News Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Smart Coaching and Training | Business Support, Consultancy, Mentoring

27/10/2020 By David Rigby

Staying authentic while code switching

Code-switching is when someone changes their language based on who they are with, typically to fit in better with that group. There are many reasons why people code-switch. People switch their pronunciations of words and their dialects around to better fit in with a certain group.

They also change their behaviour.

In linguistics, code-switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation. But its much more than that.

Multilinguals, speakers of more than one language, sometimes use elements of multiple languages when conversing with each other.

*Ghiyathi, UAE – code switching or diplomacy? by David Rigby*

In dress and food – choosing to dress in the mode of the people you are with, learning to eat the same food in the same way the others do is another type of code switching .

Why do people do this ?

Often to do with work. In the UK people switch to the codes of the straight white southern public-school-educated male in order to get the best jobs.. And all places have their equivalents.

But what do they switch from?

Being Northern – whilst having a Northern Accent is not the slur it was, it can still be prejudicial in building the connections. Dropping the northern sense of humour in order to be understood, removing terms of endearment and being over-friendly.
Being Female – it is possible to get on as female, but many have to adopt ‘boy’s behaviours’ to climb the ladder.
Being of Foreign Origin while raised in Britain. – In many ways having to have two different cultures – the ones you use at home and the ones you use at work. Those that don’t follow the subtleties and indirectness of the polite British society can ‘scare the natives’ with their directness or loudness.
Being Foreign – being aware that the accepted behaviours at home may not be acceptable in your new location. Observing and copying the new ‘norms’.
Being LGBTQ – being ‘straight acting’ or so you think.

There are dangers

So, at least historically, wearing the traditional uniform of white man’s business – Grey or Blue suit, white shirt and tie, no beard is a way of ‘belonging’. But it can be cultural appropriation – white people wearing dreadlocks or Arabic dress is asking for trouble.
The more you code switch the more you become the person you are switching into. And then you go ‘back home’ and everyone thinks you are now too posh to talk to. So you switch back. Which is the real you? It is so stressful and exhausting.

*Being Intercultural while Leadership Training in Ghana by David Rigby*

Intercultural Globality is a method by which you can learn to be all things to all people. And still be true to yourself. Understanding your communication preferences is a good start. Just ask .

03/10/2020 By Eric Moore

The Age of Anxiety

“West Side Story” composer Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 The Age of Anxiety was composed from 1948 to 1949 in the US and Israel. It is titled after W. H. Auden’s poem of the same name. Was 1949 the Age of Anxiety or is it now? Most of us have some form of anxiety in our lives and with the continued events of 2020 it is becoming more prevalent.

Our trainer Eric Moore. Ask about individual and group wellness at work coaching

Coping Mechanisms

To combat anxiety people will employ different coping mechanisms to help deal with their anxiety. These may include, exercise, going for a walk, listening to music, or some other form of distraction, though when it strikes these often fail, because the problem is neurological, so therefore to successfully cure anxiety the changes need to take place at the neurological level. Another mechanism many use is to try and avoid the situations that cause them to feel anxious or panic. This though prevents, change and growth. Another thing I often come across is hearing clients say “It happens to me – I don’t make it happen”. This mindset can unfortunately prevent the person from taking ownership of the problem.

Causes of Anxiety

Anxiety is caused by an over arousal of the autonomic nervous system, so someone will often get anxious before they even know it, and by the time this happens it’s too late. So they say “it’s not my fault since it happens automatically”. However they created it due to reacting to an external stimulus such as crowded spaces, social gatherings, giving a presentation. This can then generalise, so even the thought of it becomes enough to create the anxious state.

Fight or Flight

This triggers the fight or flight response in part of the brain called the amygdala and can cause a myriad of issues both psychologically and physiologically. Dry mouth, sweaty palms, palpitations, racing heartbeat and thoughts, tightness or pain in the chest to name a few.

Internal Dialogue

Taking responsibility and owning it is one of the steps to overcoming this debilitating issue towards recovery. Anxiety and panic is often a function of the internal dialogue and the images one creates in the mind. Intervening by changing the images and speed of what is said internally are key to becoming anxiety free. Now, depending on the type of anxiety there will be more activity in one hemisphere of the brain and another tool for change is to engage both hemispheres whilst thinking of the anxious state. If you are curious about to take back control and become anxiety free then join our workshop here on send us a message here.

Written by Eric Moore , Smart Coaching & Training Ltd.

22/07/2020 By David Rigby

White Lies Matter

“You might think that, I couldn’t possibly comment!” was the signature phrase of the scheming politician Francis Urquhart, played by Ian Richardson in the 1990 television thriller House of Cards. It’s the great coaching get-out, but what if you did comment and were sparing with the truth?

“Does my bum look big in this?” What can you say? If you don’t say ‘no’ you are in trouble. My father lost a life long friend by responding honestly to the question “What do you think of these paintings I have made?”.

White lies, being economical with the truth a.k.a. lies by omission : Do they have a place in the coaching world? Do they have a place in your everyday world?

it’s ‘the way you tell them’

Ultimately, it’s ‘the way you tell them’ which makes the difference between retaining and losing a client or a friend. How honest an answer will you give, will depend on

Who you are;
Who they are;
The nature of your relationship.

But white lies and omissions are only for the lazy.

