Matt Cartwright, consulting, coaching, facilitation - Professional Facilitator - Matt Cartwright

Enlarge your leadership to a higher level…..

16/2/2012

Enlarge your leadership to a higher level…..

Leadership…..so much is written about it, so much is reported about it, so many courses offered about it, so many types of 360 degree assessments, so many training courses, so many leaders and still a lack of workplace followers. Well leaders keep us in and out business, but that is not the point. We are all learners and leaders in our own right. We are not perfect and we make mistakes, some learn better from them.

Ask yourself this. Is the leader of your organisation, the leader you love to follow?
or,
If you are the Leader. Is your organisation following your vision passionately?

This week is a reminder, don’t be complacent in your leadership development, we never stop learning to be better leaders. This week it’s about the enlarging leader.

Just a few thoughts....one of my best leaders that come to mind was a very quiet woman who was psychologist by background. She never really managed me, she let me manage myself, it frustrated the hell out of me big time…until I got used to it. My career blossomed and I thank her for that. She was a catalyst in reversing my leadership thinking.

My mother, another great leader, used to work in a bookshop and found this tiny little book, it has many pearls of wisdom in it. Here are just a few nuggets from John C. Maxwell Book, Equipping 101, What every Leader Needs to Know.

How to become an Enlarger

Believe in others first before they believe in you
Serve others before they serve you
Add value to others before they add value to you.

Enlarge your Leadership behaviours, attitudes and skills by

Valuing the team members
Valuing what team members value
Adding value to the team members
Making yourself more valuable

Our company provides a range services to leaders, new leaders and emerging leaders. See our website for more information. Or, you could start by having me coach you. Find out how through the resources link or contact page.

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

Secrets and 10 Tips for Managing Team Resistance

16/2/2012

10 Secrets and Tips for Managing Team Resistance

“If we do not change direction, we are liable to end up where we are headed” (Whitmore, 2006)

In my experience I’ve seen resistance, I’ve been resistant…….it always manifests with two forces at play, pain and pleasure and not much in between, except all the collisions between getting on board and getting off the boat.

We all know that resistance may be a sign of a loss, not enough information, lack readiness for change, therefore allow more time.

Two reasons for employee resistance, well there are more than 2, but they can be summarised here.

A lack of awareness about the change
Comfort with the ways things are and fear of the unknown.

Change is difficult…. Whenever we change one type of behaviour or situation to another we are losing something as well as gaining.

My research shows this loss can be difficult to cope with, no matter how unhelpful or productive the behaviour we are leaving behind. In order to sustain real and lasting change in the workplace we need to change our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. That is the challenge and resistance may be a symptom of it. Good news…there is a treatment for most anyway.

12 Reasons why employees resist change, in case you forgot

Past experience of change management failure
Lack of leadership
The individual's personal predisposition to change
Surprise and fear of the unknown
Climate of mistrust
Fear of failure
Loss of status and/or job security
Peer pressure
Disruption of cultural traditions and/or group relationships.
Personality conflicts
Lack of tact and/or poor timing
Not seeing the benefits

10 Tips to Manage Resistance
I’ll get to the point, as I know that you are eager to know the secret to managing team resistance.

Do change management right the first time
Expect it and plan for it
Address it formally and informally
Identify the root causes and remove, transfer or accept them
Engage the “right” resistance managers
Accept and understand it's about information, do not make it personal
Engage on matters of importance and significance to them and you
Make a change management plan, don’t make it up as you go
Engage the right leaders
Understand and prepare that people go through phases of change and resistance

BIG POINT, don’t label people resistant, you may not have provided them with enough information…..

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

Systems Thinking for Business Leaders 101: A Refresh

16/2/2012

Systems Thinking for Business Leaders 101: A Refresh

I admit…. I’m a systems thinker and it gets me into trouble…sometimes. However what you think about is often what you get, so it has its benefits for me.

It helps me plan and deliver better services, better projects and better business. Yes it involves risk, more communication, effort, engagement, politics, power and money, without it my work systems just don’t work. My business needs, other business, and their business is needed by other businesses and so on.

As Einstein observed, "we cannot solve problems using the same level of thinking that created them".

Our "Brave New World" requires a systems approach to solving problems and creating community-wide growth opportunities. Strategic leaders in both private and public sectors must work together to identify interdependencies and the growth levers that will turn the economic doom into an economic zoom.

Our company and other businesses form part of the heartland of the national economy. Other private companies and the people who work for them, pay taxes that fund public service and government agencies. They – both companies and people – also contribute to not-for-profit and community service providers, which help societies in many ways. Without a healthy cash flow in and out, other parts of the national system lose impetus and suffer, or just stop.

