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Day 24: Shake it off

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

I started my day with an exercise that I learned a few years back in my NLP training. It is all about self-talk and consciously choosing who you are going to be that day. I am not sure if it is the lack of sugar in my body, or that I have found myself in a bit of a trough but I was still struggling with motivation. However, ‘mind over matter’ needs to be applied if I am going to power through this! After sketching out my day, I decided on the attitude that I would apply before I set out. This is something that I have discussed with many leaders over the years; to constantly remind ourselves that when it comes to staff engagement we play an active role in the creation of the culture in which we live. I am not saying that we have to come into the building doing cartwheels and back flips, but resilience, strength and focus need to be demonstrated to gain continued buy-in. With every transformation programme there will always be assassins waiting in the wings, just hoping for an opportunity to prove that this will not work for the long term. Hence if life is a stage, then perseverance has never been more important than at this point of the process.

Day 23: No yoga

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

On reflection, I did not fully appreciate the message that I discovered yesterday as this morning I missed Yoga for the first time. After a restless night of sleep, my alarm went off at 6am; my new call for 7am yoga. As I lay there thinking about yoga versus more sleep, I found myself running through all the reasons why I could miss this class. From ‘I have a bit of a headache’ to ‘I’ve got a busy day ahead’ and the list continued until I had enough reasons to reset the alarm and drift back to sleep until the 8am call. As the day rolled on I had conflicted emotions, bouncing between guilt and justification until I reached a stage that neither of these was beneficial. No transformation runs 100 percent to plan (so best get over the guilt) and the purpose of not always getting it right is to learn (so out with the justification). Okay; so I missed yoga! With an appropriate reframe then I could review the benefits that I get when I go and also look through a positive lens about what I need to minimise that risk again. It was also helpful to lighten up on myself a bit and not focusing solely on the one bad, and instead to overlay it with all the good. As people, we get so focused on the one mistake or challenge that we lose sight of all the core benefits. In this reasoning, we can easily find the rationale that, once broken, cannot get back on track. So – give up and be happy in the fact that we almost did it.

Day 22: Eating eggs

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

During one of my mindset coaching sessions with Cathy Dixon, we looked at various character types. I guess I can easily be likened to the tortoise and the hare – I am a sprinter at the start but can get easily distracted by the next big idea. This is exactly how I felt today and have also seen this laissez-faire attitude creep into many programmes at this stage. So far it has not been without its challenges, but now I seem to have fallen into a bit of a rut with the way I feel about the programme. I have started to find some of the tasks becoming mundane due to the lack of variety as this is now just plodding along to completion. This parallel hit home to me when I cooked eggs for my breakfast for the 22nd day in a row.  Believe me, I do like eggs – but trust me when I say that there are not 22 different ways to make them! So what started as a breakfast that I felt great eating as I could take pleasure in nutritional value it gave me has now become “….eggs…. again!” I tell myself, “Just eat them so you are not hungry – that is what you get for breakfast!” It is at this point when most transformations start to really run out of steam as we are more focused on just getting through the transactional motions. The end is in sight, so we forget that this is our chance to inject new energy and finish with a burst.

Day 21: Time

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

Following on from yesterday’s lunch, my perception of time has been playing on my mind, and how we can all view a transformation in different ways based on many facets that play into our life narrative. I am attempting to link my 30-day commitment to that of a one-year company movement and have been able to find many key parallels. Often in organisations, the support and agreement of these projects sit within the corporate strategy and fit into the 3, 5 or 10-year plan of transformation, all the while the employees in the front line sit waiting for something to happen: awaiting the promise of positive change to manifest itself into their daily lives. When chatting to the waiter yesterday, I had an epiphany when he mentioned that he had been going to the gym for ages – since he was 17. The bold tone of this statement indicated that is was as far back as he could remember and something that had completed embedded into his life. On further questioning he was 20 years of age, however 3 years to him was statistically a significant part of his life. The same time it takes many organisations to just complete the meetings on what a transformation programme could look like and secure funding. All the while, employees are living in real-time; not strategy time. I appreciate that it is a balancing act, but what I have become more aware of is the importance of communication and the differential to the way we all view time and transformation.

