Hotter Than July: Introduction

 

Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster,” contains a lyric

“Everyone’s feeling pretty,
It’s hotter than July
Though the world’s full of problems
They couldn’t touch us even if they tried”

 For all sorts of reasons, July 2021 was so hot that I couldn’t remember too much about it. I’d reached an improbable sixty-eighth birthday that year and, as it turned out, I was less, rather than more, likely to make it to sixty-nine, (the age, not the position!): more to follow; well, on the age bit anyway!

Stevie was right and wrong at the same time: July is, in lots of places, hot and so therefore correct! The world’s full of problems, again correct! And now things get a bit flakey “They couldn’t touch us even if they tried.”  Yes, they could and yes, they had.

Covid 19, from its early emergence in China had, and, I feel, continues, to have changed us, at individual, familial and societal levels. In July 2021 Indonesia launched a Covid led lockdown and at this point, the Covid death toll in India was a reported 400,00, with some suggestions inferring that a more realistic figure was “nearer 1,000,000”

The “Hotter than July” theme was repeated with devastating results in Cyprus, when the worst wildfires in the island’s history broke out in Limassol, killing at least four people. Death Valley, California, saw temperatures of 130 degrees F (54.4 C), one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on earth and June 2021 was declared US's hottest ever recorded in 127 years, average temperature 72.6 degrees F (4.2 degrees above average). On the other side of planet, in Japan, and following torrential rain, mudslides crashed through town of Atami, Japan, killing 27, with many others sustaining multiple injuries. [i]

Perhaps understandably under-reported, it was announced that Leonardo Da Vinci has fourteen living descendants and on the 5^th of July, and almost certainly not one of them, Boris Johnson announced the end of the tattered remnants of Covid 19 restrictions in England, making it the least restricted country in the Europe it had left. I wonder if at around that time, Prime Minister Johnson and his acolytes had a sense of “Thank God that’s over!” If they did, it was premature.

In his book “Beautiful Losers,” Leonard Cohen wrote “..turds float where diamonds sink.” In July 2021, The Trump Organisation and its Finance Officer were charged by the State of New York, with Tax Fraud and Grand Larceny[ii] and as I write, the grand accuser himself is now President of the U.S.A: it is Pinocchio that has outgrown the nose!

---

[i] https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2021/july

[ii] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/nyregion/allen-weisselberg-charged-trump-organization.html

Tuckman, Silos, Kaleidoscopes and Travelling to Dublin

 Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing...…..Adjournment and Grieving

There's a line from where I'm from-it goes this way;

Q: "What's the best way to get to Dublin?"

A: "Well, I wouldn't start from here!"

But the essence of the one (alright, two!), liner is that we almost never have a choice regarding our starting point on our travel journeys, and the same is true for organisational change: this is something I feel we have lost sight of. 

So, what happens is, that instead of uniformly starting with "Forming", team members (existing and re-assigned), are likely to originate from different place on the "Tuckman Wheel", ones within which they might have felt comfortable, and were performing. However, organisational requirements (The Business Case) have changed and people are required to change with them.

Realignment, redirection, re-evaluation, repositioning, rethinking, reskilling: it goes on. But, there's a lot of "re" going on there and it can be painful. For example

A highly skilled and popular Team Leader is required to join a newly formed Team. Although their salary has been guaranteed, their authority (both structural and acquiescent) has been damaged. This is a good person who has been "bounced" from a place where they were performing, to one where they have neither adjourned or effectively "said goodbye" to their previous role. In their new role, they are expected to make a swift transition, one that may avoid Forming and Storming and move straight into Norming with high expectations that Performing will soon follow. 

So, with a twist of the organisational kaleidoscope, someone's working landscape has changed and their patterns have been (sometimes dramatically), adjusted. It feels necessary to ask about the approaches taken that allow our person an opportunity to reflect on and retell their strengths, reaching a place where they can see their past as an asset that has brought them growth and experience and therefore better equips them for the future. I'm suggesting that this would and should be an essential feature of the Adjourning Stage of the Tuckman Model when applied to organisational changes and restructuring,

Ignore at Your Peril!

Context is everything, and often the context within which the metaphorical kaleidoscope turns is a challenging one that requires high paced change. Daniel Goleman makes some interesting observations regarding the relationship between changes, leadership styles and emotional intelligence. (Primal Leadership. Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee)-this table sets out the relationships between styles and contexts. Interestingly, Goleman comments that the best leaders operate within a situationally appropriate blend of four of the styles shown below.

