Unlike its publicity-courting cousin, running, walking is rarely associated with leadership and success. There are relatively few examples of Fortune 500 CEOs ‘powering through’ a 20k stroll on their way to work, nor prime-time comedians ‘sauntering’ through the Sahara Desert for their latest charity/publicity drive. Walking is an also-ran in more ways than one.

And yet, a quick flick through the history books reveals enough famous walkers to more than rival their more fleet-footed counterparts.

From Beethoven to Steve Jobs and the Queen, walking has helped many a historic heavyweight to achieve success in their chosen field, even if they haven’t yet felt the need to brag about it to their favourite financial journal.

As scientists will attest, walking offers an array of benefits for regular practitioners.  Aside from the obvious physical perks of regular exercise, there are the various mental benefits to consider.

Walkers tend to enjoy lower stress levels, as well as increased cognitive function.  To add to this, a recent study by Stanford University found moving around led to an increase in creativity in 81% of participants who had previously been seated.

The only area where walking really falls short (aside from the crummy PR team behind it) is the obvious time commitment involved.  This may explain why it’s rarely the activity of choice among time-pressured modern professionals.

The flipside to this is that, contrary to more aerobically challenging activities, it can be crow-barred relatively easily into the working day.  As well as being the perfect option for a reinvigorating, yet sweat-free lunch break, it is a great way to put a new angle on interviews, one-on-one meetings, and brainstorming sessions.

The most potent pro-ambulatory argument, however, is perhaps the fact that walking is what we humans are originally designed to do.  Not pounding the pavement clad in lycra or expensive running shoes, or – worse still – wedged in behind a computer screen for 10 hours straight.

Walking may not win you any awards in the image stakes, but your body (and possibly career) will thank you for it.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: LinkedIn; Design School; Inc.com

Goldman has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Mashable, The Next Web, SmartMoney, Workforce.com, ReadWriteWeb, The Star-Ledger, ClickZ, and InformationWeek.

@jeremarketer

A lifelong entrepreneur shares his secrets to building a more productive work environment.

Cultivating a happy and healthy work environment is vital to the success of any business–and even more important is developing a sense of community. With the dawn of a new year, it’s a terrific opportunity to look at your corporate culture and see where you might be able to improve it.

Here are six ways to develop and maintain a more positive corporate culture.

1. Establish Trust

A sense of trust is vital to all personal and professional relationships. The best way to build trust is through active listening and open communication. If you are willing to let your guard down and demonstrate that you can truly listen, chances are that others will reciprocate.

“When it comes to establishing positive relationships with your coworkers, the most important thing is to get to know them first as individuals,” says Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You. “No one likes to be treated ‘instrumentally’–as someone whose only value is in what they can do for you. Instead, ask and learn about their hobbies, families, and backgrounds.” Take the New Year as an opportunity to create deeper, more productive relationships with your work team.

2. Foster Mutual Respect

It’s important that you respect your colleagues’ input and ideas and that they respect yours. When you lose respect for your marketing director, you’ll be less likely to go to her for help, even when it’s an area in which she excels. Furthermore, she’ll be less likely to come to you when she would benefit from your expertise. As a result, less collaboration occurs, and departments become siloed.

When employees feel like you’re respectful and supportive, and that their efforts won’t be undermined by others’ jealousy or fragile egos, their interactions tend to be positive and to create a virtuous, more productive cycle.

3. Take Responsibility for Your Actions

In a work dispute, do you often feel that you’re 100 percent correct, and that the other party is 100 percent wrong? If so, it might be time to take a closer look at how you operate professionally. After all, it’s pretty difficult for one party to be entirely at fault. Even if you’re only mildly at fault and think the other person should shoulder most of the responsibility, admitting that you’re imperfect and could be partially to blame can help the other individual(s) be less defensive.

Rather than pointing a finger at a co-worker, acknowledge your part and then communicate your message in a clear, nonjudgmental way.

4. Show Appreciation

What do your boss, colleagues, and office janitor have in common? All of them want to feel appreciated. So, when someone does something well, offer a genuine compliment to show your gratitude. This not only leads to stronger relationships, but also encourages everyone to continue working productively. People are wired to respond to incentives. While financial rewards are a well-known incentive, appreciation is a rather underrated one.

5. Stomp Out Bullying

Speaking personally: I left one job because of an awful bully. Since then, I’ve had pretty consistent success in my career, which has included working for my former employer’s direct competitors. Meanwhile, my former employer went through multiple hires trying to replace me. Add up all those hiring and training costs, and you can quickly see how bullying costs companies real money. It leads to high turnover, decreased innovation–with the bully focused on bullying and the one being bullied afraid to be vocal in the organisation–and a harder time hiring highly-qualified professionals, as word gets out about your firm’s toxic culture.

Make it a point to not only avoid bullying at all costs, but call out bullying by others as unacceptable.

6. Maintain a Positive Attitude

Nobody wants to be around a Debbie Downer. Regardless of what’s going on in your personal life, it’s important to at least to try to leave it behind when you step into the office. You don’t want people to misinterpret any bad vibes you bring in from the outside, or have your co-workers think your scowl is directed at them. If you walk into the office with a happy greeting in the morning, that upbeat energy will naturally spread to those around you and create a more enjoyable work atmosphere. Try to high five someone today for a job well done; it’s contagious.

Replicated across both cpg.golf and golfandhealth.org, the hubs aim to bring together various resources, documents, information, examples and case studies from organisations around the world that are working with their stakeholders/Members to get back to playing golf in a safe and secure way.

Resources from France, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand the United States of America, and the United Kingdom, as well as from international organisations such as the CPG and World Health Organisation [WHO] are available to view together, to provide an overview of the different actions and initiatives that golf is undertaking.

Click Here to Find Out More…

The five attendees of IPE – Danilo Kraljevic, Luka Karaula, Robert Savic, Vladimir Efremow and Piero Mina, arrived in Holland representing various PGAs including Serbia, Russia and Croatia.

The week gave the students an opportunity to complete the first half of their required eight residential days (in which the last four will be completed in February), receiving information from tutors across various disciplines including golf coaching and club administration. By attending, the students have taken the first step into achieving their own professional goals in the golf industry, and the necessary qualifications to support their respective golf clubs and clients in the future.

Director of IPE Jim Van Heuven Van Staereling, commented on the week: “The students enjoyed their stay and went home with an open mind and probably more questions than when they arrived.

“However, facilitating this desire for further learning is the main aim of the first stage of IPE, and I very much look forward to observing their further development over the next few weeks and months”.

Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club was a perfect host for the week, providing perfect practice facilities, 36 holes of golf  (9 of which are flood-lightened) and a close proximity to the country’s capital, Amsterdam. This all enabled a seamless delivery of the programme and maximised the student’s overall experience.

Between now and February, students will undertake and complete an online portfolio – new to IPE, that is guided and assessed by IPE course tutors. This covers every element on the course specification and prepares each student for the final stage of the programme in February.

Upon successful completion of IPE’s learning outcomes, students will attain  ‘Apprentice Professional’ status and be well on their way to becoming a fully qualified PGA Golf Professional with their respective CPG Member Countries.

For more information about IPE, click here

Visit Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club

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There is a well-known phrase: ‘people leave managers, not companies’. Ensuring your organisation is made up of leaders with the right characteristics, level of self-awareness, potential and ability is fundamental in fostering an environment of high engagement and high performance, both of which are key drivers of business success.

