The Mirror

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By Maureen Tallis

My tale is set in a distant land and I know that as you listen you will think about how it is true for you in your own world.

So I will begin.

Our heroine is an ordinary woman and you may not notice her if she walked down a street that was crowded with people. We are going to meet her first in the hallway of her comfortable home.

Our heroine looked in the mirror and sighed. She knew she needed to get fit or her health would suffer. “That’s it!” she exclaimed to herself. “I must go to an exercise class because everyone knows that if you don’t exercise you will be less healthy. Exercise is a good thing to do and I must make time for it.”

But then she slumped. She was so very tired after working all day and keeping up with her chores because her house was her pride and joy. It was simply perfect and she was determined to keep it that way. Spick and span with everything in its place so that when visitors called they were pleased to enjoy every comfort.

And people admired her and told her that they were astonished at how she fitted everything in and achieved so very much.

She started to smile because it was really very simple. Everyone knows that if we stay strong and work hard we can do whatever we want.  So she reflected and measured all of the tasks that she had to complete each day and it became clear that if she just hurried up a bit she could find a slot for the Zumba class on a Tuesday night at the newly opened leisure centre. A perfect solution!

So let us now follow our heroine to the following week and I know that you are wondering what will happen next.

It is now Tuesday and wearing her newly purchased matching leisure trousers and top and pristine trainers, (all charcoal grey so that she did not appear showy or conspicuous), she squeaked her way into the exercise hall.  A scene of sparkling light greeted her and energy radiated from everywhere in the room. Rainbows of people were illuminated before her, multitudinous and oozing from every available space.  They glistened and glinted as they darted about laughing and chattering and you will be wondering how she felt. I will tell you.

For a minute she froze, a deep grey icicle in this colourful carnival of vitality and vibrancy.

Then she spotted a single space towards the back of the hall and clutching her towel she darted to her refuge. Relief enveloped her and as she bravely lifted her eyes and became accustomed to the brightness, she realised that there was an enormous mirror at the front of the hall, reflecting and magnifying, and exaggerating everything. She laughed inside and told herself to be strong and calm breathing deeply in and out because she knew that she could do this.

 

But then again panic enveloped her. As the instructor marched through the door and set up position, she realised that she could not see him. “Oh no” she thought to herself. “How will I know what to do? How can I keep up with the others? Perspiration started to form and trickle down her neck and spine. “Everyone will laugh at me because if I cannot see I will do everything wrong. They have all been coming here for ever and so they will do everything right”. Misery encased our heroine and you know how that feels don’t you.

The music started. She did not recognise the tune. Then the instructor started to shout out his commands in a cacophony of words. They tumbled into the hall.

“Feet together then sway to the right. Bend your knees and step to the left. Sway your body then return to the middle. Bend your knees and return to the right. Face your left.”

Oh no! Words screamed in her brain, filling it so there was no space to think. Where is left? Where is right? I am facing the wrong direction! The man next to me is laughing and pointing at me. My feet are not obeying me and my trainers are astronaut boots, unwieldy and weighty in their enormousness. I cannot lift them.

“Let’s go a bit faster this time” shouted the instructor.

Hurry, hurry filled her mind fighting and jostling with get it right, get it right! Left and right, left and right.

As her head whirled and her body awkwardly jolted, a vivid swirl of acid green and a blonde ponytail bolted into view. Between the patchwork of bodies she saw the back of a princess, proud and confident, moving and swaying in time to the music and the commands.

And then she knew it was easy! She just had to copy the princess! Then slowly but surely the weights lifted from her feet, the left became left, and the right became right, and although she had to concentrate deeply, she started to move towards the united and churning throng.

And as you are listening to my tale you may be wondering if this is the end but there is more. Because the music then changed and it was one of her favourite tracks. Her energy quadrupled, and as she found herself coupling the instructors commands with the rhythm, her eyes moved from the princess and she glimpsed her own reflection in the mirror as the ocean of bodies parted. She looked amazing, and reassured she started to really enjoy herself. Her body moved and matched the sea waving and lapping in the room.

And then, too soon, it was all over. She smiled to herself and started to think about how she could be better next time.

I know that you are pleased for her because you wanted her to do well. And as my tale continues you want to know what happens in the end so that you can learn more from our heroine and use it for yourselves.

