Come and join us on the 26th March: http://www.goodfoodireland.ie/index.cfm/section/news/key/643

I am giving serious consideration to banning newspapers and news channels from the office and certainly from home. They are doing their job, scaring people, very well. But I no longer want to be a passive sponge soaking up all of their doom and gloom. A lot of it is like our own natural tendency to worry about lots of things that never actually happen. The news channels in particular have 24 hours to fill and therefore need to fill up every minute with a lot of pointless theorising. So , enough I say.

Lets accentuate the positive.

I attended a talk last night in a boutique hotel in Dungannon. ( Now there’s a statement I never thought I’d have call to use.) The very nice people at Linden Foods kindly allowed me to go. And it was a very timely reminder of the power we have over our own destiny and our journey there. It was not a wacky , bogus, laying of hands, give me your money and all will be revealed kind of thing. A lot of it was common sense. It was given by Marcus Child and he was amazing. he spoke for almost 2 hours but it felt like 15 minutes. It was story after story of positivity. “You can if you think you can” was one of the mantra’s.

The part that made the biggest impact on me was the start , having big dreams. Where do you want to be in 2, 5 or 10 years time ? I couldn’t answer it, still can’t, but I intend to put a good deal of time and fun into finding out !

I came home from the talk and watched the news on BBC. They spent a good 15 minutes talking about the previous nights riot, using lots of terrible images, while acknowledging that there was absolutely no trouble this evening. It was almost as if they were hoping something would kick off. At the end of the news they went to a piece about Rory McIlroy’s return to Holywood Golf Club with the US open trophy. As an aside the reporter mentioned that the club professional remembered a 6 year old Rory handing in a scorecard signed “Rory McIlroy, US Open Champion.” When this was put to Rory he replied :

“I’ve always been a big dreamer, I have always had very high hopes and expectations”

Now why couldn’t that have been the lead item on the news ?

Thanks Paul – great Blog!

At the HR Summit in Istanbul Alain de Botton spoke of the frustration that many people in corporate life experience, borne out of their inability to see the tangible end products of their decisions and actions. He said it is often simply a consequence of scale.

De Botton illustrated this from his observations of career counselling. He pointed out how so many executives, when asked to soul-search for what they would really like to do, confess to having a private dream of owning a cake shop!

What lies behind this wish apparently is the notion that customers arrive with an express tangible need or desire, which can be met simply, pleasantly and sweetly. The refreshing uncomplicated act of giving people something that delights them in an immediate positive way is what the executives crave most of all.

Whilst such immediacy may still seem extraordinarily challenging to achieve from a remote eerie in a blue chip hierarchy or lost in space in an international matrix, there is still the real chance of making a palpable contribution for internal customers.

At least we can serve them from our own internal Tuck Shop and make an immediate impact that way. That is the daily reward and solace of the servant-leader.

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” Napoleon Hill.

I have read several of David Whyte’s books, poetry and prose, and am a huge admirer of his work.

Last week I got to have lunch with him!

Given his demanding speaking schedule, client work and family life I asked him how he managed to make time to write. He replied by quoting Blake (I think I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t!):

“There is a moment in each day that Satan cannot find.”

Yes, that’s the creative discipline…to fiercely protect a slice of each day to nourish oneself, learn, develop or make something.

Waiting for the perfect conditions will lose us time.

Best get started on our projects of the heart now…and that effort will generate more time and opportunity.

I looked up the Blake quote….

“There is a moment in each Day that Satan cannot find,

Nor can his Watch Fiends find it,

But the industrious find This Moment and it multiply.”

Here’s a Nourisher from last week:

Active Belief in the Brand.

In 1998 I delivered a pivotal workshop to a large group of senior leaders at Marks and Spencer. The session was well received and I was delighted by the commitments to change that reverberated around the venue afterwards.

My colleague Deborah watched from the back of the room next an M&S Executive. As the session concluded she leaned towards Deborah, praised my work and then concluded with some advice.

“For someone speaking to such influential managers Marcus could do with a few fashion tips. I mean, he could certainly do better than that shirt!”

Deborah explained how that was my only M&S shirt and that she had bought it for me the previous day! Thinking that it would be important for me to fly the M&S flag during the workshop Deborah had supplied me with one of the top-selling shirts of the brand!

The Executive replied…

“Oh don’t bother with any of that in future! None of us wear M&S. Look (revealing the label in her jacket) this is DKNY! It’s important to wear what you look good in.”!!!

At the time I felt that spoke volumes.

