Category: News

Look around you. Does it feel safe?  When did you last take a risk?

We mean a real risk, one with consequences, not like trying the new blend at Starbucks or risking a smiley emoji on the next work email.

It is so much easier to stay in the relative safety of a warm padded comfort zone then take the chance that something might just go wrong and the easiest possible response? Avoidance. Why make yourself feel uncomfortable if you don’t have to. Right?

Sadly. While this might work for you for the short term in the long run it’s not a great strategy. Doing something new, different, and perhaps even risky, is simply a part of the world we work in today. And without the skill and courage to take the leap, we can miss out on those opportunities for growth.

Here’s 3 top tips from us to boost your confidence to do it differently.

1. Revisit those excuses!

Spend a little time looking back on the reasons and excuses you’ve used to not come out of your safe place. I don’t have time. It might go wrong? I might look silly. It’s easier to go with the flow. I don’t want to upset anyone. Sound familiar?

Would you accept these excuses for anything else? If your team gave them to you would you allow it? Often when we look back, we realise we’ve been taking the easy option, and if you always do, what you’ve always done, you can’t be surprised that you always get what you’ve always got.

2. Don’t make one giant leap for mankind….try a baby step first.

It can feel way too intimidating to step outside the zone of safety and make a leap. We get it, sometimes the risks outweigh the perceived benefit. How about this, identify where you do sometimes make some growth, an area you do feel more comfortable to stretch yourself in and then just steal a little bit of that confidence, and use on a different topic. A baby step. No leaping, just testing the water and seeing that it could be worth the risk. If you see that it wasn’t as bad as you thought your brain will find this risk a little easier on round two. Keep working on it.

3. Bite the proverbial bullet

For you to really step outside your comfort zone, you have to do it, even if it’s uncomfortable. And trust us, it will be! You need to dig deep and put some steps in place to force you to take the plunge. Let’s say you hate talking in front of others (there’s millions that do!). Think back to all those excuses, toss them aside, agree a baby step and postpone the giant leap and then bite the bullet and volunteer to share next months results ar the team meeting. A small step, lower risk, and lower chance of scaring you to death if it doesn’t work out. Everyone has to start somewhere and as the saying goes, nothing good comes from comfort zones.

If you need help with making changes, stepping outside your safe spaces or just getting something new off the ground then you can chat to us here.

We’re sure by now you’ve noticed the biggest shift in both where, and the way we work in human history. COVID19 has changed the landscape of work in a way no-one ever expected. The world of work has suddenly shifted, and flexibility will become one of the keywords of 2020. 

For many organisations, this was simply no big deal, with the right technology, ethos, culture, and people that had already embraced home working it must have felt like just another day at the virtual office.

But, for millions of people, this was the biggest shift in flexible working they have ever experienced in an incredibly short period of time.

Businesses without the right technology suddenly couldn’t work, employees who were used to a set start & finish time, a familiar desk, drawers, and a favourite seat in the canteen had their world turned upside down. The answer? Work at home. Now. Done. Overnight millions of people relocated their work to the kitchen table, office, dining room and sofa.

After the initial pain that comes with rapid change it has undoubtedly shown them, their businesses, and the clients that yes, the rumours were true, we can actually work at home and still get the job done.

Right now, your people are working flexibly in a way you never imagined, and guess what? They’re getting used to it and that is going to be a very difficult thing to take back. The working at home flexibly genie is already out of the bottle.

What’s happening now, after over 100 days of experience is many of these employees are becoming aware of just how, where and when they can work in the most effective way, and for many, they now want to change their working lives to suit this.

This is leaving many organisations that didn’t have them, scrabbling to create or adapt policies, in order to build a more flexible working culture that’s now needed, plus meet the demands of the future employees they may need to hire as well.

You don’t need to come back to the office. Ever!

Organisations around the world will be reviewing their structures, office rents, equipment costs and some will have already made some snap decisions. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter has already told thousands of people who are now working brilliantly at home each day – You don’t need to come back to the office. Ever!

