Brain Ginger

Personal greatness …

2012-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

You already possess everything necessary to become great. (Native American Crow Proverb)

When I first heard this proverb, many years ago, I thought it was rubbish because I assumed it was about owning possessions. Now I think the issue is how you define the words.

What does ‘great’ mean to you? Write a list of ten words, no more, no less.

Notice that you will ‘become’ not ‘be’ great. It describes a learning process. What do you need to learn?

In your case, what is ‘everything necessary’?

If you possess the strength and understanding to answer these questions, you have the power to grow.

This saying tells us to stop waiting for external forces to push us forward - to recognise the strength within us and to build upon it.

This week Kathy planted Sweet Pea seeds, grieved over a dead goldfish and finally completed a major contract we started eight months ago. What next?

Today’s choice …

2012-02-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud. (Carl Sandburg)

So what sort of day are you having today? Does it feel as if you are going to be there for ever? Or are both eagle and hippo part of your personality, depending on the mood you are in?

What benefits do you get from your hippo days?

How could you get the same benefits from soaring like an eagle?

Spend a minute imagining you are really flying.

What would stimulate you to change?

Where can you find it?

Sandburg seems to suggest that being a hippo is less commendable – do you agree? If not, what can you do today to be the best hippopotamus possible?

As you read this Kathy is returning from the Arctic Circle, probably frozen, possibly having seen the Northern Lights, hoping to soar but prepared to wallow.

Sharing the credit …

2012-02-08T09:57:00.000-08:00

A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit. (John C. Maxwell)

Why isn’t this taught on management courses? A strong person does it instinctively, but it must be a trick that is easily learned … and copied.

Who do you know that this quotation describes perfectly?

In terms of status and reputation, what do they lose and gain?

What is the effect of their behaviour on the organisation?

What changes would you have to make to be like them?

Do you feel comfortable with this idea? Why not?

Wherever you are on the leadership ladder, it never hurts to practice. Start somewhere small (the washing up?) and work your way up to the serious stuff.

This week Kathy saw an excellent Lowry exhibition at www.lakesidearts.co.uk confirming her belief that it is possible to be both lonely, depressed and a bit weird but also talented and remarkable.

Going too far …

2012-02-01T02:50:00.000-08:00

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

(T. S. Eliot)

This one ties my brain in knots. Should one take the safe approach although still not knowing what the result will be, or step up into more risky territory?

OK. So, first, how far is too far - and who says so?

How will you know when you have crossed the limit?

What won’t happen if you go too far?

What are the benefits of finding out how far you can go?

Can you draw back at any stage?

What’s stopping you?

Model yourself on Shackleton http://bit.ly/wisvGS not Scott http://bit.ly/w7SUZt .

This week Kathy wrote something which is best described as Orpheus meets Ulysses meets Hiawatha. Where on earth did that come from?!

Message received …

2012-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. (George Bernard Shaw)

Just because you have spoken, doesn’t mean that anyone heard what you meant to say. Communication must be a two way dialogue, successfully received and regularly confirmed. Think back to a recent problem.

What was the misunderstanding?

How did you find out that you were not on the same wave length?

If what was heard was not what was said, stand in their shoes and work out why.

Precisely which action, phrase or word did you interpret differently from each other?

What three things would help you to avoid this happening again?

Set your transmitter to receive and seek out signs that comprehension is taking place.

This week Kathy has two places available for individual leadership coaching.

Look at http://www.volitionassociates.co.uk/2010_coaching_programmes and contact Kathy.gee@volitionassociates.co.uk

Friendship

2012-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose. (Tennessee Williams)

Friendship is both powerful and fragile, a strength and a problem, hard to understand and fundamental to a rich life. Friends influence us even when we have outgrown whatever brought us together.

Do all your friends want what’s best for you?

Who would you go to for honest, truthful advice?

Who would come to you?

Whose company would you seek out for pure enjoyment?

With whom can you be completely yourself without being judged?

If you dread seeing someone who is destructive or who demands more than you can give, why are you still in touch?

Loyalty is a virtue, but don’t get dragged down by it. Your choices make a difference to your life.

This week Kathy posted two new videos on http://www.wordstring.co.uk/ and went to a terrific talk on historic corsets by Rod Quilter.

Sea legs …

2012-01-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors. (African Proverb)

Everything I have ever learned was in response to a challenge of some sort, from talking (can you imagine me silent?!) to problem solving. But it wasn’t painless or easy and, apparently, to my great delight, learning never ends.

What is your personal Sargasso Sea of inactivity?