Leadership Styles	E.I. Competences	Impact on Climate	Objective	When Appropriate
Visionary	Self Confidence, Empathy, Change, Catalyst, Visionary, Leadership	Most strongly positive	Mobilise others to follow vision	When change requires a new vision or clear direction is needed
Affiliative	Empathy, Building Bonds, Conflict Management	Highly positive	Create harmony	To heal rifts in a team or to motivate during stressful times
Democratic	Teamwork and Collaboration, Communication	Highly positive	Build commitment through participation	To build buy-in or consensus or to get valuable input from employees
Coaching	Developing Others, Empathy, Emotional, Self-Awareness	Highly positive	Build strengths for the future	To help employees improve performance or develop long-term strengths
Coercive	Achievement Drive, Initiative, Emotional Self Control	Strongly negative	Immediate compliance	In a crisis. To kick-start a turnaround or with problem employees
Pacesetting	Conscientious, Achievement, Drive, Initiative	Highly negative	Perform tasks to a high standard	To get quick results from a highly motivated and competent team.

The last two: I hold the view that whereas they may be necessary, they also contribute to uncertainty, doubt and devaluation at individual, group and organisational levels, perhaps driving people into unhelpful, self affirming, informal silos as they attempt to reaffirm their perceptions of self-worth and value. There will be occasions when formerly good people, might take one or more of the following choices:

1. They underperform
2. They sabotage progress
3. They become a focus of discontent
4. They leave

…and whereas in some cases, choice 4 will be nest for everyone, this isn't always the case.

Leaders within organisations have a responsibility to look after people, especially one whose skills, knowledge and experience might well contribute to future growth and success. 

The Kaleidoscope Metaphor

Twist it and it changes: patterns and structures shift and we no longer see what we thought we saw, although we're holding on to and looking into the same structure. Organisations twist and change within their structures and their people, their partners, stakeholders and supply chains are required to do the same, and pretty quickly.  Sometimes there is no choice regarding whether or not we change. We have to. But, it's not the "why and what" of change that concerns me: it is the how.

We need maps, and with them we need to know "which way is North," otherwise we're holding an expensive piece of tech or an elaborately designed piece of paper with little chance of it helping us and the potential to reaffirm what we thought we knew, "We're lost, and it was better when we weren't!"

Closing Comments

Accepting and delivering change is a tough business and overdependence on pace-setting and coercive leadership styles and activities come at a cost. Perhaps the Tuckman Model helps us to better understand the lived experience of our colleagues, especially when they might feel de-skilled, diminished and devalued. If leaders, managers and change agents could bear in mind the importance of collaborative approaches that consider the wealth  of knowledge, experience and understanding individuals have accrued over their careers, they may find themselves better placed to meet the challenges of change and to attract, recruit and retain a "Performing Workforce"

Six Leadership Styles, Emotional Intelligence and Stepping Into The Light

Background

The impacts of Covid 19 on how, where and when work is done are likely to be varied and challenging

This piece sets out to both inform, support and challenge people in Leadership, Management and Supervisory roles. Its history is  based on the findings of research and its practical applications by Daniel Goldman, Cary Cherniss and Reuven Bar-On. It has informed my professional practice (and beyond!) for the best part of twenty years.

Some years ago Cary Cherniss asked employers to list their greatest concerns their organisations face. Here's what they came up with.

1. People need to cope with massive, rapid change
2. People need to be more creative in order to drive innovation
3. People need to manage huge amounts of information
4. The organisation needs to increase customer loyalty
5. People need to be more motivated and committed
6. People need to work together better
7. The organisation needs to make better use for the the special talents available in a diverse workforce
8. The organisation needs to identify potential leaders in its ranks and prepare them to move up
9. The organisation needs to identify and recruit top talent
10. The organisation needs to make good decisions about new markets, products and strategic alliances
11. The organisation needs to prepare people for overseas assignments

Here are a few that occur to me as we adapt the above to meet today's challenges

• What are our values, how do we communicate and live them?
• How do we access, talk about and share Knowledge & Wisdom within and between organisations and partnerships?
• Can we describe what we have learned?
• How do we tell our stories about the "What is possible" in a manner that inspires others so that they want to be part of the narrative?
• Let's use "We" instead of "People"
• Let's use "Our" instead of "The" (organisation)
• Some of the above have a much sharper focus as we come to grips with our rapidly changing, challenging and uncertain futures and leaders need to think about which ones matter most right now and then act.

