Tag: Actions

Goals 2014: 3 Questions To Help Manage Community First Panel Legacies

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Community First Money

What Community First Funding Meant To One Ward In Year 1 And 2

Are you familiar with the concept of a Community First panel? 

If the answer is, ‘No’, here’s a brief explanation from my perspective, as a former panel chair.

‘Community First’ is the government’s neighbourhood improvement programme, running in England between 2012 and 2015.  The programme’s goal is to make funding available via a residents’ panel to not-for-profit organisations.  Those organisations will improve the quality of life in disadvantaged wards.

I think this approach could actually form the blue print for a future government wanting to devolve additional voluntary funding down to local communities via resident led panels.  That will depend on the panels functioning effectively, like the best project teams do.  The panels will still require thoughtful leadership and the input of skilled and confident volunteers.  Their legacy will involve changing the face of their neighbourhood.  A little work is necessary now to help make that legacy possible.

What are the panels doing at the moment?

As I write this post, residents‘ panels are deciding which local projects should receive a share of the final year of funding starting from April 2014.  The clock is ticking though, as panels need to submit their decisions to the government’s key delivery partner (the Community Development Foundation or CDF) by the end of March.

Local panels are a key part of the community based process, while other bodies have an overview of the bigger picture:  CDF is one of those bodies; Ipsos Mori the market research company is too, having evaluated the programme’s outcomes last year; the Young Foundation  is also an external partner supporting panels’ learning processes.

Which questions can the panel answer to help produce better future results?

Any project can benefit from holding a lessons learned exercise.  This exercise can provide valuable information to be used the next time similar work is commissioned.  I think the Young Foundation should encourage the panels to hold such an exercise and provide the answers to three questions this year.  This action forms a key part of the process of securing Community First’s panel legacy:

  • Which of the panel’s skills produced the bulk of the panel’s results?
  • What skills did the panel lack?
  • How could the panel produce even better results for their community if funding was available after 2015?

Answers to those questions should build up a picture of how panels produced good quality timely results, in a tough financial climate, and with limited volunteer resources.  Knowledge or skills gaps can then be filled by coaching or by mentoring.  Mapping that legacy now will also be invaluable if better results are expected from similar panels, by a future government.

Where can I find more information?

You can see some tweets about the programme from CDF, panels, and funded projects on Twitter if you use he #commfirst hashtag.

Click on the Podcasts tab above to listen to some questions you can answer to help you lead a panel (or a voluntary project) more easily.

Feel free to check out the Archive section for more thoughts on work and life goals.  There are further ideas relating to your work and life goals on Facebook and Google+ too

Goals 2014: One Step You Can Take To Be A More Confident & Resilient Carer

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Are you feeling the strain of being a carer for an elderly parent or relative?  If the answer is “Yes” and you are in the UK then chances are you are a woman, rather than a man.  The current caring statistics and facts from Carers UK indicate that of the 3 million people in the country caring for relatives, 58% are women.

What does caring save?

Carers save the economy £119 billion per year (an average of £18,473 per carer).  However, 1 in 5 of those people who act as carers, whilst also working, are forced to give up work altogether.  The reason for this: the significant demands of combining caring and work.

What does caring cost you, the carer?

Caring obviously takes its toll on the woman, or man, making the effort to support their relative.  It can be emotionally demanding to support an elderly parent.  The carer’s well-being can take a knock.  It can also place a strain on the network of other important relationships in your life.  The emotional journey can affect your confidence too.

What questions could you ask yourself to establish how you feel about being a carer?

What is your goal regarding combining caring responsibilities with your working life? Where does your support come from while you are bearing the stress of supporting someone else?  What is the impact on your wider life and relationships of being a carer?

How do the key issues impact other people’s lives?

This question was aired in a moving edition of BBC radio 4’s Woman’s Hour today.  There are seemingly as many answers as there are carers.  For some carers unresolved family conflicts can be exposed by one person shouldering the responsibility of looking after a parent.  For others caring is an act of love, reflecting life long closeness and affection.

If you are UK Based you can find the recent editions of Woman’s Hour on iPlayer by searching for Radio 4 programming here  You can follow the programme on Twitter @BBCWomansHour

The Woman’s Hour discussion reminded me of a tweet  late last year, concerning how to manage challenging family relationships.  Do follow the link to read into the topic.