Last week my colleague Mark and I spoke at a Leadership Event at Clarks. This involved the 13 strong Leadership Team delivering presentations and workshops to the 90 members of the Clarks International leadership group.

I was heartened to see every member of the Leadership Team wearing Clarks shoes.

Little wonder that the ‘Pride in the brand’ score on Clarks’ latest Employee Engagement Surveys (externally measured) is exceptionally high.

Henry Ford.

Confidence is a massive asset….and getting more confidence is a contact sport.

Confidence may not be everything but it’s often pivotal, a game-changer…so much hangs on it.

I became a very confident rock-climber, but I didn’t do it alone…..

Aged 19, I was 50 feet up an exposed crag, Ilkley, West Yorkshire. I was at the crux, trying a real confidence move. It’s easy to exaggerate these things, but this was finger tips on tiny studs of quartz and feet friction-smearing on a bald face…not a position I could maintain for long! I took a deep breath and stepped into the start of a precarious sequence of balancy moves to take me across a smooth-looking wall to the safety of better holds. As my fingers left the quartz studs I was totally committed, couldn’t reverse and for the next few minutes would be climbing at the very limit of my strength and technique….

I knew this because I had tried this sequence a number of times before with a safety rope from above for protection. Sometimes I overbalanced and fell off, sometimes took too long and ran out of steam and occasionally I teetered, corrected my balance and made it.

What made this time a ‘first’ was the fact that I was leading the route. Today there was no safe rope above. This time the rope was hanging below me from my harness. My protection consisted of two aluminium chocs I had stuffed into a horizontal crack 20 feet below. If I fell, the theory went that I would fall 40 feet and my partner Rob would lock the rope, the chocs would jam tight in the crack, take my weight and I would be caught 10 feet from hitting the floor!

I was prepared to take this risk because in the preceding two practice attempts that day I had been successful. I had flowed across the tricky sequence and felt the route was in my grasp. Pumped and flushed with confidence I had declared myself ready to lead it.

…..However, as I moved into the sequence, despite the buffeting wind, I heard the unnerving rattling of aluminium below. What were those chocs doing? They were all the protection I had! I couldn’t look down, my cheek was pressed to the rock and I was struggling for balance mid-move. Even if I had been able to look down I couldn’t have seen the chocs below because they were in a crack obscured from sight by overhanging rock.

“Everything alright?’ I shouted anxiously.

Rob’s reply was jovial..“Getting cold down here that’s all! Just doing a bit of a jig to keep warm!”

[Ah, Rob’s jig! With his harness festooned with hanging chocs and karabiners, that explained the rattling sound.]

“You concentrate on making a good job of that and then we can pack up and get home to a warm fire!” he continued.

Rob saw that I was totally committed on the sequence. He had also just seen my two chocs pop out of the crack below, leaving me with a 50 foot fall to the ground if I goofed the moves!

However, like a guardian angel who knew exactly what I needed, he never let on. He just transmitted confidence.

“You’re flying today Marcus! Doing that very nicely. I like it Mate!”

Encouraged and reassured by Rob’s kindly Welsh lilt, and oblivious to the danger I was in, I proceeded with a composure I had no right to posses.

I completed the route.

Only once we’d got to the pub did Rob, with a huge grin, tell me the truth about the chocs!

The lead ascent of such a bold face was big news amongst my circle of climbing friends. I  was praised for my courage. Yet how different might things have been had Rob not held his nerve that day? How different, had he merely blurted out the bad news as it happened? How might such a revelation have affected my focus? How much might I have wobbled had Rob relayed the real facts to me?

Robin Downey went on to become a firefighter. I expect he made a rather fine one.

I spent the next three years climbing with another like-minded fanatical climber, Steve Rhodes.

I climbed almost every day, kept a rigorous training routine and became particularly proficient at placing chocs securely!

The confidence that grew through continuous practice gave me access to many of the finest and most celebrated rock climbs in Britain.

Yet ultimately climbing wasn’t to be my path. I left Yorkshire’s millstone grit for the flatlands of Cambridge, swapped climbing with study. A year after, in a newsagent in Bury St Edmunds, I checked out ‘Climber and Rambler’ for old times’ sake. I was glancing back at another existence, and on the front cover in high gloss, was Steve Rhodes! The photo showed him, in glamorous action, making the first ascent of the hardest route in Yorkshire and perhaps Great Britain at the time.

I was flabbergasted. Steve was good, but not that good!

I called him.

“Congratulations Steve! Astonishing! How did you do it? How did you get to leap to the very peak of the sport in such a short time?”

