Author: Nicci

Behaviour Change Programmes
By Nicci

Behaviour Change Programmes

 

Is your leadership behaviour serving you well? 

 

 

Does any of this sound familiar…do you:

  • Regularly wonder why your team aren’t proactive and taking initiative?
  • Like to put on your persona, but really you know you are capable of more? Or fed up with the strain of holing up a facade?
  • Have an ongoing frustration with how things are, including members of your team?
  • Avoid leading from the front or embracing the challenges of leading a team?

I have many clients who have changed their behaviour – and now know the difference that self awareness and emotional intelligence makes.  In my own leadership I have made significant and transformative behaviour changes that have meant me being part of and creating projects that I would have never thought possible.  Taking the courageous step to look at and/or being willing to change your behaviour is an empowering and transforming experience.

Behaviour change can significantly transform:

  • Your Impact – removing the behaviours or habits that are no longer serving you
  • Your Career – increasing your capacity and motivation to handle challenges head on
  • Your Partnerships/Relationships – increase your ability to connect meaningfully with purpose and hold clear boundaries
  • Your Leadership – increase your authenticity and self mastery to handle your reactions and emotional state

I work with clients for a minimum of 6-12 months, usually 2 weekly or monthly,  which gives them space and time to make sustainable behaviour changes.

To find out more about how to transform your behaviour please email me: nicci@awareleadership.co.uk or call me on 07817 246930.  OR you can pop a question or comment into my live online chat box!

Group Leadership Programmes
By Nicci

Group Leadership Programmes

      Freedom Programme

Exciting News!  I have recently developed a new leadership 8 month programme which provides a blend of 121 coaching and targeted 1/2 day group training sessions.

I am very passionate about this programme as it is a wonderful opportunity for a group of leaders or associates to go on a powerful leadership journey together.

About the programme:

This is an intensive experiential and bespoke programme for professionals who want to transform their leadership behaviour and develop the ability to adapt to the ever changing business context.

This programme is centred on both individual leadership and group learning for 6-9 leaders.

Purpose: To explore where you are in your leadership, your defining style and how current challenges can propel leadership growth. To define a conscious purpose and vision for your leadership, developing emotional intelligence and inner strength to hit current challenges head on. Building leadership behaviour changes that will support you to adapt to the wider organisational context.

‘When you change your behaviour, you have the ability to transform how people respond to you’

Programme Highlights
• 6×1:1 behaviour change coaching
• 4x ½ day group training sessions
• 2 x follow up online group sessions
• Online forum to connect and share learning

Programme Outline
• 1:1 Behaviour Change Coaching – exploring your personal challenges in leadership and empowering you as an individual’s to bring forward your best
• Current Leadership Capacity – exploring where you are currently in your leadership, including challenges and capabilities. Building a self assessment to bring about behaviour change
• Purposeful Leadership – exploring where your inner critic may hold you back as individuals and/or as a team. Developing mindful techniques to facilitate behaviour change. Learning transforming tools to highlight and build emotional resilience
• Flexing Leadership Style – exploring your leadership style and how this impacts your day to day results. Learning how to adapt and flex your style according to the context
• Personal Leadership Vision – exploring your individual vision for your leadership and identifying key barriers that are in your way. Identifying key qualities that you can develop to build behaviour change and sustainable growth.

Benefits
• Increased personal mastery for individuals significantly reducing holding back in their leadership
• Increased self confidence and resolve to step forward and face challenges head on
• Increased ability to adapt to different leadership styles and uphold the context of the organisation’s purpose
• Increased self-motivation and emotional intelligence within the current (and developing) business culture
• Increased ability for individuals to embrace the leader that they are and change behaviour that limits or minimises their professional impact

Wow eh?  I get really excited whenever I read the content of this programme.

Interested?  Please do get in touch.  You may have questions or want to explore how this programme may fit for your organisation or group.  Free seminars and taster sessions are available.

Please contact me at nicci@awareleadership.co.uk or call me on 07817 246930.  Or get online in a live conversation with me!

Not for Profit Leaders
By Nicci

Not for Profit Leaders

So you have come to the right place if you’re a director, head of service or aspiring manager in a not for profit organisation.

You may want to develop your leadership skills, be better at building relationships and partnerships or just plain under pressure looking for a better work/life balance.

These days being politically astute and being able to get the job done is great but the world is changing, budgets are tighter and tighter and greater commercial acumen is needed to adapt to a more entrepreneurial marketplace.  Being a not for profit leader requires significantly more than just being able to keep all the plates spinning.  More of you is required!

You get the job done well in your social enterprise or charitable sphere, you have all the relevant expertise and to date this has carried you through.  You’ve made your way up, your team appreciate you and yet you know you can have much more impact if you reduce that self doubt or are able to engage staff and partners in a more powerful way.

In this arena of austerity, how can you bring teams and others on board into a sometimes ever changing agenda? You can do the usual, but this usually ends up with you working silly hours and still you don’t seem to be making the impact you know you are capable of.  You don’t know where to start to reduce working hours or stop the inner critic that is swirling around in your head.  You’re feeling de-motivated, frustrated, put upon, stressed, confused and certainly pressured.

My powerful individual and group coaching programmes will help you develop vital purpose and personal skills that will give life to your leadership and team.  You will find the passion, motivation, release to be the leader and person you are – not fitting a mould or political persona but developing how to build a powerful purpose and communication techniques that will transform your professional impact.

To find out more about coaching with me please email me: nicci@awareleadership.co.uk or call me on 07817 246930.  OR you can pop a question or comment into my live online chat box!

