Rambutan

A knockout question: changing cultures

Fiona — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:06 +0000

Last year David was asked a knockout question by Rose Lundie at the National Trust: “So, what do you really believe about changing cultures and embedding values and behaviour?” Gulp! It took him a while to think it through, but here is his response.

‘I have been involved in many values programmes. From the very good, where a tangible culture change was noticed and measured, and a direct link to improved business performance was proved; to the very poor, where a few posters, mouse mats and screen savers where produced, deployed then got tatty and faded less than gracefully. So what made the good ones good and the bad ones bad?

For me it is a simple question about the leadership. Did the leadership change the context of the organisation with the example they set?

Many leadership programmes, training courses, books and articles quote from, and use the stories of, great leaders. Mandela, Gandhi, Churchill, King, Fergusson (this name may seem an odd one to put in the list…especially as it was typed by a Leeds supporter but even I can’t argue with his amazing achievements ). One thing that all of these had in common is something they didn’t (or still don’t in the case of Sir Alex) do. They did not define their leadership behaviours, have conferences to tell others how to behave and give out mouse mats*¹ . Now I don’t want to damage the mouse mat industry so let’s be clear. The visual media element of culture change is an important supporting factor to the example set by leaders however, without that, it is as useful as wifi is to a goldfish.

I think this is thankfully why great leadership is still rewarded with great salaries*². We should have no problem with the huge salaries that CEO’s command as long as they are not demanding mouse mats or using their wealth to buy super injunctions, when the middle class can only afford normal injunctions and the likes of you and I think an ‘injunction’ is a cool place to watch traffic.

So Rose, what do I really believe? One word… leadership!’

*¹ OK. I admit that mouse mats would not have been invented for most of the list but I think you get the point

*² when average or bad leadership gets paid the same it makes me want to put my goldfish*³ in the microwave

*³I have never put my goldfish in a microwave but I have put fish in a microwave

It should be easy being green!

Fiona — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:25 +0000

This week (14 – 18 May) is Green Office Week; the perfect time to take a look at our space, the way we use it and what we could do better. Let’s face it, there’s always something! How often do you leave a room and forget to switch the light off? Did you throw away your lunchtime drinks can, not considering that you could recycle it? Fiona explores the small changes which can make the big differences.

“When I first heard it was Green Office Week my immediate thought turned to recycling, as this was my natural association with ‘being green’. But there’s so much more to it than making sure the plastic bottles and cans go in the right bin. In fact, a quick internet search later and I was finding out lots more on the official website dedicated to this mission: Green Office Week. It turns the focus on making work environments more efficient, noting that ‘82% of office workers are more environmentally friendly at home than in the office’. Funnily enough, another of their stats points out that ‘37% [of office workers] say nothing’s stopping them at all!’ So why are most businesses falling short on the environmental front?

Here at Rambutan we consciously try to recycle as much as we can, and in turn use recycled materials. We always send our printer cartridges back to the supplier for recycling. We put equipment on standby when not in use and switch lights off when we’re not in the room. Well… most of the time.

So what’s the main thing we need to focus on? I’d like to say we’re doing everything we can, but if I’m truly honest, we could be doing more. Like remembering to switch off equipment at the socket when it’s not in use. We operate a hot desking policy here at RambuHQ, so whilst it’s quite usual for us to pull laptop plugs out of the wall when we pack away and leave the office, sadly the same is not always done with phone chargers and other office equipment. This morning, when I arrived at the office, the shredder was still plugged in with its little light illuminated, having glowed brightly through the night in the empty office. I could have switched it off before I left the office yesterday, but I wasn’t the last one to leave so I assumed that someone else would do it. You know what they say about assuming…

We can’t act on behalf of our colleagues but I guess the message is about us all taking responsibility and reminding each other of this, so that our actions as a whole make an improvement.

Must. Try. Harder.

For more tips and advice during this week (and beyond) visit the Green Office Week website, follow them on Twitter @greenofficeweek or check them out on Facebook.

Watch this space for an update of how we’ve gone about working harder to reduce our carbon footprint. We’d love to hear of things you’re doing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to separate our plastics from our cans, turn our heating down a notch and switch off every unneeded light!”

Calling all coaches

Fiona — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:30:07 +0000

Wanted – People in business who have coaching skills and a few hours to spare.

More of a call to arms than a blog. On the ‘super coaching’ course that Craig has been running recently, he lays down the gauntlet to attendees in the first minute of the three-day course: “By the end of the three days you will all be able to coach anyone, at any level, in any walk of life and on any subject.”

Well… talk about taking our own Rambumedicine; last month David found himself appointed as the Under 9’s girls football team coach here in Market Harborough. Panic!

“I don’t know anything about football tactics, techniques or skills. I don’t follow football. Other than watching England go out on penalties in the pub every four years I don’t even watch football, and the last time I played was [badly] aged 11. But my daughter is in the team… they needed a coach and when they looked at me I said ‘OK’ [foolishly].

The next day was a three match tournament in Leicester. It was the first time any of the team had played in a match. It really could not have been any worse. What was I going to tell the team? The only thing sports wise I am good at is ping pong but I was struggling to think of how I could use my deadly spin serve to help the girls!