Consider this. You are the business supplier to other businesses in the supply chain; if your company slows or fails, your suppliers are negatively affected too. Likewise, a drop in business activity reduces employment and taxes, resulting in less government monies to fund central and local government. It also results in increased unemployment and crime, and places demands on social, educational and health services. All these have their own costs often paying a national debt of social and disease burden.

The reality is that if the main engine room goes down, so do all the other parts of the system (individuals, families and other organisations), creating a downward spiral. While not a light bulb moment, this is often not in our conscious minds as we are often concerned about our immediate turf and the immediate impact…. fair enough, but do take some time out...

Wouldn’t it be good if we had a system of government support to grow small and medium enterprises? What about, minimal taxes during their first five years, help get fledglings off to a good start. In contrast, large budget cuts, staff layoffs and reductions in outsourcing to the private sector by government departments results in the burden being passed to other parts of the community. Suddenly the private sector heartland is under pressure and the whole system goes into an enormous pressure cooker.

Imagine how influential and productive a group of strategic leaders could be if they took a broader perspective of social wellbeing and broadened their vision to consider every level of society: international, national, community, organisational, family and people. Remember, Mandela showed, it only takes one man to change a nation

Here it is….leadership and management expertise are key to a more innovative, dynamic and sustainable economy for the future.

How strategic are your visions for uncertain times?
How is your business putting systems thinking action?
What other systems or groups could you belong to be more influential?

Journey well but not alone,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

Making Teams Work Together Successfully in 120 seconds.

16/2/2012

Making Teams Work Together Successfully in 120 seconds

Speed for corporate junkies who only have 2 minutes

1.      Get clear in your head, who you are, your personal goals, your strengths and weaknesses

2.      Make clear your business and team goals and make it a common goal

3.      Clarify. document all your team roles and responsibilities

4.      Plan for and mitigate predictable problems

5.      Agree on the rules, guidelines for work performance expectations

6.      Use the team culture to bring about change

7.      GTP, Get to the point and collaborate, collaborate, collaborate

8.      Bring the team ideas to life, enable them to take responsibility

9.      Foster creativity, redesign the processes

10.   Make firm clear decisions and ensure they understand it, clarify it, repeat it

11.   Don’t compromise, it’s your business, your team, your customers, your life

12.   Seek consensus and commitment on new ideas

13.   Immunise against conflict viruses and squash them early

14.   Actively manage differences, show them the process, teach them the process

15.   Trust each other other, people leave managers, mangers let go of staff, it costs money

16.   Reward and recognise each other, regularly, appropriately and genuinely, everyone…

17.   Review the team make up regularly, swap players, buy in new players

18.   Don’t give up, ask for help

19.   Automate redundant functions in the team, people despise mundane activity

20.   Contact Us, outsource the pain

Last tip, put steps 1- 20 into action, otherwise you will have the same problems

More problems means….moving away from where you'd rather be.

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

Empowerment in group decision making

16/2/2012

Empowerment in Group Decision Making

Empowerment… sounds a bit all new age, feel good, tree hugging stuff, or a tokenistic gesture of business profiteers of the new millennia. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, I am a fan of the concept, It makes good business sense.

My thought is it’s here to stay, people are your power in the business. Give them appropriate power, along they go and along you go. Empowerment in groups needs better understanding.

When I am working with new clients I seek out what level of empowerment are we talking about, what does this mean, how will it be communicated and how will we know it?

Nothing causes greater mistrust than lack of clarity about empowerment levels. It’s very common for groups to assume they have final say in making a decision while management is merely asking for their opinion as input to a decision that managers be making later. Ever felt like that, ever seen it happen, ever heard people tell you something like this???

I experienced this confusion first hand just 2 weeks ago, when a high level group thought they had power to make decisions over a project….. uh uh, the CEO did. Sorry team, no project, 6 months of planning work squashed. The mood was doom and gloom and there were a few other strong adjectives shared around.

Here it is…..It’s essential that you clarify the level of empowerment at which a decision is being made and communicate that explicitly to the group at the start of any decision-making discussion. Yes it takes courage and you might cop a spray, but be warned, if you don’t, the backlash will be far worse. Ingrid Bens discusses 4 empowerment levels in her facilitation practice.

4 Empowerment Levels

Directive: Level 1 - this refers to decisions made by management without input from employees. Employees are informed of the decision and expected to comply.

Consultative: Level 2 -this is a decision made by management after seeking input from employees. Employees are consulted but have no actual say in the final decision and are expected to comply. An employee focus group is an example of this decision.