So, are you starting to think about the future of flexible working for your people? If the answer is not yet, then this is something that needs your attention now.

It’s important to recognise that flexible working will only really be successful if it is available to everyone, allowing anyone to use and adopt a flexible working pattern within their organisation. Yes, there are certain roles that will always need to work in an office, we get that, but for millions of people, they can work perfectly well at home, and the jobs are getting done even though they’re juggling kids & homework, housework, cramped conditions, lockdown and unusual hours. Imagine how much more productive they can be as some of those factors start to become more normalised.

Moving from your traditional, 9-5 working pattern might seem like a huge, and uncertain step, but the benefits of embracing a flexible culture for both employees and for your business are huge. If you ever wanted to do a study or get some data on how this could work for your business, that time is now, you have a real life pandemic that’s providing you with everything you need to see how flexible working will suit you and your people.

A recent study completed by Timewise found that 87% of all full time employees either already work flexibly or have said that they want to and for those that are looking for flexibility in a new job the number jumps to 93%!

Most of the current workforce in 2020 is increasingly made up of multiple generations; from those in first jobs in a resurgence of apprenticeships, those who are career focused, some who may be edging into raising children right through to the baby boomers who are looking to ease into their retirement. The spread of employee experience has never been higher.

As a  business, moving through these crazy times you can get a head start on the change that is, without doubt coming, by already starting to create a flexible working culture which will allow you to manage and successfully support different teams with different needs and still grow your business.

If you start doing this now, difficult as it may seem, your people will move with you, as they can see what’s coming too, and when you do this right it dramatically affects not just the welfare and overall happiness of your employees, but also, it has a direct impact on retention, performance and motivation – which all, in turn, affect the bottom line.

Your people are the heartbeat of any company, and by allowing them greater control over their work-life balance, you will create a culture of value, trust and respect.

We have moved ahead in the space of a couple of months, into a new era of working (that has been gradually building in the background) and for the foreseeable future flexible working will be the norm.

Right now, there is probably some kind of home-working office in every home, most people have multiple devices, most have unlimited minutes on mobile phones and super-fast fibre pulsing through their home. Right now, travel and accommodation costs are reduced, and you’ll be wondering why you dint do meetings via video call before? The environmental impact will be massive as the amount of travel by cars and planes will reduce significantly, and it’s all making businesses look back at what they had and say, “was that actually the best way to do things?”

Pretty soon, it is much more likely we will exist in a world where it doesn’t cross your minds about when, how, or even where to work. That future is closer than you think, for some of us, it’s already happening, and the sweet spot, most people are more productive!

With dramatic change like this, you need to help your people along the journey. Whether its change management, coaching, resilience, remote leadership, soft skills, management programmes or even webinar training at Well Prepared Training can help. Reach out to us today and see how we can help you make your business flexible working ready.

Get in touch today.

It’ll probably come as no surprise to many of us who’ve been harping on about this for years, but growing numbers of organisations are finally putting people at the centre of their plans for success – and more and more it’s going hand in hand with a coaching culture.

But for any business to truly capture the benefits of coaching that also requires something else that isn’t so easily achieved. A shift in perspective.

For too long coaches are deployed as a last resort, when all else fails and when no-one else really knows what to do. Too often its only for the elite, or those struggling. This is not the change we are looking for.

To create a true coaching culture, coaching has to become a genuine part of the DNA of the whole company. Now that, as they say, is easier said than done. Using our wealth of experience at Well Prepared Training (way too many years to mention) we’ve come up with 5 things that you need to get onto in order to create a coaching culture that works.

Empower those that can.

One of the first things we do with our clients wanting help with creating a coaching culture is to empower their managers to coach themselves. It’s too easy to assume that everyone knows how to coach or has even been coached in the past. We develop managers with the basics of coaching and help them to understand what coaching is immediately helping them to start role-modelling coaching behaviours. We don’t stop with just one 2 one sessions; we encourage group coaching at different levels and Coaching doesn’t just have to happen at the individual level either. Give teams the skills and tools to run group coaching sessions and help them see the benefits of peer to peer sessions too.

