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National Sickie Day – You suffering?

February 1st, 2010

Today is ‘National Sickie Day’, a day in which it is estimated that 350,000 workers will take a sickie.  This will cost businesses more than £30 million in lost business opportunities, reduced productivity and salary/overtime payments.

A survey by Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), shows that of the 1,500 bosses interviewed for the nationwide survey,  half said they did not believe staff who complained of being ill.  So why do they phone in sick and feel comfortable claiming illness not to go into work?

It could be any number of reasons and managers need to find out what those reasons are if they are to actually  ‘manage’ their staff.  All too often managers feel that their staff should not take advantage simply because they pay them a wage but there’s much more to it than that.  If you are a manager, when was the last time you pulled a sickie?  Why did you?

Staff pull sickies, not just because they are taking advantage and want an extra day off but also because they are either unhappy in their workplace or something has happened at home that needs dealt with.

We need to be making the most out of our staff, especially now when the economic situation in still on a knife edge and we may well have had to cut costs by cutting the number of people we employ.  If business is to grow again we need to ensure our staff our productive and going the extra mile…not just doing enough or working to rule.

So what do we do to lower the number of staff who pull a sickie?

Employee engagement is vital if we are to make the most of our staff.  Engagement means that staff are committed to your organisation and they are aligned.  In other words, do they care about their work and do they know what their responsibilties are and how they fit with the wider organisation.  So how do we engage our staff?

First of all, in order to understand the behaviour of others you need to understand their motives, needs and desires.  The only way of finding out this information is to ask them, on a regular and consistent basis. Appraisals and regular update meetings can be the perfect opportunity to discover what makes your staff tick.  How many of you are getting the benefits ofappraisal though…and how many of you dread them coming?

Do your staff know what is expected of them?  Have you provided detail about what their responsibilities are and the impact of them not completing their jobs correctly is?  Do they have job description?  Do you keep them informed of company performance?

Are staff trusted?  Think of the last time someone gave you work and then watched over your shoulder as you completed it…feel like they trusted you to do a good job?  Ok so, their capability will affect how much support you give them, but do you consider how capable they are and behave accordingly?

Do you communicate openly and with transparancy?  It’s important to keep everyone in the loop or you will be dealing with gossip and rumour.  Neither helpful and certainly not easy to correct once rife.

What’s the atmosphere like in your teams.  If there are personality clashes or unhealthy competition, this could be a reason staff take a sickie.  Maybe they just can’t deal with the relationships prevalent in the office anymore.

Are you flexible about work hours?  If one of your staff has a burst pipe, would they ring and explain what has happened and know that you understand it needs sorted or would they ring in a sickie because you would insist on them coming into work?

Have you built loyalty in your staff by supporting them, providing them with development opportunities and career progression?  If you haven’t then why would your staff go the extra mile for you?  The last time you went out of your way for someone…why did you do that?  Your staff have the same motivation needs as you.

Finally, the biggest influence on whether your staff will pull a sickie is their relationship with you.  If you care about your staff and build rapport with them, they are more likely to go the extra for you, and less likely to take advantage.

If you are the type to crawl into work no matter what state you are in…why do you do that?  If you have built  engagement into your organisations culture then you won’t be wondering where your staff are today.

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Posted in Behaviour, Business, Cause & Effect, Motivation

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And breathe out….

January 27th, 2010

Relaxation is not something that many of us find easy.  When was the last time you were truly at ease with relaxed muscles and general feeling of calm, both physically and mentally?

You’ll all be well aware of the flight or fight mechanism that kicks in when we are under threat or stress.  We automatically (in an evolutionary effort of self-preservation) become more alert and more ready and efficient at responding to whatever we are faced with.  Many of those who perform on stage say that without those pre-show butterflies they would not be able to put on an engaging performance.  I’ve even heard some say that if those feelings stopped they’d stop performing.

But what happens when that feeling lasts for a prolonged period of time?

