What if there was no right or wrong?

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

So many times you hear the phrase “that’s definitely the right thing to do” or “why have you done that? It’s all wrong.” These phrases permeate our society; you hear them said between families, friends, colleagues and complete strangers. We have television programmes which seem to consist of people saying “I am right, you are wrong”. We have grown up within an education system that says there is a right and wrong answer, yes or no, black or white. It is inherent in our society and has a huge effect on us as individuals, our homes, our businesses and society as a whole. What if I were to suggest that how would it be if there was no right or wrong?

Of course I am by no means suggesting that we don’t have any kind of moral code and go back to some kind of survival of the fittest type of scenario. I accept that there are some innate moral laws which are in built into our DNA and have evolved with us as a species. But beyond this what if there was no right or wrong there was just stuff that works and stuff that doesn’t work. If we as a society accepted that people tried things out and learnt what worked and what doesn’t. To say there is a right way and a wrong way to do things limits not only that individual’s ability to see new possibilities but those that they might lead. It also presupposes that we all work in the same way. I may come to the same conclusion as another but by a different route; which is right and which is wrong?

In a business environment to throw out the idea of right and wrong would really allow the organisation to flourish in areas that in may never have previously considered. If there is no right or wrong then there can be little judgement of others because you accept that there are many ways to discover things and complete tasks. If there is no right or wrong it frees your mind from these constraints and you can take on new ways of doing things. Right or wrong is not particularly useful in business or life; it should be what works and what doesn’t for that individual, for that team and for the business.

By living in a world where there is no right or wrong you can open up your business to many new opportunities and build a culture of respect by recognising difference. These are some of the core principles behind creating an innovative culture. So forget what is right or wrong and just think there is some stuff, some of it works and some of it doesn’t.

, , , ,

Enhance your ‘Collective Brain’

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

This week I came across a TED talk video (as per usual) around the power of human beings sharing ideas. Speaker Matt Ridley points out that anything we create these days is the combination of ideas from all around human society. For example he talks about the computer mouse and how it is full of human creations from the plastic that makes it to the transistors that sit within it. It is through human collaboration and sharing of ideas that we have come to be able to create such advanced technologies. Ridley also points out that it is not down to intelligence of the individual but the strength of the ‘Collective Brain’ which allows this to work so well. By that he means our ability to share our ideas with each other to be able to create new solutions, products or technologies. Our ability to share and collaborate is the absolute fundamental basis for being successful when being innovative.

This talk offers a real insight into the importance of collaboration for the development of new ideas and technologies. Within any business environment it is key to its growth and success to always be looking for innovative solutions. There is no better way to do this than by creating your own ‘Collective Brain’ and fundamental to this is collaboration. But how can a business environment go about creating a collaborative environment and thereby enhance their ‘Collective Brain’? Well to do this it is hugely important to first of create a safe and secure environment for all individuals within which they can explore the ideas that they have. Through building a culture based on unconditional respect you will create that feeling of safety and trust which allows all people to develop at their own pace.   Then through creating the conditions within which people can share ideas, such as more opportunities to communicate and just getting together and talking, whether that be online or in person, you can build the ‘Collective Brain’.

The people in your company are the neurons of your brain and everyone’s skills have a place. It is the communication that creates the connections between them and will build your ‘Collective Brain’.

 

, , , ,

Socialnomics

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

This week I came across this video on YouTube. It demonstrates how different the world is compared to how it was even ten years ago. It shows us how selling a product is no longer about money or price it is about trust and peer recommendations. It also gives an insight into how younger generations see the world. It is a fundamental shift from 15-20 years ago. People now grow up with a platform that is constantly changing, it doesn’t discriminate, and it allows you to air your opinions, discover things for yourself and share with others. This is now the norm, especially with Generation Y, it is important for business to be able to reflect this to attract and retain young talent because this is what they understand. Someone said to me yesterday if you want to build a successful business you need to aim for a legacy and to do that you must build it, not for you, but for the next generation. That is the way you will create a long lasting successful business.

, , ,

We all work differently, so should business

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

 

I have always struggled to understand peoples working patterns, even in school I struggled to understand how teachers would only seem to believe there was one way of working. I have come across so many different ways people work. There are those that work really long hours and get a lot done, those that seem to work really long hours but not get much done, others who don’t seem to do much work but always get done what is needed and then the people that just don’t do anything and don’t really come out with anything either. You see these types of people throughout life; to protect my reputation I am not going to suggest which category I may be. Although I think most people would recognise that we all work in different ways but our businesses are structured for people to work in specific ways. There are other factors

The traditional 9 to 5 jobs are becoming less and less common with such things as flexi time being adopted across business. However there are businesses which have no flexi time either, they say come to work and do your job when you want to; Facebook is a major proponent of this. Changing to this type of work set up takes a major step in trust from the employers point of view, but having said that it says straight away to any employee I respect you and I trust that you will get the job done. Given this freedom then the individual can fall into their natural work pattern and become much more effective. Their motivation and management of their time will come from within rather than coming from an external force; self motivation is the most powerful of all. People do things best when they WANT to do them, it is your job as a business leader to draw that out of them, not to dictate to them how they SHOULD be doing things. that can affect how people work to, like time of day, comfort, music, and people around them. What can businesses do to take advantage of peoples natural work patterns?

By giving employees liberties like this as well as others such as the freedom to make mistakes it creates an environment within which the individual can work as they feel they do naturally. Instead of forcing everyone to try and work in the same patterns which doesn’t work very well at all. For a business to succeed it needs to get the best from all individuals. By providing them the freedom to work in their natural way will not only increase their effectiveness but also create an environment full of trust and encouraging individual responsibility, building blocks to any successful business. You shouldn’t see people’s different work patterns as a problem it is an asset to take advantage of and build a truly effective working environment.

For what it’s worth these are the 3 basic rules I would live by as an employer –

1, you are free to work when you like

2, you can work as you like as long as it doesn’t hinder others ability to work

3, you are expected to work towards the company’s vision through your daily tasks and any extra projects you wish to pursue

I believe give people freedom and trust then they will reciprocate.

 

, , , , , ,

Getting rid of that ‘Sunday feeling’

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

When I was in my first full time job, at the tender age of 19, I used to spend Sunday evening dreading the next day when I had to go back to work. I thought this was the way things would always be, that feeling in the gut that for the next five days your freedom will be curbed and you will have to do things you had no interest in. I couldn’t deal with the idea that for 40 hours in the week I will be using up my life doing things that hold no interest for me. This led me to the conclusion that I must go back into education to get a degree then I can build a career I want to do. Inevitably it didn’t pan out that way. After three very enjoyable years at University which was full of new freedoms, I found myself back experiencing that ‘Sunday feeling’ but just in a new workplace. I also had friends and family members that would describe that same feeling to me; I started to wonder if that was the ‘norm’. I wondered for sometime about whether this is an acceptable or beneficial way to feel about your working week. I decided it wasn’t.

It was then I started to look for opportunities to grow and take responsibility myself to eradicate it. Then I started to learn about how companies such as Google and Facebook treat their employees. They create an environment where people WANT to be there, they WANT to work and they WANT it to succeed. There is very little that is as powerful as an individuals will. Telling people to do things will only get you so far but if you have the power to inspire people and make them want to do things you really have something. As was shown in my previous post inspiration comes from giving people an idea bigger than profit to drive them; a vision. The clip below shows what it is like to work at Google, why can’t we all work in environments like this? Places you would go even if you had a day off. A place where you are respected, trusted and listened to. That is what I endeavour to achieve in all businesses through Blue. I believe we have the research and the insight to help organisations become environments where people WANT to be and WANT to succeed. I want to eradicate that ‘Sunday feeling’ for everyone.

