Spotlight September 2012

SEPTEMBER 2012

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Bring back Integrity What happens when our integrity is tested?

Page 08 – 09

Executive Impact The top people have it and the rest wish they did. It’s the effect that the most powerful executives have on others Page 14 – 15

Voluntary Effort Michael Maynard explores why people commit their discretionary effort Page 20 – 21

IN THIS ISSUE

03

04 – 07

08 – 09

Ideas on How to Value Employees

Save Us From Bad Meetings Syndrome!

Bring Back Integrity

10 – 13

14-15

16 – 19

Life after University

Breaking out of your shell

Leading the Way

20 – 21

22 – 25

26 – 27

Voluntary Effort

From Dragons’ Dens to Ugly Beauty Parades

The Base

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

03 Spotlight | September 2012

Ideas on How to Value Employees Welcome to the latest edition of Spotlight.

To start this issue we thought we would kick off with an area we believe is key for a successful business – Valuing Your Employees – if you want the competitive edge, to create a progressive working environment and to witness your teams giving 100% they need to feel valued.

Flexibility in paid time off. Employees can choose how to use their paid time off bank (vacation, sick, and personal time) to best meet the needs of their individual situations.

There are many ways you can value people that don’t necessarily involve large payments.

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Cultural extras. Keep the workplace exciting by mixing in rewards like concert tickets, cinema outings, or passes to sporting events.

Flexi-time. Allow employees to put in hours at their own discretion.

Sabbaticals. Offer sabbaticals based on length of service.

Innovation days. Set aside several days a year to allow people to step away from their usual responsibilities and tackle projects related to the way they work and the environment they work in.

Gift matching. The company matches people’s charitable donations.

Edible Treats. Provide free coffee, soft drinks, and snacks for employees during work hours. Add fresh fruit and healthy options.

Wellness benefits. People can receive reimbursement for purchases related to fitness. For instance, gym memberships, running shoes, yoga mats, bicycles, etc.

Well-being days. Provide a small number of days a year in addition to holidays which people can take to look after themselves.

Vital lunches. Provide occasional free social lunches because it’s vital to get together and also fun.

No dress code. Wear what you like!

Free chair massages. 15-20 minutes in the chair once a week or month and people will return to their desks refreshed and ready to tackle their to-do lists.

A culture of work/life balance. Make sure people realise you are committed to this by providing a focus on it e.g insisting people take their holidays.

Advice and assistance. Provide financial or legal assistance if people need them.

Employee referral programs. The best employees are usually hired through referrals. Those who refer candidates who are hired receive a cash bonus award.

Green initiatives. Rewards for those who provide eco-reduction ideas and practices.

Paid time off to volunteer. Employees are given a specific amount of time to volunteer in their communities.

Learning & development fund. Offer to pay a percentage of external non-work tuition and courses.

Above and beyond presents. Have a box of goodies. Anyone can be spontaneously rewarded with a present form the box if they’ve shown extra effort on something.

04 Spotlight | September 2012

SAVE US

FROM BAD MEETING SYNDROME! Andrew Leigh campaigns against time-wasting wastes of effort.

I met a sculptor recently who described his latest commission. “I’ve been asked to make a new nose in stone, missing from a valuable statue,” he told me. He described the briefing process by the nose customer, a well-known museum. He was required to attend several time-consuming gatherings to discuss aspects of the nose job, with up to 12 people present along with the bemused sculptor-writing by committee is bad enough, but sculpting by committee is surely a step too far.

After a takeover of UK software company Autonomy by the US Hewlett Packard, relationships between the two organisations rapidly degraded. To pursue the management of its new acquisition, HP set in motion numerous meetings. At one stage, disgruntled Autonomy employees recorded a ratio of attendance of 52 people to 1 from Autonomy.

Little wonder that virtually all the senior management of Autonomy have since voted with their feet and departed for jobs elsewhere.

Organisations generally seem to have a love hate relationships with meetings. Managers generally spend around 80% of their working life in meetings and many conclude there are too many and there should be less.

Yet communications research also shows people often feel out of touch with events and the usual suggested remedies include yet more meetings.

Meetings themselves have been subject to endless dissection and comment. Recent research even suggests those attending become more stupid as a result of their attendance. Measured levels of intelligence actually decline with attendance at long meetings. This perhaps explains why on leaving a meeting we so often feel our head is about to explode.

“RECENT RESEARCH EVEN SUGGESTS THOSE ATTENDING BECOME MORE STUPID AS A RESULT OF THEIR ATTENDANCE.”

