As you may have noticed, my colleague Celine has posted a series of blogs recently on Strategic Thinking and Planning (missed them? You can catch up here, here, and here!). 

In Oct 2021, Adaptas launched the Skills for Growth programme. Check it out HERE, to find out more or register for the next programme kicking off January 2022. Designed to develop self-leadership through habit change, this programme was built from Celine’s books Our Learning Brain and Developing Learning Habits. We are now over half way through the 1st cohort and some of the comments include:

 

 

“This programme has helped me appreciate myself more and gain a deeper understanding of myself.”

“I love that this programme is so open, the people are great and there is no judgement.”

“Do this programme!” I’m already recommending to people. It’s helped me unblock my thoughts on certain things.”

 

So, what does strategic thinking and planning have to do with habit change and self-leadership? As it turns out, a whole lot. Read on to discover how becoming more strategic is the key to leading yourself to successful change. 

 

Strategic Thinking and Habit Change:

Strategic thinking happens when we pause to look at the big picture. It requires open-minded, expansive, outside the box thinking and demands that we consider that there might be a different, even better, way of doing things.  Very often, if we don’t pause to look up from the busy day to day bustle of our lives, we become hampered by the limiting belief that this is the only way things can be. Strategic thinking helps us start to build the belief that something different is possible. Strategic thinking gives us an opportunity to ask ourselves: what do I wish was different? It allows us to look at what is happening around us and expand our vision of what is possible. 

 

Let’s make this a little more tangible. 

Let’s say an imaginary person, Aoife, is really struggling with day to day overwhelm in her life. She feels she is just running every day from her home responsibilities (3 children under 10) to her work responsibilities (sales manager over 15 direct reports). The narrative that runs through her head is:

“There is never enough time, I can’t manage this, I am failing in all areas of my life, it’s impossible.”

If Aoife was to pause and think strategically, here is what could happen. Having realised that something needs to change, she might look around her for examples of how other people might be doing things differently. Through a bit of research and speaking to others, she might come across ideas such as time-boxing her schedule to get better control over distractions and her plan for her days and weeks. She might learn that other people in similar roles to her have built strong boundaries around communication with colleagues outside of work hours. She might come across the idea that scheduling in and fiercely protecting sixty minutes of personal time per week can give you the opportunity to ground yourself and maintain better emotional balance.

Aoife might start to build a vision of a different reality. She might still not know how to make that alternate reality real, but just by imagining it she is opening herself up to the idea that something different is possible. She has started to get clarity on what exactly she wants to work on changing. Now, instead of the vague goal of being less overwhelmed, she knows she specifically wants to work on:

1. Implementing better planning and distraction management through trying a time-boxed scheduling approach. 

2. Building clearer and stronger boundaries between work and personal life.

3. Carving out and protecting sixty minutes of personal time each week to re-charge and ground herself. 

Next week we will look at how Aoife can build on this awareness with Strategic Planning to successfully lead herself to success with her habit change goals.

Thanks for reading!

Annika, Learning Programme Designer and Facilitator

Read more about Annika here.

 

In recent weeks and blogs we’ve been considering how to ‘Be Strategic’ and making distinctions between Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning.

 

I am not a strategy specialist. I am coming at this topic ultimately from the perspective of my role as a psychologist and coach, helping people, teams and organisations to step back a bit and consider; ‘Is there another way I (we) can do life and work?’.

 

 

 

Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning:

 

Strategic thinking is about looking at the big picture and considering new ways of doing things and requires ideating, being open-minded, imagining, seeing alternatives, blue sky thinking, root cause analyses and lots more.

 

Strategic planning is about translating vision into defined goals, objectives, and a sequence of steps describing how to achieve them and requires organising, prioritising, focusing, detailing, implementing, charts, timetables, task lists and lots more.

 

In his book The Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning (1994), Henry Mintzberg stated that the label ‘strategic planning’ should be dropped because strategic planning has impeded strategic thinking. Over 15 years later many individuals, teams and organisations fail to consider the difference between ‘strategic thinking’ and ‘strategic planning’;  the importance of both independently and interdependently; and the need to help all people at all levels of an organisation become more strategic.

In my experience, the mistake is thinking that ‘strategic planning’ is enough.  However, for the volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world we live in, it is not enough. As we have seen so clearly during 2020, the future does not resemble the past. Our future success as people, teams,  organisations and as a planet depends on considering new ways of doing things, ideating, being open-minded, imagining, seeing alternatives!

 

Mintzberg says “It is this disassociation of thinking from acting that lies close to the root of (strategic planning’s) problem.”

