Positive . . . Year Round !!

Day 21 (Wednesday 21st December 2016)

21% increase in electric car sales (year-on-year) in Europe

in the first six months of 2016 91,300 vehicles were sold.

The first electric car was created by Robert Anderson in 1832 — decades 
before Ford came out with the Model T. In fact, electric automobiles were so 
prevalent that Thomas Edison himself worked on a long-lasting car battery in 1899. 
However, they fell out of fashion in the 1920s, when their low horsepower and 
issues with longer distances became a hindrance. They remained popular in New York, 
where they were used as taxis, indeed in the early 1900s there were more 
electric than petrol driven vehicles on the roads in NYC.

We have reached "hump day" - the Christmas weekend is almost here. Today is a perfect day for an uplifting post from a HR superstar from America. Steve Browne is the Executive Director of HR at LaRosa's Inc. the leading pizzeria and Italian restaurant in the Cincinnati area. For many years he has championed the role of HR as a true partner and support for the business. In January 2016, Steve's outstanding attitude, and dedication to HR and the community, was rightly recognised in January 2016 when he was elected to serve as a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)'s Board of Directors.

Steve is outstandingly supportive, energetic, enthusiastic and collaborative. He regularly shares knowledge and connects with people from around the world. He has been described as "a leader for the HR profession' who "shares his expertise generously with others in the field." and "A dynamo. Knowledgeable, extremely so ... but just a little bit "off" centre, in a way that makes grasping the concepts he shares, incorporating the lessons he teaches, and interacting with both people and the world in which we all live and work extremely entertaining and fun." I can vouch for the veracity of the statements and the below post is a good example of his style and attitude. Steve is a delight to interact with, always courteous, passionate about making a difference and he often exemplifies how it is possible to have a wonderful and loving family life, well-balanced with work. He is married to Debbie and, as well as adoring her, is justifiably proud of his son, Josh, and daughter, Melanie. Steve believes that life should be made up of constant heights and hearts with no hollows, and that attitude is key.You can follow Steve on Twitter (his handle is @sbrownehr).

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Positive . . . Year Round !!

The holiday season brings on a myriad of emotions. There are those who wish the sense of generosity and welcoming would last much longer than the 30 to 45 days of the season (depending on how long the retailers want us to believe it lasts). I enjoy the holidays, but I don’t lose my mind when I see the first Christmas light or stop motion special on TV (like Rudolph). I do look forward to this time of year because I feel some people “catch up” to how I tend to look at life all year long.

I love that people feel more of a compulsion to be giving of their time and material possessions to others who have a larger need. I see more smiles on faces and there is usually more laughter that comes out with ease at even the slightest hint of something tickling your funny bone. People, in general, seem to be more at ease and connected to each other. This is where I wish I was a “human retailer” so that I could expand this season of positive wishes so that it became our norm rather than something we don during the holidays.

Feast of the Bean King,  oil painting by Jacob Jordeans 1593 -1678

I know that the world is in turmoil. There is war, famine, hostility, economic and political uncertainty and reckless behavior towards others. However, this is not new. If you look back throughout time, we have had similar challenges and threats. The difference now is that we can’t break away from the constant waves of doom and gloom. It penetrates all forms of media and we also have our faces buried in some form of technology that forces our field of vision to look downward. We don’t dare miss some meaningless gossip about people we don’t know or truly care about. But I digress . . .

I think we should be naturally positive year round. It isn’t the norm and people are actually uncomfortable and skeptical around people that choose to be positive.

I remember one HR conference I attended years ago when someone I just met came up to me and said, “I don’t believe it.”

I replied, “Believe what?”

 She said, “You’re really positive all the time. I see your on-line posts and think, ‘He can’t really be like that,’ and yet you are !!”

I laughed and gave her a hug. We actually became close friends. I wasn’t surprise that she couldn’t believe that someone could be genuinely positive on a regular basis. We all go through highs and lows in our lives – including me. However, how you view others and how you view life in general is an intentional choice. I could choose to dwell in the muck and mire that’s out there, and I could even choose to live an empty life just expecting the next disappointment to arrive. I know people who do that, but I don’t accept that that has to be our fate.

If you’re reading this, I’m sure you’re tempted to be cynical and negative. It’s our first “go to” human reaction to things. I don’t blame you, but I won’t join you. I expect the best in others because I know they have it in them. I look forward to moving past when we disappoint each other, because we will, and we have a chance to grow from it. I also welcome hearing and considering various observations and viewpoints from others to open my eyes to many perspectives. I may not agree with what others say, but that doesn’t take away the fact of how fascinated I am with how they came up with their stance.