“A STUDY FOUND THAT STANDING MEETINGS WERE ABOUT A THIRD SHORTER THAN SEATED MEETINGS AND THE THE QUALITY OF DECISION-MAKING WAS ABOUT THE SAME.”

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Bad Meeting Syndrome infects countless enterprises. There have been many attempts to lance the boil. For example, to encourage people into sharpening up their meeting performance managers have circulated a financial metric showing the “cost of this meeting”, based on the salaries and time of those attending. But like training the chairperson in good meeting practice, this sort of action means you really do want to make your meetings effective. Sadly, so many organisations simply do not seem to care.

Some devices to improve meetings are actually extremely effective, but consequently seldom popular. One is to demand that no one can speak twice at the meeting, until everyone else has had a go. Another is to insist that when you get your airtime you must build on what the previous person has said – you cannot simply launch into your point without reference to what has gone before.

Cutting down on who attends also makes absolute sense, but runs counter to the modern demand for inclusivity. Yet in many cases, the sheer number of attendees guarantees a frustrating and dispiriting meeting experience for all. Invariably a smaller, more viable spin-off meeting soon emerges, creating yet more meeting demands for the busiest people.

The size of Britain’s bloated cabinet for example, speaks volumes for how large meetings can be so wasteful. British cabinets are among the largest in the industrialised economies. According to recent research, adding one extra minister who has budgeting responsibility to the cabinet, leads to an increase in the GDP deficit. Cutting the number of spending ministers by about a third would reduce deficits and expenditures by about 1% of GDP – a significant contribution to fiscal consolidation.

“DEMANDING EVERY MEETING BE INSPIRING OR UPLIFTING MAY SEEM UNREALISTIC. YET IT MUST SURELY BE A STARTING POINT FOR TACKLING THE UBIQUITOUS BAD MEETING SYNDROME” So do we need fewer or more meetings? It’s a fair question, except it’s probably the wrong one to ask in most organisations. Rather, the correct one is: “how do we make our meetings inspiring and effective?” There are plenty of perfectly useful checklists for how to run great meetings. These include such basics as start and finish on time, have a proactive, listening chairperson, send round agendas in advance and so on. It’s all incredibly basic, which makes you wonder why so many organisations still permit so many people to suffer from so many awful meetings.

Demanding every meeting be inspiring or uplifting may seem unrealistic. Yet it must surely be a starting point for tackling the ubiquitous Bad Meeting Syndrome. Similarly, asking, “did you enjoy our meeting” should become a standard quality check afterwards.

But perhaps the ultimate meeting device that continues to prove highly effective is refusing to allow people to sit down in the first place. Some military leaders did it during World War I and a number of companies have adopted stand-up meetings over the years. A study in 1998 found these events were about a third shorter than seated meetings and the quality of decision-making was about the same.

BRING BACK INTEGRITY What happens when our integrity is tested?

Someone threw tacks on the road, sabotaging a recent stage of the 2012 Tour De France. Causing dozens of punctures, this mean-spirited act stopped many riders from continuing, until they completed repairs. Race leader, Bradley Wiggins was unaffected. Yet he refused to take advantage of his competitors’ misfortune. Instead, he slowed the race down, allowing the other riders to catch up. He did not have to do it. But for him it was the right thing to do.

Wiggins was following in the steps of “Babe” Zaharias a champion in the 1932 Olympics and later a successful professional golfer. On one occasion, she famously penalised herself

two strokes when accidentally she played the wrong ball. “Why did you do it?” asked a friend. “No one saw you; no one would have known the difference.” Revealingly Zaharias replied, “But I would have known.”

Integrity takes many forms. No amount of rules or formalised procedures can substitute for doing what is right. Essentially, integrity comes from within. One of the pervasive myths surrounding compliance systems in organisations is these will somehow prevent or reveal unethical, excessively risky or potentially damaging employee behaviour. Reliance on these systems solutions is a sure route to the next crisis.

09 Spotlight | September 2012

We have recently seen an apparently endless stream of unethical, illegal or highly dubious behaviours such as lying, and excessive rewards for failure exposed to the light of day: GlaxoSmithKline fined for abusive practices, Bank of Scotland failing to process its customers transactions, HSBC helping to money launder, G4S pretending it can deliver security for the Olympics failing and yet still thinking it can walk away with large sums of public money, inter bank rate-rigging, the News International scandal, politicians fiddling their expenses and on and on.

