Reactions to Guidelines and Frameworks for Personal Development

There has been a lot of talk over the past week or two in the UK about the government's new five a day parenting guidelines.

A positive article from the BBC can be found here whilst a more scathing one from The Telegraph can be found here.

This has sparked a great debate about whether people should be told or even helped in the 'right' way to raise their child. On one side, the argument is that parents who don't know should be helped through guidelines and education. On the other, parents should be left to do the right thing for their child rather than a one size fits all approach.

Intervention

A lot of the debate is around the word 'intervention' (which I particularly dislike, but seems to have become the word of choice in training and development circles).

The 5 a day proponents say that this is not intervention anyway, merely proportional help and that without it further intervention may be inevitable later in life (schooling/social/criminal etc problems) if the parent fails in the role. The opponents clearly don't agree with intervention at an early stage.

So I guess the question is what does the parent need and how best to identify and then satisfy that development need. This same situation appears in the workplace all the time.

How do you help people to understand something that they might not currently even have awareness of?  Intervention is only intervention (assuming the negative connotation) when it be forced upon a person who already has awareness and have chosen to either develop in a certain and different way, or not at all, but with a rationale behind their choice.

Just a reference point?

I honestly can't see why guidance and a framework aren't a great place to start. Those with awareness can find their place in that framework and develop from there. Those with no awareness might just have their eyes opened to the possibility and pathway to develop. Surely that's a win-win and doesn't sound like a 'one size fits all' at all.

Those ready to fight it seem to want to fight whether it's right or not, whether it's needed or not.  They don't seem open to the idea that everyone can improve and be ready to ask themselves "where am I in this framework and do I need to do something to develop". Perhaps it's a fear thing, to analyse yourself.  Blame the framework, rather than focus on themselves and how best to use the information to their advantage.

I'm sure that you see this type of behaviour in the workplace all the time. People who think their way is the right way without referencing outside influences or new ideas. You must constantly challenge this with new ideas and external reference points. Challenge your team to be unafraid to constantly reassess.  The answer might be that they are in the right place already, but it's good to check.

There is nothing to fear and everything to gain. Try and help them understand that.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

Checklists (People still aren't realising their value)

I wrote a post a little while ago in a blog entitled Managing the Standard Work about the power of checklists and I recommended reading of a book called The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.

Whilst scanning the news online this week, I saw an interesting question on this very subject by the BBC writer, Michael Blastland entitled Go Figure: Tick box v check-list.

You can read the whole article but to summarise it, you've got to get past the idea of a checklist being a way to have to stop thinking.  You're probably sick of me saying this but Begin with the Outcome in Mind.  Answer this first, what is the purpose of using a checklist; what is its value?

The purpose of a checklist is to compliment and aid the thinking process, not replace it.

Until this is understood and bought into a don't think people will ever get past the idea of 'tick box'.  Tick box suggests doing following the list simply in order to satisfy its own purpose.  A checklist however has a measure of value in it.  It is a check.  That check is the value add.

Be really honest with yourself and ask how many simple mistakes you or for team made this week.  How many? 1, 2, 10?

I used a checklist today and stopped 4 mistakes becoming issues which would have come back to bite in about 2 weeks time.  15 minutes to save about a days potential non value added work to fix the issues (let alone the grief and loss of reputation)?

Do yourself a favour and think seriously about how (with the right focus) checklists can help you and avoid becoming another tick box activity in your life.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

(Photo by AlanCleaver via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)

Who's on your reading list?

An original thought is hard to come by nowadays with your thinking becoming a culmination of influences and inputs from a whole host of sources.  This is no bad thing as the output is always greater than the sum of its parts.

So who do I follow?  Whose 'Tribe' am I in?  Who do I listen to?

I thought I would share some of my influences to open up your world to some of mine.

Creative thinkers

• Seth Godin - This blog and books - A great provoker and has never ceased to make me think
• Dan Pink - His books and twitter feed - You must read 'Drive'
• Merlin Mann - I don't much follow him specifically as I really struggle to handle his rambling communication style but he does keep popping up with some great stuff

Presentation

• Garr Reynolds - His blog and books - He really knows what presentation is all about
• Nancy Duarte - Great books and presentation design
• Ted Talks - By various folks, check out as many as you can

Efficiency and Productivity (making your life and work easier)

• David Allen - The master of Getting things Done (GTD), Essential Reading
• David Sparks - His books, blog and webcast (MacPowerUsers) - Just the nicest guy on using a mac and getting on with work and life
• Kourosh Dini - Brilliant GTD, OmniFocus and Pomodoro advice
• Practically Efficient - Tips and tricks, aways worth a read of the blog
• Asian Efficiency - Great web site and guides to using OmniFocus and twitter feed (although repeats their posts a lot)

I hope you try a few of these and get as much from them as I do.  Enjoy.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

What and How in order to Why - 2 Stage Development Planning

I've spent much of the last month working with various managers at all levels in a business to focus on development planning of their employees.

