Spotlight_24-04-12

MAY 2012

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Nine Thousand Post-Its Andrea Ranyard tells the story of the part that engagement played in the ITV turnaround.

Page 10 – 13

Executive coaching with a difference Michael Maynard explores aspects of the coaching dynamic.

Page 16 – 17

The Hero’s Journey An evening of inspiration.

Page 24 – 25

Great weight has been thrown behind various initiatives to improve the number of women in senior positions. Page 04 – 07

IN THIS ISSUE

03

04 – 07

08 – 09

10 – 13

Congratulation to the Funding Network

Women in Business

Engagement: Jargon, fad or necessity?

Case Study 1: ITV

14 – 15

16 – 17

18 – 19

20 – 21

Case Study 2: Harrods

Executive coaching with a difference

Tips of Conflict Management

Teenage Blues

22 – 23

24-25

26

27

The Base

The Hero’s Journey

Professional Impact

Small talk can be Big Business

If you would like to read Spotlight whilst on the move use our Quick Response link to open our electronic version.

03 Spotlight | May 2012

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

FUNDING NETWORK We have a dual purpose for presenting this article. Firstly, we want to congratulate Michael Maynard for becoming the Chair of The Funding Network (TFN), an organisation dedicated to enabling individuals to band together in order to financially support social-change projects.

Secondly, we’d like to give a huge thank you to The Funding Network team for its efforts.

One of the joys of having Victoria House at our disposal is that we can support a number of different purposes. We were able to offer our space at The Base for two of their fundraising events. These greatly resembled a friendly “Dragons’ Den” where charitable projects had just twelve minutes to pitch their cause to the attendant philanthropists.

Between these two events, over £100,000 was raised to support the following projects:

• Support for women prisoners and detainees in the UK to get back to work • A project for enabling a Book Bus to visit children in Zambia and Malawi • Funding for the community library in New Cross in order to serve a greater number of local people • Setting up of a protection centre for children escaping repression in Burma The second of the two events coincided with TFN’s 10th anniversary. Over those ten years, TFN has supported 600 projects and has raised over £4 million – not from the likes of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet but from thousands of donors. It is indeed at the forefront of the movement for mass philanthropy.

As someone said, “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give”. TFN makes the giving process easy and fun, and we at Maynard Leigh Associates are proud to support these projects and hope to offer our venue space to future worthwhile events.

•M edical support for Afghani infants •C reation of a permaculture system for regenerating deforested land in Honduras • An educational project that, through education, helps reduce the huge number of teenage pregnancies and helps get single parents back into employment •S olar-panelled lighting for families in a Ugandan village TFN Event – Spring 2012

04 Spotlight | May 2012

WOMEN IN BUSINESS – DEIRDRE GALVIN

In recent years, the press and media have had much to say about the low representation of women on boards. Great weight has been thrown behind various initiatives to improve the number of women in senior positions. From Lord Davies’ report in May 2011, suggesting a minimum of 25 percent of women on FTSE 100 boards, to the Prime Minister, in February of this year, stressing that more women on boards improves the business performance of a company.

“SACRIFICES ARE MADE BY BOTH MEN AND WOMEN IN THEIR CAREERS, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT SOCIAL PRESSURE PLAYS A GREATER PART FOR WOMEN WHEN THEY ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS, AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT FEWER WOMEN WOULD OPT OUT OF HAVING A CAREER IF THEY HAD MORE SUPPORT FROM THEIR COMPANIES AT AN EARLIER STAGE IN THAT CAREER.”

The message seems very clear. Greater diversity in leadership positions does produce more successful results. McKinsey is just one organisation to have realised that higherperforming businesses possess diversity at the board level.

However, the facts show that the percentage of women on boards in the UK is very low – around thirteen percent on FTSE 100 boards – with most of those women being in nonexecutive roles. This is nothing new. A multitude of initiatives have tried to bridge the gap.

The 1980s and 1990s saw an increase in the number of female-development programmes, and in the past ten years, growth in women’s networks has been huge. Yet, this is not shifting the balance.

So what is different between men and women when climbing the corporate ladder? Why are more men succeeding and fewer women doing so? From what I have observed over the years, the difference is not in skill or ability. Men and

05 Spotlight | May 2012

women are equally talented and equally ambitious. In fact, statistics show that in most industries, the graduate entrants are virtually 50:50 in terms of gender.

So why do so few women make it to top positions?

Having coached women at very different levels, my view is that women deselect themselves from career progression. They hit a crossroads where the task of balancing family life and career is just too daunting. Typically, I see this at junior or middle management levels.

Talent management at this level is very generic, focussed on building work skills and not on helping women with their individual challenges.

Every woman’s case is different. I accept that men and women face similar challenges when climbing the corporate ladder. However, from what I have observed, women agonise far more about the impact that their career has on the lives of their children, their partners’ careers and their wider family commitments. They feel

06 Spotlight | May 2012

guilty about pursuing their career and believe that the job of creating a happy family rests with them. This is an uncomfortable truth in an age when we constantly clamour to be equal, yet the reality is that social pressure still plays a large part in determining how women tackle their career decisions.

My daughter, who is almost eighteen years old, asked me if I thought women could have it all. ‘No’, I said very definitely. I used to think we could; however, now I believe we can have it all but not all at any once. That has certainly been my experience. Looking back over 30 or so years, there was never one point when I could say I had it all; something always had to be sacrificed.

Sacrifice is a provocative word and not one my generation of liberated women easily accepts.