Get the board on board.

We all know this. It varies from business to business but more often than not change is led from the top and if they’re not buying into it – it’s most likely going nowhere. We engage the boards of the clients we work with by encouraging them to experience the benefits themselves so they can become a future role model in their worlds and give that all important stamp of approval. When a new manager gets coaching and sees it as development because he knows the board get coaching too, then you’re onto a winner.

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The list of benefits to having a coaching culture are long and respected. It can increase self-confidence in individuals and teams, it can help people get a true perspective about work, and home life. For many it boosts their wellbeing too. Most engagement surveys that score highly often relate back to the benefits of coaching within a business. People respond well when you can show them as a business you want them to do well, and you want to help them do it on their own. This will only work if it is defined and woven into the very culture of your organisation. It must be talked about from day 1, with clear principles and access for all. An embedded culture is a successful one.

Spread the coaching love.

For teams to genuinely believe that coaching is for everyone, it has to be available, for everyone. You need to be talking about the benefits and possibilities that coaching can bring right from the first interview, onboarding process, induction planners, one 2 ones and appraisals. Try not to limit yourself and think that coaching can only be done one way. Yes, there are more ‘traditional’ options like external, professionally accredited coaches. But also think about internal coaches and self-coaching to make it more widely accessible to the masses.

Make it part of daily life.

One of the best ways we have found of developing an active, truly worthwhile coaching culture is by making coaching (and the important part of giving and receiving feedback) part of everyday life. Your people need to know that it’s okay to try, okay to fail and finally it’s okay to learn and improve. We absolutely encourage the opportunities to get and give feedback at any time. We always use the respective companies feedback model, or we can supply one that fits. We recommend allowing time in diaries and planners for self-reflection, group coaching and recognise those who are coaching their peers.

For a culture like this to survive in any business is needs to be sustainable. It can’t be the ‘word of the moment and then die a death. Everyone needs to keep it alive by talking about it, doing it, calling it out when it’s not happening and celebrating the successes it brings. Have a think about how you can make those things come to life. Remember, what gets focused on gets done!

If you’re interested in starting, building or enhancing your coaching culture, from start-up businesses, right through to FTSE’s and C-Suite Coaching, then reach out and start the conversation today. We’re here to help you and your teams grow.

We’ve created this free support tool to help leaders have great conversations and unify their teams as the new normal starts to take shape.

We’ve been lucky enough to have worked with our clients throughout COVID19 and we’ve been listening to what they told us, the stories, analogies and most importantly, challenges they’ve been facing.

Right now, one of the main conversations leaders need to have is around how to bring back their people, not only safely, but in a way that creates unity and team work and restores the balance once had.

This handbook helps both the leader and their team to get the most out of these critical conversations; discussing both business goals and wellbeing.

You can download your completely free handbook by clicking the link.

If you would also like to obtain a copy of the Team Members Handbook please get in touch with us here.

What do people say about you, when you’re not in the room?

Jeff Bezos asked that question along with this statement “a brand for a company is like a reputation for a person, you earn reputation by trying to do the hard things well”

If you consider his own mammoth all-encompassing brand, Amazon, most of us have a strong opinion and thoughts about what it is, what it does and how positive (or negative) we feel when we think about it. That’s the power of a brand like Amazon.

So, what about you? What do people say about you when you’re not around? How does what you do impact on others to leave a positive lasting impression?

That’s where your personal brand comes into play.

We’re not saying you create something new or pick and choose the attributes you want and market a whole new persona. We’re talking about the truth, the real you, and learning to market what you have so that people know what they get when they deal with you. A little bit like Ronseal (you get what it says on the tin).

Today, it is easier than ever for people to get information on you to help them decide what your brand is. Your CV and the job you do is already a great start, but social media allows insights into the real (well as real as social media can be) versions of you as well.

