we are asked to provide individual coaching to an executive is because of overly aggressive behaviour, the "bull-in-a-china-shop syndrome." Typically the individual is technically brilliant, but they leave a human path-of-destruction everywhere they go.

Social skill

Another major leadership component is social skill, which is proficiency in managing relationships and building networks. This includes a number of skills such as the ability to influence and persuade others without coercion, to listen openly, to manage conflict effectively, to inspire and guide individuals as well as groups and being able to serve as a change catalyst.

A leader with good social skill is able to balance business issues with the creative side of the business when there are no longer unlimited resources available. As resources dwindle, maintaining motivation and focus becomes imperative.

Agility

In developing strong leadership skills with the people we work with, another key factor is agility, i.e., the ability to be flexible and adaptable in a constantly and rapidly changing environment. Many organisations are beginning to look at agility as a critical organisational skill, and differentiate this from older "change management" approaches.

In the older organisational models, change was talked about as going from Point A to Point B in a certain amount of time. Once you got to Point B the process was over and that is where you stayed. That model often doesn't work today as changes occur so fast that before you get to Point B, something is guiding you in a different direction Point C, and before you get to Point C it starts changing again.

Agile executives are ones that are able to quickly change their mindset and direction and not stay locked into ideas that forces are indicating are no longer relevant or important. Additionally, agile executives are ones that are flexible in their leadership style and know how to apply different leadership approaches to meet the unique demands of the individuals they manage or the situations they encounter.

The agile leader has to have the ability to lead others through constant change while keeping them motivated and focused. The most effective leaders use a collection of distinct styles--each in the right measure, at just the right time. Such skill is unique and very high-level; and while such agility is tough to put into action, it pays off in overall organisational performance. And the good news is, this high-level executive skill can be learned and the Enfys Acumen can help.

Leadership always starts at the top

The bottom line on effective leadership is that while there are certainly unique business skills, the core of leadership regarding people skills and motivating and inspiring others to a shared vision are the same in most industries. How that occurs or is supported is unique to each organisation and its culture. Regardless of the industry, however, leadership always starts at the top.

To develop leadership in your organisation or business, why not contact the Enfys Acumen today.

Springtime - the promise of a new beginning

As the mornings and evenings grow lighter and as the last of the winter frosts disappear, there is a great feeling of a new beginning. The first trees are in blossom and the others have green buds. The grass is starting to grow faster than even the most avid gardener can mow it. Readers of the Enfys Blog will know that I am a keen gardener and get great pleasure from getting my hands dirty in my allotment, watching seeds I have planted, pop through and the satisfaction that comes from lovingly tending them and harvesting the benefits later in the year. I am confident that a bit of manual labou is really good for the soul and it is true what they say about your own produce tasting so much better than anything you can buy in the shops.

Now don’t you think that this is a great time of year to look back at those New Year resolutions, to review progress and to take any corrective action needed. As a coach with a keen professional awareness of the way that the seasons can affect our feelings and attitudes, can we ponder a little?

The chances are that you made those January resolutions in the midst of a cold, grey and wet winter. That probably made your emotions and optimism pretty cold, grey and wet too. But, when the natural world is bursting with the promise of a glorious spring and the warmth of summer, this is an ideal time to decide that you too will start over and put right anything that you feel needs correction in your own life.

Unless we humans interfere with nature, it has its own graceful balance, don’t you agree?. The old and used makes way for the new and vibrant. Anyone can do the same with their own thoughts and attitudes. Perhaps those fondly held beliefs that served you well in the past are due for an overhaul. Perhaps it is time to restore your own natural balance.

I’m a great believer that balance means harmony rather than discord and I suggest that this should include a brief but thorough examination of all the areas of your life - relationships, career, health, finances, leisure and talents.

Let me describe one coaching client to you:

This man was a success by most material measures. Despite his large house, ample income and luxury car, he was an unhappy person. He had spent so much energy building his business that he had no time left for all those other aspects of his life. As our coaching sessions progressed he began to work on restoring the balance. Within weeks he had found happiness too and without putting any of his material gains at risk either.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of his approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can contact me anytime to find out more.

Let me finish with this - Just think, you would have to be a very cold individual indeed to totally ignore the promise of this time of the year. So take some of that promise for yourself and then make sure that it is a promise that is delivered. You deserve nothing less.

Start standing up to the monsters that are holding back your success

Did you know that there are three monsters lurking about in the heart of our shadows and lonely corners of our lives and businesses:

The first monster is fear.

It is simply not the done thing today to name our fears and deal with them now is it? All of us are afraid of the unknown, but instead of telling the fear like it is, we hide and blame others or say that something is impossible to do.

In the safe pair of hands of a good coach you can make magical things happen, what seems impossible suddenly becomes achievable.

The second monster is control.

Many of us are in roles in which we are expected to take control of a situation - parent, carer, teacher, youth leader, manager, business owner, whatever? Effective leadership today however requires people to give up control and share power with those who have been denied it in the past. The first step here is to invite those who have been out to join us at the table. By asking the problems to be part of the solution, we will enter into powerful partnerships for change. We need to support everyone to see what needs to be done, to take ownership of the situation, to help solve the problem and go off to take control over whatever it is that needs to be done. By sharing control we empower both ourselves and our new partners. Everyone wins.

Using organisational development tools can help you face up to the Control Monster.

The third monster is change.

Change, though inevitable, scares us all. We fear change. We are always more comfortable with the status quo. Through working with the Enfys Acumen you can make the change you want explicit, face the fear and then give up the old controls that stop you from moving forward.

Don't let these old monsters hold you back get in touch with the Enfys Acumen today. It does not matter where in the world you are, we can offer you an organisational development and coaching programme that can meet your needs.

Welcome to the Enfys Blog

Those of you who know me well and are regular readers of the Enfys Acumen e-Briefs will know that I am never shy of trying out new bits of kit and experimenting with fresh ways of getting my message across.

Here is the latest - the Enfys Acumen Blog! I'd truly welcome your thoughts and encouragement (or even discouragement - positively stated of course!).

Why am I starting a blog?

There are several reasons:

1 I'm a helpful soul and want to share the all kinds of useful information I come across that aren't necessarily concerned with my core business of organisational development and coaching.


2 I want to be able to say thank you to the people who inspire me and share the experiences of good practice I come across.


3 I want to demonstrate that when you do business with the Enfys Acumen, you get what it says on the tin and lots, lots more.


4 You'll have to indulge me on this one - as one blogging expert says: "What could be more creative than placing your own thoughts, feelings, art, rants, your own... whatever, in front of a potential audience of millions?"


So let's go..."