What Makes Change So Difficult?

A POETIC INTERLUDE:AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS
by Portia Nelson

I

I walk, down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in

I am lost.... I am helpless

It isn't my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don't see it.

I fall in again

I can't believe I am in the same place but, it isn't my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it there.'

I still fall in.... it's a habit, my eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

How Coachable Are You?

How do you feel about receiving feedback at work? Do you welcome it, or do you cringe?

Effective leaders understand the value of coaching and feedback, both giving and receiving, when it is done with care. Sometimes we need another point of view to understand how we are really perceived by others. If we are willing to accept feedback, it can make us feel more appreciated, and guide us to better performance. Those who are willing to accept feedback also become better at giving it.

So why do some of us get so nervous about it? Because we tend to worry more about negative messages than to expect positive ones. In fact, coaching can (and should!) be used to recognize success as much as improve performance. It can generate new ideas. What about ‘negative’ feedback? Most people who have been coached realize it is not so scary after all, and usually very helpful.

Here are some tips for becoming more coachable:

o Trust in the good intentions of the person giving you feedback. Even if they are not yet skilled in the process, they are making an effort to help you succeed.

o Recognize that it’s normal to feel nervous. Many people are uncomfortable hearing things about themselves, whether positive or negative.

o Focus only on listening. Breathe. Pay attention to the full message, verbal and non-verbal.

o Take time to absorb feedback before you respond. Don’t dismiss it or react defensively. Use what you hear as a starting point for more conversation, if necessary.

o Make sure you understand. The feedback process requires effort from the receiver as well as the giver, so ask for clarification and examples if you need to. By the end of the conversation, both parties should be satisfied with the result.

o Be honest. If it’s really not the right time, or if you feel overwhelmed, say so. Be prepared to come back and start again later.

o Ask for feedback. Requesting a coaching session when you feel ready can make it more comfortable for you.

o Look toward the future. Coaching can help you grow. If you choose not to accept feedback, not to change, will your current path take you where you want to go?

Advance Corporate Training Ltd. (www.actraining.com) is offering a new one week Workplace Performance Coaching certificate. Public workshope in Vancouver, Yellowknife and Inuvik - in house also available. Contact us at 604.521.5473 or events@actraining.com for more details.

Tips for a Winning Holiday Recruitment Strategy

6 Tips for Creating a Winning Holiday Recruitment Strategy for Hourly Workers!

When it comes to the holiday hiring of hourly workers, employers need to put together a recruitment plan well before the radio stations start playing "Jingle Bell Rock". Here's a list of six tips from SnagAJob.com you can use in your holiday recruitment process:

1. Get an early start. Advertise open positions as early as October in order to snatch up quality employees before other companies beat you to it. Use an integrated recruitment strategy including "Help Wanted" signs, newspaper ads and online job postings.

2. Interview equally. Use a similar interview process for temporary employees as you would for permanent ones. Remember: You want qualified workers with an interest in the industry, not just available bodies.

3. Keep an open mind. Although you're initially only looking for seasonal employees, holiday employees could become valued workers to whom you want to offer a more steady position later on – or at least invite back for future seasonal / temporary engagements.

4. Play up the perks. Highlight benefits in job postings and reiterate them during interviews. Keep in mind that job seekers are consumers too, and with family and friends to buy gifts for, they'll appreciate an employee discount on merchandise or free meals to help cut costs.

5. Focus on quality over quantity. Although the window of time may be tight when it comes to seasonal hiring, avoid offering jobs to just anyone who submits an application. Look for people who can stay focused during the holiday rush or who you would want to ask back next holiday season.

6. Give some direction. Set up a holiday orientation or training session before the rush starts. This will save you time training people on the job when business really gets crazy.

The holidays can be a hectic time both in your personal and professional life, so you can't afford to be shorthanded or hire the wrong employees. Use these tips when you're putting together a recruitment strategy for seasonal hourly workers and your holiday hiring season will go as smoothly a glass of eggnog after a Black Friday shopping spree.

Managing Multiple Projects

Managing multiple projects presents many unique challenges to a project manager. In addition to developing an integrated plan for a single project, the project manager must satisfy conflicting stakeholder needs and balance resources and schedules in a multiple project environment. Shared resources must be managed through project prioritization.

When evaluating and selecting projects, key business drivers and the organization strategic goals are often not considered. Learning to apply a set of “filters” to assess all projects prior to making a “go-no-go” decision to commence a specific project is one of the key skills. Another is the application of scheduling techniques such as buffer management, which can aid the project manager in producing more realistic schedules.

Challenges

Many organizations have adopted project management best practices to manage projects more effectively, but project management on its own will not bring about the changes in improved performance that organizations are looking for. Project managers might try to compete for resources that are working on other projects in order to force their own projects ahead of schedule. Some of the consequences are:

· Other projects are delayed even more.
· Key staff members are working 60-hour work-weeks.
· Priority projects that only require two months of effort now take two
years to complete.
· Most projects run late.