And so our final scene is just this.

The torrent of ideas about how she could be better next time poured into her storming from every direction. Then a bright flash caught her eye and she looked into the mirror and was surprised by what she saw.

The princess was no longer quite so proud and confident. Her ponytail was slightly askew and her face was pink with exertion. The princess noticed her looking and smiled then slowly mouthed the words “thank you”.

The Concerned Squirrel

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By Deborah Garnett

There was once a red squirrel who lived deep in a wood. It was autumn and she was busy gathering acorns and hazelnuts.

For weeks as she busily ran up and down branches, red squirrel had noticed the leaves change colour to radiant orange and gold and eventually fall off and flutter to the ground.

The other animals could not understand why red squirrel was so lively. They were happy to sit around and admire the beautiful trees.

Red squirrel became concerned that her friends were not preparing for the cold, spare, empty time to come. She wanted to tell them what all squirrels know and that is to store up food for the winter, but she was unsure they would pay her any attention.

So, in preparation for the woodland meeting, red squirrel approached great stag and asked if he would use his authority to impress on the others the importance of preparing for winter.

At the woodland meeting, as all the creatures were gathered chatting, great stag raised himself up to his full height. With his chest puffed out and antlers raised high, he barked out orders for all the animals to wake at dawn the next day and work until nightfall to bring in the harvest. They were stunned into silence as the great stag roared out his message and some fell over into a terrified faint.

The next day, only red squirrel rose at dawn to continue the search for food.

Red squirrel became more concerned that her friends were not preparing for the cold, spare, empty time to come. She wanted to tell them what all squirrels know and that is to store up food for the winter, but she was unsure they would pay her any attention.

So, in preparation for the next woodland meeting, red squirrel approached fox and asked if she would use her cleverness to impress on the others the importance of preparing for winter.

At the meeting, as all the creatures were gathered chatting, fox appeared wearing her professor’s gown and spectacles. She pointed with her twig to charts and graphs, showing all sorts of facts and figures about why the animals should wake at dawn the next day and work until nightfall to bring in the harvest. They were stunned into silence by the end of the presentation and some fell over from sheer boredom.

The next day, only red squirrel rose at dawn to continue the search for food.

Red squirrel became increasingly concerned and so approached wise owl for advice. Wise owl told red squirrel that the message should come directly from red squirrel herself. Red squirrel said that she wasn’t sure what to say or whether the others would pay her any attention. Wise owl replied; “When the time comes, you will know exactly what to say and how to say it and they will understand and appreciate your message.”

At the next meeting, as all the creatures were gathered chatting together under a mighty oak, red squirrel began by saying; “My dear friends, as you are sitting here, you will be wondering what I, red squirrel can have to say to you.” With tears in her eyes, red squirrel reminded them of how they had gone hungry the previous winter and that she was concerned the same would happen again. She entreated them to work together to bring in the harvest and that if they did so, all would be well.

When she had finished and having dried her eyes, the other animals came up to red squirrel and thanked and hugged her and shook her paw.

The next day, red squirrel and all the forest animals rose at dawn to search for food.

I

The Power of “Of Course I Will”

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By Christine McKie

A schoolgirl named Lucy had a dream to be the best footballer in the world.

Each night she would lie awake and imagine how it would feel to run out onto the pitch at Wembley in her white shirt with the three lions badge on the front and Lucy emblazoned in blue letters on the back.  She imagined the crowd cheering as she ran up to the goal and scored that winning goal that meant England won the world cup – Not just any world cup but a world cup in her homeland…

Every day at school, Lucy would share this dream with her friends.

Every morning on the way to school she would walk with her girlfriends and tell them all about her dreams the previous night.  The girls would always respond saying “Lucy you’re a great footballer but you’ll never play for England”. She would respond “Of course I will!”

At breaktime & lunchtime, Lucy would join the boys on the school field and practice scoring that all important goal… The boys would tell her “Lucy you’re a great footballer but you’ll never play for England”.  She would respond “Of course I will!”

At the tea table on an evening Lucy would plead with her parents to take her to watch her favourite team so that she could study the strikers as they scored that winning goal. They would respond “Lucy we’ll take you to see the match but please remember you won’t play for England”. She would respond “Of course I will!”