Here’s where Craig’s course came in. Craig teaches coaches to stay calm, positive and ask great questions. I didn’t know whether his techniques would work with a football team but, as I didn’t have a plan B, I thought I would give it a go. It was amazing. The girls think I am a brilliant coach, the parents are full of praise and the results are getting better. So what did I do?

First of all I acknowledged to the girls and the parents what a privilege it was to be coach. It was true so why not start with a real positive and, if you do have a few hours spare, give it a go. You will see what I mean! Same goes in business really. Being someone’s coach is a massive privilege.

I then decided that, for the majority of the time, the girls could figure things out for themselves (now that should sound really familiar to business coaches!) and letting them do so would help them become better footballers and a better team. The team literally decide who is going to play where, who is captain, sub etc. I don’t shout instructions about who to pass to or where to stand (not that I would know anyway). During the games all I do from my technical area (you have no idea how funny that sounded when the referee at the first game told me to “go and stand in my technical area!”) is praise what they do well and ignore everything else. I have told them if they need me (e.g. if they are tired, thirsty, need a lace tying etc.) then speak to the referee to stop the game or to just come and see me… other than that it’s pretty much down to them… and they are only nine…. how cool is that?

We huddle at the end of each half (and I make sure that I bend down so I am at the same level as them) and I simply get them to tell each other the answers to three questions:

what was really good?
where they could improve even more?
how can they have even more fun in the next half/game?

We don’t talk about mistakes. If we lose it’s not mentioned but if we win, we do the high five.

I had no idea how rewarding being a kids sports coach could be nor how directly transferable the stuff we do in business is. If you are a business coach or use coaching as part of your work then give it a go… you might get hooked like me… I am going to do my coaching badges soon and that’s how Jose Mourinho started!”

The trusted source

Fiona — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:45:41 +0000

Whilst out walking the dog with his daughter, David passed a pub being built near his house. Their conversation prompted him to think whether ‘seeing is believing’, or is it the other way round? What do you think?

David: If they light a fire when the pub is finished how will the smoke get out of the chimney?

Daughter: Don’t be silly, they will not have a real fire in there, the chimney is just for show

David: So Santa is really going to struggle if he tries to get down there at Christmas..?

Daughter: Daaaaaad you know that Santa uses magic so it doesn’t matter if the chimney is real or not

David: Oh!

“It struck me how willing we sometimes are to believe things even without evidence when we trust the source (which is me, in this case, as I have gone to great and secret lengths over the years to foster the belief in Santa).

In fact it’s probably stronger than that. Sometimes people believe things and then construct the evidence to prove themselves right. When I think about that from an organisational perspective, I often see communication that tries to create belief and belonging using evidence (e.g. the five year business plan booklet) and this is creditable, but is there more? Could leaders work less on content/evidence and more on being the trusted source? Could this free leaders from the perceived need to ‘spin’ and allow them to be themselves and tell it like it is?

The best leaders that I have worked for did a bit of both (provided evidence and were the trusted source) yet now when I look back I can never remember what the evidence was…I just know that I believed them!”

Are you aware of the impact you have on others?

Fiona — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:00:35 +0000

Craig was recently having his hair cut – what little hair he has left – in a busy hairdressers and overheard the following conversation…

Customer: Morning! How are you?

Hairdresser: Ok for a Thursday

Customer: Nice day outside, just a little cold!

Hairdresser: [no real response, some sort of audible grunt]

Customer: Seems nicely busy in here today…

Hairdresser: Yeah, just my luck being this busy!

Customer: [semi nervous chuckle] That’s good though?

Hairdresser: If you say so [spoken in a semi sarcastic way – followed by silence] So what do you want doing to your hair?

[then silence and the sound of clippers]

Why am I sharing this?

The impact you have on others is not just bound by who you’re directing your conversation or actions towards. The hairdressers was busy and everyone could hear the conversation; do I really want to continue spending my money in a place where being busy with customers is seen as such a chore?

The hairdresser’s comments might have been very innocent and not intended in the way I have ‘heard’ them, yet the perception has been created… what are the perceptions you’re creating for your customers, colleagues, family and friends?

Something to think about!

Rambutan bunch: next generation

Fiona — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:00:25 +0000

Our branches are expanding once more, with a new arrival to enhance the next generation.

Rambutan are very pleased to introduce Baby Dakin, the son of our most recent consultant James, who arrived into the world on Monday. The weather might be damp but it certainly must be Spring with all these new beginnings! (More on that later…)

And what have they called the delightful, little bundle? We can confirm that the name of choice is Jas, derived from the Olde English for James. How fitting!

Mother and baby are doing well, home safe and sound. We hope you will join the rest of the bunch in sending congratulations to the Dakin family – daughter Indi too – and we hope James enjoys some well earned time off with his new son.

The power of feedback

Fiona — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:11:50 +0000

On our presentation skills course, the average age of the group was about 19, yet the feedback they gave each other was better than that of many adults. Lance is here to share the story…

“I was working with James recently, delivering a presentation skills course and met a group of people who’s maturity was far greater than their age.

