On purpose

When people ask me what I do for a living there are a variety of responses I can give them:

• Consultant – this is the worst one.
• Coach
• Facilitator
• Trainer

I work with businesses to make them perform more effectively through their people.

These all describe what I do.

Sometimes when I am working, I am connected to the purpose of what I do:

“Creating the conditions to make people’s lives happier, and helping people love each other more”.

I find that when I am doing anything in my role connected to this purpose, I am instantly happier and more peaceful; and easier to work with. Dan Pink, author of best-selling book, Drive: The Surprising Truth Behind What Motivates Us, describes an inspiring purpose as the yearning to be in service to something greater than ourselves, he cites this as one of the most important factors in human motivation. In fact, I find that I can do pretty much any task in my life, and if it’s in the service of something greater than myself, I instantly have meaning and purpose in my life.

A friend of mine and ex-colleague, Bill Hutchinson used to say that it’s not the task we have to carry out that creates our experience, but the spirit in which we undertake the task. For example, when someone asks you to make a cup of tea, you have a choice. You can do it in a begrudging manner, or do it with pleasure because you want that person to be happy and have a really good cup of tea. The fact remains whichever way you choose, you will still be making the cup of tea. It’s the same as when you give money to a charity cause. The act itself will not create you to be happy or unhappy, but the spirit in which you do it will. If you do it with a mind on what benefits you will personally create for the people who receive the donation will receive, you will have one experience. If you do it because your peers will think you are mean, you will have another experience. Another way of saying this is it’s not what you do, but the context in which we operate. It’s the same work that we do, but the context and reason why we do it is different.

Why do we come to work? To make money so that we can enjoy our life outside of work, and hope at the same time that our work will be personally satisfying and fulfilling, and when it isn’t, well hey? No job is perfect.

What about if we came to work because of the reason the work existed? Because we were so compelled and inspired by the purpose of the work we were involved in, it transcended our own need for own needs to be met, and yet at the same time spurred us on to even greater personal achievements.

I find that when the context of my work is centered around me, life can be miserable.  When my job becomes about not getting what I want, not doing the kind of work I want to be doing, things not being done the way I want them to be, people not behaving the way I want them to behave or the way they should, the work not being done the way I think it should be done, things not going the way I want them to be, my boss not treating me the way that I want to be treated, work life can create all kinds of unhappiness. And when I am present to the purpose behind the work that I do, I find that work can be an incredibly satisfying and fulfilling place to be.

And what is a leader if it isn’t someone who has been able to inspire people to be present to a purpose that is greater than themselves?

So what if the places we worked in were more present to a purpose that was more important then ourselves and we were more connected with that on a day-to-day basis? Would that make a difference to our experience of the world and the individual work that we produced?

I’d love to know your thoughts….

James@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

An adulterer can still be an effective leader

How trustworthy are you on a scale of 1-10 – really?

Why do I ask? Because I have a theory, that as people, we are becoming less trustworthy. Let me give you an example – you buy something from a shop and return to your car and realise they have given you too much change – what would you do? Our internal responses will vary from ‘ah, nice one!’ To; ‘ah, well it was their mistake’, to; ‘I would go back but I’m in a hurry’ etc.  etc. – how many people would return on a matter of principle? Not that many I suspect.

Matters like these go to the heart of character and what I believe the world needs today in the context of leadership. If this person will essentially steal from the local garage, what happens when he notices there has been a mistake calculating his bonus or for that matter, your bonus – what will he do? I hear you say, ‘well that would be different’ – well at what point does it become different? There is no question; it opens up all sorts of ‘grey’.

Leadership and the importance of being trustworthy is not an exact science. There are plenty of examples of great leaders lacking traditional moral standards – Dwight Eisenhower, George S Patton and Martin Luther King to name a few. Can we be trustworthy in some contexts and not in others?

As part of our ‘Conscious Leadership’ development journey we start by working with leaders to identify their personal values and hold the mirror up in order that they can explore whether they are living their life by those values, and if not, what they may choose to change. The experience can be life changing. Honesty is an important value to many and there are so many more; love, faith, compassion, enthusiasm, openness, contribution etc. etc. Whatever your values, the importance of knowing what they are and living by them cannot be underestimated – we’ve all found ourselves in a pickle when we’ve done something in our hearts we know we shouldn’t have done.

It’s fair to say that there is no one absolute barometer of successful leadership but I know one thing is for sure, I’d rather be led by someone I trust.

