Different Dynamics - Engaging Extraordinary Leadership

Transparency and its importance to the True Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:19:00 +0000

Transparency is a relatively new buzz word being used to evoke the belief that a statement being made is true as well as its associated motives. The dictionary defines transparency as "capable of being seen through"; in a business sense transparency can be defined as being without guile or concealment, open, frank and candid - in other words not just shrink wrapped!

In order to create a transparent organisation leaders at the top must believe in and support a culture of candour buy not demonstrating dishonesty and discrimination in any part of the daily processes and functions of the organisation. These are the Leaders who tell the truth, admit mistakes and respectfully listen to others and in doing so set the tone for the entire organisation! Leaders who do not just have an 'open door policy', but actively encourage candid feedback from all employees and clients. An organisation which is open and honest about its dealings, that does not support a culture of secrecy and instead allows all of its employees to speak up!

The Leader takes the active role of 'fixing' the areas of the business that need 'fixing.' How many times do you hear a company saying "yes, we have an open door policy!", only to find that the so called 'open door' policy is reserved for the Management Team who will only inform their Leader of what they want to hear?

Managers and executives are sadly often only recruited for their ability to be able to work with and compete with their peers in the management suite rather than demonstrate and encourage teamwork. Often these individuals are fearful of displaying true candour, preferring to fiercely protect their own interests! A great example for a Leader evoking a culture of candour would be to ask his employees "so tell me the company joke". More often than not the Leadership team are not aware of this and its reality, and this could be the very bottom line of an organisation's issues summed up in a small sentence!

In the age of the Blogosphere data is now so readily and easily available to all. Many people fail to remember though that once a piece of information is displayed out there in the Blogosphere, it remains there forever. So the need for organisational transparency is greater than ever! The Generation Y are using Facebook on a daily basis without a second thought even though this is one of the most transparent social networking tools. Real names and photos are used and members talk to each other as 'real' friends about 'real' experiences! They are growing up on a daily basis with transparency all around them and will continue to demand the same level of transparency when they begin their professional careers.

Anyone can blog about anything at anytime, about an experience good or bad. Being transparent, honest and 'true to your word' will significantly reduce any adverse and damaging public comment and of course if you are 'true to your word' why would anyone wish to make you the victim of such adverse publicity anyway?

A truly transparent Leader is one to be seen to encourage all and lead by example, in management speak they 'walk their talk'! The very virtue that an organisation is transparent will make for the most dynamic working environment where honesty, trust and empowerment reign supreme!

Simon Hill - Different Dynamics Leadership Coach and Trainer

The Future of Training and Development

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:17:00 +0000

Now that the UK economy is edging towards recovery it is vital that organisations move their attention away from survival and invest in and equip their staff and leaders with training and development.

Throughout 2009 training and development was a very low priority for UK organisations, with the main focus being organisational maintenance and profit maximisation. Investing in training and development during 2010 will play a key role in ensuring a proactive and positive response to the difficult challenges which lie ahead during the upturn.

Many business leaders believe that training and development will play an integral role in retaining staff and changing company fortunes, with a particular emphasis on leadership development:

"Employees will expect to go on structured and rewarding personal development journeys so they can build their own personal brand and develop new skills. Specific training this year will focus on strategic insight, interpersonal skills, leadership and management." - Clare Myerson, Eurpoean people and practices manager, The Marketing Store.

This shift to personal and professional development is also evident in the Media and New Media sectors. Leading players such as Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw and Adconion Media Group are now investing as much as 10% of their net profits into ensuring that staff members improve their communication, presentation and creativity skills.

High profile companies are beginning to realise that investing in these overlooked "soft skills" are key to ensuring effective communication which leads to client leadership and retention. Different Dynamics have recently been engaged by media world leaders Mediaedge:cia (part of the WPP Group) to provide training focused around the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI), proving that exceptional management and interpersonal skills are what will make the difference between basic survival and extraordinary business success during 2010.