Lucy continued to dream every night and practice every day, she really believed that she could change the mould and get to play for England.

Lucy joined the local football team and shared her dreams, she trained hard with the boys and continued to practice every night.  Eventually she became captain of the team, the boys all complained “This is a boys’ team, we should be the captain” but the team manager kept Lucy as captain.

The next year the local professional team sent a scout to Lucy’s club to watch Joe, Lucy’s teammate. They couldn’t believe their luck not only was Joe an amazing player, but they also found this girl who was amazing too. Lucy was recruited as the first girl in the academy.

Lucy’s dreams continued and she truly believed she was the best.  As a teenager Lucy still dreamt every night of playing for England.

A couple of years later and Lucy finally got her big break, and she ran out onto that pitch at Wembley, alongside Lucy Bronze and Steph Haughton.   Her dream had come true she was now playing for England.  The crowd cheered and the excitement was profound. Finally, Lucy kicked the ball and BOOOM in hit the back of the net.  All her dreams had come true….

 

Learning Cooperation in Chaos

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By Gill Martin

Once there was a beautiful, flourishing garden which was adorned with rows and rows of juicy vegetables, trees and bushes which were laden with ripe fruits and berries.  The old gardener had invested a lot of his time and money into his garden.  He was planned and methodical in his approach, the watering system drenched the plants with fine bursts of dew as regular as clockwork, whilst the electric fence stood guard against unwanted four-legged intruders and fine netting wrapped the fruit bushes in a protective hold.  Every inch of the space was planned to perfection and the old man was proud as punch of what he had achieved.

The garden produce, along with the eggs from his wife’s chickens, provided a decent living for the gardener and his wife.

One Spring gardener fell very ill and was too sick to attend to his garden or go to market. The garden went untouched for many, many weeks, during which time the rabbits cottoned on to the fact that the gardener wasn’t around and dug under the fence and started to feast on the vegetables.

From that point everything started to go downhill.

The weeds started to take over the vegetable patches, strangling the growth of the young seedlings and drinking all the water so they couldn’t grow

The netting became insecure and lifted from the fruit bushes allowing insects to plunge into the ripe fruits and berries.

The chickens were terrified and stopped laying eggs as they were too frightened to come out of their coop as foxes began to creep under the fence and roam the garden.

Perched on the gable end of the shed, a wise owl sat and watched the disarray that had become of the garden – knowing how disappointed the gardener would be as his pride and joy was being so openly abused.

‘I suggest you stop and think how you are all behaving and the potential consequences of your actions’

The wildlife heckled back at the owl, ranting about the controlling old man and how they were finally able to enjoy freedom. The rowdy group became louder and more rebellious, arguing amongst themselves!  The Wise Owl flapped his wings up high to a bid to regain their attention ‘since you all have different views of this garden’ said the owl ‘why not share your thoughts and concerns …..but please speak to each other in a respectful manner’.  The garden fell so silent you could hear a pin drop – …. ‘what’s your view of this situation ‘he asked’ pointing at one of the weeds…

The angry looking weed replied ‘well at least we now get a chance to grow where we want instead of being ripped out and thrown on the compost heap. What a way to end up – it makes us feel worthless’.

The lazy caterpillar who lay stretched out on a cabbage leaf said ‘don’t worry yourself Mr Owl, I won’t be sticking around for too long!  I’ll chomp through this lot so I’m stuffed full, then I’ll get my head down for a bit and grow myself some wings; when I wake up I’ll be off to see the world!

The greedy sparrows chirped “we’re not complaining, there are loads more big fat insects than there used to be.  We have growing families to feed! The caterpillar gave a nervous laugh and quickly retreated into the darkness of the undergrowth.

The rabbits raised their heads from the lettuce patch and said ‘we can have heaps more lettuce, far better quality than what’s usually left on the compost heap, glancing over at the weeds!    ‘How rude!’ replied a dandelion.

The potatoes, carrots and beetroot were under the ground listening intently to the conversations above their heads – ‘blimey, it’s a bit of a war zone up there’ said one of the jersey royals, but I think if we keep our heads down and ride it out, we’ll be ok”.  At that point a brave little carrot spoke up.  “I can’t believe you all.  Apart from the fact that none of you will probably ever see the light of day at this rate, if you do nothing you’ll over grow, split and start to rot.   Don’t you see that our fellow comrades are under attack up there! Will none of you stand up and speak out?  We’re all in this together! And with that he asked a passing worm to give him a big shove, and the little carrot pushed up through the earth and popped his head up above the soil.

