"Do you have a To Do List"?
When I ask that question on time management programmes I always get a mixed response.
For those of you who do keep a to do list - either a hard copy or using technology, you'll know the deep sense of satisfaction you can get from just ticking stuff of from it.
Now what is it that makes it just feel so good?
At this manic time of year (whether you keep a to do list or not), there always seems soooo much to do in such a short space of time.
Traditionally its also a time of year when people start to reflect back on the year just passing, before they start to think forward to the new year ahead and what that might hold.
In the last two weeks I'm delighted to say I've got round to starting to do something about 2 things that have been on my to do list for absolutely ages - about a year I'd say, maybe more.
They have been lurking there, and everytime I've looked at them they just haven't twinkled at me enough to move to action. But now they have and I have to confess to feeling rather pleased with myself for tackling them!
So what's on your to do list?
Is there anything you can tick off for 2007, before 2008 sneaks her head around the corner?
Belinda Coaten...Passionate about supporting you to move on or move up in your career.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
To Trust Or Not To Trust
I think I would be described as someone who is trusting of others, or some would describe me as naive!
On the last day of our holiday we packed everything up and decided to visit a lovely remote fish restaurant that is perched up on wooden stilts and overlooks the most beautiful beach that we had seen, but not visited earlier in the week. My husband had told me to go and get some more cash out of the machine while he loaded the car up, and in that lazy holiday mood I hadn't quite got as far as walking down the hill into the village and doing that!
We had the most gorgeous lunch, washed down with some equally gorgeous wine. With an eye on the clock though we had no time to linger, we had to be sure to get to the airport on time. So we asked for the bill, I felt quite sick when I saw at the bottom of the bill the statement that the restaurant did not take cards! The waiter overheard me squeaking that I didn't think we had enough money to pay. Within seconds he came from behind the bar and said it was no problem, we could pop back later or tomorrow and pay, that was fine.
Luckily, we literally just had enough money to pay after we had emptied pockets and bags out - I am ashamed to say we didn't have enough for a tip though!
Back at home this morning, we have just had some new patio furniture delivered by a friend of a friend. I was told not to pass the money for payment to my friend until I had checked it all over and felt that I was happy with it!
How trusting are you?
Belinda
On the last day of our holiday we packed everything up and decided to visit a lovely remote fish restaurant that is perched up on wooden stilts and overlooks the most beautiful beach that we had seen, but not visited earlier in the week. My husband had told me to go and get some more cash out of the machine while he loaded the car up, and in that lazy holiday mood I hadn't quite got as far as walking down the hill into the village and doing that!
We had the most gorgeous lunch, washed down with some equally gorgeous wine. With an eye on the clock though we had no time to linger, we had to be sure to get to the airport on time. So we asked for the bill, I felt quite sick when I saw at the bottom of the bill the statement that the restaurant did not take cards! The waiter overheard me squeaking that I didn't think we had enough money to pay. Within seconds he came from behind the bar and said it was no problem, we could pop back later or tomorrow and pay, that was fine.
Luckily, we literally just had enough money to pay after we had emptied pockets and bags out - I am ashamed to say we didn't have enough for a tip though!
Back at home this morning, we have just had some new patio furniture delivered by a friend of a friend. I was told not to pass the money for payment to my friend until I had checked it all over and felt that I was happy with it!
How trusting are you?
Belinda
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Company Dress Codes
Hello
I have worked with several organisations on the subject of dress codes - what exactly should their employees be wearing?
For some it has been a question of what dress code to introduce, they want to have a more relaxed way of working and want a dress code to mirror that. Yet need to ensure that employees reflect a professional image to customers and clients.
For others they have introduced a more casual dress code and it has all gone a bit wrong.
I came across this article and it made me smile, I hope it makes you smile too!
Week 1 - Memo 1
Effective this week, the company is adopting Fridays as Casual Day. Employees are free to dress in the casual attire of their choice.
