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A Message From Rod
Dear All,
It is a scary thought, but it has been a year since we emailed you a Newsletter – the reason is simple, we haven’t had a chance to draw breath!
We set ourselves a simple challenge for 2007- to expand our delivery team of consultants. As our business grows, one thing holding us back has been finding more great people to join our team. I am glad to report that if you pay a visit to the Team section of the site, you will see a lot of new faces and new skills being brought to the party. It has been an exciting journey and it is great to see that the same enthusiasm is at the core of our expanded team.
So where are we heading in 2008? We will definitely continue to travel extensively (we delivered in 5 countries in 1 month last year!) We are also focussing on innovation and you will read below about some exciting developments. Bringing this work to life has been an exhilarating experience.
As always, this issue of True North is a good balance of news and content on development tools and processes that will be of value to you and your organisation.
Happy reading and it would be great to get your feedback.
Rod Pashley
rp@peoplepositive.com
Learning Can Be a Breath of Fresh Air
I am sure that you must occasionally have had a feeling of “been there before” with a tough issue? For many of us, it can be hard to take a real step back from a challenge and get a fresh perspective.
We have always worked with leaders and teams in the outdoors, not just because we love being outside, but because we understand the development opportunity. Anyone who enjoys the open spaces will tell you about getting precious time and space to think. When outdoor activities are part of a structured approach to performance development, they can be very inspirational.
We are all about “inspiring extraordinary journeys” and for that reason we have developed a range of outdoor experiences that will take teams into stunning landscapes, on foot, in canoes and on mountain bikes.
Our facilitators have extensive experience in using the outdoors to create a safe, supportive and stimulating environment where teams and individuals can benefit from spending time together. The emphasis is on challenge by choice, with opportunities for the “whole” team to participate regardless of fitness and experience and interactive review sessions where “lessons learnt” are carried in to the team development process.
To find out more, contact David Robertson at dr@peoplepositive.com
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incorporated … two years on.
2007 was quite a year for our Texas based company.
While 2006 was about getting established, 2007 was about delivery…. in many different locations. Our work has taken us from Alaska to Brazil, across to Malaysia and Indonesia, and many locations in between. We have been supporting a number of companies and organizations including: Shell, ExxonMobil, Hess, Cairn Energy …
One particular piece of work had taken a good deal of our focus. It is a culture change in safety program, covering people in 14 different locations in 4 countries in the Americas. A recent survey of several hundred people is showing that the work is having a positive impact in the organization, and it is great to see the fruits of our labour. We have used professional improvization actors to role play company employees and act out interactive scenarios. This part of the program has been extremely well received.
We are now developing the actors’ scenario ‘genre’ to apply to other training situations where quality person-to-person interactions are required. The first to be delivered will be coaching people to avoid employment law conflicts. We see further applications in areas such as: disciplinary proceedings, appraizal discussions, team leadership, team player….
The power of our work in the Americas is down to the quality of our team. We now have a pool of approximately 10 quality associates who have the facilitation and training skills to deliver a variety of people=positive programs. They are becoming part of our ‘family’ here in the US.
I would like to thank all our clients and associates for their continued and growing support for people=positive inc. in North America. We look forward to working with you again in 2008.
Tony Mitchell
Cell: 1-713-628-3320
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have made a SHIFT
Our knowledge of people and team development has been forged out of 19 years experience working with organisations operating in some of the most demanding industries in the world. Whether it is drilling for oil in the North Sea or the Niger Delta, fish farming in Patagonia or the demands of one of the World’s busiest rail networks, people=positive™ have been there to help teams and individuals to develop their performance.
Two years ago we set out to create a Performance Coaching System that would encapsulate the very best of our tools and processes. We need this because we are at a stage in our journey where our business is growing rapidly, and it is crucial to both our clients and our consultants that we use a common language. We always tailor our programmes to our clients needs, so rather than a “one size fits all approach, we set out to design a system to give access to our vast bank of knowledge and experience.
The result is SHIFT:
S - Starting Point – Where are we now? What are the Vision and Values that are the heart of what we do?
H - Horizon – What do we want success look like?
I - Identify Choices – What options do we have to get there?
F - Fix on a route – Deciding on and committing to a plan of action
T - Track progress – Staying aware of where we are and making any changes necessary to correct our course
We have already begun to use SHIFT in a number of situations and what we are discovering is:
• As it is based on a journeying metaphor, it is very accessible and people to relate to it easily.
• Because it has been designed with experiential learning in mind, it gives us a framework to structure and transfer the learning.
• Using a series of “gates” through which coachees need to travel, the process is evidence based, giving clarity and confidence
• It is equally as powerful in 1:1 coaching as in team development
• It is a circular process always comes back to awareness and responsibility – the essence of great performance coaching
To find out more about building SHIFT in to your performance coaching contact David Robertson at dr@peoplepositive.com
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Brings Colour To people=positive™
Andrew Thacker is one of our newer Lead Associates. We thought that it would be a good idea to introduce him to you and then give him some space to let you a bit about the powerful Insights Discovery tool – often known as “Colours” – for which he is an accredited practitioner.
Andrew is definitely the thinker of our team and a great man to have with you on a pub quiz or indeed anywhere there is a tough question to be asked or answered. A brief history of his experience includes: change management for government projects; non-executive Director for the NHS; running programmes developing young adults. He also has a law degree and Chartered Membership of the CIPD to his name. Scary!
Insights Discovery
Insights Discovery is an inspiring personal and team development tool which can: improve the personal dynamics within a workplace; help individuals understand their personal impact; and provide a real and lasting competitive advantage.
