Networking in style

On Tuesday evening I attended a good seminar held at Altitude 360 Bar, Millbank Tower. The event was organised by Cisco & The Daily Telegraph regarding the Olympics, about the level of preparation businesses need to undertake during those times. The games will no doubt affect not just people getting into work but also business operations, stock levels, and the level of employee engagement as no doubt there will be more exciting things to do and see during that time!

The location played a big part on why people attended but also because they were giving away 100 free video cameras. Lots of incentives but most important lots of useful connections.

So before we start thinking about and plan for the Olympics, I'll leave you to enjoy the snap shots I took from the 28th floor.

LIMITLESS

On the 19th of September 2011 the unthinkable was achieved as the light barrier was broken for the first time. I accept that at the time of writing the results are being checked and rechecked, but as it stands the world-wide scientific community has been in shock with these extraordinary claims.

What seemed impossible....no longer is. If you know your history you would know that there was a time when many people thought the Earth was flat or that we were in a geocentric universe.

Based on this new evidence, I think that some self-reflection is in order. Think about it, what can you achieve that you thought was completely beyond you?
About a year ago, I left the comforts of working in the family business to pursue a career with Dale Carnegie as a performance consultant. This year I am about to start the long and arduous process of training to become a coach / trainer. I have been informed that it is very challenging to balance both the role of a consultant and a trainer successfully. When you spend more time on one the other area the other suffers and so forth.

This has just made me even more determined to succeed. Luckily for me all the tools are here for me to succeed, the people, the training, my mentor. I know if I don’t make it, it will be simply because I am not trying hard enough.

To ensure that I stay focussed throughout the process I have goals. I have mapped out the next five years for myself with key milestones to be achieved along the way.
You must hear that all time....”it is important to have goals”......”it is important to write them down”...and so on. You hear it all the time because it’s true.

We help improve the performance of companies by improving the performance of their people. I use this sentence with pride on a regular basis but appreciate that it can be misleading. Most people automatically assume that we only work with the largest companies and conglomerates. Even though we are proud that many of the big players in any industry are amongst our clientele, in the last year here in London almost 70% of our business was with either individuals or small to medium businesses.
So if you fall into one of the latter categories please note that we offer a complete range of courses, from your webinars, one / two day seminars and longer time spaced programmes.

If you are interested to find out more please visit our website (www.london.dalecarnegie.co.uk) and talk to one of our many consultants who would be happy to arrange a complimentary consultation to help you gain some clarity as to where you should be focussing your time and energy to get the results you are looking for.




I would like to leave you with a couple of quotes the first by Albert Einstein and the second by Richard Bach.

“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”

“There is such a thing as perfection...and our purpose for living is to find that perfection and show it forth....Each of us is in truth an unlimited idea of freedom. Everything that limits us we have to put aside.”

Amar Garcha

Shifting performance through improved attitude !

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is to rely on the one source of strength we have and that is our ATTITUDE.

I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to people and 90 percent how we react to it. It is all a matter of attitude. A positive attitude doesn’t just happen. It’s something you have to work at all the time. At Dale Carnegie we get our graduates to understand that behaviour change does not happen just because they have graduated from a 3 day intensive personal development programme. Behaviour change is a long term process that requires the individual to want to change fundamentally.

With a positive, optimistic attitude, each of us can overcome adversities and prove negative attitudes and predictions to be wrong. A positive hardy attitude is of primary importance in dealing with life challenges. Persons with positive attitudes have a clear focus, well-defined objectives and enthusiasm for life. This has nothing to do with how bright they are it is all attitude.

Attitude is our reaction to life’s every day experiences. Attitudes are personal feelings that we create and control. We, therefore, need to use our energies to bring about positive attitudes, thus empowering ourselves with good feelings that improve all aspects of our lives physically, socially and intellectually. Our attitude is a big determining factor of our own destiny as individuals and employees. A website that I have found of interest that maps out your personal rhythms/attitudes http://www.facade.com/biorhythm might give you some food for thought around this topic.