Participative: Level 3 - this type of decision involves employees discussing and recommending a course of action, but unable to act without gaining final approval. Problem-solving workshops are often set up as level III activities.

Delegative: Level 4 - in this type of decision the group has been given full authority to make a decision and implement action plans without having to seek further approvals.

Tip 1, ensure you and the group know what level they are empowered.
Tip 2, let go of people control, empower others, empower yourself

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

50 Ways to Build Workplace Trust

15/2/2012

Inspiring Trust Behaviours, 50 Agreements from Team Facilitation's

Be accountable
Be responsible
Be congruent
Be adaptable
Be responsive
Be competent
Be honest
Be ethical
Be compassionate
Be open
Be on time
Keep relevant
Examine your motives
Talk straight
Demonstrate respect
Create transparency
Right wrongs
Show loyalty
Deliver results
Get better
Confront reality
Clarify expectations
Practise accountability
Listen first
Keep commitments
Extend trust
Create a trust action plan
Treating all others with respect, courtesy and appropriate confidence
Value each other’s background, experience and diversity
Keep each other informed, passing along information accurately, openly and consistently
Speak well of others, avoid gossip and behaviours which may harm others
Respect organisational values, goals, structure and roles
Speak openly and positively about their work, the organisation, and the future rather than negatively or with cynicism
Focus on the main issues and goals, not getting sidetracked by differences in details
Raise concerns, criticisms, and conflicts openly, and discussing them respectfully
Do what you say you are going to do and build credibility by doing so
Talk in terms of “we” instead of creating “us and them” culture
Recognise others when they have done something positive or different
Take responsibility for your actions/behaviour rather than making excuses or blaming others
Take care when providing feedback; do so in an appropriate time and place
Collaborate on important issues by seeking out others’ opinions and expertise
Show your human side and do not hide mistakes
Show respect to others by understanding that they have a stake in the organisation’s future and success
Listen to others and ask questions if you do not understand or agree; appreciate and value others opinions and say so
Own your area of responsibility and make efforts to improve the environment to make it function successfully
Avoid withholding information
Speak truth not UNtruth
Role model trustworthiness
Say sorry
Forgiveness I trust this helps you....

Journey well.
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008-12

Managing Change in your Workplace

15/2/2012

Managing Change in your Workplace

Greetings across the ether...I hope that you have had a good week. If not, this might be for you.

Are you change fatigued, guess what... its normal....but there are some processes that are just more effective than others. I'd like to help you on your journey.

I just wanted to share some info about change that may be of help. Please pass it on as you see fit.. and “Be the change you want to see in the world”

The pressure of work and juggling life is well upon most of us now. Whilst working with teams and change managers I’m becoming more concerned by the impact of change on teams. I ‘m seeing resistance, negativity, team conflicts, budget overruns, staff turnover, poor morale, lost customers and sense of helplessness. It's not all doom and gloom out there, many teams thrive effectively.

Change management isn’t rocket science but it’s a challenge.

I’m seeing many clients with issues of inability to embed, sustain and spread the change. One of the problems is that readiness for change processes have lacked enough consideration, planning and management. Also lack of sustainability for maintaining the change is problematic.

I just had to share one of the most effective constructs for managing change...an oldie but a goldie.....

It comes from John Kotter’s book, The Heart of Change. Kotter is one of the leadership and change management gurus and well respected Harvard Lecturer. I am sharing this info as I use this approach along with many others and with my clients and they get excellent results. This might save you and your team frustration down the track.

If you want to talk about change in your work place, review a change management program, or you need assistance please feel free to give me a call. We have a number of best practice change programs to assist teams deal with change and expertise to facilitate and coach change leaders.

Change will happen, its how transformational that you want it to be.

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

From John Kotter's book, The Heart of Change, summary of key points that I like most are:

Increase urgency - inspire people to move, make objectives real and relevant.
Build the guiding team - get the right people in place with the right emotional commitment, and the right mix of skills and levels.
Get the vision right - get the team to establish a simple vision and strategy, focus on emotional and creative aspects necessary to drive service and efficiency.
Communicate for buy-in - Involve as many people as possible, communicate the essentials, simply, and to appeal and respond to people's needs. De-clutter communications, make technology work for you rather than against.
Empower action - Remove obstacles, enable constructive feedback and lots of support from leaders - reward and recognise progress and achievements.
Create short-term wins - Set aims that are easy to achieve – in bite-size chunks. Manageable numbers of initiatives. Finish current stages before starting new ones.
Don't let up - Foster and encourage determination and persistence - ongoing change - encourage ongoing progress reporting - highlight achieved and future milestones.
Make change stick - Reinforce the value of successful change via recruitment, promotion, and new change leaders. Weave change into culture.