“I’m climbing with a great bunch of lads, we’re all pushing each other…I’m growing in confidence every day Marcus. I’m not physically stronger than I was a year ago, no stronger than you were…but something has just clicked in my head. That’s the only way I can put it. To do the really hard routes you just have to get yourself into a place where you just know you can. It’s weird, but you know when you’re there and doubt doesn’t enter your mind.”

“No fear. No surprise. No hesitation. No doubt.”

Samurai motto.

However, when everything runs completely smoothly and all the service details are delivered on time, as expected, there can be an accumulated sense of satisfaction, an aggregated wow factor.

Last Monday night, Jan 3^rd, Harry, our 15year old son and I checked in at the Holiday Inn Express, Manchester East. All the ‘moments of truth’ from start to finish were good, not great….and we left feeling like it had been an excellent stay…and definitely value for money.

We stepped into Reception at about 11.00pm we were greeted by the host behind the desk:

“Good evening. Welcome to you both. I’m guessing it’s Marcus and Harry Child.”

Not a bold guess I suppose at that time of night, but it was personal.

As I signed for the room key (the only bit of admin required) our host asked how far we had travelled and what had brought us to Manchester. Harry was pleased to speak about his birthday treat…we were to see the Man Utd v Stoke match the next evening…and as a typical United fan he had travelled from Bucks!

I booked a wake-up call (I had a presentation to make the next day too) and the receptionist then said

“Did you know that snow is forecast for tonight Mr Child? I say that just in case you’d like me to fix the call a bit earlier if the snow does come?” How about that for a TNT (Tiny Noticeable Thing)?

For me, like most guests at such a hotel, all you really want is a comfortable and sound night’s sleep in a clean room with everything in working order. No frills needed.

We got just that.  Immaculate room, impeccably clean, complete with the usual kit…kettle, iron and ironing board, T.V. fluffy towels…choice of firm or soft pillow(!), toiletries, twin beds with crisp, fragrant sheets and a wake up call that came 15mins early because the snow had come.

We took a brisk breakfast from a choice of cooked or continental and nipped out to beat the traffic. No need to queue up to check out, that had been sorted out at check in. Just a

wave from the receptionist and a “I hope the Reds win for you!” as we bundled out.

Bingo! Hassle-free and only £44 for the two of us including breakfast!

An email came this morning, precisely a week on, from Holiday Inn Express, thanking me for choosing to stay at their hotel. No hard sell, no request that I give feedback or would you stay with us again?

Actually, no need to ask. Of course I would!

However, if you want your hotel to be famous for hospitality, somebody needs to excel!

There’s nothing so potent as a human symbol of service excellence, a person embodying the aspirations of a brand.

Such torch-bearers get a reputation and get a property talked about.

The Sheffield Park Hotel has been the home to one organisation’s Annual Conference for four years running.

I spoke at this year’s Conference last Saturday.

When I arrived on Friday night and met with the company’s senior team in the bar I asked why they always come back to this hotel. Don’t the 200 people at the event crave a change of scenery?

The answer I got was unanimous and emphatic:

“No! The Sheffield Park always gets everything right for us. It’s the customer service.”

“They can’t do enough…especially Russell. He looks after us every year!”

“Nothing’s too much trouble to Russell. You’ll meet him tomorrow, he’s fantastic!”

I don’t think our conversation was overheard…and I was impressed by the final exchange with the waiter in the bar. He approached our table to say “I have just had a telephone call from Russell. He’s off this evening but just wanted to know that you’d all got here safely. He said he’s looking forward to seeing you all again tomorrow, bright and early before your big day. He also asked if he could buy you all a drink to welcome you back

to Sheffield Park?”

Nice touch Russell! He was the toast of the team!

The next morning I could see why. At first sight I could see Russell was a game-changer… welcoming smile, alert attentive eyes and all the lines of his body ready to respond to the next request of the conference organisers.

They had another wonderful day and they’ll be back next year.

Who says one person can’t make a difference!

Epilogue…Had a great day with the thriving and enthusiastic team at Homes 4 You at the Gorton Monastery (fabulous conference venue) … and in the evening Harry’s team won. Nani changed that game. His wonder goal, another superb individual effort, sealed the victory .…ManUtd 2 ..Stoke 1.

Bitching, moaning and whining is becoming more and more common in British workplaces.

BMW is deemed the latest problem to hit British workplaces – not as in the car, but as in Bitching, Moaning and Whining. The problem is that continual venting – complaining, nit-picking and whingeing – is bad news for everyone.

‘Be warned, the negative energy is highly contagious and can have a “pull-you-down” effect on the whole team,’ explains Sharon Eden, author of Whack Around the Head: Purpose, Passion, Power at Work Right Now! (£12.99, Ecademy Press).