Week 3 - Memo 2
Spandex and leather micro miniskirts are not appropriate attire for Casual Day. Neither are string ties, rodeo belt buckles or moccasins.
Week 6 - Memo 3
Casual Day refers to dress only, not attitude. When planning Friday's wardrobe, remember image is a key to our success.
Week 8 - Memo 4
A seminar on how to dress for Casual Day will be held at 4pm Friday in the cafe area. A fashion show will follow. Attendance is mandatory.
Week 9 - Memo 5
As an outgrowth of Friday's seminar, a 14 member Casual Day Task Force has been appointed to prepare guidelines for proper casual day dress.
Week 14 - Memo 6
The Casual Day Task Force has now completed a 30 page manual entitled "Relaxing Dress Without Relaxing Company Standards". A copy has been distributed to every employee. Please review chapter "You Are What You Wear" and consult the home casual versus business casual checklist before leaving for work each Friday. If you have doubts about the appropriatenes of an item of clothing, contact your CDTF representative before 7am on Friday.
Week 18 - Memo 7
Our Employee Assistant Plan (EAP) has now been expanded to provide support for psychologial counselling for employees who may be having difficulty adjusting to Casual Day.
Week 20 - Memo 8
Due to budget cuts in the HR Department we are no longer able to effectively support or manage Casual Day. Casual Day will be discontinued with immediate effect.
I have worked with several organisations on the subject of dress codes - what exactly should their employees be wearing?
For some it has been a question of what dress code to introduce, they want to have a more relaxed way of working and want a dress code to mirror that. Yet need to ensure that employees reflect a professional image to customers and clients.
For others they have introduced a more casual dress code and it has all gone a bit wrong.
I came across this article and it made me smile, I hope it makes you smile too!
Week 1 - Memo 1
Effective this week, the company is adopting Fridays as Casual Day. Employees are free to dress in the casual attire of their choice.
Week 3 - Memo 2
Spandex and leather micro miniskirts are not appropriate attire for Casual Day. Neither are string ties, rodeo belt buckles or moccasins.
Week 6 - Memo 3
Casual Day refers to dress only, not attitude. When planning Friday's wardrobe, remember image is a key to our success.
Week 8 - Memo 4
A seminar on how to dress for Casual Day will be held at 4pm Friday in the cafe area. A fashion show will follow. Attendance is mandatory.
Week 9 - Memo 5
As an outgrowth of Friday's seminar, a 14 member Casual Day Task Force has been appointed to prepare guidelines for proper casual day dress.
Week 14 - Memo 6
The Casual Day Task Force has now completed a 30 page manual entitled "Relaxing Dress Without Relaxing Company Standards". A copy has been distributed to every employee. Please review chapter "You Are What You Wear" and consult the home casual versus business casual checklist before leaving for work each Friday. If you have doubts about the appropriatenes of an item of clothing, contact your CDTF representative before 7am on Friday.
Week 18 - Memo 7
Our Employee Assistant Plan (EAP) has now been expanded to provide support for psychologial counselling for employees who may be having difficulty adjusting to Casual Day.
Week 20 - Memo 8
Due to budget cuts in the HR Department we are no longer able to effectively support or manage Casual Day. Casual Day will be discontinued with immediate effect.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Yellow It Is
Another busy week.....where is the year going? It only seems two shakes of a lambs tail since it was New Year!
Spent Monday evening with Ann Hawkins and her fantastic Inspirational Speakers (check out inspirationalspeakersblogspot.com for details of up and coming events). I did a small slot on personal presentation while Alan talked about the media and how to use them effectively.
Yesterday I ran a workshop on personal effectiveness and several of the delegates were interested in what messages the colours we wear mean (quite how we got onto this topic I'm not sure)!
A well know evening newspaper last week reported that if you are after a pay rise it might help if you wear a canary yellow shirt. Pink will encourage colleagues to treat you gently. It goes on to say that black, the staple wardrobe colour of a lot of people should be put in the bin.