The tired claim championed with bravado by News International of “a “few bad apples” now has no traction there or elsewhere. The truth is more prosaic. Many large organisations, public and private have become over-reliant on formalised compliance systems, or “watch dogs”, while simultaneously being seriously infected with a lack of executive and leadership integrity that will take considerable effort and cost to restore.

Too many leaders and managers patently lack a strong moral compass. As if to dramatically emphasise this, the Professor of Economics Dartmouth College, Danny Blanchflower recently claimed the somewhat staggering selfevident truth there is not a single British UK Banking executive left who should be trusted as the next Director of the Bank of England.

What does this mean for those us in the business of people development? Banks, pharmas, publishers, public bodies such as the police and health care organisations, need an integrity transplant. Many must embark on a significant culture change. This is where those involved in learning come in.

People development experts know quite a bit about the mechanics of culture change.

Hopefully this will open up new opportunities to influence previously impervious organisations to managing change more intelligently.

We affect corporate cultures in two main ways – in the micro sense by influencing individual behaviours and in the macro sense, by affecting the entire organisation through systems, procedures and other practices. In the latter case for example, it means working with leaders to transform their approach. It might mean moving from one leadership style to another, reducing hierarchies, promoting core values, using stories, focusing on symbols, rites, rituals and so on.

“TO MANY LEADERS AND MANAGERS PATENTLY LACK A STRONG MORAL COMPASS.” Take for instance changing leadership styles.

Recently, we have seen a succession of leaders in the political, commercial and public sectors demonstrating an apparent inability to take responsibility for manifest failures. Taking responsibility does not mean, as Bob Diamond of Barclays seemed to think merely admitting what may well prove to be criminal behaviour as simply “reprehensible”. Nor can it mean Jeremy Hunt the politician blandly declaring, “it's completely normal for a contractor to fail to deliver on a major project” or the MD of G4S clinging to his job against all the odds.

New cultures often mean new people. As Philip Stephens recently pointed out in the Financial Times, “the titans of the boom years have become the pariahs of the bust.”

Our Way Ahead Series paper published three years ago asked: “Integrity: Are your Leaders Up to It?” Unfortunately the current answer is all too often “no!

It will not therefore be surprising if leadership begins to look rather different in the coming years, as previously failing institutions attempt to re-instate ethics, values and integrity into their cultures. No wonder then that our view of leadership keeps evolving.

10 Spotlight | September 2012

JAMIE MAWDSLEY

LOOKS AT LIFE AFTER STUDY What happens when you leave behind the cheap booze of the student union, the balloons from the graduation ball have deflated, and the traffic cone that you stole in your fresher week finally finds its way back to a roadside?

Making the transition from being a student into the corporate world can be really difficult.

It is probably the first time in your life when your future isn’t mapped out in front of you, that alone can be a scary prospect. With some self-confidence and some tools and tips, this scary time could be an exciting one, full of possibilities.

The Professional Impact course at Maynard Leigh was developed to help graduates and under 25s to learn a little bit more about how they are coming across, how they can maximise on the skills and traits that already have, and give them some interview technique tips and tools to make getting a job in a difficult job market just that little bit easier. I ran the course this year and would love to share some of my learning’s and thoughts with you.

Jamie Mawdsley, Maynard Leigh Associates

11 Spotlight | September 2012

Here are my three top tips for moving from studying to the “Real Grown Up World” TIP 1

Start Early Its never too early to start preparing for the ‘real world’. Often some of the noncurriculum things you learn whilst studying will be of more importance to you, than what was on your reading list! Team work skills are just one of the techniques you can really start to capitalise on at school and uni. We are always put into teams, be it in the classroom or outside. Learn how to work best in a team, where you naturally sit in the team, stretch yourself and try taking on a project and try out leading the team. De-brief afterwards about what worked and what didn’t. Don’t overlook the importance of coaching a football team, or acting in a school play, this is all experience of project management and teamwork and is a huge part of your development.

TIP 2

You Are “On” Even When You Are “Off” Don’t just start acting ‘professional’ when you walk through the interview door.

First impressions can be made even before you get there. On the course we examined the first impressions we form of people, we made judgements on each other based on those first impressions, we even looked at social media and what Twitter and Facebook might say about you before you even walk in through the door. Its also valuable to know that most jobs are filled through social meetings, who you know and who you’ve met along the way. We looked at networking, and formal and informal meetings on the course. It’s also worth remembering that everyone you meet from the receptionist to the postboy are just as important as the bosses. “Always be nice to people on the way up; because you'll meet the same people on the way down”

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TIP 3

Be Youself ‘Being Yourself’ in a job interview can be really difficult, the pressure is on and the spotlight is shining right on you. As an actor, I know exactly how this feels. I go up for acting roles pretty regularly, sometimes a couple of times a week. Running the Professional Impact course I was able to share some of my experiences and my tips, tools, and affirmations which I use to ‘be myself’ at these auditions. If I try to be someone I am not at a job interview or audition, what’s going to happen if I get the job, am I going to have to keep up the charade…. Being someone other than yourself is going to be hard work, so don’t even bother trying to be anyone but you.