Often disguised as harmless office gossip or a reasonable rant, such diatribes typically reveal something far more sinister and entrenched, according to Eden. Quite often, what you find is an ‘Eyeore’ character in the department, who just can’t help raining on other people’s parades, causing friction in office relationships and harmony, she says.

Eden believes that BMW is a largely British phenomenon. ‘It’s typical in Britain to keep a stiff upper lip instead of speaking out. Net result? An ulcer and/or substantial venting to all our colleagues, family and friends, which just prolongs the agony and gets us absolutely nowhere.’

Venting has been found to be highly divisive, disempowering and demotivating for all concerned. It can also make us highly unproductive – destroying any possibility of the team being an effective and influential force in the organisation. It can make you miss deadlines, mess up your assignments and, over time, begin to experience fogginess, confusion, upset, resentment and exhaustion.

Stephen Archer, business analyst and director of Spring Partnerships, believes that in terms of repercussions, it doesn’t make much difference whether you are the ‘venter’ or ‘ventee’. ‘To tolerate is to advocate,’ he says. ‘It’s natural for people to want to mirror others and agree, and moaning is no exception.’ And Archer shares the view that it’s a particularly British trait. ‘When I go to US companies, there is rarely any BMW,’ he says. They are positive and optimistic, he says, because leaders and managers nip problem behaviour in the bud.

However, Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University Management School, and an American himself, disagrees. ‘US working culture can be brutal – there’s no protection in jobs. So when people feel badly treated, they just leave. So it’s not that BMW doesn’t exist or that managers deal with it swiftly. There’s just more job mobility.’

However, Cooper claims BMW is more prevalent in large organisations. ‘The bigger the organisation, the more you get it. In our Quality of Working Life survey, we found SMEs are so much better in this regard.

‘Rather than people complaining, they’re much more likely just to get on with it. It’s probably because colleagues know each other well and tend to be managed more flexibly. In big companies, there’s often this feeling that you have very little control and autonomy. You make a mistake and someone dumps on you, and even if you don’t make a mistake, you may feel remote and unengaged. There’s a huge problem of managing by negative feedback and fault-finding in some such organisations too.’

The recession is only making things worse, he says. ‘Senior management often don’t communicate cut-backs during a recession and that lack of communication fuels BMW. We’ve found that, conversely, organisations that communicate well, even with bad news, experience far less venting. Quite the opposite in fact – staff work really hard to be more productive because they feel, “Hey, I’ve got to do something to make this company work. It’s in my own interests”.’

Others believe venting is an addiction – that it is their drug of choice and, like most addicts, they lack self-responsibility. BMW-ing, goes the theory, is the venter’s way of avoiding taking responsibility for their life and their feelings – and that’s probably the case in their home life too.

Karen Chapman, operations manager for recruitment agency Office Angels, agrees BMW has an element of denial associated with it. ‘In my experience, there are several reasons why people moan, but it’s usually because they’re trying to hide something like their inability to do the job, they’ve lost interest in the task at hand or the job itself.

‘When you have two people working in competition, it’s often the case that one is lazier and more negative, or simply underperforms against the other. Rather than come up with reasons as to why, they make excuses. They blame someone else and rarely look at themselves. These repeat offenders are often negative people who find it difficult to see positives easily or don’t see change as being good and full of opportunities.’

Unlike Cooper, Chapman believes BMW is as common in small companies. It’s less about the size of the company than whether it has a structured hierarchy or big egos – both of which are breeding grounds for BMW, claims Chapman.

It’s important to remember that the management of an organisation holds some responsibility: ‘We know of one department where one person is very low and possibly depressed,’ says Chapman. ‘The person has a negative and unco-operative manner and, as a result, the department is now underperforming and the team are constantly nit-picking and moaning among themselves. If not addressed quickly, it will spiral out of control and bringing it back to a happy equilibrium will be very difficult.’

Office Angels advice, in the first instance, is to listen to venting and let the person have their say. ‘But if it continues or has a negative effect on you, say that you do sympathise but that you can’t solve their problem and suggest they talk to their manager,’ says Chapman.

If you don’t feel able to approach them directly, let your manager know how their behaviour distresses you and ask him or her to resolve the situation, advises Eden. ‘If other colleagues feel the same, make a collective approach to emphasise the need for his or her action.’

If you’re the culprit, give yourself a metaphorical whack around the head to get real every time you catch yourself, she says. ‘Moaning, griping and playing the victim puts people off and gets you nowhere. Be powerful by getting clear about your problem, any resources you need and who you need to enlist to help you resolve it. Then, take appropriate action.’

