Time for some new blood?

Whether you are building a team from scratch or adding a new team member there will be some challenges to getting everyone to work well together so that they give the very best service to your customers.

Bruce Tuckman developed the forming, storming, norming, performing model in 1965. He believed that all of the phases are necessary and inevitable for a team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results.

I’ve seen the stages play out in lots of different environments and while the stages are most clearly seen when everyone in the team is new, I've observed the changes that have taken place with the addition of just one new individual.

I was working as a project manager implementing a new HR system for an IT company and while I was there they recruited a new HR director (the role had been vacant for some time) when she first started all of her team (seven people) went out of their way to get her up to speed with all of the projects and processes – FORMING.

In the STORMING stage, as she asked for an increased number of reports and meetings which felt like micromanaging, some team members began to get disgruntled and one member of the team resigned.

Once the HR director had a firm grasp of the situation and what changes and improvements needed to be made, there was a team meeting to establish roles and responsibilities – NORMING.

Once everyone was clear about their roles the team started PERFORMING well.

Any changes come with challenges, people are not designed to like change. Here are some tips to help you go through the process as smoothly as possible:

Forming Stage

The team has just been introduced and everyone is overly polite and pleasant.

During this stage, you should discuss:

• Member’s skills, background and interests

• Project goals

• Timeline

• Ground rules

• Individual roles

Team members need to develop relationships and understand what part each person plays, allow time for this and don’t get too hung up on deadlines.

Storming stage

Being in a team is like being in a relationship. At first, you may think someone is perfect. but then you discover that they aren’t. Once you’re aware of their flaws, you will either learn to accept the imperfections or the relationship will end quickly.

In the storming stage, personalities may clash. Team members might disagree over how to complete a task, or believe that they are better qualified to lead.

Remember that disagreements are normal. It is important to recognise conflicts and address them early on. As part of your ground rules, you should have something around respectful challenges.

Norming Stage

During the norming stage, people start to notice and appreciate their team members’ strengths. The team starts to settle into a flow. Everyone is contributing and working together as a unit.

Storming sometimes overlaps with norming. As new tasks arise, there may still be a few conflicts. Continue to address any conflicts that arise quickly and remember to reinforce and demonstrate positive behaviour.

Performing Stage

At the performing stage, team members are confident, motivated and have a clear understanding of their role within the team. they can work without supervision. Everyone is progressing to achieve the same goal.

The fourth stage is the one that all groups strive to reach but some do not make it.  Normally it is because they fail to overcome conflict and can’t work together. This is why it is so important to address issues as they arise.

Let us know what you'll be doing to get your team through the forming, storming, norming stages so that you can reach the performing stage with ease.

What is keeping you up at night?

I don’t’ know about you, but if I haven't had a good nights sleep, it affects my whole day!

Especially at the moment while I’m training for next months London Marathon.

Not being rested affects my speed and endurance

And my mood

For the entire day!

How much worse is it when your business is keeping you awake and then you have to spend the day dealing with business challenges whilst exhausted?

Like my client Claire who was drowning under the weight of trying to do ALL THE THINGS.

She had a never-ending list of tasks that were required to take her business to the next level, however, they never got touched because she only had the capacity to focus on delivering to her current clients.

Every time that she sat down to relax (or sleep), all she could think about was the list of things that she hadn’t achieved.

And so her business started to feel like an anchor, rather than a sailboat.

Have you ever felt like that?

When that legacy-building, freedom-giving business you dreamt of feels so very far away.

After taking Claire through our unique systems and processes, we were able to establish achievable objectives and goals for her business growth. We hired a team member and a contractor to increase her capacity and give her peace of mind so that she could sleep peacefully and have the energy need to build her business.

She was able to make small steps every day to move forward and within a month, was able to launch a new service to her customers.

The first step was having fierce clarity on her business and personal objectives, so that she knew what to focus on, but more importantly what to say 'No' to.

I share more on getting unstuck in this LinkedIn live.

Are you the leader that you want to be?

Are you struggling to retain your top performers?

There is a lot of data which shows that a major reason for team members leaving an organisation is because they didn’t like or rate their boss.

“People leave managers, not companies”

Marcus Buckingham

Employees are not always honest during their exit interview because no one wants to burn bridges and some industries are extremely close knit. But you only need to look at the reviews on websites like Glassdoor to see that there are internal management and cultural issues that are not being addressed which have led to disgruntled staff voting with their feet.

As amazing as your organisational culture may be, your team will mainly have a relationship with their direct line manger and if they aren’t embodying the values of your business, they will demotivate excellent staff and cause them to leave, which will increase the hiring cost to your business.

I remember restructuring an IT department and being told by at least four individuals that if a particular person was successful in getting the manager post they would leave. Turned out that that person had been in a management position before and was moved to another position after numerous complaints were received.

However, no one had shared that information with the person, so they applied for the role. Luckily, when we interviewed I could see why they weren’t the ideal and made sure to give them feedback and put them on the leadership training programme to help them to develop the skills needed.