What ever your favourite colour is, spring seems to be just around the corner so hopefully we will all be able to get out our summer clothes and ditch the warm ones that we have been cocooned in for the last few months.
Have a fantastic weekend one and all.
B
Spent Monday evening with Ann Hawkins and her fantastic Inspirational Speakers (check out inspirationalspeakersblogspot.com for details of up and coming events). I did a small slot on personal presentation while Alan talked about the media and how to use them effectively.
Yesterday I ran a workshop on personal effectiveness and several of the delegates were interested in what messages the colours we wear mean (quite how we got onto this topic I'm not sure)!
A well know evening newspaper last week reported that if you are after a pay rise it might help if you wear a canary yellow shirt. Pink will encourage colleagues to treat you gently. It goes on to say that black, the staple wardrobe colour of a lot of people should be put in the bin.
What ever your favourite colour is, spring seems to be just around the corner so hopefully we will all be able to get out our summer clothes and ditch the warm ones that we have been cocooned in for the last few months.
Have a fantastic weekend one and all.
B
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Motivation
Hello
Motivation seems to be the word of the last week.
It all started last Wednesday when I ran a 3 day Leadership & Development Course for a project team, on the afternoon of day 2 the programme focussed on the subject of motivation. Most of the afternoon is taken up with a really meaty exercise that is very participative and needs people to work in small teams to undertake some research.
Given the location we were using people needed to venture outside - however, the snow came and the snow came and the snow came. All motivation for the afternoon didn't seem to evaporate and all I wanted was the snow to evaporate (I had a very bad experience about 3 years ago when the M11 closed due to the snow and its still very fresh in my memory)!
I gave the group the option given the weather to make it an early day to ensure everyone got home safety. Yet despite one delegate needing to get back to Norfolk the group decided to work on and even agreed to come in early the next morning - true motivation!
This week quite out of the blue I've had a request to put a proposal together for a newly formed management team who want to focus on change management and how this will affect their teams motivation. So the M word has raised its head again.
This week I have a stash of work to do, but it involves me spending long periods of time in front of this little screen writing. Whilst I absolutely adore sitting and writing by the end of Tuesday afternoon I was starting to feel a bit switchy and by yesterday I was positively climbing the walls. You see part of my motivation is that I need to have people around me, and most importantly I need to have people I can talk to, chat to and yes even gossip to!
My Leadership & Development course delegates concluded that very different things will motivate different people and what works one day for one person might not be the same thing the next day.
So what motivates you? To pump up your motivation have a think about the answers to the following questions:-
What people inspire you and motivate you?
What places inspire and motivate you?
What books inspire and motivate you?
What music inspires and motivates you?
What other things have motivated you in the past?
And the final question is how can you tap into some of these things regularly or maybe when you feel your motivation is at a bit of a low ebb?
Me, I'm off now to have a chat to the man who is plastering my office walls for me - poor man!
Talk soon.
Belinda
Motivation seems to be the word of the last week.
It all started last Wednesday when I ran a 3 day Leadership & Development Course for a project team, on the afternoon of day 2 the programme focussed on the subject of motivation. Most of the afternoon is taken up with a really meaty exercise that is very participative and needs people to work in small teams to undertake some research.
Given the location we were using people needed to venture outside - however, the snow came and the snow came and the snow came. All motivation for the afternoon didn't seem to evaporate and all I wanted was the snow to evaporate (I had a very bad experience about 3 years ago when the M11 closed due to the snow and its still very fresh in my memory)!
I gave the group the option given the weather to make it an early day to ensure everyone got home safety. Yet despite one delegate needing to get back to Norfolk the group decided to work on and even agreed to come in early the next morning - true motivation!
This week quite out of the blue I've had a request to put a proposal together for a newly formed management team who want to focus on change management and how this will affect their teams motivation. So the M word has raised its head again.
