Genergy

the 'C' word

Just recently, lots of people have started using a powerful word in a new way. Some people would say it’s a bad word. In fact, many people think it’s a vulgar word. It strikes disgust into the hearts of many professionals who hear it, and upon hearing it, some cower with revulsion. Inside businesses these last few years, life’s been especially challenging, and so this word’s recently started getting used much more. But is this word really as dreadful as people fear? The word is one you know… it’s the ‘C’ word…. Change.

What does ‘change’ mean? True, it depends on the context of its use. And true, the power of any word is in what you personally hear rather than what was said. But why do so many people have a silent negative reaction whenever they hear from their business that they need to change something about themselves? Isn’t change simply philosophical and dependent on perspectives? Or does it actually have a clear meaning?

This all started a short while ago during a meeting with a senior Director we know at a large business. His people have been working particularly hard recently. A few years ago, their leadership had reacted quickly to the financial downturn by trying to turn their business into a kind of ‘lean, mean, fighting machine’.  This made sense at the time. Their trading environment was changing, their competitors were adapting, and so it was logical to change the way the business met the needs of its existing and future customers. To ensure the business responded well – and quickly – to the changing business environment, ensuring people wouldn’t lose their jobs, their people needed to change too. They thought this seemed reasonable. It was logical, wasn’t it? And for a short while, the business responded well. Until, that is, a few things started happening.

First, their most promising people left to join other businesses. Sure, he said, businesses will always lose people, but they couldn’t work out why it was only the very best who were leaving. Then, the company’s performance weakened faster than the performance of its competitors. Why? Change was logical, wasn’t it? They’d done everything right, so why was it all going wrong? It was apparently only one morning when a long-serving manager spoke up that the company’s leadership began to understand – and listen. According to this manager, people there had always been ‘bubbly’. They’d always thanked each other, looked each other in the eye, smiled and asked how each other’s children were doing. But nowadays, no-one even said thank you anymore. They didn’t look like they enjoyed each other anymore. They didn’t even seem to enjoy being themselves anymore.  And they were scared and nervous all the time. They were nervous about what their bosses would demand of them next. She said it felt like they wanted to give their minimum but present it as their maximum. What she’d always loved about this business was that people were encouraged to be themselves. But that had gone. So had all the best people. So too had the great results the business had always achieved.

In summary, this Director asked us… how can you change the way people change as a result of change? He then asked… what is it about the need for change that closes good people down?

Last week, we were with another impressive business. It’s a business most people will have brought something from in the last month or so. During our conversation, the person we were with just happened to mention that developing their people properly is crucial, but there was a building, unspoken fear of ‘change’. We commented that in our experience, people respond best – and most effectively - to change when they don’t realise change is the objective.

So where does this fear of change come from? What hidden messages is the ‘C’ word sending us? Is ‘change’ really just a ‘work’ thing? When we hear ‘change’, are we actually hearing something else?

Let’s take the ‘C’ word away from work for a moment. Let’s look at it another way.

It’s late one evening. You’re lying in bed, next to your partner, reading. Suddenly, he/she closes their book, takes off their glasses, looks at you, then it comes out. “Darling, I love you. Thank you for all these years we’ve shared together. The thing is, the person you are is no longer good enough for me. You used to be good enough, but you’re not anymore. Everything you are simply isn’t what I need from now on. Even the dog doesn’t like you anymore. You’ve got a chance though - it’s up to you - if you change quickly into what I need you to be, we’ll stay together. Thanks babe. Good luck. Goodnight.” What kind of night’s sleep would this give you? And how would you feel the next night in bed before the lights go out? And how would you feel each and every time your partner started to speak from then on?

Hmmmm.

What if it were just done a little differently? Imagine the same scenario, then he/she speaks. “Darling, I love you.  Thank you for all these years we’ve shared together. Have you any idea how much of a difference you make to my life each and every day? There are so many things you do that you don’t even see anymore, but I notice them all. And each time you do them, it’s like the first day we met. I adore you. And I know we’ve been through some tough times recently. You’ve been incredible for me. You have made the most massive difference to what we’re achieving. I couldn’t have done any of this without you and I can’t thank you enough. There’s a special way in which I’d like to say thank you tomorrow. We haven’t done it before and I just wanted to surprise you with something we can have fun with tomorrow. Come here gorgeous, shall we have a laugh tomorrow and give it a go?”

Now (ahem), what happens next in this scenario once the light gets turned off is ENTIRELY your own business. But which scenario would get the best out of you the next day?

