Paths and Perceptions - Day 15

Day 15

15 - players in a Rugby Union team
Picture by André Lhote , 1917
Famous rugby players include: Sean Connery, John F. Kennedy, Richard Burton, 
J.R.R. Tolkein, Bill Clinton, Geirge W. Bush, Russell Crowe, Meat Loaf
Richard Harris and Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
1st game of every World Cup to date has been started with the same whistle. 

Andrew Jacobs is the talented soul who composed today's offering. I first met Andrew through social media, when he was working for the London Borough of Lambeth, the area I represent as a public governor for Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It was an honour to be invited to be a speaker at one of his last leadership events. He has recently moved jobs and is now the Talent Management and Organisational Development Manager at the London Borough of Lewisham. Andrew writes an excellent blog, Lost and Desperate, which is rated by the Centre for Management and Organization Effectiveness as one of the top 50 most socially shared L&D blogs. Andrew is active on Twitter, you can follow him via @AndrewJacobsLD. He is a popular member of the London Tweet Up scene.

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Path and Perceptions.

Someone asks you to speak at an event because

“I* saw you speak at another event and you were very good”

*Someone I know saw you

You accept. Why wouldn't you?

The path. It's mapped out.

Synopsis by this date.  Please.

Thanks.

Photo by this date.  Please.

Thanks.

Content by this date.  Please.

Thanks.

We WILL film you. Are you OK with that?

There’s a perception...I see your videos. You're very good.

In reality, I can't watch them, my own voice repels me and I just think about what I could have and should have.

2 minutes later.

Or so it seems.

White lights.

Lights so bright that you can’t see the audience.

A lectern.

You look down at your notes, trying to memorise the first minute of the presentation.

There’s a perception that you’re not engaging with the audience because you’re making sure your content’s right.

The reality is you’re nervous and don’t want to let it show. Is it OK to show nerves?

You look around, trying to regain your composure. You can’t you look at your notes again. You shake. You feel yourself sweating and people believe you’re focusing, preparing yourself mentally.

What happens is your throat tightens, your mouth goes dry, you struggle to control your heart rate and breathing.

You hear an introduction. It describes someone you don’t recognise. Have you really done all those things? What will they expect of you now?

They think you are confident and in control.

You think that it can’t be good to be thought of like this. You’re humbled by the kind words and unsure of how to respond you start to speak. Why are the first 3 seconds always so tough?

You tell a joke - it’s meant to lighten the mood. Most people laugh.

They think you’re a humorous person. You amuse people.

You relax for a millisecond, relieved the funny line you’ve used a dozen times before works again. A millisecond later you hope you’re not being thought of as a comedian.

Your images, 12 feet high behind you, work their magic. The audience is enthralled.

You must spend hours finding the right images.

You spent hours finding the right images.

The audience is silent. Are they engaging?

They’re listening. Intently.

Audience - photo by Max Alexander

 Are they waiting for you to make a mistake?

Your slide doesn’t advance. Without skipping a beat you fix the problem. You’re so well versed in making this work.

They haven’t seen you crash and burn so many times before that you now know YOUR slides in YOUR device work well.

Why should you trust other people’s equipment?

Your content is slick. Your delivery professional.

They haven't seen the hours of practice round your living room, on trains,  in the shower,  in bed,  whilst washing up,  between meetings.  Is it a reasonable price to pay for the stress it will cause on the day?

Demosthene S'Exerce a la Parole (Demosthenes Practicing Oratory)
by Jean Lecomte du Nouy
Hand-coloured photogravure published by Goupil in 1884

The obligatory question time afterwards is straightforward and all the questions get answered fully. Your topic knowledge is extensive.

Or is it that you were asked a similar question last time? Why is it always the same questions? The presentation must be missing something if the same questions keep being asked. You have to vary what you do next time. If there’s a next time.

You hear applause. They appreciate you.

Is that applause as loud as last time?

People congratulate you. They say nice things.