We did not enter the world of work thinking we had to sacrifice anything. We were led to believe we could have it all. Yet, years later, the facts speak for themselves. Reflecting on the many successful women I know in senior

positions, I cannot think of one who has it all, without someone or something having taken a back seat. Whether it is the CEO of an asset-management company, the head of tax at a large insurance company or the head of risk and audit at a large Financial Servicers company – they all have husbands who are at home or who have far less demanding careers.

Another woman is the vice president of a very large bank, where both she and her husband have big jobs. She admitted that the time for children somehow just slipped by, though they both wanted kids. Another is a non-executive board member of several FTSE 100 companies who has a husband at home.

ON FTSE 100 BOARDS – WITH MOST OF THOSE WOMEN BEING IN NON-EXECUTIVE ROLES.

THE GRADUATE ENTRANTS ARE VIRTUALLY THE SAME.

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Sacrifices are made by both men and women in their careers, but the difference is that social pressure plays a greater part for women when they are making these decisions, and I firmly believe that fewer women would opt out of having a career if they had more support from their companies at an earlier stage in that career.

Individual development initiatives don’t kick in at this level. Such an investment is expensive for organisations, so they tend to focus on their talented senior women, who often have already made that commitment to climbing the corporate ladder, and so such initiatives simply become useful support. I am not saying that this support is not helpful. It certainly is (as it would be to a man in such a position), but if we truly want to get more women into executive roles, we have to work lower down the ladder, at the point where they are facing their own crossroads.

The challenge is for talent management programmes to be far more discerning than they are currently. Highlighting a senior woman for development is easy: there aren’t many of them. They stand out. Identifying talented women who have potential lower down the ladder so that more individual development options can be applied is far more difficult. It places greater pressure on organisations to operate their talent management more fluidly and to take the time not only to identify those women with potential but also to actively develop and coach them.

If we want more women in business, and the evidence says this makes for better business results, then we have to change our approach to development. I am not advocating that companies increase their development budgets to cover a bigger population. The same budget, focussed lower down the corporate ladder at women with potential, will make a greater difference. I believe that more women would commit to their career if they had the right level of support when faced with difficult life decisions.

Boardroom Presence workshop designed exclusively for women. Scheduled for the 17th July.

To find out more please call 020 7033 2370 or email carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

Deirdre Galvin, HR Consultant

08 Spotlight | May 2012

ENGAGEM JARGON, FAD OR NECESSITY?

“

PLEASE DON’T USE THE DREADED ‘ENGAGEMENT’ WORD, IT’S ANOTHER BIT OF FADDISH JARGON. AFTER ALL, IT’S REALLY ONLY ABOUT INVOLVING PEOPLE...

”

... said an HR Director recently.

The latter is absolutely true, of course. The huge shift in senior-management thinking needs to be away from the idea of engaging people as if it were something management need to do to their staff. Rather, they should think about it as engaging with people. One little word makes so much difference.

For those of you who are unaware of the engagement saga, here’s an update on what’s been happening.

A few years ago the last government commissioned David MacLeod and Nita Clark to research evidence regarding the impact of employee engagement in organisations. They produced a report called Engaging for Success that collated all data concerning the link between engagement and performance. In every measure that you can imagine, it revealed that performance, profitability and production improve when employees are more engaged. It’s a brilliant document and a brilliant report, and if you’re interested in the topic and haven’t read it, now is clearly the time to do so.

However, the report fell short of showing how increased engagement can be achieved. Therefore, being very practical souls here at Maynard Leigh, we produced a “How To” guide so that managers could not only measure engagement scores but also actually do something about it. We also produced a pack of tips cards and, of course, ran workshops about the topic.

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ENT: The Employee Engagement Guru Group meeting in Harrods

However, it didn’t end there The current coalition government, recognising the importance of this work for Great Britain PLC, commissioned a second phase for the project. Again, MacLeod and Clark were charged with championing a campaign for improved employee engagement. A task force was set up. It made leading organisations take part, including BT, GKN, ACAS, Lloyds, CBI, Sainsbury’s, Whitbread, TUC Boots, Virgin and many more. This was also supported by practitioners who work in the field, including us. This is fondly referred to as the Employee Engagement Guru Group.

What happens next?

Each of our meetings takes place at a different venue. The previous one was at Lewisham Town Hall, and the most recent was held amongst the grand splendour of Harrods. We were invited to meet there because Harrods is actively pursuing a policy of engaging its employees, as you will see in the article by Vanessa Newbury.

The task force and the guru group have had several meetings and are driving the agenda forwards. Project groups are researching further data, looking at best practices, setting up websites and performing all manner of other activities. That brings us up to date until now...

Of course, the issue is more important now than ever before. Getting everybody involved and pulling together is critical in such turbulent times. The evidence is clear: the best way to climb out of recessionary torpor is by everybody pulling together. Yet, David MacLeod quoted the statistic that “seven out of ten people are neutral to or do not trust their bosses”. The latest research also shows that the UK is polarising: “Those who get it are really up and running and doing really well. Those who don’t, revert to command and control approaches. There are some great examples of good practice as well as some horror stories.

Overall, engagement scores seem to be about 10% down over the last year or so”.

The Engaging for Success report can be downloaded for free at: www.engagingforsuccess.org

So, let’s focus on a couple of the success stories so that others can learn. What follows are two examples of organisations that have pursued employee engagement as a way of ensuring success. p.10 p.14

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s t i t s o P

& earning yard, L n a ins R a p r ex la Andre t Directo n to e m a p h ent s Develo ngagem e n. t a la p th t tion the par sforma n a tr ’s ITV play in

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Our strategy has seen a real focus on people and engagement – not because it was a buzz word or the flavour of the month – but because we felt it was a necessity. ITV is all about putting people first, and we strongly believe that attracting the right people and enabling them to thrive is a key driver of change.