 

Your ‘be more strategic’ challenge: Part 3

• If you rewound time back to early 2019 and you knew that Covid-19 would sweep the world one year from now, what benefits might there have been to allotting time to ‘strategic thinking’ and ‘strategic planning’ for your own life, the life and work of your team/s and the success of your organisation?
• See below a few questions to get you ‘thinking’. Part 1 might guide your thinking if you are going through a strategic thinking process for yourself personally and in your role and career. Part 2 might then be a natural next set of questions to guide your thinking if you are thinking strategically in considering yourself as a leader of others.

 

Part 1:

 

What do I like to do that I want to do more of?

What do I not like to do, that I want to do less of?

What do I get from what I do?

What do I not get from what I do?

 

 

 

 

Part 2 

Most of the below questions are taken from a webinar delivered by @Peter Hawkins in July 2020 through @Coaches Rising. I thought the questions were really useful, especially because of the impact of all decisions we make today as leaders for the future survival of our species.

 

What is my reason to exist as a leader/ businessperson/ manager/ etc (you add as you wish) ?

 

 

What do I most care about re. my legacy / the impact I can have?

 

 

Who and what does my work-life serve?

 

 

What would the people/ organisations/ other stakeholders/ the world/ the environment say is the work I need to do to grow?

 

 

What might I regret in 1 year time not having worked on all of this?

 

 

What might I regret in 5 years time not having worked on this?

 

 

If all my stakeholders (these can be real or imaginary) were in the room 1 year from now what would they appreciate about the actions I take in the coming months?

 

 

What would these stakeholders main challenge/s to me be right now? e.g. (what can I do more of / less of / differently?)

 

 

If you have managed to  complete  these questions, please share your takeaways. Let’s  learn  from each other.

 

 

Does it feel like you’re always running out of time?

Time is the great equalizer. Do you ever consider the reality of the fact that we all have the same amount of time in our day, yet if you observe two people given the same workload to work through, person A will succeed and person B will struggle? This is attributable to time management – a skill that is crucial in goal attainment. Much like any skill, it can be learned and honed.

How a growth mindset can improve our time management

A growth mindset, as conceptualized by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck, is the belief that a person’s capacities and talents can be improved over time. How a growth mindset informs our time management is relatively simple – if you believe that your time management skills can be improved, you will work towards making this belief a reality by taking the necessary steps to improve.

On the other side of the coin are those with fixed mindsets. They believe they have a fixed amount of talent and their capacities have very definitive ceilings. This makes it more difficult for them to improve on new skills – if they think they have a certain amount of talent or intelligence then why try to improve? This is a very limiting outlook and is detrimental to your journey of self-improvement. This comparison highlights the importance of a growth mindset in becoming better at managing your time.

Putting it into practice

Continued, incremental improvements are what we are looking to achieve with a growth mindset. Taking note of these small improvements will serve the purpose of keeping you on track whilst building self-confidence.

When it comes to managing your time efficiently, we must acknowledge the difference between fixed qualities and growth qualities. When we think we don’t have enough hours in the day, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and in turn we resign ourselves to this belief. The more we tell ourselves something the more we believe it to be true, thus convincing ourselves that there is no point even trying. This is a fixed quality, which in turn leaves no space for growth. Conversely, thinking that you do have enough time in your day to complete your workload will act as a springboard towards improving time management. Believing that our time management is a skill allows us to work toward improving it. Whether we think we can or cannot, either way, we are right!

 

Get clear on what is holding you back

What can we do to improve our time management? The first step towards positive change is getting really clear on what is holding you back – for example, you might be prone to procrastination or distraction. After naming what it is we would like to improve upon, we must consider the specifics – where are we when procrastination strikes? Who are we with? What are we doing? When is it at its worst?

Once we lay everything out on the table it becomes a lot simpler to understand where we need to go from there to eradicate the behaviour. Self-awareness is key, and once we realise we are exhibiting an unhelpful behaviour, we can stop it in its tracks.

 

The next step is to figure out our limiting beliefs – what is the story you tell yourself that has stopped you from attempting to achieve your goals? In the context of time management perhaps your inner voice has told you that you’re just a disorganised person, and there is no point in trying to change. Replacing this limiting belief with ‘I am a person who is not yet skilled at organisation’ is far more helpful. This shifts the fixed belief to one of growth. It is important to challenge these limiting beliefs – they serve no purpose and are often far removed from the truth! Once we challenge these narratives we can then begin to believe in our ability to achieve positive behaviour change.

 

Why do you want to improve your Time Management?

Next we must focus on our ‘why’ – the reasons you have for seeking to change the behaviour. There are many proponents of ‘motivation’, but we tend to veer away from this concept. Motivation is a fleeting feeling. One minute it’s there and the next it’s gone.