Leadership goes beyond the successful delivery of projects or achievement of strategic targets; it’s about engaging your people on the journey towards realising a vision. We surveyed over 200 HR and business professionals on their views on leadership, engagement and talent, and a host of recommended actions from industry experts that you can implement in your own organisations.

This whitepaper aims to reflect on the relationship between leadership and engagement, covering the following themes:

• The role of leaders in driving engagement and performance through team values
• Psychological methods of defining talent and measuring potential
• The impact of employee engagement upon performance

Click Here to Download the Free Whitepaper [ThomasInternational.net]

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Reuben Conibear

Reuben has worked in the Marketing team at Thomas for just over 3 and half years. As Marketing Executive, Reuben’s core focus is to ensure a high quality experience for Thomas customers at all times. In his spare time, Reuben enjoys kayaking, bouldering and spending time with his friends and family.

Maybe you’ll be surprised, but based on the numbers from a Player’s First survey, the primary reason why people would take more lessons is that their PGA professional is pedagogical and contributes to a positive environment in the club.

Mats Bjørkman, responsible for PGA education in Denmark:

“Carol Dweck describes the fixed and growth mindset, she proves that if you have a fixed mindset, you will tend to be afraid of failing, avoid challenges where you are not guaranteed success, and in particular, you obsess over not looking stupid. A person with that mindset does not book a lot of lessons, and if he/she does, the experience could easily be a fiasco.

“As a PGA Professional, it is a good idea to focus on using a growth mindset. Of course, you’re already doing it on behalf of your students. But it is a good idea to educate, describe and explain to your customers the difference between the two mindsets. If you are a good role model for your customers and colleagues, you are becoming a person that people would like to spend time with. A person’s mindset can be quite stable, but they are only built on beliefs, and they can be transformed through awareness and focusing on the right things.

“Like the research, my experience has repeatedly shown that a growth mindset promotes a healthier attitude towards training and learning. If you preach a growth mindset, your clients will become more open towards feedback and develop a better ability to handle difficult challenges. Last but not least – they will achieve significantly better results over time! And as we know from Players First the third most important reason for the player taking lessons is that they experience improvements in their game!”

Source: Players first; Carol Dweck: Development Psychologist and author of the book, “Mindset.”

At the global forefront of psychometric assessment innovation for over 35 years, and with a with a presence in over 60 countries, Thomas are passionate about empowering organisations throughout business, sport and education to make confident people decisions.

Their psychometric assessments are straightforward to understand, quick to use, but more importantly have scientific validity at their core and are provided in 56 languages.

Derek Redmond, Group Performance Director at Thomas International commented, “Thomas International are pleased to announce their official partnership with the Confederation of Professional Golf, to become the Official Supplier of Psychometric Assessments, where we will work closely with the Association to help support the development of their people and teams and ultimately, contribute to the continued success of the organisation.”

“We have already had the pleasure of working with Thomas International in the past couple of years as we continue to develop our own business and services,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“The formalisation of our relationship with Official Supplier status will allow the great team at Thomas to take their work with not only our Association, but also our 38 PGAs, to the next level. These tools and services are going to provide the insight into what makes people successful, measuring areas such as behaviours, personality, high potential and engagement that will empower the PGAs and help them to advance their organisations and Members.”

Since its inception in 1981, Thomas has paved the way to achieving excellence with its clients to transform organisational, team and individual performance. Years of research drive powerful results to help organisations recruit, retain, develop and lead their most important assets –people.

The announcement coincides with Thomas International’s Development Consultant and Gold Medal-winning Paralympian, Naomi Riches MBE, and Global Account Manager, Jonathan Smith, hosting a workshop at the 2018 Confederation of Professional Golf Annual Congress at Costa Navarino in Greece.

The workshops saw representatives from across the 38 Member Country PGAs, along with other partners and suppliers, and various Federation and golfing organisation representatives, hear about the role that psychometric profiling played in Riches’ rowing career, helping her to understand more about herself, before delving deeper into the ways delegates can learn from this and assess its use in their own roles and organisations as a whole. .

For more information visit www.ThomasInternational.net

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As Thomas International continues to roll out the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI) worldwide, a vast amount of data is being collected and analysed alongside a great deal of data about workplace and leadership outcomes.

These results were presented in a symposium at the 2018 International Test Commission Conference in Montreal [read more about it here]. This represents one of the largest HPTI studies done to date, including nearly 10,000 participants.

One of the defining features of the HPTI is it’s optimal trait levels for leadership. The HPTI goes beyond identifying personality traits and provides clear guidelines for identifying high potential leaders based on their personality traits. The recent studies confirm and reinforce the importance of personality traits for leadership.

The Process

Good scientific research involves thorough testing to build on theories and collect large amounts of data. This helps to confirm findings and improve the knowledge and understanding of the topic under investigation. Thomas International have been testing and validating the HPTI with workers around the world to ensure HPTI results and reports are valid, reliable and useful in workplaces around the world.

This process ensures the HPTI is a scientifically validated tool, and allows the continuous development of additional knowledge and resources to improve the utility of the HPTI in practice.

One of the papers presented at the 2018 International Test Commission Conference in Montreal looked at the results from a study of nearly 10,000 participants. Alongside the HPTI, various workplace outcome variables were also examined. The results demonstrated that the theoretical underpinnings and psychometric properties of the HPTI are valid and useful for North American populations.

Key Findings

First, the items and personality traits tested by the HPTI can be used in workplaces in North America. This research also involves a localisation process for the HPTI, so population norms and optimal levels of traits tailored to North American workers, leaders and businesses.

Second, this is the largest study to date examining HPTI traits at different levels of leadership. The results show very significant differences in HPTI traits at the different levels of leadership. The results confirm the importance of HPTI traits for leadership, and show the importance of HPTI traits increases with leadership seniority.

The chart below show increasing levels of each personality trait in each leadership category. This is a clear pattern which shows how important optimal HPTI trait levels are in leadership, and senior leadership in particular.

The results also show a greater spread between some traits. For example, those not in leadership tend to have average Ambiguity Approach levels. Senior leaders show substantially higher Ambiguity Approach which is essential for the level of complexity and uncertainty they face in their work.

Competitiveness, on the other hand, shows a relatively narrow spread. Although Competitiveness rises slightly higher at more senior levels of leadership, the differences are relatively modest. This is consistent with previous findings that extreme levels of competitiveness can be counterproductive in leadership positions.

Overall, this clearly shows the importance of HPTI traits in leadership and highlights that the HPTI traits are even more important in senior leadership. As HPTI research is conducted around the world, the research results clearly and consistently demonstrate how important HPTI traits are for leadership potential.

Implications for Business

HPTI personality traits are incredibly useful in assessing high potential at work for three reasons (discussed in more detail in High Potential: How to spot, manage and develop talented people at work).

1. Personality is stable

Personality traits are relatively stable from early adulthood into later life. It is a consistent pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving. This means personality is a very useful early indicator of potential at work.

2. Personality is rooted in the brain and biology

Personality comes from neurological processes and structures. That means personality is essentially hardwired in the brain, and very difficult to change except in cases of extreme psychological intervention. Unlike factors such as motivation which can change day-to-day or year-to-year, personality is a useful long-term predictor of both performance and potential.

3. Personality traits interact

Personality traits do not exist in isolation. The traits interact to form a whole, overall personality structure. Having high or low levels of one particular trait will influence how all other traits are experienced and expressed. This means it is important to look at all the HPTI personality traits in combination. The research described earlier in this article reinforces how important all of the HPTI traits are for overall leadership potential.