The word ‘Change’ sends people many messages.  People can hear ‘you’re not good enough’; they can hear ‘if you’re not completely different really soon, you’ll have to go’; they can hear ‘panic!’; they can hear ‘you’d better not fail’, and they can hear ‘you can never, ever again relax and you’ll never be able to guess what’s waiting for you around the corner’. So why not change ‘change’?

When people are buzzing, when they’re inspired, when they are recognised, when they are on fire, when they know they’re making a unique difference, when they pick up that their colleagues are feeling it too, and when there’s something new they’re unlocking in themselves and others, they don’t even see ‘change’. They’re so busy enjoying their connection with what they’re doing and what’s important to them, that it’ll only be later that they look back and realise something big has happened. And they’ll look back smiling. So let’s change the ‘C’ word. Let’s create something more electric into which we can slip the required change, so that people enjoy the difference. Make necessary change the powerful consequence of what people do, rather than the objective of what they’re doing. All people can quickly make the most extraordinary change happen if you observe some simple rules:  don’t use the ‘C’ word... always create buzz… and let them know that who they already are is more than people could wish for.

Now, let’s get that light out… and let’s have a cracking week.

Goodnight.

Jonathan

 

Enjoyable you

How much of you do you let others enjoy? We people can be strange, fascinating things. We each have our own reality and each one of us sees things in a slightly different way. The way we respond to the world around us is deeply unique too. Some speak, some paint, some moan, some cook, some write and others just get on with it.  But even more fascinating can be not what we see in others, but what we allow others to see of us. How much do we show… and how much do we hold back? 

What does it feel like when you notice yourself holding something back? Perhaps in a conversation, perhaps because you don’t know the person you’re talking to very well, perhaps there’s something on your mind, perhaps because they’re cleverer than you, perhaps they’re hard work, perhaps you just want to listen. And at the same time, what’s it like when you’re in the company of somebody who won’t stop speaking their opinion, who’s throwing their perspective at you, needing you to listen, to hear, to be just as persuaded by that perspective as they are? Ever find yourself holding back - thinking it’s not worth saying anything? How many reasons can there be why we don’t show ourselves fully? When we think something, but don’t say it? But what’s it like when we’re with someone who does the opposite… who couldn’t hold back if they tried?

Alex is someone I’ve seen only three times in 15 years. And each and every time I’ve thought about him, I’ve always found myself smiling. And it’s a fun smile. There’s just something about this man that makes you smile without realising. And on Thursday, I saw Alex for the first time in 9 years and introduced him to my wife. We couldn’t stop smiling.

To be frank, I didn’t know whether my wife and he would ever meet. I used to tell Lisa she couldn’t meet Alex. Reason being, women have always found Alex abnormally attractive. When at university together, I’d hide my smiles as women of all kinds would constantly stand near him blushing. They’d try so hard to not do the things young women do when they fancy a man. And he had absolutely no idea they thought he was gorgeous. Very good-looking, he was one of those rare, brilliant types of men who didn’t behave with ego. He was enough of a man not to need to show you how much of a man he was.

This man was a real man. He was human first, male second. He didn’t talk rubbish or try to convince people of his brains, ‘hardness’ or ‘coolness’. And he never did that thing that men do when they’re stood having a beer – the way they subconsciously stand equidistant from the guys they’re with. He looked people squarely in the face as he listened and spoke. Not once did I ever hear him build himself up by putting others down or criticising people. All the time, he was either smiling or just fascinated by what was going on.  He was fascinated by everything that happened in the world. Each experience, each person, each joke, each memory. It was like each day of his life was his first. And as he’d tell you about what he had in his sandwich for dinner last night, he’d be smiling. And everybody listening would be smiling too. Just without realising. Don’t get me wrong, Alex was a bright man with a clear mind. He just enjoyed the things the rest of us had got used to. And he loved sharing the details of what he enjoyed. He enjoyed living and showing the world how much he appreciated it. Good grief did women adore this man. And good grief did we all enjoy him.

When I was with him on his graduation day, he shared something. “Mate, I wish I could meet a really nice woman. I just don’t seem to be able to attract women properly. Not the right kind. But I’m going to travel the world for a while and live my life rather than look for her – if she exists, that is.” And then he began talking about something else he’d found interesting that day.