Leadership and the influence on organisational learning and training

15/2/2012

Leadership and Influence on Organisational Learning and Training

I was in a forum this week about leadership influence and training. I thought to myself.... leadership is not a separate role, neither is training a separate function. Leadership and growth rests within all of us, everyone's responsibility, there are too many many dis-empowered workers out there, lead up, down and lead across or lead yourself out of there.

My best organisational learning experiences always came from elected leaders who bleeped me off, I find new ways of learning generally outside the organisation.

Nelson Mandela once stated that the trick of leadership is allowing yourself to be led..... and a sign of wisdom or effective leadership is persuading people to do things and make THEM think it was THEIR own decision. Apply this to the role of a trainer.

Imagine if employees no longer needed that guidance in the training scene, rather they were empowered to guide themselves?...is this possible? Again, apply it to the concepts of leadership, training and learning transfer.

Ultimately 'empowerment' is simply increasing the decision-making options or discretion of workers. Empowered employees have greater authority and responsibility for their work than they would in more traditionally designed organisations. Empowerment generally enhances their motivation, allows them to be more adaptive and receptive and minimises bureaucratic hurdles that slow action and learning transfer.

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

The Art of Happiness in Unhappy Times

15/2/2012

The Art of Happiness in Unhappy Times

This week I met with a close friend of mine, who is a Psychiatrist and he always greets me with " you call this living Matt?" I laugh and respond with " yes, it sucks doesn't it, but isn't it great?"

It got me thinking as I drove home late that night, there is a message in this, to share with others what I have learnt in the 20 or so years of counselling, coaching and mentoring people.

I was asked once at a course last year "what is your purpose in life?" A bit confronting as this was a group I didn't know at all, nor had I thought about preparing for such a question.

I fumbled my response out, "to help people", but that didn't cut it.....I was challenged..... "isnt it to learn how to live with more happiness and help others do the same?" They were right...

That's what leads me to blog about happiness at work and home and hopefully you will find something that helps you or others.

"I am the author of every next moment" is my mantra.

Why? It helps me focus my thoughts, speech and behaviour at both work and play. It helps me on the happiness journey... and that it is folks... some destinations are just not enjoyable, but I learn from them, sometimes it take me years to figure it out.

Maybe I'm a slow learner, but the teacher presents when the student is ready as the saying goes.

So this week, what the bleep is there to be happy about?????

Here are some things I dug up in the news media:

World poverty, war, famine, degradation of human rights, disease, suffering, homelessness, joblessness, broken families, abuse, 1 in 5 suffer from a mental illness, chronic disease, government corruption, dictatorships, employer layoffs, and so on, and so on.... aint it awfull, aint it awful. Well yes it is. Don't keep awfulizing.

I challenge you accept these four truths:

Suffering exists
Suffering will continue to exist
There are ways to combat it
Practise ways that increase your resilience and happiness.

There is heaps of stuff written on happiness, world conferences, thousands of self help books, courses etc. Just Google it, megalinks everywhere....

The best and most current research that I suggest you go to is the website of University of Pennsylvania and look up Authentic Happiness,Martin Seligman. I'm also a major fan of the HH Dalai Lama's teachings on happiness as they are timeless, evidence based and practical and have thousands of years of practiced techniques. His Holiness is always smiling, go figure... his country Tibet was run out by the Chinese Govt of the time.

Key messages are to practice:
generosity, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, tolerance, ethics, wisdom and concentration.

My message to you
I share this with you because I can't post everything on this topic, nor should I try.. so here go a few ideas....in no order of merit.....

"be optimistic, practice gratitude, buid intimacy, develop your personal strengths, let go, maintain a social/network, have a faith, practice mindfulness, maintain your health, take courage, change your mindset/attitude, practice being more adpatable/flexible, give up the need to control, give up trying to be perfect, go and volunteer, practice gift giving, go an travel, go and learn something new, make real love, get in touch with nature, find or create your meaning and purpose, let go of pride and be humble, that is let go of your ego.......make a choice to be happier and act on it daily, make it a habit, be thankful everyday.... we often create our own internal unhappiness...that my friend we have control over.

No victims, no excuses please, just survivors

Still want more,okay....

8 Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life
Want to lift your level of happiness? Here are some practical suggestions from University of California psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, based on research findings by her and others. Satisfaction (at least a temporary boost) cited in Time Magazine Time Magazine January 17, 2005.