Getting a full picture of a person’s personality traits provides important information about making decisions related to identifying, managing and developing high potential at work.

Read more about each of the 6 traits of high potential in leadership and how the HPTI can support you in recruiting and developing your (future) leaders.

To find out more about the real-life applications of the HPTI, please get in contact on info@thomas.co.uk or call us on +44(0)1628 475 366.

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Ian MacRae

Ian has been an organisational psychology consultant for over a decade and is the director and co-founder of High Potential Psychology Ltd. He is the co-author of High Potential: How to Spot Manage and Develop Talented People at Work and the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI), a measure of leadership potential, which is available to Thomas clients.

When team members work well together, there is little they cannot accomplish. Looking at the bigger picture when it comes to your teams, such as their behavioural and emotional preferences and the impact they have on each other, can greatly increase your chances of developing a high performing team.

Patrick Wright from the Rugby Business Network (RBN) uses Thomas assessments to do just that. Thomas tools allow them to gain a deeper understanding of an individual’s preferences, something the RBN have used to develop athlete performance, enhance transition programmes and ultimately deliver results.

Developing self-awareness in the USA 7’s Rugby team

Mike Friday, Head Coach of the USA 7’s Rugby team, has been working with Patrick at the RBN to embed Thomas assessments into the team’s training programme in the lead up to the Rio Olympic Games, in order to improve consistency in performance through greater self-awareness amongst team members.

As a high performance sporting team where effective communication is crucial to successful performance, the team needed to develop their understanding of each other. As a result, they implemented Thomas’ Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) to identify their strengths, limitations, motivators and communication preferences; helping team members and coaches to tailor communications to individuals, so as not to misinterpret them and stifle learning.

The PPA compatibility report was also used between players, coaching staff and the management team. The reports uncovered a number of potential challenges to effective team relationships, which allowed them to put timely strategies and development plans in place to help individuals to modify their behaviour to the preferences of others.

The players also noticed an immediate impact after implementing Thomas assessments. Madison Hughes, player and captain of the USA 7’s Rugby team comments, “The Thomas PPA helped the team take a different perspective on communication with each other. In particular, it helped us realise the different ways people see things and therefore that with each individual, different approaches are necessary.

Mike concludes, “it has been very insightful working with Thomas International. It has encouraged open communication within the squad and has created a foundation for us to create winning performances on the pitch and to be a more united squad off the pitch. I would highly recommend teams looking to find the edge in high performance to explore this approach.”

For more information, visit ThomasInternational.net.

Photos provided by Mike Lee/KLCFotos

With Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia on the rise, ‘brain-training’ is very much in vogue among retirees and younger whippersnappers alike. As game developers have been quick to appreciate, preserving healthy cognitive function means maintaining sharpness across all the right areas, from memory and recall to problem solving and planning. There’s enough there for a bi-annual upgrade and then some.

Video games aside, there are plenty of equally as efficient but less costly ways to keep your grey matter firing on all cylinders. Here are some top tips for successful cerebral conservation:

1. Learn something new

Be it the cello, Ancient Greek or Chinese calligraphy, teaching yourself a new skill is a great way to keep the old brain cells ticking over. A recent study of retirees showed that a challenging mental activity one a week reduced the risk of dementia by 7%.

2. Get physical

Work the rest of your body while you’re at it. Research suggests that 30 minutes of exercise three times each week can reduce dementia by 40% and cognitive impairment by 60%. The secondary benefits should also be obvious.

3. Food for thought

You don’t need a PHD in nutrition to know some foods are better for the brain than others. Indulge in vegetables, nuts and fish – staples of the Mediterranean diet that promote blood-flow to the brain. Drink plenty of water and stay off the junk food!

4. Take a load off

From catching enough ‘Z’s each night to meditative techniques, giving your brain some much-needed down time is essential in reducing wear and tear. It will also help you maintain skills such as problem solving, concentration and memory. Aim for 7.5 to 8.5 hours a night for optimum brain function.

Whether happily retired or gainfully employed, whatever your age, looking after the stuff upstairs should be a top priority. The good news is that keeping your neurotransmitters nimble needn’t cost the earth and can slot fairly easily into your day-to-day lifestyle.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Forbes; NPR.com; Time

@MindaZetlin

You know that job applicant has the right skills to fill your open position. But what about the right personality? Ignore cultural fit at your peril, for your new hire likely won’t last long.

I’ll always remember one of my co-workers at my first company. Although she did excellent work, she seemed to zig while the rest of us zagged. In a group of frumpy, often pudgy writers, she was an accomplished martial artist. Where many of us were just getting our feet wet in the business world, she had been around for a while and worked in some legendary places. Where we tended toward the silly-a plastic-encased slice of prosciutto once spent a week tacked to our department’s bulletin board-she was deadly serious. Not surprisingly, she soon moved on to a job at a prestigious non-profit that was working hard to change the world.

Hiring someone who doesn’t fit your company’s personality can be a very costly mistake. To avoid making that mistake, make sure to interview job candidates for cultural fit, as well as job qualifications. That advice comes from Tara Kelly, CEO of customer experience software provider SPLICE Software.

Kelly makes sure to include a culture interview in the hiring process, and she says it’s made a big difference. “It is important to understand employee values, motivators and interests,” she explains. “Understanding what keeps employees fulfilled is a key element to build a truly successful team. Whereas regular job interviews focus on verifying qualifications, culture fit interviews focus on ensuring potential candidates fit the corporate culture and core values of the organization.”

Given that every new hire is a big investment, it’s worth taking the time and effort to interview for cultural fit as well as skills and experience. Here’s how Kelly does it:

1. Define your company’s culture.

You may not need to do this, and Kelly doesn’t mention it, but if yours is a small or start-up companies, your culture may not be something you’ve given a lot of thought to. You should, though, because you definitely have one and a bad cultural hire will hurt you.

Your mission or vision statement is a good place to start-it won’t define your culture, but it should identify the values that drive you and your employees to show up and work hard every day. Beyond that, take a look around and consider how your company compares to others in your industry. Ask your employees or colleagues for input, until you can come up with a sentence or two that captures your company’s personality. Consider this example from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: “Our culture is friendly and intense, but if push comes to shove we’ll settle for intense.”

2. Write job ads with culture in mind.

“Culture fit should be integrated into every aspect of recruitment,” Kelly notes. That begins with your job ads, which should reflect both your company’s brand and its culture. If yours is an informal, family friendly workplace, with child care on site, and where pets are welcomed, say so. If yours is an elegant workplace with a prestigious history, say that.

3. Include culture questions in regular interviews.

From your first conversations with a candidate, interviewers should be thinking about cultural fit, Kelly says. “Once applications are assessed, pre-screening interviews should occur over the phone to see what first impressions candidates make and gauge personality for a possible fit.”

Candidates who pass this screening should be invited to an in-person interview with their potential department head. “The department head should also screen the applicant for culture by introducing a few less technical questions,” she adds.

4. Know which questions to ask, and which not to.

“Ask questions that speak to the core values and culture of the organization, without directly asking about each value,” Kelly advises. “For example, ask ‘what is something you have accomplished this summer that you are really proud of?'” This type of question helps SPLICE find candidates who like to learn new things or improve their skills. “At SPLICE, we really value a love of learning and improving things,” Kelly explains. “Our fundamental core value is, ‘We believe it can be better.’ So we like to see that not only in someone’s work life but their personal life too.”

