Summer solstice - it's the longest day!

I can't believe we've already reached the longest day - where has the year gone to?

Cast your mind back to January, and all those plans you made - I'd imagine many of you pledged to have a better work-life balance in 2011 - how are you getting on? Some of you may be saying 'but work gets in the way' - and you're right, it does.

Let's take a quick look at how many minutes are available to us on 21 June, the longest day. 1440 minutes. Guess what - the same amount is available to us each and every day. How are you using your time?

Why not plan your day today - but instead of starting with all the 'work stuff', start by planning in the really important stuff.

For example:
6pm Bath the kids
7pm Read them a bedtime story, or better still, make up a story for them, one that stars the whole family
8pm Talk with your other half, ask them about their day, make some plans together
If your parents are still around, why not call them - you know, that 'phone call you've been meaning to make for weeks?
At lunchtime, schedule in a walk - you might not be able to take a full hour, but how about 15 minutes to get some fresh air, listen to some music perhaps?

Every day is the same length, but today is as good a day as any to get refocused on what's really important. Once you schedule in the things that matter, you'll find they get done! My 15 minutes of hula hooping (yes, honestly!) happens when it's in my diary - if it's not in there, forget it!

It's very apt that the word solstice derives from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). So, may I suggest you stand still for a moment, and think about your day?

After all, as Jim Rohn said, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

World FM Day - any plans?

With just under a week to go till World FM Day 2011, there are many events being planned.

Many of my FM clients and colleagues are holding their own in-house events, and I'd love to hear from anyone else doing this. Some of their ideas are focused on raising the profile of FM, and include:

A 'take the stairs' day - handing out pedometers to their staff and creating league tables - good for the health, good for reducing energy use!

A building quiz - covering areas such as energy consumption, coffee consumption, number of toilet rolls used in the building - a bit bizarre but again great for awareness.

Job swap - be FM for a day (they're hoping the CEO might take this role!)

There are of course national and regional events too, including our Women in FM event, more details here

Let us know your plans, email Liz Kentish The FM Coach coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk, or add your comments below.

Happy World FM day, 23 June 2011.

Shall I be Mum?

Over the past few weeks the role of women in the workplace (and more specifically on the Board) has been in the news. Our recent Women in FM event with Dr Mirella Visser created a huge debate about what success really is - and many agreed it was not necessarily being in a 'senior' role.

Whatever your take on success, I want to share with you a recent conversation with a woman who does want to be appointed Board director. She has been frustrated at being passed over several times for promotion. Here's a shortened version of our conversation...

Me: What's in the tin?
Her: Cupcakes, I always bake them for the senior management meeting
Me: Who else does that?
Her: No-one else, but they're all men!
Me: (can you see where I'm going with this?) Tell me what happens in those meetings, from the time you get into the meeting room.
Her: We have coffee, the MD goes through the previous minutes...
Me: Let's back track - what happens with the coffee?
Her: (After a bit of digging), I usually say, 'shall I be Mum?' and pour the coffees
Me: How does that word 'Mum' define you to the people around you?
Her: Aha!

When we promote someone to be part of 'our' team, we want them to be like us - which is why good advice is 'dress for the next job you want' - it's about being a good 'fit'. By labelling ourselves, whether it's 'Shall I be Mum', 'Middle Manager', 'only an FM' or whatever, we are limiting ourselves through poor use of language.

If you want to be accepted, start acting 'as if'...as if you are already on the Board if that's what you're aiming for. Behave as they do, be one of the team.

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Email Liz Kentish the FM Coach coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call me on 01778 561326 - 07717 787077