Months later, while in Australia, he found a temporary job and was loving things over there. One day, he hadn’t had a shower, he was looking a bit dishevelled, he was tired and he was just minding his own business. And as he sat, a girl from another country he’d been working with for months and got on brilliantly with strolled over. She sat talking about how great the day was. Then out of the blue, she asked him to marry her. They moved to Colorado and they’ve been happily married ever since. And they now have a lovely young son.

With 9 years having passed since the last time I saw him, we met up last Thursday evening. Would he still speak with a strong Welsh accent? How much would he have changed? What would he be like now? Would the maturing process, husbandry and fatherhood have changed the man I used to know?

As my wife and I arrived, the broadest grin was waiting. He hadn’t changed one bit. Sure, the Welsh sounds more American, but the man is still the smiling, fascinated, brilliant example of a human being I always knew. His excitement at being with his wife every day came across immediately.  Whether he was talking about snowboarding, their marriage or the cake we were eating, his voice and face oozed appreciation for what life has blessed him to enjoy. I sat connected with all this, enjoying him once more, and then the penny dropped.

His gorgeous wife, his lovely son, his many, many friends who adore this mate of ours, the many women who couldn’t stop staring all those years ago, the many of our friends who  always enjoyed being with him, the many smiles we’ve constantly all shared in his absence while we’ve been remembering our time with him. All of these smiles are there because of who he is. He lets the world see him. He doesn’t hold back or try and be something he’s not, or waste his time with guile or moaning. He doesn’t waste his life getting bogged down managing how others perceive him. He’s one of the best examples of a human being I’ve ever known. He enjoys himself. He lets others enjoy him. And by enjoying him, the people around him become more confident and enjoy being themselves more.

It can seem like there are many reasons not to show others our many sides. Whether it’s self-preservation, desire for privacy or something else, not letting others see a bit more of us is a missed opportunity. When people see those parts of our characters that many people hide, it encourages them to have a go too. If you’re reading this, please know something important: You are more enjoyable than you could possibly imagine. The more you show of yourself, the more others will be able to enjoy. You have so many qualities that others appreciate and would love to see more of. And when you let people truly enjoy you, it sends them a powerful message: they’re pretty damn enjoyable too.

 

Jonathan

Yestoday

Old friends give us so much.  They share our memories, they’ve watched us grow, we’ve watched them learn, we’ve been each other’s rocks for years, and we’ve often shared so many experiences together. They know us in ways other good friends don’t, and we’ve learned from them in ways we don’t often understand until much later. Our old friends can be part of the foundations of our life. So what does it mean when we all of a sudden meet up with them again after not seeing each other for some time, and their behaviours are very different? On Friday, I found out.

There’s a man I’ve known for 13 years. I met him for the first time when I started a new job in Switzerland. It was a fantastic job and an exciting time. And on day 1, I was introduced to this man. British, he was straight-forward, intelligent, unassuming and very funny. He was one of our business’s senior Directors, but what made him truly rare was that he spoke to you not through his job title, but from the core of who he’d been while growing up. And as the new arrival, you noticed that whenever people were in this man’s company, they seemed  to just show a little more of themselves than they did with others. There was something special.

This man was 15 years older than me. He’d been in Switzerland for a number of years and though not a keen linguist, he’d loved fitting in, finding his groove and showing people the friendliness of who he truly is. As many of you will know, starting a completely new job in a country you’ve not been to before where they speak a language you’ve not used before can be a daunting experience. It can take time to learn the cultural assumptions and sense the unspoken with the people you meet. But this man had something special. He’d help us. He’d guide us, he’d have fun with us, encourage us and give us loads of stick when we made mistakes and got things wrong, just always with a smile coming. He was many different men at the same time. He was an unexpected mix of Director, best friend, someone you looked up to, an older brother, a father, and an inspiration of the kind I hadn’t known men to be.

How he became these things I’ll never know. His father had died when my friend was only very young. As the man of the house before the age of 10, he had to fend for himself in quite a big way. And as he’d worked his socks off to create a career and a future for himself, it made him stand out and not quite fit in anymore. Apparently, lads who wanted to be cool and hard didn’t do these things. So without his dad, and with his friendship circles constantly changing, he’d got his head down and worked hard.

And what was so rare about this man was that whenever he listened to people, he was truly listening. He listened in 9 different ways at the same time. He’d listen to what they were saying. He’d listen to what they weren’t saying. He’d listen to what had created the very person they were. And he’d listen to what, who and how the person talking could one day be.  Some people listen only with their ears, but not this man.