Much of the time, it is seen as a simple box ticking exercise in order to 'fill out the paperwork'.  The reason for development seems to have been forgotten by all but those who are actively focussed on progression and promotion.  Of course, everyone can develop and improve.

Stage 1

Drivers for your Development

Begin with the outcome in mind. The goal is the activity in which you are trying to deliver a result.

What you need in order to deliver that goal is both the technical skills required for that activity and more importantly the behavioural competencies to help you be more effective in delivering that great result.

Your development should focus on satisfying a need for one or the other of these things, either the technical skill or the competency to help you make a success of it.

This is the first stage; identifying why you are doing it.

Stage 2

Stage two is to figure out the mechanism in which you are going to 'develop'.  This is the second stumbling block to people creating a good development plan.  A simple thought process to this however is to follow the model What and How in order to Why.

What?

What is the actual need, the specific thing that is required?  Is it a strength that you want to develop to greater effect (yes, development doesn't need to be focussed on a weakness) or perhaps plug a gap?

Is it a skill required or a competence?

Some examples might be develop presentation skills or learn how to type.


These are not the activities themselves (the How) and they are not the rationalle for doing it (the Why) but they are an essential part.

How?

How really starts to get into the interesting part which requires you to truly get into the specifics of how this can be achieved.  This will likely be more than one action step.

For those followers of GTD, this taps into the idea of a 'Next Action'; what actually needs to happen to turn the 'what' into reality.

Continuing the examples above, it could be read Garr Reynold's book Presentation Zen or complete tutorial from online touch typing class.

Why?

Lastly, the Why.  This actually brings us all the way back to the starting point in Stage 1 of beginning with the outcome in mind.  What goal are you ultimately trying to reach some kind of output on?

When you couple these three things with the transition phrase 'in order to' then you get:



Develop presentation skills by reading Garr Reynold's book Presentation Zen in order to have a more effective communication style when pitching ideas to senior management.
or
Learn how to type by completing the tutorial from the online touch typing class in order to become more efficient in creating monthly technical reports.

Now these are relative simple development plans (if only skills and competencies could be gained so easily) but I hope they give you the idea.

Development planning does not need to be complicated but you do need to step back and get back to basics.  Why don't you try this two stage model with something you want to achieve this month.  Good Luck.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

('What' photo by judepics, 'How' photo by ivanwalsh, 'Why' photo by theeerin via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)

You're not really a leader until...

I was recently watching the film "The Core" when I heard this dialogue.


Col. Robert Iverson: Being a leader isn't about ability. It's about responsibility.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Got it, sir.
Col. Robert Iverson: No you don't, Beck. I mean, you're not just responsible for the good ones. You've got to be responsible for the bad ones. You've got to be ready to make the shitty call.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: What makes you think I'm not?
Col. Robert Iverson: Because you're so damn good. You haven't hit anything you couldn't beat. I mean, hell, you were the one who figured out how to save the space shuttle. You made me, you made the rest of NASA just look like an ass. It's just you're used to winning... and you're not really a leader until you've lost.

Couldn't have put it better myself; so I won't.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

Audits - Prepare Yourself

I’m always slightly amused by the fear that comes over everyone when they are told an audit is due.

The issue is that we are all sometimes guilty of only using the frameworks audited against every year (or however often they are audited) in the month the audit is due. You go into the cabinet and dust off the folder of materials from last time and then update; making it up as best as you can to try and score the most points.

Sound familiar?  Don't you want to get the best score?

Begin with the outcome in mind. It is worth remembering an audit’s purpose.

The definition of the word is to conduct a systematic review of and its origin is from late middle english from the Latin auditus ‘hearing’ deriving from audire ‘hear’.

It’s this point that staggers me every time, the fact that (unless your job depends on a certain ‘score’; and how often does that actually happen) the value of the audit is in your listening to the feedback.

Don’t see the one day audit as something in which you have to justify your team’s processes and performance against; see it as your own private consultant who has just spent eight hours looking for ways to help you improve what you and your team does.

Don’t fear an audit, embrace it.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

(Photo by DaveFayram via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)

Greater than the sum of its parts

I recently posted on another blog, some thoughts about ‘Diversity and Inclusion’. I had also talked recently about embracing difference in your team to get the best from your team.

The pitfall from any initiative in regards to diversity and inclusion is that diversity is often the primary (or initial) focus rather than Inclusion.

These are not interchangeable words in the same way that thunder and lightning are related and linked but are different things.

If we start with the outcome in mind, we are seeking to generate and support a higher performing team at every level (based on a varied group that challenges and innovates; and most importantly, is truly engaged). Inclusion can be seen as a definition of what this team looks and acts like from a behaviour or action point of view.

Diversity therefore is an extension of the described differences, the constituent elements or labels to define the differing pieces of the team.

A greater focus on the Inclusion piece might provide some desire to sustain this change rather than simply focussing on the diverse elements within.

When you eat a great meal, the ingredients are important but you don’t focus only on them. When you enjoy a great meal, you focus on the experience of it and the way it worked in harmony together to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Always keep the outcome in mind.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.


(Photo by jlastras via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)