Melissa Wong - Marketing Consultant to Different Dynamics Ltd

The true power of being a Mindful Leader....

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:54:00 +0000

I have just listened to an exciting Podcast by Daniel Goleman (the author and leading researcher of Emotional Intelligence) where he interviews John Kabat Zinn who is known internationally for his research within the subject field of Mindfulness.

By simply following and practicing the simple principles of being Mindful you will achieve astounding results as an individual and as a leader.

Simply remember to stay 'on purpose' with the intention of paying attention at all times! This is linked to being in the present moment. The only moment you can actually live and be in is the present moment, so train your mind not to wander into the past or the future! Bring your awareness back to 'now' and as your mind wanders again keep bringing it back to 'now', practicing this more and more will develop this crucial discipline. Always remember to thank yourself every time you have the experience of bringing your mind back to 'now'.

Become 'non-judgemental' instead of judgemental. In order to be judgemental you first have to think about being judgemental, so focus your mind instead on being non-judgemental!

Being truly Mindful is not about just thinking it's core lies in Self Awareness, a natural process for the Mindful person at all times. The beauty of being a responsible and Mindful Leader is that you are present in the current moment giving your full heartfelt attention at all times! With this wisdom, integrity and true sense of being you will have an amazing impact upon individuals in your organisation as they will feel truly valued and listened to by your exceptional newly found skills.

At Different Dynamics we are proud to be developing a new Personal Leadership programme that will be incorporating the principles and practice of being Mindful to achieve extraordinary results.

Simon Hill - Different Dynamics Leadership Coach and Trainer

'Being' an emotionally intelligent coach...

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:52:00 +0000

I would like to share with you my top tips as a successful 'Emotionally Intelligent Coach' with Different Dynamics.

I find the subject of Emotional Intelligence extremely interesting and there is an ever increasing awareness of its advantages with tangible results showing how the Emotionally Intelligent Leader is having a major positive impact upon their teams and business results!

All of our exciting Leadership work at Different Dynamics is underpinned by the values of Emotional Intelligence.

The four top tips are really quite simple! Believing in these tips and their principles and putting them into action will produce the most amazing results!

1. Self Awareness - this is how much you as the Coach are in touch with your intuition, thoughts and feelings. How well do you listen to what your body is telling you. As an Emotionally Intelligent Coach it is essential that you 'switch off' any pre conceived thoughts and feelings that will prevent you from judging your Coachee! We are all human and the idea is to give notice to the emotions that you are feeling and to know how to understand and manage these emotions so they will not hinder your Coaching relationship.

2. Managing Self - this follows on from 'Self Awareness' and is about how you value and respect yourself as a person. Managing Self or self regard is about 'who you are!' This is about you having a clear understanding of what is going on inside and how this impacts upon 'your world.' So by truly valuing and respecting yourself you will always value and respect others as you will understand the importance of this. This is a vital part of any successful Coaching relationship.

3. Empathy or awareness of others - how well tuned are you into the feeling states of others? Are you allowing yourself to truly listen and be fully present in the moment and 'on purpose', with the full intention to pay attention? Showing the Coachee empathy and understanding in a non judgmental manner will make for a fantastic relationship based upon trust.

4. Regard for others or Social Intelligence - this is how much do you value and respect the Coachee as an individual, remembering that the person and behavior are two separate entities and how important it is not to make judgements against the individual based upon your own values.

These are four basic 'tried and tested' principles to follow as an Emotionaly Intelligent Coach to get the most amazing and consistent results. Further reading is available by Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence), John Kabat Zinn and Peter Senge

Simon Hill - Different Dynamics Leadership Coach and Trainer

Managing Relationships

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:23:00 +0000

Unless you live in complete isolation (why are you reading this if you are?!), you will meet and interact with people on a daily basis. Sometimes you may not always empathise with or like these people, but you are continually creating relationships which need to be managed.

The relationships you have created in your personal life - such as those with your friends, partner, children, siblings or parents - have usually happened without conscious thought. They have been created through a mutual exchange of knowledge and experience which affect the interactions within them.