Marc@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

Climbing your way to the top takes courage

Alex Honnold definitely likes to live life on the edge and takes calculated risks to achieve his goals. Making this climb, Alex said ‘some climbers sit on the ledge on their backsides and edge along, I thought it would be cooler to walk…..when you are climbing, the fear is not there’. Some might say he is courageous, I know I would! So what is courage? It is simply acting on what we should do, regardless of any fear we may have. It is the choice to disregard worry. It is the choice to do right, to pursue our dreams, to be successful people, to lead the way for others.

Today’s leaders face all kinds of challenges that require courage. Do you have the courage to make tough decisions? Do you have the courage to stand out from your fellow leaders and stand for what you believe is right? Do you have the courage to admit when you are wrong? Do you have the courage to change directions? Do you have the courage to empower your people? Do you have the courage to listen and embrace new ideas?

Watching this clip made me think about what makes a courageous leader and can leaders develop this courage? Many leaders reach the top and admire the view, great and courageous leaders celebrate the climb and how they got there and take in the view looking for their next challenge!

John Maxwell provides 10 steps to developing courageous leadership:

“Convictions that are stronger than my fears”

A leader is one who overcomes their fears. This may be fears of stepping out, fears of trying something new, or even a fear of standing up to what you know is right. Most everyone has convictions but many are too timid to stand up when those convictions are challenged. To succeed as a leader your convictions must overrule your fears.

“Vision that is clearer than my doubts”

For any leader, vision is essential. A leader must be able to see where they are now, and look ahead to where they strive to be. While any vision comes with doubt, the doubt cannot be paralyzing to achieving the vision.

“Spiritual sensitivity that is louder than popular opinion”

Many people try to check their spirituality at the door when it comes to work and leadership, when in actuality they are inseparable. Spirituality is the core of who you are. Unfortunately, many allow trends, popular opinion, or even a louder voice in the room hold sway over what they truly know and believe in their heart. Spiritual strength is essential to establishing a firm moral foundation that cannot be blown over or toppled by the voices around them.

“Self-esteem that is deeper than self-protection”

Protecting oneself from outside forces and influences is a natural reaction. But sometimes people allow that to come at the expense of their own self-esteem. They protect themselves by going along and not standing out. This is contrary to true leadership. Leaders must be able to stand out and, by doing so, put themselves in a vulnerable position. Having the self-esteem to stick to your core convictions may leave you vulnerable, but no true leader ever succeeded under a roof of self-protection.

“Appreciation for discipline that is greater than my desire for leisure”

Greatness (or even desired goodness) can rarely be achieved without a measure of self-discipline. We all want and need leisure time, but those who stand head and shoulders above others almost universally have something in common. They are willing to sacrifice some of their precious leisure time for those things that help them grow mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

“Dissatisfaction that is more forceful than the status quo”

While I’m a firm believer in learning to be content where we are, there must also be a measure of dissatisfaction with things always being the same. Contentment helps us learn to survive and be happy with what we have. Dissatisfaction helps propel us forward to better things that we know can be achieved. While we cannot live in a state of unhappy dissatisfaction, we can use that dissatisfaction to grow our measure of success.

“Poise that is more unshakable than panic”

Nobody likes a panicky leader. While any leader may become worried or distressed, how they handle those situations says a lot about them. Keeping cool under pressure produces a calmness that spreads within an organization, allowing everybody to think with a clear head and develop strategies that will bring you through any crisis. Keep in mind, however that poise without action is just as devastating as panic… it just takes longer to feel the results.

“Risk-taking that is stronger than safety-keeping”

Leadership itself is a risk. There is no safety in standing up or stepping out when everybody else is just sitting around. Sometimes the risk is mental or emotional. Other times the risk will be financial. But there are very few profitable investments that don’t require some measure of risk. True leaders understand that risk is a part of the job.

“Actions that are more robust than rationalization”

It’s possible to rationalize your way out of anything. The problem is rationalizations reduce us to inaction rather than action. Nothing ever gets accomplished when we can find all the reasons not to do it rather than looking at why it needs to be done. Focus on the goals and find ways to get there, instead of reasons not to try.

“A desire to see potential reached more than see people pleased”

Every person has potential for greatness. Leading is rarely ever easy. Some have natural ability, for others it must be developed. But every leader faces the same trials and struggles. Learning to overcome the roadblocks and other obstacles that often try to set us back is essential if we are going to reach our fullest potential.

