Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

The Benefits of Consciousness in meetings

What another meeting? Do you dread the thought?

Running an effective meeting is more than sending out a meeting request to a number of people with a time and place. Time is a precious and limited resource that turning time spent in meetings into sustained results is a priority for any successful organization.  Successful meetings require planning, preparation, execution, and follow up prior, during, and after the meeting. With structure and order meetings become an effective tool and applying the steps used in the Beyond Coaching  training can have an amazing energized result.

 Starting with a clear purpose for the meeting clearly set out in the meeting request. Draw up an agenda then stick to the format and time allocated.

A useful format to follow is :

  • Where are we at today
  • Checking back on assignments/action items (Not getting stuck in story – it is either complete or not? Can you still complete and if so by when?)
  • What has happened since our last meeting
  • Discuss and reach agreement on what we want to achieve. Don’t finish any discussion in the meeting without deciding how to act on it.
  • How are we going to achieve the purpose/ what needs to be done
  • Assign tasks with deadlines and hold each other accountable.

Finally, after the meeting prepare and forward the minutes, This is simply a record of what was agreed upon or achieved and an action item list of who is responsible for what and my when.

When we are in integrity during a meeting and accept an assignment with commitment to complete by an agreed date we achieve so much more. Meetings now shift from being a reporting tool to an action tool.

 

50 Cent on Conscious Capitalism

Conscious Capitalism Conference, 21st – 24th May, Boston

I am really excited to be attending the 4th Annual Conscious Capitalism Conference with in Boston in May with fellow smartRevolution Founder, Gina Hayden.  If this is for you, the time to book is now!  Let me know if you are attending, it will be great to see you there.

Conscious leaders driving conscious businesses is informing what we do and how we do it today.  The tipping point has occurred and we are seeing people in business and government talking about ethical capitalism, moral capitalism and conscious capitalism freely – a great concept perhaps?  So when and how and what can we do to move the conceptual into reality?  And why do it?

As the ‘old school’ theories, concepts and road-maps around being a great leader are tested and found lacking in our businesses, communities and world today, the rise of conscious leadership is driving a better, smarter way forward.  We all know that culture is top down.  If you are the leader or part of the leadership team in your organisation, you are responsible for the culture you create and the quality of relationships you have with all stakeholders internally and externally.  You are consciously, or indeed perhaps unconsciously, causing the effects you see around you.

A great starting point in informing your take on this is Firms of Endearment - How World Class Companies PROFIT from Passion and Purpose by Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth and David B. Wolfe.  Happy reading :-)

Conscious Leadership: Inside-out vs. Outside-in

There is much to be said about the ability to think from “outside-in” as a leader.  Leaders who are able to focus on the effects of events on all stakeholdersare without doubt the most effective, especially in times of crisis.

Saying this, the leap from inside-out i.e. “how does this affect me, how will I be perceived, what will my peers think, am I an effective leader, how am I going to get through this?” to outside-in is only possible once you know yourself and can get yourself out of the way!

It’s a little like public speaking.  To begin with, most of us are concerned with ourselves.  “I can’t breathe, my palms are sweaty, my heart is racing, will I remember my words, will they like me, am I going to make a complete ass out of myself, what if I drop my crib notes, what if they walk out mid speech..?”  And on it goes.  The voice in our head is full of doubt, full of ego, identity, of self.

And as we master the art of speaking, we gain confidence.  We begin to be concerned with our audience.  “What do I need to do to connect with each and every person in the room, how can I deliver a powerful ‘take-away’, what value can I impart, how can I inspire, motivate, inform, educate and/or entertain?”  We shift from inside-out to outside-in thinking, being and doing.  And that’s a beautiful place to be.

So make the leap, take the chance, dive in, risk it and get going.  We can only be in this incredible space by giving it our all and learning from our near misses and greatest successes along route.  Afterall, there is no static destination, only a rich, varied and eventful journey.

2012 The Year of Fluidity

 

I’ve dubbed 2012 the year fluidity.  From necessity in life and the markets.  2011 was, in my humble book, the year of resistance.  We ranted and railed and defaulted on a big brash country scale.  We held on as tightly as possible not really  getting ‘what was’ had already escaped us in 2009, discarded us in 2010 and made it felt in 2011.

Cause and effect have changed.  If we do this we get that.  Actually, if we do this, we get a lucky dip.  Perhaps curiosity is the only sanity.  If we do this, what will we get?  And if we do it again, what else will crop up?  Somehow, one has to have a sense of humour regardless of the outcome.  And fluidity – are we able to move with the tides, the natural ebb and flow and stay on our toes knowing we can control little above our state of mind or the context we operate in – or in navel gazing speak, our consciousness?

A great dins last night with a diverse, influential group of people.  All involved in the markets in some way shape or form.  And the debate, well it was varied.  And it was fluid.  No conclusive answers and many searching Q’s?

TTaking stock in a new year seems to be a natural phenomenon.  What was 2011 all about, am I doing more than treading water, and what do I want to achieve this year?  No small Q’s and yet little steps are the only solution.  Stay fluid, take a small step at a time, be mindful and present to every nuance.

This, incase you are wondering, is as much of a note to you as to self!   Wishing you and yours the best of the best this 2012.

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