No update from me today

I have a confession to make. Every month when I sit down to write this newsletter, I have the same worry: Do I have anything to say? Is any of it interesting? Relevant? What if I look back on my month and see nothing but crickets? Or not even crickets?? What will I say? I have nothing to say… No update at all…

So I have a think and cast my mind back to remember what went on during the month. I open my calendar and look at everything that went on.

And you know what happens?

I find things.

I remember things.

And you know why?

I am LOOKING for them.

And you can too.

And it’s all thanks to our amazing brains. We have a function called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). It unconsciously programs your brain to notice things that are top of mind. Have you ever thought about buying a car? Once you have that thought, you see the car EVERYWHERE. And it’s not because they have suddenly appeared, your brain has been looking for them!

So when I look for things I have achieved during the month, I find them. If I looked for things I HAVEN’T done, I also find them. If I approach the search with “I haven’t done anything”, then I will most likely miss things, or even believe I’ve not done anything.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right” – Henry Ford

While I get the benefit of sharing what I have achieved, and hopefully you get value from that too, the real reason why I share is because I want you to do this too. I want that part of your brain to light up when it remembers something you are proud of, something that you have finished. Because I guarantee you have. But you might not know it, because YOU HAVEN’T LOOKED.

Please look. And you WILL find!

With that in mind, welcome to the July stand up! Where I promise, I DO have an update for you.

How was your July? And before you wonder if you have achieved anything, have a look! I’m looking forward to sharing my July with you, and of course looking forward to hearing about yours. Let’s calibrate, collaborate and iterate together.

 

 

 

I shared my story and what I do with the Trusted Authority Summit right at the end of July. I have been so privileged to work with amazing mentors there, which have inspired me to get clear on what I do and why I do it. My presentation was focused around The Hero’s Journey, and it was exciting to think about where I have been and what do in the context of this powerful method. It was a thrill to reconnect with a mentor of mine who inspired me years ago – Pip McKay. Pip took my coaching to a whole new level back then, and it was great to share how far I have come since learning with her. Her book –The 8 Principles of Achievement, Love and Happinessis incredible, and it has inspired me to refresh and deepen my knowledge and skills in Archetypal coaching.

Strengths workshops! I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to share my knowledge and passion of Gallup Strengths with a number of teams this month. We uncovered some pretty amazing learnings that have super-charged each team’s progress. I blogged about a particular team from earlier this year – The Avengers. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, I would love it if you did. You can find it at the blog and also LinkedIn. Biggest learnings:

• Your greatest strengths can also be your greatest weaknesses. They are the ones to watch out for, not the things you are not good at.
• The power of a team’s combined strengths is a superpower.
• Once we know our Strengths, we have a whole new language to use to describe how we work, live and lead.
• We must never use Sharpies on a whiteboard.

More Agile workshops! Nothing makes me happier than sharing Agile as a way of working to participants who have not experienced Agile. Closely followed by sharing concepts and ideas with participants already experienced with Agile and giving them a whole new insight to take back to their teams. It reminds me that there is always something to learn.

I released a small slice of my online course for feedback. BIG learning here: small slices, get GREAT feedback. And when I say great, I don’t mean it’s all positive (“it’s perfect, don’t change a thing”), but rather the quality of the feedback. A small slice with room for improvement invites the kind of feedback I would not receive if I had locked myself away for a year and released a shiny, perfectly edited program. Even though I believe this and train this, it can still be hard to do. If you would like to check out the first slice, I would love to hear what you think, and will of course update the course based on your feedback.

I was interviewed by the Centenary of Anzac Centre on my transition from the Royal Australian Navy to the corporate world. My key message – know the value you bring and develop the ability to communicate it fully. It took time for me to truly understand this, and I didn’t do it alone. I am forever grateful for the mentors in my life that helped, and continue to help me to this day.

 

 

 

Continuing to iterate my online course following your amazing, high quality feedback. More modules to come, as well as improvements to the current slice. I’m continuing to iterate my Strengths workshops for Agile teams in collaboration with fellow Agile and Strengths enthusiasts.