1. Count your blessings.
One way to do this is with a “gratitude journal” in which you write down three to five things for which you are currently thankful—from the mundane (your peonies are in bloom) to the magnificent (a child’s first steps). Do this once a week, say, on Sunday night. Keep it fresh by varying your entries as much as possible.

2. Practice acts of kindness.
These should be both random (let that harried mum go ahead of you in the checkout line) and systematic (bring Sunday supper to an elderly neighbour). Being kind to others, whether friends or strangers, triggers a cascade of positive effects—it makes you feel generous and capable, gives you a greater sense of connection with others and wins you smiles, approval and reciprocated kindness—all happiness boosters.

3. Savor life’s joys.
Pay close attention to momentary pleasures and wonders. Focus on the sweetness of a ripe strawberry or the warmth of the sun when you step out from the shade. Some psychologists suggest taking “mental photographs” of pleasurable moments to review in less happy times.

4. Thank a mentor.
If there’s someone whom you owe a debt of gratitude for guiding you at one of life’s crossroads, don’t wait to express your appreciation—in detail and, if possible, in person.

5. Learn to forgive.
Let go of anger and resentment by writing a letter of forgiveness to a person who has hurt or wronged you. Inability to forgive is associated with persistent rumination or dwelling on revenge, while forgiving allows you to move on.

6. Invest time and energy in friends and family. Where you live, how much money you make, your job title and even your health have surprisingly small effects on your satisfaction with life. The biggest factor appears to be strong personal relationships.

7. Take care of your body.
Getting plenty of sleep, exercising, stretching, smiling and laughing can all enhance your mood in the short term. Practiced regularly, they can help make your daily life more satisfying.

8. Develop strategies for coping with stress and hardships.
There is no avoiding hard times. Religious faith has been shown to help people cope, but so do the secular beliefs enshrined in axioms like “This too shall pass” and “That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” The trick is that you have to believe them.

Journey well in your happiness,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12

Making Decisons in Uncertain Times

15/2/2012

Making Personal Decisions versus Decision Dramas

Okay most of us are faced with personal and work based decisions that from time to time are tough. Yes me too, I''m not superman.

Here are some typical possible decision scenarios in a day

Will I change jobs, sack the boss, or take a vacation???
Will I buy the new car, lease or hold onto the current one???
Will I buy that new laptop???
Will I invest in staff training?
Will I, will I, will I, oh know its too much......
What will happen if I make the wrong decision???
Will I leave work early to be home with the kids?
Will I sort out the project team mess or leave it a bit longer until the next meeting?
Will I change our business processes this month or leave it a bit longer?.....And the rest of the day is filled with them, right! you bet ya.....they are.

“Your decisions influence your actions to either avoid pain or move toward pleasure”

It’s your life, are your decisions helping you achieve more of what you want from it?

Making decisions for many people is a struggle. “What will I do here, What will happen if I don’t do it, how wilt this effect me or others, if only I knew what to do, it isn’t fair, I’m stuck, what do I do and so it goes on until one day the opportunity has passed by or they get there but it hasn’t exactly been easy.

There are many decision making tools that you can use, but the simple and effective approach is often overlooked especially to personal decision making.

So how do you make better decisions? The secret lies within how you think, what you do and how you interpret your world. What references you attach to your decisions makes the difference, for example:

Decide to have a holiday versus decide on want to have a holiday. The first approach decide to have a holiday gives direction and action, whereas decide want to have a holiday is a preference which may not result in action or commitment. The pain might be saving more money which means less time with friends in the short term or the pleasure might be relaxation, meeting new people and seeing new places.

What I have learnt is the the key to effective decision making is to maintain your motivation and to see yourself moving in the direction you want to go and what benefits you will experience. I also know from my neuroscience research that brain likes pleasure, so make decisions pleasurable not painful.

Decision Points, Read and Take Action...It Helps.

Decide to have versus decide on wanting to have.
Action focuses you on direction.
Take consistent action to achieve more results.
Making good decisions requires practice, the more you make the more the energy you get, the more likely you learn how to move toward what you really desire.
Decide what to focus on.
Ask yourself what does this mean to me?
Ask yourself what do I do now?
Take massive action.
Notice what is working and not working.
Change your approach until it works.
Stay flexible but committed.
Link pain or negative consequences for not taking action.
Link pleasure and positive consequences for taking action.

“Fear of failure is created in our minds, so are dreams and realities”
“Coaching helps you make decisions and reach your goals faster and more effectively. You can always achieve more from life and work, just contact me at Inspiring Results to find out how.

Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12