Mad March Hare, and other eye-openers

Posted on April 28, 2013 by kikimaurey

Eye Opener imageI admit to struggling over the past few weeks. Suffering with the weirdest virus combined with the coldest March since records began hasn’t helped. But watching a mad march hare from the train lifted my spirits as it danced and flipped about in anticipation of spring. And now as I write, the warm southerly winds have delivered cuckoos, rare butterflies, house martins and even the first swallows to the New Forest. So it was with rising enthusiasm that I treated myself to a day’s CPD in early April by attending a workshop in Abingdon run by OPP Ltd, designed to ‘refresh & reconnect’ practitioners with the MBTI  personality assessment tool. The OPP cleverly used it as an opportunity to present and explain their new MBTI products which was useful and good fun.

Auroras EncoreAs a horse lover, the Grand National is always an early April highlight and after enjoying a blast out on my own horse Che, in the morning, it was great to be tucked up in front of the fire to enjoy Ch4’s excellent coverage. What a result, no horses died and a complete outsider, Ryan Mania wins at on his first attempt on Auroras Encore at 66-1. Even more surprising 3 of the 6 top finishers had long odds too. It just goes to show it takes more than just breeding, training and jockey experience to win. The Eye Opener for me is that life sometimes mysteriously offers up a smidgen of opportunity when the odds seem firmly set against success. One just has to hold one’s nerve!

London Scene BoAMLynchI was delighted to visit Bank of America Merrill Lynch near St Paul’s Cathedral early in April, to meet with a small group of internal coaches. They asked me to talk on my experience of executive coaching and my take on authentic leadership – a hot topic in the world of leadership development. This came just days after the new Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at his Easter address, warned of the cult of the ‘Hero-Leader’. After the global economic meltdown and environmental disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, is it time for a more authentic kind of leadership that’s more sustainable and ethical?

The following day I helped facilitate a leadership day at Warwick Business School on the distance learning MBA programme. This is always an exhausting tightly packed day, but great fun taking students from a range of backgrounds and countries through some very testing leadership material. As always, the Johari exercise is always an Eye Opener with participants struck by how much there is to learn about engaging and influencing others through honest and open feedback – feedback that goes both ways.

... fun whilst learning and networking

… fun whilst learning and networking

Mid-April saw me with my New Forest Partnership Board hat on, running our first ever Women in Business at the lovely Chewton Glen. We had a great attendance, lots of fun as well as gaining new members. I featured a short but interactive workshop on the link between motivation and success, plus attendees got a chance to exchange ideas in the plenary session. Interestingly the themes that emerged weren’t gender-specific but the age-old topic of competitive pressures and finding / keeping the right kind of customers. I’m delighted that NFBP will run WiB events at least twice a year, to which men who support or help women in business are also very welcome.

So… if you’re in the New Forest, east Dorset area the next WiB breakfast will be on Thursday, 10th October, 7.45 – 10.00 with another interactive workshop and an opportunity to share our expertise with others in the room.

Mini-DaffsIn between all of this and getting the garden under control and heart-breakingly, showing potential buyers around Holly House, and coaching more and more fab folk, I’m managing to ride out regularly on Che and enjoying the first signs of summer coming.

Note 1: CPD = Continuing Professional Development.
Note 2: MBTI = Myers Briggs Type Indicator

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Spring Chicken or Flagging Goose – how motivated are you right now?

Posted on April 28, 2013 by kikimaurey

Positive mini-swirlI’ve been fascinated by some of the enquiries I’ve had over the past few months. Some relate to people’s difficulties with their senior managers, or with individuals within their team(s). And a lot are to do with rising stress levels at work resulting in a slump in energy, commitment, focus and enjoyment. Research regularly conducted by the CIPD bears this out: Two things especially worth noting are:

1.    Firstly there’s a huge soft skills deficit where managers and team leaders have very little idea of how to motivate and develop high performing teams, and even worse, have no idea how their own behaviour impacts on others in the workplace. Managers overwhelmingly overrate themselves, whilst many of their staff regularly fantasize about quitting.

2.    Secondly, staff engagement, morale and performance is taking a big hit at the moment with rising levels of stress at work, presenteeism, sickness absence, and poor productivity etc.