Courageous leadership means finding ways to succeed regardless of our circumstances. It means putting ourselves out there, facing our fears, doubts and potential ridicule all for the greater good. What sort of leader do you want to be? Do you want to stand out from the crowd when it matters? Unlike Alex, most leaders have a team of people who can act as your support team, you may be the lead climber showing the way…but you don’t have to climb alone! What you need is the courage to take the lead.

Sean@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

What does it take to give that ‘Extra’ bit of effort?

There’s a great deal of noise in customer experience cyber space about customer effort at the moment – whether the science and research (Harvard Business Review 2010 ‘Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers’) is sufficiently compelling to inform organisational customer experience strategy or whether it is in fact worth paying any attention to.

Often the best way to test a new bit of thinking is to apply it to reality.  So here’s my Christmas (better late than never) customer experience story.

My daughter was desperate for a Barbie Typewriter this year, so off I went to Toys ‘r’ Us to get her one, throwing in a few other items for the boys whilst I was there (including a £10 drum for the 1 year old, despite an agreement with my better half to not buy him anything as Christmas is somewhat wasted on the under 2’s).

Christmas day arrived and Gracie was delighted to get the typewriter.  Not so delighted, however, when it didn’t work.  On closer inspection I noticed it had been used (rather a lot).  The stickers were worn off and there were parts missing.  I distracted Gracie with the rest of the presents and told her we’d take it back to the shop when it opened – to which she replied, ‘how do you know where Santa got it from?’ (Ahem)

The 1 year old opened the drum, took one swipe with the drum stick and managed to push the stick right through the surface. Another one to take back.

So on Boxing Day, I pootled in to Toys ‘r’ Us with both toys and laid out my experience with the toys. The shop assistant tried to look shocked, but was very quick to say I could have both items replaced.  No apology though.  Effortless service? Well, so far 8/10.

I demanded an explanation as to how a used toy could have ended up back on the shelf to be bought by an unsuspecting customer, but was offered no reasonable explanation, just an assurance that this must be a one off.

Gracie was delighted with the exchange, however, we opened the ‘new’ drum, only to find that this one ALREADY had the drum surface broken through!  A SECOND example of a used toy ending up back on the shelf.

I marched back to Toys ‘r’ Us.  Same girl behind the counter.  Placing the Drum on the counter I said, ‘you’re not going to believe this’ and showed her the drum.  She went very red, apologised (somewhat unconvincingly) and said she would get another.

Again, I demanded to know how broken toys end up back on the shelves for customers to buy, but was informed it was just a massive coincidence that this happened to me twice.  Forgive me for my cynicism here, but really?  A massive coincidence?  Effortless service?  Now down to 4/10 – I had to return to the shop twice.

I get home to find my sons new gun (from Toys ‘r’ Us) isn’t working with the batteries bought from Toy ‘r’ Us.

I stampede back up to the shop, (same girl behind the counter looking as if she was going to run).  I show her the toy and explain the situation.  She takes the batteries out and puts in new ones and the toy works. I tell her the batteries were bought from Toys ‘r’ Us and can I have a new set (of 16, which is what I bought) as the ones I bought are clearly dead. Except I haven’t brought the whole lot back, just the four that are in the toy.

Now here’s the thing – given the situation, what would any reasonable empowered customer focused shop assistant do?  What would you do? Here’s what happened.

Shop assistant: ‘I’m sorry, you’ll have to bring all 16 batteries back for me to change them’.

Me: You’re kidding me, right?

Shop Assistant: ‘No.  I can’t (won’t) change them without you returning them.’

Me: So this is my THIRD visit today returning toys that had been bought already broken/not working from your shelves and you are now asking me to go home again to get the batteries (worth £8.99) to prove they are all dead (even though you have four in your possession that clearly are)?’

Shop Assistant: ‘Yes.’

I don’t ask for much and I wasn’t even expecting anything more than an exchange of toys in my previous two visits despite Toys ‘r’ Us clearly being at fault, but I would have thought that given all of that, my custom might just have been worth more than or as much as £8.99 for a new set of batteries. Clearly Not.

For 3 visits, no apology and the cost of a set of dead batteries (£8.99) that would mean me making a FOURTH trip to Toys r Us in ONE DAY…effortless service – 0/10.

So whilst the debate about customer effort rages on, I really hope that companies start to focus their teams on just doing whatever makes it easier for the customer, because this is really what it’s about.