Professional relationships are a different matter, workplace relationships take on a new and different importance.
Consider the people that you meet in a single day at work - peers, Managers and Directors, employees, clients, suppliers, and business partners - each of these interactions require a different relationship with different responsibilities, objectives and expectations within them.

Why is it these relationships need to be managed, can they not be left to develop and evolve in their own way? Unfortunately managing your professional relationships, particularly if you have the responsibility of leading and managing people, involves premeditation, mindfulness and calculation. Relationships in the workplace cannot afford to become static; they must continually develop and evolve. Think of your best working relationships, they are dynamic and engaging and involve proactive engagement with each member aware of the change in each other's needs, desires and outcomes.

Extraordinary Relationship Mangers
Individuals who are part of a well-managed relationship are committed, motivated, and productive and are aligned with each other and the outcomes of the relationship. Their needs, wants and desires are considered and their individuality is accommodated for. Communication channels are open and clear, and communication itself appears to be naturally effortless.

Extraordinary leaders already have extraordinary communication skills, which leads to the development of extraordinary relationships. Remember those occasions when you have met an exceptional communicator? You will have left the exchange feeling valued, listened to, attended to and responded to. No doubt you were also looking forward to interacting with them again. We all go back to those people who have made the effort to communicate with us on this level and a connection grows which leads to trust and loyalty. This is the mark of an extraordinary relationship manager.

When relationships go wrong…
There can be an infinite number of things which can affect a working relationship: there are occasions when one individual feels put out or feels constantly on the receiving end of blame, they may also feel envy at the other person's experience, salary or position. There can also be personal difficulties such as resentment, a difficult history or something as simple as a new way of doing things. As a result of these situations and feelings, communication channels become blocked and they are no longer as effective as they once were. This leads to misunderstanding, frustration and a breakdown in communication.

In the workplace there are usually two occasions which lead to ineffective relationships: An inheritance of a situation through promotion or movement that is already difficult, and a focus on "if only"s to make a working situation better, e.g. if only the other person saw this from my point of view.

As an effective manager of these situations you would understand that the only thing to be changed in these situations is yourself. In the first instance you were not able to influence the events which have led to the difficulty, but you would need to change your behaviours and interactions to manage this situation correctly.

Another aspect that leads to difficulty in managing relationships is the personalities of the individuals involved causing conflict. They may be a difficult individual that does not enjoy working with people, they may be aggressive, a bully or someone who takes a personal dislike to the people around them.

Lose control and take charge
During situations such as these you are no longer able to take control, this would involve getting the other person to conform to your ideas which they clearly wouldn’t do. Rather than feeling powerless because of this, drop the need for control and take charge of the situation.

Taking charge of the situation involves seeing a situation for what it actually is, and encouraging the individual involved in this situation to also see it for what it is rather than what either of you wish it to be. Accepting your differences, in effect agreeing to disagree, and putting these aside for the benefit of the outcome of the relationship means that you can both begin to work around and more importantly with each other.

Taking charge, in a mindful way, of situations develops your own capacity to change your actions and behaviours thereby creating a different response in the other person. You are learning to manage using Advanced Communication, a powerful NLP based technique which encourages outcomes of mutual benefit.

What else can be done?
All relationships require hard work, commitment and enthusiasm from every individual involved. To improve your own relationship management skills:
• Don’t change who you are but change what you do
• Change your perception of situations
• Change your attitude
• Open up to seeing situations from others points of view
• Initiate solutions to problems as they arise, don’t wait till afterwards
• Give more than is expected of you
And most importantly keep developing your communications skills

Melissa Wong, Marketing Consultant to Different Dynmaics

A personal experience of Emotional Intelligence as a Leader...

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:44:00 +0000

I recently took Voluntary Redundancy at an extremely well known 'Blue Chip' UK based company where I was fortunate enough to have had a very interesting career with many rewarding experiences. This company is currently headline news, sadly for problematic ongoing Industrial Relations.