It should go without saying that there’s a difference between culture and bias, and you should be clear about that difference, especially when it comes to questions that could land your company in legal trouble. To say that your culture is fun-loving and risk-taking is fine; to say that all employees should participate in extreme sports means your workplace discriminates against disabled or older workers.

In Amazon’s we’ll-settle-for-intense culture, an employee who’d just had a miscarriage was told by her supervisor that the company was likely the wrong place for a woman looking to start a family. Not surprisingly, many labor lawyers have been contacted by current or past employees seeking to sue the company for attitudes like these. Someday, one of these suits will get filed.

5. Train employees to conduct culture interviews.

“Once it is verified that a candidate has all the necessary qualifications and has passed all the preliminary culture fit screenings, a culture fit interview should be introduced as the last phase of the process,” Kelly says.

But you’re not the one to conduct the culture fit interview-the candidate’s potential co-workers are. That means they’ll need some training about what to ask and what to listen for. “It’s crucial to ensure the team is prepped on the purpose of a culture fit interview prior to participating,” Kelly says.

In general, she says, you should select four to six employees from around your company to talk informally with the job candidate about hobbies and interest and how these things tie in with your company’s personality. “Employees should be encouraged to ask questions that tie in to the organization’s value system.”

6. Gather feedback.

Employees who conduct a culture interview should fill out assessment afterwards that scores applicants on numerical scales of good-fit-to-bad-fit, and also ask for written comments. After you review those assessments, call the employees together for a quick debrief to make sure you understand their feedback and get a better sense of how the candidate might or might not fit with your company and its values. All of this input, together with the candidate’s performance on your skills assessment, will put you in the best position to make the right choice.

This article originally appeared on Inc.com – to view the original article visit http://eur.pe/1kkmevy.

Kelly Global Workforce Index – August 2014 (230,000 people across 31 countries participated)

• 57% people agree that career development discussions are beneficial in terms of the opportunity to acquire new skills
• Only 38% had these discussions with their employer in the past year
• Only 29% are satisfied with the career development resources provided by their employer

With global employment trends changing all the time, the need to keep and develop staff should be at the top of an organisations agenda.

Whether the organisation is a school, SME, Not for Profit or Corporate, many seem frightened to invest in the career management of their staff, they think staff will be unsettled, leave, or want more than they can offer. Some work very well with their staff, helping them manage their careers and reap the reward. The reality is that staff who feel valued and invested in are more likely to stay with an organisation and be motivated to work harder.


“Managing human capital is a misnomer. Humans are ‘beings’. We want to be known and valued for who we are, and our aspirations and ambitions recognised and seen as important. It’s a missed opportunity for an employer not to attend to these needs and thereby reap the productivity gains that accrue from more motivated, loyal employees”

The value an organisation can reap when investing in their staff:

Staff are more settled and less distracted as they have plans for their future

• Organisations can plan their future if they know what their staff want and plan to do
• Demographics
• Succession planning
• Recruitment
• In house development of staff
• An organisation planning what will happen with regards to its staff must be more cost effective
• Fewer surprises
• Less need for interim, agency or contract staff
• Better ongoing communication between staff and employer
• Staff more likely to say if they are looking for a new role
• Organisation able to deliver a more structured handover if they know a member of staff 
is/wants to leave
• Employers who cannot afford financial rewards/bonuses, can support the development and 
career management of staff, which can be a cost-effective reward process.

The ability to manage your career and future is a life skill, if organisations don’t invest in their staff to give them these skills, how can they then pass on these skills to the people who work for them and to the next generation who they might educate and/or influence.

There are many processes for managing careers and these can be integrated into a workplace environment, below is a cycle often used to develop process that works within different organisations, depending on what is needed and required by the organisation and their staff.

Often employees find it easier to have these conversations with someone external first.

“My volunteers felt better placed to plan an effective conversation with their manager once they’d been coached, which is a win-win for the organisation”

“Internally focused workplace development opportunities are likely to ensure that a particular employer realises investment in development for the organisation. Yet, the worker might not have the skills transferable to other organisations. This is in contrast with the premise of the type of ‘deal’ where enhancement of employability is the key value derived from the employment relationship by the worker. Instead, they may be receiving only the development that is relevant to their current employer, without the promise of job security.”

Not surprisingly, there is a strong technology bias to the list, with 19 out of the 25 competencies listed carrying a clear tech focus. The upper-end of the list, in particular, is dominated by cutting-edge technical disciplines including cloud computing, software development and online security.

The more traditional skills of previous years have been bumped down to make room: marketing campaign management, SEO/SEM, and channel marketing were in high demand among employers going into 2016; however, most have since fallen out of the top 10.

Without further ado, the top 10 skills (according to LinkedIn) are as follows:

1. Cloud and Distributed Computing
2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
3. Web Architecture and Development Framework
4. Middleware and Integration Software
5. User Interface Design
6. Network and Information Security
7. Mobile Development
8. Data Presentation
9. SEO/SEM Marketing
10. Storage Systems and Management

You could be forgiven for assuming the skills listed above are reserved for those from an IT or computer science background, but, nowadays, technological proficiency is now a key requirement across most industries and roles.

For example, analysis by PayScale, suggests that HR workers familiar with Workday software can expect an additional 10% in their pay packet each month.

The good news for those coming from a non-technical background (eg your typical arts or humanities graduate) is that achieving a good level of proficiency in these areas is not as far-fetched as it might seem.

LinkedIn now offers its own learning portal, with 5,000 different course options on offer, catering to the whole spectrum of technology users, from digital novices to IT specialists. This platform is just one of a growing selection technical courses that today’s job seekers can avail of, either online or offline.

To be sure, regardless of how and where you ply your trade, the need for technically-proficient workers is only going to grow and grow over the coming years. For those willing to broaden their skill set, a blend of technological and business-friendly competencies – such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication – can prove a potent, career-boosting combination. If you’re stuck for a new year’s resolution to focus your efforts on, you could do a lot worse than invest in a spot of upskilling.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: We Forum; Business Insider; Time; Laser Fiche

The trick is to establish a strong sense of what you have to offer without being boastful and making grand, empty claims. The way to achieve your goal of impressing employers and making them want to meet you is to back up your claims with hard evidence. Don’t just say you are good at something; provide examples to show you are.

Therefore, the most effective CVs are those that have a strong Skills evidence. Past experience and application of skills is a good indicator for employers of your potential abilities and actions. This focuses attention on what you can do, have done and are likely to do.

It is a good idea to back up your claim that you possess excellent skills in, for example, communication by giving specific examples of the particular form of communication you have used, where (context) and why (for what purpose and for whom). Try to start each bulleted point with a verb to emphasise real life experience. Follow with an example from work, study or extra-curricular activities. For example:

Skills

Communication

• Presented reports to tutorial group of 20 about research findings in Economics
• Wrote articles for university magazine about mountain-walking club activities
• Liaised with customers of various backgrounds at Tesco’s Supermarket as part-time cashier for 3 years

Teamwork

• Co-operatively planned work schedules with four staff at JJB Sports
• Negotiated with colleagues regarding task allocation for major projects at university
• Played an active role in attaining customer service goals at Tesco’s

What skills do you have?

If you are really not sure, as opposed to being modest, perhaps you could ask friends, family and colleagues or speak to a careers coach . A personal skills audit might suggest the following. Note sub-sections of the major skill areas and use them as a guide to the bullet points you could include.

