Sally Gregory

Dalai Lama Quote

2011-05-31T00:38:00.000-07:00

Reliable and genuine discipline comes not from repression, but from an understanding of all the whys and wherefores of our actions.

Pursuing Controversial Goals

2011-05-29T01:16:00.000-07:00

I left a conversation this week reflecting on the effects of pursuing goals that might have a perceived negative effect on someone else. Interesting subject. The goal we were discussing is a long held dream. Is the delay of pursuing this goal really based on a fear of upsetting someone else or is it a fear somehow connected to breaking down or achieving that goal? Possibly both.

It’s important that we share our goals with the people around us, especially if it affects them as well. They need to be allowed the chance understand what the goal is and what it means for you.

Not taking action can be as harmful as pursuing the goal, especially if it is really important to you. If the other person senses a frustration or resentment towards them then that is possibly as damaging as sharing your goal and having an open and honest conversation about it.

What’s the answer…I don’t have a the answer but I think I’ll conclude that it is really important to share your goals as you don’t truly know how someone will react until they are given all of the information and allowed to choose for themselves how they want to react. Secondly, I think that if you ultimately decide not to take action in pursuing your goal then you need to let any associated frustration or resentment go. Feel proud of the values you hold. It isn’t easy but changing the focus from a feeling of loss or disappointment to one that celebrates the strength of the values you prioritised over achieving your goal is a positive, admirable thing.

At the end of the day we make our own decisions it’s important we feel proud of the choices we make.

Idea Validation

2011-05-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

I've recently had a conversation about idea validation and since that I've been thinking what a valuable stage it is in developing a new business idea.

When I worked for WEETU I loved the introductory meetings where the women shared their business ideas. It was such a huge step for some women, sharing an idea they'd possibly dreamed about for years. Just to turn up and say out loud 'this is what I'm planning to do' was a huge step and it would suddenly made it feel very real; exciting and scary in probably equal measures.

I miss that somewhat privileged role of hearing and sharing all those wonderful ideas. Now instead, I find myself on the other side and it was actually quite hard to know where to go for that essential idea validation stage. I'm grateful to Richard Garnett of Centre Solutions in Norwich for providing the constructive criticism I was looking for. Now for the adrenaline fuelled, nail biting stage!

Business Planning

2011-05-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Found a useful 5 point checklist in the book I'm reading.

Relative Advantage - Being better than the previous solution. How well does the plan show how much better off people will be when they adopt the plan?

Compatability - Consistent with values, experiences and needs: How well does the plan demonstrate that it is compatible with current values, past experiences, and needs?

Complexity - Being difficult to understand and use: How well does the plan provide for easy communication, comprehension and use?

Trialability - May be experimented with on a limited basis: How well does the plan allow for trialability?

Observability: Results are visable to others: How well does the plan provide results that are easily observed and visible to others?

Source: Isaksen, S. and J.Tidd (2006) Meeting the Innovation Challenge: Leadership for Transformation and Growth.

Innovation

2011-05-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a new book about innovation at the moment and enjoyed the quote by Andy Grove, one of the founders of Intel 'only the paranoid survive!'.

I'm working on my own innovative idea at the moment and I look forward to the point where I need to be concerned about its survival; I'm currently at the stage where all the effort is in getting the concept tight enough to sell.

Hurdles!

2011-05-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Isn't it fascinating the things we allow to get in the way of achieving our full potential? Which ones are real and which ones have we made up to keep us where we are?

I recently read a book that questioned 'how hot it had to get in the kitchen, before we got out?' Lovely question - the book was by Donna Cook I believe.

Coaching and Mentoring

2011-04-26T01:48:00.001-07:00

I’ve been loosely involved in some great conversations around coaching and mentoring recently. With the government’s aim of engaging 40,000 voluntary business mentors, will the current reputation of mentoring be affected? To an extent that’s what has happened with coaching, when I first worked as a performance coach about 12 years ago there were very few coaches around but now there are many. What I think will be interesting is the added dimension of the mentoring being offered on a ‘voluntary basis’. I’m curious to find out how easy will it be to find an effective match and whether the quality of the relationships will be measured in any way.

Marketing for Entrepreneurs

2010-10-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

Marketing for Entrepreneurs, Concepts and Applications for New Ventures is a cracking read. I wouldn't have come across it but we're in the middle of writing a piece for the UEA and it was from their bookshelf. It is a thorough look at marketing for new ventures of any size. It would equally be useful for established businesses wanting to review what they do and why. It was printed this year and offers an up to date version of marketing concepts with useful, real life case studies that demonstate the theory.