Where could you make waves by adding energy?

If heavy seas are turning your life upside down, which way is up?

What have you learned by weathering the storm?

Which skills do you need to refine for next time?

I do enjoy my smooth seas, but storms have benefits as well …

This week Kathy was exhilarated by a deliciously wicked set by the Decadent Divas, was infuriated by The Iron Lady, and feels completely alive.

Brain power …

2012-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all. (John F. Kennedy)

Scientists have built a robot that can deal with steps, but could a robot walk rapidly down a crowded street without ever touching anyone? A computer can play chess, but can it choose the right direction for an organisation?

How can you read the mood of a colleague without spoken “data entry”?

How do you instinctively know what information is potentially useful?

What signals make you aware of your working environment?

When do you use data as a supportive tool, and when as a directive driver?

How many micro-decisions went towards building your most recent working relationship?

Never underestimate the power of the human brain, or the people who own them.

This week, among other seasonal activities, Kathy saw Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the village hall, took a friend to Oxford for the day and bought a SatNav, and now has cultural indigestion.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. (Winnie the Pooh)

It is time to relax. Exercise your Doing Nothing muscle. Go on, give it a really good work out - find your own way to not bother …

Travel lightly through crowds

Banish “oughts” and “shoulds” to a slimy, bottomless pond

Seek out stillness and, when you find it, bathe in its indigo warmth

Let your mind walk away and enter the sunlit groves of somewhere else

Create random moments of hearing nothing at all

At least once this Christmas, desert the leaf cutter ants, ignore the pack of ravening wolves and join the pandas … bamboo, sleep, bamboo, sleep …

This week Kathy will do nothing, including Brain Ginger, for a whole week. See you in the New Year!

Ladders

2011-12-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall. (Stephen R. Covey)

Managers do need a sense of vision, but leaders also need to be realistic. For most except the really powerful, the definitions overlap and the really skilful person moves seamlessly between leadership and management.

Does your favourite aspiration take your team up the right ladder?

Do your big ideas have visible actions for others to implement?

Has your reality check taken the constraints of cost and time into account?

If you are in the implementation stage, how can you be sure it is working?

Which wall do you need to scale next?

Does your ladder have both feet on the ground? Is it pitched at the right angle? Remember that, in the children’s board game, if its not a ladder, its a snake …

This week Kathy celebrated an aunt’s 90th birthday by going, with cousins of all ages, to see “Matilda” - the most intelligent, colourful, skilful musical for decades. And the birthday tea was magnificent. Perfect in every way.

Seeking answers …

2011-12-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

Look and you will find it – what is unsought will go undetected. (Sophocles)

The answer is out there, but it may be more important to search than to know precisely what you are looking for. But why not give it a go?

Ignore what and why for the moment. Concentrate on the where, who and when.

Is your mind open to unexpected influence?

Look to your inner life. What moves you? Is there something in your spiritual, musical, caring or physical life that is surprisingly relevant?

Listen to wise people in other places – restaurant, children, television – but listen in active searching mode.

What is niggling away in the interstices of your conversation? Look deeper.

Something important is trying to be said. Seek and you may find out what it is.

This week Kathy swept up the leaves from flower beds (and slugs shall have no dominion) and found hollyhocks and fuchsias still flowering. Strange autumn.

Talkers …

2011-11-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

Talkers have always ruled. They will continue to rule. The smart thing is to join them. (Bruce Barton)

Not everyone is articulate – you may even be rather irritated by those people who are. But it’s hard to make an impression unless you actually speak. So how about choosing to be pointed, rather than loquacious? If your aim is to speak rarely but best, deal with what might be getting in the way.

What do you want to say and what effect do you want it to have?

Who are your audience? What do they need?

Are you in a good frame of mind?

Are you focussed, or preoccupied with something else?

Are you ready to speak? How will other people know? Breathe, indicate and launch.

Wise, quiet types have opinions too – make yours heard.

This week Kathy went to the opening of the new Performance Hub at Walsall. What an amazing leaning space – almost wishes she was a student again!

Times of stress …

2011-11-23T00:50:00.000-08:00

The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it. (Shopenhauer)

But surely a successful person plans their projects and reaches deadlines but also manages their time so that they have a life? Next time you feel stressed by time pressures perhaps you could do two things – use time more efficiently and make some time for yourself.

Make a list. What are the quick wins? Take one hour to do five of them. Congratulate yourself.

When can you switch off your email and phone for 30 minutes to do one of the more difficult tasks? Good.

What kind of break would reward you? Planning to buy unusual food? Crossword? Twice up and down the stairs?