Now the staff in that particular organisation were able to share their issues with me because they had built a relationship with me and knew I could be trusted with their concerns, but if they didn’t have that confidence they would have just looked for another role and resigned.

Like Sophie who couldn’t understand why the staff turnover in Billy’s team was higher than all of her other managers. She would meet with all of the teams regularly and had an open-door policy for all of her staff, but when team members would leave they would give their reason for leaving as more money or a shorter commute.

It wasn’t until Billy was out sick and Sophie stepped in to support his team that she found out that he was micromanaging his team believing that it was the only way to make sure that everything got done.

When Sophie asked for the risk assessments no one knew where they were because Billy completed them, when she asked the team to print out the sales reports again no one knew how.

Each person had something that they were responsible for but no knowledge sharing had taken place, so sharing the load or covering for sickness was generally done by Billy.

No wonder why the highly intelligent staff that Sophie hired weren’t lasting long in Billy’s team, their progress was being stifled.

It’s important that individuals within your business feel empowered to share how they are feeling and are confident that you will take action to rectify any issues, but to find out you need to take time to meet individually and …

1.     Ask if they think their job is meaningful

2.     Ask what could be done to improve the organisational culture

3.     Ask if they feel valued at work

4.     Ask if they have the equipment to enable them to do their job effectively

5.     Ask about their work-life balance, and what could be done to improve it

6.     Ask what they think about remote working (if it would be a viable option)

7.     Ask if they would recommend a friend join your business 

Now take these responses and use them to create a people plan for your business. If you need some help pulling this together, contact us to schedule a call

Is Your Management Style Killing Your Business?

My client Greg was feeling totally overwhelmed with running his business; ensuring the quality of his products, managing his staff, keeping his clients happy, keeping up with the invoicing, admin, marketing and all the other essential things.

So when I sat down with him to make a plan to lighten his load, so that he could scale his business I thought he’d need a hiring plan, then he told me there were four office based staff as well as his manufacturing team!

When we discussed what his team actually did, it transpired that he’d hired people with the right skills (admin, marketing, fulfilment) but didn’t trust them to deliver to his exacting standard, so everything went through him!

Greg was the funnel that slowed everything up!

So after looking the structure and responsibilities of those on his team. I spent some 1-2-1 with his team to get their ideas on improving the business and I got a ton!! They were insightful, detailed and his team were more than ready to implement them.

Then I asked why these ideas hadn’t been shared with Greg and I was told, “as far as he is concerned, the only good ideas are his own”.

“Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say!”

— Andy Stanley

Greg and I talked at length about how he could empower his staff but still be confident that the outcome would be of a high standard.

Using our Leading for Growth systems and processes, we set objectives and had his team create project plans, so that progress could be tracked and reviewed at every stage.

Greg was able to get some time back to focus on business build activities and fun family time and his team were able to work to their full potential.

A total win/win!

Staff are an investment of time and resource. It’s so vital that you ensure that your team are challenged and there is value for you to have that person in your team. It’s a mutual transaction. I personally believe that anyone who works with me should be better at the end than at the start.

How are you bettering your team and your business?

Learning and developing in a role is a key reason why people stay with an employer, so is having autonomy. Build a team that can grow with you.

Grab our FREE guide to Hiring to make sure you hire the right person with the right skills at the right time.

Are your team members achieving their full potential?

“Does your daughter use proper cutlery at home?” my daughters preschool teacher pulled me aside to ask. “No, she has plastic cutlery”. The teacher handed me a child-sized set of metal cutlery and said let her practice with these at home.

Oh, the shame!

I’d been holding back my daughter’s development and I never even realised it! I’d love to tell you that this was the only time, but there have been other instances when my children have come home with new life skills that I hadn’t realised they were ready to develop.

The same applies to your teams, getting your team to take on increased responsibility and ownership for the outcomes that you require means that you need to open up opportunities for your team members to develop like my client Alice who was struggling to focus on building her business because she was caught up trying to get the day to day things completed.

Her company mobile phone would not stop ringing, as her managers referred any difficult customers to her rather than dealing with them themselves, this meant that the majority of her customers had her number and would just call to speak with Alice rather than talk to the manager for their relevant store.

At first, I thought that the manager's job descriptions would need updating but all the things they were supposed to be doing were written in there, they’d just never been required to deliver. So, we updated the manager's objectives. delivered our signature Management Fundamentals course and implemented regular peer coaching sessions so that the managers could learn from each other.

Alice also changed her mobile number so that customers could only contact their relevant store or head office. It made all the difference, the manager’s stepped up and Alice was able to focus on developing new products and opening new stores. 

If you are struggling to get your team to take ownership, try the following:

1. Encourage your team to focus on the outcome rather than the method. Give your team the freedom to try new things and  implement changes, so long as the desired outcome can be achieved.

2. Ask questions rather than giving a solution. Try coaching your team members through the problem, so that they can work out the best resolution and build their confidence.