The ‘traditional’ response to poor performance is often to put people onto a training programme in the mistaken belief that it’s about SKILLS whereas the issue is more often than not, about an individual’s internal drive and energies. Another mistaken belief is that just dishing out promotion, more perks and more responsibility will keep top talent. However, we human beings are much more nuanced than that and the cost of getting this wrong is losing out on the fact that highly skilled and motivated individuals are up to 16x more productive than their poorly engaged colleagues.

Have a look at this diagram, looks a bit complicated but basically it sets out what typically happens within the workplace:Motivation v Skills Matrix

  • Person 1. is highly motivated but not yet skilled enough to perform in role (typical graduate), training and nurturing works well for these folks.
  • Person 2. is a poor performer due to low skill levels and poorly motivated.
  • Person 3. is highly skilled but a poor performer due to their motivational drivers being unmet, often left behind during a reorganization or overlooked during a period of rapid change – can be a real saboteur – especially in more senior roles.
  • Person 4. is a high performer having attained the right skill level and had their motivational drivers satisfied. This person is the type to keep!

I now use Motivational technology as part of my coaching toolkit and it’s an amazing lens into the ‘invisible’ and largely unspoken internal phenomenon of motivational energy at work, and in life generally.

Top Tips

The diagram below sets out the 9 key motivators that drive us all and like me, you will have a hierarchy of motivators. Your top 3 or 4 will be critical to your performance right now, depending upon how those same motivators are being satisfied.

... we all have a range of POWERFUL motivators

… we all have a range of POWERFUL motivators

Have a look and get a feel for what might be driving you. Where do you get your enthusiasm – your ‘yeast’ as Henry Ford once said – “… the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas” without which, running a business or managing your career, or even your family, becomes a battle not only of your wits but of your energies. And note, this isn’t about your psychometric profile or your education or skill levels, it’s purely about where the direction of your internal drive and energy is coming from, and at what level it is a present.

... motivated AND fulfilled

… motivated AND fulfilled

Get in touch if you’ve got a sneaking suspicion that all’s not what it should be!

And if you’re interested in improving your management style, and more importantly… your ‘followership’, then read this. 

Finally for those of you who think that ‘traditional management styles’ motivate people, then have a deco at Daniel Pink’s RSA video on what helps motivates staff at work. Can you afford not to understand what the detailed narrative of what deeply motivates you, and your team? Can you afford not to increase your own effectiveness (by up to 16x the norm), AND your sense of fulfillment?

One life…

Posted in Critical Thinking Skills, Motivation and Employee Engagement, Personal & Professional Effectiveness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Authenticity, what’s the BIG DEAL… really?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by kikimaurey

Positive mini-swirlThere’s been a recurrent theme as I’ve been going about my business, chatting to leaders and executives, many grappling with reorganization, reducing costs, and striving for sustainable growth. That theme is ‘authenticity’ – fast becoming the buzzword for a new type of leadership.

But what is authenticity and how does it relate to leadership? Unlike rocket science, it’s relatively simple – it’s the ability to be true to yourself whilst at the same time having the leadership and managerial skills that encourage a ‘healthy’ followership. But not any old followership, what we need now is the kind that recognises the mess we’re in globally: That the short-term high-risk competitive behaviours that pander purely to shareholder value, supported by self-centered organisational cultures, has led to an implosion in economic models, and to unstable political times.

Here’s the nub of the matter; erstwhile single-minded models of leadership based on charisma, boldness, risk-taking and extroversion often lead to executive cloning, ‘group think’ and poor decision-making. All this backed up by studies showing that quality decision-making at board level comes with diversity – a diversity of background, ethnicity, gender and of course, personality and outlook.

So ‘who you are is how you lead’ and this is at the heart being an authentic leader. However there’s a huge caveat: If being ‘yourself’ means being a poor communicator, having dubious ethics, being unaware and un-empathetic, closed and secretive, distrusting and inflexible… then clearly you’re unlikely to develop followership or be able to deliver sustainable success.

But for those leaders willing, as management guru Stephen Covey once put it, to “go there first”, the secret is a critical appraisal on oneself in order to develop SELF-KNOWLEDGE. authentic leadersWhen one’s innate personality profile and motivational map is ‘made known’ in the coaching conversation, one’s uniqueness is revealed. And with great coaching support, one can explore and develop the character traits and behaviours that lead to effective followership.

