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THIS WEEK
If You Had to Start Again - What Would You Do?
ALSO IN THIS EDITION
If You Had to Start Again - What Would You Do?
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My stepmother passed away from cancer. But, before she died, she had 20 amazing years of living with the disease. And when I used to speak with her, while she would say that while she would have preferred not to have had cancer, living with it made every moment of her life precious.
Carol lived her life to the fullest ... packing in every experience she and my dad could possibly manage. She felt her disease made her choose her decisions and experiences more carefully as, after all, she knew she was living with a terminal illness.
I also have had a client who lost everything in a fire - their life's possessions up in smoke in the blink of an eye. After the initial grief and loss, they told me they had the most amazing sense of freedom. After all, they now had opportunities they never had before.
Should they rebuild in the same place, or somewhere else? What would they like to have around them? They could finally not feel irritated by the laundry door being in the wrong place, or having to display those horrible knick-knacks a relative had given them. They had the freedom to choose from scratch, and design what they wanted.
 Why do we need a disaster to give us permission to think outside the box?
Too many businesses come in with an attitude of 'these are our boundaries – this is what we do and nothing more'.
Too many people believe too little of themselves ... until something happens and they discover the hero within them.
So this week give yourself permission to take a blank sheet of paper. Imagine that everything you have or everything you held dear is now no more. Imagine there has been a disaster and you only have the clothes you stand up in (although insurance will be paid to you) and all of the knowledge and wisdom you have amassed throughout the years. You have the freedom to reinvent yourself and your business in whatever way you would like.
Unfettered freedom can be a scary concept initially and quite hard to imagine, so start with something small. If you could change your business name – what would you call yourself? If you could choose the customers you wanted – who would you work with? If you could have any employee structure or team you wanted – what would it look like? If you could have any website you wanted – what would go into it?
Once you are comfortable with that limited taste of freedom – if you could work anywhere in the world, where would you work? If you could deliver any product or service, what would it be? If you could stop delivering a product or service, what would that be?
Every now and again we need to shift our focus to see the possibilities that are already around us. You can do it through your strategic planning processes, or you can do it when you come to plan your marketing campaign, (although I probably wouldn't recommend waiting for a bout of major illness or disaster to strike to trigger the reflection).
But it doesn't matter when you do it, shift your focus for a moment and try out some potential futures on for size. Only then, make some new decisions about where you want your future to be and take the first steps towards bringing that future towards you today.
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| HR Tip of the Week: Look at Your Staff With Fresh Eyes |
 If you have had a team member with you for any period of time, they begin to blend into the furniture.
You focus on the tasks they are doing and forget what they studied before they came to you, or forget to talk with them about what their interests are outside of work.
By turning them "beige" you are missing out on the most amazing possibilities. You overlook hidden skills and talents.
Every now and again read back over your team members CV's to remind yourself of their history. Talk with your team members about what excites them - what they are active and interested in outside your business.
And most importantly - ask them what skills or experience of theirs you are not effectively utilising, and where they feel they could add more value to the business if you used their skills to the best potential. It will be an enlightening conversation!
 Recently we looked at our Instant HR Policies & Procedures with totally fresh eyes.
You see, a wonderful client gave us some frank feedback, which we took on board, and totally revamped the language of our manual.
We also took the opportunity to add in new sections based on legislative changes, as well as add in a pile of new bonuses ... and the feedback for our revised manual has been brilliant!
Great new updates. Love the new layout!
Gail Pimms
I will admit originally I was hesitant in purchasing online – not for security reasons but more in relation to would it be value for money and useful – without hesitation I can say that the detailed information and the quality of the information has far exceeded my expectations.
Di Baxter
So if you don't have an up-to-date HR Manual for your team, take a fresh look at our Instant HR Policies & Procedures manual.
Humans suffer from selective attention. In this blog post I share two classic psychology studies demonstrating what selective attention is, as well as one brilliant video from Air New Zealand breaking through the selective attention barrier of people watching in-flight safety training.
exuberantly yours
Ingrid
Heart Harmony
Legal stuff: This newsletter is intended as only a general guideline for Australian businesses. You should seek specific advice for your situation rather than relying only on this newsletter
Earnings disclaimer. Some of the content may include advertorial information, which means I may receive financial compensation for the products I recommend. But - unless I know and trust the product, I will not recommend it.
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