I just wanted to reiterate how much I enjoyed the course and how beneficial I believe it will be.

We all greatly appreciated this course and hope it will continue to help more people!

This year’s Professional Impact course ran early July 2012. The young people taking part were looking to move into a variety of different careers: Events Planning, Physiotherapy, the Charity Sector, the Music Industry. Some had secured internships, some were having to work bar jobs, most had moved back in with their parents.

My stepson came on your Professional Impact course and came home buzzing. And just to show how brilliant it was, he applied all he learned the very next day in an interview for a summer job and he got the job! Thank you.

They came along to Maynard Leigh with a mixture of personalities, experiences, stories, skill sets and aspirations. They left knowing how to capitalise on who they are, what elements of their personality are working for them, and how to best sell themselves to their chosen industry.

I was proud to have helped them on their journeys, and it’s been great hearing from them in the weeks since the course and learning how and where they are now.

It was fantastically useful and I had a great experience.

My main advice for anyone having to make a change or a new start is this; Its easy to take the wrong path in life, to find yourself years later regretting where you are and who you’ve become. So, take time every once in a while to sit back and look at where and who you are and make sure you are living your life the right way.

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

14 Spotlight | September 2012

EXECUTIVE

The top people have it and the rest wish they did. It’s the effect that the most powerful executives have on others, Executive Impact.

It stems less from expertise, position or formal authority and far more from who they are, and how they come across.

Call it executive impact, corporate chemistry, charisma, or simply personal presentation skills, the overall effect is the same. It leaves a memorable and lasting impression on people – though not necessarily an entirely positive one.

One of the most recent fallen idols of Executive Impact is Jamie Dimon of J.P.Morgan. He certainly seems to leave a memorable and

lasting impression on those he encounters.

Reportedly, he prowls the corridors of the bank with a sheet of paper in his pocket with a list of people who “owe me” and who need to deliver a report. “I used to have nightmares that my name was on the list” is how one insider put it.

We are bombarded with stories of the extreme Charismatics like Dimon, Larry Page of Oracle, Bill Clinton, or Steve Jobs. “He reminded me of Rasputin, he laser beamed in on you and didn’t blink” is how one mesmerised Apple employee described an encounter with the

15 Spotlight | September 2012

late Steve Jobs. Consequently, it is easy to lose sight of the basic fact that every executive needs to develop their impact, to hone their charisma and make a lasting impression.

Not to ramp up their ego, but to be able to make things happen, to persuade people to do what’s needed.

Almost before they enter the room you can tell the executives with impact. Watch them arrive at the reception desk and see what happens next. Rather than sit down meekly, most pace around making it clear by their actions they expect to be whisked away from there any minute.

While the room may not always light up when an executive with impact enters, something does change with their arrival. Invariably, there is a noticeable shift in energy levels. There is suddenly more at stake than just another meeting. This one promises to be different – challenging, inspiring or perhaps even threatening. Whatever it is, you had better pay attention and stay awake.

So how do you learn to be an executive with impact? What do you need to do to change the dynamic when engaging with other people? What is the secret of leaving a lasting and memorable impression – or must you be born with an enviable quotient of charisma?

The evidence of working with executives who want to develop their personal impact is that it is perfectly learnable. Few arrive at coaching or development sessions demanding to ramp up their charisma. Most simply come willing to try some new ways to enhance their impact with others, and want a safe place in which to experiment.

Take Marian, who desperately wanted to be appointed a director of education in a local authority. The trouble was she kept being rejected by the selection panels. She did not

“IMPROVING PERSONAL IMPACT OR CHARISMA IS PERFECTLY POSSIBLE, THOUGH IT MAY MEAN BEING WILLING TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.” really understand why, except that in the brief window of opportunity she was given, she was not making a sufficiently strong impact.

In diagnosing what was going wrong, it emerged Marian’s whole demeanour when she entered the room was one of defeat.

Head down, slightly slouched, hesitant and somehow apologetic, she may have been qualified for the job in a technical sense, but as a leader, someone who can inspire others, she made a poor impression.