To recap, emergent thinking on being an authentic leader is primarily not about attaining any standard model of leadership perfection. In my view it’s primarily about honing 4 key aspects of individuality that help us to develop more authentic behaviours. This then allows us to be unique and yet still be effective and flexible in order to develop appropriate responses to crisis and constant organisational pressure:

TOP TIPS

Consider these 4 key aspects of my authentic leader model, and see how you rate against each one. What do the results say about you and your ability to be an effective authentic leader? What’s the difference that would make the difference to you as a leader?

  1. I have a great level of self-awareness through an understanding of my innate personality and motivations. I also understand my impact on others, along with an ability to regulate my behaviour to maximise results.
  2. I am happy with self-disclosure, and am willing and able to share my ‘personal story’ in order to demonstrate my track record of flexibility, responsiveness, robustness and resilience.
  3. I consider I have ‘good’ character, that is, I demonstrate consistent integrity, trustworthiness, impartiality, consideration of others, and have a well-defined set of ethical ideals and principles I openly communicate.
  4. I am strategically aware and communicative, being able to express my company’s vision, values and purposes onto a larger ethical and global canvas, a canvas that goes beyond traditional CSR.
... not rocket science, just a certain bravery to 'go there first'!

… not rocket science, just a certain bravery to ‘go there first’!

From my diagram above, you’ll see that I think authentic leadership also involves developing an acuity in 4 main domains of organisational human endeavour: the Intellectual Domain, the Meanings Domain, the Emotional Domain and the Motivational Domain – the combination of which produces exceptional performance in leaders, board members, and in organisational teams.

You can read a little more about these 4 domains here in my last article:

The bottom line then is that learning to be an authentic leader can deliver great results… really! Get in touch if you’d like to discuss anything in this article. It’ll cost you nothing and you’ve nothing to lose.

It’s all about developing the flexibility, insight, and clear-sightedness that engenders stretching results without resorting to unwanted and aggressive behaviors. Leaders who are both self-aware and comfortable in their own skin, but just as importantly, are also comfortable in different contexts and with different personality and motivational types, become adept at navigating ‘uncertainty’ and can bring clarity and sense-making to their staff and teams.

Last Word: for those of you sceptics still stuck in the ‘Naughty Noughties’ before the toxic ‘veritable’ hit the fan, then have a dance to Britney and crack open your last bottle of Bollinger. Change is a-coming, and not before time.

Posted in Becoming an Authentic Leader, Coaching & Mentoring Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Ethics & Spirituality, Motivation and Employee Engagement, Sustainable Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Connecting, and reconnecting in magical ways

Posted on March 26, 2013 by kikimaurey

Eye Opener imageThe New Year started off with much the same verve as the last quarter of 2012. Maybe something really is in the air? I’ve been struck when in meetings with potential new clients, just how eager they are to engage in hearing about refreshing approaches to coaching and leadership, and the ‘the coach-matching’ process has been a real ‘eye-opener’. My rather unconventional career and journey is really coming into its own, and I’m thankful for my grey hairs (every single one earned) and my breadth of experience.

I’m also delighted with how well the latest addition to my coaching toolkit is being taken up by clients. Motivational Map technology is really helping my them ‘unstick’ themselves, whether it be a required breakthrough in their leadership style, or with making key career and business decisions. The maps are also great fun to work with and in 99.9 per cent of folks, uncannily accurate.

... me with the original audience

… dig those shoulder pads!

... dig those shoulder pads!

… the original audience in 1992!

In early January preparations were underway to film the sequel to the production ‘Colour of Love’ filmed by the Southampton Black and Asian Video Panel back in 1992 where I facilitated a studio debate on the issues and challenges of being in mixed heritage relationships. It was a real ‘eye-opener’ to revisit the original footage – oh, those early ‘90s colours. Iconic memories!

... London skies and towers

… London skies and towers

I’m very pleased to say that I’ve commenced an interesting relationship with Acuity Coaching Ltd who provide a managed service to global multi-nationals for the sourcing and management of exec coaches. They are keen to work with me on a number of ideas I have; happily it’s a two-way deal as I’ve already secured senior coaching clients through them.