You don't hear the praise and seek out the criticism.  Why is criticism easier to accept and manage?

They loved the content and that it was tailored to that specific audience.

You spent hours making sure you crafted varied content, tailored to that specific audience.  Don't they realise you spent 6 hours putting that together?

A week later.

Feedback sheets are full of praise.

You are a great speaker.

The eloquent Mr. Pickwick
Illustration from Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (1812-70)
coloured engraving by Cecil Aldin

You agonise over the fact that some people didn’t feed back.

Do they want to say something critical but don't have the willpower?

You receive another speaking request.

You are going to set off on another path,  agonising over content,  your neuroses,  your exposure.

It's a good job you enjoy it. Why wouldn't you?

Paths and perceptions.

Theodore Roosevelt - an excellent orator
This classic picture of him on the stump originally appeared
in the New York Times in 1912, the photographer is unknown.

40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes

spliced from various movies by Matthew Belinkie

The Best is Yet To Be - Day 10

Day 10

10 Downing Street
the UK Prime Minister's London residence
Downing Street is named after Sir George Downing,
one of Harvard's earliest graduates; he financed the building of the street.
Samuel Pepys described him as a "perfidious rogue".
Until the 15th century, the site was the location of the Axe brewery, run by monks

Vera Woodhead wrote today's piece. Vera was one of the first people I got to know via Twitter and she is an inspirational and supportive contact. You can follow her via @verawoodhead. She works as a facilitator and professional coach, with a particular interest in women's leadership and career progression. She also lectures for a number of academic establishments and organisations. If you want to know more about her career and professional experience check out her profile on LinkedIn or read her blog. What she writes below will tell you more about how she views and lives life...

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The best is yet to be

A startling realisation has been dawning on me. Given that the life expectancy of women in the UK is 82.5 years, I have lived more than half of my life! And in a few years I would have lived half a century.

UK life expectancy predictions, via BBC, 2014

Age brings some benefits and freedom. Permit me to share some:

Carefree

I care less of what other people think or say about me. The accumulation of life experiences grows into a thick skin which gives you a certain worldliness and wisdom. I know ‘me’ best – my values, strengths, talents, shadow side, weaknesses….I have had plenty of time to learn to accept who and what I am – and this is so very liberating.

There is less of having to prove oneself or compare self to others. No longer do I feel guilty if I am out on the moors at 2 pm on a weekday afternoon whilst everyone else is tweeting how busy they are or how wonderful work is.

The Yorkshire moors - photo by Steve Jackson

Learning to live in the moment is more evident. To be blunt, the number of moments (or years) is diminishing, so best to make the most of them!

Family

I have made certain choices – work, lifestyle, financial… to give my children the best childhood they could have. Even though it was a choice, it did not stop me from feeling resentful at times and even frustrated.

On the other hand it has enabled me to develop and extend my portfolio of skills and knowledge which made me adaptable, flexible and suitable for today’s market place.

   

And most importantly, I am reaping the rewards of watching my children grow into happy, balanced and responsible young adults.

A life lived

So far, I have survived 2 near death experiences and one life saving surgery. Life is precious, time limited and needs to be lived fully.

When my children started secondary school, holidays became adventure time.

The shared experiences and memories created when experiencing different places, cultures, and people are priceless and imprinted on our souls. They will hold us together.

Nothing can beat being woken by the loud guttural sounds of Howler monkeys in the Rainforest, being 10 m from a brown bear as he enters the water and swims across the lake in British Columbia, witnessing a humpback whale and its calf on its migration in San Francisco or fearing for your life when the only thing between you and the caimans is a dugout canoe in the Amazon.

I hope that my children will cherish these moments and when they leave, I will create some of my own – a gap year for the over 50’s, a world challenge expedition, volunteering overseas….the possibilities are endless!

Work

Leadership development is big business with US organisations spending an estimated $13.6 billion in 2012. After 18 years in the field of leadership, I am becoming cynical and wondering who is benefiting from all this development?

