What did I learn today?

What did I learn today? Tonight I had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful evening with some equally beautiful friends and in the course of the evening I started to reflect on something that was taught to me many years ago by my father. At the end of the school day my family would all sit around the dinner table and my father would ask me- "so what did you learn today?". Usually my face would be a blank and this would of course reflect my mind. I could remember nothing! I would say "I don't know' and then my father would ask me "how could that be-you were only there a few hours ago and yet you cannot remember anything that you did in the whole day-was there anything really important that you discovered?"- Another blank stare from me with the answer -" I don't know!

Eventually I came to understand that I had to remember things during my school day so when asked at the end of the day this question I would have something to answer. I could not just make it up because it had to be the truth and if it was a lie then I know that he would know and that would become even worse. So I had to remember.

As I became older I discovered the real value in this question and today in some of our Programs we feature the personal exercise called "What did I learn yesterday?". We remind people that at the end of each day we should all find time to reflect on the most important learning of that day. Reflect on it and think about it. Because as we continue doing this we start to learn more about our self and we can see that this is not only a part of our own self development but also self awareness and from this greater emerging self understanding we find wisdom.

When you practise this exercise you will then start to see a few benefits on the path to wisdom.

Firstly we begin to understand ourselves better
Secondly we learn that by understanding ourselves better we can then understand others better
Thirdly we learn that regardless of how different we all look we all basically are the same-we share the same deep doubts and uncertainties within life. By understanding ourselves better in turn we can see how all things and all people fit together.

In doing this exercise on a regular basis we therefore commence the development of self wisdom and this is one of the key elements of being a Noble Leader. Learn about yourself by asking this question:

"What did I learn today?"

After this very pleasant evening I returned to my home and went for a walk and in so doing I began to reflect on this question and this is what I discovered:

"Let me tell you about Sasha-he is always happy -very happy-happy to be with me-happy to be with others-happy to meet new people -happy to go walking and happy to go for a drive in the car. When he is busy doing things that he sees as important then he is very focused but still happy-when he is hungry he eats and when he is tired then he sleeps-when he wants just to sit then he just sits. He knows the value of drinking plenty of water each day and also the benefits of a long walk each day. He is very health conscious.

He is always very welcoming to all guests -he truly greets them and makes them all feel special as if they are the only person in the room. When they leave he always makes them feel that their presence has truly made his day. He loves everybody unconditionally-he is not prejudiced at all. At the start of each day he runs to me and greets me like we have not seen each other for such a long time. I love Sasha very much and although he seems also to love everyone else I do hope that he loves me the most.

Sasha is my dog and so I can ask myself "What did I learn today".

Sasha taught me the value of being happy regardless of the circumstances. He taught me just to be myself and to be spontaneous. He reminded me of the importance and benefits of the simple things in life. He is indeed a Noble Dog and in his way a wonderful Noble Leader.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Noble Leadership Message for 2012

We hope you are enjoying a peaceful break from the workplace and that your return in 2012 will be filled with much positive inspiration, success and fulfilment.

A fresh start, a new beginning, the New Year is full of possibilities. With New Year’s resolutions in mind, we have selected some Aspirations that you may care to consider as a Resolution to be implemented in 2012.

Remember that Noble Inspirational Leaders:

ü  Give Hope to Others

ü  Share themselves with others

ü  Clearly demonstrate the Values to which they aspire particularly under the most demanding conditions

We urge you to consider these as your options for a New Year Resolution.

During 2011we expanded our Programs and our delivery options. Our range now includes Self-Leadership workshops and programs for individuals, teams and in-house executive groups. Our new focus for 2012 will be on Change in the Workplace and how individuals can not only survive but also thrive in what is now a constant changing environment.

Within this constancy of change many people will lose their sense of motivation and even lose their sense of belonging in their organisations.

Our Programs can help both organisations and individuals reaffirm their roles and their values and become even more productive than before.

On behalf of Bruno and I and all of us involved in the Noble Leadership Programs we wish you a most Rewarding and Fulfilling New Year.