Communication

• Presenting information and ideas in written form
• Editing
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Explaining
• Active listening and asking clarifying questions
• Expressing ideas, feelings and opinions
• Speaking fluently and accurately
• Foreign language competence
• Persuading and influencing
• Negotiating
• Non-verbal communication

Flexibility

• Attitude to new tasks
• Readiness to change
• Enthusiasm
• Ability to transfer skills
• Commitment to ongoing improvement
• Desire to learn new skills
• Acceptance of constructive criticism

Teamwork

• Ability to work co-operatively
• Delegating skills
• Constructive confrontation and resolution
• Empathising
• Recognising and valuing difference

Resilience

• Coping with uncertainty
• Dealing with difficult people
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to set and achieve goals

Assertiveness

• Decision making Problem solving
• Independence
• Leadership
• Level of ambition
• Inclination to initiate ideas and plans

Entrepreneurship

• Self-promotion
• Ability to create opportunities
• Networking skills
• Customer focus Business acumen

Some of these sub-headings could be major skills themselves, such as Negotiating and Leadership. Some elements may fit under more than one skill. You will have to make choices about how best to use your material. Be guided by the Key Selection Criteria for specific jobs as your aim is to show how your skills fit with the employer’s needs.

When describing your skills, it is possible to ‘value-add’ by making reference to aspects of your experience and your personal qualities, interests and values. This can provide a lot of information about you in a very brief and concise way. For example, ‘Wrote articles for magazines about mountain-walking club activities’ informs readers about your interest, skill and success in writing as well as your active, healthy and sociable lifestyle. These are highly valued traits in the workplace and they have been communicated efficiently and effectively.

@Sales_Source

Coaching is more than just giving advice. Use this process to help your team members hone their own behaviour.

Coaching is the process of preparing your employees to succeed.  Good coaches can create the mental resources, emotional resilience, business skills, and career development that employees need to achieve their goals.

Unfortunately, while coaching is a well-established part of the sports world, it’s a neglected art in the world of business. Much of the time, coaching is relegated to a five-minute conversation at the end of a yearly performance review.

There’s a better way to handle business coaching. Try this five-step process, based on a conversation with Linda Richardson, founder of the huge sales training firm Richardson:

1. Ask for a self-assessment.

Ask the employee’s opinion of a recent event (e.g. meeting, interaction, project) in which the employee was involved.  Don’t accept a pat response like, “Uh, it went fine.”  Instead, ask additional questions that help lead employee to discover both the strengths and weaknesses of the employee’s performance. If the employee says something like “You’re the manager, what do you think?” respond with, “I want you think this through, then I’ll give my ideas.”

2. Give balanced feedback.

Start with honest praise for the employee’s strengths and your perspective on how those strengths were an asset during the event in question. Then identify one or two key areas where you feel improvement would have helped the employee’s performance. You’re not providing advice, just identifying areas. It’s important to limit the discussion to one or two areas, by the way – more than that and you’ll be “flooding the engine.”

3. Check for agreement.

Resolve any differences between your understanding of the event and the employee’s perception of the event.  Gain agreement on the area where there was a gap between the employee’s performance and how the employee would have liked to have handled the event.  It’s crucial to come to agreement at this point, because otherwise the subsequent steps will be off-kilter.

4. Identify the obstacle.

Ask the employee to identify the obstacle that he or she feels is keeping him or her from better performance.  Ask what he or she suggests to remove the obstacle, and what might be done to address that aspect.  Then provide your perspective on the obstacle and your ideas to address that obstacle. Decide together what needs to be done in order to improve the performance.

5. Set the next step.

For each obstacle that’s identified, establish an action step with a time frame for follow-

up.  Provide positive input and express confidence in the employee’s ability to succeed.  Then revisit the issue at the agreed-upon time.

According to Linda, this coaching method works for several reasons:

• It reduces the amount of time that the manager must spend coaching.  Because the coaching process addresses only one or two of the most important skill areas, a typical coaching session need take no more than 15 minutes.
• It encourages the employee to become more independent, because the employee gradually learns the self-assessment technique and is more likely to buy into the solution.
• It puts the action items in the hands of the employee, leading your worker to become more independent and more likely to internalize the training into daily habits.
• It strengthens the relationship between the manager and the employee through mutual success, and builds rapport throughout the entire process.
• It provides a structure that’s easily followed and can apply to virtually any business situation or problem.
• It is not confrontational, thereby making it much easier for the manager and employee to participate in the process.

@EntryLevelRebel

A new study finds that great coaches don’t focus on finding and fixing their team’s weaknesses. They do this instead.

Sure, running a business is about maximizing the bottom line, but few entrepreneurs care only about the dollars and cents.  For most, going into work every day is also about making the world a slightly better place and helping your team get better at what they do.

In other words, most business owners aspire to be not just managers but coaches.

How do you learn to be a great coach?

Thinking back to your Little League days or star turn on the girls’ volleyball team in high school may give you some inspiration.  Didn’t the coach point out your weaknesses and provide guidance on how to get better?  Your memory doesn’t fail you–traditionally, coaching has largely been about identifying areas in need of improvement and supporting folks as they work towards better performance.  But according to the latest science, there’s actually a better approach.

Positive vs. Negative

A new study, published in Social Neuroscience, used brain sans to test two different approaches to coaching on a group of undergraduates.  The first approach mirrored traditional coaching, asking students to identify areas in which they might be struggling at school and think about ways to improve.  Coaches asked questions such as: “What challenges have you encountered or do you expect to encounter in your experience here?” and “How are you doing with your courses?”

In contrast to this negative approach, the second group of coaches focused on possibilities and positives, asking the students about their aspirations and urging them to visualize their future goals.  They asked questions such as, “If everything worked out ideally in your life, what would you be doing in 10 years?”  The student volunteers were then run through a functional MRI to examine how their brains responded to the two techniques.

The different types of coaching lit up different areas of the brain, the scientists found, with the positive approach stimulating areas involved in:

• Visual processing, which come online when we imagine future events
• Global processing, or the ability to see the big picture
• Feelings of empathy and emotional safety
• The motivation to proactively pursue big goals rather than simply react to loss or fear

The Takeaway

If you want people to dream big and actually have a shot at reaching their lofty ambitions, the list above would be a pretty good place to start, right?  The researchers thought so too.

“These differences in brain activity led the researchers to conclude that positive coaching effectively activates important neural circuits and stress-reduction systems in the body by encouraging mentees to envision a desired future for themselves,” UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center reports in their write up of the research.

More research needs to be done, and the encouraging effects of a positive coaching style doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no place for the more traditional find-the-problem-and-fix-it approach, but the results should give business owners a nudge towards a positive coaching style.  Why not try spurring your team to dream big, set ambitious goals, and nurture their strengths?

How do you approach coaching your team?

Image designed by Freepik

@WillYakowicz

Studies show that strategic thinking is the most important element of leadership. But how do you instill the trait in others at your company?

What leadership skill do your employees, colleagues, and peers view as the most important for you to have? According Robert Kabacoff, the vice president of research at Management Research Group, a company that creates business assessment tools, it’s the ability to plan strategically.

He has research to back it up: In the Harvard Business Review, he cites a 2013 study by his company in which 97 percent of a group of 10,000 senior executives said strategic thinking is the most critical leadership skill for an organization’s success. In another study, he writes, 60,000 managers and executives in more than 140 countries rated a strategic approach to leadership as more effective than other attributes including innovation, persuasion, communication, and results orientation.

But what’s so great about strategic thinking? Kabacoff says that as a skill, it’s all about being able to see, predict, and plan ahead: “Strategic leaders take a broad, long-range approach to problem-solving and decision-making that involves objective analysis, thinking ahead, and planning.

