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2. Career Insights - Keep your CV up to date
3. Executive insights - Presentation skills and using Powerpoint with Twitter ( includes free software)
4. Strategy insights - The 3 horizons of growth , The McKinsey 7 S model , Consumer marketing
5. Leadership insights - Managing complexity , Leading smart people.
6. Business insights - Free marketing guides
7. Interesting websites
EXAMPLES :
Welcome to my latest Newsletter . Please forward it to any of your friends or colleagues who may find it of interest .
They can subscribe to free future editions by sending an email to me headed SUBSCRIBE at PeterCobbe@coachingcosmos.com
In this issue :
1. Communication skills from a NLP perspective
2. Effective Thinking Skills
3. Change management insights
4 Career insights - Using a Direct approach as part of a job campaign
5. Creativity insights
6.Snippets
7 Great sites
8 Newsletter Archive
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1. Communication skills from a NLP perspective
The Neuro Lingusitic Programming viewpoint recognises the existence of an external, absolute reality whilst each of us has an internal perception of reality that acts as a base for our thoughts,behaviour and actions
UNDERSTANDING OTHERS POINT OF VIEW
NLP promotes the idea of taking different perceptual positions so that in a sense we gain a three dimensional perspective of an issue .
One positive outcome of this is that helps to build rapport.
DIMENSION 1 - Self View
This is the way we take our own natural perspective and are filly aware of what we think regardless of others.In one sense we may be very clear about what we want and our beliefs and values and this be a position of strength. However it may also appear very selfish until we become aware of what other people want
DIMENSION 2 - Empathy
This dimension is all about putting ourself in someone elses shoes and really considering what it is like to be them . We may already be good at always considering others needs, and if not ,it a skill to cultivate
DIMENSION 3 - Detached observer - in the helicopter..
This involvestaking an independent position acting as a detached observer noticing what is happening. At its best this is a mature position where we can appreciate a situation from both sides and enables a balanced view
REFLECTION AND INSIGHTS:
Mastery of all three perspectives puts you in a wiser place ot enjoy life to the full and to help others. If you are considering an issue now or are involved in something try approaching it using these three dimensions . Then reflect on the outcomes and consider the ways your new approach has helped.
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Neuro - considers what goes on in the brain and the nervous system
Lingusitic - refers to the way we use words and how this affects our perceptions of,and relationship with,the external world
Programming - an interactive proces which allows us to make very precise choices about the way we think,speak and feel
Linking to......
2. Effective thinking skills : Effective thinking involves accuracy and precision linked to dedication to find the best or optimal answer or solution.
This does not imply that it is a dispassionate process since it does engage emotions and very often passionate responses
As a simple check consider to what extent you do the following:
Attention to detail - do you take time to note small clues that throw a greater light on the overall situatuin
Indentifying trends and patterns - for example does the issue or challenge require careful mapping of information, analysis of data, lessons from the past,or identifying repitition and similarity?
Repitition - Is there a need to go back over the same ground to check nothing is missing or more scenarios are considered
Taking different perspectives - have you looked at or brainstormed the information from a wide range of views and alternative models ?
Objectivity - Have you put your own like, beliefs and interests to one side with the aim of gaining the optimal outcome or a deeper understanding?
Considering implications and longer term consequences - Have you considered that what might be a good short term idea in the light of longer term impacts and effects?
Systemic thinking - have you consider the impact of any decision on the wider system and connected issues
Intuition - having looked at something from several angles what does your instinct tell you?
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- Aristotle
INSIGHTS ON DEFINING PHILOSOPHY
The best place to start in our attempt to define philosophy is with the etymology of the word itself. Most people are aware that the term is derived from two Greek words: philo (love) and sophia (wisdom). Philosophy, then, literally means "the love of wisdom." We each have a sense of what love means, but what exactly is wisdom? Although there are many different ideas about what wisdom is, we can define it as "the proper understanding about the nature of reality." The wise person, then, has a correct understand about his own nature, the nature of the universe and the nature of God (if, in fact, God actually exists). This understanding at the same time informs and influences the way he lives his life. A person is wise, in other words, if he has a correct understanding about how things actually are and lives his life accordingly.
