BUSINESS DRIVERS Are you the driver? This is the question I was asked when paying for tea and a scone in the cafe by the ancient monastic site at Clonmacnoise, in Ireland. I guess it was my solitary nature, the sunglasses or absence of a camera that led to her question. I was clearly not part of the Japanese tourist group. Now, every day, I ask myself: ‘Are you the driver?’ PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What are the drivers in your business or work? 2. What are you driving? THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DEGREE FEEDBACK Love is not something we have to search for. Love is with us, beside us, and in us always no matter what. So, this journey of life is an inward one, to be love in all we are and an outward one, to love all who we meet. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What does your love look like – inside and out? 2. List and celebrate the top five real, practical and visible outputs of your love TEA BAGS When you sit and look into your cup of tea what do you see when it is finished? Years ago, fortune tellers would predict our future by looking at the pattern of the leaves resting at the bottom of the cup. Tea bags now mean that we throw away our tea leaves before we drink our tea, leaving no clues, no predictions. So, as you gently dispose of your tea bag today, take a moment to imagine your future and how your story will unfold. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Can you imagine how your life might unfold in terms of work, relationships and all that is important to you? 2. What is the one surprise or unexpected event? 3. Write out the perfect story for your future. ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW Your time is running out. Another year has gone. Your life is passing by. It is here now. The moment to grasp all that is meant to be. The whole purpose and meaning of your life. Your time is running out. Another year has gone. Your life is passing by. It is here now. The moment to grasp all that is meant to be PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. This is the key moment in your life. What will you grasp? 2. What will you achieve by this time next year – at your next annual performance review? RETAIL TRAINING PROGRAMME Go to a bookshop and browse. Check out the poetry, personal development or business books. Collect stories, ideas, quotes and perspectives that challenge or excite you. Let your sense of wonder come alive. Let possibilities and scenarios explode in your brain like winter fireworks. Capture the key messages. Next time you go shopping, join me and let us take ten minutes together on our retail training programme. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Pick out two or three books from your shelf or bookcase that you haven’t opened for ages. Browse through these and write down three or four ideas. Now play with these and think ‘What are the key messages for me?' and 'How can I use these?’ 2. Join me next time you go shopping on my Retail Training Programme. MERCHANDISING Rearrange yourself. Mix up your pieces a bit and bring out all the love you have. Re-stock your shelves. Let the world see a new you, the real you. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What can I get in your shop? 2. What is your new merchandising plan? SCENARIO PLANNING There are many ways. You have your own way. And your way has many options and possibilities. Stay on your own path. It may be muddled or uncertain now but it will become clear. Be yourself. Stay true to yourself and to all those who love (and have loved) you for they too are on the path of love and uncertainty. Love all others for your kindness (with a smile and a helping hand) can be a signpost on their journey. And yours. You have a fixed amount of time so take every moment to work for love. All else will pass. Love is. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What are your options and possibilities? 2. How would you describe ‘your way”? INTERIOR DESIGN I'm using this time as an opportunity to rethink where I am and to start afresh. I even moved all my office furniture around yesterday and it made a huge difference. You see, I'm now able to look out of the window at the trees and not stare at the wall. Moving around the furniture has literally changed how I see things. It’s my interior design process. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. How could you rearrange your furniture for a different perspective? 2. How could you rearrange your day for a different set of outcomes? , PEACE TALKS She gently reminds me that any fool can fall out with someone. But I feel really angry, betrayed and let down. She explains that the reality is that we are still connected no matter what happens. It may seem like the end of the road, but before your angry outburst, that long legal case begins or that explosive email is sent, just remember that this is not the end of your story together. For you will connect again sooner than you think. So, always part on good terms, always think well of the other no matter what, for both of you are forever part of each other’s journey. Let the anger go and be at peace with yourself and others. Speak well of those who let you down, for in time they will have no answer to your kindness but kindness itself. Any fool can fall out. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Who is it that you do not always ‘think well of’ or ‘speak well of’? 2. If you were your own Life Coach how would you help yourself to let go of this anger? MENTOR I’m not vey good at the meditation thing so for me it’s a morning business meeting with God. We chat through priorities and tasks. We look at the current focus in line with the overall strategy and identify people we need to talk to. We come up with a few good ideas together and set out a detailed plan for the day. We all need a Mentor. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Who is your Mentor? 2. Who do you Mentor? |
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June 2021
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