All of us, at one time or another, express the three different types of attitudes: positive, negative and neutral. “Those with a neutral attitude are sometimes the most challenging to deal with. We often try to avoid contact with those carrying a negative attitude, “the critics of the game of life.” And we are drawn to those with a positive attitude, “the players of the game of life.”

So how do you adjust your attitude toward the positive and maintain that attitude?“Listen to yourself talk and listen to the voice within. “You have to pursue happiness. It won’t come knocking. You have to find the good things in each day, and you have to stop shooting yourself, stop berating yourself for something that didn’t work quite right.”

To maintain that sunny disposition, try starting each day with a pep talk to yourself; make it a habit to enjoy the good moments; express, rather than suppress, your feelings; and surround yourself with a positive environment, by decorating your home or office with things that give you pleasure.

So if you are looking to shift your own attitude or that of your team, then get in touch with one of our consultants today .

Mark de Stadler
Performance Consultant
Dale Carnegie London

How are we perceived?

How can understanding how we're perceived help our careers?

It's probably fair to say that most of us would like to think we're good at our jobs and that we'd also like to think the people around us see what it is that we do well.

An assignment that I've been working on for a client this week has got me thinking about people's perceptions and how they impact our careers. We are half way through a project to complete a 360 degree assessment for a group of senior managers working in a technical business environment and this week I had to write an e-mail to them to accompany their completed reports. For those who haven't come across a 360 evaluation before it's an online questionnaire that asks those who work around us to assess our strengths and weaknesses and we then compare those scores against our own perception and take actions to improve our performance.

The question perhaps you're asking yourself is how would others rate me? The challenging thing when one asks this question is we have to be prepared to deal with what we find out. Therefore when we give people the reports it's important that we help them to interpret what they read. What I wrote to this group is the following:

"We find that typically when reading a report like this people tend to get a few pleasant surprises where others rate us higher than we rate ourselves and at the same time we'll identify a few areas where the people around you don't rate us as highly as we'd perhaps like to see.

The typical reaction here is to take a slightly defensive posture and generally we'll seek to rationalize and tell ourselves that the people that rated us don't fully understand what we think and all the things we have to do. That said what makes a 360 survey particularly useful as a development tool is that whether the perception expressed is right or wrong it gives us an understanding of actually how we are perceived and the focus of the coaching conversation next week will be to identify ways we can develop ourselves, address those perceptions and lead our teams in the most effective way."

As you've probably worked out the real benefit to each of us of asking other's perceptions is not in the knowing but in what actions it allows us to take. Any time I work on a project like this I'm reminded that in business and in all aspects of our life we have a responsibility over how people receive the messages that we send out not just a responsibility for the message we send.

If you'd like to know more about how people perceive you and therefore what actions you can take to develop your career please make contact with us to discuss our range of 360 survey evaluations.

David Anderson
Managing Director
Dale Carnegie London

Football Loyalty

Scott Parker had been a hero for a legion of West Ham UTD fans for 4 years, scoring the late equaliser in the Carling Cup fourth-round win over Stoke City last October, to making his 100th appearance in the 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion, and this year winning FWA Footballer of the year.

However like most football players, he has followed his career, and left us fans broken hearted by transferring over to our rival London team….Tottenham, but we are thankful for all the hard work he has put in.

However, the transfer window does mean that fresh blood will be running through the team. Sometimes a player - be it sport related, or work, may be worshipped by senior members of the team, and their word or play is gospel. Movement of these so-called heroes allows room for other, less vocal team members to make more of an impression and show what they are capable of.

Young footballers need the right coaching, and to be playing on regular basis, to practice and show their new and developed skills, so they can become as successful as Scott Parker. This is the same situation within the working environment too. Employees need high quality coaches in order to be able to progress, and develop their skills. They need leaders that they can relate to, and will allow them to build their self confidence so they can become high vocal team members and make more of an impression.