We are suggesting that the Post Covid Adjustment period is an ideal time for those tasked with engaging with the organisation and delivery of very different ways of working to consider how incorporating some principles related to Emotional Intelligence may help us on our journey.

We Need to Talk About The What and How 

To incorporate a blended approach to Emotionally Intelligent Leadership into our change/development processes. 

This introductory clip sets out our initial thinking and refers to an existing body of work that might inform our practice

We Have Prepared 6 Clips

Where we guide you through the elements of Leadership Styles and drawing your attention to the implications for Emotionally Intelligent Leadership to have an impact on outcomes.

In clip 1 of 6 (5:50) we talk about Visionary Leadership and how it is used to secure a Change In Direction-something that we feel is very much a "live issue" for individuals, teams and organisations.

In clip 2 of 6 (6:48) we draw attention to Affiliative Leadership a style that is particularly effective in healing rifts in teams or to motivate them in challenging times.

In clip 3 of 6 (8:57) We set out to illustrate how a Democratic Leadership Style could provide a mechanism to achieve the very necessary "buy in" required from those involved in and affected by change. We feel that this will be of particular importance in the coming months.

In clip 4 of 6 (6:08) We draw attention to the potential that resides in a Coaching Leadership Style  one that seeks to develop strengths and improve performance

The above four styles are positive and nurturing, seeking to develop and encourage others. However, we have to recognise that there are occasions where we are seeking rapid movement from place A to place B. This might mean that we are required to address resistance

In clip 5 of 6 (8:28) We consider the elements of a Coercive Leadership Style within which we require high levels of prompt compliance-this is "turn around leadership" or where there may be a history of poor performance

In clip 6 of 6 (8:46) We draw your attention to Pace Setting Leadership Here the assumption is that we have a highly skilled and motivated team in place, one that is required to bring about rapid high performance and reliability change 

On The Journey

It is suggested that successful leadership will integrate four or more of the above.

We want to open up conversations that look at how we set out on our journey with a level of awareness of how an integrated approach to Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Management and Supervision may contribute to the well being and success of organisations, partnerships and the individuals who work within them.

Building Trust Piece By Piece!

How much complexity is the result of a collapse of trust and how confused and over wrought do things get because people don't trust each other?

We deliver facilitated approaches to sometimes complex situations and amongst the familiar themes the Collapse of Trust holds a significant position. 

There's a continuum of emergent dysfunction shown below and I wouldn't want to comment about its relevance to our personal lives!

It does however occupy a significant and interesting space in the working environment.

We know and understand from our practice that work and productivity become blocked and stymied by the absence of trust, beginning at the lower left side of the continuum, with multiple stop-off points that are context specific. They are the often "invisible predictors" of failure through absence of harmony that end with a collapse of workable emotional capital at the upper-right end of the continuum.

We achieve very little on our own and reliable, performing teams are ones that help each other. Lego is a successful company and its CEO has communicated a simple message along the lines of

"You won't be blamed for failure, you will be blamed for failing to ask for help or to give help when it was needed"

Now, I don't know about you but it's unlikely that I'll ask people who I don't trust to help me-I wouldn't want to be vulnerable to their next actions. But, if I feel that way I have to accept that people who don't trust me are unlikely to ask me for help. This situation is lose/lose and stuck.When we are either helped or helpers we give an opportunity to re-frame trust and in so doing open a very different relationship with our colleagues.

We are introducing the concept of trust building in a transparent and open manner into much of our mediation and facilitation work. We are pragmatic and understand that sometimes 

"Fixed enough has to be enough"

We remain clear in our belief that it remains difficult to reach and maintain the above point where there is no trust. So, wherever the end point, trust is an essential component of the energy and motivation that takes us there.

Here's a self check list-change it around a little and you can come up with an idea about how much/little you trust a colleague

1. How much/often do my actions align with my words?
2.  Do I do what I say I will do? Am I reliable?
3. Am I up to the task/job/role? Do my competences and interactions support my intentions and the expectations of others?
4. Do I care? Do I have the interests of others in mind as well as my own and how do they know?

Feel free to get in get in touch to explore how we might help you develop higher levels of trust in your workplace and free-up some powerful co-operation!

You can contact us on jpd@dy3solutions.mygbiz.com. 

https://www.facebook.com/Dy3SolutionsLtd?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/DY3Solutions

http://www.dy-3solutions.co.uk 

Do You Communicate "Trust" Because You Merit Trustworthiness?