Effective leaders need to become masters of themselves – self awareness, clarity of purpose, values, strengths and have the desire to lead. Leadership starts with a journey of self discovery.

Most leaders are already competent in what they do. It is often the ‘how’ that needs adjusting. This ‘how’, stretch and emotional courage needs to come from real situations – to be vulnerable, to communicate difficult things, to listen with empathy, to receive real time feedback, to make tough decisions and be accountable for them…

We are all leaders in our own capacity and the behaviours demonstrated in good leaders, are the same that can be seen in any good person:   

Play

My biggest learning this year has come from completing my first marathon. It has tested not only my joints but also my mind. I have learnt so much about myself: my resilience, motivation, being in harmony with my body….and the true meaning of the cliché, ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’. It really is one step at a time.

Practice needs to be mastered so am having another go next year with the London marathon and raising funds for Children with Cancer UK (any donations gratefully accepted). Have recently been told that I need a new knee, am unsure how the joints will hold up – ever the optimist!  

Grow old with me. The best is yet to be! (Robert Browning) 

@verawoodhead

In case the picture doesn’t work:

1.     Be kind

2.     Be grateful

3.     Show empathy and compassion

4.     Know your values and having the courage to stand up for what you believe in

5.     Be generous

6.     Recognise and use your talents and strengths

7.     Be aware of your shadow side and learn to manage

8.     Be collaborative 

9.     Build and nurture relationships

10.  Know your purpose and drive

Sprinkled Gold

Today is the anniversary of the birth of the great American chef, author and gastronome Julia Child (celebrated in the blog, book and subsequent film, starring Merly Streep as Julia, “Julie & Julia” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvJHsJD8ic ) – I am sure she would approve of my advocating that we all could benefit from adding a pinch of Olympic gold into the recipes of our lives – be it an enhanced attention to detail, the ability to interact and celebrate better with others or developing the stamina and determination to see things through to completion.  

At the risk of sounding like the repetitive echo of many others’ voices, I must confess that the London Olympic Games exceeded my expectations:

·       great atmosphere;

·       stunning venues (I particularly loved the wild flowers and the landscaping in the Olympic Park);

·       magnificent competitors;

·       friendly and not overwhelming crowds;

·       easy transport;

·       well organised (despite some infuriating ticketing issues);

·       an impactful and clever opening ceremony;

·       Thomas Heatherwick’s spectacular and inspired cauldron, with its 204 copper ‘petals’ that became going-home gifts for each of the competing nations (did you know that the UN only recognises 192 nations?);

·       superb sporting events;

·       world records broken; and a

·       rousing musical finale which provided a great introduction to Rio 2016.

 

I loved seeing and being with people happily united in the simple enjoyment of sport, shared national pride, stunned amazement at awe-inspiring spectacles and elated celebrations. What’s more, despite the current lull, it’s not over - I gather that the 2012 Paralympic Games tickets are selling out fast (it looks as though this will be the first time that all tickets will have been sold since the games were formally founded in 1960) – there will be a new ‘petal’ cauldron burning in the stadium in a fortnight.

Many things can be learned from the UK Olympic and Paralympic events, by both individuals and organisations.  There is no reason why people at work or in environments such as academia cannot love being with others, happily united in the simple enjoyment of achievement, shared pride, amazement at the accomplishments of awe-inspiring colleagues and rightful celebrations when a job is well done and goals attained or exceeded.  We have it within us to be successful and to collaborate (to huge effect) with those around us.  This (rather lengthy) talk, by the psychologist Jonathan Haidt, given to employees at Google, provides some interesting insights into why we think, respond and behave in the way that we do, especially when in groups:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2APK3tlPL_0&feature=g-all-u

It takes faith in our abilities, an understanding of the goals, careful planning, appropriate leadership and support, enablement of individual potentials to be realised (with the right people put in the right roles and given access to the right connections to get things done), perseverance, commitment and the combined will of all involved to succeed in attaining a shared objective.  A sprinkle of luck (such as the weather or wind on the day) can have an impact, but there is much truth in the golfer Gary Player’s comment that

“the more I practice, the luckier I get”.