ITV’s engagement programme centres on listening to great ideas from our colleagues, and acting on them. Earlier in the year our Board led a number of road shows around the country

at which he asked all colleagues to voice their opinions on what was working within the company, and what they felt needed changing.

All suggestions were written on post-it notes – and we received nine thousand of them!

Once we had an idea of the key areas of change employees were focused on, the HR team took on the task of designing a bespoke engagement survey which would enable us to glean more detailed information from staff.

The questions asked were directly related to

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“ITV IS ALL ABOUT PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST, AND WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT ATTRACTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND ENABLING THEM TO THRIVE IS A KEY DRIVER OF CHANGE.” what will further improve ITV as an organisation, with a key focus on improving efficiency and performance. The survey also provided statistical information, which can be used to clearly demonstrate what is working within the business, and what is not.

We also felt it was extremely important for senior management to get behind the engagement survey and recognise the need for all employees to work together. As part of the campaign, we put all our 700 managers through a programme about leading change and the importance of engagement. Through management support and internal publicity, we were delighted that staff really got behind it. This is demonstrated by the fact that participation in the surveys went up twenty percent within a year. There is a general consensus within the company that

the survey is their opportunity to change. They know we really care – it’s not just change for change’s sake.

As an organisation, we feel that it is important to demonstrate that we are taking the results of the engagement survey very seriously, and that change is possible. HR drives a lot of internal communication and regularly publishes actions that have been taken in response to the surveys and the conversations that are progressing. The data also helps us address the needs of staff and support them in making improvements through running a series of targeted development interventions and master classes.

As well as gleaming valuable results, we have also had great fun running the campaign. It is called “Let’s Get Engaged”, and we have had many a giggle from asking TV presenters and the management board to wear t-shirts featuring our slogan. Moreover, in the 22-storey tower block in London, our window cleaners have been wearing the t-shirts to promote engagement as they worked!

So, has it made a difference? Dramatically so. The engagement index has gone up ten percent, which we are very proud of. All the data shows that there is improvement in

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terms of well-being, productivity, satisfaction, absenteeism, and trust. It is also important to note the business performance over the last eighteen months with ITV achieving its first positive net cash position since the organisation was created in 2004. Of course, there is still a lot more to do, but we believe ITV is a better place to work.

“AS AN ORGANISATION, WE FEEL THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WE ARE TAKING THE RESULTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT SURVEY VERY SERIOUSLY, AND THAT CHANGE IS POSSIBLE. ”

Andrea Ranyard, Learning & Development Director, ITV

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CASE STUDY II

These are just some of the words Harrods employees use to describe what it is like to work there – words that Harrods believes demonstrate its high levels of employee engagement.

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Harrods has been on a journey over the last five years, one that began by recognising that it needed to reduce employee turnover. Harrods adopted a host of different approaches and methods to drive this figure down from 51.4 percent in 2006 to 25 percent in 2011. A key to achieving this success is commitment to creating an engaged workforce.

This is why at the end of January Maynard Leigh found itself in the Harrods Georgian Restaurant, where Harrods was hosting the “Engage for Success” guru meeting. The gurus are a government-sponsored employee task force whose aim is to get to the heart of what employers can do to engage their employees.

The task force brings together a number of academics and business leaders who debate best practices in this area and report back with strategies that organisations can adopt in order to improve their levels of engagement. Harrods and Maynard Leigh are both proud and excited to be a part of this group.

Harrods believes its journey towards developing an engaged workforce was, in part, driven by its commitment to employee development.

This has led to a more skilled, better-equipped workforce, which has positively affected bottom-line performance. The overriding objective behind its Learning and Development strategy is that the business should offer development opportunities for all employees, from weekend sales associates to the director.

To support this the Learning and Development department offers over 40 bite-sized workshops to help employees develop their business competencies. These sessions give employees the chance to learn more effectively over a much shorter period, reducing their time spent away from work and bringing a tightly focused approach to skills development. These workshops have been described as succinct and punchy, each typically lasting 90 minutes.

All the Business Competencies are supported

by self-help guides, which are run either on or off the job. They include activities such as observation and review, reading and “oneminute guides” that offer top tips and tactics.

Harrods has also developed a number of programmes aimed at helping employees reach the next level in their career. These programmes range from the Business Academy – which supports managers’ progress from mid-tosenior-management positions – to the Harrods Fashion Programme, which is run in partnership with the London College of Fashion. It enables sales associates to understand the entire “product journey” from design to sale.

The Harrods Sales degree takes that development up a level. Harrods, in conjunction with Anglia Ruskin University, offers the first and only BA (Hons) degree of its kind in Sales.

It is offered to Harrods sales associates and demonstrates the quality of learning that is on offer.

The intention has to been to increase the skills and career opportunities of employees and to reduce employee turnover. Harrods are proud to be able to say that the changes made to its Learning and Development offering are supporting the business to deliver on these three counts.

Development of Harrods employees was a key factor in the implementation of its strategy to improve employee engagement.

Vanessa Newbury, Head of Development, Harrods

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EXECUTIVE COACHING WITH A

Michael Maynard explores aspects of the coaching dynamic.