Blinking at the bright sunlight and feeling the fresh air for the first time, the little carrot took a moment or two to adjust and compose himself then, in the most authoritative voice a carrot of his size could muster, he shouted “the biggest losers are all the fruits and vegetables!  Either way we get eaten but with the gardener at least we get a chance to be respected, nurtured and appreciated so we can grow big and healthy.   Without us you wouldn’t have a garden to enjoy!  Think how sad he’ll be if he were to see his garden now. What if he never comes back to plant more of us; he’s unwell and he’s not getting any younger.  What if it’s too much work for him to get the garden back into shape.  I think you are all being extremely selfish!

The wildlife looked at each other and the penny finally dropped “the little fella is right’ said a rabbit, “if this free for all carries on then the garden will be destroyed and once this is gone, it’s gone for good”.

So the weeds, caterpillars, sparrows and rabbits got there heads together and began to make a plan, with a few compromises thrown in for good measure.

The weeds grew but only round the edges of the garden.

The insects agreed to stay off the vegetables and only to eat the fallen fruits which covered the ground.

The sparrows made patrols of the garden, eating any insects which broke the rules and strayed onto the growing fruits and vegetables.

The rabbits stayed off the main vegetable patches, again eating the fallen fruits and berries whilst guarding the perimeter fences so they could alert the chickens to the unwanted presence of any devilish foxes.

The chickens began to relax and started to lay eggs again which pleased the gardener’s wife, as she could make tasty omelettes to help the gardener regain his strength.

After a few weeks the gardener felt as ‘fit as a fiddle’ and well enough to return to his garden.  He was pleased to see things were not as chaotic and overridden as he had imagined.  He went back to work, maintaining the garden and planting more crops with even more growing success than what he previously achieved; this pleased the old gardener knowing that he still had green fingers.  With a spring in his step and a whistle while he worked, he prepared the produce for market, much to the amusement of the wildlife who continued with the ‘behind the scenes’ teamwork to help the old man maintain his garden, their home.

 

The Wall

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By Geraldine Fraser

So, we all know how these things go. The stories we hear as we grow up. The messages those who look after us think we should know. And there’s a pattern, isn’t there? A formula. Key ingredients.

The ugly duckling who turns into a swan. The princess rescued from a tower by a handsome prince. The magic spell lifted by true love’s kiss. The deception of disguise with the wolf in sheep’s clothing, or even dressed as grandma.

Beware! the stories say to us. Fit in to the expectation. This is the right way to go. The only way.

But what if these stories took a different turn. What if the ugly duckling was beautiful just as he was. What if the princess was rescued by herself and her logical ability to figure this mess out. What if the dreamy princess could find her way right out of that spell using only the gifts that she possessed and not those from beyond her means.

Makes you think – doesn’t it? What do these stories teach us? What messages are we really giving? Really hearing.

So.

Here is the story of a wall.

The magnificent. Iron grey, smooth surface. Insurmountable. Nowhere to grip. No end to the top. Almost bowing as it stretched to seeming infinity. No-one had ever climbed this wall. No-one ever would. It couldn’t be done. It was just too big.

Any creature who had ever come across the wall could only see one way. To skirt the edges. To traverse the lower reaches and to remain safe. Keep the ground in view. Take care now – you know it is dangerous. You will fall. You will fail.

Until one day. She stood at the bottom. Craning to see the top but not able to quite see the distinction between the grey impenetrable slab and the sky beyond. Stepping back, she looked all ways. It really does look like it might be impossible.

She takes a step closer. Texture comes in to view as the stark greyness seems to dissipate. Perhaps a change to the texture of the imposing steel grey.

Closer again. Perhaps that is a ridge. Maybe a small crack. Possibly a crevice.

She waits. Nobody can expect me to do this by myself. It has never been done before.

She waits.

Again, she looks at the newly presented surface of the stone fascia. Are you sure it cannot be done? Are you sure you need more than you have?

She waits.