How well do you sleep? Set aside time to do it well.

Working all hours doesn’t actually mean you are more productive. A few 5 minute “away times” can make a difference to a highly pressured day.

This week Kathy found re-entry to work after the holiday really hard, the fact that it feels terribly cold doesn’t help either …

Service

2011-11-16T00:26:00.000-08:00

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. (Max DePree)

The perfect servant anticipates what is needed before anyone asks for it. The perfect leader scans the horizon, defines reality and anticipates needs. And then s/he prepares people to respond and supports them as they deliver.

What obstacles might your team meet?

What help can you give to prepare them to succeed?

Which doors must you open for them?

What food for thought must you provide?

For them to function well, what detritus must you clean away?

What service do they need from you?

Service is multi directional. Everyone has a service role to play, whatever the group, whatever their position. And, of course, everyone should remember to say thank you …

This week Kathy is back at work having been to Vietnam and Cambodia. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Happenings …

2011-11-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things. (Leonardo da Vinci)

Are you passive or active? Of course, things do still happen if you do nothing, but will they be the right things?

What are you waiting for?

Good luck? The right opportunity? Something to happen?

And how long have you been waiting now? Hmmm.

Can you allow yourself to be a catalyst?

Find opportunities to bump into opportunity.

Have you made a difference to something this week?

Perhaps to be accomplished, you must actually accomplish something.

Last week Kathy saw Marat/Sade with her eyes closed. This week she’s on holiday. At last.

Living by numbers …

2011-11-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. (Albert Einstein)

Numbers are essential to understanding science. But in other working environments, they are one of many ways of telling a story, explaining what is going on in more detail than instinct or description can convey. Use them wisely.

What is the most important thing you can achieve with your project?

How will you know?

What’s the story? If you can’t describe it in a quick sentence, work at it.

Who needs to know and what sort of facts do they respect?

Does your favourite statistic actually tell you what to do next?

Of course statistics are valuable. Of course. But they are only one way of seeing the world and they may not be describing what is really important.

This week Kathy had a reunion dinner with past work colleagues, all of whom are doing something far more interesting now! And so life goes on …

Other worlds …

2011-10-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. (J.K. Rowling)

Living in a potentially better world is so very appealing. But if you spend your time anticipating a fabulous tomorrow, you could miss something really important today.

What is the dream that consumes you? Be very specific and write it down.

Is there anything you can do today to make it more likely to happen? If not, put it in a mental box and open it again two days hence.

Can you give yourself the gift of two days respite from your dream?

Live each day thoroughly.

Resist sneaking off to escape to your dream. It will still be there when the time is right to do something about it.

Do not forget to live. Remember that.

This week Kathy started painting the outside of her house just as the temperature plummeted. Not a good decision …

Fire!

2011-10-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. (Abigail Van Buren)

It’s hard to perform to your own satisfaction, let alone that of others, if you are fire fighting or caught up in a blazing row. Flames get out of everyone’s control very quickly and they can consume what you have created.

If you are in a towering rage, can you take it somewhere else? Control it where it cannot do any more damage? Do it right now.

So. What is the red hot core of the threat?

What would most rapidly reduce its heat? Cold water? Reducing the oxygen of publicity?

Who can you dispatch to make sure that it doesn’t spread any further?

Do you have a plan to use the ashes?

Resist setting more fires to cover your retreat. It never worked for Napoleon. Keep a ready supply of cool common sense in your disaster kit. Spray liberally and watch out for secondary flare ups.

This week Kathy enjoyed a day at “Medicine Unboxed” and discovered that, in terms of medical drugs, the official value of an extra year of quality life in the UK is £30,000. Better stay healthy.

Reinvention …

2011-10-12T00:30:00.000-07:00

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do, doesn't mean it's useless. (Thomas Alva Edison)

Ah, the post-it note story! If you have led your team towards an innovation which didn’t quite turn out how you intended, you may need to be even more creative.

What is outstandingly great about your great design?

Which part might have another life?

Who, apart from the intended beneficiary, might find it useful?

Where is the hole that your creation could fill?

When would be a good time to test your new application?

Not getting what you wanted can turn out to be an opportunity for something unexpected to emerge. Relentless optimistic pragmatism may be annoying, but it does make things happen.

Kathy has had a great week. Plenty of professional stimulation, literature festival, lots of interesting work and a scarecrow weekend …

Style or substance?

2011-10-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. (Thomas Jefferson)

Do you feel as if you are being swept along by events? That suddenly everything is taking off in a different direction? Events are complex and powerful, and resistance can take a lot of energy, so it is worth deciding what really matters to you.