Michael Maynard, Co.Founder Maynard Leigh Associates

I was reading a web site the other day that listed 30 different styles of coaching. No wonder there has been an upsurge in the business of selling accreditation qualifications by bodies as wide-ranging as the CIPD, Ashridge, the International Coaching Federation, the Coaching Academy and various on-line distance-learning outfits where, for a weekend, a couple of questionnaires and a fee, you can receive a diploma. Each has a style of coaching that it believes is the best.

How does one distinguish what is the most effective approach to coaching? One of the main debates seems to be between a directive and non-directive style – how much does the coach allow the client to discover his or her own solutions? At Maynard Leigh, rather than following a rigid methodology, we are wide ranging and eclectic in our approach. In short, we will do anything that works. Given that we believe in using insight, we adjust our approach to meet the client’s needs. Sometimes, such an approach is quite directive; for instance, when coaching people for presentations, we encourage clients to experiment and try out new ways of communicating. At other times, we simply use questions to provoke a revelation in the person.

In a previous Spotlight article, I highlighted the fact that executive coaching at Maynard Leigh is distinctive because it is experiential. I was making a distinction between our own dynamic approach and some of the executive coaching being offered in which the coach tends to be very passive, simply asking questions and nodding.

Using our style, the coach is more active and creative and provides processes and experiences that allow the client to discover solutions. Thus, much of our work is providing

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“USING OUR STYLE, THE COACH IS MORE ACTIVE AND CREATIVE AND PROVIDES PROCESSES AND EXPERIENCES THAT ALLOW THE CLIENT TO DISCOVER SOLUTIONS. THUS, MUCH OF OUR WORK IS PROVIDING PEOPLE WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO REHEARSE NEW IDEAS, BEHAVIOURS AND APPROACHES.” to externalise the problem, such as by having them use drawing, ‘theatre play’, tableaux work or video, all techniques that place the problem outside of the person so that he or she can see it from a different perspective.

people with the opportunity to rehearse new ideas, behaviours and approaches. Clients pay good money for executive coaching because they want to make a difference quickly.

Therefore, we use a variety of “accelerated learning” techniques.

Once the issue is ‘over there’, both parties – the creative coach and the motivated client – can work collaboratively to solve it. They work in partnership, both contributing expertise and ideas. This is not about the coach telling the client what to do or directing the client, nor is it about sitting back and simply waiting for the client to come up with his or her own solution; it is about both parties involving themselves in a creative exploration of solutions. It is dynamic, involving, risky, enlivening and, hopefully, even inspiring. It is experiential.

However, there is another distinction to make, one that reconciles the apparent contrast between the directive and non-directive approaches. Perhaps this is, after all, a false dichotomy. By adopting a dynamic creative partnership, we simply bypass the apparent conflict between the two. How do we do this?

First of all, we work with the person to learn about their issues – their objectives and the obstacles in the way of their success. We try to bring the unseen to the surface so that it can be explored. We then find creative ways

To find out more please call 020 7033 2370 or email carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

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TIPS ON

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT Sometimes relationships simply get stuck. Often, the reasons are obvious, yet many of the root causes are hard to identify. After all, a row is rarely concerned about what it is on the surface.

We surely know this from our own personal experiences, such as when we find ourselves having a flaming argument with someone about, say, a mislaid stapler when in reality the reason is likely to be far more profound.

Therefore, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s really going on under the surface?” It is important to understand what has provoked the conflict. In our experience, it’s normally based on one of three areas—structural, behavioural or emotional.

Sometimes, it looks as though individuals are in conflict because, in reality, it’s impossible for them not to be. For instance, people are often pushed into conflict because of a scarcity of resources, a lack of clarity about decision making, incompatible systems, or departments having different agendas.

Actions speak louder than words, and it’s often our actions that make it difficult to work with other people. They turn up late, are disorganised, don’t reply to our emails, refuse to listen, drum their fingers on the desk and, for all intents and purposes, appear to do everything to deliberately rile us. Underneath all of this, what actually goes on stirs up our feelings. It’s very hard sometimes to notice why we become so triggered and plugged in and end up in an emotional state.

If possible, we try to resolve conflict ourselves by sitting down and having a good talk with the person or people involved. However, occasionally, it reaches the point where relationships break down and we need to bring in help. In this instance, a team leader or manager can be extremely useful. In the box right are some tips on how to manage such mediation.

The most important tip of all, of course, is to try to avoid conflict in the first place.

The best way to do this is by creating a culture of open communication and continuous feedback.

These are vital, as it is impossible to create a high-performing culture without them. Colleagues have to be able to communicate well with each other and to provide constructive feedback if they are to produce outstanding performance. As well, the ability to communicate and give feedback is exactly what’s needed to avoid conflict.

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS PROVOKED THE CONFLICT.”

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WHAT HAPPENS DURING MEDIATION? An important point is that while the outcome of mediation is owned by the parties, the mediator owns the process. Mediation typically follows a number of stages: Individual Meetings The mediator meets with each party separately to explain the process and to find out what each wants from the mediation. The meeting also gives each party the opportunity to “rehearse” his or her concerns – this may be the first time the employee has fully articulated them.

Joint Meeting Introduction Agree to ground rules, e.g. confidentiality, listening with respect and without interruption and taking a time-out if needed.

Hearing the issues Each party has the opportunity to state, without interruption, the issues as he or she sees them. The mediator draws up a list of the main areas for further discussion.

Exploring the issues Each main issue is explored with the support of the mediator. The aim is to gradually move the focus from the past working relationship to the future one.

Generating options The parties are encouraged to generate options regarding how they will address the issues in the future and how they will best work together.

Building and writing an agreement The mediator supports the parties in drafting a workable agreement concerning how they will work together in the future and how they will aim to resolve problems that may recur in the future.