Anthony Foster & Bruno D’Aprano

Qualities of a Noble Leader-Integrity

There are many qualities of a Noble Inspirational Leader but in this article we are going to focus on only the one quality. This is called Integrity.

It is a much used word in the business world and also the political world but when we want to look at the environment in which we can least find that quality then of course we only have to look into those places. Integrity is often spoken about but not very often practiced.

So where does it begin and how does one get to it. Where can start from various points to achieve any objective and in this case we will start with the ideal of being Authentic.

The basis of Trust can be founded in Authenticity because if one is not truly Authentic then it will be very difficult to generate Trust in the eyes and minds of others. The absence of Trust and the failure to be Authentic will result in the loss of Integrity.

As a Leader you can see that this is a very simple equation and it can be measured in a variety of circumstances. There has been extensive research to show the reasons why most people leave organisations. In simple terms most people leave because of their Boss or their Leader. They do not like their Boss, they do not like the way they work and they do not like the way their Boss makes them feel. The complaints are all about communication and treatment. Failure to be trusted, failure to be accepted as an equal, failure to be respected, failure to become a part of the team, lack of inclusion and lack of understanding. These are just some of the complaints as to why people leave organisations.

If this is the impact of the Leader on their staff what does it then tell us about that Leader. Firstly it shows that they have failed in a number of key ways. Did they chose the right staff member in the beginning. Did they pay careful attention to the qualities, values and professionalism of the staff member. If the staff member was chosen for all the right reasons then the failure falls on the Leader. They have failed to communicate, failed to inspire and failed to lead the staff member. Usually we can see a track record of poor perfomance of staff

The costs of replacing a lost employee can be staggering. Costs can be as much as 3 times base salary for a mid-level manager amd so it is very important that no only are the right staff selected but most importantly that the right Manager or Leader is in place and they are fully equipped with all the necessary skills.

These are now the top 5 reasons why people leave organisations:

1) Employees feel unrecognised and unappreciated. Employees believe they are not only expendable pawns in the greater game, they believe they don’t even receive a simple “Thank You” when they’ve performed admirably. The lack of appreciation is also often displayed in the level of compensation offered.

2) Employees believe there is little hope for career advancement or career growth. Unlike some years ago, they feel that there are distinct “classes” of employees and many jobs offer little opportunity to advance with their employer or with their career while they remain in this job.

3) Employees believe that their current position is not what it was represented to be during the interview phase. Many employees believe they received an unrealistic or incorrect job description when they applied for their position. Many employees have responded that this was a critical reason they began to test the market again as they felt a general lack of trust in their employer.

4) Employees are overworked and totally stressed out at their jobs. Many people perceive an overwhelming lack of respect for themselves and their work/life balance issues. It is ironic that this perception is one of the primary reasons for leaving employers when so many are publicizing the fact that work/life considerations are a priority for them. Employees, apparently, have decided that, in many cases, this is more rhetoric than fact.

5) Employees perceive a serious lack of coaching and/or mentoring from their employers. Some experts believe this is a classic case of a “perfect storm” situation. The rapidity of technological changes and the focus on short-term success has caused increased competition for the best jobs and the requirement for ever more talented employees. This has spurred the increased need for more feedback, training, and mentoring, which many employees feel is lacking at their current employer. A related common employee complaint is that the majority of feedback they receive is negative in content, neither encouraging nor enlightening.

Trust and rapport with employees is something that takes time to develop. This is especially true if there have been problems in the past. In these instances, the manager must operate while experiencing open and unconcealed mistrust of his or her words and actions. However, trust and rapport can be established, and in certain cases reestablished, by using the guidelines below.

So how can Integrity be established by using the above formula?

A Leader's behavior must be consistent. If they don’t want their motivations questioned, they must treat all of their people equally. Developing consistency can be achieved through:

Setting and Uniformly Applying Equitable Standards

Leader's must establish consistent performance standards that apply to each individual member of their team. The standards must be applied equally to all without favoritism, and all must be evaluated without bias.