Following up on conversations with like-minded leaders and clients, I’ve started to work on a model of authentic leadership, with Acuity’s support, looking at what’s really involved in helping managers and senior leaders develop and maintain authentic behaviours – you can read my initial thoughts here.

As an addicted ‘learner’, going to regular events is part of keeping up my professional skills as a coach, so at the end of January I hot-footed it to a very tired looking Bournemouth for a mini-conference on the use of Motivational Maps. It was my first time with other ‘mappers’ apart from the entertaining Steve Jones who trained me – he put on a sparkling presentation that was useful revision.

Thankfully I was able to get to grips with the garden during the short spell of dry weather at the end of January, and been managing to ride out 2-3 times a week – dodging the odd avalanche of sleet, hail and blobby snow. I give thanks for a lively but trustworthy horse that keeps me physically and mentally on my toes.

... the eclectic sights of London!

… the eclectic sights of London!

Early February saw me delivering a keynote entitled “From Survival to Career Success” at the Environment Agency’s BAME Women and Leadership Conference in Westminster. I always love my winter trips to London when the capital looks fabulous in the murky light and despite losing my way a bit, followed a coach and pair clattering past – only to arrive safe and sound at the right venue!

During my presentation, I was able to share some top tips for building a more successful career, including pushing one’s boundaries, maintaining a focus and having a plan, and becoming more self-aware. Later in the afternoon I ran a short workshop on Motivational Maps explaining just how our energies affect our performance at work and in business. This gave the packed room a taster of just how the maps work, and how they can apply the insights gained.

NatWest FarnboroughThe following day I accompanied NatWest Regional Director, Julie Baker to the well-attended NatWest Women in Business Event in their offices in Fowler Avenue, Farnborough. The event guest speaker was Max Benson from Everywoman Ltd who spoke of the business challenges her and business partner Karen Gill had faced over the years, and how they’ve adapted and grown. At lunch afterwards we were joined by Andi Keeling, Director of Women’s Markets for RBS.

Continuing along the theme of regular high quality CPD, I was delighted on 19 February to spend an enjoyable lunch and half a day in Romsey with friends Leslie Spiers of Boardroom Dynamics and Paul Fox of Merryhill Envirotec. Leslie took us through our paces as we revised on the duties and responsibilities of Board members including those codified in the Companies Act of 2006 for both exec and non-exec directors. Sounds a bit ‘dry’ but being just the 3 of us, we were able to exchanged anecdotes and experiences that just added to the fun.

March has been even busier what with new coaching clients coming on stream, facilitating viewings on Holly House in order to sell it, and having lessons on a potential new Reiner, the Sternberg’s 5yo Sail A Spook (aka Scarlett). Getting to know and trust another horse at my age is another real ‘eye-opener’; I don’t feel like hanging up my western spurs just yet as I so love the sport as well as being part of the reining fraternity.

Colour of Love - Revisited PosterThe filming of the ‘Colour of Love – Revisited’ took place at Southampton Solent University on the 7th with a full house in the main auditorium. It was wonderful to welcome back many of the faces who sat in the audience 21 years ago, some of whom were asked to comment on their thoughts and opinions back then, compared to their experiences now.

The evening was opened by Vice-Chancellor, Van Gore and Southampton’s very own Black History Month ‘mastermind’, Don John – with the studio discussion facilitated by me. It was a successful and at times, a hilarious evening – fingers crossed it will make enjoyable viewing. Omar and Craig David also contributed their thoughts on the topic, Colour of Love, and will be featured in the final film… watch this space.

Something on your mind? Get in touch if you think I can be an impartial listening ear… you won’t be sorry you did! 07760 270 392

 

 

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Motivation, the KEY Quotient for your success

Posted on February 4, 2013 by kikimaurey

Positive mini-swirlOver the past year I’ve been struck by the number of CIPD[1] press releases that report a deficit of leadership skills in organisations; low morale and poor productivity of employees; and an army of managers who have little self-awareness and worse still have a negative impact on their teams. All this can be simply disastrous for UK plc – an unengaged and unproductive workforce is contributing to a poor economic recovery.

... miserably demotivated?

… miserably demotivated?

A recent McKinsey article talks about boosting workplace performance through something called the Meaning Quotient, in their words: “… a feeling that what’s happening really matters, that what’s being done has not been done before or that it will make a difference to others.”