Closing the mediation The mediator closes the mediation and gives a copy of the agreement to each party. A followup meeting may be agreed upon so that progress/problems can be discussed and resolved.

If agreement is not reached, other procedures may be used to resolve the conflict, but nothing said in the mediation can be used in any further proceedings.

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TEENAGE BLUES Paul Clarke, Director of Technology, Ocado

There are normally no shortages of challenges associated with life in a start-up company but in my experience one thing you don’t normally have to worry about, assuming you have chosen your bedfellows well, is the level of passion and commitment within the founding team.

The adrenaline is flowing, you are working all hours of the day and night, weekends and holidays are a distant memory and yet you are driven on by an obsessional shared objective and an unshakeable sense of “all for one and one for all”.

Then let’s suppose that through a combination of skill, hard work and good old fashioned luck you survive the first few years, the company takes off, the development funding is sorted, you move into proper offices and soon remembering the names of all the new people you bump into at the coffee machine becomes the major challenge.

This may be the point at which you start to notice that projects seem to take a little longer, deadlines have become rather more fluid, people are leaving the office earlier, the sense of urgency and excitement has dissipated and you find yourself asking why all these people who work for you increasingly view it as “just a job” rather than the all consuming crusade you signed up for!

Paul Clarke is Director of Technology for Ocado. Here he describes the challenges for IT when a start-up grows up.

Well that’s inevitable isn’t it, what works for a start-up just isn’t sustainable as the company reaches early adolescence. Or is it?

Certainly the pages of management bestsellers are decorated with stories of ‘excellent companies’ that manage to maintain their sense of urgency, clarity of vision, ability to innovate and the level of passion and commitment emanating from their staff.

So what enables these ‘excellent’ companies to maintain these special qualities as they grow?

Probably many things but I would hazard a guess that inspirational leadership, vision and culture are key ingredients. When you get the mix right, this potent cocktail acts as inter-generational glue which helps persist what the founders set in train.

Of these I am particularly interested in culture.

For me culture is like a garden, that when tended with care can be a thing of beauty but if left to its own devices can soon become a jungle, overgrown with weeds. Strong, coherent and sustaining cultures are not accidents of birth, they are built upon the values, beliefs and personalities of the founders and then need to be continually nurtured (and where necessary re-invented) as the company matures.

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If you are a Google or a Facebook you may have the advantage of being able to get away with a single ‘one size fits all’ mono-culture that works for the whole company. It’s more tricky when your company employs people with highly diverse backgrounds, mindsets and aspirations. Then you may need a garden with a number of different flower beds, each with its own qualities but which still fit together within the context of the garden as a whole.

Certainly the culture that you need to motivate IT staff is likely to be very different from that needed for a lean manufacturing facility, and yet they must share sufficient values in common. Otherwise where these different cultural tectonic plates touch there will be friction giving rise to issues such as suspicion, miscommunication and even resentment.

So what’s the secret of effective cultural gardening?

Obviously some companies embark down the road of bringing in (expensive) change management consultants; the landscape gardeners of the cultural world. That might work for you but it may leave you with a new garden that you are just as poorly skilled to tend as the old one and so before you know it, the weeds are back.

My personal view is that just like with real gardening, armed with creativity and the ability to visualise “what it could be like”, you can often work miracles with relatively modest levels of investment. Here some external facilitation can certainly help you on your journey but in contrast to the landscape gardening route, this is more akin to finding a friendly garden designer who can give you some tips.

Lest the gardening analogies completely get the better of me, let’s consider a real world example. Software development is the working world I know best and in my experience software developers are certainly a challenging, yet highly rewarding, tribe to manage.

My experience of software developers is that they are motivated not only by money but also other factors such as technical freedom, access to new technologies, opportunities for experimentation/continual learning, being mentored by really smart/talented people and just having a fun, buzzy working environment.

Even assuming we could get them through our budgetary process, clearly this doesn’t mean that we all need cafes dispensing free food and fireman’s poles ala Google.

Instead you might try things such as: Giving your developers a bit of slack for activities such as researching a smarter way of working, prototyping an idea for a product enhancement or even inventing a completely new ‘mouse trap’ •O rganising regular technical talks given by developers, for developers, to promote knowledge sharing and honing presentation skills • Fostering a spirit of healthy competition by organising hackathons and other such technical contests • Having a breakout area where developers can chat, exchange ideas and drink good coffee •G iving developers access to senior management •C reating a culture of excellence in which the recruitment bar is set high and there is a sense of pride in being a member Take a trip to your local cultural garden centre and get gardening!

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To find out more or book a room please call 020 7033 2370 or email carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

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THE HERO’S JOURNEY

AN EVENING OF INSPIRATION On the 23rd of May we are offering one of our occasional Inspirations evenings. Maynard Leigh senior associate and psychotherapist Carol Leader introduces the event.

Question: Who connects Myers Briggs, Keira Knightly and Homer?

Answer: The psychologist Carl Jung.

Let me explain: Psychology is an increasingly important component of modern business practice, as anyone will have experienced who has undergone a psychometric profile and had training in emotional or relational intelligence.

However, did you know that the much-used Myers Briggs Type Indicator test has its roots in C. G. Jung’s original word-association experiments that led to his studies in personality types?

The recently released film “A Dangerous Method” plots Jung’s formative and troubling relationship with Sigmund Freud and shows the early days of depth psychology, with both men struggling to find out about the workings of the body and mind and their bearing on psychological and physical illness. The

film looks at this though the lens of Jung’s supposedly intense and increasingly sexual relationship with his patient Sabina Speilrein, played by Keira Knightly. We also see the beginning of Jung’s work on complexes and personality types through his word experiments, with which Speilrein appears to help him.