It’s often said that the way we treat others is a ‘tell’ – a cue – for how we’d actually like others to treat us. What did this man want? He’d had fast cars, a passion for excellent cuisine and wines, a successful life. But over a couple of years, I found myself increasingly wondering… are we being for this man what he is being for us? What is he looking for? Is he happy? This never went away.

In the end, we parted company. He started a new job with a new company in the UK, and I left my role to start some research. To be honest, I got swallowed up by it and ended up submerged in my work. I didn’t keep in regular touch. Over the years, he and I would meet up briefly, sporadically, just for an evening. And with me locked in my serious world of research, I didn’t notice him properly. Perhaps I was being a bit self-absorbed, but it felt like something was missing in my friend. Something wasn’t quite ‘gone’, but something was no longer the way it had been years previously. True, we weren’t as connected anymore, we no longer knew the ins and outs of each other’s lives and we didn’t know what the other was going through. But something had changed. What was it?

Having seen my friend only 3 times in the last 7 years, he joined us at my wedding 4 months ago. And something was different. He looked younger, he was slimmer, there was an energy in his face like when I first met him. He was still. And as he spoke, he was smiling. Not a social smile, but a real one. The kind of smile you don’t even know you have. What had happened?

Apparently, he’d had a very tough year. A few things had gone quite wrong for him. Why was he smiling? And as I listened, I felt guilty for not being the friend he might have needed. But all of a sudden, his smile broadened even further. And he said it. “I’ve never, ever been this happy.” So I listened. “Jonathan, I’m me again”.

I needed to meet him again. Properly this time. So on Friday night, we met up.

As I arrived, something was different. As this man spoke, there was a clean, simple purity about him. No big words, no detailed memories, not a single unkind word about the things that have happened to him, no ego anywhere, and no disappointment or resentment that we’d lost touch. He was calm, smiling, connected and feeling buzzingly, sustainably vibrant. What was it?

I asked him what’s happened to make him ‘him’ again and so truly happy. He laughed.

“It’s the beginning of my second week.” came his reply.  He’d remembered the summer holidays you went on when younger. And in the first week, you’re so busy loving your holiday, having fun, building sandcastles, riding your bike, eating nice food, standing excited in the queue before buying that huge ice-cream, that you didn’t realise the holiday couldn’t last forever. But when the second week arrived, you knew you only had a few more days left. You’d cram everything in. Enjoy each and every moment. And do all the things you wanted your holiday to be about. You didn’t waste a moment. You’d get up earlier and go to bed later. Each day couldn’t possibly contain enough things to do. And time was running out. “When I’m at the end of this holiday of life, I don’t want to be thinking about the yesterdays, regrets or things I haven’t done. Every day, I want to feel today is the best day I’ve had. My life’s now about saying yes today.”

Passions ignite our lives. We all have different priorities, beliefs and commitments. But what are those things that make us smile inside and out without even knowing we’re doing it? And how does it make us feel when there’s something in our today that makes us feel alive in the purest way? What can we say ‘yes’ to today that will give us the day we deserve, need and truly cherish?

Dave, have a fantastic second week. In case we haven’t said it, all of us are loving our holiday even more simply because you’re in it.

Jonathan

Men, Women and Manners

When was the last time an attractive stranger walked up to you out of the blue, smiled, and solved your problem? Think back… what did it do to your day? What if it happened today? It happened to me on Friday. Not only did she solve my problem, she thanked me for the opportunity to do so. What was it all about? It was the sudden answer to a question that’s stuck with me for years. What are 'manners'?

People’s manners are fascinating. Manners can tell you so much about a person. Your own reaction to others’ manners can also tell you alot about yourself. Excessive politeness can be irritating for some, but we’re also quick to notice when someone’s manners are awful. So what are ‘manners’? Let’s be careful as we answer this… manners are so often completely misunderstood.

Remember when you were 3 years old? Do you remember those moments when your mum or dad would tell you to speak ‘properly’? “No… Can I have a biscuit PLEASE?”. Those ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ moments were initially a bit of a pain – but they would prove an awakening. You soon realised that if you used these words – and meant them – people would treat you very differently. They would treat you better. And as the childhood years passed, you’d hear grown-ups comment on manners. Teachers, friends’ parents, relatives… they’d all comment when someone had good manners… and they’d more than comment when people’s manners were bad. As a listening, learning youngster, it was an easy decision. Good manners improved the way people behaved toward you. Would it be the same when we grew up?