Sally@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

A passion for the simplicity beyond complexity

When I pick up the phone to call my bank, or telephone provider or insurer nowadays, I expect to have to work hard.  Four buttons to select from, then another five, then another four, then a recorded message.  Try again.  Four buttons, five buttons, then press a different button…”I’m sorry, we are experiencing an exceptionally high volume of calls.  You may be able to resolve your query by visiting our website at xyz.co.uk” (No, I tried that, that’s why I’m calling).

Then wait (cue Vivaldi Four Seasons, or if you’re really unlucky Toploader).  Then, a disembodied voice requests: “please continue to hold” and tells me “your call is important to us”.  (If my call is so important why doesn’t the company employ enough staff to answer it).  The wait continues then after a few minutes ‘click’ and silence.

Repeat steps above.  Sometimes I may be told that I’m eighth in line to be served so I then go through a quick mental calculation (Size of organisation I’m phoning, assumption of number of call handlers, assumption around average call duration, calculation of wait time.)  I decide to wait. Eventually I get to ‘you are next in line to be served’.  The anticipation builds…and builds…and builds.  It’s now that I realise that I am behind the telephonic equivalent of the person in the supermarket queue who can’t find their purse, or whose credit card has been rejected.  Then “Good evening, thank you for calling, you are speaking to [unrecogniseable, unpronounceable name], how may I help you?”

“My name is Simon Daisley.  I wonder if you can help.  My XYZ isn’t working.”

“No problem. May I call you Simon?”  I’m so relieved to be talking to a human being that he could call me Fiona and I wouldn’t mind.

However, the meter is now running, I have probably 4 minutes 30 seconds or so of undivided attention before my new found friend will be distracted by the prospect of punishment and public humiliation for his average call handling time.

If I actually manage to get a satisfactory resolution I am genuinely delighted.  And surprised.  What a sad indictment of the customer experience provided by our greatest organistions.

Interestingly, if I challenge management within these organisations, many of them say that they benchmark their service against best practice in their industry.  Big deal.  Congratulations on being as rubbish as everyone else.

Some, however, acknowledge that things need to change and are starting to appreciate the value of ‘making it easier’ for their customers.  Harvard Business School published research last August which proved that the less effort required by customers to buy or receive service, the greater is the customer’s propensity to buy, repeatedly.

This may sound like a statement of the bleeding obvious, but as Groucho Marx once said, “The thing about common sense is that it isn’t so common.”

In a world of infinite complexity, it is so refreshing to see organisations genuinely trying to embrace simplicity as a means of differentiating their service proposition.

I wish them well.  To those companies that aren’t, I probably won’t be waiting to press buttons at the end of the call indicating my level of satisfaction.

Simon@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

Do you listen to interrupt or listen to understand?

Firstly watch this video

How many of you have had conversations with people and you are not truly engaged? You’re hearing the words but are not truly engaged or connected with that person. A bit like the video; we were so focused on counting the number of passes we did not even notice the gorilla walk on the screen. I wonder how frequently that happens with people you engage with. They are there but do we really notice? Do we miss out on opportunities to connect and engage with them? Are we really present in the moment with them…ready to really listen?

We all understand the benefits of listening to people, it builds rapport, it shows we are interested in them and it shows we value what they have to say. On the flip side how do you feel when you are not listened to…think about how many times today you had a conversation with someone, maybe your children, when you were not totally present in the moment with that person and truly listening to them. What did you miss…did a Gorilla walk by? As individuals we hear sounds all of the time.  Our ears are constantly battered by noise, from the alarm clock in the morning to the ‘noise’ of silence just before we go to sleep. We’re not always consciously aware of what we hear; the sounds are simply there.  However, hearing is not listening. Listening is seeking to understand before being understood.

What type of listening will you be doing tomorrow? What difference will that make to the people you meet?

Sean@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

Are you a mood hoover?

We all know them…those people around us who when asked ‘how are you?’….. draw in a massive breath and proceed to tell you how bad things are and how bad their life is.

With every breath they suck the life out of you. Their negativity brings down the mood and over time begins to impact the people around them. Behaviour breeds behaviour…having a mood hover in your team can be very detrimental to the morale and performance of the team overall.

Having a positive mental attitude to sales, leadership or life in general is key to success.  Your inner game is just as important as the right skills and knowledge. The mindset we choose is down to each of us. You are the only person who can influence that! We have a limited amount of energy to use at any given time.  Some of that energy is used to control how we feel about something and what we then decide to do.  It forms the basis of whether we are able to influence our own behaviour in a given circumstance.  This applies at any point in time regardless of the situation.