Successful athletes in all sports practice and practice to enhance their skills.  Mo Farah had a gruelling regime (running 120 miles per week at circa 5.4 minutes per mile, as well as working out in the gym and even running on an underwater treadmill to prevent injury) that lead to his winning two gold medals.

 

 As Mohammed Ali once said:

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." 

 

One of the reasons the London 2012 Olympics were so successful was the meticulous attention to detail.  All of the events were carefully planned and the forethought showed; even the mascots had perhaps more to them than many of us appreciate.  Although some have commented that they look like extras from the film “Monsters, Inc” and others have unkindly renamed the pair Mandelson and Prescott (a couple of famously feuding former UK Cabinet Ministers) or Pentonville and Wormwood (two renowned Victorian-built London prisons), considerable thought went into their creation.  They are supposedly made from drips of steel formed during the forging of the iron girders that built the Olympic stadium.  Their actual names are Wenlock (after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games) and Manderville (after Stoke Mandeville Hospital where, from 1948, British War Veterans competed in the Stoke Mandeville Games, the precursor of the Paralympic Games).  Danny Boyle’s extraordinary Opening Ceremony also exemplifies some of the deep contemplation and preparation that enabled success.  It was intelligent, as well as spectacular, with messages behind every scene (The middle section named Pandemonium – after Milton’s capital of hell in “Paradise Lost” – gave me one of my lasting memories as forged rings glowed and were then raised in a cascade of sparks above the crowds)

The Opening Ceremony enabled the quirky eccentricities of the British personality to be celebrated in addition to highlighting aspects of the history that created the UK that hosted the Games. (Diversity adds to the mix and creates a stronger whole.) 

Throughout the Olympics there were lots of little touches, many of which went unnoticed, that each made a difference (such as the remote control Minis carrying javelins and hammers back and forth to officials during the Athletic events and the care shown by the numerous volunteers one even injured her fingers through high fiving so many visitors).  Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean was an inspired inclusion at the start, but there are some other details that probably did little more than raise a knowing smile in those in the know (for example part of the running track from the 1948 Olympics, also held in London, was buried under the Olympic Park athletics stadium site and the copper petals were completed in secrecy, only days before the start, by craftsmen who did not appreciate what they were for until they saw them on TV as they were used in the Opening Ceremony http://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/latest-news/flaming-brilliant-1-4113479 ).

The host country’s medal tally is impressive and, of course, I am pleased, but I was delighted by many other occurrences, such as when Granada’s runner, Kirani James, stormed to victory in the Men’s 400m - a first ever gold medal for the island; I was personally amused by the fact that there were more people in the Olympic Park as he won than there are in the population of Grenada. The impact of the Games on people across the country has been amazing (the often viewed as grumpy and self-controlled Brits have proven themselves warm, welcoming and passionate – I gather that this trait now will be used to encourage tourists to come to the UK). 

 The past Olympic fortnight has been inspirational and entertaining in so many ways.  I am so glad that I was able to see some events in The Olympic Park and at Greenwich – lifelong memories for me and my sons.  The Games are already living up to their motto and inspiring a generation (well they’ve inspired me at least).  I have made a personal commitment to use some of what I have learned going forward, namely:

·       I will continue to practice my skills, even those I believe I am good at, coming second isn’t good enough

·       Being a creative entrepreneur, I am not a natural completer finisher, so I will make an extra effort going forward to focus on the detail, ensuring successful implementation of plans

·       I will continue to foster and encourage diversity, thereby making a stronger and more appealing operation

·       I will make sure that the little touches are always there, as they can make the difference

·       I will keep an open mind and be prepared for the unexpected (who would have envisaged that a camper van could convert itself into an octopus?).