My career started at 18 with officer training in the military. It was a wake up call. Each time they heard me being too well mannered to be an officer, I’d have to “get down and boogie”. This was their way of saying “Do press-ups!”. In week 1, it was 10 press-ups; in week 4, it was 40 press-ups and so on. In week 15 I made the mistake of saying ‘thank you’ one last time. And as I started my 150 press-ups, our Flight Sergeant explained: “Cattell, manners are for people who want to be decent and polite. You’re an officer – you don’t need to be decent. If you want to let people know how you want them to behave toward you, give them a bloody order. And let them know how much s**t they’ll get if they don’t do as you tell them. Manners are for little girls to stop them behaving like princesses when they’re older.” So with arms burning and the sweat pouring, I decided to hide my manners. But he was wrong, wasn’t he?

Manners weren’t just about politeness were they? After all, politeness alone creates distance and non-connection between people. Politeness is simply about words. Manners are more than just politeness. Despite the press-ups, why did manners still feel so important?

Austria started to unlock the answer.

“You British are always saying sorry.” was hurled at me after a lesson one morning. I’d been working in Vienna for some time. My job was to teach British-English to female Austrian trainee-teachers. Not just the words and sounds, but also the behaviours, the way we react, the way we British respond to emotions, the way we behave in relationships – and how we react to the way others communicate. The students were fascinated. But they didn’t like the ‘sorry?’ we say when we’re asking someone to say something a bit louder. They didn’t like the ‘sorry’ we say as we smile when squeezing past our friends in a tight corridor. And they didn’t like the ‘thank you’ we say when someone completes what we have a ‘right’ to expect them to complete. But every bit of respect and appreciation came my way from these fantastic Austrians. They just used words differently. When hearing British manners-words, they sensed subservience, servility and unwanted movement of interpersonal hierarchy. But that’s not what was meant. So what role do our words actually play? How do people often hear something other than what we meant to say?

And years later, as part of my investigation of MI6, I was completing an interview with the Head of Austria’s Intelligence Service when it came out in German. “Herr Cattell, I’ve often thought that words are in themselves actually quite worthless. Words are purely the human attempt to express our reaction to what’s happening inside and around us. It’s the subtleties of people’s behaviours that really matter. Behaviours are the most telling language - they show us where people truly stand. And these subtleties can be so subtle that we’re often too busy listening to see.”

These days, there’s a woman I know. She’s bright. She’s very bright. And she used to tell me off for saying thank you whenever she helped me with something. What wasn’t she hearing? What was she hearing? And one morning, she came out with it. “Look, we’re both intuitive creatures, right? Believe me Jonathan, I sense you. Your energy is saying everything you have to say. You don’t need the words”. I decided not to thank her.

So on Friday, as this attractive stranger walked up to me in a DIY store and smiled, I sensed it. She didn’t work there, she was a fellow customer. Her smile broadened, but she wasn’t flirting, it was something else. There was a passion and energy about the person for something - something she quickly explained. “Excuse me, you look like a man who’s looking for a certain colour of paint but can’t find what you and your wife really need.” Was I that obvious? “Let me help.” And as she sought one sample after another, blended one colour with another and roped a shop assistant in to help us, she explained. “I’m a designer and I’m really good with colours. I get them and I love them. This week, I’ve had enough of the news. And I’m going to paint canvass all weekend to let the world know how much I really appreciate everything around us. I want to let the people of the world know how beautiful I find them. Life doesn’t last very long, so why wait?”. And after a minute or so, she’d somehow mixed just the colour my wife and I were after. And she smiled. Then spoke again. “It’s lovely helping you. But I can sense that you want to thank me. Please don’t. Seeing you struggle and knowing someone’s world is easier today because of me has made my day. I hope you and your wife love your room once the painting’s done.” And with another smile, she was gone, with the young male shop assistant staring appreciatively as she walked.

People’s manners are indeed an attempt to express what we’re trying to say. But we can do it so much more powerfully when we go beyond words. What’s truly powerful is when our behaviour speaks our manners. In each moment that we instinctively 'behave' our manners rather than simply speaking them, we send someone the purest message. That message is this: “I see you. I see who you are. I see what you’ve done. I see the difference you’ve made. I see that you didn’t have to do it. And I see that you made a choice to do it. I see the difference you’ve made to me and my reality. I see you. And I want you to see how I see you”. All this takes only a tenth of a second. And when our behaviours toward each other, the way we treat other, the way we regard each other, the opportunities we create for each other, and all the things we do with- and for those around us speak loud and clear, the energy of the world changes. We make realities that bit better. So let’s not just ‘use’ manners, let’s ‘be’ manners. When we do, the colour of the rooms in our lives shines so much brighter.