So, that’s Myers Briggs and Keira Knightly.

Where does Homer come in?

Both Sigmund Freud and Jung used myth as a central component of their theories about the human psyche. Jung wrote, “Poets write what others only dream”. Freud turned to Sophocles’ version of the tragic myth of Oedipus to formulate the Oedipus Complex, which he stressed was central to everyday psychological problems. Jung favoured the challenging, but ultimately transformative, story told by Homer in The Odyssey. Along with many others over the years, Jung identified much of his own inner journey with that of Homer’s hero, Odysseus.

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Homer’s epic tale—of Odysseus’ ten-year return journey after the end of the Trojan War and the life-changing experiences had by his wife, Penelope, and their son while he is away—has been a source of inspiration for over 3000 years. Homer’s Odyssey remains a powerful influence in our culture today through countless films, works of literature and art because of its powerful evocation of the hero and the heroine.

At its roots, The Odyssey represents the archetypal human need to understand life through the telling of stories, often those about a central hero or heroine on a long and challenging journey that ultimately gives him or her the experiences needed to develop and grow. This Inspirations evening offers a Jungian interpretation of the story of The Odyssey and is fully illustrated with many celebrated paintings, less-well-known images and other artworks that were inspired by

this universal myth. It also includes notes from the case history of a contemporary businessman’s odyssey in which he became overwhelmed with problems at work and in his private life and turned to psychoanalytic analysis for help.

Odysseus Vase

What emerges in this talk is that the ancient myth of Odysseus demonstrates, through a wonderful and enduring story, Jung’s theory of our journey through life, which he called Individuation. It therefore offers ideas and inspiration to us all as we navigate our way through the challenges of everyday life.

This free talk is at the Maynard Leigh Theatre on the 23rd of May from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. It includes a discussion, time to share ideas and a glass of wine.

CAROL LEADER – SENIOR ASSOCIATE & INSPIRATIONS COURSE LEADER Carol Leader worked extensively in theatre, TV and radio before training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She is one of the founding associates of Maynard Leigh Associates and, with Michael Maynard, co-created the long-running presentation and development course Performing with Presence. She works full time in private practice, occasionally coaches, is a psychoanalytic supervisor and teacher and is a “Therapist at Large” for the Free Associations journal.

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PROFESSIONAL

Last July, twelve intrepid young people came together to explore what it takes to have a professional impact in today’s world of work. This was Professional Impact, Maynard Leigh’s contribution to addressing the ever-increasing challenges that young people face when finding employment.

Professional Impact programme for Young People

We are offering Professional Impact again this summer on 3rd July for the very affordable rate of £50 (We even have bursaries).

The one day workshop looks at how to approach and conduct informal presentations, interviews and encounters to make sure that you establish a positive impression and get your message across with impact. It is open to young people between the ages of 18 and 23 who are new to the job market.

To find out more please call 020 7033 2370 or email carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

Here’s what three of the participants said about last year’s experience:

This workshop on how to be more efficient in whatever we do professionally is, and will always be, one of the most useful ones in my life. Throughout the course we were doing activities that helped us understand how we were being seen by others. We talked in front of everyone to improve our confidence and were given tips on what to do to make it better, techniques that help a lot in job interviews.

Celestino Obama Obiang

My day course involved girls and boys aged 18-23. The environment was very relaxed and comfortable, which really encouraged everyone to come out of their shells.

Every aspect of what makes you nervous before going for an interview is tackled through various enjoyable activities. I felt so confident leaving the course and I’m positive my next interview will be a hundred times better than my last one.

Laura Stratton

So rare is it to receive feedback on a personal one to one level, and this, I feel, is one of the strongest points of the day.

The activities undertaken truly did take me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to achieve things I didn’t think were possible; by the end of the day I was actually beginning to enjoy presenting!

Lawrence Haddon Heath

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SMALL TALK CAN BE BIG BUSINESS The very label ‘small talk’ belittles its value. It is often looked down on and sneered at. “Important people don’t waste their time on small talk,” people say. “They have far more important things to do.”

Perhaps they’re missing something. There’s no doubt that gossip and chit-chat can be a totally wasteful activity. We all witness energy draining away as people extend their stay in the coffee area or photocopier chatting mindlessly about the vagaries of the weather or their latest encounter with a traffic jam on their way to the office.

Nevertheless, faced with a social situation in business such as a reception, conference, cocktail party or networking event, and having to enter a room full of strangers, we all need something to help break the ice. So we resort to what looks like inconsequential conversation.

And yet, it is not all that it seems. What’s actually going on underneath the surface of this dialogue? Whilst it appears to be a frivolous conversation about holidays, sport, what’s being drunk, the temperature in the room, the canapés or perhaps how you got to the venue, there is a subtext which is far more important.

What we are actually communicating is a desire to make contact, to put each other at ease, to find some common interests. It is the dance of strangers trying to connect. There is a mutual appreciation of the strains in the situation and an intention to support each other in coping

with it. “This is difficult” we are silently saying “can we please talk about something so that we can settle our discomfort and connect to another human being who might be sharing my plight?”

And so we navigate our way around the space, moving from encounter to encounter, trying to make contact through the vehicle of small talk.

And every now and then something remarkable happens. Out of the chat you establish a common interest or a shared feeling. The conversation starts taking on more significance, the relationship deepens and you find yourself in a genuine exchange of views. This is a creative process and can’t be forced. It tends to creep up on you and gradually you find yourself totally engaged in the discussion.