Philosophy has also been connected with the quest for the truth. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, for example, maintained that unlike the other human beings who are concerned with the hustle and bustle of life, "the philosopher seeks for truth." The aim of philosophy, however, is not this truth or that truth, my truth or your truth, but "The Truth". The truth that philosophy searches for is a truth that applies to all people at all times. This truth has been referred to as a transcendent truth, because it is not restricted to individual perceptions of what is true or false.
So now we know that philosophy involves a quest for the truth for the sake of wisdom. The next question we have to ask is how do we acquire this truth. Socrates, the father of western philosophy, once said: "The greatest good for human beings is daily to discuss virtue, and all those other things about which you hear me conversing and examining myself and others, for the unexamined life is not worth living." According to Socrates, philosophy involves a critical examination of reality that is characterized by rational inquiry. A rational form of inquiry is one that is based exclusively on sound arguments and not on opinions, feelings or beliefs. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having opinions, feeling or beliefs about important matters, but the discipline of philosophy asks us to be able to justify why we hold these opinions, feelings or beliefs. If we want to be engaged in philosophical discourse, therefore, we need to support our views using logic rather than emotions.
Based upon what has been described above, our working definition of philosophy will look something like the following:
PHILOSOPHY = "A critical examination of reality characterized by rational inquiry that aims at the Truth for the sake of attaining wisdom."
One important thing to consider when defining philosophy is to consider what philosophy is not. Most students come to philosophy when studying some natural or social scientific discipline like biology, nursing, economics, or psychology. These students may assume that philosophy is like science, and get frustrated when they are given no standard textbook in philosophy that clearly lists out important facts and formulas to memorize as well as exercises with clear cut problems and answers to complete. But philosophy is not science. Both philosophy and science are focused on good reasoning, but scientific reasoning is grounded in mathematical precision and experimental isolation of variables while philosophical reasoning is more based in expansive, one-on-one dialogue and argument.
Philosophy also should be distinguished from religion. Just how to distinguish as well as relate reason with faith or philosophy with religion is a big controversy. If the relation is one of dependence, does philosophy ultimately depend on religious revelation to guide it, or conversely, is religious faith just a preliminary position for the layman while those who really know the truth are able to ground their beliefs philosophically? These are issues to be taken up in the philosophy of religion as well as in theology.
Finally, it is also important to clearly distinguish philosophy from art. To experience art is to be struck intuitively by something that can hardly be reduced to a cold and clear cut description. Intuition and feeling, privacy and individuality, spontaneity and creativity are primary in any artistic (or what is called "aesthetic") experience. Philosophy, as the love of wisdom, also has an important emotional and intuitive side. But philosophy is ultimately based on dialogical reasoning and not on private, ineffable experience.
So philosophy is not science, religion, or art. It is its own thing.
The discipline of philosophy has traditionally been broken into five main branches or areas of study:
1. Metaphysics (or ontology) is the study of reality. Some of the questions that Metaphysics deals with are: (1) What is ultimate reality? (2) Is it one thing or is it many different things? (3) Can reality be grasped by the senses or is it transcendent? (3) What is the mind and what is its relation to the body?
2. Epistemology is the study of knowledge. Among the questions that Epistemology deals with are: (1) What is knowledge? (2) Is knowledge acquired exclusively through the senses or by some other means? (3) How do we know that what we perceive through our senses is correct?
3. Ethics is the study of right and wrong in human action. Some of the questions treated by the field of Ethics are: (1) What is right? (2) Are there any objective standards of right and wrong? (3) Are moral values absolute or relative?
4. Aesthetics is the study of beauty. Among the questions Aesthetics deals with are: (1) What makes a thing beautiful? (2) Are there any objective standards of beauty?
5. Logic is the study of the principles of right reasoning. Logic is the basic tool that philosophers use to investigate reality. Among the questions raised by Logic are: (1) What makes an argument valid or invalid (2) What is a sound argument?
These are the main branches of philosophy. Throughout its history, however, the discipline of philosophy has also been used as a tool to investigate other domains of life. For example:
- philosophy of God
- philosophy of religion
- political philosophy
- social philosophy
- philosophy of science
- philosophy of law
Leadership Coaching: Motivation - What helps to build a motivating climate?
