Services

Learning to connect and communicate with one another is often the place to start. Really being present in oneself, and with one another brings a very different depth of listening ... and in turn, understanding of each other, similarities, differences and more. Rather than debate and argument, winners and losers, people being "stuck" in their fixed positions, discussion to find and agree on possibilities forward is then possible.

Continuing to make efforts and build the relationship is essential ... supported by regular "checking in" with one another to assess improvements and reshape agreements for the next steps.

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John has particular interest and experience in working with men (of all ages), helping them grow and develop through challenges and issues including anger and violence, relationship troubles and break-ups, sex and sexuality, family and performance both in and outside of the workplace.

Using strength-based and practical male-focused approaches, he works with clients to help them develop their individual understanding of responsibility, ownership and the courage to be honest. Clients find the means to deal with their challenges, unhelpful patterns, behaviour and associated emotions and to develop healthy and sustaining attitudes and practices. They become more resilient to old and new challenges as they arise, more helpful to others around them and a stronger role model to their peers, families and especially to partners and children.

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Helpful and unhelpful dynamics exist in all relationships, groups and teams. When individuals or groups have conflicting priorities and/or different ways of working tension occurs and issues naturally arise. It is a completely normal occurrence but not normally dealt with well.

The first step in the process is for all involved to freely choose participation. Our approach and methodology enable people to say what needs to be said and to 'clear the air' safely. From that place, the possibilities for a more positive future can be discussed. The most appropriate options to suit all parties can then be decided, collaboratively. Agreements are then recorded and new ways of working and relating begun.

Follow up is a key step in this process to evaluate and re-set, and to acknowledge steps and changes made.

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Such issues can include:

• Stress and pressure – personal or work.
• Depression and anxiety.
• Workplace issues and changes.
• Bullying and harassment support.
• Anger and conflict issues.
• Relationship and family matters.
• Grief and loss.
• Life transition and personal development.
• Health and wellbeing.
• Career planning.

It’s important for you to use be consistent when dealing with employees whose personal problems are affecting their work performance – we show you practice, procedures and processes to help you.

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People Managers are in particular need of development as the majority are appointed to these roles based on their technical competence - not necessarily their people management capability. The most effective means to learning and developing people management capability is through a dedicated programme including specialist coaching and mentoring to suit the individual's needs.

Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles. It requires courage, awareness and discernment. On the other hand, management is a set of processes that can keep a complicated set of people and technology running smoothly, (John Kotter, 'Leading Change', Harvard Business School Press, 1996). Effective performance and results are achieved by people who are well led and well managed. The reality is that people need to develop and use both leadership and management skills and experience in current work environments.

We work with you to schedule programs consisting of experiential workshops with follow-up sessions in between. This grounds the learning more effectively in real situations. Particular content covered will be determined by your needs and will typically include some or all of:

• Leadership styles and attributes, EQ and its importance to effective leadership, leadership and management, leadership responsibilities and core leadership practices;
• Team dynamics, creating practical working agreements to ensure collaborative practice, clarifying purpose and setting direction, identifying priorities, setting the plan;
• Motivation of self and others, communication styles and practices, listening and speaking, resolving conflict in challenging situations and making clear agreements;
• Coaching others and in particular performance management coaching;
• Collaborative fundamentals, making decisions effectively, solving issues and problems, managing time and commitments and delivering clear messages.

Please contact us to talk about the development needs of your leaders.

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Our experience is that this enables you to really clarify your goals, your reasons and motives to achieve them and the practical steps for you to take towards them. This approach encourages you to stretch well beyond your current state and achieve tangible results.

As a leader or manager, you need more than formal authority and knowledge to engage your team members and generate energy and enthusiasm. Your self-awareness and awareness of others (social sensitivity) is essential. People at all levels expect direction, appreciation, feedback, mentoring and role modelling. Coaching is a great means to further develop these qualities and capabilities in you.

It is a relationship and engagement operating through freedom of choice and governed by a clear Coaching / Mentoring Agreement which includes:

• The purpose of the coaching for you;
• Specific goals and objectives you want to work towards and achieve;
• The actions you are working on and your next steps;
• The timeframe for the coaching engagement;
• Agreements about how we will work together in coaching sessions;
• Absolute confidentiality.

Please contact us to talk about the development needs of your leaders.

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In our experience this is rarely done well, so that even the best laid plans are not clearly understood by those who need to put them into action, NOR are the people motivated and engaged to action the plans effectively and enthusiastically. We too often see this step being missed completely, alluded to indirectly, and/or delivered through mixed messages by different people at different times.

