Firstly she said:

In yoga, the changes are slow and deep. You may notice nothing today, but 3 months from now your mind and body will be in a different place.

How often do we expect people to change their minds or agree with us immediately. We provide a rational reason with a few bullet points for context and think they will come around. Experience tells us otherwise. For one thing, our brains aren’t physically wired that way. A rational approach is not effective in getting people to change long held beliefs – we need to engage people’s emotional brains. And for another thing (terrible English I know), the evidence suggests that deeply held beliefs change slowly, over time, often without us being aware. Slow and deep – like yoga.

The second thing she said was:

You can choose what you want your mind to focus on. Focus on the heat, and the class will be challenging. Focus on the way the warmth lets you stretch more deeply, and the class becomes an opportunity to heal.

You are what you think.  In my first three or four classes, all I could think about was the heat. How draining it was. How much I wanted to get out. When would it be over. You get the picture.These days I never focus on the heat. The heat is warm and welcome – it helps me undo the tensions of the years before.

What we think about hugely affects our mind, our focus, and our behaviour. What’s the parallel in organisations?

Framing conversations in terms of opportunities is more effective than framing them as problems to be solved. Asking people to build on their strengths rather than fix their weaknesses (who can be bothered really?) allows them to open up possibilities rather than close down options. We are what we think.

Okay, so my mind was obviously wandering at times during this yoga class – I need to work on my own focus. But I never focus on the heat in the class.

Boredom shortens your lifespan.

After studing 7000 British civil servants over 25 years, scientists concluded:

• people who complain of boredom were more likely to die young
• those with high levels of tedium were 2.5 times more likely to die from heart disease or stroke
• those in the study who said they were bored were 40% more likely to have died by the end of the study than those who were not bored.

There’s such a thing as “settling” for a job that pays pretty well but doesn’t really excite you that much. You might even be settling for a job that doesn’t pay that well because finding somethng better feels too difficult.

I know – I did it for years. There’s a high cost to pay on emotional and physical health which unfortunately, we don’t realise until we’re doing something that is a much better fit for us.

So whatever it takes for you to make yourself a priority when it comes to work – don’t waste time. If you are bored, marking time, or showing up to work without really showing up – commit this year to finding meaningful and inspiring work.

It took 4 weeks for me to get my head clear (the long holiday has a lot going for it). And here I am. From this year I am going to pursue one goal with enormous passion and energy.

I want to help people have a better time at work – whether that’s in business or coroprate life.  This is near and dear to my heart as I’ve been in a bad space at work several times throughout my working life. It took me way too long to make the changes I needed to. So maybe I can shortcut that process in some way for others.

I am going to focus my energy in 2 areas: I will take a macro view with organisations, and a micro view working with individuals. Let me explain….

Organisations can and are doing a lot to improve themselves. I want to help those companies work through their changes effectively, taking into account all the people and process implications. Changes that improve the culture, the work experience, the processes and the behaviours will bring improvements.

Improving leaderhsip capability – to lead people, to work in a aocnstantly changing environment, to have constructive conversations. This is a fundamental part of the equation.  How many of us have had managers with little or the wrong skills sets? And how much harder did that make our working lives? It doesn’t have to be that way.

At the individual level, I want to help people find more meaning from their choice of work. Perhaps they like where they work and their profession but need new skills or strategies for getting ahead. These things can be learned. And I   suspect there is a large number of people out there who know in their hearts they aren’t doing “the right job”  for them (is there such a  thing?) . All I can say is – been there myself – know how you feel

The answer for these people might be a transition to something completely different. Whichever – the time for doing nothing is well over! We won’t be here for ever so we might as well spend our time doing things that mean something to us.

So enough with the sharing. It feels good to be back.

How many people do you know who long for something more but haven’t taken any action? And what are you all being fierce about this year?

If you do some reading on the subject, you’ll quickly find the predominant school of thought is that all communication must be “professional”, and that if it’s not, you risk damaging your reputation or credibility.

Part of communicating professionally it seems, is keeping our language and sentence structure formal, using important sounding words and not letting anyone in on the big secret – that we are actually real people.

For example, saying: “Please le us know at your earliest convenience if this appointment is suitable”, rather than: “If this doesn’t work for you, just give me a call and we’ll work out another time”.

The first is cold, bland, and sounds like a business with no soul. The second sounds warm, friendly and actually feels like the sender wants a personal relationship with you.

My own experience is that in the business world -no matter how large or small the buisness – the  impersonal, cool, arms-length style is the preferred mode of communication.

At the risk of flying in the face of conventional wisdom, I believe letting our real selves shine through in our communications allows us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. It’s not all bad news for corporates though. There are a few of the big organisations that do warm communication well. If you are a Virgin customer, you’ll know that they excel at friendly and fun communications.

For me this is closely linked with how people behave at work: 

not wanting to be “too friendly”, seeming in charge,  and appearing unemotional.

The reality is that people really notice and appreciate the difference between the two. I can’t count the number of times that clients have mentioned how much they appreciate my relaxed style and sense of humour.

So take a look at the messages you are sending out. Do they need to be rewritten in plain conversational English? Are the icicles dripping off the pages of your emails and letters, or is the hearth warm and inviting?

After all –who wants to sound big, bland and cool like everybody else? Leave that to those who think it’s important (although why they do escapes me).

Just yesterday a friend I worked with said he felt flat and uninspired – like he was tired of pushing a heavy wheelbarrow up a hill that never got any shorter.

I hear this sentiment echoed in many workforces. And often by  highly motivated people who don’t need a “pick me up” or a pat on the back, but who thrive on challenge and typically just get on with things.

We can all get to the point of wondering whether it’s worth the effort. Whether we should continue to strive. Maybe it would be easier to turn back the throttle a notch and just get by.

How can we help people in this position – or ourselves for that matter? Is it about looking for the internal fortitude to just keep going – to try harder – to not be such a pessimist?

I’m not sure there’s any one “right answer”, but have a read of this post on Slacker Manager. It’s a story by Steve Farber - author of Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership - addressing this dilemma.

He talks about focusing on helping someone else excel, rather than on how you are feeling. In  a world where the news and environment forces us to focus on our personal circumstances and worth on a daily basis, this is a refreshing shift in perspective.