A Tale of Tempting Marshmallows

Whilst walking along our local High Street, I noticed a large display of pink marshmallows in the window of our local bakers.

This reminded me of the story shared by Daniel Goleman in his first book on the subject of Emotional Intelligence. A study was carried out on young children to see whether they would be able to resist temptation for a potentially greater reward which in this study was two marshmallows instead of the one that was available immediately. Goleman describes the many tactics used by the children to distract themselves away from the waiting treat for what appeared to them like hours, when in fact the experiment only lasted 15 minutes. Around a third of the children succumbed to the treat, whilst the remainder were disciplined enough to succeed in the challenge.

Years later the study went on to establish what had happened to each of the children as they transitioned into adulthood. Interestingly there appeared to be a clear correlation between those children who were disciplined enough to hold on for the second marshmallow and their ongoing success as an adult. Conversely those children who were tempted to immediately access the single marshmallow fared less successfully, often over reacting to the various situations they found themselves in and acting impulsively.It could be concluded that this experiment highlights two distinct personality traits that people are born with however Goleman reasons that these different behavioural responses can indeed be influenced and developed by an individual.

As a leader we sometimes encounter poor performing members of the team who suggest the reason for their shortcomings is down to "just being the way I am". Perhaps no one has invested time to firstly challenge this assumption and secondly support the individual to work on their behaviour. For some this can be identifying and working on the limiting beliefs held by the person to help them break out of a cycle that has steadily become ingrained over time. This cycle begins with the limiting belief which then impacts emotions that subsequently influence behaviours which ultimately affect the outcome. The often negative outcome only serves to reinforce the limiting belief held by the individual and cycle continues.

The key therefore is to really focus in on the belief that is underpinning the behaviour and challenging the reasons why that person holds the belief. Often these reasons start to become no more than excuses when identified and viewed in isolation creating the opportunity to systematically develop a new, more positive belief in place of the limiting one.

It's amazing how this whole thought process can be triggered off by a single random observation. 

The brain is indeed a wonderful piece of technology!

For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your company’s competitive advantage please click here.

Resilience in the Classroom

It was interesting to see a report in this week’s Evening Standard regarding an initiative to train teachers to help support their pupils become more resilient. The article suggests that the reason for such an approach is that our children have somehow gone ‘’soft’’ and don’t know how to cope with failure. This is an interesting take on resilience and although the elements of the programme detailed make absolute sense I do hope that the initiative helps address long term development of resilience which for me also includes wellbeing.

From what I can understand the training will support students to set clear goals, encourage optimistic thinking and help manage emotions. These areas fit well into the headings of ‘Structure’ and ‘Attitude’ which underpin the SAW system developed by myself to coach clients through ‘The Resilient Leader’ programme. Clear goals, developed from a having a sense of purpose provide individuals with a meaningful and realistic framework upon which they can achieve future aspirations. Changing key personality traits is problematical however developing behaviours and attitude through building an individual’s self esteem, pragmatic optimism and regard for others is realistic and very achievable.

Walking back from a coaching session today it was interesting to note the activities of passing children enjoying their half term holiday. A number were congregating outside a takeaway enjoying chips and burgers whilst a couple were having a smoke, ironically outside a ‘Health’ centre. Now I guess my Reticular Activating System was aroused sufficiently from reading the article to note these finer details and admittedly I did see a number of children cycling around enjoying themselves. The question I ask myself is around the opportunity to engage children in the basic art of healthy living and ‘Wellbeing’. Now you may be thinking I need to lighten up a bit and let kids enjoy themselves and address ‘health’ issues when they hit full on adulthood. However it is a statistical fact that an obese adolescent is likely to have obese parents. 

I firmly believe that taking a proactive approach to our wellbeing is a fundamental component of building individual resilience, providing  higher grade ‘fuel’ to drive the bodies engine when tough terrain is encountered. This analogy may give the impression that I’m talking only about diet and exercise, however it’s so much more than this. The quantity and quality of sleep are vital components of wellbeing yet I know from firsthand experience that many teenagers stay up until the early hours. Brain stimulation is another area that shouldn’t be neglected especially at an early age. Mastering a musical instrument or artistic pursuit were often ways of expanding the mind, however I wonder whether the same expansion occurs when sat with an I pad on the lap? Technology is a wonderful thing; however, I admittedly struggle to remember the last time I did some rudimentary maths in my head.

I wish everyone involved with the ‘Young Foundation’s Resilience Project’ the very best and hope the model is taken up outside of the London pilot. I also hope that The Department of Education also ensures that pupil Wellbeing remains high on the curriculum.

For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your company’s competitive advantage please click here.

Resilient Football Musings

So it's been an interesting week for English football as another manager of the national side waves farewell to what appears apart from running a bank, the most high pressured job one could possibly have. 

Consider what it was that Capello had that helped him secure the job in the first place? 

