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16/03/2015 By Isla Baliszewska

Pascal’s Wager – A Good Bet?

Pascal’s Wager – A Good Bet?

Settle down and concentrate on this one…..Pascal’s Wager was about whether or not there is a God. If you wager against there being a God and there IS a God, that is bad news for you, so you should wager for there being a God.  Pascal believed that religious belief was not a rational, but rather an existential  choice, i.e. a choice you make in the face of uncertainty.  So how do we make the right choice if we aren’t basing it on a betting outcome?

We have talked about uncertainty before and one of the things that comes up a lot in building the ability to make choices in an uncertain world, is to think about two things;

  • Firstly, do you HAVE to make that decision at that particular time?  Sometimes we get hung up on making choices and decisions, when what we might need is a little time to step away from the decision making process, clear some mental space and let the ideas and emotions free reign, leading to those moments of enlightenment that help us make the right choices.
  • Secondly, it is okay to change what you are doing if things don’t feel right or go the way you intended.  Someone mentioned that one of the reasons Angela Merkel keeps being re-elected is that she is not rigid in her political life. She is very determined, but she also tries to see things from different perspectives (even her opponent’s standpoint) and be collaborative and she is not afraid to change the way she does things if it will help her achieve her objectives.

If you want a gently challenging hand in making your choices or checking the odds get in touch and we’ll help you lay your bets.

Posted by Isla Baliszewska 16 March 2015

 

Filed Under: Decisions Tagged With: Decisions, leadership, training, You and Your Career

20/02/2015 By Isla Baliszewska

The importance of strength of mind

The importance of strength of mind

More and more we as leaders are being asked to work outside the box and work in a way that generates new thinking, options and approaches.

But where do we start?

Well, it all begins with some thinking and some strength of mind.

Strength of mind refers to the focus of our thinking. If we focus on what goes well, what we do well and what our strengths are, feelings of success and achievement emerge. If we focus on the gaps and the things we can’ do the opposite happens.

So where does this come from?

Originally from the Appreciative Inquiry approach which suggested focusing on what we do well and how we can  make more of this. This was closely followed by the Solutions Focus approach which focused on what is already working and how to build on this.

Martin Seligman introduced the ideas of positive psychology where he has developed research and methods that go to test the strength based approaches.

In the past individuals and organisations have focused (that word again) their weaknesses to a disproportionate extent.

I am reminded of the “Undergound” rail announcer who always informs us to “mind the gaps”.

If we use our strengths to mind the gap and see our way clear, then we can start from a position of strength, this in turn will help us to recognize our abilities and use them productively.

Working from strengths changes peoples behaviours, beliefs and views of the world.

What was once thought of as impossible becomes easy!

What was once mundane becomes magnificent!

What was once muddy becomes meaningful!

So bear in mind to mind the gap to use our strengths, to use our own strength of mind!

by Peter Mayes

 

 

 

Filed Under: coaching, leadership Tagged With: change, coaching, leadership

03/02/2015 By Isla Baliszewska

Risk it and try some collaboration?

Risk it and try some collaboration?

What are the current trends on problems for companies and people?

Companies are looking for more tailored and integrated ways of driving action. When trying to marshal large scale, diverse and remote work forces ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t work. Localized, targeted and aligned programmes have a far higher chance of success.

They need to regenerate a sense of belonging and re-establish trust and integrity. Having open and clear conversations has an enormous pay off on the bottom line. Collaborative forms of leadership, create followers that engage and want to succeed.

Recent research shows that during the recession MDs/CEOs were staying with organisations for even shorter times, this often meant that senior managers moved on quickly too. The result is that some organisations became skeletal in nature; too thin to survive therefore there is no room to anticipate or deal with any fluctuation of the organizational plan and growth then becomes a problem rather than a delight.

Risks and experimentation are at a minimum. Innovation is marginalized and the same old ways of working get the same old results. Change is not getting any slower and shortages exist at all key levels, so perhaps getting the best from people is not such a costly idea and practice after all. The world is small and big at the same time. Speed and flexibility is the key.

For people
Resilience is the key.
Keep learning.
Taking care of yourself both physically and mentally.
Look for the good in what’s happening.
Have realistic expectations and enjoy the now.

Being self reliant, self motivated and self developmental because in some strange way this is what the company wants from people  and it’s what they you want for themselves.

However the years of recession have taught people to keep their heads down, don’t rack the boat and it’s best not to be noticed.

The need for great leaders as coaches and mentors is even greater than ever before, so collaborate, trust and talk the real key words for company and personal success

 

Posted by Peter Mayes

Filed Under: coaching, Growing your Business, leadership Tagged With: coaching, collaboration, growth, leadership, teams

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