Day 20: Restrictive

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

I connected to a new parallel today through the difficulty that the Whole30 can cause by its restrictive nature. This was the first time that I was faced with having to eat out in a restaurant, and therefore be at the mercy of others to accommodate my dietary choices. Over lunch, I had a great conversation with a friend about the pros and cons of having such clear cut guidelines in the diet, including a no-cheat clause. I appreciate that to some this seems too extreme, however I believe that in this case it has been the secret to my success so far. The great thing about this kind of messaging is that it has no ambiguity and is very black and white. Now I am normally an advocate for autonomy and allowing creativity in teams, however in looking at my own communication style through this lens I can see how in my desire for creativity, my requested actions are less directive and too open to interpretation. A strategy needs to be very clear and have key agreed actions, parameters of scope and timed deliverables if it is to stay on track.

Day 19: Environment

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

As I closed down week three, this was a great time to look back on the entire project to date and view it through a neutral lens of what worked and was more challenging. I am feeling healthier and happier and more focused than I have in years. As I explored all of the influences that have sat in my life in the last three weeks, one that has not really had much of a mention is moving home. At the start of this project, I packed up my small flat of 15 years and headed up the road to my new house. Not far in miles, but a world away in new beginnings and fresh energy. All organisations need to review their brand, culture and environment from time to time. Whether this a refresh it or a total rebrand, we need to ensure that the workplace our people call home both represents the identity and customer experience promise. It is not a matter of putting up a few posters and considering the job done; it also does not need to be an expensive exercise if the budget it not available. Get the team involved and add some creative flair to bring a new energy to work workplace. Like my mother always said –‘you don’t need to be rich to keep a tidy and welcoming home.

Day 18: Mix it up a little

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

I have to say if I have learned anything by this stage of the transformation, it is to have a laugh and with a light heart, just take some things as they come. Tonight I decided to totally change direction. To avoid disappointment I had no recipe and just wanted to see what it would be like to really push my creative boundaries in the kitchen. I started with a simple stir-fry, and if I had’ve kept it simple then life (and dinner) would have been great. At one point I thought maybe some Whole30 compliant fish sauce would make it just that much better. Possibly it would have – in the right amount – but I added too much. Then I found myself trying to compensate for that error with some coconut milk – which made a soup-like consistency. Then something else to change that, and so it continued on.  The parallel that I could draw from this is that as a leader of a transformation, it is better to just be humble and admit that we do not always get it right, instead of continuously trying to put one patch over another without stopping and taking a fresh perspective on something. Sometimes it is better to be happy in the now and take the time to enjoy one milestone before rushing on to better it.

 

Day 17: Follow the process

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

Tonight I decided that I would try one of the Whole30 recipes that Sharn had so kindly supplied me with to assist in my meal preparation. In my mind, it is important to be creative but this also needs to be balanced by following a process; using tried and tested methodologies because they are guaranteed to work and give you a near-perfect outcome.  Anyone who knows me could testify that I love creating the new ways, and albeit fun – does come with a higher propensity of risk. With a fleeting glance at the recipe I decided to make shepherd’s pie – and when I say fleeting, I mean I had not looked at the recipe. I neglected one of the main instructions and turned what would have been a great dinner, into an uncooked meatloaf.  On reflection, and reviewing what I should have done, it was not far off as I had all the right ingredients for success – I just did not formulate and nurture them correctly – an analogy that speaks for itself.

Day 16: Power through

Posted on by Dale Smith

Between the parallels

Following on from yesterday’s parallel, I woke up today for 7 am Yoga with a revived sense of purpose. Before bed on the previous night, I spent time meditating on the higher purpose of the project and also the drive that all leaders need to find the reserves of energy to start the day with a fresh perspective. This is not an easy task as often we carry not only the weight of a busy schedule but that of those whom we are looking to motivate. With that in mind, I decided that this yoga session was going to be amazing, and in that frame, it manifested to be just that. From this session I found the energy to keep this perspective throughout the day and in this state I was more in control of my energy levels.

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