Communicating and Providing Feedback

Leader's should be openly and frequently communicating with their employees, sharing insights and expertise and helping them achieve their goals. They must provide frequent feedback regarding their individual performance. Feedback should be based upon facts and free of subjective judgments regarding personal behaviors or attitudes.

Recognizing Performance

Leader's should use the standards they have established as a benchmark and openly recognize the performance of the members of their unit or department. A simple word of acknowledgement and appreciation can go an extremely long way towards maintaining enthusiasm and motivation.

Keeping Commitments

When dealing with subordinates, it is easy to let commitments slide. While many Leader's feel there are no consequences to such actions, if they cannot be counted on to keep their commitments, they cannot be trusted. Their employees’ motivation will suffer, which will then foster a negative and unacceptable atmosphere. Leaders creating these problems for themselves can use the following techniques to help overcome them:

1. Leaders should think very carefully about each commitment they intend to make. They should make sure adequate time and resources are available to meet the commitment.
2. Once a commitment is made, Leaders should make sure it is completed both as and when promised.
3. If a commitment cannot be completed when promised, the Leader should not wait until the last minute but let their employee know as quickly as possible and revise the schedule accordingly.

Developing an Open Management Style

Developing an open and trusting management style might require a shift in thinking and attitude on the part of many managers. This includes:

Remaining Impartial

Before a Leader deals with any employee or situation, they must avoid making rash judgments, eliminate all emotion and gather all pertinent facts.

Trusting Others

Leaders must learn to take employees at their word until the facts prove otherwise. A Leader who cannot trust either his people or customers will in turn fail to earn their trust.

Listening and Being Open

Leaders must be able to listen—not only to gather facts and information, but to hear issues and concerns that may arise with their employees and customers. Listening includes empathizing and showing care and concern about their problems. They must be open to new ideas, concepts, feedback and criticism. Trust is earned when employees and customers understand that the Leader is available and responsive to them.

By following the above Managers and Leaders can be welldevelopment, practice and cultivation of Integrity.

The Hardest Hurdle

After many many years of research and thinking I have come to a conclusion that possibly that hardest hurdle for most people is to truly be themselves. What do you think?

Are you really yourself or do you try and play roles in the various aspects of your life. When you think about it we can all see that we do play roles -we play the role of being someones employee, someones employer, someones husband or wife, someones son or daughter, someones friend or colleague. With each of the characters or broad personalities that we adopt to fulfil the expectations in each of these roles we also draw on a range of differing emotions which will dictate our level of involvement.

You could say that in many respects we are like a Chameleon. For some this way of being can be dramatically different in each role but for others the differences may still be very subtle but essentially we are all changing our roles depending on the circumstances and environment.

What happens therefore when we are alone? Do you like being alone and are you comfortable or do you need the company of others to give you a sense of identification?

Many people suffer from emotional loneliness and so they turn to their workplace and their role to provide that meaning in their life. In fact they need to be recognised for the job that they hold. This for them serves as a constant reminder as to who they are. For many people this is very important and it is recognised that in the longer term this may cause psychological difficulties. Why? Because what we do is not who we are and until we find who we are then we will always feel ultimately a lack of self understanding and fulfilment.

So what does it mean to be truly yourself and how do you get there?

One of the first issues to contend is the ability to find self acceptance. Self acceptance is one of the main criteria in finding oneself. When you consider your own self talk or the internal dialogue in which we all indulge you need to watch the words you are saying about yourself. Considering the fact that you are the only listener and it is coming from within you these words can have a very powerful impact because they effect the way you think and feel and essentially you may believe that in spite of what others tell you the fact is that you know yourself better. 

Self acceptance is the first step.

One of the major obstacles in finding self acceptance is the view that we have of ourselves which of often tainted by our past thoughts, actions and failures. We all fail-we all do things the wrong way, we all say the wrong thing at the wrong time and we all do things that we don't really mean. We all hurt others who are often the ones that mean the most to us. Essentially we are not perfect and yet our own internal dialogue delights in the constant reminder that it is because of these things we either do not deserve what we have or in some way we are a fraud.