Where to Start?

The first step in managing multiple projects is to assess the long list of potential projects and apply a system to help in the selection of projects.

Projects are often selected and prioritized based on filters and criteria like:
· Business Case
· Strategic importance
· Benefit or value to the organization
· Return on Investment
· Feasibility
Project managers then prepare a report and make a “Go” or “No Go” decision with key decision makers to commit to doing the project.

Selection Techniques

The selection and prioritization of projects is a two-step process:

1) Develop a balanced portfolio of projects. By categorizing projects, senior management recognizes that there are separate and distinct types and classes of projects and can assign teh right people to the right projects.

2) To promote the organization's long-term health and growth, it needs to invest in projects from each category. Project selection becomes a strategic business decision.

Dance Your Way to Project Management Success

RUMBA- The Fail Proof Project Management Dance

To interact with another is a complicated endeavour; project management is likened to dancing; it is a complicated, yet unified balance which requires total focus and complete awareness. RUMBA is a key component in the success of managing an efficient project.

REASONABLE- Interaction and direction within a project team should be Reasonable at all times; communicating reasonable goals aide in the balance between progress and success of the project with the importance of personnel management. Creating reasonable goals or ideas, staff will “buy in” and personalize the task at hand.

UNDERSTANDABLE- By verbalising tasks, goals and directions in an understandable way, you will ensure that your staff and Project Team are on the same page. Many times, it will take a variety of meetings or communicative methods to unify; by providing the communication in an Understandable and clear way, success is right around the corner!

MEASURABLE- When the goal is too large or the message is too broad, teams can become disillusioned and will often give up, making it a complicated challenge for the best Project Managers. By offering ideas and messages that are measurable and realistic, the team will be able to understand how and when they will reach the goal. Once the Goal is attained and measured, there will be a sense of accomplishment and pride through the group. By creating MEASURABLE goals for your group, they will feel inspired and will continue to work towards the next measurable task.

BELIEVABLE- Believe in your project! Set the stage and demonstrate your belief in what the end result is and what the success of the project will mean. If the role, goal or direction is not a subject that is believable, what would be the point of trying to accomplish it? The best Project Managers instil a belief and expectation that this goal and project can be and will be successful. When you create belief for the project and vision, connection grows; when teams have a connection to the project, they will want to see it succeed.

ACHIEVABLE- Project Managers often lay out the plan for the whole project at the kick off meetings, yet they often leave out the crucial aspect of explaining specific and achievable milestones. How can a team buy into a goal that has a scope that is too broad? Why would they want to? A goal that is achievable is definable, measurable and offers incentive; an achievable goal should offer personal connection to stimulate the personal achievement. In order to create achievable goals, Project Managers should communicate specific milestones and offer assistance for the achievement of the small milestones and large, completed project.

RUMBA is a dance that Project Managers will need to be experts at in order to create a team that works towards the project goal as efficiently and systematically as the Project Manger does, although in this dance, someone’s got to lead! To Learn More about RUMBA and how to enhance your Project Management skills, Advance Corporate Training offers many advanced courses in the Project Management field. Contact us at our office at 604.521.5473 for more information on how you can fine tune YOUR Project Management Skills!

How Advance Corporate Training incorporates brain-based learning

Advance Corporate Training Ltd. (ACT) is a brain-based learning specialist - our logo represents the six key secrets to ensuring learning takes hold in the learner and can transfer back to the workplace. Here are the six secrets and why engaging each one of them encourages higher learning levels.

Personal Relevance
(Association Cortex)
When we associate learning with what we already know, we are more open to a new idea. Info that supports our existing knowledge is better retained and transferred on-the-job.

Kinesthetic Learning
(Motor Cortex)
When we are engaged physically while learning, our brain operates more efficiently and we are better able to apply learned skills consistently.

Emotion & Engagement
(Somatosensory Cortex)
Emotion is often missing in many adult learning environments. When we emotionally connect to the material we learn more and deeper. ACT designs all its courses to engage this cortex.

Auditory Learning
(Auditory Cortex)
When we listen and speak we deepen our understanding. This cortex needs time to engage, so the start of all conversations should be “losable” data.

Visual Learning
(Visual Cortex)
We all need to have visual stimulation to be energized by learning. If we visualize our changed performance, we are more able to achieve it.

Broca's Area
Our ability to communicate clearly and to understand complex concepts is controlled here. Without learning that engages this area of the brain, we know but we don't understand and can't share our knowledge. True learning occurs after we achieve understanding, and performance change can not occur without understanding. This area was identified in 1861 by Pierre Paul Broca to be the “seat of articulation”.

Quick lesson on leadership

Here is a great "quick read" on leadership...

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