3. Provide training to support. Make sure your team members are building the skills that they need to be successful.

4. Create process manuals (with your team) so their reference tool isn’t you. It's important that the key processes that happen in your business are documented, so that you can train your new team members and existing teams members have a reference tool.

Let us know which changes you’ll be implementing to empower your team in the comments and grab our FREE guide to Hiring to make sure you hire the right person.

One bad apple will spoil the whole bunch

Last week I was asked about the signs of a toxic employee and it made me think about all the clients and managers that have come to me over the years with concerns about members of staff.

I think that generally when I started getting the history, there were always concerns at the outset but they overlooked them and didn’t address them during the probation period.

When I started my first proper HR job, I was in charge of graduate recruitment and we had selection days with graduates, where they would go through a series of tests and interviews, at the end of the day we would decide who to offer a position to. It was a group decision, we made sure that at least 6 people interacted with each candidate to get a balanced decision.

I had concerns about a candidate, they were super smart, really articulate but I could see that they were not a team player and that their directness would rub colleagues and clients up the wrong way.

Don’t get me wrong being challenging isn’t a bad thing, it just needs to be tempered with the ability to negotiate and be accepting of another person's point of view.

I shared my concerns but my boss disagreed with me and so the person was offered a position. Less than 2 months later my boss and I were in a room telling this individual that their contract was going to be terminated and having a really difficult conversation as their inability to self reflect made the feedback difficult to hear.

I want to help you avoid making poor hiring or promotion choices, so here are the points to look out for:

An inability to self reflect.

Ask questions on what went wrong and what they have learnt. Are they blaming others?

A preference to work alone (unless the role requires it).

No man/woman is an island. You want to hear about collaboration, influence and negotiation

A lack of Emotional intelligence.

Do they pick up nuances in tone and body language?

Are they problem multipliers, rather than problem solvers?

Do they come to you with issues that they should be solving themselves? Do they always respond with negativity to change or challenge?

Are they self serving?

Do they help others? Are they willing to share their time and knowledge?

Let us know which tip’s you’ll be implementing with your team in the comments and grab our FREE guide to Hiring to make sure you hire the right person

Is it weak to ask for help?

When you have a business challenge is your first thought, ‘How can I fix it?’ or ‘Who can help me fix it?’

I’ll bet you generally go into the solve-it mode, I used to do that too…and being totally transparent sometimes I still do!

As an entrepreneur, it can be difficult to release the reins and allow others to work on your ‘business baby’. You’ve put so much into building up your business you want everything to be perfect.

Both in my corporate and entrepreneurial life, I have struggled with delegating the time consuming administrative and technical tasks to others, as I was SURE they couldn’t do it as well and/or as quickly as me, and if I was going to have to teach them and then check it afterwards, I may as well have done it myself!

But I wasn’t doing myself any favours, I was busy being busy, my business wasn’t growing as quickly as it should have been because I was trying to do ALL THE THINGS, and my team wasn’t learning or developing.

The whole idea of recruiting and building a team is to free you up to do the high-value stuff, like speaking with potential clients and delivering excellence to your paying clients, it should also mean that you can go on holiday WITHOUT your laptop, iPad and iPhone, take the afternoon off to relax in the spa, or go to your children’s school play without worrying about what’s happening in the office.

When I’ve broken down the reason why most business owners lack trust in their team, it’s because they fear they’ll get things wrong, that they’ll change the winning formula that has gotten them this far.

Like my client Alice, who was struggling to focus on building her business because she was caught up trying to get the day-to-day things completed.

Her company mobile phone would not stop ringing, as her managers referred any difficult customers to her rather than dealing with them themselves.

This meant that the majority of her customers had her number and would just call, rather than talk to the manager for the relevant store (even though they’d be seeing them face to face regularly). The head office line hardly rang, so Alice’s assistant wasn’t inundated with calls. Alice felt trapped.

After spending some time with Alice it became apparent that her caring and maternal nature had meant that her managers didn’t even attempt to solve tricky problems, they just called Alice for the answer.

My first suggestion was to change her mobile number and remove it from all the business literature. Each store and store manager had a telephone number and there was a number for head office too.

We delivered our signature management training programme to the managers and their deputies, created a peer coaching group and created a crib sheet for the managers to be sure they understood the policies and processes so that they took ownership for managing issues and didn’t need to disrupt Alice, except for emergencies.

A month after the phone was disconnected Alice said “I feel like a weight has been lifted, I don’t know why I didn’t do that sooner, thank you”

Delegating is always a major subject in our Management and Leadership Coaching Programmes, so I thought I’d share a few tips to help:

Play to your strengths

Know what you are good at and stick to it. When you started your business you were a team of one and had to get everything done (sales, products, accounts, marketing, logistics). Now you can buy in support, either through outsourced providers (accountants, VA, social media, contractors) or employees.

Get the right support in and give them the autonomy to deliver. Getting support doesn’t mean that you have to lock yourself into a full-time permanent contract. If you are concerned that your business might experience a downturn (or you know the support you need is seasonal), you can hire casual staff or offer a contract on a fixed-term and/or part-time basis.