The key to becoming a successful, professional person is having the following skills at a high quality level:

• Communication
• Confidence
• People Skills
• Leadership
• Attitude

These are the 5 key drivers of success and at Dale Carnegie we can develop these skills, with our high quality coaches, who will allow you to practise the skills you have learnt. Please visit www.london.dalecarnegie.co.uk, or call 0208 379 4323 for more information on the range of courses we have to offer


Stephanie Fletcher
Marketing Assistant & Administrator

Random Act of Kindness

In a world where turmoil is prevalent it is refreshing to stumble upon random acts of kindness. It is also reassuring that no matter what goes on here in the UK or in the world, us humans still dish out those random acts that make us smile and feel good.

I have come across three acts in less than a week. The first one happened when I was commuting home on the tube and an elderly couple were lost and desperately trying to get to Goodge Street but they just couldn't work out how to get there. They looked distressed especially as the lady had an injured arm and fellow passengers took them under their wing and helped them to get where they needed to go. In a city where people say we don't talk to each other it was lovely to see them being helped from the other end of the carriage. Everyone in the carriage was involved one way or another, even if just to give the couple a reassuring and welcoming smile.

The second instance happened to me. I went into my local Pret a Manger to get a muffin for my breakfast and the staff insisted on giving me a free cup of tea. I thanked them very much for being so kind (I actually said just that). I later found out that this happened to another lady and my work colleague. It is reassuring to know that Pret a Manger like to make people's day by giving them a freebie, and in return they gain custom. It's a win win situation.

The last act of kindness was an article I read in The Big Issue. I still had last weeks in my bag and decided to have a read and imagine my delight when I came across an article where a Big Issue vendor found a stray cat with an injured leg and decided to take him to an animal shelter for help. They bandaged him up and James, the Big Issue seller nursed him back to health. When the cat was better the vendor opened the door to his shelter to let the cat go on it's merry way but the cat refused. The cat (now known as Bob) decided that he liked this particular person and wasn't going anywhere. And so now you will find Bob, The Big Issue Cat with James, selling the Big Issue in Covent Garden and Angel. What a wonderful story of kindness. If you click on the J-Peg you can read all about it. I believe it is now being made into a book and Bob has his own Facebook fan page too! I also hear from a certain Big Issue seller in the know, that Bob the cat has changed the vendor's life, from being somewhat wayward to a man with responsibilities.

It really is great to hear and see random acts of kindness and when it happens to you it really makes you feel good.

At Dale Carnegie our founder recognised that Human Relation skills are paramount in building relationships with everyone, from friends and family, co-workers and clients. For instance such simple, basic but powerful things such as remembering someones name or smiling. It all adds up. If you would like to find out more, why not check out our website for our courses or maybe join our Facebook fan page.

And I will leave you with this thought.......can you imagine what the world would be like if we all did one random act of kindness each day.............?

Helen Mills
Financial Controller

Great Teams - Strength in Depth

It is only when the occasion arises that we really get to appreciate what strength we have in the depth of our teams.

Three examples in the space of 24 hours demonstrate the importance of being part of a team with diverse strengths and abilities.

At a Board meeting yesterday the Directors were faced with some challenges that they were concerned about how solutions would be provided. Over the years the Directors have invested significantly in the capability and personal attributes of the team. This investment paid off when one of the non-Directors in attendance stepped up and volunteered to achieve the result. We all thought this was beyond their capability and after some reassuring answers to our questions it was clear they would be successful.

Closer to home, my train was late this morning meaning that a client meeting needed to be facilitated by a colleague. Again capability was unknown, but the outcome was a huge success for everyone. Indeed, functionally I did not need to be at the meeting.

Finally that day, another colleague came to the fore when a possible client sprung a conference call on us at the last minute which the nominated team members could not attend.

Some lessons worth remembering:
1. Recruit, hire and train your team to be talented, capable and confident
2. Create opportunities for others to flourish. We do not have to do it all: all of the time.
3. Freely grant your trust to others and it will be willingly accepted.

Well done Corina and Mark, you make me proud to be part of your team.

David Pickering
Business Consultant and Trainer