That means being able to think in multiple time frames, identifying what they are trying to accomplish over time and what has to happen now, in six months, in a year, in three years, to get there,” he writes. “It also means thinking systemically. That is, identifying the impact of their decisions on various segments of the organization–including internal departments, personnel, suppliers, and customers.”

As a leader, you also need to pass strategic thinking to your employees, Kabacoff says. He suggests instilling the skill in your best managers first, and they will help pass it along to other natural leaders within your company’s ranks. Below, read his five tips for how to carry out this process.

Dish Out Information

Kabacoff says that you need to encourage managers to set aside time to thinking strategically until it becomes part of their job. He suggests you provide them with information on your company’s market, industry, customers, competitors, and emerging technologies. “One of the key prerequisites of strategic leadership is having relevant and broad business information that helps leaders elevate their thinking beyond the day-to-day,” he writes.

Create a Mentor Program

Every manager in your company should have a mentor. “One of the most effective ways to develop your strategic skills is to be mentored by someone who is highly strategic,” Kabacoff says. “The ideal mentor is someone who is widely known for his/her ability to keep people focused on strategic objectives and the impact of their actions.”

Create a Philosophy

As the leader, you need to communicate a well-articulated philosophy, a mission statement, and achievable goals throughout your company. “Individuals and groups need to understand the broader organisational strategy in order to stay focused and incorporate it into their own plans and strategies,” Kabacoff writes.

Reward Thinking, Not Reaction

Whenever possible, try to promote foresight and long-term thinking. Kabacoff says you should reward your managers for the “evidence of thinking, not just reacting,” and for “being able to quickly generate several solutions to a given problem and identifying the solution with the greatest long-term benefit for the organisation.”

Ask “Why” and “When”

Kabacoff says you need to promote a “future perspective” in your company. If a manager suggests a course of action, you need to him or her ask two questions: First, what underlying strategic goal does this action serve, and why? And second, what kind of impact will this have on internal and external stakeholders? “Consistently asking these two questions whenever action is considered will go a long way towards developing strategic leaders,” he writes.

It’s a small world, or is it? For all the talk of globalisation and the homogenisation of cultures, we still have our own, unique ways of working and conversing with each other.

Language barriers aside, communication styles and social hierarchies can differ greatly between cultures and regions. As organisations expand and remote working becomes common practice, these are just some of the many challenges facing managers overseeing teams comprising multiple nationalities and backgrounds.

While a certain degree of inter-cultural understanding comes down to the life experience of the individual themselves, multicultural leadership is a skill that can be learnt and honed like any other. Here’s how to begin:

1. Know your own style…

As the manager you are the cultural bridge between all those working under you, so you need to have a clear understanding of your own leadership style before you can attempt to synthesise those of others. Are you someone who prefers a direct or indirect form of communication? Do you believe in strict hierarchies or a flat structure? These are all things you first need to have clear in your own mind.

2. …then learn those of others

The next step is to invest time in understanding the different cultural sensitivities and expectations of your team. Don’t rely on pre-conceptions. While it’s easy to assume there will be a strict Western, non-Western demarcation between employees in terms of cultural practices, often the differences are far more nuanced and will depend on the individuals themselves.

3. Find common ground…

While a ‘one size fits all’ approach is unlikely to suit all contexts, it may be useful to establish a common set of standards for communication and working together, which can help to avoid confusion and mixed messaging. This should be drawn from each of the different nationalities and cultures represented in the team so as not to alienate any one individual or group.

4. …but be willing to adapt

Flexibility will still be key, however; you can’t expect to fully homogenise a wide range of different working styles and traditions within a short space of time. Employees will need to be willing to compromise and adapt to others; while encouraging a flexible, fluid work environment will make it easier to deal with issues and challenges as they arise.

Fostering cross-cultural working is one of the more challenging demands placed on modern day managers. However, with some careful planning and forethought multicultural working needn’t be a significant barrier to success.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Harvard Business Review; LinkedIn; Internations

Sometimes it’s easier to commit to something if you understand the way it can evolve. The initial stages of team development may feel like something of a white-knuckle ride of ups and downs, but recognising those stages may help you to feel more relaxed about the more challenging times, particularly when you’re the newbie.

So here are the four stages of team development according to educational psychologist professor, Bruce Tuckman:

1. Forming

The initial “Forming” stage is when you first meet each other and you’re all rather polite, but positive, maybe excited and a little anxious about the task ahead.

2 Storming and 3. Norming

Then reality sets in and you may start to argue, with some people trying to assert their authority. This is called “Storming”. Everything may stabilise again as a hierarchy is established and accepted; the team starts socialising more and gets to know each other better. This is called “Norming.”

Just as you think you’re all settled and loving your new team some of you might start to feel stressed and overwhelmed by how much there is to do or feel uncomfortable with the approach being used so the team lapses back into a period of “Storming” again.

Gradually, though, working practices are established and through mutual respect, people being happy to ask for help and more constructive criticism being given, you all begin to develop a comfort with your tasks and a stronger commitment towards the goal. And you’re back… in the “Norming” stage.

“Storming” shakes things up a bit and prevents the complacency often associated with “Norming”, but too much “Storming” may indicate irreconcilable differences.

In most cases, however, this pattern of “Storming” instability and then “Norming” stability repeats several times as new tasks come up or new people join the team, and eventually the cycle dies out.

4. Performing

The final “Performing” stage comes when your team is supported by the structures and processes that have been set up, individuals can join or leave the team without affecting the “Performing” culture and your team’s hard work leads directly towards the shared vision of your goal.

So remember that when you hit a bumpy patch with your new team, there’s no need to worry – you’re probably just “Storming” in order to become a team that “Performs” effortlessly as a unit.

Vector Image Designed by Freepik

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Bruce Tuckman; Abintegro.com

Nevertheless, there’s a growing belief that having charisma means possessing a healthy balance of external qualities – including showing an interest in other people – to complement positive internal traits, such as self-confidence. While people might disagree on the exact ingredients needed for a charismatic persona, a fairly tasty recipe might look like this:

Ingredients:

C – Confidence

This is clearly one of the most important ingredients in charisma. You need to be confident enough to communicate with people in a variety of situations and social settings. However, there’s an important difference between confidence and boastfulness or arrogance.

H – Happiness

Happiness, as we know, is contagious. Research suggests that oxytocin (also known as the love hormone) goes hand in hand with charisma: the happier you feel, the more people are likely to gravitate towards you and take on board your views.

A – Assertiveness

A close friend of confidence, being assertive means being able to influence and encourage those in the same room, subtly bringing them round to your way of thinking in a way that’s non-confrontational.

R – Regard (for others)

Charismatic people are genuinely interested in what others have to say, not just the sound of their own voice. This means using your ‘active listening’ skills to really engage with your conversation partner and take on board what they’re saying.

M – (e)Motion

A high level of emotional intelligence goes hand-in-hand with charisma. You need to be aware of your own emotions (including knowing those you should be displaying and those you shouldn’t) as well as being aware of, and empathetic to those of others.

Method:

Putting all these qualities into the mixing bowl at the same time may be harder than it looks, however: too much of one ingredient and the balance tips too much towards either internal or external character traits. Like most things in life, it all comes down to self-awareness, experience…and practice. Perhaps it’s worth giving that charm school a call, after all.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: The Telegraph; Mind Tools; Skills You Need

Whether you want better posture for increased golf performance, injury prevention or simply a more confident, youthful appearance, this blog is a must-read. In this two-part series, Ben Langdown, Sports Scientist, Golf Strength & Conditioning Coach and Ph.D. in the field of Golf Biomechanics and Swing Variability, gives us a thorough breakdown of how desk posture can affect your golf performance and what you can do to fix it.