We work with clients to plan and deliver workshops, events, and communication sessions so that people ARE clear and engagement has effectively begun.

Key Services:

• Working with you to craft messages that are effective, inspiring and clear;
• Preparing you and your leaders to effectively deliver the messages in a united and engaging manner;
• Providing you with processes and activities to generate engagement in communications sessions, forums and workshops;
• Sharing ideas for collateral and applications to remind and reinforce key messages;
• Shaping communications plans to maintain and build engagement from the initial communication sessions throughout the life of the plan.

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Professor Mike West of the Aston Business School (Aston University, Birmingham, UK) conducted research in more than 100 companies over an eight year period as to the influence of culture on business performance. What he found was this: a clearly defined strategy and plan in a business accounted for 2% of performance variability, while a clearly defined organisational culture (congruent to a core ideology) accounted for 17% of performance variability. In other words, even the best business strategy in the world will underperform without a strong and aligned organisational culture to support it.

Ideally the culture will be based on the core values of the organisation translated into practical day-to-day actions and behaviour. When people experience congruence between the stated values and the behaviours they encounter, trust is developed. These environments encourage innovation and collaborative practice, which in turn lifts individual and team performance.

Key Services:

Developing Collaborative, Innovative Cultures

We work with teams and organisation to set culture and ensure that it is kept healthy and vibrant. It is critical that leaders and managers display culturally congruent behaviour and action. At the same time, the culture of a team or organisation is everyone's responsibility. Collaborative practice and cultures create challenging and rewarding environments to be a part of. We work with you to firstly ensure core values are defined and clear, and then through workshops and coaching, help people to take responsibility for their contribution.

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Key Services:

Purpose, Values and Vision

Purpose and values form the core ideology (Collins and Porris, "Built to Last") of any team, business or organisation. Defining these enables a vision or direction to be set which has clarity and meaning for people involved. This establishes the foundation for practical plans and effective action. Facilitated workshops generate the material for these foundations.

Strategy and Planning

Research shows (from Collis and Rukstad, Harvard Business College, USA, 2006) that in successful organisations, people are able to describe the strategy in around 35 words or less. They also found that in many organisations, even the Executives cannot describe it succinctly for others - and then they complain and wonder why their initiatives don't get taken on by the staff and implemented successfully. We work with people to define a clear strategy with practical action plans based on the foundations of the organisation.

Implementing Plans

All too often plans are made and then not well implemented. People tend to blame the plans (or lack of them) for poor progress, when the problem is no clear provision for tracking and regular review. Without this, it is almost impossible to make sure you are doing the right things given your strategic priorities; and that you are doing things right. We provide support and review processes to ensure that your strategies are executed effectively.

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Key Services:

Operational Review

An operational review is an in-depth and objective review of an entire organisation, a specific segment of that organisation or individual processes undertaken within the organisation. It can be used to identify and address existing concerns within your company such as communication issues between departments, problems with customer relations, operating procedures, lack of profitability issues, and other factors that affect the stability of the business.

Operational reviews allow your organisation's members to evaluate how well they are performing, given that they perform appropriately according to the procedures set by them, allocating their resources properly, and performing such tasks within time frames set and using cost-effective measures. More importantly, it also shows your organisation how well it is prepared to meet future challenges.

Process Improvement

A process is simply a series of actions and tasks taken to produce an outcome or result. There is truth in the old adage "if we keep doing what we've always done, we'll get what we've always got". Evaluating processes regularly brings the benefit of positive changes that can be made - continuous improvement and common-sense, but not always common practice. We work with your organisation and teams to clarify existing processes, evaluate the usefulness of component tasks, identify areas for improvement, create and find possibilities and alternatives, and decide on the most practical and beneficial options. We recommend our facilitated workshops and focus groups as useful means to achieve this.

Managing Change

The results of review processes will generally recommend actions to change the current state. Change can be seen as a positive process. Attending to a well-tested set of steps in any change initiative will greatly enhance the experience and outcomes for all concerned. We work with you to develop a clear plan, including support for the implementation steps with an appropriate blend of facilitated processes for groups and individuals.

In particular we work with your senior leaders and people leaders to understand their role in the process. A clear vision well led, communicated and represented is essential. Failing to recognise and address people's fears and suspicions greatly reduces the chance of success. We help you leaders develop prepare for the airing of concerns and uncertainties, crucial parts of this process. Communicating the practical first steps to achieve clear goals and benefits are key components.

We provide independence and objectivity to support this process and ensure everyone's voice is heard.

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