This week I have a stash of work to do, but it involves me spending long periods of time in front of this little screen writing. Whilst I absolutely adore sitting and writing by the end of Tuesday afternoon I was starting to feel a bit switchy and by yesterday I was positively climbing the walls. You see part of my motivation is that I need to have people around me, and most importantly I need to have people I can talk to, chat to and yes even gossip to!
My Leadership & Development course delegates concluded that very different things will motivate different people and what works one day for one person might not be the same thing the next day.
So what motivates you? To pump up your motivation have a think about the answers to the following questions:-
What people inspire you and motivate you?
What places inspire and motivate you?
What books inspire and motivate you?
What music inspires and motivates you?
What other things have motivated you in the past?
And the final question is how can you tap into some of these things regularly or maybe when you feel your motivation is at a bit of a low ebb?
Me, I'm off now to have a chat to the man who is plastering my office walls for me - poor man!
Talk soon.
Belinda
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Land That Job!
Hello
Quick blog as this is a stop press!
I'm running a workshop entitled "Land That Job" on Saturday 3rd March.
If you are jobsearching or thinking you maybe made redundant soon then please contact me as this workshop will be able to help you. My aim is that it will be practical, build your confidence and give you the tools to succeed in the job hunting game.
Don't miss out!
BC
Quick blog as this is a stop press!
I'm running a workshop entitled "Land That Job" on Saturday 3rd March.
If you are jobsearching or thinking you maybe made redundant soon then please contact me as this workshop will be able to help you. My aim is that it will be practical, build your confidence and give you the tools to succeed in the job hunting game.
Don't miss out!
BC
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
New Year, New You?
The media has been absolutely full to the brim since the 1st of January of new years resolution articles, how to create a new year, what do you want to focus on in 2007?
So did you make any new years resolutions? Did you decide it was a waste of time? Did you feel you didn't need to?! Its funny how psychologically the change of year makes us look forward. I think for most of us we spend a lot of lot of time planning and organising and generally being very future focussed, there are a much smaller number of us who are more reflective in our nature and prefer to look backwards rather than forwards.
This time of year, in addition to making us think of futures also is a time for me traditionally of tidying up and clearing out - the decorations have come down and everywhere looks a bit bare. I also have the threat of an office redecoration looming which has moved me to try to magically clear the several piles of filing that I sit surrounded by.
Logically I need to make room for tidy things so start by clearing and shredding the filing cabinet. I've had a lovely afternoon finding things I'd forgotten about, even remembering pieces of work I've delivered, things that I have written, people I've met.
So my suggestion for this week before you spend any more time new year resolution planning is to do a little bit of reflecting and remembering.
BC
PS I can now after 4 weeks of trying to find a car parking space at the leisure centre and then fighting my way to get a free locker in the changing rooms, followed by lots of people trying to do Sharon Davies impressions in the swimming pool enjoy the leisure centre as it was back in December!
So did you make any new years resolutions? Did you decide it was a waste of time? Did you feel you didn't need to?! Its funny how psychologically the change of year makes us look forward. I think for most of us we spend a lot of lot of time planning and organising and generally being very future focussed, there are a much smaller number of us who are more reflective in our nature and prefer to look backwards rather than forwards.
This time of year, in addition to making us think of futures also is a time for me traditionally of tidying up and clearing out - the decorations have come down and everywhere looks a bit bare. I also have the threat of an office redecoration looming which has moved me to try to magically clear the several piles of filing that I sit surrounded by.
Logically I need to make room for tidy things so start by clearing and shredding the filing cabinet. I've had a lovely afternoon finding things I'd forgotten about, even remembering pieces of work I've delivered, things that I have written, people I've met.
So my suggestion for this week before you spend any more time new year resolution planning is to do a little bit of reflecting and remembering.
BC
PS I can now after 4 weeks of trying to find a car parking space at the leisure centre and then fighting my way to get a free locker in the changing rooms, followed by lots of people trying to do Sharon Davies impressions in the swimming pool enjoy the leisure centre as it was back in December!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)