Trust

 "A firm belief in the reliability of truth, or ability of someone to do something"

Trust: maybe it's one of those concepts that is easier to feel and experience than to describe. An elusive commodity that's hard to gain and easy to lose, its absence is easily recognisable and keenly felt. So, how much time do we devote to considering how we present ourselves in a manner that communicates trustworthiness?

We need to be clear about our motives for wanting trust. Isn't the strength of every huckster and con-artist the ability to build acceptance and belief? At a much more sinister and serious level, targets of abuse are "groomed in order to trust" thus building an increase in compliance and a decrease in resistance.

We have available to us a number of devices and props that enable us to project an image of potential trustworthiness. The right smart-phone, appearance and mannerisms that reinforce our sometimes dangerous preconceived images of the pieces of the puzzle that says "trust me" all contribute to the seemingly capricious nature of trust.

"False must hide what false heart doth know" 

Macbeth.. Act 1: . Macbeth has finally been convinced that he should kill the King-the King (who trusts him..)

Maybe we are right to hold back on trust and to be suspicious of those who seem to over-work a "You can trust me" message. our evolutionary success is after all partly attributable to a default position that is watchful and wary.

So how as we connect with others:

• Do we build trust and in so doing become the stewards of our own trustworthiness?
• Maintain stewardship of our organisational values at in a variety of groups, sub groups and informal exchanges?
• Should our commitment to trust building might be based on a sense of personal authenticity that is enacted in our dealings with others?

We are going to follow up this article with some ideas around how we can encourage communication that supports trust building and the stewardship of values: it would be great to hear your comments and observations.

We are happy to talk to you about how our work might help you and your colleagues identify how you develop trust as individuals, groups and teams. Contact us jpd@dy3solutions.mygbiz.com or by calling us on 07984409937

So, What Is It Exactly You Do ?

I noticed a couple of "Congratulations" posts making their way through from LinkedIn today-a "Work Anniversary!" It's been 3 years since I changed "Coady Consultants" (Established 2003) to DY 3Solutions. The change of name didn't mean change of purpose. It did however add a new energy to my work-a fresh focus!

Painful and Frightening!

I delivered our first piece of work under the new company name from a wheelchair. Rheumatoid Arthritis had taken me completely off of my feet on the evening of July the 27th 2012. A couple of weeks later my eldest son Matt drove me to and wheeled me into a piece of Team Development Work. It was the beginning of a long road back and here's me now:

I'm not the runner I was but I'm doing it, some cycling too and I'm now setting myself some increasingly ambitious goals.....

"l already knew this thing!"

It took me some weeks to recover during which I learned again what I always knew; namely that:

"we daily skate on the thinnest of ice often without knowing how thin the ice is or what it is we're skating towards and in some cases away from! Life is capricious and struggle as we might we have little control over the events that affect us."

A Sustaining Image!

I'm pretty certain that there's not a coach/trainer/facilitator who hasn't during team-development sessions, had a Sailing Ship chosen as an illustrative metaphor for team work. My guess is that its frequent selection is something to do with the fact that it's an accessible piece of imagery that works! really, it does, giving us access to leadership, setting course, handling changes, critical incidents, teamwork, communication, handling disagreement, developing common purpose.........you get the picture.

It was used during the above session in 2012 and guess what? It appeared again this week during the afternoon of Tuesday 14th of August! I'd like to stress that this was with a different team! I like long term projects but we could have circumnavigated the globe in said galeon in three years.

"Lightbulb Moment? About Time!"

hubris

ˈhjuːbrɪs/

noun

1. excessive pride or self-confidence.

   "the self-assured hubris among economists was shaken in the late 1980s"

   synonyms:

   arrogance, conceit, conceitedness, haughtiness, pride, vanity, self-importance, self-conceit, pomposity, superciliousness, feeling of superiority; More

   • (in Greek tragedy) excessive pride towards or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.

   
   

Poor old Wylie Coyote's lightbulb moments don't really work out that well do they? Largely because of the above phenomena "Hubris.  His latest, best idea is simply the precursor of another major fail and so I tread carefully, on thin ice as I both mix and extend the metaphors!

My lightbulb moment was the realisation that I am for most of the time and with the exception of valued partnership work, the crew of my own ship. Now, I've contracted out some of the functions: book-keeping, accountancy, marketing and so on; largely because there are well qualified people out there who can do it better than me: specialised crew members if you will.

On Crewing My Own Ship....

Here's what I have done and can offer you.