With a little help Marian was able to change her entire mind set. Instructed to “enter the room” as if she was already a director of education, she emanated an entirely different level of energy and confidence. Aware now of what it means to make an impact, Marian tackled her next interviews with far more focus.

After a couple of months, she reported she had been appointed to the top post she had wanted so much.

Improving personal impact or charisma is perfectly possible, though it may mean being willing to step out of your comfort zone.

Issues that may need tackling to improve impact include: fluency, confidence, presence, authenticity, courage, passion, and demeanour.

In each case there are exercises and ways of practicing new forms of behaviour that ultimately add up to having a stronger wattage.

16 Spotlight | September 2012

17 Spotlight | September 2012

A NEW BOOK AND A NEW APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP “I LOATHE BAD THEATRE”, SAYS ACTRESS AND DIRECTOR FIONA SHAW, “AND MOST THEATRE IS VERY BAD BECAUSE IT'S REPETITIOUS AND UNEXCITING.” Many who graft away in today’s organisations might well secretly echo those sentiments about their own jobs.

Why? Because there are too many leaders pursuing dull and monotonous processes and not enough enlivening leadership.

‘Deathly theatre’, is how renowned stage director Peter Brook dismisses this tendency of going through the motions. He means the sort of boring re-runs of stale, tired productions, where the actors perform without giving what they are saying much thought or feeling. The result is turgid drama and we the audience can barely keep our eyelids open and feel the blood drain from us.

Yet this state of affairs also exists in many organisations. People go through the motions, follow processes and procedures, and merely tick the right boxes. They hope no one realises they are walking through their part. Meanwhile, their leaders opt for a quiet life and seldom challenge what is happening.

In contrast to deathly theatre, most of us prefer something more innovative, vibrant, alive and full of vitality. Much the same is needed in organisations. People are hungry to be engaged, to feel they have some control over their working lives and to pursue projects that have meaning for them.

What kind of leadership is needed that can produce this kind of experience? According to Amazon there are currently over 60,000 titles about leadership! So why on earth would the publishers, Pearson, decide to have a new volume by Andrew Leigh and Michael Maynard?

The answer is that times are changing and leadership may well not be keeping up. Many managers are far more likely to change their computers, cars or mobile phones than actually alter their style of leadership. When discussing with the authors the sort of book that was needed for people wanting a new approach, the publishers said they needed a practical guide to leadership in the 21st Century.

So Leading the Way will hit the shelves in September. It draws on the authors’ experience of working actively day-to-day with clients right now, and the challenges they are facing, rather than theorising from any ivory-towered position.

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Describing progressive 21st century companies as “vital organisations”, Leading the Way explains leadership in these sorts of enterprises as different from the past. Such leadership is likely to be non-hierarchical, based on talent not title, existing throughout the organisation at all levels as people step in and lead as and when required. These fast-moving, agile, vital organisations need leaders able to respond with speed, creativity and energy. These are vital in both senses of the word – essential and spirited.

Such vital leadership requires specific capabilities. Firstly, it is all about the leader themselves and their character.

Leadership is autobiographical and each person will lead with their own, individual style.

Secondly there is the essential ability to really see what’s going on – in oneself, in others and in the situation.

Individuality and Insight are the foundation elements of Leading the Way. As well as these two basic components, Leigh and Maynard identify five other vital capabilities leaders will need. A leader’s insight identifies an area that needs improving and so they take responsibility for it and Initiate change. However, to get anything done the leader will need to Involve others. Therefore the book highlights the critical importance of the relationship between the leader and other people who will support and collaborate with them.

Yet, to produce outstanding results rather than anything pedestrian, leaders will need to, not just involve others but to Inspire them to new heights. And then, given that other people are now included and involved in the initiative, forces will inevitably affect the leader’s plans and they will need to Improvise in order to respond flexibly and creatively to the changing circumstances. And finally the leader needs to be great at execution – yes, they Implement!

Leigh and Maynard do not profess to have all the answers. In fact they are the first to point out that the leadership required in future decades will need to keep changing. It is an emerging definition as people experiment with new forms of leadership. As they say in their final chapter, “This book is not a manual of how to lead.

That remains to be written when the successful 21st Century is more fully in focus. Instead, it offers more of a route map, signposting some of the important destinations of your journey. It is a starting point, and we hope you will become the author of your own volume as you experiment and learn from your leadership journey. You will find your own unique ways of doing things, set of principles and wisdom.”