Part of the flight or fight mechanism involves muscle tightening and if the tension is prolonged our muscles never deactivate from that state.  Eventually it becomes incredibly difficult to notice when the tension is there as you become used to that feeling.  After a while you don’t even associate it with stress.  You may be jumpy, irritable, nervous.  You may be more likely to worry excessively and even develop physical symptoms, such as backache or headaches.  Constant tension can make you over-sensitive to even small happenings in our lives.  Ever been on the go continuously and then when you stop…feel the pain of tiredness… or even worse, find you develop a cold or become ill?  It happens more often than we think.  You take that much needed holiday only to find 3 days in your body decides its had enough?

So how do we relax?

First of all we need to realise that we are indeed tense. Then we need to actively complete steps in order to relax.  You may have a variety of methods of relaxation, below is a description of Isometric Relaxation for you to try.   Remember in order to feel the true benefit of this exercise you may have to do it several times a day in order to counteract the tension and maintain a relaxed state.  Eventually it may become a habit they you automatically apply when feeling tense.

When sitting or lying down in private

  • Take a small breath and hold it for up to seven seconds
  • At the same time, straighten arms and legs out in front of you and stiffen all muscles in the body
  • After seven seconds, breath out and slowly say the word ‘relax’ to yourself
  • Let all the tension go from your muscles
  • Close your eyes
  • For the next minute, each time you breathe out say the word ‘relax’ to yourself and let all the tension flow out of your muscles
  • Repeat if necessary until you feel relaxed

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Posted in Cause & Effect, Human Nature

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Origins of Creativity

January 19th, 2010

Edward de Bono is regarded as the leading international authority in creative thinking.  He coined the term ‘lateral thinking’ and is well known for his ’6 hats’ method.  It was while dipping into his book ‘Serious Creativity’ that I noticed the section on sources of creativity and thought how interesting it was to investigate where creativity comes from and from what does it originate.

Understanding where the roots of creativity are will help put it in perspective, just as an increased understanding of any process  helps us improve our capability in it.  I’m hoping that some of these sources will surprise you and maybe even encourage you to utilise them more often.  So here goes….Edward de Bono’s Sources of Creativity….

Innocence

If we do not know the usual way of doing things,  the usual solutions or approach then we come up with our own.  A fresh approach.  If you are not restricted by knowing the constraints in a given situation then you will come up with something novel.  It’s difficult to be creative in your own industry – you might be able to be novel in another.

Experience

The creativity of experience is really about seeking to build upon and repeat past experiences.  We amend, add to or repackage things that we did previously.

Motivation

Most people who are creative derive their creativity from Motivation.   This means a willingness to spend hours instead of minutes coming up with a better way of doing things or taking the time to look at things that no one else has looked at.  It’s all about time and effort.

Tuned Judgement

The person who is skilled in tuned judgement does not initiate ideas.  They recognise the potential of an idea at an early stage.  They base their judgement on feasibility, the market etc…  An idea that is developed is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.  Seeing value in an idea is in itself a creative act.

Chance, Accident, Mistake and Madness

I’m sure you can think of a time when things were going along swimmingly but due to a mistake or accident they take a different swing.  Many of the greatest advances were the result of mistakes.  The first antibiotic, immunology and Columbus heading to the Indies to name but a few.  Post-it notes to name a lesser advance :-)   This type of creativity takes thinking out of the reasonable and pushes boundaries.

Style

Working within a particular style can generate products which are new but only due to the style being applied.  High in practical value but not the same as generating new ideas.

Release

Releasing yourself from fears and inhibitions can generate creativity.  This only goes so far though and to be truly useful it is necessary to gain a quick appreciation of new values in order to be of practical sense.

Lateral Thinking

Systematic techniques can be used formally and deliberately to generate new ideas.  You’ll have heard of de Bono’s 6 hats for example.  The important point about applying techniques is that these techniques can be learned and used.

What do you think?  Given you some pause for thought? For creativity? How many of the sources do you currently use?

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Posted in Business, Creativity

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Still creating hysteria – Happy 75th!