Business:    
Communication, building influence, understanding teams, powerful stakeholder events, leadership, managing people, mediation, conflict resolution, the leader/manager/coach. Skilling, developing and transforming people. Recovery programmes for stuck” colleagues. A Values Led Approach to developing Your Business. Speaker at development days, moving towards career/life changes. Values led business development, Customer care, Dealing with Aggression and Difficult Situations

Education:
Leadership, classroom management, developing confidence and re-energising colleagues in difficult places, coaching and mentoring skills, direct intervention with learners/students groups and individuals. Speaker at Development Days, Safeguarding Trainer, Mentoring and Conflict Resolution Skills, Talking and Listening to Students, Learners, Parents and Careers.

Professional Development

Bespoke programmes for professionals

Personal Development

Bespoke programmes for individuals, designed in collaboration to meet the individual’s circumstances and desired outcomes.

Now, I'm not going to extend the metaphor any further, we're not going to "sail off into the sunset together" but  If you'd like to find out more about any of the above, give me a call on 

(+44) 07984409937 or email me at jpd@dy3solutions.mygbiz.com 

Do you suffer from Imposter Syndrome?

I recently met up with a colleague for coffee. It was a “getting to know you better”’ meeting that is part of building quality relationships with people. I want to mention here and before I go on that this is a key part of developing powerful networks. If you meet people with the sole intention of “selling at them” you need to prepare yourself for a lonely existence!

Now, my colleague is successful; he has developed and grown a business and is liked, trusted and sought after. Half way down my first Americano, he told me that he worried (and I mean ‘keep you awake at night’ worried) about being found out, wanting.

We talked a little longer and by Americano no.2 we’d established the reality of his situation – that things are positive, healthy and vibrant for him. Having come to this conclusion it felt only right to acquaint my partner in caffeine with what is called the Imposter Syndrome.

In the broadest of terms, Imposter Syndrome is a feeling of:

-       I’m not up to this

-       I will be found out

-       I am not worthy of this

-       There are better people than me

…I am sure you get the picture!

We talked our way through another high quality coffee and agreed the following plan:

1.    He’d reflect on things

2.    He’d share his thoughts with someone close to him

3.    We’d meet again and if necessary put some actions in place

After doing exactly that, the result was a relaxed, future focussed and positive client! Great news for him and his family.

For me, I have the satisfaction of shifting a self-limiting belief, helping to free up some thinking as well as knowing that the only thing that might keep my colleague awake now is a coffee induced insomnia.

If you recognise the Imposter Syndrome within yourself and want to have a chat about this or are interested in any other aspect of our work them please get in touch on 07984 409937 or email us at jpd@dy3solutions.mygbiz.com. 

How asking 4 questions can make a huge difference to your life

I’m often asked about by clients and colleagues alike about what the secret is to helping people achieve something that matters to them. What I’ve found is that we sometimes have to assist our clients in understanding the powerful importance of their proposed decision and to do this we need to ask 4 questions:

1.    What will happen if I do?

2.    What will happen if I don’t?

3.    What won’t happen if I do?

4.    What won’t happen if I don’t?

Easy eh? No! Well, the first two are but then it gets complicated as we start to deal with negatives in Q3 and double negatives in Q4.

So how does it work in practice? Here’s a relatively easy example from working with a valued client who was exploring some work-life balance issues and wondering whether to address them. In answer to the above questions my client put the following:

Question 1 - If I do:

-       I’ll have a much clearer idea of what needs to change

-       I’ll be able to identify some quality time to spend with my family and friends

Question 2 - If I don’t:

-       The situation will continue as it is or it could get worse

-       There are unspoken tensions that will emerge from home

-       I won’t have the time to tell my family and to show them how much I really care

-       I’ll stay on this treadmill 

Question 3 – What won’t happen if I do:

-       I won’t continue to feel out of control

-       I won’t resent the time I spend at work

-       I won’t feel so tired all the time

Question 4 – What won’t happen if I don’t:

-       I won’t have the level of happiness I feel I need

-       I won’t feel as valued by my family

-       Be seen as having the strength of character to take some control over events

-       I won’t have the satisfaction of changing something for the better

Now, there are dozens of coaching themes that we can develop from the above responses and we hope you’ll agree that these four simple questions are a great way to explore what we might do and what is important to consider.

Why not give them a go yourself to see what it brings up? If you would like some guidance about how to approach this or want to have a chat about any other aspect of our work them please get in touch on 07984 409937 or email us at jpd@dy3solutions.mygbiz.com.