Why do I procrastinate when I need to get stuff done?

Ever wondered why you can find so many things to do when you have something important to get done or why social media seems more interesting than the piece of work in front of you?

Most of us procrastinate from time to time, some of us more than others. In this podcast, Paul and Ricky explore why we do and how it is often misunderstood (especially by those that don’t do it as much). Importantly, they explore the different strategies for tackling procrastination when it gets in the way.

If you know someone who might find this or any of our other podcasts useful, can you do us a favour and share this with them? You will be helping them and helping us. Thanks

Posted On July 12, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Leadership, Podcasts, Productivity, The question is /

How does thinking fast and slow effect leadership?

The idea that we think fast and slow (Daniel Kahneman) or like a chimp and a human (Steve Peters) has moved from the world of psychology and now is part of everyday understandings of human behaviour. So, what is the impact of these two different ways of thinking have on leadership in organisations, and which one should leaders be using?

Ricky and Rich discuss their observation of working with leaders and how their thinking drives the results and behaviours in themselves and their followers. Where does fast thinking work, and where might slow thinking have the advantage?

Posted On June 14, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Leadership, Podcasts, The question is /

A Blueprint for Change Managers

In today’s fast-paced business environment, the ability to manage change effectively isn’t just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity.

Change leaders and change agents are at the forefront of this challenge, tasked with not only navigating but also driving successful transformations within their organisations. This is where our Change Blueprint becomes an indispensable tool.

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Posted On June 6, 2023 By Ricky Muddimer In Article, Change, Flip Book, Leadership, Management /

How do I make the best of change situations?

Why is it that some people thrive when change happens, and others seem to do so badly? Change at work is almost the only constant left, yet many of us are really bad at handling it; missing the opportunities that change often presents.

In this podcast, Richard and Ricky explore what we can learn from the people who have handled change well. What can all learn from their behaviours to ensure that the next time we face change at work, we can make the most of the situation?

Posted On May 31, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Change, Leadership, Podcasts, Resilience, The question is /

You can have both: Development that sticks and 5X ROI

Changing Behaviour through Business Challenges

Developing teams is costly and time-consuming; at Thinking Focus, we know how important your people are to you and how important it is to show that your development dollars and pounds hit the mark.

Our extensive experience in leadership and management development has taught us the four conditions for success pivotal to every group development programme we run. It requires a collaborative approach with clients, which means they have to step up, their participants, and us.

Together, we can create an environment where participants thrive and achieve demonstrable ROI significantly over and above the programme cost, conservatively a minimum of 5X in almost all cases.

Want to see how challenges can work for your organisation?

Why not book a call, and we can discuss how it works and if it’s right for you.

Posted On May 30, 2023 By Ricky Muddimer In Article, Flip Book, Leadership, Management /

How do you talk talent with your people (that does not set you up for a tough conversation)?

Talent conversations come in many shapes and sizes. Talent is more than just how good you are today; it also encompasses how well you fit into the plans for tomorrow. Your plans, the organisation’s plans, and their plans….

What could possibly go wrong?

Ricky and Paul tackle the conversations that leaders need to have to help the people around them understand where they are right now, what is expected of them and where they need to develop. Talent conversations may not be easy, but with a bit of structure and thought, they can be positive and constructive interactions that help people grow.

Posted On April 19, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Culture, Leadership, Podcasts, The question is /

How do you work out who your talented people are?

Working out who the talented people are sounds easy, but it turns out to be quite complex for many leaders. Loyalty and liking get in the way of tough decisions, and potentially get confused with performance. We also ignore issues when they are small, making them really difficult to deal with once they become a problem.

In this podcast, Paul and Ricky explore a model used by a lot of organisations to help them think about talent, and the different ways that people need to be managed to get the best out of them. The model, affectionately known as the nine-box talent grid, explores two distinct factors: current performance and future potential. Performance is all about what they are doing today, whereas Potential considers what the organisation needs from them tomorrow. How can we use this model to get the right people in the right place, and manage our people effectively?

Posted On April 5, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Leadership, Podcasts, The question is /

What is the leader’s role in talent management?

Developing the skills and growing the people around us is, all too often, perceived as something that HR or L&D own. The perception is that this has very little to do with day-to-day activities, maybe even getting in the way of doing the work. Yet, without building the skills to do what is needed now and what will be needed next, it is impossible to achieve our goals.

In this episode, Ricky and Paul propose that talent management is a leadership issue. From setting the expectation of what skills are going to be needed to encouraging people as they grow, only leaders can create the environment and define a culture of growth. If you can attract the right people and remove the wrong ones, you have a much better chance of achieving your vision.

Posted On March 23, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Leadership, The question is /

Who owns your career?

Who is responsible for developing you so that your career progresses?

It used to be something that employers took responsible for; however, that may not be the case anymore.

In this podcast, Paul and Ricky explore the way that career development changes over your career and how modern careers may have to have quite different expectations around learning and development.

So, ask yourself, who owns developing your career? Is it you, or is it your boss?

Posted On March 8, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Leadership, Podcasts, The question is /

What five things should leaders be focused on in 2023?

So what are the important things that leaders need to focus on to ensure that they are leading for success? Does that change in a year like 2023, when, yet again, everything is up in the air?

In this podcast Paul and Ricky consider what would be the five most important areas that a leader should focus on when leading in such uncertain in times. They consider how this might be different from other years (hint, it isn’t, it is just that this level of uncertainty is much less forgiving than normal), and offer some practical tips on where you can start.

Posted On February 22, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Leadership, Podcasts, The question is /