, , , , , , ,

Why on earth does anyone do what they do?

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

I recently watched this fascinating TED talk from Simon Sinek about how Leaders inspire people. He discusses what it is that great Leaders do that others don’t to get the best from what seem to be just regular teams of people. He cites examples from The Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King to that modern day beacon of Innovation, Apple. What he demonstrates is that most organisations know what they do and how they do it but many don’t really know why they do it. A fare few of businesses would say they do it for the profit but that doesn’t really hold up for a couple of reasons. Firstly, profits are an outcome of your business, it is a result of what you do not the reason you do it. Secondly and possibly more importantly, to an individual working in a business garnering profits is probably not the greatest driver for them. So much more important for a business to grow is to know why you do what you do. Why is it you get out of bed in the morning? This is what inspires people to work harder and give so much more. This is what great Leaders always talk about why they do what they do, whereas your average Leader will just begin with what they do. People don’t buy what you do, but why you do it!

So this got me thinking what is it that gets me out of bed in the morning? Why do I do what I do? I guess I have always known, it is the reason I quit my relatively safe job at the Council to pursue what I am doing now. My vision is to change society by creating working environments which people want to be a part of, collaborative, supportive, creative and respectful; settings where people can enjoy their life. But also grow and develop as human beings and professionals to be better at what they do and happy in their life. Too often people tell me they hate their jobs, they talk about when it is all over, they work for the weekend; I have been there myself. How can this be right, people are wishing their lives away, lives are to be lived and enjoyed. That is why I do what I do.

Maybe I am a dreamer, but hey if we don’t have dreams what do we have?

 

, , , , ,

How well do we even know our own Brain?

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

This is who I am, this is the way nature made me or that is just what I do. These are phrases that people often use to describe why they act in certain ways. Many people believe that the way they behave is ingrained into them from birth. However, at the forefront of modern day neuroscience is the idea that you have ultimate control over your behaviours; you can change how you act. Although not easy, you have the ability to change those neural pathways and make new ones with alternative behaviours and habits. This follows the now widely demonstrated fact that our brains are like a piece of plastic and you have the power to mould it and change it.

Listening to a Radio 4 documentary on Neuroscience (below) I realised just how widely this concept is being adopted, ultimately with the popularisation of Neuroscience an inevitable outcome. Knowing how one’s mind is working opens up another level of self awareness that was not afforded to previous generations. This knowledge allows an individual to have a much more holistic view of how and why they are acting in certain ways. But not only that but by knowing why you act in certain ways gives you the power to know how to stop it or change it. This sort of knowledge could be hugely beneficial within a business which wishes to create individuals who grow through self awareness. The Red Zone / Blue Zone concept for understanding the different areas of the brain and what they help you achieve, is a hugely powerful and accessible model for individuals to know when they are at their best or not, as the case may be. Leading to a greater view of what they need to change to be more effective at work and possibly even just in their daily lives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017551t/A_History_of_the_Brain_Einsteins_Brain/

 

, , , , , ,

A lack of understanding

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

 

This morning I have been Listening to a debate about the summer riots here in the UK. Whatever your opinion on them, there is a theme running throughout the analysis; a lack of understanding. There is huge emphasis put on the riots and how to stop them, which of course is right but the rioting is a symptom of so many other underlying problems. To just treat that would produce no particularly constructive outcome. The only way to stop the rioting or any other type of outburst is to understand why they were rioting and treat that.

Peoples persistence to say this is just wrong and look to just react to the rioting itself isn’t really very helpful. This limits their ability to deal with it as they trying to treat something which is actually an outcome of various factors. So by treating this you are not actually going to fix much as you are not changing anything really you are just ‘papering over the cracks’. To improve anything you must first competely understanding what it is that is contributing to it.

Within a business environment imagine if you had persistently bad customer experiences and to treat this you give the customer a gift to say sorry and sanction the person who dealt with them. This does not deal with the underlying issues. It is only through understanding what has gone wrong that you will truly improve. If that bad experience is systematic within your company then you will need to take further action whether that be with further training or improved systems.