Book Review

2010-09-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

I'm about to start delivering a Personal Development programme following my break for Maternity Leave and to get me back in the zone I've just finished reading 'a new you' by Nicola Cook. I thought it was a great introduction or recap of lots of elements of personal development, right from creating the right mind set through to being physically fit for life. The cover say's 'the small changes that make the biggest difference to you life' and I'd recommend it as a good first step.

What I'll take from it - I was fascinated by the question - how hot does it need to be before you get out of the kitchen?

What would you do if you were ill?

2010-09-14T01:31:00.000-07:00

I train contingency planning all the time but still you can't help thinking/hoping it will never happen to you. Last Tuesday at this time however, I was in hospital after being carted off unexpectedly on the Monday afternoon in an ambulance.

Everything turned out fine, which is the important point but typically on Tuesday morning at 9am I had an appointment booked with the promise of two years work. Fortunately there was a plan in place and Sharon handled it beautifully and as a company we still have a fantastic two year training project to look forward to but my point is, what if......?

New Courses

2010-08-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

My maternity leave has come to an end this week and I've been working on our new courses. We will be running our first 'open' Business Development Programme, a Training Skills and a Coaching Skills course and a new Personal Development Programme which will begin in January.
Exciting times ahead!

Change

2010-07-01T04:10:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about change this morning, and how with every change there comes choice. I was reminded of a quote from Helen Keller that I sometimes use on a course "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." How true, time to find those open doors!

'Until you commit your goals to paper, your intentions are seeds without soil’ Winston Churchill

2010-06-22T04:26:00.001-07:00

How challenging should a goal be?

2010-06-07T13:14:00.001-07:00

This came up in a recent Business Development Programme and has interested me since. Goal setting is very personal and in a 1-2-1 coaching session I think the coach is able to get a feel for how challenging a goal should be, or at least develop an awareness of where the tipping point is from motivating to de-motivating.

Our group had a great debate whether a goal should be challenging yet still feel within your grasp, so as to enjoy the success of achieving it, or whether it should it be stretching to the point of almost seeming impossible.

I personally think both types of goal have their place, its more about knowing what you need at that time in order to move forward. For me personally, I like the overarching goal to feel a little out of reach and the smaller sub goals to be manageable enough to be achieved, leaving me feeling motivated to take the next step.

Coaching, mentoring and peer support article

2010-05-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Just had an articled published in the training supplement (page 9) of Anglia Business - http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1nj8j/AngliaBusinessTraini/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acguk.co.uk%2F

What categories might you include on a business wheel?

2010-05-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

During the Business Development Programme we encourage business owners to consider their own categories but have some suggested ones to get people started, these are: Motivation, Sales, Marketing, Business Networks, Resources, Finances, Product/Services and Business Planning.

We've found that it's important to define what the category means to you before scoring it. As our programme lasts a year it is not unusual for someone to think about a business area in a totally different way 12 months later. That is completely normal as every business evolves with time. Keeping a record of the changing definitions enables you to observe the progression made.

Why is peer support useful?

2010-05-11T02:03:00.000-07:00

Being part of a group that you participate in, with people you respect and enjoy being around can be a really great experience. In business, it can help you broaden your networks and contacts and if the group shares a common focus or is well facilitated it gives you access to new ideas and a sounding board to discuss options. Being part of a focused peer group can also inspire and motivate you, which can be extremely useful in moving forward.

How do you choose a coach or mentor?

2010-05-06T13:00:00.001-07:00

Choosing a coach or mentor is an important step and you need to spend time making sure that you have found the right person. This needs to be someone you feel you could work with, someone you feel you can confide in and trust and someone who will challenge you in your thinking in a way that feels supportive rather than threatening.

How much direction do you believe a coach should give and why?

2010-05-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

A good question and one that provokes in me an instant answer of…none! It is the coaches job to ask questions and explore ideas, maybe even offer some alternative options but in my opinion it is never to provide any type of direction or solution. This needs to come from the person being coached, they need to identify it and want it for themselves. A skilled coach will ask the right questions and use the right tools in assisting a client but ultimately it is the client that pulls all the coaching threads together and finds a way of making it work for them.

Last year I coached a business owner who was facing a huge decision within his business. He said that he had been over the situation again and again and could see no clear way forward. During that coaching session he went on to identify seven options that he had never even considered. The use of coaching questions can’t be underestimated; it is all about opening up the issues and exploring them fully. For me coaching is less about directing and more about offering a fresh pair of eyes to take a look through.