Take the time to train your team

Have you ever said, “By the time I teach them how to do it, I could have done it myself!” Ten years ago this would have definitely been me, but by the time I’d had to complete that task three or four times, I was wishing that I had trained someone, ANYONE else in my team to do it.

As annoying as it sounds, you have to invest time to free up time, whether it is setting up a system, process or training an individual and this is the same thing I say to clients who are too busy to find time the hire the staff they need – it’s chicken and egg! A fully trained and empowered employee means more freedom for you.

Train your team and have them document the process and keep it up to date, then whenever you have a new joiner or promote a team member you have a process manual ready!

Block out your time

It is really easy to get distracted by the admin needed to run a business even with an administrator or VA on staff, so block your time for specific tasks.

I do write down my Must-Dos for each day and the time that I am dedicating to them. Then at the allocated time I close down my emails and put my phone on airplane mode so that I keep focused.

I use a variation of the Pomodoro method. Instead of working for 25-minute sprints with a 5-minute break, I work for an hour or 90 minutes and then take a longer break.

This helps me to focus on a particular project as I find that it can take a while to get into the zone and once I get there it can be difficult to stop (and I like to complete tasks in one hit if I can).

Change your location

When I first started my business, I worked from home and would spend the first couple of hours in the day, cleaning and tidying before I started working and then would be carrying out other chores too. Have you ever popped into the supermarket to come out two hours later?

It didn’t take long to realise that being at home wasn’t helping my focus and so I found a co-working space to work from. The change of location was just what I needed, there were no dirty dishes or laundry to distract me but lots of businesses to connect with.

Once you have a team (working alongside you or remotely) it can be easy to be constantly distracted with their tasks and challenges. I used to struggle when I overheard a conversation that I wanted to chip in on; my ears would switch on and the focus on my task would go flying out of the window.

If you are constantly being interrupted by your team asking for your help (for outcomes that they are capable of delivering) or you can’t resist ‘offering’ assistance and keeping all the real decision making for yourself, it’s time for you to find somewhere else to work from at least one day a week, to give you and your team some space to be great.

The saying that, what you don’t know can’t hurt you, was definitely true in this circumstance. If there is truly an emergency your team will get in touch, don’t worry it will be fine.

Try these tips and you’ll get the help you need to take your business to the next level.

Need help hiring the help you need or developing the leadership skills you or your team need, schedule a call to see how we can help you.

I nearly gave it all up!

I don’t need to tell you that running a business is hard, I know you get it!

The long days, trying to do all the things, nights with no sleep, worry that you won’t make the money you need... and the rest!

When I sacked my corporate job to work on my business full time, I had more than enough work to keep me busy but when those projects came to an end, I had a heart-stopping few weeks while I looked for my next clients.

And it kept happening again and again. I’d get so caught up with the work on my business that I forgot about working on my pipeline, I’d skip the networking events and neglect my social media.

I’m a certified introvert.

I love working with my clients but working on building my business wasn’t my strong point.

I found the whole sales and marketing process stressful and if I’m honest, I procrastinated.

So when a corporate client offered me a job (for the third time!) I engaged in the negotiation, I thought about how nice it would be to just have one job!

To focus on delivering the best to clients and having a team to deal with all the rest and provide cover when I took a break!

It was looking very appealing.

But I remembered what I’d be leaving behind.

My freedom, taking my girls to school, meeting hubby for lunch and taking on the projects that appeal to me, to name a few...

I decided it was time to build a team to take on the things I wasn’t so good at and so I hired a virtual assistant to tackle my marketing and systematise my sales process.

It changed my life.

My VA’s email folder is called ‘Lifesaver’.

Without feeling the need to constantly work on the sales and marketing elements of my business, I was able to focus on the stuff I liked, this has lead to me writing a book, being featured in publications and podcasts and still delivering bespoke HR solutions.

Are you ready to build a team that frees you up to take you business to the next level?

Grab our FREE guide to hiring your first or next team member.

Do you want an overhead or an investment

One of the biggest myths that hold businesses back is seeing staff as a cost rather than an investment.

While we must wait until we have the income needed to cover staff costs, hiring the cheapest is very rarely the answer.

Like Julie, an amazing creative who built her business by working with interns and trainees; she came to me because she felt like she was constantly retraining her team.

The interns were great for projects and the trainees would stay for a year and then leave to take a ‘proper job’ that paid them a ‘proper salary’.

This meant that the business that Juile had run for over 10 years was beginning to feel like a burden.

She couldn’t go away on holiday without shutting her shop. She had to keep a watchful eye at all times.

It started affecting her turnover too, so wasn’t creating new items. Her loyal regulars were coming in and recommending friends but that was it, hardly any walk-ins.

Julie didn’t have time to be creative, she was focused on keeping things ticking over and making sure the quality of the finished items was high.

Using our unique systems and processes, we identified the roles and structure that Julie needed to build her business and make it less reliant on her constant presence.