If you take this thinking down to an individual level you can see how understanding yourself can help you improve. With the right combination of helpful tools you can build a more rounded view of your abilities, strengths and limitations. Using tools such as feedback and self reflection you can understand the areas you need to improve which will ultimately help you decide on some steps to allow yourself to build competence in those areas.

A lack of understanding is becoming more and more prominent in the UK especially in politics. However it is this very skill that will allow a business to grow and an individual to develop effectively. To improve things in any walk of life you must first understand what the causes are then look to change those things to improve. This is the same for an individual and should be what an effective performance management system looks to do.

, , , ,

The Generation Gap

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

With every different generation in society we always talk of a gap between them; coining phrases like Generation X or Generation Y. The differences that are present between the varying age groups often provide ammunition for  humour or excuses to draw upon when we are challenged; “I’m too old for that.” But are those differences now become so wide that a shift in society is taking place? Are the so called Y Generation, so different that it is challenging many of the beliefs that are at the core of society?

It would seem from recent events, the London riots, the #Occupy movement or the Student protests not to mention the total failure of the economic system for a whole new generation that something is going on. Many commentators have stated how this current economic crisis may last a generation. The young people of today are going to be less well off than their parents. This has caused a shift in their thinking. Buying houses, learning to drive, buying material goods? These are becoming much less prominent for the next generation.

However the world is still run by people who believe in this old system, they were brought up to think there is a right answer, respect authority and you will be looked after, stability is important and avoidance of change is key to a good life. But consider the younger generation; they have grown up with the internet. At the core of it is change; with its ever evolving content. This is a platform within which you are social, open and you share things. It doesn’t discriminate against you, your views are as important as anyone else’s. The playing field is suddenly level; you can have your opinion in the same sphere as a national news organisation. You can search for any information or knowledge that you want. You collaborate with each other, you learn from each other and you access knowledge from all over the world. Knowledge is no longer an attribute of the educated, it is out there, and it is accessible. The premise that you are a Manager due to your experience / knowledge holds much less value to the younger generation. They know they can find things out for themselves, they can get that experience through their own learning; it is guidance that they require.

, , , ,

The importance of self awareness

Posted by Joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

I was filling in a values and beliefs assessment today and it got me thinking about the importance of being aware of oneself. The key to anyone’s personal development is knowing the areas which they must develop. However, as with all of us we often find it difficult to get that perspective upon ourselves to be able to see what we are not so good at. We all are guilty of thinking we are better in some areas than we are or we are not as good at certain things as we think we are. The key to a successful performance management system within any organisation is providing tools to help people build a level of self awareness that will allow them to grow. This is most effectively done with a 360 degree feedback process.

Allowing people to see what others think about how they perform gives them the opportunity to get a real holistic view on their performance at work. However one of the most important aspects of a successful feedback system is the individual feeling safe in what they receive. In many organisations the feedback for individuals is shared amongst others. This has a negative effect on the team member receiving the feedback; they feel that they are being judged. The key to an individual using the information most effectively is for the results to be private to them. Although, allowing senior leaders to have an aggregated feedback from the whole team helps them to see growth in performance whilst keeping individuals results private. Keeping things secret to the team member allows them to work through what they want to improve based on the results they receive, knowing that they aren’t being judged. To aid this journey to a commitment around improving certain skills you can also coach team members through the results. True coaching means you don’t really need much information as it is all about guiding the individual to come to their own decisions. This allows the information to stay private and the individual to think it through and come to some conclusions as to what they need to improve based on the results.

At times in our private life we all find it difficult to have a high level of self awareness. Within a business which is looking to grow it is important for all employees to develop this skill to be able to understand where they can grow. It is a 360 degree feedback process that will allow individuals to build that selfawareness to grow effectively.

, , , ,

Social Widgets powered by AB-WebLog.com.