Thus you start seeing the other person as a full human being, not just another fellow-traveler struggling to cope with a nightmare networking event. They have interests, experiences and opinions that are worth exploring. They start engaging your curiosity and questions. There is a proper dialogue. And this is when, on a business level, there is potential to develop opportunities. Start with the human contact and the rest might just follow.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MAYNARD LEIGH OR TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ANY OF OUR WORKSHOPS PLEASE CALL:

020 7033 2370 OR carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

‘UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL’

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ANY OF THE EVENTS, OR TO BOOK YOUR PLACE PLEASE:

020 7033 2370 OR carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

‘UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL’

MAY 2012

PUBLIC WORKSHOPS INFORMATION

Detailed information about our learning and development workshops • What’s on • When it’s on, and • Why you might consider attending Including a ‘What’s on’ Event Calendar

EVENTS CALENDAR WHAT’S ON WHAT’S ON WHAT’S ON WHAT’S ON WHAT’S ON DATES EVENTS

May 01 May

Public Workshop: Finding Your Voice

28 May

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

29 May

Expresso Session: Personal Impact – Make it count 12:30 – 2pm

30 – 31 May

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

June 21 June

Public Workshop: Writing for Results

25 June

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

26 June

Expresso Session: Assertiveness Skills – 12:30 - 2pm

28 – 29 June

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

July 17 July

Public Workshop: Boardroom Presence Exclusively for Women

24 July

Expresso Session: Building Productive Relationships – 12:30 – 2pm

26 – 27 July

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

30 July

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

August 16 – 17 August

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

21 August

Expresso Session: Storytelling – 12:30 – 2pm

31 August

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

For our 2012 calendar, visit our website, www.maynardleigh.co.uk or use our Quick Response link.

90 minute bite-size courses.

Each lasts 90 minutes. People leave these courses enlightened, energised and keen to implement new ideas.

Consider setting up a Learning Week, a Development Month or even an ongoing Annual Programme that offers a selection of these short, sharp and inspiring development sessions. Run it at lunch times, afternoons, early evenings, or whenever your people can slip away to gain some stimulating and enhancing skills sets.

If you are looking for individual sessions to start you on the right foot, our lunchtime Expresso Sessions are perfect for you.

“People leave enlightened, energised and keen to implement new ideas.”

29 MAY, 12:30 – 2PM PERSONAL IMPACT – MAKE IT COUNT What Impression do you want to make?

It’s true—you only get one chance to make a first impression. So, make it count. Whether it be in meetings, interviews or presentations, how you conduct yourself to convey confidence and deliver your message with conviction is vital.

Getting the results you need depends on how you come across in those first few moments.

Your first impression could be your only chance to make a lasting one.

Learn to: • Understand how best to use your own communication style • Use and be more aware of body language • Be more sensitive to other people’s communication styles • Create personal chemistry and rapport

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS 26 JUNE, 12:30 – 2PM ASSERTIVENESS SKILLS

21 AUGUST 12:30 – 2PM STORYTELLING

Knowing what you need and how to get it.

There is a plot and storyline in every situation.

Learn about the many myths surrounding this vital area of influencing. In this session, we aim to put the record straight about the nature of assertiveness and to help you learn a few strategies to make your own behaviour more assertive as well.

Learn to: • Understand individual responsibility • Ask for what you want • Say “No” • Handle difficult relationships 24 JULY 12:30 – 2PM BUILDING PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS Interactions between people are complex and not easy to master!

Yet, success at work often depends on our ability to form constructive and productive relationships.

The recently coined term “relationship intelligence” highlights the ability of each person to improve in this area, and this session gives people the chance to practise what’s involved.

Learn to: • Interact to form constructive and productive relationships • Avoid communication pitfalls • Understand how status affects our relationships • Use listening to affect our relationships

In order to create the excitement you want in the workplace, you will need to develop the ability to inspire people with stories.

This session uncovers the mysteries of compelling storytelling and explores how company legends are created and communicated. Having a good story isn’t enough. It needs to be told—and told well.

Learn to: • Engage people’s hearts as well as their minds • Use Evocative language • Reinforce your company culture and values by spreading the word (legends) • Illustrate issues in such a way that people can see the practicalities The cost of these 60-minute sessions is £45 + VAT per session per person.

This price includes a light lunch and all supporting materials.

To find out more please call 020 7033 2370 or email carolinek@maynardleigh.co.uk

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

PUBLIC WORKSHOPS At Maynard Leigh Associates, we are always looking for ways to bring you the development opportunities you need whilst understanding the time and cost constraints that you face.

We recognise the importance of Continuing Professional Development points and have, therefore, accredited our most popular public workshops, knowing this will support your personal development plans.

We also understand that throughout your career, you will have different needs at different times and at different levels. Therefore, we have introduced new programmes to support you each step of the way:

These workshops are relevant to all levels of people in an organisation.

All of our public workshops take place at our specialist venue in Central London, The Base, and come with a welcoming breakfast, nutritious lunch and endless tea, coffee and snacks.

If you would like to book your place please call 020 7033 2370 for booking details.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

PERFORMING WITH PRESENCE This is the UK’s most impactful and outstanding presentation event. For the last twenty years, we have helped thousands of people communicate with confidence and speak with passion and conviction. Using challenging and enjoyable methods adapted from the theatre for business, we focus on each person’s unique presenting style.

By building confidence, we enable people to express their natural creativity and enthusiasm.