We hired an Operations Manager to oversee the store, interns and trainees. Julie was able to focus on her love of designing and training the trainees. 

Once she was free from the red tape, Julie felt her creative juices start to flow again and she was able to find the time to design new innovative items.

A part-time Marketing Executive was also hired to oversee a website refresh, create and implement the social media strategy.

Even though the pandemic, the online store kept Julie and her team busy – creating items, making repairs and even creating some bespoke designs.

Getting a qualified manager made all the difference to Julies peace of mind and bottom line.

If you hire RIGHT your team should pay for themselves (and then some) through increased sales and efficiencies.

When I look at my balance sheet I think that staff costs should be under the direct product/service cost as it makes it easier the see the correlation between a growing business and an amazing team, with the right skills.

If you are ready to make your first hire or your next hire, my calendar is open for the next two weeks, click this link to book a FREE 20 Team Strategy Call, where you’ll come away with some actionable advice and tips.

What's on your bucket list?

Last week I turned 45 and inspired by a fellow entrepreneur, I wrote a list of 50 things that I want to do before I turn 50!

Do you have a bucket list?

On it are things like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and perfecting my French but top of my list was running the Iconic London Marathon and yesterday I found out that I got a spot for this year!

Which is Fab!

But SCARY

26.2 miles IN.ONE.GO!

I’m still slightly in disbelief

But i’m fully aware of the work that is ahead of me - the runs, strength work, yoga and nutrition. Because I’ve already been preparing; I ran a half marathon on January 1st and have two more booked in the Spring.

This reminds me of the work that I do with my clients to start or build their team. 

We form the strategy, the structure, the job descriptions, adverts, interview questions and tests - then we finally select the perfect team member and after the excitement of securing the candidate…

My client gets nervous, they start thinking of all the things that they need to get set up to give the person the very best chance of success - how to get them to hit the ground running.

But then they remember that we planned for this, that they’ve already started and they have a plan. That by using our proven methodologies they are sorted.

Like my client Catherine who is a super busy creative, needing more time to be creative and less doing the administrative stuff. So we used our hiring framework to find her the best Operations Assistant and we had a strategy session to help her to step into her true CEO role, so that she could set her new team member up for success. Now she’s been able to focus on creating new lines and building her brand.

If you are planning to build or grow your team, schedule a FREE 20 minute call to discuss how we can help you, using our the Team Strategy Call

Are you ready to thrive ?

Towards the end of last year, I took some time out to rest and plan for 2021 but if I’m honest I found it hard to plan with some much uncertainty, especially with at least another 2 months of homeschooling in my future.

But as I reviewed last year using the Year Compass method, I realised that I’d achieved 90% of my 2020 objectives because I had full clarity on what I wanted to achieve and a vision board above my desk to remind me.

Do you make vision boards or mind-maps?

One of the first things that I have my clients complete is a personal objective plan, you thought it’d be a business plan or people plan, didn’t you? Well, I start with you because I believe that your business should work for you, not the other way around.

Last month I started working with an amazing business owner, who wanted to build a team to support his growing business in preparation for the birth of his second child. Before our meeting, he had completed our personal objective plan template, which detailed his short, medium and long-term goals for Faith, Money, Business, Relationships, Health and Fun. If you want a copy just click here.

Once he’d completed it, it made deciding what help he needed within his team much easier, as he could balance his skills and the time that he had available, with what was needed in his business.

It meant that we were able to structure his team for growth and create new, interesting roles to attract the very best candidates.

Here are five things that you need to do, as you plan for the year ahead:

1. Be clear about what you want, we start our businesses to have freedom as well as financial reward. If you want to work 3 days a week and take the whole of August off write it down

2. Plan your business in alignment with your personal short, medium and long term goals. To get to the place where you can take the whole of August off might take a year or three, what steps can you be taking in-between?

3. Details the resources you’ll need as you progress through your plan; staff, training/skills, office space, equipment etc

4. Plan in milestones and make sure you celebrate achieving every single one!

5. Write in pencil, things will change and deadlines shift but you will get to your ultimate goal

If you need help building or structuring your team for the year ahead, Schedule a FREE Team Strategy Call with us and come away with some actionable tips.

Recruit in haste, repent at leisure

Sue was in a major rush to find a replacement for her finance manager who was about to start maternity leave.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t had 5 months to prepare, it was just that time went by so fast with the business expansion that suddenly she went from not wanting to hire too early, to needing a replacement to start in four weeks.

Sue interviewed several candidates, she had a clear favourite but they could only start in 8 weeks, so she went with her second choice.

Two weeks into handover period, she discovered that her chosen candidate didn’t have as much experience as they’d said and they couldn’t use the accounts software. Sue tried to get her previous first choice back for the role but they’d already secured something else.

We work with clients who are terrified that they’ll recruit the wrong person, especially if it’s one of their first hirers or they are building a new team.

It’s not rocket science but it does take preparation, so that you can be confident in the decision that you make.