We were lucky enough to meet Ben at the Titleist World Golf Fitness Summit in 2014, where he and his colleague Jack Wells came all the way from England to give an outstanding presentation on the ultimate dynamic warm-up for golfers.

Many of you have heard us reference their research since then (yep, Ben is one of the experts that helps his golfers hit the ball up to 40 yards farther just by giving them the right type of warm-up).

In part 1, Ben will discuss lower crossed syndrome, the swing faults or injuries that commonly accompany it, and together we will show you exercises you can start performing today to improve your lower body posture. I hope you enjoy it!

Lower Crossed Syndrome

Your office desk. Your neat little set up. Or is it more like your enemy, joining forces with your office chair…conspiring against you…set to ruin your posture and even your golf game?!

Many people fail to realize that their desk habits impact their performance on the golf course. If you like to play golf and you also work in an office environment, it’s imperative that you address your desk posture and spend time training in the gym to reverse the power struggle between your posture and your office furniture. The next 10 minutes could change your life! Well, ok maybe not your life, but your ability to hit that little dimpled white ball around the 18 holes at your local golf club!

Recently, the press has asserted that sitting is “the new smoking”.  Like smoking, clocking up hours in a sedentary position can have a multitude of negative health consequences such as increased risks of developing cancer, heart disease and type II diabetes. OK, so we know sitting can be detrimental to your health, but did you know that it can also lead to lower and upper crossed syndromes (see Janda, 1987 & 1988 for further research). Sounds serious, hey?! When it comes to your golf performance, it could well be the difference between getting (or not as the case may be) into those positions your golf coach has been talking about for the last few seasons!

In the first part of this blog, I’m going to focus on how desk posture leads to lower crossed syndrome and what you can do to fix it.

The habit of sitting over a period of years can lead to the main muscles in your golf swing becoming lazy, including the gluteals, also known as your buttocks! In your swing, the gluteals provide stability, rotation and power. If these important muscles aren’t firing properly, a variety of swing faults can emerge. Along with the gluteals not firing effectively, the hip flexors (the muscles on the front of the hips) and the lower back often become tight from too much desk time, which can lead to an altered pelvis position (too much forward tilt) when you address the golf ball. This altered set-up position can have consequences such as over-rotation (reversed spine angle) and may even increase the risk of injury and lower back pain.

In addition to the gluteals becoming weak, another culprit of adopting a lazy attitude and becoming weak when we sit for long periods of time is the abdominals. Without strong and functional abdominals it’s nearly impossible for us golfers to transfer forces up through the body and out to the arms and clubhead during the motion of the golf swing. So now you could be facing a situation where you have an unstable lower body (weak gluteals) trying to send forces up to a lazy abdominal region. It’s been said before that this scenario is like trying to do the shot put on an ice rink, or fire a canon from a canoe. We call this postural dysfunction Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS) and this is shown on the right side of the image below with a normal posture on the left.

Solutions to overcoming LCS include strengthening the glutes through exercises such as Speed Skaters.

Coaching Points: Using a mini band, placed around both legs just above the knee, you should keep the torso tall and skate back and out to the side with alternating legs. You can imagine there is a raw egg behind you on either side, when you skate back you are not allowed to smash the egg with your toe tap on the floor! In other words, control the movement, use that front leg to squat down slightly and then return to a tall standing position after each rep. Complete 3 sets of 6 reps each side to begin.

As well as strengthening the weak areas of LCS we also need some flexibility work to take place and correct the tight hip flexors and erector spinae. The following hip flexor exercises involve using a roller to improve the muscle tissue quality and reduce tightness through the hips followed by a hip flexor stretch to increase flexibility in this area.

Coaching Points: For the rolling you should do 2 x 30 seconds on each side no more than 3-4 times per week to allow your muscles to recover from the massage effects of rolling. Use the free leg for support to reduce the pressure on the roller if it is too painful to begin with.

Coaching Points: The hip flexor stretch should be held for a minimum of 30 seconds on each side and completed every day when warm. You can increase the stretch by reaching tall and leaning slowly over to the side of the front leg. Do not twist the torso at all as you lean. The stretch should be felt on the front of the hip for the trail leg. Ensure the legs are far enough apart if you can’t feel the stretch.

Obviously there are more exercises to complete than this but start by giving these exercises a try and look out for my future post on upper body postural dysfunctions, how they affect your golf swing and what you can do to fix them.

This article appears courtesy of Jennifer Fleischer and Holistic Fitness. 

Holistic Fitness offers Golf Fitness and Performance Training, Strength and Conditioning Programs and Nutrition Coaching.  Jennifer Fleischer, the founder of Holistic Fitness, is a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Golf Fitness Instructor and a CHEK Practitioner, both of which require an advanced understanding of functional training and biomechanics.

Find out more at www.holisticfitsf.com and @HolistictFitSF.

Dr Ben Langdown is the Training Executive for Sports Science at the PGA National Training Academy at The Belfry. Alongside this Ben also works with many elite amateur and professional golfers providing strength and conditioning support. Ben has a PhD in the field of golf biomechanics, studying strength and conditioning for golf and movement variability in the swing.  Follow Ben at @BenLangdown.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

This might seem like something of a utopian scenario, but with an effective, well-structured coaching programme in place, that level of communication can become embedded within the very fabric of your organisation. Establishing the right coaching climate for that programme to flourish, however, is far from straightforward and requires time, effort and involvement at all levels of the organisation. Here are three steps to help you along the way:

1. Seek top-level commitment

The first step towards a consistent coaching climate is to identify one or more senior leaders to be the flag-bearers for your approach. As well as being someone others point to as an example of a great coach and inspiration to their team, these individuals should be acting in a way that gives the right message about coaching across the organisation; they should be people who will spread the word and commit to tackling any barriers or opposition that could arise along the way.

2. Spread the skill

With the right role models in place, there need to be measures in place to allow enthusiasm and understanding of coaching to filter through the organisation. This means making training opportunities readily available across all levels while actively encouraging employees to engage with your approach. Don’t assume this will happen automatically: managers need skilling up in order to deliver effective coaching conversations to their teams who will in turn require training in order to receive their full benefit.

3. Stop and take stock

Once integrated, it’s important to revisit your coaching climate at regular intervals. Like any new policy or strategy, it requires regular attention to see what’s going well and where things could be working better. Think of it as a garden, one that requires regular watering and upkeep in order for the plants within it to grow and flourish.

When it comes to introducing a coaching climate to your organisation there really is no quick fix. Interest and engagement in coaching need to be cultured throughout the organisation along with an understanding of how to deliver and receive it. Rest assured: with the right building blocks in place, there’s every chance of success.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: www.abintegro.com

While some people might feel more at ease in one environment than the other, the important thing is that the two are kept separate and that we abide by the rules we have been set.

When it comes to the world of work, emotions should be left at the door with your professional persona set to kick in automatically on passing reception.

As we know, life is rarely this black and white; emotions, both positive and negative, will inevitably find their way into the workplace from time to time.

The key is not to deny the existence of emotions and sensitivities altogether but rather to understand how to manage them so as to limit their impact on your professional relationships. Here are some dos and don’ts to set you on your way:

DO:

Know your emotions

Understanding what triggers your emotions and the effect that these can have on your work and professional relationships is the first step towards gaining better control. Start by taking the time to analyse how you respond to certain workplace stressors and triggers.

