THINKS

Do you crave time to properly step back to give yourself some quality 'me time' to THINK? If so, let me quickly reassure you that you are in excellent company.

In fact, most of us stand too close to what we need to do each day to such an extent that our brains can easily become fogged by minutiae, that I prefer to call your 'ants' - the sting of a single ant creates mild, temporary irritation though a colony has the potential to sting you to death. We then find it harder to recognise better ways for handling complex situations... and our more difficult people. That's where an outsider has such an advantage, as I can ask you all manner of innocent-sounding questions that help create those magical sometimes life-changing 'lightbulb moments'. A couple of weeks ago one of my clients asked me:

"Why is is that none of my fellow Directors have ever asked me that?"

No one engaged in professional sport would dare dream of NOT having a coach or mentor, and these days many professionals also benefit from the same brand of support, and for good reason. Mentoring helps create focus. It helps boost your strengths and counters weaknesses. Leopards really can change their spots. In 2022, 37pc of leaders have a mentor. Of those, a whopping 97pc find it beneficial, often in ways not even contemplated at the outset.

Is there going to be a better time to invest in yourself than at the start of this brand-new year when we finally begin to emerge from the ravages of Covid? The commonest excuse for avoiding coaching or mentoring is that none of us have any spare time as it is. We find ourselves running full tilt in ten different directions at once. The comforting illusion is that it's hard enough to get through one's day without the added burden of taking on yet another commitment. We get vilified by our peers and loved ones for taking on too much and so accepting yet another so-called discretionary 'distraction' could be damned as counterproductive... or would it? Friends and colleagues might actually applaud your initiative. They might be relieved that you have chosen to invest two hours per month for a finite period of just four or five months. And that commitment really should be doable. And if it isn't, it might be time to sound alarm bells.

So, if the idea of bespoke mentoring or leadership coaching for yourself (often the best place to start), or select members of your SLT, is lurking somewhere deep in your mind, I urge you to investigate three different professionals so that you give yourself a choice. More than three options would create confusion, whilst a single option might lead to regret. Having the right 'chemistry' is crucial. Each professional brings particular specialisms and experience in the same way that no two candidates are the same.

The coaching and mentoring industry is notoriously unregulated and so finding the right one for you should not be down to pure serendipity. Bespoke mentoring by a genuine professional is going to help you prioritise your hours, days, weeks and months in new exhilarating ways, providing you with a choice of practical, realistic and immediately doable approaches that you can select to suit given situations. This is going to help make you and your team more efficient and better motivated once again. You may find your self-confidence and positivity grow exponentially. You are to going to find it easier to take on those 'Difficult Conversations' that many leaders prefer to sidestep hoping issues are to slowly evaporate over time (which they rarely do) - I prefer to call these 'Solution-Focused Conversations' as that immediately sets one on a positive course. You may find that you quickly become more self-aware and, as importantly, acutely aware of other people's communication styles and of those non-verbal signals - and that is going to make you more skilful in persuading others to your points of view more quickly than before. You are even going to learn a list of simple everyday words that are to be banned for the rest of your life. Prepare to embark on an intriguing journey.

Consider reading each short-listed LinkedIn endorsements for each prospective mentor as these reveal a great deal about the individual's style and above all... the results. And my offer comes with its unique guarantee within the global coaching and mentoring profession that I'd love the chance to explain. When I share this with you, please be aware that I've been offering this special promise for the last 12 years and have no intention of stopping it any time soon. Quite simply... my guarantee is much prized... and effective.

So, could investigating options for mentoring, leadership coaching or video training be your New Year Resolution? Do you genuinely want to make a difference? If so, email me at robin.johnson@ovationxl.com or robin@leadershipeducation.co.uk so that we can set up a FREE 15-minute call, without any form of obligation. There's nothing to lose and so much to gain.

With the right focus and motivation, 2022 is going to be a particularly good one.