January 14th, 2010

Ever been in an environment which has influenced your behaviour?  Gotten carried away with the crowd?  Elvis who would have celebrated his 75th birthday last Friday, 8th January certainly witnessed those that were influenced and mos certainly did get carried away!

In the 1950′s frenzied and fevered were words frequently used to describe the groups of people (mainly women) who went to watch Elvis sing…. and of course gyrate his hips.  Scenes of hysteria and complete abandon were common place.  When Elvis walked on stage, women screamed, fainted, cried, shrieked and wet their pants.  The result was often so hysterical that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the National Guard, State Police and the City Police couldn’t contain those involved.  On a number of occasions Elvis had to stop the show!

Think it was hysteria?

The emotional attachment to Elvis is so strong that 30 years after his death, the sale of iconic images related to the King increases each year.  At Elvis’ home in Graceland, millions of ‘pilgrims’ (mostly female and middle aged) go to Locus Sanctus, the holy place, to mourn his death, lay wreaths and hold vigils.  In fact the behaviour in relation to his memory is such that two woman have founded the "Church of the Risen Elvis".  One of the women saying that images of Elvis "…have transcended the representational and move to the sacred".  Before his death, women even brought their sick children to his concerts in the hope that he would touch them and be healed.

Why is this?  Seems a bit extreme?

From the very beginning , the phenomenon of Elvis broke through the boundaries of ordinary fan adoration and lead the way to the "Beatlemania" which would hit America later.  Elvis’ blood and urine was stolen and sold with tales of how young women desperately wanted to inject the blood of their hero in to their own veins, women moving country just to tend to his grave or carving his name into their skin with penknives.  These behaviour are not normal reactions to singers or even fame, they move quite clearly across to myth and rituals.

Elvis was at the forefront of many controversial debates regarding teenage behaviour and rock and roll.  He was regarded by some as the blame for juvenile delinquency and the corruption of youth.  Perhaps when the behaviour of his audiences were witnessed by those not within the Elvis fan group, it can be understood (though this understanding does not mean that they were right).  The frenzied behaviour became more and more common and increasingly violent.  Did you know that Elvis received death threats and rampaging crowds often turned into riots?

Some psychologists believe that Elvis provided a rite of passage for girls into womanhood.  The sexual frenzy that Elvis created (we all know how conservative America reacted to his hips movements) provided an outlet that wasn’t previously available especially to women.  The fantasized relationship with Elvis taught them about their sexual liberty.  Add to that the way people behave when in groups….mob rule…heightened excitement…attention grabbing…screaming…  and the pieces of Elvis hysteria becomes more clear.

The group or social hysteria related to Elvis is similar in many ways to the Salem witch trials.  The groups’ behaviour was extreme and as it became more so…it became a vicious circle.  In a Elvis concert with screaming fans, you’d describe the atmosphere as ‘electric’…you’d get caught up in it.  Even if you weren’t caught up in it you probably wouldn’t want ot admit that you didn’t agree.

More recently, the invasion of Iraq had elements of social hysteria.   The 9/11 event created a fear and elevated Saddam Hussein to a witch-like mythical figure who was about to ‘press the button’ on the West.   No one (or few) questioned whether this was realistic…and many didn’t question because it would not have been welcomed.  Imagine the reaction if you questioned how evil you thought Iraq was.   Look back now – was it a sort of social hysteria?

In truth hysteria is a result of human psychology, local events, religious beliefs, economic and social situation and the political situation.   Take a moment to think how popular Elvis would have been without the outcry from those with conservative religious beliefs…or if sexual liberation for women had already happened….

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Posted in Behaviour, Cause & Effect, Human Nature

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Help I need somebody!

January 8th, 2010

What happens when a task is to be completed and you are the best qualified, most experienced, best-informed person to complete that task?  You complete the task.  Seems logical doesn’t it?  When delegating tasks you naturally assess the skill required for the task and choose the person best suited to complete it.  Ok, you take into consideration development needs and time available but do you take anything else into consideration?

If you know you are the best person for the job at hand, do you ever ask others for their advice?