As a Leader in this company I was responsible for a team of twenty people. I knew the significance of choosing to lead from Personal Power rather than Positional Power, knowing and understanding what 'drives' me and others to do well. I am also aware of how my thoughts and feelings impact upon me which in turn would impact upon my team in every situation!

As an Emotionally Intelligent Leader, I was able to run a checklist through my thoughts and feelings when presented with a Performance Management issue for example, ensuring that I would not project onto the issue anything other than objectivity with the goal of improving the performance in question remembering also, that the person and the behaviour are two separate issues.

As a Role Model I could be 'counted upon' for consistency within my role on a day to day and being 'transparent' my team felt that they were able to build up loyalty, honesty and trust. This consistency is also a key ingredient of being an Emotionally Intelligent leader.

It was rewarding to create and lead a team of such committed and motivated people knowing that they had a genuine desire to be a part of my team and continually deliver great results.

I chose to take the offer of Voluntary Redundancy so that I was able to pursue a new and exciting career as a Leadership Training Consultant and Business Coach with Different Dynamics and develop my skills within this field of work whilst having the opportunity to draw upon my many experiences from this company.

Simon Hill, Leadership Trainer and Coach with Different Dynamics

A Leadership thought...

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Our Leadership beliefs have changed in recent years, as today Leadership is about engaging people's hearts and minds so that we all have a common purpose and goal - gone are the days of big titles, vast offices and huge desks!

Today Leadership is about the Leader as an individual,what 'drives' them (their Internal Compass) and how this impact on those they lead.

For you to be a true Leader today, you need to have conscious awareness on three different levels-

- The 'Knowing' or thinking level as we can only change what we do as a Leader by thinking.
- The 'Doing' level as it is essential to understand your behaviour and how this impacts upon yourself and others and how you can change this.
- The 'Being' level- who are you being as an individual and a Leader? This is about being Emotionally Intelligent!

As a congruent and powerful Leader you will naturally encompass and use these three levels on a daily basis for continued personal and people leadership growth and success.

Simon Hill, Leadership Trainer and Coach with Different Dynamics.

Ready to Manage?

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:24:00 +0000

Ken Blanchard short discussing making the move from first line employee to effective manager - Ken Blanchard

Social Intelligence and Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Renowned Psychologist and author of "Working with Emotional Intelligence" Daniel Goleman explains the importance of Emotional and Social Intelligence in improving personal and organisational performance - Daniel Goleman

Creating a Personal Development Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:33:00 +0000

The concept behind any development plan is to outline areas which require development, both professionally and personally, and what actions need to be taken to overcome these development areas. Creating a development plan uniquely for your own personal development journey produces a useful and effective tool which provides milestones and tasks to help you keep focus.

To create your own Personal Development Plan you will need to:

1. Identify the few core areas of life that require development

When reflecting on your goals, aspirations, dreams and values, what are the key areas that you feel you need to develop? Choose only those key competencies which will have the greatest impact on your career, on your life and your goals.

2. Find resources to improve these areas

Seek out and list all the resources which you feel will enable you to develop your key areas. Such resources can include training and coaching from accredited professionals, books, seminars, DVDs and online blogs. These resources can relate to any of your key areas but you must personally feel that they provide you with value.

3. Dedicate time each day to your development

Try to spare at least one hour each day to implement your personal development plan. Use this time to focus on accessing and utilising the resources which you have found. Remember to evaluate their usefulness to you during this process, and make note of those resources which provide you with the most value.

4. Find mentors, and develop relationships

Relationships, especially those with other people who are undergoing similar development, are a very under-valued and effective area of personal development. This mutual encouragement and collaboration with like-minded individuals will help you grow more quickly than relying solely on relationships with Mentors and Professionals. Mentors should be able to support you and guide you in each of your identified development areas; multiple mentors can also be beneficial provided that they are as dedicated to your self-improvement as you are.