The first step then to self acceptance is to forgive oneself and to recognise that we are all the same-everyone is the same and no one is really different. We all carry emotional baggage and our internal assassin will not let us forget it. We need therefore to constantly forgive ourselves and every time we find ourselves indulging in this kind of negative self talk we need to stop -breathe in and then clearly in our mind forgive ourselves. Maybe we will need to do this thousands of times but in the end we are becoming the master of our mind and refusing to allow such self talk to influence the way we are.

Rather than constantly tell ourselves that we are a fraud or a failure we need to pay attention to forgiving ourselves because we are human and as such we are all the same. The big secret is that we are all the same and that we all have doubts and uncertainties and now that we know this information we can get on with our lives and become our own Leader by taking the first step towards self acceptance.

With Self Acceptance being the first step then we can move on to the aspect of Forgiveness. Who better to forgive ourselves than us. If we are the one that is constantly self talking in a negative destructive way then we need to change this habit and then this can be achieved by constant forgiveness. By forgiving ourselves we are then creating the environment for greater Self Acceptance.

Having practised Self Acceptance through forgiveness and our deeper understanding as to how to control our self talk we can then begin to see the impact that this has had in the past on our emotions and our lives. We can now turn this around so that instead of our way of being and thinking having a detrimental effect on us we can now use the same methodology to improve our lives and to therefore begin to see a bit more clearly the way to be truly our self.

When we can accept ourselves for what we truly are in this fashion then we are well on the way to overcoming this first great hurdle to better self awareness.

Effective Mind Management for Leaders

How many people truly know how to use their mind effectively? Firstly in this demanding World today most people are reactive. Something happens to us and we instantly react either in a negative or positive way. We feel disappointment when things don't go our way, or we even feel angry or hurt and this impacts our mind and in turn impacts our attitudes, our efficiency, effectiveness and performance. Every negative or self destructive thought or feeling or action creates an obstacle that hinders the true capability of the Mind. The more we react to circumstances around us in this kind of way then we are very effectively training our Mind to go down this reactive negative and self destructive path.

By following this mental process we are creating habits. When it is a habit then it just happens automatically and so the damage continually expands in our Mind and interrupts our capability to be a truly Noble Inspirational Leader.

A true Leader should be unaffected by such things-they should have the capability to rise above all the circumstances that can drag one down. Their role is to give hope and encouragement to others and this can never happen if the Leader is constantly being negatively affected in their mind.

So let us look at the way this can be achieved. Most people would of course say that they are not like this-that they have some destructive thoughts towards themselves or towards others but this does not affect their work performance. It is easy to say it but logically it just does not happen. It is in the nature of humans to be negative and destructive mentally. This is why stress, anxiety and depression is constantly rising throughout the World. If this is unbelievable to you then please just look at any aspect of the media and the truth of negativity sits clearly there. We are constantly bombarded with destructive news and information. The media machine seems to feed on anxiety, disasters, terrorist threats and celebrity gossip.

So what can a leader do to keep their mind free of all the external information and all the internal self destructive ways of thinking and yet, at the same time keep their mind healthy and logical?

This is one of many ways:

Imagine yourself to be the kind of leader that you would admire. Someone who is calm in all circumstances. Someone who is respected by all. Someone who holds themselves with poise and dignity and who is free of all discriminatory ways of thinking. In other words visualise your ideal Leader filled with integrity and authenticity. This then is your ideal.

Everyday you must visualise in absolute clarity that this is your goal-this kind of Leader is the way you want to be. Practice the art of watching your mind. See the kind of words that you use in your self talk. Patiently remove all the negative self talk and replace it with your own creation words and phrases that epitomize the leadership characteristics that you want. Don't try to adopt too many at once -be patient and select 2 or 3 only. As you repeat these words and phrases to yourself you must be calm and relaxed and really focused on those words and the meaning of them for you. This is critical -you have to give your mind the time to listen and understand the objective. Remember that you are breaking well practiced thought patterns which are habitual and so this will take time.

