Category: Leadership

Prioritising the good stuff??

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Perspective

When did you last carve out time to thank someone, tell them they’re doing a great job or how they’re helping you? Strangely enough, as human beings, business owners and leaders we prioritise follow-up calls, reviews and meetings to tell the mistakes being made, things that are not yet working as it should, policing or notifying suppliers, staff and clients of shortcomings. How weird is that? Here’s a crazy idea: prioritise your to-do list and meetings differently the next week! Put first the actions of appreciation, a short thank you call or message, praise of a staff member for how what they did impacts you and the business – thank one of your clients for being an awesome client?!! Give time and focus to what you want more of. I did it earlier this week without thinking and realised how different it sets up your day. Puts a smile on someone else’s face – and get you focused on helping create more of that good stuff. Do you want to join me in this experiment? Let’s get really curious about when we ourselves think it’s much more important to be bossy and correcting – and what it would mean if … More Prioritising the good stuff?? »

Smooth sailing

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Perspective

Beautiful weather today. Taking the time to enjoy it. Allowing smooth sailing. How often do we miss that opportunity? The better educated, the smarter you are, the bigger the risk that you can ALWAYS find something that could be done better. Something that could be improved. Something that you or others are not doing to the optimal level yet. It’s great to have a drive and in most instances, a laser-sharp perception that notices everything, is a gift to have. Then the only thing we need to teach ourselves or remind ourselves is to let go now and then. Smell the roses, enjoy what it. Take a day out, not ticking things off lists, not improving anything. Just being. We could have considerably more smoother sailing in our lives and businesses than we allow ourselves. Basic mindset techniques are brilliant to learn and apply, and one of the core ones is that what you focus on, you get more of. And because we’re so ABLE to fix problems, we focus on them and get a kick out of solving them. While simultaneously, a lot of smooth sailing was available to us in that same moment. But we didn’t look that … More Smooth sailing »

Didn’t you like the flowers??!!

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Power of Language

When we pick a flower from our garden and put it in a vase, it seems like a great idea at the time, but it may be short-lived compared to leaving it growing in its habitat: with roots and stems and its foundation intact, it can blossom for weeks or months in some cases. This reminded me of how we give feedback. Ideally, it should be more feedforward than feedback. Sharing an observation that brings value to the receiver going forward. In their habitat. Just like giving flowers should be choosing the bouquet that the receiver likes. But just like the flower taken from its habitat, our well-intended feedback can be given out of context. We may think it’s giving a rose, a flower, a gift of insight from us to them. But, that short-lived, picked flower from us needs to make sense and fit into the receiver’s habitat, their roots, their stems, their foundation. Do you recognise how we sometimes throw a comment or “feedback” to someone else as we race into the next meeting? As it leaves our mind and mouth, we’re normally done, then “that’s out of the way”, maybe it even felt good and powerful to … More Didn’t you like the flowers??!! »

Leading with noise-reduction-headphones??

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Leadership, Sales

Months ago, in (yet another) thunderstorm we lost our electricity (again!) – and the electrical curtains we have up high started beeping, telling us they had lost connection. Well, that noise would stop a normal night’s good sleep, so we pulled out our noise-reduction headphones. They worked a treat for a good night’s sleep – just like they help with their main purpose of easing long-haul-double-flights to Denmark. Having been totally cut off from the surroundings (audibly), made me fascinated the next morning: try noticing what we actually HEAR versus what is a reaction to impact. For example, if you tip-toe up the stairs, I wouldn’t hear it through my blocking-out-sound-equipment. But if you stomped with power and thumping heels, even I still couldn’t HEAR you, I would sense the vibration in the floor and the possible agitation. It made me wonder: what else are we actually only HEARING – vs taking it in via a combination of our senses and emotions? And how does this relate to your business, sales, and leadership?? We’re all cogs in a wheel – it’s all connected. Even if one department put on their mental noise-reduction-headphones and get on with things, their actions and … More Leading with noise-reduction-headphones?? »

Jeg kan selv!!

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Life skills

Spoken like a 3-year-old. Not wanting help. I can do this on my own. I WANT to do it on my own. I don’t need anybody to help me. Isn’t it fascinating how that’s still our behaviour decades later, as leaders, parents, friends and human beings? Some of us want to prove we can do it ourselves. Others feel embarrassed to ask for help. No matter what, here’s the thing: we CAN do it all ourselves. But letting go of that old pattern and allowing others to add their part might just be worth a try. Personally, I’ll give myself the challenge: to swap “jeg kan selv” with “let’s do it together”. Do you want to join?