He certainly had a good track record of success overseas and appeared determined to succeed in the role when first appointed, engaging in English lessons at the earliest opportunity. In terms of having good structures in place it appeared that Capello ticked all the boxes with disciplined rituals and routines underpinned by a strong sense of purpose. 

However was his attitude towards the role really at the level it needed to be?

It was interesting to hear that Capello felt he only needed to learn 100 words to fully converse with the players and provide them with enough inspiration to produce the success we all craved. The cracks clearly began to show at the 2010 World Cup where rumours of unrest and unmotivated players translated to poor lacklustre performances and a disappointing early exit. Perhaps Capello thought he had cracked the challenge after achieving early success, however is this really an example of winning a couple of battles rather than the war in terms of engaging the hearts and minds of the players. He may well have had a clear vision of what was needed and what he wanted to see in his players however did he truly ever manage to engage them to a level that we see demonstrated by the likes of Alex Ferguson week after week.

Engagement is the middle key component of Steve Radcliffes F-E-D (Future , Engage, Deliver). In his book 'Leadership Plain and Simple', Steve highlight how often he has seen leaders overlook the importance of great engagement when implementing a new strategic direction. Capello might have had a very clear future vision and purpose in his own mind but did he really ever have the right language to share it with his team. 

Also,consistent regular communication is so important when leading, providing an opportunity for team members to feedback corcerns and positively challenge.This later point is particularly difficult to achieve within the set up of managing a national team, with limited time frames to bring players together. 

So perhaps it's fair to conclude that It was Capellos attitude that ultimately led to his resignation.

It will be interesting to see how any successor tackles these vital components of leadership. At the time of writing many are hoping that Harry Redknapp will be persuaded to take on the role. If successful I somehow doubt whether he will ever be accused of not having the right attitude towards his players.

Watch this space.

For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your company’s competitive advantage please click on the link below.
http://www.martincrisp.com/freebook/

Get a new habit for 2012

Hopefully you’ve managed to spend some time with family and friends over the festive period. I find the period in between Christmas and New Year a chance to reflect on the year ahead and also an opportunity to review progress against previously set personal goals.

On the eve of a new year it can be very tempting to come up with some pretty stretching resolutions to get stuck into as the beginning of January gets under way. However how many times have we found that those ambitious good intentions fall by the wayside within a few weeks, if not sometimes days?

It is often the small changes in our behaviour that once practiced eventually become habitual helping us make some major progress towards larger, more challenging goals.

So what can you do to maximise the chances of success? Here is a process for you to consider that could help build some routines that will help you achieve your bigger goals.

1. Firstly review some of your existing goals and identify one that is still incomplete and in need of some additional focus. You may have found that other distractions got in the way. This can be particularly common if the goal is particularly large and challenging which can often lead to procrastination.
   
2. Identify a daily habit that could help you move forwards towards your goal.
   Research suggests it takes 21 days to build a particular action into a habit so that is why you need to pick an action that you can carry out everyday.Here are a couple of examples:
   Identify a specific time of no more than 45 minutes first thing in the morning to review and respond to emails. Do not be tempted to return to them until later in the afternoon and again for no longer than 45 minutes. This will not only free up time to work on your bigger goals but provide you with less distractions to improve focused attention.
   If your bigger goal is improving personal health then choose one daily change that will be beneficial. This could be as simple as having breakfast everyday or preparing a healthy mid-morning snack to take into work.
   
   
3. Once you’ve decided on the daily action you need to write it down as follows.
   
   ‘For the next 21 days I am going to ..........................................................................’
   
   Put the written commitment somewhere where you will see it everyday to remind you of your pledge.
   
4. Finally identify someone who will help support you through the next 21 days. They need to be someone who will both hold you to account and help motivate you to succeed
   
   Best wishes for 2012 and hope that those new habits will help accelerate you closer to achieving the goals that will truly make a difference in the year ahead.
   
   For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your company’s competitive advantage please click on the link below.
   http://www.martincrisp.com/freebook/

Gotta be 'kerfing' for resilience

It’s been a busy couple of week for me which has impacted on the time I’ve had to blog. I’ve been working hard to finish updating ‘The Resilient Leader’ programme which will be ready for launching in the New Year.

It’s been a good example of where you really have to focus in on a priority to achieve a specific goal within a fixed timeline. Like most people in business I believe I can improve and know I need to effectively manage the time I give myself to manage my emails and other communications. The first step is ‘habitulising’ the discipline of only working on emails at fixed times, whilst managing expectations of those who assume that a response will be immediately forthcoming. I’m getting pretty good at this, however I do need to work on keeping the amount of time set aside for emails down to a minimum.

Focus is a key part of ‘The Resilient Leader’ programme as it provides you with a clearer structure to your working day that allows the cut through to complete key tasks.

Structure is one of the three components of the S-A-W (Structure, Attitude, Wellbeing) system that I work through with clients. 

Whilst researching the programme I came up with a interesting word which I’ve never come across before.

The word is ‘kerf’

If you look at the section of a traditional hand saw you can see that the teeth flare out alternatively allowing the blade to cut through the material without getting jammed.