And then she takes another step. Closer still. Placing a hand on the uninviting pumice like coolness. The warmth of her hand giving her strength and belief. Her own opposing force of warmth against cold. A surge of belief and a sense of overwhelming, splendid isolation..

She reaches for the ridge. Places a finger grip in the crack of the stone. A foothold in the crevice.

She climbs.

Finding the next stronghold.

Waiting no more she scales the insurmountable surmountable face.

Bit by bit. Piece by piece.

Slowly traversing the impassible surface.

The impassible becomes possible.

She reaches the top.

She looks.

She waits…………………

 

Ruby the Rabbit Learns Leadership

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By Alison Welton

Once upon a time, there was a rabbit called Ruby who lived in a snuggly burrow in a green grassy field by a fresh water stream.

Ruby was a very wise, calm and thoughtful rabbit and each day would sit back in the morning sunshine watching the other rabbits run around the open fields.  She would take in the views all around, breath in the clean fresh air with the smell of the fresh grass and listen to the sound of the stream trickling along.

The other rabbits that lived with her in the burrow spent their days running around the fields and getting up to mischief.  When they returned each day and told Ruby about their adventures and mishaps Ruby would say to them ‘I told you so’ or ‘that was your own fault’. Then the next day the rabbits would go off again on an adventure and do the same things and get in to the same mishaps and come back and Ruby would say again ‘I told you so’ or ‘that was your own fault’.

Ruby wanted to help the other Rabbits to become wiser, she wanted to share her wisdom and experience with them but wondered if they would ever listen.

Then, one day whilst lying back and wondering how she could get the rabbits to listen to her she saw black clouds gathering, felt a breeze picking and realised that a storm was brewing.  If the storm hit, the waters would rise and their burrow would be flooded. They would have no home.  Ruby went into a panic and started to hop around wondering what she should do and thinking why had no one realised this before and moved to another burrow.

Ruby had to do something so she stood high up on her back legs and called for all the rabbits to listen and told them that there was a storm coming their home would be flooded and if they would not listen to her it was their fault that they would not have a home anymore. The rabbits listened for a second and then continued to run around the fields again enjoying themselves.

Ruby sat back, then after a few moments got up again and hopped, jumped and bounced through the air doing her own dance and all the other rabbits watched in amazement as they had never seen Ruby dance before.  Once she had their attention she then said to them in her calm thoughtful voice, I have been exploring our land and when you go up the hill there is a beautiful tree which provides shelter from the rain and shade from the sun, there are amazing views down the valley and you can see for miles around, the grass is so lush and green up the hill and it tastes delicious…..  and before Ruby could finish all the other rabbits said lets go and see and they ran off up the hill.

They all reached the tree and tasted the lush grass and next to the tree was a burrow which was just perfect for them all to live in.  All the rabbits asked Ruby why she had not told them about this before……  The storm never came…..  but the rabbits lived up the hill in the new burrow and each day listened to Ruby’ enchanting tales of survival …………

 

The Last Farrier

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By Caroline Hamilton

I am going to tell you a story about a yard full of horses and the farriers that passed through their stable doors.

The horses in this yard were varied. There were horses of all colours and markings. Bays, blacks, blue-roans, pie-, tri- and skew-bald, stars and startling white flashes on faces, various quantities of stockings and socks, scrubby tails and flowing manes, glistening short coats that need a coat themselves in the winter, thick, dense hair that never seemed clean after endless brushing.

There were thoroughbreds bred for speed and competition, warmbloods from the continent for their bounce in front of a fence or a vast open ditch, Arabs for their stamina, their ability for an endless trot on a never ending road. There were Shires and Clydesdales for strength, able to pull carriages, or in the days bygone by necessity and nowadays for fun at the country fairs, the plough. There were young-uns, and old-uns, as green as the spring flush of grass, as old, weathered and beaten as the barn doors. There were the skittish, and the steady, the compliant, and the cantankerous.

The first farrier who arrived was large, and loud, declaring the hot shoe as the best. All the tools needed were there, and every nail driven by the hammer would be done in two thuds, very quick. The heavy horses didn’t bat an eyelid, the warmbloods and the old-uns would bear it and suffer the elbow in the ribs if something went just amiss for this farrier. The thoroughbreds, the Arabs, and the young-uns deplored the arrival of this farrier, they tried their best to behave appropriately, but it wasn’t long before their eyes were darting around looking for solace, and they danced to be away as soon as possible, not realising that this only made them feel the experience in the dark light they saw it worse. Then the cantankerous arrived, and the farrier reflected their mood, and that time was unpleasant for everyone.