If it’s your boss who’s the perpetrator, things are obviously a bit more complicated. Eden suggests giving gentle feedback on their behaviour and asking how you might resolve it. ‘If your boss isn’t approachable, speak in the same vein to whoever has influence with them.’ Meanwhile, if you’re the manager, use the ‘S’ formula, she says. ‘Support the person by appreciating their take on things, even if you don’t agree with them. Suggest a way forward with their grievance and their venting behaviour which they can buy into.’

Chapman does believe there’s a place for venting though. ‘There’s no doubt short outbursts are good for stress and also a very good way of letting people know how you feel. But continued venting, especially about the same thing, is when it turns negative. That’s when you need to take action.’

10 ways to beat BMW

Business coach Marcus Child offers top tips on tackling the problem:

1 Don’t join in.
2 Let the whiners know you disapprove
of their habit and the effect it has on you. You may try humour – telling them you’re putting your shield up when they start.
3 Respond particularly positively when people talk about good things.
4 Nourish your own positivity by seeking out colleagues who boost your energy and self-confidence.
5 Find positive things to focus on – a group charity event or shared milestone you can all celebrate.
6 Find ways to be positive yourself – for example, always check your emails for negativity before pressing ‘send’ and change your voicemail message to sound more upbeat.
7 Tell other people to correct you when you could be more optimistic.
8 Choose a few target words to eradicate from your vocabulary – nightmare, hopeless, impossible, etc.
9 Do the same with non-verbal behaviour – try to catch yourself before you start head shaking, tutting, rolling eyes, sighing, grimacing and using agitated hand gestures on a regular basis.
10 Praise before criticising.

Read article on the Executary News website – http://www.executary.co.uk/feature/1588/Dealing_with_the_BMW_effect_in_the_workplace.aspx

While this can be tackled by setting personal and team goals and recognising and rewarding talent, Marriott Hotels is finding an alternative way to boost staff morale.

We’ve been working with Marcus Child, a well known motivational speaker, for 14 years now and find that he leaves people feeling very positive and enthusiastic to do their work,” says Sergio Snyder, training director for Marriott Europe.

Child was first employed as a speaker for the hotel giant’s graduate trainees, when he devised a bespoke, motivational training programme called Spirit to Serve, which aimed to inspire staff to bring their passion and energy into the workplace.

Relaxed learning

Now he is working with the group to create a series of MP3 players loaded with bespoke motivational speeches to potentially roll out to staff members across the company.

“The idea here would be that our staff plug their MP3 players into their ears each morning on the way to work and get a bit of inspiration from Marcus about starting their day,” explains Snyder.

“One of the subjects is about being positive at work, so we’d want to inject that into our staff members every day. The idea is also moving in with the new generation of people that are comfortable using MP3 players rather than sitting in a classroom listening to someone talk.”

Another speech, named Wow Factory, inspires listeners to create “the tingle factor” in their day to day lives, encouraging them to find small ways to change “ordinary experiences into something memorable and energising”.

Tiny Noticeable Things

These TNTs (Tiny Noticeable Things) can be anything from a smile or opening a door for guests, to more imaginative gestures like remembering the names of frequent guests or diners.

The effect, says Snyder, can not only be a marked improvement in employee engagement with their work, plus an increase in profitability too.

“Over the years we’ve seen that a positive attitude increases productivity and drives revenue. Because people enjoy what they do more, they are more motivated and positive, and therefore more likely to sell your product better.”

Child, who has worked with many companies over the years to motivate staff, said the best example of his speeches taking effect is Anne-Marie Dowling, general manager of Guoman’s The Royal Horseguards Hotel.

“She started off as a housekeeper in Slough Windsor Marriott with only an O-Level qualification in pottery and needlework,” he explained. “She’s a huge devotee of this method of training, and a fantastic example of its effect.

“These speeches are all about setting goals that would stretch people further than they otherwise might,” he added.

Total staff training

Snyder is hoping to trial the MP3 players across the senior management level in a handful of Marriott’s UK hotels in Q2 next year, and if all goes well, will eventually roll-out the concept to lower level staff too.

And while the hotel chain is well-known for its focus on staff training and development, Snyder says nothing comes close to inspiring productivity more than hiring a motivational speaker.

“We run very extensive, periodical core training programmes at Marriott, but motivation is always something you can work on every day.

“I believe the speeches initiate the more productive side of people, so the motivational aspect actually drives the other core training we do with our staff.”

Read article on the Big Hospitality website: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/?page=articles&ID=205933