Engines Roaring and Grid Positions filled...

Greatness all in a days work?

The roar of Formula 1 turbo engines and the excitement of watching a Grand Prix has got me thinking about teamwork. Having been to a couple of Grand Prix’s in the last few years there can’t be a more explicit example of a team having to work cohesively and well?

Look at Lewis Hamilton’s most recent win in the Russian Grand Prix. Whilst Lewis stands on the podium receiving all the glory and accolades we are all subconsciously aware that it is him, but also a myriad of people behind him that creates his greatness.

Like business, Formula 1 is very competitive. The goal of the Formula 1 team is to win whilst spending millions of dollars in doing so. Sound familiar? Hundreds of hours are spent testing, building, designing and perfecting the car. When the driver goes into the pit stop there are at least 16 team members at the able. Refuel the car, change all the tyres and make slight wing adjustments under 4 seconds is all in a days’ team work.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and the only visible team to us at home. Behind the scenes are the factory team members, testing and designing the car. Personnel and logistics involved in getting the vehicles, team and drivers to various venues. What’s more, the team work starts months, sometimes years before the event. Collaboration, communication and focus is essential to success.

So in looking at your business, how does it compare to the slick example of the Lewis Hamilton Team of Formula 1? Whilst you may be an outstanding company and revel in your greatness, are you recognising and appreciating your team? Are they working as successfully and harmoniously as they could be?
By Leigh
Promoting Team Work through DISC Profiling workshops

Shhhh! The Secret of Emotional Resilience

 

So, you’ve arrived back from your “Summer hols” feeling refreshed and raring to go. You spend a few minutes listening to your voicemails as you approach the office. Urgent feedback from your PA is there have been a few disputes amongst your team which need ironing out immediately. Next you turn your attention to the 420 emails in your inbox. High on the priority list is HR outlining the staff member who left in June - it is looking likely that his qualms are going to lead to a tribunal. Board of Directors are wanting your quarterly strategy and forecasts in by the end of the week. Your top client wants to move a meeting date you had scheduled from next week to tomorrow as they feel there is a sense of urgency in discussing some snowballing issues. Your mobile phone pings… it’s a text message from your wife asking for your support at a parent teacher meeting this evening following an issue your daughters is facing at school.

The familiar feeling of your arms tingling and shallow breathing returns to you. Your energy levels start to feel sapped and you turn to a cappuccino to give you a much needed boost. At a rapid rate the positive effect of your holiday is wearing off and you are starting to ask yourself whether you can continue to sustain this amount of pressure on a long term basis – without having some kind of outburst that is…

It goes without saying that there are a lot of positives that go with fulfilling a leadership role and I have painted a pretty bleak picture here.

More often than not, there is an abundance of self-development and support programmes available to teams. Our research shows that this kind of support for leaders is rarer.  Yet the ability for leaders to remain calm, confident and be able to deal with change and pressure is vitally important to the success of a company!

Let me share with you a little secret, although you have probably heard this all before. Either way here goes...

As a leader if you are able to cultivate emotional resilience you will be able to approach all of these challenges calmly and confidently. By developing your emotional resilience you will be able to:

-        Understand and express your feelings and emotions

-        Recognise your stressors and be able to address them

-        Develop clear goals to help you have a clear vision

-        Communicate effectively and establish positive relationships

-        Deal with criticisms and judgements

In a nutshell, the greater your resilience, the greater your chances of overcoming continually challenging issues. The good news is emotional resilience is something that can be developed. Calm Execs offer exactly this and following our weekend programme, you leave armed with the tools needed to sustain and flourish in a leadership role. If this story resonates with you, I would welcome you contacting me to find out more about our Executive Weekend Resilience Programme, next one scheduled for November.

Leigh McKay

www.calmexecs.com

leigh@calmexecs.com
 

 

 

Idea... Dream... Goal

 

Isn’t it intriguing how at New Year’s eve we often set ourselves resolutions or goals for the year ahead? For those of you who set these goals have you reviewed them? Are you on track or have you achieved them?

Most successful people are goal orientated. They take the time to identify what they want to achieve and establish a detailed plan in how to reach the goal. Setting goals gives you focus, purpose, direction and motivation. You are less likely to drift and more likely to empower your future.

“To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going, so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” Stephen R Covey

Many people don’t actually know what they want in their lives and will often talk about ideas and things they want. Your subconscious mind will work to achieve the things you think of most of the time, whether you want them or not. Why not feed your subconscious mind – the power of the subconscious has a tremendous effect.

I follow a few principles when goal setting:

• Align them with my values
• Write them down!
• Review them regularly
• They are specific and I am passionate about them 
• They are framed in the positive
• I make them challenging yet achievable
• I give myself a time frame

Most importantly don’t give up. Confucius said, “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.” Whilst this jeopardises my time frame principle, truer words have never been spoken. You succeed by not stopping. You’ll notice if you take your dog for a walk, you take the first step and keep going until you reach your destination. The question you can ask yourself is, “If this principle works in routine, everyday occurrences, why wouldn’t it work in all areas of my life?” Of course, the answer is that it does.

It shouldn’t take New Year’s Eve to jig you into setting some goals. There is no better time like the present!

Leigh McKay

@workwisely

leigh@workwiseltd.co.uk
www.workwiseltd.co.uk

07880 326 303

Why Deep Tissue Massage and can it really help my stress levels?

Stress is universal and not always bad. When you hit the brakes in time to avoid a car accident, stress is doing its’ job. When stressed the body’s primitive “fight or flight” response is our automatic reflex to protect the body in order to survive. However, when there's never any relief from stress, the sustained fight-or-flight response can cause symptoms which come out in the form of Behaviour and Body Changes.

To name a few of these symptoms chronic muscle tension, palpitations, increase of blood pressure, headaches, insomnia and anxiety - I am sure you can relate to some of these? This is why, for me, taking care of your body should be a top priority. Having a regular massage not only encourages stress relief alone, but can improve your vitality and state of mind.

So, what exactly is a deep tissue massage?


Deep tissue massage is a type of massage therapy that focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue. When there is chronic muscle tension, there are usually adhesions (bands of painful, rigid tissue) in muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Adhesions can block circulation and cause pain, limited movement, and inflammation. Deep tissue massage works by physically breaking down these adhesions to relieve pain and restore normal movement.


The positive effect of massage therapy on stress can be felt very quickly by lowering blood pressure and heart rate, calming and soothing the nervous system to give an over all sense of well being.


If you'd like to make this investment in your health or would like to know a little more, I would love to hear from you?


Contact Leigh