At Adaptas, we are firm believers in the power of habit. Once a habit becomes ingrained you will complete this action seamlessly with or without the presence of motivation. As such, when seeking to improve time management, habits to keep yourself organized, focused and not as prone to distraction must be put in place. Motivation is overrated, the gold standard of behaviour change is commitment to action.

Another helpful tool to safeguard against stress and overwhelm when under time pressure is to think of the Person A vs. Person B analogy. Person A is the person who is within us all who knows that they have enough time if they use it correctly, who views problems as challenges that can be overcome. They are curious, trusting, bold and takes measured risks. Person B on the other hand craves safety and comfortability, is insecure, avoidant and risk-averse. Therefore, when we are under pressure, it is conducive to think ‘what would person A do in this situation?’. And then do exactly that, the thing Person A would do.  You’ll soon realise you are far more resilient than you give yourself credit for.

 

Are you human?

Knowing that our time management is not an inherent human flaw, but rather something that can be improved upon is the key towards improving it.

Updated August 18th 2023

 

In our previous blog, we shared some information about Resilience; what it is and some misconceptions about resilience. We also looked at the benefits of building resilience in the workplace. In this blog we would like to explore some ways of building a more resilient workplace. 

 

There are many opportunities for employees to build a resilient workplace. Three of them are:

 

1. Understanding the basic elements of resilience

 

a) Emotional wellbeing

This basic element of resilience is about how a person understands and deals with their emotions. This can involve things such as seeing things from another’s perspective and being able to solve conflict.

b) Inner drive

Inner drive is about a person being able to focus on themselves, their goals on a daily basis. This could include using their own self awareness as a guide through their day or focusing on their core values.

c) Future focus

This means having a clear sense of focus on what one wants to achieve in the future without being stuck or held back.

d) Relationships 

By having a stable social network it makes it easier to build and maintain resilience.

e) Physical health

Physical health can affect your resilience because a healthy body makes a healthy mind. By releasing endorphins through exercise each day it helps to build and maintain resilience.

 

2. Addressing strengths and weaknesses  

 

Self-reflection is important in the journey to resilience. In order to become more resilient each of us need to address the basic elements of resilience and figure out what we need to work on and take ownership of  in developing our resilience. A great way to aid this is by giving and receiving feedback. Regular one-to-one sessions give rise to giving and receiving feedback and are a great way to address strengths and weaknesses. When people focus on their strengths fosters an ability to grow.  Many  of us don’t recognise our strengths until someone else points them out to us!

 

3. Fostering a future focus 

 

Fostering a future focus means having the ability to focus on the future. It is much easier to build and maintain resilience when you have a sense of purpose and direction. Often times when people don’t feel resilient it’s because they feel stuck with some element of where they are in their lives in the present. A future focus draws on a sense of focus and direction. This allows openness to change and allows healthy responses to challenges.  

 

If you don’t look after yourself, and do what you can to support your colleagues in building their resilience then you and they are twice as likely to report burnout than resilient employees. Resilient employees report they are twice as likely to stay with an organisation if their resilience is fostered.  

 

Do you want to learn more about developing resilience in yourself or your team? Reach out to us today at info@adaptastraining.com. We have coaching and trainings carefully build from over 15 years of experience to help you and your team find and develop this essential aspect of success.

 

Updated August 18th 2023

 

Did you know that since 2015 serious and common mental health issues have been in the top four most cited reasons of taking sick leave from work?

 

According to RTE (2020), the highest incidence of sick leave was due to stress in 18-24 year olds with 22% having to take time off. 

 

How do we stop this? 

 

Developing your own RESILIENCE is one thing that could help these shocking statistics.

 

For many of us, there is nothing better than knowing that our colleagues feel content and fulfilled at work.  We believe that Covid-19 has made many people realise that our number one priority in the workplace needs to be employee wellbeing and resilience.  We have certainly seen this in the workshops, programmes and immersive learning tech projects we have been working on with our clients.

 

What is Resilience?  

 

Resilience is our ability to become strong, healthy or successful after something bad has happened. It is the bounce back ability from difficult challenges These challenges can also be positive such as bouncing back to work from a really good holiday. The concept of resilience also involves the ability to regulate your thoughts and emotions and the ability to observe a challenging situation as not a set-back but an opportunity to grow and improve. Resilience involves enabling better problem-solving skills and helps maintain motivation in the workplace. These challenging situations could be mental health issues, job changes or loss and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Misconceptions of Resilience

 

A common misconception of resilience is that a person that is resilient DOES NOT experience psychological stress. Most if not all resilient people have gone through psychological stress. Often, the road on the way to becoming resilient involves emotional pain. Some people possess traits that make them more likely to be resilient than others. 