Sugar coated diplomacy

For those who are familiar with Behavioural Preference Profiling, which is about communication, the blunt logic of the ‘Reds’ and ‘Blues’ can be an affront when talking to the more emotional ‘greens’ and ‘yellows’ who prefer the truth sugar coated with opinion and diplomacy.

In the world of politics telling blatant lies seems to be the way forward, and of course the history of the winners, as taught in schools, and portrayed by the tabloids, seems not to matter either.

My father used to say ‘Give me the facts’ – and was not interested in opinions. Even if they confirmed his own. He read a left wing broadsheet so there was some hope, but never got the balance, and believed what he read was ‘the truth’ because it was ‘in print’.

In the office, it is well recognised that having the Psychological Safety to be able to speak up and speak out leads to better results but in most organisations cannot be done. To be well at work you need also to be able to both tell the truth and receive the truth. But you must remember

Your truth, is probably your opinion often based on little or biased knowledge of the facts;
Their truth, is probably their opinion often based on little or biased knowledge of the facts.

Learning to debate, without falling out, is a life skill, as is being able to recognise that others may be just as passionate as you about their incorrect views. Learn to live with it. I recently asked a group to debate with me issues I was currently having about recent politics. It helped me enormously. Being able to discuss without fear of retribution is crucial to a healthy life. We can facilitate groups or just coach you honestly to help you resolve your issues. Be brave. – white lies do matter.

Written by David Rigby, Smart Coaching & Training Ltd.

08/07/2014 By Isla Baliszewska

The Viability Test

The Financial Reporting Council has come up with another small headache for business owners. In an attempt to improve on the current ‘going concern’ statement that Directors must tick in current year end accounts, the FRC has hit on the idea of getting Directors to commit to saying how long they think their organisation will stay viable. Under the proposed new code a company board will have to state that the company is viable for ‘the foreseeable future’ and to identify how long that ‘forseeable future’ is.

What we are looking at here is accountability. How accountable Directors and Boards should be. To mix metaphors the waters here are a bit muddy and a thesaurian battle of words; to what extent should company Directors be making assertions, declarations, affirmations or committed statements about the future solvency of their business? The FRC started this review last year in an attempt to clarify what ‘going concern’ actually means, and the distinction between the assessment of the company’s health when preparing the accounts and the assessment of the risks affecting its continued trading. The consultation has been through several rounds so far and has been less than enthused about by the Institute of Directors, whose corporate governance advisor Oliver Parry said ” It would be difficult and unrealistic to think that a company could predict the future beyond 12 months.”

It goes without saying that there should be clear lines of accountability in organisations, however as yet no-one seems to be agreeing on how this accountability should be worded. Accountability is about integrity and ownership of our actions, being responsible for the decisions we make. This is relatively simple when it only involves us, the one person, but it is much harder when taken to an organisational level.

23/11/2013 By David Rigby

Five essential attributes of excellent CEOs

There are many different views as to which attributes are essential to be an excellent CEO. Take a moment out from your busy urgent day-to-day business and consider some issues which are important for business leaders, issues which others rarely – or dare not – ask them, and that with the pressure of business, they may not often askthemselves: Awareness, Vision, Imagination, Responsibility, and Action.

Question yourself

Do I really know what is happening within my organisation, and outside? Can I make sense of it?
What is the extent and limit of my responsibility? Am I responsible for the common good?
Is this the right thing to do, and is there an alternative to the corporate governance model I am used to?
Who will I be in the next decade or two?

Working in organised facilitated groups with your peers and away from your day to day colleagues is a great way to find help from outside. Working with a coach is another way to help you find the inner recourses to help you face the challenges. This is not just about your business, this is about YOU.

You need to

Expand insight into the challenges responsible business leader and enterprises are likely to face in the future and leave with a point of view
Stimulate and reinvigorate your identity
Develop a vision to change your game

Consider these topics and ask yourself what you already know

Awareness

Follow the path from the outside world of the corporation to the inner world of the top executive

How others view what a top executive’s job is today, or what your job is
Leadership in uncertain times
Assessing one’s own top management paradigm

Managing contention, short-term changes vs long-term transformation: top-level practices

Vision

Visualise tomorrow’s managers, organisations and global economy

Alternative models of the business-society interface
The global corporation and its critics: coping with critics from outside and developing a dialogue integrated into strategic logics
Investing another world vision, another paradigm and imagining its implications
Corporate governance and its future

Imagination

Be bold and creative but selective

The role of imagination in strategic thinking
Size of pie and not only share of pie
Beyond confrontation: learning from our contradictions, managing “dualities”
Alternative competitive logics

Responsibility

Redefine what it means to be a CEO (different CEO vs. better CEO)

Delivering high performance
Developing organisational capital and executive talent
Accountability and responsibility – where to start and where to stop?
The corporation and the common good: implications for corporate leaders

Action

Commit to the discipline to act

The implementation challenge
Re-invention and the relevance of ‘practical’ theories for action
Articulating commitment and engaging with coaches for follow-through

Rather than simply attending a classroom based course, take a series of structured workshops challenging alternative answers through a variety of interactive methods including: roundtable discussions, team work, panel discussions and interpersonal peer exchanges, or for more intensity use 1-1 coaching to increase your executives’ capacity to master the complexity of the CEO’s job in the context of an ever-changing global environment. Ask us for more details