You Can't Buy Trust

The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” ― Ernest Hemingway. I have a good friend in a position of great responsibility, yet there is no cause for concern in any way when we discuss share, or reflect our day teach other, we know without questions that in that place at that time is where it all stays.

When you have trust in your team or organization or in any relationship, life is so much easier. I have spoken on trust a few times in these articles and I recently experienced the power of it again and was thus inspired to share it.

So what!

So it means any burden, any dilemma, any niggle can be easily and honestly dealt with, addressed, and acknowledged freeing ones mind and heart form indie stress. It means solutions are far more likely to be found to challenges or problems.

It is the difference between having a map on the table with 99% of the streets, roads, parks, houses, distance, direction and all in 3D realtime perspective as opposed to having a map written ianother language with symbols that seem familiar but make no sense. no, having trust is even dare I say it, better than Google earth!

Take care to build trust, appreciate the trust you have and be loyal to it. Richard Richard Kerr-Bell

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Are You Surviving?

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.
Joseph Campbell"

I have just been doing some work with someone who told me they no longer are happy to survive or get by or play it safe, they want to thrive!

NZ Warrior Shaun Johnson Celebrates a victory

I was very excited for them because this attitude and realization brings energy and re-kindles passion for the work or for the very foundation of purpose you laid in following the leadership and management pathway. get this, it is the end of a work day, I am going for a massage to work out the bruising and scar tissue from a sports injury, I am 10 minutes early, the masseuse /physio invites me in and asks a little more about my injury and explains how he works . At the end of his chat he sees the time and explains, "We have an extra 5 minutes to do some work on you yeah!"

It is a physical task and the end of the day and this guy loves his work, I was totally impressed and yes I feel physically better because of his skill. And he is worth the 4-5 week wait if you are serous about getting old injuries sorted.

Imagine having this sort of energy for your team, your clients, patients, students or colleges, it was inspiring and uplifting and I for one am determined to bring this kind of attitude more and more into my day. It also requires looking after yourself, avoiding distractions, taking breaks when they come and being a little organised to do things that recharge you, knowing when to say no makes a good start!

take care, you have much to give.
Richard

Richard Kerr-Bell
enjoyyourlifebook.com
Supporting Maori Business

Rhythm and Swing

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams
 

Rhythm and swing was the title to Sir Richard Hadlee's book on his life and times in cricket.

As I played cricket in the backyard this evening with my daughter I thought of this as she picked up bowling with a couple of pointers from me I and just got better and better very quickly.

Leadership is not too different, enjoying leadership anyway. Getting into a rhythm where you feel you have an easy or flowing grasp of what the expectations of the day are and a clear sense of the environment you are working in. You just feel like you are in touch with all that you need to be and if/when something new or unexpected comes along it doesn't throw your energy, you take the steps that need to be taken, using the people and resources effectively and efficiently.

Being new to a place or position can sometimes take time to find this but as time moves and relationships from you can begin to experience moments in rhythm. Take these and milk them for all they are worth, more will link together and slowly life seems familiar again. If this doesn't happen and the old sense of enjoyment doesn't return, seek coaching to get an objective view or reflect on the all that you have to offer that is not there already.

A culture of a place is also worth considering, whether it supports your values or not, if it is structured to have the capability to utilize your gifts and forward thinking.

Check your rhythm and swing, if should be enjoyable some of the time and energizing most of the time!

Take care
Richard

Richard Kerr-Bell
EnjoyYourLifeBook.com
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New Starts are a Blank Sheet

“Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.” -Bikram Choudhury.

A good friend of mine spends most of his time (not his day job which is actually his night job) helping organizations and business get back on track. This can mean get out of debt, return to the purpose they were founded for if it is still relevant, align their people and systems to the culture they want to develop and so on.

One of his first steps is to get as many as he can in room and at the front of the room with a large white board or equivalent, say, "I want you to imagine that you are starting with a blank canvas, what do you want your place to look like?"

This can be applied on a small scale or to a large corporate in any type of place. It requires all the normal change planning, (See John Kotter's The Heart of Change).

Rarely do we take the opportunity to review, reflect, and reconsider what we are doing, how we are doing it, and why we are doing it, even who is doing what?

I heard a great commentary that I wholly believe recently, that we don't know our employees or people enough on a personal level to know where all of there skills lie and where they might be better placed, this adds real value to the organization and to their sense of worth, being valued, and energy.

For example, the person working a till or in customer service may also be the Chair of her local school, or marketing for an online business or interest of theirs, or again, may have completed a degree or qualification in marketing or journalism, these may even have been past careers all of which, may be very useful.

So if you get the opportunity of a fresh start or new start take it with both hands and your whole team! it could add years to your enjoyment of management and to your bottom line.