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If you’re interested in the challenges facing leaders right now, then there are several events you should know about: LEADERSHIP CLINIC 19th September 2012 9.00am – 11.30am This is a seminar for managers, leaders, HR, L&D and Talent professional who are concerned about how to equip leaders for the current and future challenges in organisation.

It explores: The changing nature of the workplace and the demand it puts upon leadership.

• The necessary striving for outstanding performance

LEADING THE WAY BOOK LAUNCH 2nd October 2012 6.00pm – 8.30pm This event will be at Pearson’s head office in The Strand with great views across the river.

Everybody attending will receive a free copy of the book and also have a chance to meet the authors.

This is an exclusive event and places are limited.

• The specific challenges facing leaders in this fast-changing and complex environment

EXPRESSO SESSIONS ON THE TOPICS

What it takes to develop leaders to meet the new challenges.

Initiate 14 September 12:30 – 2:00pm

• Highlight the resistance factors to change • How leadership can be developed in a cost-effective way How to produce behavioural change

We are running a series of Expresso sessions on each of the 5 capabilities.

Involve 11 October 12:30 – 2:00pm Inspire 15 November 12:30 – 2:00pm

• Collating best-practice in the field of leadership development

Improvise 5 December 12:30 – 2:00pm

Networking

Implement 24 January 12:30 – 2:00pm

• Meet other professionals in different companies and hear how they are approaching the challenges.

See Pages 04 – 05 for details

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

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VOLUNTARY EFFORT

Michael Maynard explores why people commit their discretionary effort

Michael Maynard, Mary Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Inspired by the role that elders play in traditional communities, Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel have funded an initiative that harnesses the wisdom and energy of world elder statesmen and women to work for peace. It was founded by Nelson Mandela and includes a host of venerable world leaders. This year some of the Elders, including ex-President Jimmy Carter, came to London for some special events.

Taking place on 18 July, Nelson Mandela Day is inspired by the 67 years that he gave fighting for justice and human rights and encourages people around the world to give 67 minutes of their time to serve their communities. To mark the occasion, Maynard Leigh’s co-founder,

Michael Maynard, hosted an event lasting 67 minutes, run by The Funding Network together with the Elders held at the CBI Conference Centre.

This brought together over a hundred young people who listened to former Irish President, Mary Robinson, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, encouraging them to volunteer their time to charitable projects. This they did, starting with 67 minutes and then moving on to perhaps greater commitment. Over 150 pledges of voluntary time were committed to all sorts of good causes during the event.

Speaking about volunteering, Mary Robinson commented that the act of serving others can be tremendously enjoyable: “The more you

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give of yourself, the bigger your commitment, the more you have fun.” And that was clearly evident in the masses of volunteers for the Olympic Games.

At a time when our Prime Minister is urging us to embrace the notion of the big society there are, of course, major questions about whether volunteering is simply a sort of ‘bandaid’ holding together a cost-cutting austerity programme or else something that genuinely contributes to society.

We should definitely question the need for any sort of voluntary work and, at a time when so many young people’s only experience of work is through unpaid internships in organisations, there is a danger that the whole economy is based on unpaid effort and goodwill.

Nevertheless, volunteering often delivers huge rewards to the person themselves as well as the organisation to which they are giving their time.

And masses of people commit such voluntary effort in many different ways. So what can the business world learn from the third sector around this issue?

We know that the success of many organisations depends on the discretionary effort put in by employees. Many workers do the most extraordinary things to get the job done well, often gong well beyond their terms of employment and job spec. In essence they are volunteering their personal discretionary effort.

Indeed, if the psychological contract between company and worker were based on the notion that they were volunteering their commitment rather than just doing their paid job, we might have much healthier industrial relations.

Evidence shows that people are willing to contribute their extra effort dependent on how engaged they are in the enterprise. All sorts of examples of people ‘going the extra mile’ indicate that this is not likely to happen in a sustainable way through fear, force or even short-term rewards. It stems from people feeling they are involved in something they believe in, care about and has meaning for them.

It is the responsibility of leaders to engage their people to unlock their potential and release this hidden commitment. Much of our contribution at Maynard Leigh is helping organisations and their leaders create the irresistible circumstances at work that will invite the voluntary effort: they need to create the sense of meaning, the climate of vitality, the human touch.

If people were allowed to shape their work so that they end up caring as passionately about it as they do their local community centre, charitable project, campaigning cause, hobby group or Olympic Games, then they are far more likely to give of their total commitment.

In the words of Winston Churchill, “If you find a job that you love, you’ll never have to work again.”

ENGAGED EMPLOYEES...