 

And indeed a really interesting fact is that some people thrive from these challenges and changes. “The old understanding of stress as a unhelpful relic of our animal instincts is being replaced by the understanding that stress actually makes us socially smart — it’s what allows us to be fully human.” – Kelly McGonigal

 

An individual’s resilience is based on a combination of genetics, personal history, environment and situational context. Professor of psychiatric epidemiology in Harvard’s T.H Chan School of Public Health, Karestan Koenen said that “there are temperamental or personality characteristics that are genetically influenced [on resilience] such as risk-taking or whether you’re introverted or extroverted”.  So this means whether you’re introverted or extroverted or a risk taker plays a part in how you develop your resilience and how much resilience you have already developed due to your genetics.

 

Why is resilience so important in the workplace? 

 

There are many reasons why resilience is so important in the workplace:

 

First of all, it gives the employees a better ability to handle changes and challenges. Resilience reduces negative thoughts and stops them clouding judgement and logic meaning employees will be better able to handle challenges and changes in the workplace.

 

Next we have improved communication. Employees who encompass higher levels of resilience than others are usually more self-assured and confident. This means they have the ability to speak up and contribute to discussions and can express their needs and their ideas more constructively and logically. If ideas are shared in a business it allows for opportunities to explore all avenues and encourages creativity among the workforce.

 

The third reason why resilience is important in the workplace is that employees who feel resilient will be more open to upskilling and development. 

 

A study by CV Library showed that 40% of employers see value in the skill “willingness to adapt”. Resilience promotes a growth mindset where employees will seek out new opportunities to upskill. If a business aids growth in employees then the business will grow.

 

See our next blog where we share some tips on how to build a resilient workplace…

 

Are you interested in helping your team find and develop their resilience? Reach out! You can find us at info@adaptastraining.com. We love hearing from you, and we would love to discuss how our one to one or group training programmes can help.

 

Since our lives all changed earlier this year, I, like many of you, found myself troubled by the impact this current situation would have on people’s well-being and mental health.

 

Before Covid-19, in my work I saw the impact of stress on a weekly basis in organisations and the teams and people we work with. So much of what we do at Adaptas is about helping people get to know themselves better so that they can manage emotions, and their decisions and communicate effectively with others.

 

What has been happening in the world is the stuff that in the past many people only ‘catastrophised’ about or watched in movies. Some of us were naturally good at rationalising it out, knowing most of our  fears would not be realised. And some of us had techniques to help us stop and rationalise it out, recognising eventually that the catastrophising  we were doing was highly unlikely. However, in recent months some of our deepest fears have being actualised.

 

We have been told to stay indoors, to socially isolate, to stay away from friends and family. We don’t feel like we have autonomy  to make the decisions about how we live our lives, other than between the four walls. Many people have lost their jobs and as we all look into the future there are continuing fears around further job loss, financial insecurity and general uncertainty.  1 in 4 restaurants in the USA are expected to never re-open. Airbnb had to let 1900 people go globally recently. Our fears are for sure being realised.

 

Regarding our fears becoming a reality,  things might be worse than we could have imagined?.

 

“We think of the world as how we left it. But that world is gone”

Nesrine Malik,  The Guardian (18^th  May)

 

There is possibly some light at the end of the tunnel. So many people have realised during this lockdown that life did not  need to be the way it was. Many individuals don’t want to go back to the way it was. It was too busy. There were too many demands. There were people spending two hours commuting to and from work. Numerous people were grabbing takeaway every evening, staying in the office late or going home and logging back in before going to bed. A lot of people were working hard to pay for the big house, the new car and the holidays. Many were just trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Interestingly, several people who suffered from anxiety, including social anxieties report experiencing their symptoms decrease as there is now less pressure on them.

 

All in all, can we take this pressure and reduce it for the long-term?

 

For some people it will be less commuting, or having two or three proper meals instead of rushing the takeaway sandwich for lunch and dinner. For some it will be a job or career they hadn’t imagined themselves in, or more time with their children. For some it  will be a focus on how we can improve lives for others who are less fortunate.  For others, it will be making some hard decisions about career, partner, living situation and possibly setting oneself free from the shackles that were holding us tight.

 

The lesson for me in this is to never allow my mind to catastrophise again. It is complete fortune telling and we cannot imagine what is next or around the corner. When we take anything to an extreme, we have a problem. We cannot actually fortune tell how bad it can get or how good it can get.  None of us know what is around the corner and there is no point guessing.  All we can do is make the best of today.

 

What is there to be afraid of?