Throughout your personal development journey try to find ways to apply your learning to realistic situations. After all knowledge is made more meaningful and useful to you through application

One of the key outcomes gained from a personal development plan is the ability to initiate action. Gaining knowledge only increases the amount of knowledge held, but applying knowledge to inspire action creates new behaviours which in turn create new results. Your development plan should be transformational, involving both theoretical learning and action learning. When learning something new as part of your development plan, ask yourself the following questions:

- Where can I use it?
- When can I use it?
- Who would benefit from sharing this with me?

Finding the answers to these questions will help you to formulate actions as well as absorbing theories and ideas.

Remember your personal development is the single most important aspect of fulfilling your goals, ambitions and aspirations. Only you can take responsibility for how you will achieve this, however formulating your personal development action plan can sometimes be a long winded process. Different Dynamics can help you clarify your key objectives, and support you towards achieving these objectives through our innovative One to One Coaching.

Melissa Wong, Marketing Consultant to Different Dynamics

3 Rules of Extraordinary Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Leadership development journeys can sometimes be blocked by a minefield of confusion. When our clients, on their individual leadership development journeys find themselves at a similar point, we remind them of the 3 rules of Extraordinary Leadership

Rule 1 - You can't do it alone!
Extraordinary Leaders recognise the need to acknowledge those people who have supported and inspired them throughout their development journey.

Consider those leaders who have achieved greatness - Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Donald Trump……and even Simon Cowell - not a single one of them achieved the extraordinary by being completely independent. Without the support they received from their colleagues and teams they would never have achieved the desirable positions they attained, and would not have lasted long within them without it.

Rule 2 - Become a Personal Leader before a People Leader Extraordinary Leadership requires insight, mindfulness and the ability to lead from the Inside-Out. Developing personal leadership involves becoming aware of and accepting our own strengths, weaknesses, desires, values and personal goals. Through this identification and acceptance you can then adapt your own behaviours to truly maximise the effectiveness of your performance.

Understanding yourself before you try to understand and lead others develops a true leadership capability. After all would you trust the running of your company to someone who doesn’t even know what they favourite colour is?!

Rule 3 - Get things done
Leadership is focused with achievement and results, put simply it involves getting things done. An Extraordinary Leader encompasses a range of talents - Persistence, Commitment, Resilience, Problem-Solving, and Creativity - to create activity which is constantly changing and evolving. Leaders don’t tow the party line, they make effective and brilliant decisions to maximise situations and results even if others don’t understand or like the decisions made. An effective leader can be depended upon to say tactfully what needs to be said.

Leaders are not immune to making mistakes, but the ability to put right these mistakes is the mark of an Extraordinary Leader.

And one more rule...there are no rules!

Melissa Wong, Marketing Consultant to Different Dynamics

Are you developing your Personal Leadership?

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:35:00 +0000

Before I seek to change or motivate others I must first learn to change and motivate myself. I must first become the change I wish to see in others” - Greg Thomas

Personal Leadership - the Inside-Out way of being a leader - is the cornerstone of true leadership development. Unfortunately due to the fast-paced nature of our professional and personal lives we often neglect taking the time to develop our personal leadership capabilities. How often, if ever, have you taken to time to concentrate on exploring your personal values, mission and purpose? Have you taken the time to reflect on the impact that you personally are making on the people and situations around you? If the answer is no, what are the consequences of disregarding such an important aspect of personal and professional development?

Sadly, those leaders who disregard the development of their personal leadership will lead less fulfilling and successful lives, both personally and professionally. When individuals fail to develop Self-Awareness and abandon the pursuit of developing insight and integrity, they will suffer with poor professionalism and operational performance. The effects of this slow deterioration of personal integrity, vision and insight are more often than not only fully realized after the personal and professional damage has been done. Ignoring the need for personal leadership development can have disastrous results on many areas of our lives.

Personal leadership is a challenging area to explore, but one which many leaders ignore or fail to invest in fully. Ask yourself how effective is your personal leadership? Are you a leader that values Inside-Out development as highly as career development? If not, you may not realise that the two aspects go hand in hand! Different Dynamics can help you engage with this extraordinary aspect of yourself, after all it all starts with you.....