What action will you take this week to improve your confidence & resilience as a carer?

Developing an ever more secure adult identity helps: you are entitled to seek help and effective support.

How would you feel about making one inspired change, following International Women’s Day, this Saturday?  Could you share more information about the impact of your caring duties with your employer, partner, and friends?  How much better could your situation become if these important people truly understood what you were experiencing and provide you with more effective support this year?

Good luck to you as you take action to help improve your capacity to care for others and yourself.

Feel free to check out my Archive section for more thoughts on well-being and pursuing life goals.  There are further ideas relating to these areas on Facebook and Google+ too

Goals 2014: How Does Coffee Psychology Reflect Your Personality?

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Did you know there may be a relationship between your personality type and your favourite style of posh coffee?  There’s a flow chart at the foot of this post which illustrates the idea.

I came across this intriguing bit of knowledge two days ago, courtesy of Filter(ed) magazine, London’s latest urban lifestyle publication.  You can find the magazine online here or follow them on Twitter @filtered_mag.

Are you someone who has more than one flavour preference in coffee?  Does what you order from your friendly barista depend on the time you have available to savour your purchase?  Perhaps the deciding factor is your need to perk up, do a bit of work away from your desk, or chill out before catching your train? 

Although I missed hearing him speak at the Work & Family Show, I know Chris Ward has an interesting take on coffee shop culture and the wider context of flexible working.  His book ‘Out of Office’ makes the case for modern, Wi-Fi equipped, coffee shops as venues for productivity, creativity, entrepreneurship, as well as fun.  Could your local coffee shop become your informal office?  Chris’s website may give you more insight into his philosophy.

As the weekend is here why not sit down with a hot drink of your choice and try the ‘coffee psychology’ flow chart yourself.  The results may give you a fresh perspective on yourself and your goals for spring 2014 (in a different way to your Myers-Briggs profile). 

Feel free to share your results too, I’d be interested to see how closely the categories reflect your reality.  I usually order a Cappuccino or a Latte, in case you are wondering!

Check out the Archive section for more thoughts relating to your work and life goals.  There are further ideas on Facebook and Google+ too

Coffee Psychology Graphic

What Does Your Coffee Choice Say About You?

Goals 2014: Do You Need More Heartfelt Satisfaction In Your Life?

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Cup Of Tea

How Are You Planning To Develop This Spring?

How has your week been so far?  In fact, how would you score your job-satisfaction in 2014 on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is ‘Outstanding’)?  Are your heartfelt goals around personal fulfilment also being met?

If you score your year at 5, or lower, remember there is good news.  The weekend is close by and you can use it – in part – to help plan the improvements you want to make in your life.

If you need to put a smile on your face now perhaps you are ready for a mid-week laugh.  Here then is a short BBC film about comic Jack Stretten concerning his life on the comedy circuit.  He is clear about the relationship between his comic skills and the values he relies on in his work.  He is also clear about his goal focus.  He says “When I’m making someone laugh…that’s the best!”.  How does that clear, heartfelt, vision compare to the relationship between your skills, your values and your understanding of your goals?

It may not be appropriate for you to take an alternative career path right now.  Even so, over a cup of tea this weekend it is worth planning changes which will improve the rest of your year.  Can you invest time on Saturday or Sunday to planning your brighter future?

Why not spend 30 minutes: taking stock of your skills; listing your core values; and using that information to determine the mixture of skills and values you want to use as the spring board to improve your life.

Having that information written down will definitely help establish the blueprint you rely on as you move forward.  If improved job, or personal satisfaction, is the overarching goal you want to tackle in 2014 how will you begin to break that goal down into manageable pieces starting in March?  Coaching support can boost your success in that process, so do use the Contact form to get in touch with me.  I look forward to discussing how I can help you during your journey.

There is also plenty of helpful content here on the site, especially in the Archives.  So check out the Archive section for more inspiration and remember there are further ideas On Facebook and Google+ too.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

Goals 2014: 5 Personal Questions To Improve Your Work & Family Life

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This is the second of two posts about last week’s very first Work & Family Show at Excel, London.