Take time out

The cut and thrust of the office can make for an emotionally charged environment. Seek to balance this by taking time out each day to disconnect from work and reconnect with your non-work persona. Meditation and exercise are great ways to keep your emotions on an even keel.

Communicate

Making others aware of your sensitivities around a particular issue can prevent an emotional trigger from sparking a reaction altogether. Let colleagues know discreetly if something is troubling you before the situation has a chance to escalate.

DON’T:

Ignore it

The instinctive response to an emotional outburst at work is to try act like nothing has happened. However, doing so is only likely to place further strain on your professional relationships.

Wait for things to blow over

Seek to address any incidents or outbursts as soon as you feel calm enough to do so. Facing things head on can limit their impact and stop tensions from setting in between you and those involved.

Over apologise

An emotional response doesn’t automatically make you more at fault for an argument or challenging situation. Take responsibility for your side, but make sure your colleague understands his or her part in the proceedings.

At the end of the day each person is different; having more of an emotional side doesn’t make you a bad person or a worse employee.

That said, having greater control or at least being aware of your own responses and triggers can make the gap between your personal and professional life far easier to manage.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Forbes; Expert Beacon; The Coaching Academy

Here Tony Clark, CEO of Clark Management Group, begins a series of articles that look at the changing face of the PGA Professional and explains how you can transform the business the PGA Professional is at the heart of.

——————————————

With contracts being revised, roles being reviewed, retainers being reduced and removed, benefits being eroded and competition increasing, it’s never been more important for a PGA Professional to demonstrate value to their Club, its Members and Clients.

You’re probably one of the biggest figures on the balance sheet so when the financial controller or committee review the accounts do they see you as an asset or a liability?  This is extremely important.

So how can you become that “all-important asset”?  Over the next six editions I will be sharing with you not only HOW but WHY it’s imperative that PGA Professionals have an action plan to safeguard their future.

Firstly you need to appreciate what you have.

It’s important that you review what it is you’re grateful for from both a personal and commercial perspective.

Take stock of your personal life

Write down what it is you cherish.  Family?  Health?  Lifestyle?  We all get absorbed into the negative and consumed with day-to-day issues but when you focus on the positives, good things happen.  Look at what you have and plan to make it even better.

Review your current business status, both financial and non-financial

Many PGA Professionals operate a retail business from a fully expensed club store; a luxury not available to on-line retailers or multiple golf store retailers.  You immediately have an edge.

Most Club Professionals have a ready-made client base of between 200 and 600 golfing members with the opportunity to coach non-members.  Unlimited range balls and a free practice facility coupled with free parking for employees and clients add up to a significant remuneration package.

The job keeps you physically and mentally active, often in the fresh air, with regular interaction with colleagues and the public.

Add to this the fact that many Professionals receive subsidised or free meals.  This is a GREAT job.

Don’t miss the next six editions of IGPN as I help you turn a GREAT job into an even better LIFE!

@michaelalter

Here’s how you can determine what type of fit is most needed to successfully move your company forward.

Fit is by far the number one criterion to use when hiring for your team. More times than I would like to admit in my career, I’ve “fallen in love” with a candidate on paper and hired them quickly to avoid the pain of not having their skill set in the company. More often than not, it ends up not working. It’s not because they didn’t have the skills to do the job, but rather they were not the right fit for our company culture.

At The Tie Bar we like to focus on cultural fit before we ever dig into someone’s skills or abilities. We’ve even developed a set of common criteria to draw from when interviewing a candidate to test for cultural fit. Things like brand curiosity, possessing an ownership mentality, being a team player, and willingness to take calculated risk are all attributes I weigh potential hires against. As a result we’ve passed on a number of candidates who possess the right skills and abilities but we felt were just not a match with our environment. It doesn’t mean they’re not a good worker or bad people, just that they would possibly be unhappy or not fit well within our company.

Once you have a qualified candidate and know they would be a good fit, you have to determine whether you want to hire leaning more towards their ability or more towards their skills. You will find that the decision to lean more towards skills or ability is situational. I always rely more on current skills when we need results and/or change quickly-particularly when a department or area is under intense pressure to perform. In these situations you should choose skills over ability, as you don’t really have time to allow them to develop what you need. For example, if you have a department that is experiencing accelerated volume, is underperforming, or has high staff turnover, you need to make sure your new hire has the skills on day one to tackle the situation at hand.

Conversely, if that same department finds itself functioning at an acceptable level, you can afford to bring in someone with a broader scope of abilities. One who is capable of growing into a bigger role than the current one you are hiring. Someone with a “longer runway” if you will, since you have the luxury of time for them to get up to speed and learn the skills specific to their new role. This is a way to grow the depth of your management team without having to hire more staff than you currently need.

We all know that in the “ideal world” you would hire someone with the right fit, who possesses both the skills and ability to handle the job today, tomorrow, and moving forward. But in the real world, running a business requires making choices based on the needs of today weighed against the available talent pool. You need to fill your needed roles, sometimes faster than others, so we must make trade-offs between choosing someone with the right skills today versus the ability to do the role and much more in the future.

Just make sure that as you balance these two factors you consider cultural fit first and foremost. If not, in my experience, you will be settling and likely disappointed in the long-term. Think back on the employees that have not been successful in your company and ask yourself why was that? How many of them were not successful because they didn’t fit versus they did not have the abilities or skills to do the job? I’d be willing to bet that fit was the problem, or a major part of the problem, in most if not all cases.

This article originally appeared on Inc.com – to view the original article visit http://eur.pe/1RI61um.

Anyone working in any job will have been a part of this process at some point – whether you are the person searching for candidates, or one of the candidates making yourself as attractive as possible.

In this month’s issue of IGPN we try to balance careers knowledge and assistance not only for people on the hunt for their perfect job, but for those on the hunt for the perfect person as well.

PGA Professionals will all at some time in their career be on both sides – trying to find the right position for themselves to advance their career forward, whilst also looking to create teams that they can work with to be as effective as possible.  But you don’t necessarily have to wait until you’re the boss to get benefit from learning about the hiring process.

Inside this issue you’ll find out how to perform well in interviews with various techniques including controlling body language, how to invest in your career, and how to organise your job search.  But you’ll also find out how to make sure a potential hire fits in to your business’ culture and how to work out what factors matter most to you when hiring a new team member.

All of these things can be useful on both sides – as someone looking for a job, how useful would it be to have an insight into what someone might be looking for?  And as an employer, would it be useful to know what the body language of candidates is saying to you?  With any potential position it’s important to ensure both parties look at it from both sides to get the most out of it and ensure the right person gets hired for the right job.

I’ve learnt that in the golf industry where quite often we’re selling people (it’s the same for coaching in many ways), that recruiting the right people who are going to fit in means not only will the business thrive but they will be happier and a darn sight easier to manage thus freeing up your time for other things.

I have also spoken before in about attitude over experience – ideally you would have both but I would always lean towards attitude if the context is right. It is far more difficult to try and shape the wrong person than get the right person in the first place.  Tools such as in-interview tasks where candidates perform a real-world task actually in the environment they might work in, or psychometric testing are things I have found useful in identifying the right people.

With PGA Professionals continuously rising to the top of businesses the importance of knowing how to hire and how to get hired has never been more important.  Hopefully this month’s IGPN will go some way at least to helping you achieve the most you can in your career and ensure the team around you is the most effective for the job and everyone’s well-being.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.