Are excited and enthusiastic about what they’re doing Resist distractions, and often invest discretionary effort Enjoy pondering current challenges, even on the drive home or in the shower Identify proudly with the activity Invite others in – and are emotionally contagious

FROM DRAGONS’ DENS TO UGLY BEAUTY PARADES How do you make the most of a pitch?

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Whether meeting a potential client for the first time or presenting to a panel for a million pound contract, pitches are nervewracking experiences. There’s normally a lot at stake and this inevitably puts huge pressure on those presenting. Frightened of appearing brash, pushy and going over the top, some people go underneath and disappear. Others get overwhelmed with tension, explode with inappropriate energy and start bouncing off the walls.

A firm of quantity surveyors were bidding for a massive city-centre redevelopment scheme. They had already produced an impressive brochure outlining why they were the best people for job. They knew they were strong candidates. However, when it came to presenting in a pitch situation they had previously fallen short. They sought help from Maynard Leigh who ran a pitch rehearsal session for them and instantly diagnosed the problem.

The surveyors spent most to their presentation time simply talking people through the written document and forgetting that the presentation was a completely different process demanding a relational approach. With a bit of coaching they were soon adopting a different approach and making a completely different impact.

Pitches don’t have to be nightmares. With some careful thought and rehearsal you can maximise the opportunity. Here are some tips which are best used if seen in terms of what you do before, during and after the pitch.

“BE PREPARED TO CONSULT CUSTOMERS OR READ UP INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY.“

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Before the Pitch Research the client: What are their expectations? You can only hit the mark if you know as much as possible about the background to the tender, the people who will make the decision etc. Ask to meet someone from the company so you can dig down further – this might also impress the client with your diligence. Be prepared to consult customers or read up on information about the company.

Cover all bases: It’s important to really review the tender document line by line so you answer every point. Tick them off as you go, or highlight them – don’t miss any out.

Always meet their need: Separate out what they need from what they want. There may well be a difference. This may require a discussion with the client. The tender must explain how your offering will meet their needs.

Demonstrate business impact: How will your work affect their business once the project has ended?

Make people feel special: Clients want to feel their company or their project is unlike anybody else’s.

Even if you are adapting a solution from elsewhere, the client needs to feel what you are offering is distinctive and tailored for them.

Proof it!

No matter how brilliant the proposal it can still be made to look weak with spelling and other minor errors.

Get several people to proof read the material.

Build relationships: Find out exactly who will be attending the pitch presentation. See if you can contact each member of the panel beforehand and ask what they’re looking for.

Thoroughly Prepare the Presentation: Spend as much time preparing the presentation as you do preparing the written document or proposal.

Added Value: The presentation is meant to add value to the proposal, not simply to take the audience through it. This is your chance to communicate your passion and excitement about the project.

Rehearse: Rehearse in front of others. Get them to play ‘devil’s advocates’ and ask you difficult questions. Get professional coaching if you need it.

“WITH A BIT OF COACHING THEY WERE SOON ADOPTING A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND MAKING A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT IMPACT.”

25 Spotlight | September 2012

During the Pitch

After the Pitch

Be Present: Stay fully present the whole time. This is your chance to build relationships with a potential client. It’s their chance to see what your working relationship could be like.

De-Brief: Instantly de-brief amongst yourselves on learning points from the pitch experience.

Be a Team: If presenting as a team make sure you –

01.

Focus on the person speaking at any one time

02.

Hand over to each other with care and friendship

03.

Be ready to jump in and support

04.

Each have specific members of the panel to focus on, so that they all get covered

Questions: These are opportunities for you to continue your pitch. Make sure you really listen and respond to their points.

Follow-Up:

Send the client any promised supplementary material

If you win – celebrate!

If you lose – see if they will give you specific feedback so that you can learn for another day

Maintain the relationships you’ve made with the client

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

“WITH SOME CAREFUL THOUGHT AND REHEARSAL YOU CAN MAXIMISE THE OPPORTUNITY.”

26 Spotlight | September 2012

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

27 Spotlight | September 2012

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’

SEPTEMBER 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

SEPTEMBER 2012 05 September

Public Workshop: Boardroom Presence

10 September

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

14 September

Expresso Session: INITIATE | 12:30 – 2:00pm

19 September

Leadership Clinic | 9:00am – 11:30am

19 – 20 September

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

OCTOBER 2012 02 October

Book Launch: Leading the Way

05 October

Public Workshop: Writing for Results

11 October

Expresso Session: INVOLVE | 12:30 – 2:00pm

15 October

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

25 – 26 October

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

NOVEMBER 2012 02 November

Public Workshop: Finding Your Voice

12 November

Public Workshop: Personal Impact

15 November

Expresso Session: INSPIRE | 12:30 - 2:00pm

22 – 23 November

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

DECEMBER 2012 05 December

Expresso Session: IMPROVISE | 12:30 – 2:00pm

10 – 11 December

Public Workshop: Performing with Presence

JANUARY 2013 24 January

Expresso Session: IMPLEMENT | 12:30 – 2:00pm

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

90 minute bite-size sessions.