We want people to be either “right” (where they concur with us) or “wrong” (where they disagree with us). That’s tiring and defeating. I’d like to propose an alternative that works regardless of who you’re encountering.

See the best in others. All. The. Time.

Lift others up with your encouragement. All. The. Time.

Care for others even when they don’t care for you. All. The. Time.

Smile, laugh and hug others because we all need, and enjoy, that. All. The. Time.

You can experience the joy and heights of the holiday season throughout the year. It’s a magnificent way to experience and live life. I believe in you. Be encouraged that there is someone on this planet who truly does care and wants to see you thrive. All. The. Time.

Possible Paths - Day 25

Day 25 (Christmas Day)

25 is the transmission rate of pictures per second (FPS) used for television
anywhere but in the U.S. or Canada (where the power grid does not run at 50hz).
British photographer Eadweard Muybridge created slow motion photography
that enabled "moving pictures" using his zoopraxiscope, after being
 asked to prove that a horse could have 4 feet simultaneously in the air.
His work was published by Stanford but not credited to him.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London, A galloping horse and rider, 1887.

Welcome to Christmas Day - as I am sure you know, a traditional Advent Calendar stops on the 24th December, but there have been so many excellent submissions that this series will continue well into 2015. I am delighted to provide you with some special reading to enjoy today during a moment of calm.

I would like to take the opportunity of wishing you a very happy Christmas, regardless of your faith. May you enjoy a day filled with love and laughter.

Antique postcard

It seems appropriate that today's post is by the lady who founded this series in 2011, Alison Chisnell. Alison is an exceptional HR Director, mum, wife, friend, marathon runner, mental health champion, role model, inspiration, and a host of other things. She was one of the first to warmly welcome me into the Twitter HR community (her handle is @AlisonChisnell) and I responded when she asked for contributors for the first Advent Blogs series in 2012. We are friends and I have huge professional and personal respect for her. If you have not read her blog, I suggest you read this post before galloping on to her comments below.

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Thank you to Kate for running the Advent series this year, I'm genuinely honoured and delighted to be peeking out from door number 25, Christmas Day...and am enjoying the series immensely so far.

"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination" - John H Schaar

It turns out, I rather like certainty, or at least, more accurately, the illusion of certainty. It hasn't always been so, I was never one of those teenagers who knew exactly what they wanted to do - far from it, I was determined to study something I enjoyed and that was intellectually interesting at University, rather than focus on what my career would be at the end of it. I figured it would become clear nearer the time....and, with a few well-chosen summer placements along the way, a bit of help from friends and family and a fair dollop of luck, it did. 

Mist clearing - painting by Lauren Johnson, 2012 

Until recently I've always shuddered at the idea of a 5 year plan, resisted inclinations to impose certainty where there was none, other than a fluid sense of direction and intuitive instinct. Relying on instinct and intuition is fine as far as it goes, but when the when the landscape shifts dramatically, as it did for me earlier this year when I found myself unexpectedly facing redundancy, I rapidly ran out of road on that pathway. Temporarily I floundered, unable to envisage a path different from the one I had been on, in hindsight realising I could have done more to lay the foundations of a potential new path, plan more for where I wanted it to take me, who might help me to get there, how I could create bridges to different paths. 

Foundation stone programme for laying of Foundation Stone of the Victoria & Albert Museum

It takes a surprising amount of energy, patience, determination and resilience to create a new path, as well as the ability to accept and live with the complete lack of certainty....or indeed the removal of the illusion of it. At times it can feel like a game of snakes and ladders, when on a good day I move a few spaces forward with an interesting new opportunity to look at, an interview or a new, promising connection; on a less good day I slide down a slithery snake as potential roles come out of scope. Sometimes, it's a case of chip, chip, chipping away at where I know I want to go and trusting that the path will open up. Trying to be patient and accepting I can't dictate the pace on much of this journey, trying to avoid that fact becoming a source of frustration and irritation. I'm reminded of some yoga classes I did years ago, when the teacher encouraged us to still the monkey in our minds, to visualise training it to climb up and down a very tall tree, to occupy that wildly distracting, disruptive force to enable us to focus better in the here and now. Simply that could easily take a lifetime’s work…!