Stacking stones

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Leadership, Life skills

Do you know this game? Where you create stone stacks of a minimum of 7 stones. I did a few on my bush jog last weekend and it reminded me of how we can become too daring, try stacking too much. Now link it to today being Mother’s Day. Where we give and expect to receive gifts and attention. How is this related, you ask? Well, as I turned to find stones for the third stack, the first one tumbled. Sometimes the stone stacks tumble because of wind. Sometimes because a bird lands on them. It’s very seldom because we push them over ourselves. And here is the thing: you were the one that stacked it. The one that chose the stones to be used. Went back a few steps if you weren’t sure you had made the right decision. And gave full throttle when you were on a roll and it was moving easily and effortlessly. What you’re experiencing right now, whether you’re the observing or receiving part, be it Mother’s Day or your business results: you are the one who stacked the stones to what it looks like right now. Enjoy and accept the choices you’ve made. Be … More Stacking stones »

Shine that torch!

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Leadership, Perspective

In times of crisis, we get the opportunity to step up. To focus on the most important things, to share overview and direction, to be even calmer and to support others in doing the same. The opposite is initiating, fuelling or being part of creating confusion, story, more worry or drama. Around the world, we have the chance to evaluate ourselves and our businesses in this light at the moment. The point is not that there IS a global event happening. The point is how we tackle it the best way possible, not only caring for ourselves but for those around us and where we can, help to impact others to lead themselves and others even more resourcefully. We all have a certain ‘setting’, a certain balance of certainty vs variety that we prefer. There is no right or wrong, some people are thrill-seekers and others prefer predictability. No matter your usual setting, there is probably a bit more uncertainty at the moment than what you prefer. Therefore, the best we can do for each other, our teams and our businesses is to give certainty. Make clear decisions and deliver clear communication. Accept the things we can’t do or change … More Shine that torch! »

Not another system?!

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Leadership, Perspective, work-life balance

Who here has been trained in time management systems and – after weeks of implementation (and good intentions) – decided to go back to the basic systems you used before? This week in workshops and client conversations it’s been a theme that the best results often don’t come from big systems, but instead from applying one or two key principles to how we approach tasks and time. My favourite combination is this: What’s the outcome? Use 20-minute time pockets to deliver The first will become a welcomed habit: before any call, meeting or task, ask yourself which outcome you would like. Jumping heedlessly into your email inbox vs deciding the outcome of the next 20 minutes of email focus means everything for your productivity. The same goes for conversations. Many different schools of thought, like the Pomodoro method, use this second principle because it’s hard to keep focus and concentration for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Therefore, we help our wellbeing and efficiency by planning for windows of time with specific outcomes – and enjoy a stretch, a glance out the window or a tea before you dive dedicatedly into the next window of time. Would you like … More Not another system?! »

Do you trust your team?

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Perspective

We just did a gig with our choir and more than 30 of us went out for breakfast together afterwards. Do you recall these moments of eating out with a big group and getting the bill? Depending on what your thoughts were just now as I asked the question, that’s the level of trust you have in those groups you’ve been in. For some, the first thought would have been: oh yes, here we go, there’s always an amount missing and the ones left to count up end up paying the gap. OR you think: yes, isn’t it nice being with people where you KNOW there will always be enough, everyone would have paid their part and those able to have added a bit to cover any unforeseen miscalculations and make sure there’s enough for tips. The last version is true for this group: lots of people stayed around to check that it’s all good, everyone expects it will be fine and of course it was – with plenty of tips to the great team of waiters. Think of your current team. Would you be expecting to be the one covering the gap? Do you immediately think of specific people … More Do you trust your team? »

Looking back…. over my shoulder?

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Perspective

This time of year we tend to look back. Appreciating the year that passed, the people we spent time with, the achievements we created. Looking back is wonderful, and it’s also a really important part of our personal journey, looking at who we were yesterday (yesteryear, yester decade) compared to who we are today. Cherish looking back and then give some thought to looking ahead. With the words of the futurist we had guest speaking recently: let’s plan the future based on the future! Unfortunately, most often we as leaders and business owners – and in our private lives – plan and predict the future based on the past. And even if that shows what we were capable of, it risks holding us tied to the choices of the past. With a new decade in sight: what about taking a fresh view on yourself and your capabilities? Of your team, your business, your life? Planning who and where you want to be in the future – and creating the strategy and focus based on THAT instead of the past?! Looking back is valuable. Let’s now look ahead – and still use our own shoulder (not what everyone else is doing) … More Looking back…. over my shoulder? »