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

Stick the ‘book’ in

Are you stuck for a good book to buy this Christmas? Here are our suggestions – a random selection of fiction and business that has inspired and entertained us - hopefully something for everyone:

1. “I really enjoyed ‘Onward’ – the story of Starbucks’ drive to reinvent themselves” – Colin Stebbing, Principal Consultant
2. “I know it should be a best selling marketing book but it would have to be Catch 22, Joseph Heller, I read it with my daughter again and forgot how amazing and funny and twisted it is.” - Briege Kearney, Director of Marketing
3. “Who moved my Blackberry – Lucy Kellaway. It may be old but hilarious. A great easy read that is written in email format through conversation – a definite recommendation!” – Sam Schuchter, Key Account Project Manager
4. “The Biology Of Belief – Bruce Lipton. Gives some really interesting thoughts around the link between mind and body the effects it has on our personal life and our collective lives as a species. I found it very useful when challenging culture and individual behaviour” – Guy Bloom, Principal Consultant
5. “The Alchemist by Paul Choello. It’s actually the second time I’ve read it.  The first time it changed the way I looked at the world.  The second time it reminded me to look again.  It’s really absorbing and inspiring.” – Charlie Darling, Performance Improvement Partner
6. “The Naked Trader – Robbie’s Trading Diary – Robbie Burns.” - Adam Archer
7. “Great House by Nicole Krauss – an absolutely brilliant piece of fiction about a number of Jewish people living disconnected lives but all connected in some unconscious way. A really absorbing thought provoking read.” Elke Anderson, Director of Executive Coaching
8. “Logo Design Love – a guide to creating iconic brand identities – David Airey” Katherine Marsh, Sales Support Executive
9. “Value Merchants. Written by three Ivy League university professors, this is essential reading for any sales leader who wants to transform their sales force from information providers into value creators.  It is not a page-turner, in the nicest possible sense.  Block out some time to get serious and dive into the valuable real-world insights and case studies.” – Andy Moorhouse, Principal Consultant
10. “A Prisoner of Birth – Jeffrey Archer” – Lynn Van Rensburg, Performance Improvement Partner
11. “Michael MacIntyre – it was funny and open – I love real life stories.” – Sandie Crawford, Assistant Financial Controller
12. “For pleasure – Naive Super by Erlund Loe – a little gem of a novel, beautifully simple, slightly strange and a story that I suspect many people can relate to about a young man searching for some meaning in his life. For more pleasure and enlightenment – Get Some Headspace by Andy Puddicombe – having tried a number of times to create space and discipline in my life to meditate I found this book quite an inspiration. Written by an ex Buddhist monk this is full of stories and anecdotes, many from his own life that are in parts funny, sad and enlightening.  He explores the reasons, mindset and approach to meditation as well as the actual process.” – Robin Mar, Director of B2B Sales
13. “One Summer’s Grace by Libby Purves – the story of a couple who sailed around Britain in 3 months. Libby Purves brings to life the rhythm of life on a boat and working with the elements in a way that makes you really think you were there.” Amy Rashbrooke, Marketing Campaign Manager
14. “One of my favourite reads of this year was True North, by Bill George. A truly inspirational leadership book that explores leadership of self and others. Some key elements included in the book are:
    • Leadership is about what makes you different; there is no perfect model of a leader. You can use authentic leadership to become a market leading organisation; it’s about high performance, not about being ‘nice’ for the sake of it.
    • Stop trying to act like a leader; think ‘leadership’ not ‘leader’
    • There are five dimensions of authentic leadership: Purpose; Practising solid values; Heart; Relationships; Self-discipline.
    • Engage people’s hearts and minds behind the organisation’s purpose, rather than behind an individual leader.

    I would recommend it as must read to all levels of leaders. His follow up book, Great by Choice is another must read!” – Sean Spurgin, Principal Consultant

15. “The people next door – Christopher Ransom. Great read, not christmassy at all, a little dark to be honest, however great plot, superb characters and an awesome twist!” – Lewis Young, Client Services Coordinator

www.blue-sky.co.uk

Taking stock from a true leadership master

Sean:  Hi, master Yoda, can you offer some words of wisdom around leadership?

Yoda:  Help you I can!  Yes, Mmmmm…

Sean:  So you mean like the force, you look at authentic leadership as an “ally”. Can you explain that?

Yoda:  A powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us… and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this… crude matter!

Sean:  Ok, authentic leadership is energy like the force? No way, don’t believe you…..

Yoda:  That is why you fail.

Sean:  Hmmm I wonder if you are right ….it is a very different way of looking at it.

Yoda:  Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.

Sean:  But isn’t there a dark side to leadership too, just like the force?

Yoda: Beware the dark side.  Anger, fear, aggression. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Sean: I recognise this master Yoda…..those mood hoovers and naysayers, right?  Those that dwell on the negative.  So how will I know who is an authentic leader or when I will achieve this?

Yoda: You will know…when you are calm, at peace, passive…

Sean:  That’s quite interesting.  So as you said to me before, an authentic leader is a person who chooses to live a life of integrity. They are not only honest in relationships with others but most importantly they are honest and true to themselves. Does this mean they don’t make mistakes? Of course they do…we are all human!  Well some of us Master Yoda…..and yet they have the courage to take responsibility for their ways, learn and grow. Why? Because they care! They care about people. Our Jedi mate Bill George says ‘the authentic leader brings people together around a shared purpose and empowers them to step up and lead authentically in order to create value for all stakeholders’…..and so, if I found my authentic leadership, being calm and at peace with myself, what should I be using it for?

Yoda: For knowledge and defense, never for attack.

Sean: Ok. Not sure about the defense bit master, but agree around the attack advice…..Yoda, there’s a lot of talk out there about being a big charismatic leader, some say being a big hero is important and is what makes people follow you.  What’s your take on that?

Yoda:  Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size do you?

Sean: Would I dare, Master Yoda. So how should I use authentic leadership to get the best from my team?

Yoda:  Decide you must how to serve them best.  A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.

Sean:  What you are saying is I need to adopt the Jedi mind set, that is going to be hard….. You are saying I must learn to serve my team rather than them serving me…. I will try my best Master Yoda.

Yoda:  No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.

Sean:  That is easy for you to say, you are not faced with all the politics at work, with the emails, the projects I have to juggle, competing demands, workload, the difficult people……

Yoda: Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?

Sean:  Sorry, I will make the change Master.

A lesson in leadership by Master Yoda!

Sean@Bluesky

www.blue-sky.co.uk