An example of how social media can drive a brand into success. Kylie Jenner. Yes, she had a fame kick start with the Kardashians, but she used her social media to drive her cosmetics empire to create a beauty brand that’s worth over 400 million dollars in a little over 18 months whilst longstanding brands in the USA are still trailing behind here.

How? It’s mainly due to the fact she created a brand, and that her brand power, with many millions of fans following across her channels, allowed her to make people buy into the make-up she sold, but more importantly, into brand Kylie. Now recognised by Forbes as one of the youngest self-made billionaires – she clearly did something right. Love or loathe her brand – it’s working for her.

We offer Build your Personal Brand courses in a variety of formats, from those just starting their career journeys right the way through to senior execs that want to make sure their brand is matching what they stand for. You can get in touch with us to talk about this here.

We thought we’d share some simple tips with you about what it means to us.

What is a personal brand these days anyway?

Your brand is your reputation, just like Jeff Bezos told us, but it’s something which you build continuously through your actions, behaviours, values, interactions and the way you tell your story to those around you. This is that ‘feeling’ we started this article with.

What, if anything, would people say when you’re not in the room. Is it – fantastic person, brilliant energy, gets things done? Or is it, great person, sometimes delivers, can take too long to get back to you? We are all in control of what image someone has of us.

Guess what, the more they know about you, and your journey or story, the more likely they will see the real you and be able to tell a better narrative. There’s a moral in there somewhere about the power of building genuine trusted relationships.

Does everyone have to be ‘brand focused’?

In business, brand is so important, and as the world gets smaller, we tend to know more about our work colleagues and clients than ever before. So yes, branding is important. It’s what makes you select a certain product in the supermarket (or online if you have already abandoned real life food shopping). Clients pick you because of your brand, not the brand you work for, but the brand you offer them in the way you deliver it.

Your brand is what makes you stand out from the crowd, so they choose you over anyone else.

How do I get started?

There are 4 things we’d suggest considering.

1. Consider your values – do you know what the core principles that drive everything you do are?
2. What are you really really good at?
3. How do you work? What makes you stand out?
4. Consider booking yourself or your team onto a Building My Personal Brand course.

The We Are BRAVE Training Team

Without doubt COVID-19 has created huge levels of worldwide business uncertainty which has cascaded into all our lives, leading to self-doubt, anxiety and most likely a teensy tiny element of fear.

The world just isn’t the same anymore and as we turn the corner towards a new normal, those with the responsibility of designing and delivering Learning & Development will have noticed the rules of the game have already changed.

If you work in L&D you already know that pink and fluffy training already had its day and if you aren’t able to prove some form of return on investment it’s unlikely you’d be around for that long!

That leads us to now. Halfway through 2020 and recent research shows that while up to 40% of L&D professionals have been furloughed, 38% of people still working now have more time to learn than ever before. New ways of working has allowed for some self-analysing and people are realising they don’t have the internal skills need to achieve their goals. What’s that cry from the front line…? “L&D, we need you now!!” 

We think that there’s a few simple things you can do to help the business you work with see the benefits of Learning & Development now. You’ll also find out why we used a butterfly as this blog’s cover photo.  

Have a little faith

You got where you are because you have an innate ability to help others learn. It’s okay to have a mini crisis in confidence (who doesn’t have these?) but you need to get all Taylor Swift over it and ‘shake it off’. Remember that good leadership comes from those who believe in and continually develop themselves. And even those need some help to do that for themselves and for their teams. 

Get into the data

Now’s the time to get your head into the data and start shouting about the impact you’ve made. Data rules the world and right now budgets are being slashed so you must be able to remind those holding the purse strings what L&D can do in this time of need. Think about promotions, retention, feedback, compliance, engagement, coaching, mentoring and the power of onboarding and inductions. Get feedback from leaders from your last programme and quotes from your managers demonstrating how your initiatives added strength in their workplaces. L&D helped make all those things happen.