Stephen Covey provides a useful tool to focus us, his circle of influence and concern. When I came across this it changed my life. In my past roles I used to focus and worry about things I had no control over. I would moan and whine about why ‘x’ or ‘y’ could not be done, but I had no control over them. At times I would become the mood hover, sucking the life out of those around me! I wasted energy and time on things that I just could not influence. They were important and were things that needed to change…but for all my efforts I had no or very little impact on them. In the meantime, the things I could influence, like the motivation of my team or how I helped coach them to improve their performance suffered because I had little time to spend with them.

People are concerned about many things, and reactive people tend to try and change all of these things. This happens when you stay in your circle of concern and can result in a lot of wasted energy because we can only influence a small number of all of the things we’re concerned about. Proactive people focus on the things they can influence by moving into their circle of influence. This can result in great positive change. For example, you may be concerned about world famine and whilst you can’t actually stop it (circle of concern), you could join a volunteer group and provide some of your time every week/month to help change things (circle of influence).

Circle of Concern

A circle of concern encompasses a wide range of concerns or issues we have.  It is a negative mindset – focusing on problems and looking for reasons why we cannot do something.  Reactive people (mood hovers) tend to focus on these concerns and ignore those things over which they have control.  They tend to blame others.  This increases their concerns and their influence  therefore reduces.

Circle of Influence

A circle of influence encompasses those things that we can do something about.  They are issues that we have control over.  It is a positive mindset – focusing on what we can and will do.  Proactive people take control and responsibility for their actions and behaviours.  By focusing on things that are in their control to influence, their circles of influence increase, and therefore concerns have less impact.

Ask yourself what can I influence, and then focus your efforts on this. If everyone in an organisation did this, the ripple effect would be massive. Great sales people, leaders and coaches have the ability to focus on what is within their Circle of Influence. They don’t waste time moaning about the things they can’t change, but find a way to positively influence the things that they can. Everyone spends time in both areas of concern and influence but the question is ‘Where do you spend most of your time?’ If the answer is in concern (worrying about things you can’t affect), this is a very negative space to operate in as a leader. A much more positive position is to focus on the things in your immediate control or influence: things you and your team can affect. If you find yourself being a mood hover, stop, and consider the choices you have and focus on what you can influence.

Handy tips:

• If your team members want to express an opinion about the company, acknowledge what they have said and move them onto something that they can influence like their performance and their contribution in relation to the team
• Share the model with your teams
• Share personal stories about yourself where you have chosen the proactive approach, e.g. to eat more healthy, and what difference the change has made to you
• Always ask, ‘and what can we do about that?’ When someone is in the area of concern, it’s normal to let off some steam, which is fine. To get the conversation back on track, simply ask, ‘what can we do to have an effect on or change the situation?’ If the answer is ‘nothing’, the human brain is an amazing thing and tends to move on almost immediately. If something can be done, great! Move into action mode. It’s progress.

Sean@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

When the going gets tough, the tough get talking…

We’ve all been there – the frustration of a piece of work not going well, the unforeseen delays on a project, the bid that gets lost when you thought you had it in the bag, that feeling that you’re working hard for not enough reward.

It’s easy to let your head drop when things get tough. Most of us spend at least 8 hours a day at work and these days 24/7 access to mobiles and emails means we rarely switch off.

When we’re not happy, we’re not motivated and when we’re not motivated we’re frustrated – it’s a self fulfilling prophecy.

So who is responsible for our happiness at work?

Many would say it’s the responsibility of the company that we work for to keep us happy. After all, a company wants to retain its top talent. A fulfilled, motivated and energised workforce will be more productive and therefore more profitable – and that’s the bottom line.

Or is it? Shouldn’t we as individuals share the responsibility for our own happiness?

Think about when you’ve hit a tough patch at work. What do you do about it? Do you sulk, get angry and take out your negativity on others? Or do you take a deep breath and a step back, and then talk to someone about it.

A coaching culture within an organisation should mean that you have people you can turn to and discuss your issues in confidentiality and without judgement. It doesn’t always mean that things will change, but it can help you to see your issues in context and help you to find new ways to tackle them.  Coaching needs to be a practice that is embedded throughout an organisation and role-modelled throughout. Good coaching breeds good coaching so get the coaching right with your leaders and you’ll find their managers learn to coach too. One day the manager will be the leader. And in a time when ‘happiness’ seems to be at an all-time low, a true coaching culture is a win-win for both employers and employees.