1930's Brooch of monkey climbing a palm tree

And yet, there are so many new possibilities, so much adventure to brand new paths, so much permission to try different things, to invest in myself in new and different ways. I'm thinking creatively about what I want for a change, where I want to be, how best to get there. I'm forming new, valued connections, stretching and challenging myself more than I have done for ages. I'm learning, I'm planning, I'm exploring and discovering. In the process of reassessing, somehow I emerge stronger, surer, empowered. 

I'm also trying lots of new things outside of work that I have wanted to for ages, but never made time for: learning to swim better so I can attempt my first triathlon next year; one to one pilates coaching so I counterbalance the impact of running and strengthen and improve as I train for next year's London marathon. Planning a memorable family trip to Australia that we have always talked about doing someday and making that someday a reality in early 2015. Seizing the moment, in the realisation that there may never be a better time than now and feeling genuinely excited about what's ahead, treading an unknown path, allowing the exploration and creation of it to change me and my perceptions. 

The illusion of certainty continues, of course it does: I think to all intents and purposes we need at least a little bit of that to function effectively as human beings. My Mum often quotes a lecture she listened to as a young woman, where the speaker proclaimed that “if we knew what lay ahead of us in our lives, none of us would ever have the courage to live them.” Perhaps that’s true, perhaps said gentlemen was simply a "glass half empty" kind of person, given to dramatic statements. What I do know is this: we can’t predict the future, none of us truly know where our paths will lead, which ones will stop abruptly and which ones will lead to unimagined wonders. It’s no life at all to be so caught up in the “what ifs” that we neglect to make the most of the opportunities that come our way and close our minds to the endless possibilities that lay ahead, forget to simply look up and around us.

Sunrise - endless possibilities ahead

 

So this Advent, I'm thankful for the unpredictability, the preciousness of the pathways that we consciously choose and the life-affirming adventure of those that we find ourselves unexpectedly on. Thankful for courage, for determination, for positivity, for choices, for luck, for new experiences, for friends, for family, for connections, for health, for laughter and support. Thankful even for the uncertainty, that I still occasionally inwardly rail against, which I know holds depths of unexplored possibility and opportunity. It is, after all, a very small price to pay when weighed up against what is at stake.

Wishing you joy, peace and wonder as we move into this festive period, tread familiar pathways of seasonal traditions and make a few new paths too. 

I'll raise a glass of mulled wine and drink to that!

Gulp...Friction

Warning – this post includes spoilers for the film Pulp Fiction.

Why is it so hard at times to find your mojo? I know that I’m not the only one of us who has sat looking at a blank page or the commencement of a project, wondering where to start. Even prior to composing this blog I had to take a deep breath – like bracing myself before a dive into an icy pool – and try to summon some determination and enthusiasm to bring up the goods. It’s not that I don’t like writing; it’s just that all of us occasionally have days when it is hard to feel motivated. The root of the problem is friction between what you know you should do and what you actually feel motivated to achieve.

Fortunately, there are things that you can do to help yourself, as both change and action are influenced by attitude:

• Think of a reward that you will enjoy once you have started to break the back of the task – a cup of tea? A phone call that you’ve been wanting to make? A walk? Lunch with a friend? A fresh picked plum from the garden? But be careful to remain aware of your reaction towards short and long-term gain.

Drinking Tea, Konstantin Makovsky 1839-1915

• Act as though you are inspired and engaged – research shows that if you pretend to be happy and motivated – smiling, encouraging others and explaining your plans in a positive and uplifting manner – you often begin to feel the way that you are appearing, because the body releases confidence boosting hormones. 

• Inspire yourself by looking back on great things that you have done and avoid mistakes by understanding when things have not gone as planned. Think about ways that you have succeeded or failed in completing similar tasks or projects in the past. Can you use the same approach; are there some short cuts to success that might help you or things you should avoid.

• Try positivity – there are a number of viral challenges circulating round Social Media at the moment, that have their roots in psychology – for example #3Goodthings on Twitter, where people list three occurrences that have made their day enjoyable. If you can, make sure that listing small successes, or the ground that you have gained towards achieving a dreaded task, occurs in your record on a regular basis. 

• Mix with a different group of people – if those around you are dragging you down, or preventing you from getting on with something important, spend less time with them, so that you don’t become tainted by their attitude and approach. This approach is advocated in sport, but can apply to any aspect of life.

• 
• Frame your thoughts in a different manner – instead of fretting that “I can’t do it”, change the sentence into “I can do it if…” and fill in the blanks – often that can be sufficient to get you started. As Jimmy Cliff once sang “You Can Get It If You Really Want”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18EAqHx2lMk

What is it that makes or prevents people from doing that which they know they should?

