Have a Good Holiday!

If you’re planning a break this summer I hope you have a great time! Unfortunately, I know from my coaching clients (and my own past experiences!) that sometimes holidays cause more stress than relaxation!

Take a few minutes to really think about what it is that YOU want from a holiday, not what you think you ought to want, or what other people think is a good holiday. Be totally honest with yourself. Here are a few tips that may help:

• If you holiday with others you may have to compromise; if sun sea and sand is the delight of your partner but you love culture and sightseeing, try and agree before you go that time will be made for both. It’s really important to communicate sensitively but honestly about your holiday expectations.
• Make a list now of what you need to do such as cancel papers, buy cat food, check with bank about credit cards, order currency etc, and tick it off as you go. As you will usually do the same things each holiday, open a holiday folder and keep the list for use every trip that you can revise as necessary.
• Don’t overpack. I have lugged clothes halfway around the world that never saw the light of day! Be realistic about what you will need. Read the many magazine articles advising what to take and pack accordingly. You’ll feel so smug only having one medium suitcase to haul around!
• If flying, put spare knickers in your handbag, some wet wipes, and a book, something to entertain any children with you. Expect to be delayed and plan for it!
• Don’t aproach your guide book as if the most important exam of your life is looming! If you like to know about places in advance, great. Treat the research as part of your relaxation and enjoy the read. But if you miss something, so what? Sometimes just following a path to see where it may lead gives you the best experience.
• Don’t get stuck into holiday competitions with colleagues. This can work both ways; either the best, most classiest time of everyone competition or the worst travel experiences ever competition! It can add to your anxieties and doesn’t add to your enjoyment.
• Holidays are a break from the norm to enable you to recharge your batteries. Even if you are spending the time at home, try and build in some special time for yourself. Pretend you are a tourist in your area and look at everything with new eyes. It will refresh and surprise you!

If you’re recently back from a break, this article might help you hang onto that holiday feeling!

What is Your Pot of Gold?

The recent economic recession has caused many of us to re-evaluate just what is really important to us. For a lot of us it turns out to be something less tangible than money and property. There is almost a sense of liberation in being freed from “keeping up with the Jones’” in material terms.

So in the light of that, take a minute now to imagine your perfect pot of ‘gold’ at the end of your rainbow. What single thing now would improve the quality of your life, or the life of someone close to you, someone you care about? Just close your eyes and think about it for a few moments.

Is it to do with great wealth and status or is it about health, giving of your time, healing wounds, creating a more peaceful environment?

Whatever it is, your next question is to think what can I do today to begin making that pot of gold my reality.

Is Your Workplace Gender Neutral?

If women are underrepresented at a senior level in your organisation maybe it’s time to ask the following questions:

At what grade or level do women stop applying for/being promoted to senior jobs?

Has an analysis been made of the reasons why?

Is there a clear, non gender specific, ideal leadership profile for the organisation?

Is there succession planning with a pool of both gender high potential employees?

Is the progress of women monitored and questions asked of managers when there is a discrepancy in numbers of female employees and numbers of female managers? And vice versa, of course.

This is an extract from one of my newsletter articles. If you’d like to subscribe to my free newsletter please just click on the newsletter link in the header above or fill in the box opposite!

Watch Your Thoughts

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Change Your Life in 30 Minutes?

Is it possible to make significant changes in your life using just 30 minutes of your time each day?

Well, I think so. If you have had a dream or a plan in your head but haven’t yet done anything about it, try the thirty minute plan.

Break it down into several small tasks each lasting about thirty minutes. The important thing is to do something every day and in no time you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goal!

So, if you have a dream to be a senior manager in your organisation, think about your first steps. Maybe you need to find a mentor? Take your first 30 minutes to jot down a list of all possible candidates for that role. Then take another thirty minutes on the next day to compose your request, either email or face to face, whatever seems appropriate in your case. In a week you should have a mentor! Maybe your next step is to look at job specifications for the role you next want. Take 30 minutes on one day to send off for some…I think you’ve got the general idea!

You’ll also find that after about three weeks it becomes something of a habit and easier to do.

It works for all sorts of things. Things you want to do but haven’t got around to, and things you don’t want to do and keep putting it off. 30 minutes is enough time to achieve something worthwhile but not so much time that it feels too daunting!

Just one word of caution; this doesn’t work with dieting! You really do have to do THAT all the time!

For more on this, take a look at this longer article which appeared in a recent newsletter.

Glass ceiling?

Jenny Watson, chair of Equal Opportunities Commission ,

‘Women will not make it to the top in significant numbers unless action is taken to remove barriers that stand in their way. Unless this happens, Britain will continue to miss out on women’s skills and talents for another generation.’

And it’s no better in America as this story about  the supreme court in US illustrates. Read this link

Have you ever experienced discrimination because of your looks?
Do you think a glass ceiling is lurking in your workplace?
How many senior women are there in your organisation?
Do they encourage and inspire you?
Have you ever had to deal with overt discrimination?

Please do share your experiences with us!