Power of Positive Psychology

In my never ending quest to be a fabulously successful and effective business/leadership coach , as well as quench my love of learning, I recently completed a very enjoyable,enlightening and educative 3 day workshop with Dr Tim Sharp, Chief Happiness Officer of the Happiness Institute ( and Professor at UTS, Sydney) .The workshop was titled Positive Psychology Coaching and highlighted to importance of promoting optimism, happiness and fun in the workplace as a means of enhancing productivity, retention of staff and reducing workplace stress.

Tim is a clinical psychologist who started to question why we put up with just surviving , rather than thriving at work and life.Do you have fun at work? If so how? Would you like to be happier? Why?

It's all about communication

A recurring theme in the work life ( and therefore the content of our coaching sessions)  of my clients is the tricky topic of addressing performance issues with staff. All have staff-often in senior roles- who are just not doing their job productively and in some cases ,not professionally enough- being late, poor grooming. Often this behaviour is ignored, as people lack the confidence that they can  address the issue  without  becoming emotional and / or  more aggressive than they intended.However, it is crucial to address performance issues quickly and effectively , in order to keep, maintain or develop a strong message of professionalism and accountability within the team/company.Research shows that nothing frustrates and demotivates employees more than seeing someone get away with less than acceptable or desirable behaviour in the work setting.

One valuable approach is to plan the conversation - using clear, concise language, non -threatening body language and tone  and rehearsing it with a trusted colleague/friend -before approaching the employee.Also remember to praise in public-critique in private.Set clear expectations and a time to review progress so that the employee knows it is an issue to be addressed, rather than ignored.Any other tips people would like to share on what works?

An inspiring business woman

I attended the Lismore Business Women's network breakfast last week.The guest speaker was Amelia Ahern-owner and manager of PowerMax Computers, Lismore. Amelia shared her experiences of starting and growing a business.I was impressed with her approach- one that can be applied in all settings. Key points noted included a very strong focus on customer service. She obviously cares for her paying customers as well as her in house customers-her staff!! Amelia offers additional products such as computer training and  newsletters .To her staff ,she offers support for training and development, regular catch ups so they know how they are performing as well as the opportunity  to give her feedback on her performance as a boss-A very sound approach- yet sadly lacking in many businesses. Amelia has made an effort to understand all aspects of the business-her original skills were in book keeping and administration yet she has undertaken technical training so she can be as helpful as possible to her customers.She plans her time to ensure work life balance and is looking to fully document all the processes of the business-should she want to sell it-all in all an impressive story and one that illustrates the importance of both soft skills-people and self management as well as hard-technical skills/administrative management.Oh and she also uses a business coach!!What do other readers think are key skills in running a business?

Magic spot for relaxing

One of the my favourite methods to de-stress and relax is to get out into the open and convene with nature.I discovered a wonderful spot for reading and day dreaming , under this tree, at the retreat and spent many moments here.Bliss?Where and how do you de-stress?

Blogging

There are millions of business coaching blogs out there in cyber space- some good and not so good- I lose confidence when I see a blog with irregular and not so recent entries and with no comments or feedback.
My favourite is Flying Solo-regular entries, interesting and relevant topics and lots of comments back from followers.
Do any readers have a favourite business coach blog?Please share.

More notes from the retreat

In between yoga sessions, massages, facials, lying by the pool and eating yummy organic food, I had plenty of time to chat with the other guests.When I mentioned that I am a leadership coach ( Redgate Consulting) the topic of toxic bosses came up.This lead to sharing our experiences of poor or dysfunctional bosses.All of us had at least one story!Typical behaviours displayed by these toxic bosses included:-

• Poor communication skills
  
• Arrogant, cold
  
• Aggressive, bossy
  

The impact of these behaviours also had common impacts on us as employees:-

• Reduced productivity
• Lowered morale
• No or little enjoyment of work

Most recounted that they had actually left jobs due to toxic leadership.Loss of valuable people due to this is extremely bad business.We agreed the costs of poor leadership are huge and it is time all leaders took responsibility to know the impact of their behaviour on employees and take measures to improve or change.
What is your experience with poor leadership at work?

Notes from my retreat

I met some interesting people at the health retreat-all looking to have a nourishing few days to themselves-away from their "all consuming" work-paid or otherwise-one had just finished exams, another a full time carer to a disabled partner-all lamented their daily work grind- battling "car park" traffic conditions when commuting, long hours at the office and little or no time to themselves. We all spoke of the importance of planning ahead to have some time to ourselves , as a means of refueling energy and motivation-so that we can return renewed and refocused.How are you making time for yourself ?

The importance of recharging

I have just returned from a heavenly three day mini break at a wonderful health retreat. I feel refreshed, energised and relaxed-ready to face the busy world of work again.It has reinforced to me, the essential art of taking time to switch off , in order to be in peak work performance.Planning regular down time is one key to thriving at work, not merely surviving.