Monday 22 September 2008

Only 100 days to go!

As of today (22 September) there are only 100 days left of 2008.

Look back at those resolutions and goals you set at the start of 2008 and see what you still need to achieve.

What did you want?
What did you want to have; What did you want to do: Who did you want to meet: Places you wanted to visit; Who you wanted to help; Who you wanted to be

When did you want to achieve it?

Which were most important to you?

Were your goals SMART? – this means they should have been Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and with a Timescale. They should also have been written in the present tense, as if you have already achieved them.

Take some time to review your goals, check your progress, celebrate those you've achieved, discard those that are now less important, rewrite those you still want to work on.

Your coach can help you make the most of the last 100 days of 2008!

Don't waste another day, contact us now coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Friday 19 September 2008

Women in FM - new Specialist Interest Group announced

Last night, at the Women in FM event at the RCN in London, the group was formally recognised as a Specialist Interest Group (SIG). This means that the group now has a recognised status, formal representation and a voice in the decision-making structure of the BIFM, our institute.

It also means greater coverage in FM World and on the BIFM website www.bifm.org.uk to promote events and support communication, access to sponsorship and marketing relationships that the institute enjoys centrally, the opportunity to tap into other initiatives and support such as the Succession Planning Panel which can help our members move on to roles within other groups in the BIFM if they wish to.

I am proud to be a small and relatively new part of this new Specialist Interest Group and commend it to you all - both women and men!

Friday 12 September 2008

What do workers want?

Here’s a snapshot of the Executive summary of a recent TUC poll of almost 3000 workers.

Most people are satisfied with their jobs, but around one in four is neither satisfied with their job, nor would speak highly about their organisation as an employer. Nearly six million workers in Britain are dissatisfied with their jobs.

Almost one in three workers says their organization does not fully engage them and less than half the workforce (46%) agree their employer deserves their loyalty.

The top attributes that people look for in a job are fair pay, working with great people and the chance to learn new skills. The biggest gaps between aspiration and reality are for promotion opportunities, fair pay and the chance to learn new skills.

The commonest problems that people report at work gather into three groups:

Pay
Just under half the workforce say their pay has not kept up with the cost of living (42 per cent) and significant proportions say that their workplace has unfair pay structures (26 per cent) or they do not get the same pay as people doing similar jobs for other organizations (31%).

Workloads, stress and hours
The biggest complaint is of an increased workload (46 per cent), with 39 per cent complaining of increased stress levels and 23 per cent of longer working hours.

Training and progression
30% complain of poor promotion prospects and 27 per cent say they lack training.

Those who are dissatisfied with their job in general report much higher levels of boring, repetitive work, little opportunity to progress and a lack of training - a significant group of the workforce are stuck in boring dead-end jobs.


Coaching can help with many of these issues - contact us here

Coaching article in FM World

Check out this week's edition of FM World to read my thoughts on coaching in FM.

Did you know seventy out of every 100 companies in the UK coach their people?

As I say in the article,

'Coaching is about someone acting as a catalyst to help you unlock solutions and answers which you already have but don't know it'.

To subscribe to FM World, click here

Thursday 11 September 2008

Remembering 11 September 2001

Just a thought for today...

'The price of freedom is eternal vigilance' - Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday 9 September 2008

How are we supposed to remember everyone we work with?

Yesterday, an MD of a major FM company told me how difficult they find it to remember not just the names of their ever-growing team, but also their clients and those oh-so-important details about them all:

their family, childrens' names etc
where they were going on holiday
what they enjoy outside work
their specialisms within work etc etc

Why are these things so important? Because people feel we care if we take an interest in them as a person.

Here's one way to improve your memory....

Take an index card box and write one card for every single person you meet - you can group them by site, contract, dept, whatever works for you.

Each time you talk to that person, make some brief notes (beware of the Data Protection Act, and simply write facts)

Before you talk to them next time, refer to the card and hey presto - you go armed with relevant and important information. So you don't need to launch straight into 'business talk', you can enquire about their family, holiday, football team - watch how quickly this builds the rapport between you.

Give it a go and let me know.

coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Tuesday 2 September 2008

Are you an inspiration?

If you want to be seen as inspiring those around you, first you need to be inspired. Are you inspired? Really?

How many hours a week are you working, and how many of those hours are truly productive? How many hours are you paid to work? Think about what your true hourly rate might be – scary!

Have you just taken a holiday, but took your Blackberry along with you – did you feel the need to be in touch with the office all the time, just in case..?

Is your life all about work? Is there something missing? Are you trying desperately to fit in quality time with your spouse, kids, friends? Do you find yourself currently turning down invitations because you either don’t have the time, or you’re just too tired?

Are you working for an organisation whose values match your own? What was it that attracted you to that company in the first place? Does it still hold true?

Are you eating well, taking regular exercise, sleeping enough?

Are you working with a coach and/or mentor, someone who will help you move forwards with your goals, support you and hold you accountable?

Do members of your team ever seem to avoid you, perhaps when you’re feeling a bit grumpy or under pressure?

Do you find you are constantly criticising the team, with little to praise them for?

You can’t inspire others if you’re not on top form yourself. Remember what inspires you, do more of it. Reconnect with people who inspire you, books that inspire you, places that inspire you.

Everyday find something small to do that will inspire you; you’ll be amazed at the impact this will have on those around you. It’s like they say on the airlines, fit your own mask first before helping others.

Find out more here about coaching and how it has helped professionals just like you.