Three tips to help you recruit the right candidate:

1. Be super specific about the key skills, experience and behaviours that you need - Then make sure your interview questions and assessments are aligned to them.

2. Do more than interview, test for the skills that you need - whether it’s a presentation, case study or trial day.

3. If you are in doubt, don’t hire

Want more hiring and team management tips, get access to our FREE HR Knowledge Hub

Mental Health is Wealth

I woke up and cried every day for over a month when I was working corporately, there wasn’t a particular issue so I put it down to hormones as I was pregnant at the time, but when it happened again after I returned from maternity leave, I knew something had to change and I had to address why the thought of work drove me to tears. For me, it was a sign that it was time to make my side hustle my full-time business.

As its World Mental Health Day tomorrow, I’ve got some tips for taking care of the mental health of your team (and yourself):

Set the ground rules for working from home

Research has shown that employees are working longer hours from home and feeling pressured to respond to emails and calls at all times. Agree working hours, Encourage your team to log off and take a lunch break and to take breaks from their screens.

Be clear about objectives and timelines

This gives you team to the ability to prioritise their workloads, always check that the timelines are reasonable and offer support if it is needed. Your team may not ask for the help they need, so try to prompt them.

Have regular team meetings

It’s important to keep the lines of communication open with your team. Have a regular team huddle, keep your team informed of what is happening in the business and give your team the opportunity to share knowledge and interact.

Schedule weekly 1-2-1’s

Check-in with your team weekly, use video so that you can look for any signs of fatigue or overwhelm. As well as checking on their workload, be mindful of the pressures of living and working in the same location. Ask about how they are coping with remote working and social distancing, talk about their weekend activities and ask about their family and friendship group.

Do something fun

Have a virtual team bonding session, my favourite activity is a cooking contest. Each individual received a basket of ingredients and something to wash it down with. We were instructed to make a meal by a chef and eat our work! There are tonnes of options from beer and wine tasting to talent contests find something that will work for your team.

Show your appreciation

Let your team know that you appreciate them and their hard work. Don’t forget to plan something for Christmas!

Monitor working hours

Check that your team aren’t working additional hours constantly. Be aware of late night and early morning emails. I’ve been clear to my team that I clear my emails at night but I’m not expecting a response outside of our agreed working hours.

Remind your team to use their annual leave

Although the government has said that statutory holidays can be rolled over to December 20201, taking a break from the challenges of work is essential.

Let me know how you take care of the mental health of your team in the comments.

Are you constructively nosy

What did you study? Where did you graduate? Where do you stay? Are you married?

I’d just started working with a new company and every meeting started this way. I felt like I was being interviewed all over again! But it was just their way of getting to know me – it was a way to get to know me and establish some common ground.

And after a while I realised that it was perfectly fine to be curious, I found out things about individuals that would have taken me months in other companies because we English people can be a little too polite.

I was at a virtual networking event last week and the host asked us to introduce ourselves and say what our special power was and I said: “I’m nosy”.

Now I’m not nosy just for the sake of it, I like to understand how things work and why things are done the way that they are done. Ask me to do something and nine times out of ten, I’ll ask you a question to make sure that I truly understand what you want and why you need it.

It’s because I’m aware that we don’t know what we don’t know, so if you tell me the background, I’ll be better placed to give you the solution that you need. The same applies to when I communicate with my team, I could make assumptions about their knowledge and aspirations but it is better to ask the question and be sure.

I had a client who was grooming a member of her team to become her second in command and was crushed when he left to pursue a career in secondary education; she’d assumed that his insight and interest in her pre-school meant that he wanted to continue working with under 5’s, but she hadn’t asked, it meant that she’d wasted time and hadn’t given the opportunity to others in her business. The good thing is that once she started asking the right questions of her team, she was able to identify those who wanted to progress and create a training plan to support them.

So before you start succession planning, have 1-2-1’s with your team, you might get a surprise.

Some good questions to ask are:

• What do you enjoy about your role?

• What would you like to delegate?

• What is your ideal role?

• Where would you like to be in a year?

• What support do you need to achieve your aspirations?

You don’t have to wait until it’s performance review time.

If you need assistance with your people plan, schedule a 20 minute FREE Team Strategy Call and get some actionable tips from us.

Do you respect the journey?

Back when I was working corporately, I was assigned to a project lead working alongside this amazing powerhouse. She knew her stuff and had sacrificed EVERYTHING to break through the glass ceiling and happily supported her team (male and female) to achieve greatness.

The only problem was that she expected everyone's path and priorities to be the same as hers. Twice I remember her mentioning to me that someone with ‘great potential’ had ruined their lives by having children, as it would take away their focus from their jobs and if you asked for part-time or flexible hours, you could kiss that promotion goodbye. She simply didn’t believe that you could be committed to your career and your family.

Which of course is completely untrue and I know individuals who left that organisation and are powerhouses in their own right.

Everyone has a journey that has led them to where they are at this very moment. Becoming a parent is something has been a catalyst for a career change, starting a business or incentive for career growth.