Motivation is a complex issue and it is useful to consider a few insights to grow understanding. This could be particularly important if you are in a leadership position with responsibility for developing and motivating teams or a coach helping others to understand effective leadership
Recent research identifies 10 important factors or principles that contribute to an environment where people are more likely to feel motivated.
These factors can help you consider aspects of leadership style concerning giving people an opportunity to :Understand and do their job , Feel valued and respected while they do it and; Be recognised for doing it well.
1. Direction – Having a clear direction and communicating it effectively reduces unwarranted uncertainty and helps to give meaning to peoples work. Lack of direction can cause confusion, infighting and usually lets office politics run riot.
2. Job clarity – having a clear sense of what is required from a job and appropriate, achievable objectives enables people to give their best. Lack of clarity can lead to mistakes, reworks and unnecessary stress.
3. Client/Customer focus – meeting and exceeding client/customer needs gives people a sense of satisfaction and a feeling that their work is meaningful. When the importance of this connection is well understood and embedded in culture, training and development it can provide a very motivating climate. Excellent leadership would help people understand how they directly contribute to great customer/client engagement and the importance of every interaction.
4. Competence – Having the knowledge and skills to do a job naturally increases confidence – people need to feel competent and capable of delivering. Confirmation and development of competence is an important motivator , without it people and often suffer from performance anxiety and at the extreme act in a helpless way
5. Resources – providing people with the right level of resources to do the job makes them feel valued and respected. Sometimes it can be the simpler things that make a big impact such as access to a computer or workstation or more profound things like an engaging working environment
6. Empowerment – Being empowered gives people a sense of freedom to make choices and control over their work. People need to be respected, treated as adults and not micro managed. People who are not empowered can lack responsiveness to customers/clients, deliver service in a robotic way; fail to take responsibility and react poorly to change. At its worst lack of empowerment can lead to subtle acts of sabotage.
7. Involvement – Being consulted and involved enables people to give of their best and encourages ideas and new thinking. People who are consulted about job tasks and projects typically show greater commitment to achieving them. A lack of involvement compresses and wastes the creativity of people and reduces engagement.
8. Co-operation – having a relaxed, open environment helps to build social cohesion in a team/function/organisation. This sense of belonging is a very powerful motivator for a lot of people. Without it different parts of an organisation can become insular and even see other parts of the organisation as the enemy!
9. Feedback – high quality feedback delivered in an effective way helps people know how they are doing and the impact they are making. It helps to confirm and magnify their strengths, talents and gifts as well as highlighting learning and development opportunities
10. Recognition –Giving people recognition for their contribution makes them feel valued and part of something. If people do not feel appreciated their motivation can fall rapidly
In summary the factors that enable motivation are complex and people are motivated by different things, in different mixes, at different times on their journey through life based on their culture, needs, experiences, beliefs, attitudes and values.
Motivation is not something that we can DO to people but we can provide an overall approach or climate that respects and values people thus improving the possibilities of a win: win situation for both individuals and a team or organisation.
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3. The Change Agent - Reflections on change management
When presented with a problem, managers often propose a solution by themselves right away. By asking questions instead, you can help team members create their own solutions and build their confidence and skills. Try these tips for asking better questions:
The Art of Successful Living is to include all the elements or pillars of success as a foundation for your ideal life, and to find the right blend or mix of each element to determine our own personal level of success. let's look at the The Pillars of Success.
Pillar 1 - Health & Wellbeing
The first element of successful living is to look after our health & wellbeing. This is not only our physical health but also our emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. We may not be in perfect health to achieve success but without a conscious effort to optimise our health and wellbeing we are not able to have the right internal environment to make effective decisions, to have clarity of thought or to have the emotional stability to face the challenges placed before us. Looking after our mind, body and spirit provides the foundation to lead a long and full life.
Pillar 2 - Financial Integrity
Financial integrity means having more money coming in than going out. This means avoiding the "have it all now and pay later" attitude that can lead to stress when debts begin to mount. It does not necessarily mean avoiding debt or credit but it does mean having the ability to cover costs. The longer term aim of having income that allows you to build assets and therefore moves you from financial integrity to financial wealth and onto financial freedom will allow you to have the lifestyle you want alongside security and peace of mind.
