As lockdowns continue in many countries around the world, we wondered why this time feels so much harder than the first lockdown back in March.
With their change management heads on, Ricky, Richard and Paul talk about the factors that are causing us to struggle.
We cannot promise any answers but hopefully can shed a little light on why we might all be feeling it a little more right now.
As we start 2021, still in lockdown, managing teams that we no longer get to meet each other, while teaching the kids and learning to live without leaving the house; it is easy to imagine that you may not be winning.
As people take on more and more, finding their own way through the new ways of working and living, this may be the time to re-think what success looks like. Ricky and Rich explore how, at times, we set unrealistic expectations and miss the real successes we have.
Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash.com
As Leaders and Managers, we very influential in the creation of the culture in the teams that we lead. Taking an idea from sports psychology, are we creating a Challenge or a Threat culture? A Challenge culture that encourages our people to step up and take risks, whereas a Threat culture creates limits as our people, focusing their efforts on remaining safe.
In our last podcast of 2020, Richard, Rob, Ricky and Paul explore what a Challenge culture might mean for us as leaders, and how we might unknowingly be creating the threat culture that limits our potential.
At some point in our career, probably when we feel like we are giving everything we have, someone above us in the organisation tells us that now is the time to step. This has never been more true than this year where all of our plans have gone awry, yet we still need to close out the year and get things back on track.
Maybe you are that manager, being asked to have the difficult ‘stepping up’ conversation with your team, yet sensing that they don’t see the situation quite the same way you do.
In this podcast, Ricky and Paul explore why we all react differently when being asked to give more at work, and how as managers we can communicate better with the people around us so that they do not interpret stepping up as secret code for longer hours.
Photo by Jaz King on Unsplash.com
Has the lockdown experience impacted the way that you manage or interact with the people around you?
The current high levels of uncertainty might be causing you, or your boss, to become much more hands-on in the day to day workload than you used to be.
Ricky and Rob talk about what might be driving this change in behaviour and how you can let go to empower the people around you again.
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash.com
Ever feel like you are out of your depth? It is estimated that 7 out of 10 people will experience imposter syndrome at some point in their life.
In this episode, Richard, Rob, Ricky and Paul explore this common phenomenon; looking at the causes, sharing personal experiences of having to deal with it and considering strategies to help people to use the feeling to help them become more successful.
This is the 50th episode of our podcast series, The Question is…
Thanks for listening, let us know the topics that you think we should be covering in future podcasts.
Photo by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash
When things change we become a little uncertain for a while. With large scale organisational change, this uncertainty can become almost paralysing for some people, and right now we are all experiencing more change than any of us are used to. There is change both at work and at home, and it is impacted on almost every aspect of our lives.
We look to leaders to help us create certainty and stability, but how do you lead out of so much confusion?
Paul and Rob explore how leaders can bring people together and create the certainty that we need to move forward together.
Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash
The way we work has changed more in the last few months than any other time in our working lives. Who will be the winners?
Political styles that might have worked well in the office may not be as effective when working remotely. However, ignoring the politics is equally as bad.
Rob and Paul explore political styles during change, asking how do we find a balance between doing the right thing and getting what we want?
2020 is probably not working out quite as you had planned, that is certainly the case for us at Thinking Focus. If we carry on with our plans as if nothing has happened, then risk running out of steam chasing impossible targets.
When things go off track, you need to reset the targets and expectations, moving the focus to achievable yet ambitious goals that start moving back in the right direction.
Richard and Ricky explore how you can quickly reset the goals, help the people around you let go of the past and embrace the new challenges in front of you.
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
This year the summer break could not come quick enough, work has been hard this year and most of us needed a break. We hope that the people in our teams can take some time to recharge and come back ‘raring to go’.
But what if they don’t? What if, this year, teams find themselves heading into the last quarter drained and apathetic?
This podcast was recorded while we are still in lockdown. Like most people, we are working from home (kids and pets may appear at any time). We are still focused on the questions that are getting in the way.
Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash
