Ensuring we step into our potential – lessons from snowboarding

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Are you being intentional about giving yourself the best chance to grow in skills, competence and experience or are you holding yourself back? I’m not talking about the obvious ways we can grow like training courses but how we approach our work day to day. I’ve been reflecting on how our ability to stretch ourselves depends on how we manage our comfort zone. A recent snowboarding holiday at Whistler, BC, Canada has provided me with some lessons that might help you if you want to be sure you are giving yourself the best chance of growth.

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When did you last say “No” at work?

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Image by Andrew Martin

Following on from my January post, I’ve been reflecting on the positive power of the simple word “No”. Recently, some of the managers and leaders that I have been coaching have been wrestling with finding (or making) time to do the ‘right’ things, in part because they have taken on work for others. This assumes of course that they have determined what the ‘right’ things are – both for their organisation but also for themselves.

In this short blog I’m exploring some considerations for managers and leaders who may find themselves in the same position.

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Making space for strategic thinking

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Are you a senior leader who recognises that they need to be more strategic? I’ve recently worked with 3 senior leaders who had this development focus – one as a senior consultant in the NHS, one in a global role in FMCG, and one as a senior director in investment services. They all had two things in common (1) they cared passionately about something (2) they had a huge sense of accountability and responsibility, so much so that they didn’t always know when to say no. These two factors both impacted their ability to dedicate time to strategic thinking because of the way that they focused their time.

If this feels familiar, read on for where to start so that you create the space you need for strategic thinking and focus – it’s not just about what you do, but also about how you think.

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A seasonal gift – 6 key reflection questions

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Credit: CarlosDavid.org Stock Image and Video Portfolio – iStock (istockphoto.com)

Today I’m sharing a seasonal gift from me – a chance to learn from your year and set yourself up for the next one – a reason to pause in the busy time leading up to Christmas and the start of a New Year.

I’m sharing  6 reflection questions for you to select from when you choose to give yourself a much needed moment for you. There’s one for every two months of the year but you can choose to just answer one or two now to close out your year, or perhaps pick one every other month for next year. They work equally well for your professional life or your personal life – you can choose what lens to apply.

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Listen in – Making Hybrid Work (as a manager)

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This is the final blog in a series relating to supporting managers in setting up their hybrid team for success. This month I’m sharing to ways to listen to, and view, some key tips for managers related to the model above.

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How to nurture connection as a hybrid team manager

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Photo Credit: SolStock Stock Image and Video Portfolio – iStock (istockphoto.com)

Continuing a series of blogs that aim to support managers of hybrid teams in ensuring their teams are connected, engaged, cohesive and able to perform, this month we focus on connection. Rather than being nice to have, connection is an essential of the hybrid working age. Research from BetterUp explains that it is not just that people have become more isolated, but that companies need stronger connections with and among their people to have the committed, adaptable, resilient, and mentally fit workforce that they need. In their survey more than half said they want and need more connection in the workplace. Read on to understand why connection is important, and what you can do as a manager to encourage and nurture effective connection.

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Your manager mindset for effective team hybrid working

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Photo Credit: Meeko Media

Over the last few months, Geri McKenna and I have shared a number of blogs related to ensuring your team is working effectively in a hybrid way. This month, we are focusing on considering your mindset as a manager and will share some thoughts on what mindset will best serve you as a hybrid team manager so that you intentionally support your team and act as a role model.

Let’s start with what, if any, assumptions are you making about hybrid working?

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Being productive when working in a hybrid way

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[This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC]

In our July blog, we shared three principles for hybrid working and four practical steps to set your team up for success.  We also invited you to consider how you might consider supporting your teams as they re-learn how to work in an office space, as well as re-define what being productive looks like in a hybrid world. In this blog, we help you to consider that definition of productivity in more detail and how you, and your team members, might select different types of work to do, or ways to spend your time, from home versus when in the office in order to be productive.

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Four steps to decide your hybrid working approach

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In our last 2 month’s blogs, Geri McKenna and I have made the case for intentionally designing the way that your hybrid team works (May 2022) as well as sharing what you told us about your experiences (June 2022).

In this blog, building on our learning from coaching teams and the latest research, we are sharing 3 principles for hybrid working and 4 practical steps to set your team up for success.

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Leading your hybrid team – what you told us

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Since last month’s blog, the first of a series on leading a hybrid team successfully, we’ve run a survey on LinkedIn to better understand real life experiences of hybrid working currently. In this month’s blog we’ll share the highlights along with some considerations to support you in leading your hybrid team.

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