The total width of the flared teeth is known as the ‘kerf’ of the blade and is critical for a saw to perform effectively.

I really like the word and thought about how I could use it as an acronym that summarises the benefits of adopting the S-A-W system.

I came up with the following....

Keep...

Energised – taking action to fuel both mind and body (Wellbeing)

Related – to self and others (Attitude)

Focused – to achieve desired outcomes (Structure)

So I will keep ‘kerfing’ to ensure that normal blogging service is resumed!


For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your company's competitive advantage please click on the link below


http://www.martincrisp.com/freebook/

Refreshing the parts other activities cannot reach

‘Will nature make a man of me yet’ is a line from The Smiths rather wonderful song ‘This Charming Man’. The band provided me with the soundtrack to my years at university and it is with some excitement that I will hear those songs performed live again tonight by tribute band ‘The Smyths’.

This week has been quite reflective for me.

On Sunday and Monday I enjoyed a restful two day break in the heart of the Cotswolds with my wife. During this time we visited the rather wonderful Westonbirt Arboretum which is currently showcasing stunning woodland full of brilliant autumnal colours. Go to http://www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt for more information.

Returning recharged I noticed a significantly sharper edge to my questioning when coaching three of my clients which I believe added more value to the sessions.

Last night I indulged in yet more nostalgia by heading off to Ally Pally to see The Specials; another era defining band from my youth. Interesting how their songs which defined the unrest of the early 80’s feel so relevant in today’s turbulent world. The energy, joy and passion of the audience made the concert truly memorable, helping you forget the lack of intimacy of the cavernous venue.

So what have been the benefits of all this fresh air and live music in terms of building resilience?

Well I can think of three areas...

Firstly the opportunity to both recharge the batteries and gain some perspective about what’s really important in life.  Getting back to nature can be really grounding as you admire the trees and plants that have been  around for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Nature also helps us appreciate that everything in life is cyclical and that includes us humans. We need time to recharge and recuperate to allow us to be at our best, whether that be getting a good night’s sleep or working in smarter 90 minute chunks during the day.

Finally we sometimes forget the beneficial effects of being able to indulge ourselves in the interests and passions we know provides us with so much energy and enthusiasm. As you can probably guess I love seeing live music and always find it never fails to provide me with a natural high that helps me in other aspects of my life.

So to paraphrase an old beer advert...What are you going to be doing this weekend to help recharge, reenergise and refresh the parts other tasks and activities cannot reach?

or.... 

in the words of Morrissey.... ‘What difference will it make?’

For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your company’s advantage please click on the link below

http://www.martincrisp.com/freebook/

Resilient reflections from a hospital bed

In the grand scheme of things I really wasn't expecting to be reflecting on what an emergency admission to hospital can teach us the resilient leader however hear I am on the 7th floor of my local hospital looking across the West London skyline.
So what have been the three big learns for me over the past couple of days?


How would you react to the unexpected?


Four days ago I was completing a two day workshop on how building relationships support effective leaders. The group were excellent and it was a pleasure to be around such highly motivated individuals. During the second day I noticed that I was getting an increasingly painful ache on the right side of my abdomen. By the time I got home I could barely get out of the car. After finding little relief from taking some painkillers my wife and I took a taxi to our local A & E. Various consultations were leading towards the options of constipation, kidney stones, gall bladder and finally appendicitis. After various tests the latter was confirmed and within 24 hours I was in the operating theatre.
So how did I react?
Well quite philosophically in that I immediately thought through the implications of being out of action for a short period of time.
I did have an important meeting the next day however a text and a phone call from my wife  was met with total appreciation of the situation and a future date tbc.
It is times like this when it's easy to think of all the negative implications of the unexpected however a useful exercise to do is answer the 5 'worst case scenarios' questions that come to mind. It's amazing how potential solutions arise which demonstrate how enterprising we can become at times of challenge.


Stay positive and flexible


Being creatures of habit, imposed change can always be challenging, however this experience has taught me that even the more undesirable experiences offer up opportunities. For example the time in hospital has given me some valuable thinking time to work through the next three months in my mind and map them out on my iPad. I also had some time to read through a book I had wanted to work through which probably would have been pushed back to later in the year.
The power of the blackberry helps keep us in touch with family and friends and it has been so positive to receive so many warm wishes of support. The power of the iPad means my wife and I have been indulging in our scrabble addiction during visiting time.
And finally I was able to read the weekend papers thoroughly without distraction or guilt which has been a real treat.
So I'm certainly not coming out of the experience thinking I've wasted four days of my life.


Be prepared


The good news is that I am writing this posting with a view to being discharged after three days of surgery. Many of the patients sharing my ward are here for the longer term. I do believe that maintaining good health in your everyday life does hold you in good stead for when emergencies happen. It has got to be the ultimate health insurance that we all need to invest in.
For a free copy of my guide to the seven steps that can improve your companies advantage please click on the link below

http://www.martincrisp.com/freebook/