Work & Family Show 2014 - Panel Discussion on the Language of Success

Work & Family Show 2014 – Panel Discussion on the Language of Success

Here’s a question.  Which one of your improvement goals has taken priority this year?  Is it improving some aspect of your work?  How about getting more from your personal or family life?

Whatever your priority you could have gained knowledge in any of these areas had you been at the Show.  The sponsor My Family Care and their partners put on practical, personal, and plenary sessions looking at the advice, inspirations and solutions that contribute to peoples’ ideal life balance.

From what I saw the audience of women on Maternity Leave, or taking a Career Break; people searching for their next job after redundancy and those looking to work flexibly, really engaged with the sessions on offer.

More details of the Work and Family event are set out here .  You can follow the feedback from the show on Twitter using the hashtag #wfshow

Personal Questions For Your Goal Setting Sessions

Meanwhile, here are the five personal insights I noted from the range of ideas offered by speakers last week.  I have added some bullet point questions for you, which you can use with your coach as you set your own goals:

On average Men are likely to apply for a promotion if they meet 60% of the recruitment criteria:

  • What more could you do to add to your skills, so you comfortably reach 70% of the recruitment criteria?

Women are likely to hold off applying for a promotion until they feel they meet 90% of the recruitment criteria:

  • What could you do to add to your skills, so you are confident you have 70% of the recruitment criteria?

You help yourself perform better by making time each day to check out your state of mind and take action, where necessary, to change limiting beliefs:

  • What is your strategy for taking stock of your inner state?

Making time to manage your personal / professional relationships in a considerate way makes your life easier:

  • How empathic are you when you manage your key relationships?

When you need to give feedback make time to pause, and comment on the behaviour rather than the individual’s personality:

  • Thinking about your previous bosses, whose feedback technique would you wish to emulate and why?

Feel free to check out my Archive section for more inspiration.  There are further ideas On Facebook and Google+ too.  Do feedback about your progress, via the Contact page here, or on Twitter @RogerD_said

Goals 2014: 5 Practical Questions To Improve Your Work & Family Life

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Work & Family Show 2014 - Interviews: How To Shine
Work & Family Show 2014 – Interviews: How To Shine

 

This is the first of two posts about last week’s very first Work & Family Show at Excel, London.

Is one of your goals improving some aspect of your work, personal or family life?  Then you would have been in good company at the Show, had you joined the audience of women on Maternity Leave, or taking a Career Break; people searching for their next job after redundancy and those looking to work flexibly.

I thought this was a positive event, at which sponsors My Family Care and their partners put on practical, personal, and plenary sessions looking at the advice, inspirations and solutions that contribute to peoples’ ideal life balance.

More details of the Work and Family event are set out here .  You can follow the feedback from the show on Twitter using the hashtag #wfshow

Practical points for your goal setting sessions

Meanwhile, here are the five practical insights I noted from the range of ideas offered by speakers last Friday.  I have added some bullet point questions for you, which you can use as a starting point when you work on your coaching goals:

In an employers’ market it is important to show in all your self-marketing materials how you will add value to your new employer’s organisation:

  • What else will you do, from now on, to market your unique skill set to prospective employers?

Social media makes it easier than ever to research prospective employers and their values:

  • What is your strategy for finding out which firms you would like to work for?

Using social media, on your own behalf, leaves a footprint which potential employers can follow:

  • How do you go about managing your own social media presence?

In the present jobs climate gaps in a CV are acceptable to enlightened employers, if the gaps can be explained:

  • What more will you do to ensure any gaps in your CV are accounted for, so your CV content presents your best self?

There are some items on your To Do list which can be delegated to others:

  • What criteria do you use to work out which tasks to delegate and to whom?

Remember to watch out for the second post, with personal pointers you can use in your job search.  Feel free to check out my Archive section for more inspiration.  There are further ideas On Facebook and Google+ too

Your Feedback is always welcome, you can reach me via the Contact page here or on Twitter @RogerD_said

Goals 2014: 3 Questions To Help Your Personal Growth

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Cup Of Tea

How Are You Planning To Develop This Spring?

Friday was Valentine’s Day, one of the few days in the year where your goal is simple to define: happiness.  How did it feel to take action to improve the quality of your personal relationship?