Melissa Wong, Marketing Consultant to Different Dynamics

Matthew Key on preparing for the upturn (recorded Oct 20, 2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:54:00 +0000

O2 Chief Matthew Key discusses the upturn and how to prepare for prosperity (recorded Oct 20, 2009) Matthew Key

Mindfulness and Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Different Dynamics) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:34:00 +0000

Mindfulness - the Inside-Out art of noticing our thoughts, emotions and motivations as and when they happen.

The ability to remain focused only on the present, and filter out unhelpful negative thoughts is a transformational skill, that accounts for a large proportion of effective leadership competencies. But how and perhaps more importantly why is it so effective? What is the true impact that mindfulness has on leadership capabilities?

Inside Out Leadership

Effective Leaders operate from the inside-out; they are able to take personal responsibility for situations as well taking direct action to resolve situations. This is where mindfulness steps in, the ability to be fully present in situations and respond appropriately requires elements of self-awareness as well as other leadership capabilities. A wrong decision made, and situations will spiral out of control, regardless of the strength of the leader that has made that decision. Applying mindfulness to these situations not only requires comprehension of situations and environments, but also of the people involved in situations and environments; enabling better choices and effective decisions. When leaders are mindful, they are more in control of themselves as well as better placed to manage critical situations, due to being immersed only in the present.

Applying mindfulness to challenges

Leadership is rewarding, but can also be exceptionally challenging and difficult. When operating in uncertain times, especially those related to organisational change, crisis or any unfamiliar situation, the ability to remain fully immersed in the present is absolutely crucial.

Leaders are required to provide solutions to problems which are often complex, and troublesome to those individuals involved. Team and organisational dynamics result in differing opinions, where leaders may struggle to facilitate cohesion and remain unable to find an applicable strategy to achieving solutions. Caught up in these situations, leaders may end up becoming contributors to conflicts, and produce unintentional negativity while simultaneously receiving incorrect information from team members. A challenging, uncompromising role such as this can be incredibly difficult for leaders to respond to, leaders will want to appear strong and decisive to their team members, and find ways for their team members to communicate and work effectively, all the while being unsure themselves of the best action to take.

Mindfulness has been shown to be helpful during intense and stressful situations such as these. When mindfulness is strong, leaders are able to respond to these situations in a less reactive and conscious manner, which accepts the negativity of the situation but finds a positive response.

As an example of this, applying mindfulness to see emotional reactions during intense situations often highlights the common emotions of both fear and anger. Rather than instantly reaction with these emotional feelings, becoming mindful makes it possible to accept the existence of the damaging emotions, and to consciously choose appropriate responses to situations rather than instant counterproductive reactions.

Mindfulness in organisations and teams

Mindfulness encourages interaction and cohesion in organisations. It allows leaders to relate to their employees, team members, colleagues and managers in a way which is based on present realities rather than individual thoughts and feelings. Promoting the use of mindfulness throughout an organisation improves diversity awareness, promotes equality and encourages the formation of opinions based on performance and contribution rather than personal opinion

When leading a team, having the ability to leverage the strengths of individuals and to seek out those individuals who are able to succeed during turbulence is a critical skill needed during team formation. Applying mindfulness in conjunction with other People Leadership tools such as Belbin’s Team Role Inventory, enables the formation of strong, cohesive and effective teams. This level of clarity and unbiased selection based on ability only comes from consciously utilising mindfulness as a leadership tool

Extraordinary Mindfulness

The ability to remain focused in the present and mindful of internal states and external environments develops true and extraordinary leaders. The more often mindfulness is practiced and applied, the better able leaders become at influencing, leading, guiding and developing individuals. Essentially applying mindfulness to any aspect of leadership, enables both Personal development and Professional development, and contributes substantially to achieving long term goals and organisational success.

Melissa Wong, Marketing Consultant to Different Dynamics