Is the change about WHAT you are doing, or HOW you are expected to do it?

If you swim with the current, how can you still reach your preferred destination, even if you don’t like the route?

If, having weighed the options, you decide to stand up for what you think is right, which ground will give you the firmest foundation?

Who can you gather to your rock to give you added weight?

There are not that many occasions when standing firm is absolutely the only thing to do. Make sure that you choose them wisely and then stick firmly to your principles.

This week Kathy was totally exhausted and had done nothing but work, but went off to the seaside for a couple of days. Physician heal thyself, indeed.

Breaking the silence …

2011-09-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. (Mark Twain)

Well, maybe. But on the other hand, being known for never contributing is not great for your reputation either. “I wish I’d never said that “ moments tend to have two causes. First, blurting out whatever comes into your head without checking the facts, or second, not thinking fast enough to see the consequences of what you say.

If in doubt, wait. Listen. Does this help you to refine your thought?

Can you frame your thought as an informal question which allows other people to either agree or show their greater understanding?

Scribble down your emerging thought in bullet points. As others speak, put them in a logical order. Then speak yourself.

Be brief, clear and have a genuine point to make.

Quiet people are rarely fools. If you have something to say, find a way to say it. You have a right to be heard.

This week Kathy saw the back of some statistical work which she and colleagues are very proud of but equally delighted to have put behind them.

Handling criticism

2011-09-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. (Confucius)

Do you take your mistakes or criticism home with you and fester on them all night? Self-development books tell us that criticism is good feedback, but let’s be honest, sometimes it feels tough. You know you are handling it in a healthy way when your recovery speeds improve.

Why did your critic feel that they had to speak?

Listen with precision. What was the core of the criticism?

Was there any truth in it? What, none at all?

What can you learn from this?

Find a metaphorical box in your subconscious and carefully store the event to support you in future.

Move on.

Paul McGee suggests that we ‘weigh up but don't be weighed down by criticism’ which is a neat aphorism. Try using it next time you are re-running an event in your head at two in the morning.

This week Kathy saw The Homecoming at the RSC and was so disturbed that she had to have a shower when she got back home.

Re-entry

2011-09-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is writing a book. (attrib. Cicero, c43 BC)

So, you are just back from your holiday and nothing has changed. In fact, it seems even worse than when you left. Take a moment to reflect, perhaps you are just seeing things more clearly.

Are you surrounded by infectious negativity? Who is colouring your views?

What was your personal contribution to the problem? Are you really entirely innocent?

Is what you are doing now making it better or worse?

Do you have a clear vision of what a satisfactory resolution will look like?

What two things could you do today to move everyone towards that end?

Next time you say “oh, I could write a book about what’s gone wrong” make sure it is a self help manual, not an historical novel.

This week Kathy saw the new building arising around the Mary Rose at Portsmouth Harbour. For a sneak preview of the museum, currently due to open late in 2012, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmnfGxuWOkc

Career path

2011-09-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

When he once attains the upmost round, he then unto the ladder turns his back, looks in the cloud and scorns the base degrees by which he did ascend. (Shakespeare)

If you are rising up your career ladder, do you remember how you got there? Do you empathise with those who are climbing it behind you?

What was the first step?

What instigated the key decisions that made the difference?

If there was someone who helped, what was so good about them?

How often do you stretch out a hand to help someone else up the ladder?

How will you feel when they overtake you?

I was definitely an “onwards and upwards” person but there came a point when I decided to support the rise of others instead. All my experience, all my “base degrees” are part of who I have become.

This week Kathy is organising a new pond – horrible disruption for unknowing gold fish – and making chutney with foraged hedgerow fruits. Never really saw herself as Mrs Beeton …

Are you open?

2011-08-31T01:39:00.000-07:00

The day soldiers stop bring you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. (General Colin Powell)

Do your team find it easy to talk to you about the difficult things? Do they try to protect you from them, or worry about your response if they do own up?

Giving bad news can be nerve-racking. How do you encourage people around you to tell you their problems?

How do you show that you are open to hearing what they have to say?

Is it easy for someone to discuss an important issue with you in private?

Do you always give instant feedback which shows that you have heard, and are pleased to know, even if you don’t agree?

Can people trust your response? Are you consistent?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, perhaps you could start by finding a way to ask your team how it looks from their side …

This week Kathy went to Hereford Cathedral to see an art exhibition - both were astoundingly beautiful – and twice had dinner with girl friends. Not Ladies who Lunch but Dames who Dine.