It is based on 4 colour energies: fiery red, sunshine yellow, earth green and cool blue. Each of us uses all these energies to varying degrees and it is the unique ordering of these that shape our own personal style. High performance teams recognise and value the contribution of each team member. Where relationships are respectful, valuing and positive there is invariably a strong culture of continuous improvement.
How does it work?
Insights Discovery can be used in 3 ways: as a diagnostic tool, to help establish new teams and to re-establish good practice in existing teams.
A personal profile is produced which has sections on personal style, strengths and weaknesses, value to the team, communication, possible blind spots and suggestions for development. The implications of our individual styles and how we relate to others in the team are then explored. We can then choose to adapt our behaviour (by focussing on existing elements of what makes us who we are) to maximise our own personal and team effectiveness.
For more information on how Insights Discovery could help in your team development, you can contact Andrew at at@peoplepositive.com
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1:1 Leadership Coaching Programme
We have launched a new bespoke 1:1 Leadership Coaching service to make sure that we are able to give individuals the very best help and support in their own development. In the context of developing organisational performance, everyone has their own unique journey to travel. It is often the achievement of strong personal goals that are the key to unlocking a team’s true potential.
We have developed a fresh approach to leadership coaching that uses our SHIFT system to help leaders at all levels within an organisation to set their own powerful goals and then put in place sustainable strategies for personal growth. Often this coaching might be delivered as part of a team development programme, but it is certainly available to any leader at any time who wants to make sure that he or she is really fulfilling their true potential.
David Robertson, an experienced leadership coach with a track record in communications, banking, and industrial sectors is spearheading our 1:1 Leadership Coaching Programme.
You can reach him at dr@peoplepositive.com
eXtend
4 years ago, we started a conversation about how we could inspire extraordinary journeys for young people. Many of our clients told us that, when they were young, their own personal development opportunities had not always prepared them effectively for independent living and working. We decided, after consultation with a number of agencies and professional youth workers, that a new and innovative approach was needed. We approached our two local secondary schools in the Spey Valley, and offered to invest time and energy in working with them to design and deliver personal development experiences for the pupils. It took a little time to gain the trust of the teaching staff, but now we are seen as being members of a learning and development partnership. This part of eXtend’s work is a long-term project, where the intention is to maintain eXtend involvement throughout the learning journey of pupils from final years of primary school to the end of their secondary school career.
eXtend is now in its third year and becoming a well established independent charitable trust with its own Board of Trustees. people=positive™ helped initiate the project, and now supports the charity by providing time from the Directors and giving office space to Project Co-ordinator, Melanie Clouston. Alongside our long-term programme with local schools, eXtend is working on a national level providing personal development weekends for Fulcrum Challenge – a leadership development charity.
Projects we are currently involved with include:
Two local secondary schools in Badenoch and Strathspey
• First Year Students - This year, we have helped 90 first years students establish friendships quickly and easily when starting secondary school, an important issue highlighted through consultation with 1st year pupils.
• Fifth Year Students – We have worked with over 70 fifth year students during the last four months exploring teamworking skills to enable more effective working relationships whilst at school, and to build confidence in new situations outside school.
• Pupils Forum – eXtend has supported 24 students from a Pupil Forum clarify objectives, gain skills and develop tactics in order to complete school improvement projects successfully.
• Staff Training – We have undertaken in-service training for 58 school staff to help them reflect over the last year; and create a new vision for the future.
Highland Youth Forum
• eXtend will be holding a personal development weekend in the near future for approximately 25 members of the Highland Youth Forum to help develop a clear sense of purpose, prioritise objectives, establish relationships and build their local teams.
Fulcrum
• Fulcrum is a charity which takes UK students to third world countries to help build and repair schools in remote communities. eXtend deliver all Fulcrum’s personal development weekends for their students before they travel. Over the last year approximately 200 young people have taken part in these weekends which concentrate on promoting self belief, personal motivation, commitment and acceptance of real responsibility.
If you would like to find out more about the work we are doing, or make a contribution to help fund eXtend’s work with young people there are a variety of ways that you can do this:
Project specific support: We are developing innovative projects exploring ways to encourage creative thinking and challenge personal boundaries, using drama to train senior pupils to facilitate coaching workshops for younger pupils on making the transition from primary to secondary school and many other topics.
Core Project Funding: eXtend employs one full-time project co-ordinator working in schools, and one part-time administrator providing the support required for preparing and delivering the Fulcrum Challenge weekends.
Workplace Experience: You may be in a position to partner with us to provide leadership development experiences for pupils to understand better the world of work and the importance of communication and relationship-building skills.
If you would like more information on how you can support our work, please contact extend@peoplepositive.com. eXtend is funded by donations and through payment for its services. eXtend has been supported by funding from Leader+, Cairngorm National Park Authority, people=positive™ and Fulcrum Challenge.
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As our business grows, we need to make sure that we continue to find great people to bring in to our team. Over the last 12 months, our “Operations and Logistics” team has expanded with the arrival of Susan Connolly and Angela Burnett. Susan is from a nursing background and Angela has migrated over to us from the nearby Hilton Coylumbridge Hotel. In the store, Roger Gaff has joined us after many years at the Lagganlia Outdoor Centre. Last but not least, Sam Weir, whom many of you will know, has come in the business full time after many a programme as associate. A major part of Sam’s role is to help us develop further our outdoor experiential work and as a seasoned kayaking and mountain bike guide, he is a great asset to the business.
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