Thank you. :-)

Jonathan

'professional' Pandora's box

Ever wondered what happens to people when they dump the ‘professional’ façade? Ever wondered what would happen to you?

In the last week or so, I have had the pleasure to begin coaching a couple of new clients in senior leadership roles. I love starting to work with someone new. Being excited about what the opportunity might hold for them, curious about how the relationship will evolve and open to whatever might need to happen for them. It is such a lovely feeling when you see someone start to make big realisations and to see that there are whole sides to them that they have kept hidden, not explored or not even really been aware of.  And working with people in the way we do, it has become so crystal clear to me… being ‘professional’ has a lot to answer for!

As a coach and working energetically with people, you never really know what is going to happen when you coach someone or where the real learning and shifts will come from. It always intrigues me (and slightly amuses me it must be said) that we go through a process of meeting up with the manager of the person to be coached, agreeing objectives and trying to make sure that everyone in the business is clear about what the coaching shall achieve. Of course, this is an important part of the process – it unlocks some good honesty in people and it creates a sense of direction. However, when the coaching actually starts, what is written down on the piece of paper is so rarely the true underlying issue or purest potential. It is only when you get to that deeper level of potential with people that things really start to change. And, thankfully, when you work with people at this level, all of the originally-stated objectives are achieved anyway!

The other thing I notice is how often common themes emerge in the people I‘m coaching. I don’t look for this or consciously attract it to me but I notice that the people who want to work with me often have common themes, and these themes also often relate to areas that I happen to be passionate about. Perhaps this is part of the Law of Attraction at work. I attract people to me who, at some level, feel my passion for the individual, individual expression and working at a deeper level of awareness and consciousness.

So, the common theme I was noticing last week was about the ways in which people choose to be ‘professional’ - and the impact that this has on people and their leadership style. We may assume that it is natural to want to be seen as professional, after all most people want to be taken seriously at work don’t they? We want our colleagues to listen to us and respect us, to take on board what we say and for us to present a sense of ‘gravitas’. It all makes sense on a logical level. However, the impact of all this is actually quite different.

What being ‘professional’ often actually translates to is conforming, being logical and sensible, taking very few risks and presenting ourselves in a way that we judge (assume) is acceptable to others. It also often means that we present quite a one-sided version of ourselves. There are so many times when I start to coach people and I see all these wonderful, amazing sides of them that I just know that their colleagues don’t see! What a shame that in the place and doing the activity where we spend most of our time, people often don’t get to see what is uniquely remarkable about who we are.

The irony is that often when people are being ‘professional’, their intention is to project a sense of leadership and gravitas. To get others to follow them. Logically, it all makes sense. However, the actual impact is actually often too logical and flat. What it misses is inspiration, true leadership and the power and energy that true leaders have. To lead in this way can feel like it has some vulnerability and risk in allowing other people to really see who you are. And yet, when you do it, you realise that it is more powerful than you could have imagined and you feel a lot less vulnerable than when you are presenting a façade and keeping parts of you hidden.

I learnt this lesson in one of my last full time corporate jobs years ago. I worked for a company where the majority of people seemed very different from me. I was much more emotional, strategic and intuitive by nature whereas the culture was very logical, practical and short term. And, so what did I do? I tried to fit in. But it was tough and I felt at some level that I wasn’t being me, wasn’t as good as people thought I was and would get ‘found out’ at some point. The turning point came when I made the decision that I would leave and set up my own business. I was still at the business for about a year after the decision was made but, because I knew my long term future wasn’t there, I took the shackles off. I suddenly felt able to be me – even down to the way I dressed and how I behaved. And, guess what? They loved it! I was probably even more successful and happier in that last year than at any other time at that company, and what I realised was that I could have done that at any time. I’d always just told myself I couldn’t and that it wouldn’t be ok.

So, my challenge to anyone reading this this week? Show yourself and your colleagues who you really are! Drop any professional façade and trust in yourself and others that when you are truly you, you can’t help but be more powerful and a better leader. And, you’ll have a lot more fun along the way too! Thank you to my wonderful clients too for demonstrating to me how amazing we all are at our core and allowing me to witness what they are capable of. I feel truly honoured and blessed to do this very special work.

Go on... enjoy showing yourself this week. :-)

Lisa. X