Take care
Richard

Richard Kerr-Bell
EnjoyYourLifeBook.com
EnjoyYourMarriageCelebrant.com

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Enjoy Knowing What is really Going On

Have you ever been a participant in those “meetings after the meetings” – those informal discussions where smaller groups of people talk about all the things that should have been addresssed in the formal meeting?...How much difference do you think it would make if there were no undiscussables” – if people felt free to interact about any subject with openness and respect?- Stephen Covey

This month I enjoyed, yes I think that is what I felt, and pride in the people who were involved in discussing and debating a work place issue. This came about because a few comments had been made about aspects of a reporting system that left ambiguous statements And so it seemed useful to bring this up at a meeting.

Many elements enabled a robust first look at the issues that left everyone heard, and allowed many perspectives on this issue to be made visible to all concerned.

1. Firstly the management brought the issue tot he staff and then opened the floor. 
2. Many staff ( with courage I must say) took turns to relate their view an dhow this affected them personally and as a professional. 
3. While there were feelings involved, no one was interrupted and everyone got to have their say.
4. By setting up a space where people feel trust, they can then take the bold and vulnerable step to say exactly what is going on form their perspective. This avoids the trap most leaders and managers suffer from, they know some of the story some of the time and often just the one people are willing to tell because it is 'safe' but not what they really think.

In any case it was a circumstance that allowed an issue to begin to be dealt with from a real stand point, having most of the available information and with everyone involved on the same page. This take s the sting out of gossip, rumours, the 'meetings' after the meeting, and a some what false direction by management.

All credit to these leaders.
Take care and enjoy doing great things or small things together, everyone.

Richard

Richard Kerr-Bell
EnjoyYourLifeBook.com
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Enjoy Making a Difference

"Power is actualized only when word and deed have not parted company."— Hannah Arendt

During the talk the other day from Mike Levinson, he said, "Credibility is the currency of Leadership". He followed it up that if you make promises, if you set a goal, or agree to something, you must follow it up, complete it, fulfill it.

On the surface this could sound like there is not much to enjoy in all of this, just the stress of managing words you meant well with good intentions, but weren't 100% behind. Actually it is the other side of that coin where all the enjoyment comes.

We make promises and set out courses of actions because we want to make a difference, the intention is pure. The joy we find in making this reality is the en-joy-ment of managing and leading and you can feel confident in what you promise because it fits with and is in line with your vision or mission statement and the values you espouse with your team and organisation.

The trick is not to avoid making promises or to apologise later, but to fully own with a team the goals and tasks before you. Sometimes we can forget small things, write them down there and then, do that thing immediately, call your PA or a friend and ask them to write it for you if you can't, send a text or email from your smartphone to yourself as a reminder, then, at the next possible moment put that into action.

One of the greatest tragedy's often repeated in organisations is the line, "we value transparency", anyone in hearing distance actually hears (based on their experience) "We will have many discussions and make many decisions, machinations within machinations that none of you will ever know about".

Be the first to break this mold as Yoda said to young Luke Skywalker, "There is no try, do or do not".

By following through and placing boundaries on yourself about what you can accomplish and aligning it with what you want to accomplish and have the resources to accomplish, you will truly enjoy the process of reaching the end of your project, promise, goal, or journey and will have gained untold credibility, the currency of leadership.

Take care - we all make mistakes lets learn from them so we can create magic!


Richard
Richard Kerr-Bell
EnjoyYourLifeBook.com
EnjoyYourMarriageCelebrant
TheWorldInStory.com
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Enjoy Your Community

Retired City Manger Mike Levinson -Community

"The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life."
-- Jane Addams

What a wonderful experience I had this morning, I was invited to a breakfast (very early!) and work shop with Mike Levinson at Dunedin's Stadium to look at the idea and practical structure upon which to build a community of excellence. Mike was the manager of Coral Spirngs in Florida and is the only town of it's size of about 130, 000 to ever receive the Baldridge award for excellence.

This was rated on a number of criteria but particularly its vision of Coral Springs as a place to LIVE, WORK, and be FAMILY.

One fact that I was very heartened by was the number of volunteers and youth volunteers who contributed time and energy to a community service or cause of one kind or another.

the point was made that while the example we were given was of a community of this size with all of its many parts, the principle's where scalable, that is, any organization could apply these and find themselves becoming truly excellent.

The towns focus on community was refreshing and more than once Mike emphasized that every policy and process was decided on against the criteria of serving better lives, a better place to work, and a better place to bring up a family.

One strength was the ability to build relationships of substance with all sectors of the community and his joy and pride in their achievement was obvious. yest here were lessons to be learned and the learned them. The system they worked to went beyond a fake 'consultation' with the people and employees and business, these people were an integral part of the decision making process.

Many thanks to the Otago Polytechnic, Polson Higgs, and the Otago Chamber of Commerce for a wonderful event. (And also to Henry and Thunes from the Southland and Waitaki counsels for their company).

Lets enjoy our community's, leading with spirit and collective wisdom with action.

Richard

Richard Kerr-Bell
Enjoy Your Life Book.com
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