There is continual professional feedback, along with constant practice in presenting with energy and conviction. This powerful experience can radically change how people express themselves.

Target Audience This workshop is for those with some experience at presentation delivery but who want to increase their impact and become masterful presenters.

Learn to: • Deliver your message with confidence and conviction • Unlock your unique presenting style • Use the five P’s of dynamic presentation • Prepare physically, vocally and mentally • Structure creative and memorable presentations • Field hostile questions

Feel: • Confident about presenting • Able to handle nerves • Excited about presenting • Ready to give your best Be more able to: • Improvise and think on your feet • Control your stage fright • Prepare under pressure • Communicate with passion • Inspire, influence and win over your audience Two day course Cost: £985 + VAT 12 CPD points Includes: A copy of our book Perfect Presentations a personalised DVD and five months of free, ongoing support.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

BOARDROOM PRESENCE Whether it is because you’ve been promoted and, therefore, attend regular board meetings or are asked to attend occasionally because you have particular expertise, you need to make an appropriate impact. The same goes for building client relationships at the board level—you will need to present yourself with gravitas and authority.

This one-day workshop allows you to develop your presentation and communication skills so that you make a favourable impression on other senior executives.

Target Audience This workshop is for those who want to improve their ability to form effective relationships at a senior level and to present themselves with authority.

Learn to: • Use your authentic leadership style • Clarify the impact you want to have • Be alert to what’s going on around you • Impress and establish credibility

Feel: • Confident about walking into a room full of senior executives • Connected to your own integrity • Equal to those around you Be more able to: • Influence at the highest level • Build relationships with senior people • Express your opinions and points of view • Convey gravitas and natural authority One day course Cost: £485 + VAT Includes a copy of our best selling book, The Ultimate Business Presentation Book.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

FINDING YOUR VOICE The voice is one of our most powerful communication tools, and yet people often find that their voice lets them down just when they need it most, and they don’t know what to do about it.

This course is about getting practical, tailored help in developing and improving your voice.

Whether you want to have a stronger vocal impact, speak with more gravitas or variety or be more clearly understood when speaking English as a second language, this day-long session can help you to take charge of your voice.

Target Audience This workshop is ideal for those wanting to improve the effectiveness of their voice, whether for presentations and meetings or in informal situations.

Learn to: • Gain control of your voice and make a greater vocal impact • Develop your voice, improve its tone and give it more life, variety and gravitas • Improve the clarity of your speech • Be more easily understood when speaking English as a second language

Feel: • More assured and able to convey confidence in speech • Clear about what you need to work on and how to go about it • Better equipped to handle difficult speaking situations • More sensitive to others and their communication needs Be more able to: • Further develop and strengthen your voice • Extend your range of expression • Use your voice more effectively in a variety of situations One day course Cost: £385 + VAT

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

PERSONAL IMPACT Discover your power to make a lasting impression by getting your message across and creating the right personal chemistry with your audience—whether it’s one person or a small group. Gain the confidence to tackle selling products or services to individuals, chairing and participating in meetings, interviews, appraisals and briefings and handling social and business functions.

Target Audience This workshop is ideal for anyone needing to develop their impact and effectiveness in informal presentations to small groups or in one-to-one situations.

Learn to: • Use and be more aware of body language • Understand how best to use your own communication style • Clarify and deliver your message • End encounters positively • Assess the effects of your appearance

Feel: • Better equipped to handle group situations • More alert to what happens in small groups • Ready to convey both confidence and conviction • More sensitive to others and their communication needs Be more able to: • Convey quality in your personal message • Give effective briefings • Chair and participate in meetings • Deal with business and social occasions • Create personal chemistry and rapport One day course Cost: £385 + VAT 6 CPD points Includes a copy of our best selling book, Charisma.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

WRITING FOR RESULTS Written communication, like all communication, is personal. People have their own styles, habits, approaches and responses. More than any other medium of communication, the written word is wide open to misinterpretation.

Thus, positive intentions sometimes produce negative impacts.

This inventive and highly interactive one-day course unveils the secrets behind better business writing. Designed to take the agony out of the process, the course outlines some simple but powerful methods and principles for producing documents and emails that are more persuasive and more effective.

Target Audience If you write documents or emails that need to deliver a clear message, or if you have experienced the horror of miscommunication, this workshop is for you.

Learn to: • Persuade through the written word • Consider the effect of your writing on the reader • Use building blocks for effective writing • Structure an argument

Feel: • Confident in your writing • More assured in starting and structuring documents • Positive in your ability to write effectively • Creative in your approach Be more able to: • Create a clear and unambiguous purpose • Apply your natural creativity • Convey your desired tone • Write emails that have the desired impact One day course Cost: £385 + VAT

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

BOARDROOM PRESENCE – WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP On page 3, of our Public Workshops section, you will notice a Boardroom Presence workshop. This course is designed for anyone faced with making a favourable impression on senior executives. So why do we need a Boardroom Presence workshop especially designed for women? Because, as we have seen from Deirdre Galvin’s article, women in business have different needs, challenges and obstacles.

Our Boardroom Presence – Women Only workshop is specifically developed to address some of the issues that women will experience. Not only will you learn all of the fundamentals from our Boardroom Presence workshop you will also: Learn to: • Use your whole self • Recognise the impact you have • Understand the reactions around you

Feel: • Secure in your added value • Confident in delivering your message Be more able to: • Deal with challenging situations such as intimidation and exclusion • Use your expertise to make the impact you want 17th of July 2012 One day course Cost: £485 + VAT Includes a copy of our bestselling book, The Ultimate Business Presentation Book.