Behavioural scientist Patrick Laughlin have shown that the approaches and outcomes of groups that work together are better than the average member working alone but also….better than the group’s best member working alone!

Input from others can stimlate the thinking process.  Ever heard a comment someone has made which has ignited an idea in your mind? The insight may have been delivered by you but the spark…that was created by someone else.  We are all aware of the importance and value of having a sounding board but do we all take advantage of it?

Seeking input from your colleagues will not only encourage creativity and parallel processing but will create a better team environment as well.  Asking for input from others and valuing that input – whether you use the input or not – will build closer relationships and better rapport.

So next time you are the best person for the job – ask for help and suggestions – you’ll achieve more and gain more than better outcomes for the current task.

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Posted in Business, Cause & Effect, Creativity

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Laughing – the new social wizz kid

December 7th, 2009

Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day. The first laughter appears at about 3.5 to 4 months of age, long before we’re able to speak.  Laughter, like crying, is a way for an infant to interact with the caregivers.

Like smiling we don’t have to learn how to laugh, we just do. We’re born with the capacity to laugh.  But we cannot just decide to laugh, its very hard to laugh on command or to fake it.  A bit like a fake smile, a fake laugh can be detected quite easily by another person….and for anyone that has tried to stop laughing or hide an ‘inappropriate’ laugh in a meeting…you’ll know how difficult that can be!

Are you known for your laugh?  Whilst living in the Halls of Residence at University, I wondered why folk from the floor below always seemed to appear on our floor about 10 minutes after I arrived.  Mentioning their impeccable timing I asked how they knew when we all had arrived.  Their answer?  We know everyone is here because we can hear you laughing.  Mild embarrassment at how loudly I must have been laughing quickly moved aside at the marvellous thought that it was the sound of laughter that drew folk in….that encouraged others to join us.  And as aware as I am at how my voice travels…though now it’s in office buildings rather than Halls of Residence…I am rather pleased that it’s the sound of laughter that tells someone I am there.

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When we do laugh, it’s powerful, bubbling up from within us…yet very little is understood about why we laugh or what makes us laugh.  What I find amusing may not be what you find amusing…and laughter can be triggered by sensations, thoughts, or even just certain situations will give us the giggles. When we laugh, we alter our facial expressions and make sounds, some of which we wish we didn’t (says the occasional snorter!!).   In full flow our whole body gets involved, shoulders shake, arms & legs move….our breathing changes.

So why?  Why do we laugh?

Well, you may be surprised to learn that it is less about funny and humour and more about relationships with other people.  When was the last time you laughed?  Was it at a joke or was it at a statement or observation that if you described it now, wouldn’t seem funny to someone else?  People laugh at an incredibly wide selection of interactions, observations and statements.  And many times we laugh at ‘in’ jokes….jokes that are understood as amusing because you are a member of a particular group

These curious “ha ha ha’s” are bits of social glue that bond relationships.  And curiously we rarely laugh when we are alone (even less than we talk to ourselves) which seem to indicate that laughter is a message we send to other people.

Laughter is social and contagious. Hearing someone else laugh often causes us to laugh ourselves.  Many comedy programmes utilise this knowledge by adding laughter tracks.  Not sure if you’re favourite comedy has a laughter track?  That’s because you are laughing along to it.  Quite often if the laughter track is missing we don’t find the programme half as funny.

We laugh at the sound of laughter itself.  When one person starts laughing….suddenly everyone ‘catches’ it.  That’s why the Tickle Me Elmo doll is such a success — it makes us laugh and smile.

When we laugh, we’re often communicating playful intent. So laughter has a bonding function within individuals in a group. It’s often positive, but it can be negative too. There’s a difference between “laughing with” and “laughing at.” And I am positive that all of us has experienced both examples.  People who laugh at others may be trying to force them to conform or casting them out of the group.