Attending the course were ten young apprentices, who’d only been in their role for two months. Now even though the youngest was only 16 and many of them had never met before, their feedback to each other was outstanding.

This got me thinking. Do young adults naturally have the ability to offer such good feedback; does this skill get subdued when they become aware of work-life politics; or was this a remarkable group of people?

Whatever your thoughts are on this, the power of feedback can best be described by something that happened during the session. The youngest member of the group simply didn’t want to attend the course, had no intention of presenting and truly believed they’d never be capable of standing in front of people and speaking.

Okay, so they did need a little help with the first presentation. Then something remarkable happened. The feedback (likes and prefers) from the group really hit the spot. The individual listened, grew in confidence and said they’d try to make the next presentation even better. By the end of the second day and five presentations later, this person’s commitment to themselves was to ‘try and find opportunities to present so that I can keep improving’.

That’s the power of feedback.”

How to openly communicate

Fiona — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:30:38 +0000

Nicki recently read an interesting article by Jo-Ann Downey, around how to improve dialogue with more open communication in the workplace. The types of questions you ask can be received in different ways and it would seem the more open-ended they are, the better the benefits. What is your questioning style?

Have you ever asked, or been at the receiving end of, questions like the ones outlined below:

have you done your homework?
did you finish your project?
have you cooked dinner yet?

Do you occasionally feel that someone’s question is really a request, or judgment, in disguise?

Unlike closed questions, open-ended questions require more than a one or two word response and encourage two-way communication in both personal and professional relationships. They are often phrased as a statement that encourages a more lengthy response.

Examples of open-ended questions are those which start with ‘why’, ‘how’, or phrases like ‘I would like to know more about’, ‘tell me about’, or ‘I am interested in hearing more about.’ Look at these comparisons and think about the different response each might get:

Closed question: Is your project on time?
Open-ended question: I’m interested in hearing about your project.

Closed question: What’s your favorite film?
Open-ended question: I’d love to hear about your favorite film.

These questions seem quite standard, and we probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid if they were spoken in our direction. But the benefits of using open-ended questions are far greater, as they:

facilitate enhanced levels of cooperation and understanding
provide the opportunity for others to express themselves more openly and honestly
encourage others to provide information including their ideas, concerns & feelings
show respect and interest in others, demonstrates your willingness to invest time in the person you are communicating with

Overall, open questions will enhance your communication in every aspect of your personal and professional relationships. So, why not see if you can introduce more of these into your conversations today and share your thoughts with us?

To read the full article, visit Very Smart Girls and let us know which open-ended questions you’ll be implementing in the workplace.

A room with a cause

Fiona — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:09:48 +0000

Hi there! If you’re ever looking for a meeting or training room in London which is cost effective, two minutes from Southwark Tube Station and where the money for the hire goes to a great cause then look no further than St. Mungo’s on Rushworth Street. St Mungo’s is a charity who house, support and care for vulnerable and excluded people - visit their website here.

This is a photograph of one of the rooms they have available for hire, which has two breakout rooms ‘en suite’. All of the rooms have built in projectors, interactive whiteboards and (all importantly) free flowing refreshments! If you’d like more information, please give David a call for more details.

It’s all in the mind

Fiona — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:10:49 +0000

Here’s something to think about… how often do we sit quietly, concentrating on ourselves and nothing else? What would it take to do this for 10 minutes every day and what would the benefits be?

Lucy’s been doing a bit of meditating lately. She hasn’t said much about it before now because she wonders if some people think it’sperhaps a bit kooky. Considering she’s a pretty grounded, matter of fact person, it’s something quite different for her too.

“I had been toying with the idea of meditation when a friend told me Hugh Jackman had spoken about it on TV, saying it helped to declutter his mind. My mind was most definitely feeling cluttered so I decided to go ahead and give it a go.

I learnt that we’re not very good at looking after our minds. We know how to keep a healthy body but don’t pay much attention to our minds. I loved the first session. How unique to just sit and be. Thoughts which came into my mind were gently nudged away as I concentrated on my breathing; cool air in at the tip of my nose, warm air out.

I came away feeling refreshed and revived in a way that was unfamiliar to me. Apparently, if I keep it up, my concentration will improve and I will always be able to maintain a calm demeanour,whatever life throws at me. This seemed a bonus when my main aim was simply to sleep better.

I read at the weekend that Goldie Hawn (what is it with actors and this subject?!) is leading a campaign to introduce meditation into primary schools. Is this a step too far? Well, maybe not. Maybe, if I had learnt at an early age the importance of keeping our minds healthy, I wouldn’t feel so reticent about my twilight trips to the meditation centre now.

The girls at Rambutan recently completed a mammoth trek (or a 15 mile walk; it depends how your feet are feeling as to which description you choose) and we opted to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. It wasn’t a charity I was familiar with, but once we decided on it, I found out quite a bit about this dreadful disease. I realised that we take the ability to think things through very much for granted.

I’m going to be a lot more comfortable with my meditating habit now. I realise the importance of keeping an open mind about these things. I realise the importance of keeping a healthy mind.”