Amy@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Baby, it’s cold outside.  Winter officially starts on 21st December.  Now with news about the recession and many of us struggling with dark mornings and nights, it may well feel as if winter’s here already.  But even if it is, it’s a still a time of opportunity if we think about what gardeners might have to teach us…

The wise gardeners among us will be starting to prune their plants soon, cutting back hard into the old growth so as to make room for new growth in the Spring.  For us office-bound people, this is a great opportunity to go through our files, drawers and emails and get shot of the paperwork and emails that we no longer need.  Is there anyone who wouldn’t feel better after a good sort-out?

My dad recently planted up some daffodil bulbs and gave them to me as a gift.  And thinking of those bulbs germinating all winter beneath the earth I also wondered what ideas and suggestions I wanted to plant in colleagues’ mind , what outcomes might I want to influence, what plans I might want to hatch that might incubate and bear fruit in due course.  Plant some ideas now and watch them grow.

And consider the staying indoors -as it’s too cold to go out mindset as a great opportunity to plan and design next year’s wonderful garden.  Allow yourself to dream and create a vision for how you want next year to be.  Give some thought to what’s gone really well this year, and not so well.  Identify what you’d like to be different next year.

With this, plus some woolly mitts, it’ll be a lovely winter…

Helena@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk

12 days of Christmas

We asked the team at Blue Sky “what is the one great thing you would like to do over the festive period?” The results below show a variety of responses – from the thoughtful and caring to the downright frivolous. We hope they give you some ideas for how to spend your holidays. Merry Christmas!

1.  “Visit the Christmas markets on the South Bank – the atmosphere is amazing and there is the whole of London, beautifully decorated and lit for you to explore afterwards” – Charlie Darling, Performance Improvement Partner
2.  “Watching my little Nephew destroy the wrapping on his first proper Christmas presents foloewed by enjoying a day for food, drink and games with the family” – Ben Wardell, Online Marketing Executive
   
3.  “I’m going to see my 83 year old neighbour Jean, drink too much wine with her and enjoy an evening of great conversation and amazing stories about her life”– Robin Mar, Director of B2B Sales
4.  “My ideal day would include spending the day in the spa at the Intercontinental Hotel in Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, followed by dinner in their Michelin starred restaurant and an evening walk down in to town to soak up the atmosphere there.” – Colin Stebbing, Principal Consultant
5.  “I would love to get all my family together. We are a big family and sadly are now spread all over the world and we never get to see each other all under one roof. So – everyone together (28 of us) and to have a Christmas day like when we were kids…A fantastic lunch, lots of wine, chocolate, laughter, present unwrapping, more laughter and it goes on in to the evening…drunknness, games etc.. To forget about all the rubbish going on in the outside world and to focus on what we have and how lucky we are to be part of such a great family who get along so well…” - Sam Schuchter, Key Account Project Manager
6.  “I am off to Australia to visit friends and family and get some much needed sunshine!”– Laura Crawford, Manager, Coaching Services
7.  “If I can, I will be going to the Winchester Christmas Wonderland with my friends where there is an ice rink, Christmas market stalls and food and drink stalls.” – Katherine Marsh, Sales Support Executive
8.  “I’ll be getting a group of people to go on a very long walk and end up in a lovely cosy pub for a late lunch with lots of red wine.”– Elke Anderson, Director of Executive Coaching
9.  “We’ll be doing the normal family stuff – Santa, walks in snow with family, naked snow angels… just the usual..!” – Andy Moorhouse, Principal Consultant
10.  “If I could do one thing this Christmas, it would be ice skating at Somerset House and drinking mulled wine while walking through London – Camden especially” –Lynn Van Rensburg, Performance Improvement Partner
11.  “Christmas is about two things for me; celebrating the birth of Christ and spending time with the family. So if I had to say one great thing do over Christmas, it would be spending truly connected, in the moment, time with my family.  The joy of giving defiantly outweighs the joy of receiving!”– Sean Spurgin, Principal Consultant
12.  “I’ll be going skiing. I love it. My year never feels complete without a winter ski trip. So we’re going to Morzine, Portes du Soleil for the amazing views, great skiing and awesome bars. Then I’ll be watching ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ – a great Christmas film! – Lewis Young, Client Services Coordinator

What will you be doing for yours? we’d love to hear

www.blue-sky.co.uk