This blog started with a statement saying that adults laugh less than children.  As adults, do you think we have less to laugh at…too many responsibilities…too many worries…  Adults play less and laugh less.  Think that’s healthy?  Playing less means we lose some of our creativity, but it also means we lose out on opportunities to bond with others. What effect do you think that’s having on our lives?  I’ve even experienced people trying to stop me laughing because they think I am drawing attention to myself or more importantly to them…when they prefer to be seen and not heard.  How sad is it that laughter is reigned in….muffled…constrained?  Surely it is better to nourish laughter, especially when times are tough.

Next time you are trying to hide that giggle…send it out there….let someone else enjoy the joke…release those feel-good endorphins in your brain…relieve a little of that stress you feel….let go….lose control….you’ll be surprised at how fantastic it feels!

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Posted in Behaviour, Cause & Effect, Human Nature

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First up and Last to play

December 7th, 2009

Been watching the X factor? Have you noticed that X Factor contestants are more likely to get the boot if they sing near the start of the show.

Cambridge University academics compiled data from 150 editions of the X Factor and Pop Idol to prove the theory that a contestant’s fate does not boil down to whether they can sing.  This theory will more than likely not surprise any of you….but what did they find out?

In eight live X Factor shows this year, four singers were eliminated after being either the second or third act to perform, researchers said. When contestants sang later in the evening they were less likely to be eliminated.  He added that the first singer to perform in the X Factor is not at the greatest advantage, but less likely to be eliminated than those in second or third place.  Dr Lionel, who undertook the research with the University of London, said that none of the people who sang last on this year’s series of the X Factor had been eliminated.

What Dr Lionel is talking about is that fact that people tend to be biased when there is a sequence. You are influenced by the fact that you remember people depending on whether they were singing first or last.  And memory can have a huge effect on how we judge a performance.

So what can we take from this research?  Well, its the primacy and recency effect at work.  The psychologist Murdock completed research into these effects on memory, which he called the Serial Position Curve.  Or how well we remember items on a list is dependant on where they are placed on the list.

In the stage theory of memory, information goes through to our short term memory, if the information is not lost through decay or displacement then it goes into our long term memory.  The short term memory is widely regarded as havinga capacity of seven plus or minus two pieces of information.  The size of the pieces of information is not a factor, in fact, making these pieces of information larger (or ‘chunking’ as it is known in psychology) makes us able to remember much more information.  However, we are at this point talking about the positioning of information in a list. The theory behind the serial position curve is that people recall words better at the beginning or end of a wordlist. A better recall at the beginning is an example of the primacy effect whereas a better recall at the end is an example of the recency effect.

So what does this all mean to us I hear you cry??  Well, it can help us study and work better.  If we remember information better at the start and end of a list then we need to make the most of this knowledge.  When studying were you ever told to take regular breaks?  Did you do it?

Taking regular breaks is necessary so we are not overloaded with information but it also allows the primacy and recency effect to help our memory.  The more breaks, the more times the primacy and recency effect can help us remember.

Any other ways in which we can use these effects to our advantage?

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Posted in Behaviour, Cause & Effect

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Brain exercises

December 2nd, 2009

The more vigorous and diverse your mental life, the more you will stimulate the growth of new neurons and new connections between them.  Different cognitive challenges exercise different components of the brain.  Much in the same way as no single exercise machine will make you physically fit, instead you need a balanced and diverse workout.

So here are a few logic and creative puzzles for you today…. to keep your Brain ticking over….

1) Alternate Universe

Mr. Bee Zarro claims to come from a parallel universe where afternoon comes before noon, tomorrow comes before yesterday, and later comes before now.  But you don’t need to go to a parallel universe to see the same things happen.  Where can you see this here on Earth?

2) All Together Now

What letter completes this group of 4?     J, P, G, ?

3) Take 30

Alf was the 93rd caller to a radio-station and was told he would win a car if he could go into a room and come out exactly 30 minutes later.  The room had no clock, and Alf was not allowed to wear a watch or bring in anything else that tells time.  The only thing he could take into the room was a lighter and a candle in a candle holder (supplied by the radio station) that was guaranteed to burn completely in exactly one hour.  Alf was not allowed to use a ruler to measure exactly halfway down the candle.  Alf went into the room and emerged exactly 30 minutes later to win the car.  How did he do it?