The second farrier arrived, and again had all the tools, and was meek and mild, and followed the lead given. Extra long studs in the shoe of the jumper, without looking over the stable door and considering the bedding depth. A racing plate for the thoroughbred, whose daily exercise walking on the tarmac roads, slipping and skidding, and all the time worrying when they’d next be on their knees. Hobbling for the skittish, a front leg tied to a back leg so that when they jumped, they’d pull their own legs from under them, and learn a lesson for the next time. Twitching for the cantankerous, basically a nut-cracker attached to the nose, in anticipation of a problem arising.

The last farrier arrived, again laden with all the tools, and with pockets heavily loaded with mints made the long walk around every stable door before starting. The last farrier watched the ears of all the horses, and their gait be it graceful or gawky, and their muscles be they taut and tightly bound, or trouble free, and the horses watched the last farrier, raising a leg and resting it down, waiting, wondering. The last farrier had arms strong enough to do as needed and hands that although thick skinned from the work, applied the gentlest of touch to a tired aching limb, a meaningful pull to the resistant, the right pressure to the young-uns and the skittish who sought and moved into the reassuring contact. The last farrier spoke differently to the Arabs with their heads head high and aloof, than to the old-uns who weren’t the best of hearing, than to the warmbloods and thoroughbreds who are known for their impatience.

When the last farrier packed away their tools and then walked away, I listened to hooves making the rhythmic and heat warming noise of a horse clip-clopping, and I thought to myself that this last farrier was the one that we would all want to meet again.

The Secrets of the Linden Tree….

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By Duncan Naven

Read more

Take A Bite of Florence Madden Associates……!

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Try Before You Buy…………….

  • 1-1½ hour free ‘taster’ sessions for up to 6 people
  • Webinar based – although some face to face may be possible
  • Some may require some pre-session preparation
  • Choose from the topics listed below or talk to me if you have some other ideas……..
  • To find out more get in touch !

Overview of Taster Sessions:

Managing Our Impact on Others – Using the Johari Window model to get some insight on how we are impacting on others and in turn how that impacts on the effectiveness of our work relationships.

Time Management – Looking at some key principles of how the way our brain works can interfere with managing our time effectively and what we can do about it. (This Session would involve some preparation work.)

Mind Your Language – Noticing how language patterns can indicate how we or others are getting in our own way, on our path to success and happiness.

What Is NLP? – Introducing what Neuro Linguistic Programming is about and how it can help in life and work. Specifically, how we perceive ourselves others and the world around us and the impact that can have on our effectiveness.

Managing Difficult Emotions – How can we change our beliefs and attitudes to keep us in a more resourceful place, when we feel challenged by the behaviour of others? Similarly, how are thinking about ourselves that may stop us fulfilling our potential?

Managing Your State – Increasing our awareness of our somatic mind as well as a cognitive mind and using this to identify and maintain a resourceful state in challenging situations.

Preparing to Run Effective Meetings – Looking at some key principles for setting up a meeting to run successfully and encouraging effective participation.

What’s Your Leadership Style? – Exploring the idea of what kind of leadership is needed at different situations or career stages and style preference suing the Situational Leadership Model.

Line Manager as A Coach – Introduction to what coaching is (and isn’t) and how developing a coaching style will get more from an individual and a team.

Understanding Team Roles – Using the Belbin Team Roles to understand the contribution that team members can make and so using these skills more effectively.

About Florence Madden Associates:

Since starting my business in 2002 with 13 years training and development experience within commercially driven environments, I have been developing a strong track record of helping others to achieve and grow.

I am an author, trainer, coach and podcaster who is passionate about seeing people and organisations thrive and succeed; and I am passionate about the part that development plays in that!

Organisations need to thrive to survive and so any training and development intervention needs to be

  • Practical
  • Flexible
  • Value for money

as well as delivering solutions that give the client the outcome they are looking for!

Now more than ever, as we emerge from lockdown and have to adjust to the ‘new normal’, and the challenges this means for business development and sustainability; as well as perhaps managing people in new ways too.