“How you do one thing is how you do everything” – Zen Buddhism

I believe that if you are focussed in your career or business you will be just as focused on success as a parent, carer, volunteer or teacher.

Whether you are recruiting or assessing a staff member for promotion, don’t let the journey put you off giving them the opportunity.

This period of lockdown has shown us that we can work at home, with our partners and children underfoot. The working day hasn’t looked the way it used to look. However, there are positives and challenges to being home and we have smashed it!

We proactive leaders have to acknowledge that our team members are grown-ups and should be treated as such.

Believe your team when they say that they can get the job done and give them the chance to deliver, their way.

Remember to:

• Listen for the story and the why

• Remember experience is just as valued as qualification

• Look for the values and behaviours that are essential for your business

• Gather evidence that they have the skills to deliver excellence

• Have a trial period so that you can assess

• Focus on the outcome, rather than the method

Being open to the potential in others opens up your business to work with a diverse workforce and benefit from the growth potential that it brings through innovation and creative thought.

Look at your journey, I bet it wasn’t linear either, everyone has bumps in the road.

If you need help building or growing your team schedule a FREE Team Strategy Call with us.

Are you all in?

“… so is that ok?” or “… are you listening?” are sentences that penetrate my conscious on a regular basis. Ever since I was a child I get tunnel vision when I’m focussed and can miss whole conversations taking place right next to me.

This wasn’t so great when I was growing up, especially at school and when you mother is asking you to do something at home but there are positives when it comes to dealing with clients and my team because my ears and my eyes are open, plus my creative has a chance to roam.

It’s also a sign of respect to give your whole self to the situation that you find yourself in. Active listening isn’t just turning your ear on, it is taking in all of the non-verbal cues too because often they will tell you much more than the words do.

I’ve been watching a series on Amazon Prime with my husband and yesterday as we caught up on the latest episode, I told him what was going to happen or be said next twice and he accused me of already watching the episode! Can you imagine? but it wasn’t that, the previous episodes had let me into the psyche of the characters and they acted accordingly.

Now had I watched the program while scrolling social media or cooking dinner, I’d have missed those small cues. The same applies to your team, if you aren’t giving them your full focus, you will miss the concern, worry or tension. Not everyone is vocal about sharing their concerns or issues, and so it is important that you are observant and ask the right questions, but to do this you have to be ‘all in’.

I’ve been working hard at staying in the moment, especially during the lockdown, when work, life, exercise, self-care and fun all seemed to meld into one.

For both my clients, team and myself having your children and/or partner make cameo appearances during your meetings became the norm. Sometimes I’d have my youngest sat on my lap during calls, but it often meant that I to follow up for additional information later.

Now that things are getting back to normal, let’s stay in the moment during our interactions by:

·       Putting our phones on aeroplane mode

·       Checking our emails and social media at stipulated times

·       Scheduling and keeping our update meetings with our team members

·       Closing the laptop during meetings (unless they are online ones)

·       Not keeping it all business with your team (keep a check on their mental health too)

If you need help in getting your management mojo back, join our FREE Facebook community, where we share hints, tips and training on how to lead and manage your team authentically, while remaining legislatively compliant.

You know it’s time, right?

“So I need to send out 20 creative kits but I haven’t made up my stock yet, I should have 100 kits ready to go, I should promote my workshop and I should be sorting out my social media, I have funding applications to complete, there is so much to do.”

There were so many ‘shoulds’ in the conversation.

One of the things that I learnt early in my career is that the ‘ To Do’ list never ends. We have to prioritise what needs doing and focus on one thing at a time. I knew that the conversation that I had with a potential client was a true sign that she needed some help, she’d reached critical mass and needed someone to delegate to so that she could focus on her clients and creative pursuits, not to mention her children and family.

The call had started because this lovely lady wanted to get an apprentice to develop and help her out, but as the ‘shoulds’ came out, we discussed all of the different options for her:

·       Intern

·       Apprentice

·       Contractor

·       Virtual Assistant

·       Employee

It’s important to decide what you want to delegate or outsource, and if it is a short or long term need. Your budget will also play a part but remember that you don’t have to commit to a full-time resource.

Interns – Are great for a short to mid-term projects. Generally, you’d have them for 3-6 months at minimum wage and sometimes you just cover expenses.

Apprentices – Are studying while gaining work experience. Apprenticeships last between 12- 24 months. Generally, apprentices either work 4 days per week and go to college one day a week or they may study in 1-week blocks every 5/6 weeks. The work that you give them to do, should be aligned to their course. There is assistance from the government for apprentices if your annual pay bill is less than £3 million. You can offer your apprentice permanent role at the end of their traineeship.

Contractor – They come with the skills that you need to hit the ground running, great for delivering a project but will have a higher day or hourly rate.

Virtual Assistant – Great for getting your admin/accounts/social media/etc sorted. Generally, pay based on an hourly or project basis. A safe pair of hands for mid-long term

Employee – This should be a long term addition to your team, but if you are a business that relies on funding then a fixed-term contract that is aligned to the funding would be advisable. You are responsible for training, pension contributions, etc but you have someone to grow with your business.

If you are ready to build or grow your team and what to discuss your options, schedule a FREE Team strategy Call

Life is too short

Did I ever tell you about the time that I made myself redundant? I was working for a great organisation but I was bored, they put me to work on a project and it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to move onto something else until the project completed, which wouldn’t have been a problem but it was a 10-year project and we were only halfway through. The parameters that excited me, in the beginning, had changed and so all of the interesting stuff had been removed. I was just spinning my wheels.

Have you ever been in that kind of gilded cage? From the outside, it looks amazing but inside you are desperate to escape?

I knew that I needed to move on, even if it looked risky and decided that it was time to move my HR Consultancy from a side hustle to my main gig.

I had a chat with my boss and told him that he didn’t need me to work on the project, a less experienced HR practitioner would be fine delivering and helped him to recruit and train my replacement.

It was the best move that I ever made. Sometimes we can mistake comfort for contentment but change only comes from discomfort.

Is there something that you want to do in your business but you’ve been waiting for the children to go back to school or the pandemic to be over or for there to be a certain number in the bank?

There are four months left of what has been the longest year ever, what are you going to do to end it on a high?

On my list is:

·       Publish my leadership book

·       Hire an apprentice

·       Launch my 6-week leadership programme

·       Complete Book 2

What's on your list? Lets set some SMART goals to ensure that we end the year well.

Team Building Remotely

Traditionally, team building activities have included a morning or day of business updates, planning and sharing knowledge followed by a fun physical team activity like an escape room, bowling or walking over the roof at the O2, followed by drinks, dinner and more drinks.

Lockdown and remote working has changed all that, but as things are beginning to relax its time to re-engage your team. We’ve been trying to survive, but now its time to move forward and hit those targets for the rest of the year!

Most of us are still keeping working from home at least a few days week, plus social distancing and commuting headaches mean that we can’t have everyone in the office at the same time. Or find a meeting room that can accommodate the team whilst social distancing. So how about a remote team-building experience?

Just like all of the virtual networking events, birthday parties, weddings and quiz nights that we’ve been a part of during lockdown. It takes a little planning and coordination but we can get our team together for some fun. Here are some ideas:

1.       Virtual scavenger hunt – Have your team roaming their home to see who can find random items first

2.       Two truths and a lie -Get to know your team better and see who can guess the lie

3.       Masterchef – Send a box of ingredients to each team member, with a recipe card and see who can create a culinary masterpiece

4.       Open Mic Night – Give every member of your team an opportunity to share their party piece (song, dance, poetry, juggling…

5.       Cocktail/Mocktail Masterclass – Provide a box of mixology amazingness to each team member and do a virtual cocktail making class.

Let me know what your favourite idea is? Or if you have done anything special with your team. Be sure to send us some pics of your virtual team building fun.

*Don’t forget that you can to use virtual breakout rooms to divide your teams for tasks!

What is your team setup?

One of the things that I love about project work is that roles and responsibilities shift with each project. On one I can be the Project Manager, responsible for the full delivery, on another a workstream lead, just responsible for the HR elements or just contribute to one element of the HR solution.

For each of those roles, my level of authority and autonomy will be different. My working relationships may change.

Within your organisation, it may not be as fluid but everyone must be clear about the role that they play and how that relates to others in the team. If you can shift roles around or allow team members to lead on discrete projects it will give you insight on their strengths and weaknesses and may highlight a potential superstar in the making.

One of our clients regularly shifts the team leaders for their customer services department around. Each team leader has a team of 10 staff to manage and develop; every staff member is an individual so for a team leader they have 100 personalities and challenges to experience and learn from, the team leaders who adjust and connect with their team quickly are more successful at hitting their targets and progressing to the next level.

It is important to assess the natural styles of your team and give them the opportunity to work on areas of development in a safe space. One of the ways that I find most successful is completing a personality test as a team. There are several to chose from including 16 Personalities (MBTI), Strength Finders, 5 voices and the colour works.

Personally, for Leaders and Managers, I think that 16 Personalities (MBTI) and 5 voices work well but for team cohesion, I like the colour works.

There are four colours red, yellow, green and blue. When you complete your test as a team you will get your two most dominant colours. Knowing your colours and those of your team will give you an insight into the way they think and work, and give you a common language to use.

The first time that I completed the test, I discovered that I was the only blue in a team of yellows. Blues are very detail orientated and like to have all the facts, my other HR colleagues were more spontaneous and engaging. Once we knew that, I knew that I had to be more direct in my questioning to get a detailed response and my team knew that if they wanted my opinion they had to tell me all the facts. It gave us a common language if someone told me I was being too blue – I could give an opinion without thinking that my reputation depended on it.

Try building a common language with your team, so that you can work together to your full potential.

If you need some help with your team dynamic schedule a FREE 20-minute Team Strategy Call, where we will share some actionable tips