Need a hint??  Think creatively, don’t get bogged down in assumptions, question them …  or if you’re really stuck… ask me!

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Posted in Creativity

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Behaviour maketh the person?

November 30th, 2009

What is your opinion of Daniel O-Donnell?  Like his music?  Find him an appealing songster?

Take a minute to come up with a few adjectives to describe him.

What came to mind?  I speculate that the adjectives were not entirely positive.  Perhaps you used words such as ‘boring’, ‘banal’…perhaps you said he’s only liked by the ‘blue rinse brigade’ and sings ‘old stuff’.  Yet, is this completely fair to him as a person?  To be judged on only a few elements of his persona?  Personally I’m not a fan of his music and find his photo shoots amusing for the simple fact that he has only the one pose but… he makes a special effort for his fans.  He insures that there are rows at the front of his concerts reserved for the disabled, he takes time out of his schedule to meet many of his fans….and has even (upon request) signed a birthday card for my aunt who has Downs Syndrome.  This is all above and beyond the call of duty.  I cannot deny that Daniel O’Donnell has many excellent qualities.

Why am I droning on about Daniel O’Donnell you might ask?  The reason, because he made me think about the way I judge others and question the values on which I rate him.  How many of us presume to know someone based on one small element of their personality?  If someone behaves in an inappropriate manner towards us or others do we jusdge the person on that behaviour?  How would you feel about someone making persumptions about you without understanding the context?

When we are providing feedback to others it is important to concentrate on the behaviour not the person.  It is possible to like the person but not the behaviour.  I’m sure you can think of many examples of this.

How interesting it is to look at people through fresh eyes.  To see someone in a different light.  Take a moment now and think of someone, your colleague, your boss…your partner.  Write down 3 adjectives to describe them.  Now think about their physical characteristics, their hobbies, their interests, their dreams, ambitions…the way they relate to others.  Write down 3 more adjectives.  Refreshing isn’t it?  I wonder how many of us stop seeing the attributes of another because we have already made up our minds about what we think of them as a person.

I might not appreciate Daniel O’Donnell music but I can’t wait to see my aunts face when she opens that card…it’ll make her year…and that it definitely worth appreciating!

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Posted in Behaviour, Human Nature

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As soon as possible!

November 29th, 2009

Ever ask someone something and been answered ‘Probably’.  Not ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but ‘probably’.  What were your expectations?  What assumptions did you make?  How likely is it that you will get what you asked?  During training sessions I have often asked the group to write down what percentage likelyhood is attached to the word ‘probably’.  I have gotten anything from probably means something is 20% likely to happen (I fear this person has been disappointed often in life!) to 99%.

What is your understanding of the word ‘probably’?  Think it’s the same as your colleagues?  Ever checked?

Our understanding of words is impacted by the society we live in, our families…our workplaces…and ourselves.  Often we use language that seems to be understandable but have elements of flexibility in their meaning.  However, the consequences of this can be wide ranging.  You hear ‘probably’ and you assume that its more likely than not to happen but perhaps the person delivering the message had a different understanding of the word?

What about the line ‘I’m almost finished’? What does that mean?  How close to being finished is the person saying this?  What about ‘Not very often’?  How many times is ‘not very often’?

So much of our everyday language is non-exact.  We believe we know the meaning because they are familiar words but do we understand them int he same way other people do.  When we are providing instructions and giving feedback, it is vital that we are understood, in fact communication of any kind does not exist without understanding.

What happened the last time you misunderstood a message because of the language that was used?  How do you prevent someone misunderstanding what you mean?

WATCH POINT – Do you use ‘As soon as possible’ at the bottom of emails?  What does that mean? As soon as possible to you may not be the same as for the person you are sending it to.  They may prioritise differently to you.  If you need something completed quickly, but a deadline.  That was your communication is clear and expectations are managed!!

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Posted in Cause & Effect, Human Nature

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