The McKinsey article goes onto set out 3 preconditions or Quotients for boosting workplace performance:

1st Quotient is role clarity (or intellectual quotient) – for each of us, a clear understanding of what’s expected of us, with access to the resources and knowledge needed to perform well… “when the IQ of a work environment is low, the energy employees bring to the workplace is misdirected and often conflicting.”

2nd Quotient is an emotionally safe working or team environment – what the McKinsey article refers to as having “… a baseline of trust and respect, constructive conflict, a sense of humor, a general feeling that “we’re in this together,” and the corresponding ability to collaborate effectively… when the EQ of a workplace is lacking, employee energy dissipates in the form of office politics, ego management, and passive-aggressive avoidance of tough issues.”

But this isn’t enough, the authors of the McKinsey article cited a 3rd Quotient – what they call the Meaning Quotient (MQ), “… the peak-performance experience as involving high stakes; excitement; a challenge; and something that the individual feels matters, will make a difference, and hasn’t been done before… When a business environment’s MQ is low, employees put less energy into their work and see it as “just a job” that gives them little more than a paycheck.”

All this chimes well with the sorts of challenges some of my organisational and business clients are battling with, especially within a high change or fast growth agenda.

each of us has powerful internal motivators

each of us has powerful internal motivators

However, there is a 4th KEY Quotient that I call the Motivational Quotient or MoQ – the in-depth knowledge of our most powerful motivators or drivers. For some these are about recognition and respect, for others it’s money, bonuses and perks. And here’s the thing, a one-size fits all remuneration strategy is likely to be wide of the mark with many employees, notably those who are motivated by autonomy, or a deeper meaning, or by acquiring expertise or knowledge, or by power and influence, or by the freedom to be creative and innovative, or recognition and respect, or security and clarity of employment, or even just for the friends they make at work.

These powerful motivators drive individual performance at work, and can be mapped across teams and whole organisations. Having a strategic plan or direction is not enough, neither is having the right skills or role clarity enough, nor making work ‘meaningful’. Human behaviour and motivation is far more subtle and complex, and is powerfully linked to our intrinsic performance at work as well as to our sense of well-being and fulfilment.

So what you might ask, what’s this got to do with me? Well, I’ve been approached by lots of people recently with these queries:

  1. I feel there’s more to be had out of my career, but I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong.
  2. My boss is offering to promote me and pay me more but it holds no attraction for me, I love what I do and work at a high level but something’s not right.
  3. I used to wake up energised on a Monday morning, couldn’t wait to get to work but now I’m beginning to dread Sundays – I can’t understand quite what’s going on with me.
  4. The business is growing fast, I want to be sure I have the right management team in place but everything’s going a bit mad at the moment – some of my best staff are buckling under the pressure.
  5. Lots of change is likely this year for my team, I can’t work out how to engage some of my longest-serving staff who seem to be sticking their heads in the sand right now.
  6. I have a fantastic member of staff who I fear will get poached, I need to know quickly how can I retain them.
  7. Last year was a disaster, we recruited for 2 middle management positions and it just didn’t turn out – it cost us loads and we can’t afford to make the same mistake.

Any of these ring a bell? If so, how about doing a fun test for yourself? Motivational Map Self-Assessment 1-pager

Top Tips - some questions to ask of yourself, and / or even your team or organisation:

  • How well do I understand my own powerful motivators, let alone others?
  • Does my score surprise me, if so why?
  • Does my remuneration package stroke me or frustrate me, and why might it be the case?
  • How much more effective as a leader could I be if I understood the complexity of powerful motivators in my team, or my business?
  • How might I engage myself and my team(s) in all 4 Quotients (intellectual, emotional, meaning, and motivational)?

Two years ago the Government launched a Taskforce to boost employee engagement and to build on the 2009 report Engaging for Success which was commissioned by the last government in recognition of the economic outfall of low staff engagement and productivity.

Call me and tell me how you’re getting on, it’s free and it’s easy – just text 07760 270 392, alternatively, email me.

Coaching Tools Kiki uses

 

[1] The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Posted in Career Planning, Critical Thinking Skills, Motivation and Employee Engagement, Personal & Professional Effectiveness, Positive thinking, Taking control | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments