Up there and out there

Day 42 (Monday 11th January 2016)

42 degrees from a light source is the required angle of view, of airborne water droplets,
for the vibrant arc of a rainbow to appear. A rainbow is an optical illusion and the spectrum
range we see is caused by the human eye's ability to perceive colour.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Tony Jackson, the author of today's inspirational post. Tony is the founder and Managing Director of Chelsham Consulting Limited (http://chelsham.co). You can read his blog via the company's website and also see more of his stunning photography (there are some examples as part of the post below - I am not responsible for any of the beautiful illustrations that accompany this piece, other than the song at the end). Tony started training to be an accountant on leaving university, but soon realised that he preferred people to numbers. Via recruitment he came into HR and has worked for some of the world's leading professional service firms (including PwC and Simmons & Simmons), before moving into not-for-profit as Head of HR for Macmillan Cancer Support. He established Chelsham Consulting in 2013, on leaving Macmillan, and is now a highly valued coach, facilitator and specialist consultant on OD and people-related matters. Tony is cultured and creative - he enjoys travel and learning more about people and places around the globe. You can connect with him on Twitter, his handle is @JacksonT0ny.

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Up there and down here.

Yin and yang.

Me and you.

Comet tails and coal dust.

Out there and in here.

It took me a while to find my way to this blog. And to be honest it’s a reworking of one I have written before. About where one finds one inspiration. For me it’s unquestionably out there.

When I need solace or inspiration my amateur photography can be an excellent ‘third place’.

In 2015 I started experimenting by including some of the results in my and my company’s Twitter feeds – without a particularly obvious objective other than to share and maybe to introduce people to the idea of seeking inspiration in new and different places.

For me there has always been something truly inspiring about wandering around – for example through the streets of a city – and finding views, angles, perspectives.

I’ve blogged before about how this can lift my spirits. Lift them out of the dust

It can be challenging arriving into a new place with me – I am less interested in the ‘set pieces’ than I am in the people, the colours, the ambience, the vibe, the unexpected and the sky. Oh the sky! Some say there is too much of it in my shots. Well I just love the sky.

In a museum or art gallery I’m soaking up the overall impact and keen to see what’s in the next room whilst others are methodically studying each individual item on display. That’s OK by the way – I’m happy doing what I’m doing and I’m right here if you need me. Right here.

Plonk me down at an outside table with a book, or a loved one, or a new friend and (crucially) a view and I can be at my best. Happened again not so long ago – a really productive conversation which would have been that bit less productive if I hadn’t had the stunning sea-view from a rather nice restaurant in Brighton.

There’s evidence for this in my MBTI profile. Off the scale on E (energy from the world around me etc.) with that very telling OOPS on Intimacy – so I can be energised by being on my own or with a small group of people whilst surrounded by the inspiring world at large. Also a clear preference for N so don’t bother me too much with the detail in the gallery, don’t ask me to study any one thing for too long.

At its extreme I end up doing things like taking a photo of the cupola outside the open window whilst everyone else is excited by the fresco on the wall in the room inside. Yes this happened this year:

When I’m stuck on something in my home office I pop out into my local area to see what’s going on. And often end up running back to capture the resulting ideas.

Some of my clearest ever thinking has been inspired by the mountains and sky in Andalucía (again I have previously blogged on this subject Complete.Clarity.Of.Thought )

As an HRD you would catch me “wandering around”. People notice what leaders do of course. For me it was combining a desire to be visible and ‘grabbable’ as the HR guy, whilst also seeking an infusion of ideas & thoughts by simply being out and about. So I would tour the floors without a specific destination. Some would say that’s a waste of time – I think it was some of the best time I ever spent.

My preferred way of breaking an impasse (ER or other) would often be a walk around the park or along the river with someone.

And to this day I can be inspired by what is going on outside the meeting room. Don’t worry – I’m right here but I might just be at my best if the world is more present in the room.

Anyway back to the photography – my Twitter feed is now dominated by my and other people’s photography. It’s part of who I am, so I am revealing the authentic me. I have woven my own photos into my company’s brand and its new website. But crucially some of them really show me (and you) where I get my inspiration from. The things that are ‘out there’……

That building, that fountain, that statue, that shadow, those puddles, the clouds, the sky. Oh the sky! Those comet tails!

That’s me. And you? Where does your inspiration come from?

"Out there" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Hooked on a Feeling !! - Day 58

Day 58 (27th January 2015)

58th hexagram in the I Ching, known as Tui or 兌 (duì),
referred to as the youngest daughter, is a character in the ancient Chinese divination
practice, which uses 6 apparently random numbers turned into a hexagram, with a meaning
ascertained via the I Ching texts. Tui is said to represent "Joy", with both the inside and
outside world being in harmony. The hexagram is said to depict two lakes and is interpreted as
a demonstration of inner strength, cheerfulness, an ability to be flexible and to show courtesy to others.
A sole lake evaporates easily, but when two are linked they support each other, Tui represents 
this, demonstrating the benefit of discussion, sharing knowledge & practices with like-minded fellows

Steve Browne is the author of today's post - Steve is based in the U.S.A. in West Chester, Ohio, where he works as the Executive Director for Human Resources for LaRosa's, Inc. - a regional pizzeria chain. He is a strategic HR professional, with a passion for employee relations, networking and organisational culture. He, himself, is excellent at networking and very well connected within the global HR community. Steve is a knowledgeable dynamo - his passion, drive and enthusiasm acts as a glue for many of us. He loves interacting on social media, his Twitter handle is @sbrownehr and he writes an excellent blog, Everyday People. Steve is a vibrant, warm and welcoming individual. When not doing things for HR, he is supporting his community; he is a devoted husband and father and a lover of rock music. He brings a smile to my face whenever we interact.

This is the last in the Advent Blog series - it's always good to end on a high. I would like to thank you all for giving me a chance to get to know you (especially the authors) and to interact with you (anyone who has read/commented on the posts). I had no idea when I told Alison that I would host on her behalf that it would be such a wonderful and rewarding experience. You are brilliant.

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I am wired a bit differently than most folks I know.  I don’t mean in some creepy way, but, you see I’m an extrovert who happens to work in Human Resources.



Now, you’d think that HR would be a field that would be a magnet for extroverts, but that really isn’t the case.  This “curse” has been with me all of my life.  Whenever I’ve taken an assessment, which is somewhat “mandatory” in HR, I peg the top of the scale of extroversion.  I’m nowhere close to the median, or the “safe” range for others.

I really don’t see being extroverted as a curse, and I only say that because it’s how others perceive it.  When you’re in social situations with extroverts, there’s an expectation that they are going to bring energy, have colorful stories and generate life to whatever is going on.  That may happen, but it’s also an odd expectation for us to live with.

Introvert and Extrovert speakers at and after a conference

I’d like you to look at extroversion in a different light.  I see that how I’m wired is a way to connect with people because one of the facts about how I approach each day is that I HAVE to be around people.  I rarely am alone on purpose. It’s an interesting dichotomy with my amazing wife because we are almost complete opposites.  If we go to a shopping mall, she would focus on the task at hand of purchasing some items, and I would be wandering throughout the mall just to see who I could meet.

What I’ve come to observe is that since people are somewhere along the introversion/extroversion scale that it’s better to meet people where they are instead of expecting them to be more like you.  This runs contrary to how most social interactions occur.  People tend to be self-focused instead of others-focused.  What if you changed your focus?  How do you think interactions with other people would go if you moved along the scale to cozy up with them at their point along the spectrum?

I would think that your interactions would be smoother, have more context and meaning and would also lead to other successful interactions !!

A successful interaction

We don’t want to do this because people are a giant ball of emotions.  We’re not really sure what emotions they will be bringing to an encounter, so we tend to keep an arm’s distance and never really take our time together past a very thin surface conversation.

My challenge for you is to get messy !!  We have emotions for a reason.  Do you really want to be connected to a myriad of automatons who give you the “I’m fine, and you?” response every time?  

I find that distance response to be more draining than coming across someone full of any kind of emotion.

This week, take a new approach and get hooked on feelings.  It will mean that you have to open up and share more intimately, but it’s really what people want.  We want meaningful relationships in life, at work and in our profession. Come clean and know that when you avoid the emotions that everyone brings to the situation, those emotions will show up somewhere else and it won’t be good.

Also, remember an answer to the obligatory “Hi, how are you?” doesn’t have to be neutral or assumed negative.  When I see someone and they ask me how I am I respond, “I’m Great !!” (and it’s true.)  I know that it’s the extrovert in me, but it’s also a choice. Being positive is a choice that makes each day, and every moment in it, spectacular !!

I hope that you know that there are people who really want to get to know you – on purpose.  Be on the lookout because I will find you to see if you’re great !!

Deborah Kerr (Marni Nixon singing) "Getting To Know You"

from "The King and I", 1956 film adaption of musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein

Blondie performing "One Way Or Another", 1979

(But, Steve is NOT a stalker)