These phrases to practice will become your personal corporate mantra and so to attain this level you can practice the following:

"In every possible way throughout every moment of each day I am filled with poise, clarity and calmness".

Practice this often-this should be done hundreds of times each day and slowly over time you will see the nature of your self-talk change as you start to Self Manage your Mind.

The Art of Achieving More by Doing Less

There is an ancient philosophy called Wei Wu Wei and this is generally defined as "achieving without forcing" or "effortless action".

I now want to apply it to some practical elements of work life and so we can now learn how to apply Wu Wei to "achieving more by doing less". Who would not want to learn about this? Apart from doing our Workshop called "The Productive Executive" this article will be the next best option.

So let us begin at the beginning. We can start at either end -either from the Doing Less perspective or the Achieving More perspective but let us decide to begin with Doing Less.

We all want to do less right? So how do we fill up our workday at the moment? I have had the great fortune to speak with hundreds of people over the last few years and hear a litany of very common issues with all of them. "Too many meetings, too many emails, too much demand on my time, never getting a chance to do my own work, taking work home, coming to the office at weekends, etc and etc"

Humans have a great capacity to not only grow work but also to lose perspective of their roles and the important outcomes upon which they will be judged. What happens of course to many of us is that we feel a decreasing sense of fulfillment in the workplace and mostly this is caused by all these obstacles to achieving our goals.

Most people live in a Re-active World and so we need to examine ourselves and our roles and our key job functions to determine ways in which we can become more Pro-active.

This is now a simple introductory check list to "Doing Less"

Review your workplace objectives

Review your KPIs

Prioritise the elements of those KPIs

Calculate the number of hours you need to devote to achieving those objectives each week

Be very diligent and determined to follow those designated hours and achieving those objectives

Allocate those times into your Calendar at the start of each week

Discipline yourself to follow your plan

Eliminate all emails that do not relate to your specific goals or KPIs

Reduce the number of times each day that you look at your inbox

Minimise the number of meetings you have each week and limit the time of the meetings-any meeting that goes longer than 30 minutes will become unproductive and time wasting

Essentially you are creating a Time/Work Schedule and now you need to be strong minded and develop self discipline

Remove everything from your workplace area that does not assist you in achieving the above

Then your mind will be free to focus on the "things that matter"

If you have success in this aspect then you will experience fulfillment-you will have banished the unproductive time wasting parts of your job.

When we are overwhelmed and we become busy we are creating a very unproductive energy around us. Our mind is stressed and even the simplest things will take longer. In many ways we become stifled within ourselves. The simplest things take longer to achieve. We procrastinate and we can often lose our way. We become tired and then overtired and in consequence we become unfulfilled.

But conversely when we are in command of our work and in command of our mind and our direction and our energy then it is different. We can then see that we are in fact Achieving More by Doing Less. We have stopped doing the things that block us from our fulfillment. Essentially we are being Pro-active and no longer Re-active. We are moving from being mastered by our work to mastering our work and from this we can then apply the same principals to our life and in time become the master of our life and of our circumstances and not being mastered by those circumstances.

Many years ago I had the pleasure to watch some great International Professional golfers and I was intrigues to see how they played this difficult game in a vastly different way to the amateurs. The amateur player puts all they have into hitting the golf ball. They attack it with full force and energy-a furious launch at the golf gall with their body driving every aspect of their speed and determination. When I observed the Professionals it was different-they were very slow in the golf swing-they were minimalist in effort and action. It seemed for them that the World and time had slowed down. Consequently they drove the ball longer and straighter. They were achieving more with less.

When we can apply this way to our work and then to our life we too can see how we can achieve more with less.

When we do this then we have arrived -- we are in "Wei Wu Wei".

Cult of the Corporate

Now I have seen it all!!