Everyone loves a quick win

Everyone at work will have similar challenges and concerns now so have a think about the quick wins that help people to remember the value of L&D. Your job here is to help people with the skills they need now like remote working, wellbeing, mental health, virtual skills, 121’s and coaching. This doesn’t need to be War and Peace. Think bitesize, eLearning or micro learning instead. 

Build trust and recommend 

Being present and available as L&D support can help to build trust and confidence in you and your role. Listen carefully and make recommendations that you think will equip leaders, managers and their teams to be the best they can be in the current climate.

Adaptation is essential

Your old content might not hit the mark anymore. Don’t be a stick in the mud. Review it. Refresh it. Adapt it. Make it fit the world we are in right now and show that you’re forward thinking, not recycling old materials and hoping for the best. 

Usher in the new

It’s often the job of L&D to help your company learn to trust new delivery methods – from the influx of new virtual communications right through to the implementation of new styles, models and programmes. L&D always brings change and they need you now. 

Use all your learning methods

For most companies there is naturally a huge swing towards virtual training now. Embrace this revolution (many of you will have been fighting for this anyway!) and use your skills to take what you have and use it in a different way. 

This doesn’t need to be in isolation. Too many are sticking purely to digital innovations. Encourage people to use traditional methods as well! Pre-read an article, listen to a podcast, read chapters of books (yes, real, old fashioned paper books) and discuss, get on YouTube or set up a discussion forum.

Face to face isn’t gone forever, it’s just in ‘hibernation‘.

Use this time wisely and consider where and when it’s essential, desirable and heaven forbid, perhaps even not required at all anymore.

Be like an L&D caterpillar, take some time now to change and grow and come out as a brand-new shiny butterfly when you’re needed the most. 

Don’t go it alone 

Reach out. Talk to your peers, friends, colleagues and contacts and get a well-rounded view on what you’re doing. Advice from these people is free and will help you see the full picture for your recommendations. There’s tons of useful data out there about L&D and the impact from COVID19 so just get searching to expand your horizons. 

Trust in your suppliers

If you need additional support and skills from external suppliers, then reach out as they’ll want to help you too. Ask them what they’ve been helping other clients with and what they can do for you. It’s worth a video call to get inspired and if you do need to spend money it’s important to make sure it’s going to return a result. 

Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. 

Unfortunately for you, the world isn’t under your control and whilst L&D are often expected to have all the answers, we don’t have all the power! Focus on everything you can do, including looking after yourself so that you can help those around you learn and develop. You’re doing a great job. ?? 

At Well Prepared Training we can support you and your businesses and are happy to help. To reach out for an initial chat click here to start the conversation. 

Many of us are managing a team remotely right now, but how well are we actually doing? We know that building your skills in this area will be vital over the coming months.

We’ve created a simple downloadable guide for you with some key tips for success.

The Well Prepared Training Team

We’re sure by now you’ve noticed the biggest shift in both where, and the way we work in human history. COVID19 has changed the landscape of work in a way no-one ever expected. The world of work has suddenly shifted, and flexibility will become one of the keywords of 2020. 

For many organisations, this was simply no big deal, with the right technology, ethos, culture, and people that had already embraced home working it must have felt like just another day at the virtual office.

But, for millions of people, this was the biggest shift in flexible working they have ever experienced in an incredibly short period of time.

Businesses without the right technology suddenly couldn’t work, employees who were used to a set start & finish time, a familiar desk, drawers and a favourite seat in the canteen had their world turned upside down. The answer? Work at home. Now. Done. Overnight millions of people relocated their work to the kitchen table, office, dining room and sofa.

After the initial pain that comes with rapid change it has undoubtedly shown them, their businesses, and the clients that yes, the rumours were true, we can actually work at home and still get the job done.

Right now, your people are working flexibly in a way you never imagined, and guess what? They’re getting used to it and that is going to be a very difficult thing to take back. The working at home flexibly genie is already out of the bottle.