Congratulations on starting the ball rolling.  This weekend is the opportunity to take a 30 minute tea / coffee break and do some wider work on your goals.  When will you take further action to make your personal and professional life even better?

When you are doing this work – to help yourself develop in the direction you want to this spring – why not use the three questions below to kick start your thoughts.  Write down the answers and identify the action you are going to take.  Include the exact time in the coming week when you will take the action (and reward yourself when you do).

  • How will you seek more support from the people who will help you achieve your career and personal goals?
  • When will you influence your social network to provide you with more support?
  • As you take action on your own behalf what contribution will you make to the development of the people around you?

Good luck with your actions.  Feel free to feedback on your progress via the Contact page or on Twitter @RogerD_said (you can use On Facebook and Google+ too)

Goals 2014: Three Questions About The Health Of Your Relationship

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morguefile0001542430377

Chocolates Show You Care

Happy Valentine’s Day: It’s the one day you have a good reason to show you value your main relationship.  Have you opted for chocolates, flowers, or wine?

Speaking of your relationship, what’s your goal beyond today?  What else are you doing to keep improving the quality of that relationship, tomorrow and the next day?  In particular how will you:

  • Demonstrate your long-term commitment to the relationship?
  • Share your authentic self within it?
  • Deepen the element of trust the relationship depends upon?

It is worth having a action plan to maintain the health of this key part of your life.  In that way you remind yourself that you value the well-being of your every part of your life: from your main relationship, to your well-being at work, to the health of your finances.

Goals 2014: Three Strategies To Help Get Back To Work After 50

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The Journey To Work
The Journey To Work

 

How happy are you with your commute to work?  The Office for National Statistics reportedly says that 30 minute plus commuter journeys make people unhappy and anxious, especially if they travel by bus.  ONS Guardian Article

People between jobs – following redundancy – may not have the commute to contend with, but they have to face other stressors, like getting another job.

If you are in that situation your immediate goal may involve taking action to secure another job before the summer.  If so you probably know what steps you are going to take to get you there.

How would you feel if your actions didn’t produce results this summer?

What would you feel like if you didn’t secure work over the next two summers either?

How much more of a challenge would you face if you were now in your early 50s?

That is the situation highlighted in an enquiry to the Guardian newspaper from a fifty something former academic.  He describes his situation in negative terms.  Luckily he has options, if he feels positive about pursuing them.  Your positive attitude would be crucial too.

Take a few moments and follow the link in the tweet below to find out more.  There is a lot of positivity in the three valuable strategies of

  • Networking with former peers
  • Maintaining a Professional Online Presence
  • Publishing Material That Enhances Your Reputation

Your circumstances as a fifty something between jobs may be different.  Nonetheless there are some questions the scenario may raise for you:

  • What would your first step be to return to work after redundancy?
  • What would your Plan B look like if you needed one?
  • Where would you get support from whilst your plans came together?

If these are hard questions to answer you may want to spend 30 minutes, this week, writing down your responses.  That investment of time is worth it.

Keep your responses in a safe place.  Hopefully you won’t need to use them.  However if your circumstances unexpectedly change you and your coach may need to work through that material, as you plan your journey back to work.

(To find out more about coaching you can follow me On Facebook and Google+ too)

 

Goals 2014: Six Actions To Help You Manage Your Stress Levels This Week

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Life is full of coincidences.  Fresh from posting about the impact of workplace stress, caused by poor management, I read a really useful article* by Lucy Dimbylow – @lucywriter on Twitter.

Lucy is responding to the question posed by the half a million UK workers whose stress and anxiety levels are too high: What actions can I can take to manage my levels of work stress?

The key actions I took away from Lucy’s article are:

  • Taking regular Exercise reduces stress
  • Following a healthy Diet aids positive mental health
  • Taking the Rest periods you are entitled to is beneficial
  • Making time to have Fun with family is important
  • Adopting a positive approach to Mindfulness helps you manage the aspects of pressure you can change
  • Seeking Support from those in a position to affect workloads, and job objectives, also helps

Having read that list here’s a final question for you:

  • What key action will you take, this week, to more effectively manage your workplace stress?

*The article appears in the spring edition of Benenden Healthcare Society’s subscription-only magazine ‘benhealth’.  Information on the society’s work can be found online at www.benenden.co.uk