On Saturday evening our family watched Pulp Fiction. The film is 20 years old this year, but it still has the ability to surprise, shock and make you think. The longer I ponder the plot and its themes the more I get out of it.

 

A clever film, it is superficially about the apathy and nihilism of our modern, Western culture, however, the more compelling sub-plots are the personal dilemmas and contrasts between the characters. The distinct segmentation of the film hangs together on the threads of care and duty that individuals bear towards one another. Self-interest and personal preservation are strong motivators for all of the characters, but the film is deeper than that. Two of the three core individuals, namely Butch and Jules, are on journeys of self-discovery from moral corruption to compassion and a degree of spiritual awakening. They are in contrast to Vincent, who is unable to appreciate his need to change. Symbolically he is isolated from others at crucial stages in the plot (deliberately removing himself further from those around him by retiring to the toilet, where he pontificates to himself or immerses himself in the fantasy world of a Modesty Blaise comic). It is this self-isolation that ultimately leads to his demise. In contrast to Jules, Vincent refuses to see any greater meaning to his life, indeed he chooses indulge in a trashy existence, even stealing the dance trophy (as announced in the background on the radio when Butch returns to his flat) and only blowing a kiss to Mia, the nearest he gets to a genuine relationship, once she is no longer looking at him and hence he can avoid the emotional connection with another being.

We in the world of work can learn a lot from Pulp Fiction:

 

• People are inspired to do the right things when they have a sense of purpose. The speech that Jules makes at the end, in the diner, (superbly acted by Samuel L. Jackson), is haunting and in contrast to the recited, pseudo biblical sermon that he ritually makes when killing people as a hit-man. The intensity in his eyes as he says "You are the weak and I am the tyranny of evil men, but I’m tryin’…I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd.” stays with you, and it is this passion that inspires the robbers to depart, leaving the briefcase and thereby enabling Jules to complete his last task for his boss.

• Accidents will happen (witness poor Marvin) and effort usually is required to clear things up – indeed, sometimes, external assistance is the necessary solution to ensure that a job gets done (Winston Wolfe clearly makes a good living as an efficient “cleaner” and some of my best friends are consultants).  

• People will do the wrong things when there is friction and discord or if they are frightened (witness the massacre in the flat, especially when Brett’s associate bursts from the bathroom and fires wildly, missing his targets, but creating greater carnage). 

• Most individuals are self-seeking, but can be encouraged to rise above their base needs, and contribute towards the greater good, if they have a vision that inspires them. Butch’s decision to rescue Marcellus from the rapists is partially self-seeking, in that it provides him with an opportunity to reduce the longer-term danger to himself and his girlfriend, but he also does decide to help a man, who only a short while earlier was seeking to kill him, after a moment of deliberation, because he knows it is the right thing to do. 

• People are inspired by people, Butch needs the motivation provided by thoughts of his father (symbolised by the gold watch) to encourage him to do the right thing.  

• There will always be some who are inclined towards anti-social and inappropriate behaviour, be it stealing the office stationary (the equivalent of Mia going through Vince’s pockets to help herself to drugs) or taking advantage of others (clearly the victimisation by the rapists is extreme, but they act as a reminder that bullying and harassment should never be tolerated).

Inspiration can come from almost anywhere – I rediscovered my mojo to write this business-orientated post through what, on the surface, appears to be a film with nothing to do with the world of work. Like in Pulp Fiction, life can appear to be a series of compartmentalised experiences – home, work, time with friends, going to the gym, doing the shopping… but there is always a thread of connection. Traditionally a mojo was attached to its wearer by a thread or cord - a mojo being a small bag, often of red flannel, containing herbs, talismans (such as coins) and charms. It was a common belief, particularly amongst rural African Americans in the 19th century, that a person with a mojo could protect themselves from harm, as well as being able to influence others, for their own advantage.  Although the belief in a mojo's supernatural powers has fallen away, the expressed desire for having a mojo remains in common parlance. It is no longer an object of fear, but a phrase that means we feel inspired and energised to do things. 
 

I hope you have your mojo with you today and hence possess the drive and motivation to achieve your goals with ease. Part of the magic of a mojo was created through the mixing together of "magic" ingredients - almost like an ointment. It was a way of using the supernatural to lubricate life and make it an easier ride. In that spirit...may your challenges prove surmountable and slip by easily, instead of you being left to traverse the rough potholes and gulp at friction.