Here to help….
The last twelve or so weeks have required everyone in business to think outside the box and get creative. For some of my clients transitioning to work from home was not too challenging. For others it required unexpected investment and adaptability to ensure business continuity. As a speaker, trainer, and educator it’s been a time of change. Despite the circumstances, it has presented an opportunity to step back. To explore at a much deeper level more sophisticated ways of serving clients. Rather than continuing to do the same thing because we’ve always done it that way, changing circumstances have required …
Change is Inevitable
We can either go with the flow or swim against the tide. As we start moving back to what will become our new “normal”, you can put your head in the sand hoping things will look like the way they were. The saying is it takes 21 days to create a habit and 21 days to break one. Enforced lock down forced teams to create new habits. Some of them good, some of them bad and some….well time will tell. What happens next matters. As staff return to work, managing engaged and connection, in person virtually or blended is going …
The right place at the right time.
Often clients have staff who participate in several programs with similar content. With so much information available today, we can’t possibly retain everything. Sometimes we need to hear something two or three times before we make the connection to how it can help or perhaps the first time they heard it, they didn’t have a need and now they do. It’s not that they don’t pay attention, it’s just there’s so much for all of us to sort through, often what’s important isn’t obvious, there are no red flags waving ‘Hey, you need to remember me’. Sometimes we need to …
Hunger for Connection
On a Monday morning a few months ago (pre COVID-10) whilst sitting in a coffee shop writing, a man came in to get a coffee. What he said made me lift my head up from my writing. He said today he was working from home and whilst he had a coffee machine at home, he said he came in for a ‘coffee and a chat’. Business today is more ‘connected’ than ever. We can work from home, on an airplane, almost anywhere if we have an internet connection! Whilst technology provides the ability to create documentation, analyse information and process …
Reputation and productivity
The choices organisations make to manage their business and human capital in these uncertain times will not only impact on their productivity now but will have an even bigger impact on the future of their business in general. Whilst human nature is to go into protection mode in crisis and seek security, now is not the time for lots of knee-jerk reactions and decisions. The decisions organizations make, and the interpretation of those decisions by staff are going to have far-reaching consequences. The need to be careful, considered and communicate effectively to staff to ensure support and commitment both now, …
Communication is what matters right now!
I’m one for getting off technology to focus on the things that matter. But right now, we need to do the opposite. We need to leverage technology to connect with those who matter, whether it be your team who is working remotely during this challenging time or whether it’s family members to check in on them. Staying connected with our business communities, local community and family is what’s going to keep us from feeling isolated. When we are feeling or physically alone, sometimes the chatter starts in our heads and we catastrophise. A bit like when you wake up at …
3 Tips for teams working from home
One of the challenges facing organisations who have staff working from home is to keep them feeling engaged and connected rather than distracted and isolated. With no shortage of technology, we now need to leverage it to help guide and support our teams working from home in this time of uncertainty. What can we do? Utilise this down time to upskill how your team use everyday (Microsoft Office) software and encourage collaboration. Leverage existing technology to create connection and community in uncertain times Create a framework for your team to work collaboratively to solve their everyday problems Donna Hanson works …
The Power of No!
It’s said if you want something done, ask the busiest person! However, if you are someone who loves to help colleagues or serve clients, sometimes you need to say NO. Saying no can release you from the burden of doing something that would increase your stress levels when you may already feel overloaded. Sometimes people ask for your help, but don’t realise that what you are asking isn’t in your area of expertise, they just recognise you as a problem solver. I love to solve people’s problems and make life easier, but sometimes I just have to say no. The …
Band Aid® or a Strategy?
When I work with a client’s staff in one on one scenarios, I am regularly told how stressed they feel because they can’t or don’t know how to do what they need to do to get their job done. Some have admitted to even taking home their work at night or on weekends, losing time with family simply because they don’t want to let others know they can’t get things done. Technology can be one of the most effective or challenging aspects of the modern workplace. It has the ability to make life much easier, when you know how, or …
Drowning in Data?
According to Harvard Business Review’s The Workplace Evolution Pulse Survey1 “Employees are often either drowning in data and content or don’t know where to find it. In a large organization, knowledge may be hidden in hundreds of different systems or emails or documents.” Whilst enterprise collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, Slack or Asana help containerise content, unless staff know, and are regularly reminded, where to look, they will continue to lose hundreds of hours looking for the information they need. When one of our clients first purchased access to our on-line knowledge bank of resources, their intent was …