What’s happening now, after 8 weeks of experience is many of these employees are becoming aware of just how, where and when they can work in the most effective way, and for many, they now want to change their working lives to suit this.

This is leaving many organisations that didn’t have them, scrabbling to create or adapt policies, in order to build a more flexible working culture that’s now needed, plus meet the demands of the future employees they may need to hire as well.

Organisations around the world will be reviewing their structures, office rents, equipment costs and some have already made some snap decisions. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter has already told thousands of people who are now working brilliantly at home each day – You don’t need to come back to the office. Ever!

So, are you starting to think about the future of flexible working for your people? If the answer is not yet, then this is something that needs your attention now.

It’s important to recognise that flexible working will only really be successful if it is available to everyone, allowing anyone to use and adopt a flexible working pattern within their organisation. Yes, there are certain roles that will always need to work in an office, we all know that, but for millions of people, they can work perfectly well at home, and the jobs are getting done even though they’re juggling kids & homework, housework, cramped conditions, lockdown and unusual hours. Imagine how much more productive they can be as some of those factors start to become more normalised.

Moving from your traditional, 9-5 working pattern might seem like a huge, and uncertain step, but the benefits of embracing a flexible culture for both employees and for your business are huge. If you ever wanted to do a study or get some data on how this could work for your business, that time is now, you have a real life pandemic that’s providing you with everything you need to see how flexible working will suit you and your people.

A recent study completed by Timewise found that 87% of all full time employees either already work flexibly or have said that they want to and for those that are looking for flexibility in a new job the number jumps to 93%!

Most of the current workforce in 2020 is increasingly made up of multiple generations; from those in first jobs in a resurgence of apprenticeships, those who are career focused, some who may be starting to have children right through to the baby boomers who are looking to ease into their retirement. The spread of employee experience has never been higher.

As a  business, moving through these crazy times you can get a head start on the change that is, without doubt coming, by already starting to create a flexible working culture which will allow you to manage and successfully support different teams with different needs and still grow your business.

If you start doing this now, difficult as it may seem, your people will move with you, as they can see what’s coming too, and when you do this right it dramatically affects not just the welfare and overall happiness of your employees, but also, it has a direct impact on retention, performance and motivation – which all, in turn, affect the bottom line.

Your people are the heartbeat of your company, and by allowing them greater control over their work-life balance, you’ll create a culture of value, trust and respect.

We’ve all moved ahead, in the space of a couple of months, into a new era of working (that has been gradually building in the background) and for the foreseeable future flexible working will be the norm.

Right now, there is probably some kind of home-working corner in every home, most people have multiple devices, most have unlimited minutes on mobile phones and super-fast fibre pulsing through their home. Right now, travel and accommodation costs are reduced, and you’ll be wondering why you didn’t do meetings via video call before? The environmental impact will be massive as the amount of travel by cars and planes will reduce significantly, and it’s all making businesses look back at what they had, minus the rose tinted glasses, and say, “was that actually the best way to do things?”

Pretty soon, it’s likely we will exist in a world where it doesn’t even cross your mind about when, how or even where to work. That future is closer than you think, for some of us, it’s already happening, and the sweet spot to all of this, most people really are more productive when allowed to work flexibly. 

With dramatic change like this, you need to help your people along the journey. Whether its change management, coaching, resilience, remote leadership, soft skills, management programmes or even webinar training at Well Prepared Training can help. Reach out to us today and see how we can help you make your business flexible working ready.

Get in touch today.

Are you working from home AND schooling the kids? We feel your pain! While most of us are developing a new found admiration for teachers we went and created a FREE Download to give you some tips on how to successfully work from home with kids. 

Get your copy now!

The Well Prepared Training Team

Has it happened to you? Tired unblinking eyes glazed over and rolled skyward?

You’ve hit the ‘Virtual Meeting Fatigue’ wall.

If the answer is yes then get clicking and grab a copy of the FREE download or get in touch. 

Start the conversation today.