Pillar 3 - Fostering and harmonising relationships
As the saying goes "No man is an island" and unless your idea of a successful life is living as a recluse then you will interact and communicate with people every day. Meeting new people, actively communicating with them, listening to their points of view, sharing experiences, giving, receiving and laughing together. All of this helps us to harmonise the relationships we have and allows us to build the support we need and provide us with love and happiness.
Pillar 4 - Continual learning and growth
Learning does not stop at school. We are constantly learning and growing. However, some of us will only learn from the lessons life has to throw at us and often we are repeatedly thrown the same challenges until we learn that lesson. Taking the conscious decision to actively learn puts you ahead. Sometimes this means stepping outside of your comfort zone which is the reason for many people to avoid taking the first step, but exploring new places, taking on challenges and learning new skills and knowledge help you to grow as a person. It helps to build self-esteem, confidence and wisdom. The bigger you are the more you can achieve.
Pillar 5 - Fulfilling work and contribution
Finding work that uses our strengths and talents to their best use will help us to be effortlessly successful in what we do. Success is easier when you find yourself "in the flow" rather than trying to swim upstream. Aligning this with our core values will bring us the fulfilment we desire. When we work within our own value system we can avoid the stress of being in conflict internally. Furthermore, by doing meaningful work that can give something back to our communities helps us derive a sense of purpose and contribution. Therefore aligning what we do with who we are gives us purpose, passion and a sense of meaning.
Pillar 6 - Personal responsibility
To be truly successful in life we need to take personal responsibility for our thoughts and our actions. By blaming events or others for not achieving our goals is to play the role of victim and gives away our personal responsibility. Our thoughts create our emotions and our emotions create our behaviour. Our behaviour is the mirror we put up to the world to reflect how we want to be treated. So if you are not achieving the success that you deserve - don't look around at others, take a good look at yourself.
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Karen Revell
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7. GREAT WEB SITES
Easy and FREE to use accounting software from Microsoft
Begin downloading: Office Accounting Express 2009 (U.K. version). Your free download of Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2009 is just seconds away. ... www.msofficeaccounting.co.uk/Downloads1.aspx
Microsoft : Create a free website :
http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/en-GB/free-business-website
Breathing Earthmaps the carbon emissions and birth and death rates of every country in the world. Just mouse-over any country and see what is happening. An amazing simulation...
Try the new Microsoft BING search engine : BING
Frixo Road Traffic Reports
Frixo provide current Road Traffic Reports. It's a free service aimed at giving you live traffic news and information. Frixo specialises in traffic news and reports making it easy to use whether you're about to make a journey or out and about using our mobile service.
Please select by city, motorway or a-road you want to travel on followed by the direction, then just click Get Report to get the latest live updates and traffic information. (theywill outline any delays, incidents and information that will affect your journey).
MINDMEISTER SITE : Mindmapping is a very powerful methodology for structuring your own ideas but also within workshops it can be a strong tool for both learners and trainers. MindMeister is a basic online tool. It stands out because of the clean and crispy interface, the excellent sharing options (share it really the way you want) and the user centric and personal service.
The Redundancy Expert site : offers a unique reference point on comprehensive information and advice on redundancy.If you have been made redundant or are facing redundancy, this site has been written with you in mind. With an emotionally respectful perspective, Redundancy Expert offers all manner of practical and realistic advice for those experiencing this difficult time.
Jing gives students and instructors the ability to capture an image of any graph or equation they see on their screen and share it anywhere else (message boards, emails, papers, digital assignments). Using Jing you can also record videos of up to 5 minutes in length
Wolfram Demonstrations provides close to 3,000 interactive demonstrations on mathematics. Students and instructors can play with demonstrations by downloading Mathematica Player. Demonstrations can be written by anyone with a copy of Mathematica and are reviewed before they become part of the Demonstrations Project
Google Reader - Aggregate and manage all the RSS feeds you want to read.
Google Sites - This is very useful for quickly setting up a free website for individuals or groups
Slideshare - Using Slideshare to store presentations is a great ,free online function
Skype, free software and use it frequently to communicate with colleagues, clients, friends and family all round the world at no cost