3 Crucial Steps to Engage Your Team
By Nicci

3 Crucial Steps to Engage Your Team

I have many conversations with clients and others about how important it is to enrol your team into your leadership – and ultimately – YOU.

After all, as a leader you are engaging your team and others into you and your vision. They are looking to you for leadership albeit even at a basic level for a role, a task, a purpose. Even as a parent you lead in this respect.

Its well know these days that an empowered, connecting and common purpose is a fundamental motivator for a high performing, well engaged workforce.

I’ve heard many complaints over the last month about how teams don’t speak up, aren’t proactive or don’t think for themselves. They should know how to just get on with things right? Why do they keep taking up your time by asking questions – even worse the same questions!

Or the other popular complaint: team members not speaking up in team meetings, or indeed at other crucial times when something is going on. There is big consequences to that of course – you want better client relationships, quality of service, client satisfaction – they may be hiding poor service, mistakes or withholding potential golden information about client opportunities.

You are frequently hearing the sound of your own voice…complaining or saying the same spiel to keep things moving and it can be pretty lonely in that place.

Now, where is your part in this? Check in with yourself and ask the following:

  • Realness – now this is a biggie. How REAL are you being with your team? Yourself… truthful…open & honest about your frustrations or purpose. Its very common (some may say human nature) to put up a facade, persona at work – especially in leadership. This usually comes down to concerns about being ‘found out’ or believing we need to look ‘competent’, ‘strong’ or my personal favourite ‘all seeing, all knowing’. It’s a very different mindset to be in partnership with your team
  • Communication – have you communicated not just tasks but the bigger picture? Especially if you are noticing some dis-engagement. Its so important to communicate vision and INTENT as well as the practical stuff. How else do teams know what the purpose is or what they are going for? I hear a lot of clients assuming that their purpose or expectations are known
  • Open Your Ears and Your Heart – its all very well saying, ‘I want to hear from everyone’ in a team meeting but do you REALLY? Do you listen and seriously allow your team to speak freely, put ideas forward – even if you don’t agree with them? Do you ask questions, get curious? And are there other ways in your day to day behaviour that you dismiss comments, concerns or ideas? There is usually a much bigger cultural picture that stems from patterns of behaviour. You may be all ears in a team meeting but do you dismiss day to day comments outside of this? I’ve seen this happen many times!

This is no-ones fault of course, if your team aren’t responding or being as proactive as you would like. Its just as it is right now. That’s what I am passionate about – that leadership is always learning, growing. There’s no right or wrong to how things are – it just is what it is.

What’s more important is whether your current behaviour is working, serving you and your organisation well. Not just in terms of numbers but the quality of day to day work life. If you want something different from your team or the context has shifted – something different is required from you and them. Herein lies your golden opportunity.

How great is that! Some of our greatest challenges or changes can be a huge fertile ground for growth…

‘When you change your behaviour you can transform your experience and how people respond to you’

Present or Panic?
By Nicci

Present or Panic?

Now if you are anything like one of clients, making a presentation to a fairly small group – known or unknown can be a terrifying experience.

I’ve been through this myself when I first started training and facilitating nearly 10 years ago. I remember the first time I stood in front of a group of people all looking at me to lead and guide them. I was terrified, so uptight at times that I couldn’t think clearly.

How do you truly connect with people and take them on a journey that will end up with them being engaged with you and your topic?

I’ve been to a few presentations this week that were great, informative and clear – however the presenters didn’t always connect with their audience. They didn’t check-in with them to see how they are doing or notice people yawning, shifting in their seats.

Questions during the presentation were sometimes met with dismissal – it seemed as if the presenter was more focused on ‘getting through’ the slides and finishing on time than engaging with their audience.

Well for some of my clients, even those who have jumped in through sheer determination, the experience of presenting is not always an enjoyable one.

Some of the most common fearful scenarios I have come across are:

  • Presenting to a potential client (particularly if unsure of the client or content
  • Presenting a topic that is not your area of knowledge or expertise
  • Presenting a session about something outside of work (i.e. sharing about yourself)
  • Presenting to staff (particularly to motivate, engage or share information), peers or indeed others in your profession

And some of the common concerns are…

  • I have to know my topic inside out
  • I have to know what to say and when, be prepared
  • I have to get through all the content on time
  • I’ll make a mistake, miss something, forget something
  • I’ll look silly, unprofessional, incompetent, stupid
  • I’ll be ask questions I can’t or don’t want to answer

Result = stress, tension, disconnection, panic, insomnia, time consuming checking/research to prepare

Here’s my 4 top tips for you:

  • BREATHE – take 3 conscious breaths and remember you will, most likely, do your best and that’ll be enough
  • Check-In with yourself – with those expectations you have in yourself…often we make judgements or assumptions about what’s expected of us or others. Is it true, generally speaking, that you are unprofessional or incompetent?
  • Check-in with your audience – are they yawning, shifting in their seats, distracted? Check-in with them, ask them how you are doing. Ask if they have ideas or examples to discuss – this is essential to bring the topic to life and make it real. They are there for a purpose right? Because they want to get something from your presentation – so check in with them to make sure this is happening
  • Learn to love the Don’t Know – you can say ‘I don’t know’ when asked a question. It is allowed! You don’t know what you don’t know and that’s ok. Nobody knows everything. The important thing here, as a leader and presenter, is to respond – acknowledge the question and offer a solution or follow up

And…One More Thing…

Be yourself! Speak from the heart…show your passion…enthusiasm…