To find out more get in touch !

 

What Existing Customers Say:

Florence and I worked closely to design a bespoke Leadership course for our management population.  This was an area that we recognised needed investment and Florence was so helpful in helping us to pinpoint the areas of focus.  The course was designed not just to ‘fix problems’ but to get under the skin of issues to help our managers think differently, approach things in new ways and really evolve as leaders.  The feedback from the delegates has been great to hear and we are seeing new and valuable skills, such as coaching, being put into practice throughout the organisation which is having a transformative impact on how we do business.

 

Jenni King Head of Human Resource KLM UK Engineering

 

“Best non-technical course I have ever been on”.

Well structured, applicable to everyday role, applicable to current teams…..Feedback now readily given amongst the team. Team members more open to receiving feedback, as well as the general improvement of the structure of the feedback given as well. We even have an acronym for FLORENCE in our management meetings:

“First Listen Or Respect Everyone Needs a Change to Engage”

You’re definitely a verb as well, also called “having a Florence moment” as well!

Jake Woods Optimisation & Planning Manager px Limited

 

Florence’s seemingly effortless presenting/facilitating style makes all of her courses a joy.  The ease with which she guides us (the students) through the various theories and practices is awe inspiring.  Attending any of her courses has many benefits for me not least the learning that you take in the subject matter as it also includes the opportunity to learn, experience and model her own facilitating style.  One course attendee on this course referred to us taking a little part of Florence away with us.

Jim Maguire Jim Maguire Associates Ltd

 

Florence has a real sense of ease and passion in the way she delivers the sessions.  Her knowledge is unsurpassable and she challenges and provokes thinking in a way that engages rather than shuts down, which I have experienced of other people’s courses

Karleen Wood Baxi Heating UK Ltd Human Resources

 

The programme is excellent. It enables you to grow as a person and in NLP Mastery. Florence runs a tight ship in terms of learning and practice ensuring learned practice is of a professional standard.

Jill Pinington Jill Pinington Coaching

 

 

 

 

Listening, Pausing, Watching Things Grow

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Listening, Pausing, Watching Things
Grow
By Jim Maguire, Leadership Coach, Trainer, NLP Master Practitioner and Mediator.
In previous blogs on my website I have spoken about listening, pausing and watching things grow and as we enter week 10 of lockdown it feels like I’ve done an awful lot of all three.

For instance, in the last couple of months, Zoom has grown from being an ice lolly from childhood, to an online platform where we can all video chat, attend webinars (and deliver them). The new normal of working from home means the days merge, weekends and evening are now just as productive as any other time.  Embracing and growing into the flexibility of working when we get the inspiration has become second nature.

The new way of working has had its challenges and amazing opportunities. Daily exercise has provided much needed routine especially as the commute is shorter than it has ever been. My daily walk has replaced a lunchtime coffee shop ponder and provided me with the time and space to pause, make plans and look for new opportunities.

On one walk I was thinking about growth and growing as I passed a Damson Tree in blossom. Over the weeks I noticed a change and each time I’d gone by the tree had grown and transformed just a little. The tree’s initial job to inspire and attract the best, most talented workers to pollinate the flowers is transforming. The coming transformation will see the fruit grow and hopefully thrive. This is when, with help from a tree surgeon, a tree will maintain this growth. A great Tree Surgeon will work with the tree providing the right conditions, nutrients, light and shade for them to develop and grow. This in turn enables the tree to create an environment for the fruit to develop. After a short period of time some of the fruit will have been picked and will go on to produce great trees themselves. Other fruit will stay around the tree and help it to be more resilient for the future.
I am wondering can we look at a leader and a coach in the same way as we look at the tree and tree surgeon? Read this again, I’ve only changed a few words.

The Leaders initial job to inspire and attract the best, most talented workers to pollinate the company, is transforming. The coming phase will see the business grow and thrive. This is when, with help from a Coach, a successful Leader will maintain this growth. A great Coach will work with the Leader providing the right conditions, nutrients, light and shade for them to develop and grow. This in turn enables the Leader to create an environment for the staff to develop and the business to thrive. After a short period of time some of the staff will have been picked and will go on to be great Leaders themselves. Other staff will stay around the Leader and help the business to be more resilient for the future.

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