It begins with this rather strange word and concept "corporate". I remember clearly the first time I heard this word being used. It had a kind of "toiletry" feel about it to me but I acknowledged the fact that this was the word that some people used to describe a Company. It probably began with Corporate Law and the decision that businesses could be incorporated into a legal entity and this would then give that entity the right to sue or be sued. It had the same legal status as a person and would be considered for legal reasons as a person. Therefore it became a separate legal entity.

And so it evolved. Today we can use the expressions such as "corporate culture" or "corporate World" or "corporate life". It has a whole new meaning since it has become a whole new entity-even if it is still an alien entity. Let us look at what this word really means and the impact on us as the "real" entities-you remember us-"the human kind" entities. We are the ones today that apparently have the increasing levels of stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace where 60% of employees really do not like their jobs and their places of work. Let us look at how it evolved.

Many years ago we began with another concept in the Workplace called "Human Relations" and thus from this idea we developed the idea of a Human Relations Department with a Human Relations Manager. Apparently this word "relations" did not go down too well and so it evolved into "Resources"- and so we have "Human Resources" Department and Managers and Directors etc etc. Interesting mix of words?? Human Resources -should this be resources for humans to help them at work or is it actually the fact that humans began to be seen as a Resource of the Organisation or in fact of the Corporation. So in fact we ended up then with Human resources to serve the needs of a "Corporation".

In a further indictment of our ever increasing demands to divorce ourselves from humanistic qualities driven by some unknown force from above this concept continued its evolution into "Human Capital". Indeed, like a real Balance Sheet of a Corporation humans had finally arrived in their rightful place-on the Balance Sheet?

And-why not? After all we are only another asset of the Corporation?

The concept of Human Capital was of course widely used in Nazi Germany-this was their way of dehumanizing millions of people who did not fit with their idealized vision.

So as one thing leads to another we can see the way of the Modern World and now why real humans seem to find themselves dehumanized and divorced from the Employer-because the Employer is theoretically without a face-it is the Corporation.

When we look at the Corporation we can find one of the biggest cop-outs in the modern century. How many times have you heard the expression-"we have to talk-we have to restructure and you will be made redundant-understand that it is not personal - it is simply a decision made by the Company".  Decisions made by the Company!!

There is no Company and there is no Corporation. If you do not believe this then just stay home from your workplaces and see what happens. When the entire workforce stays away from the Workplace then nothing happens. There is no one there. No one at home. The place is empty.

Nothing happens unless Humans make it happen.

Of course we lose interest in the Employer-actually we lose the Employer- We have allowed people in organisations to make decisions that negligently effect us in our work efforts. We have replaced human virtues now with the Corporate Values-see them up on the Wall -in our Board Rooms and in our Annual Reports. The Values of the Corporation and the Corporate Vision. Problem is that most employees do not see these values or visions exemplified within their leaders and why should they-people are becoming dehumanized and the outcome of this is a disengagement from the places that we spend most of our lives in -at work. At work we should be engaged, employed and involved with other humans. But we are not. In the interests of clinical efficiency we can use emails from one desk to the next rather than actually speak to another human. People these days receive emails or a message on the phone telling them that their services are no longer needed. True faceless inhumanity has finally arrived and employees at all levels all over the World are crashing.

We have lost our humanity and the Academy Award goes to the Corporation and the vision and the values which can never create a Corporate Culture-only people who belong can create a culture. Forget these disgusting words like "Human Capital"-it is an obscenity. People are forgetting how to relate to each other. Could it be the word "relationships".- even Human Relationships are becoming obsolete as we move further and further away from each other. There in lies the disengagement-the disengagement from each other-the lack of mutual trust-the lack of clearly articulated virtues within the workplaces, mutual care and respect and consideration.

This is what the term "corporatisation" really stands for -the failure to bring humans together. This can only be done by humans having a healthy relationship with each other. Happy people create happy places which create happy productivity and innovation and then profits for all concerned. This is because people interact -they get down and they get personal.