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

Consider setting up a Learning Week, a Development Month or even an on-going 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.

14 September 12.30 – 2:00pm INITIATE Leadership starts by seeing what needs improving and then initiating change.

Yet, many initiatives fail to deliver the expected results. This session explores what it takes to initiate successfully.

Learn: • How taking responsibility can increase your effectiveness • Why researching your stakeholders is crucial

“PEOPLE LEAVE ENLIGHTENED, ENERGISED AND KEEN TO IMPLEMENT NEW IDEAS.”

• How to use direct action in order to achieve results 11 October 12.30 – 2:00pm INVOLVE You can’t lead on your own.

Leadership is a relationship between you and others and it is the way you involve them that really makes the difference. This is particularly difficult when working cross culturally.

05 Expresso Sessions | September 2012

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS Learn to: • Engage people no matter how different they are • Work creatively with different cultures within and outside the organisation • Adjust communication style to different audiences 15 November 12:30 – 2:00pm INSPIRE To produce exceptional – rather than merely competent – performance.

Leaders need to inspire those around them. Inspiration elevates performance to another level.

Learn to: • Access your personal source of inspiration • Communicate in a way that inspires others

24 January 12:30 – 2:00pm IMPLEMENT After all is said and done, more is said than done.

This session explores the need for leaders to follow through and deliver results.

Learn: • The importance of resilience in order to sustain change • How to use feedback as a constant monitoring process • How to exert your power to ensure a good work/life balance The cost of these 90-minute sessions is £45 + VAT per session per person.

This price includes a light lunch and all supporting materials.

• Encourage others to remain inspired throughout the enterprise 5 December 12:30 – 2:00pm IMPROVISE No matter how good your plans are and how thorough your preparation, stuff happens In these moments a leader needs to improvise new solutions to changing circumstances.

Learn to: • Be present so that you are alert to the changes around you • Use the three principles underpinning successful improvisation • Spontaneously create positive solutions

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

06 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT 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.

“WITH SOME CAREFUL THOUGHT AND REHEARSAL YOU CAN MAXIMISE THE OPPORTUNITY.�

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.

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.

We also understand that throughout your career, you will have different needs at different times and at different levels.

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

07 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

“TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO FORM EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS AT A SENIOR LEVEL AND TO PRESENT THEMSELVES WITH AUTHORITY.”

”THIS INVENTIVE AND HIGHLY INTERACTIVE ONE-DAY COURSE UNVEILS THE SECRETS BEHIND BETTER BUSINESS WRITING.”

“BY BUILDING CONFIDENCE, WE ENABLE PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR NATURAL CREATIVITY AND ENTHUSIASM.”

08 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

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 better 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 Presentation, a personalised DVD and five months of free, ongoing support.

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

13 Learning & Development Workshops | May 2012

“BY BUILDING CONFIDENCE, WE ENABLE PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR NATURAL CREATIVITY AND ENTHUSIASM.”

“TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO FORM EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS AT A SENIOR LEVEL AND TO PRESENT THEMSELVES WITH AUTHORITY.”

11 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

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.

Feel: • Confident about walking into a room full of senior executives • Connected to your own integrity • Equal to those around you Be better able to: • Influence at the highest level • Build relationships with senior people • Express your opinions and points of view • Convey gravitas and natural authority

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.

One day course Cost: £485 + VAT Includes a copy of our best selling book Charisma

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

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

12 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

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 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 informal situations.

Learn to:

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 better 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

• 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

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

13 Learning & Development Workshops | May 2012

”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.”

14 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

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 better 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

”IDEAL FOR ANYONE NEEDING TO DEVELOP THEIR IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS IN INFORMAL PRESENTATIONS TO SMALL GROUPS OR IN ONE-TO-ONE SITUATIONS.”

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

15 Learning & Development Workshops | September 2012

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

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 better 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

”THIS INVENTIVE AND HIGHLY INTERACTIVE ONEDAY COURSE UNVEILS THE SECRETS BEHIND BETTER BUSINESS WRITING.”

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