Earning trust: Five building blocks for cultivating trust

By Nicola Field

As human beings our default position is to trust others. Research noted in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) shows that human beings are naturally predisposed to trust – it’s in our genes and our childhood learning.. And most of the time it is a survival mechanism that has served our species well.

It’s only when we find evidence to the contrary that we stop trusting. And judging by the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, this is exactly what’s happening.

“The past decade has seen a loss of faith in traditional authority figures and institutions,” said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman.

He explains that there is a growing feeling of pessimism about the future, with only one in three mass population respondents in the developed world believing his or her family will be better off in the next five years. Just one in five believe ‘the system’ is working for them, and 70% desire change.

Tony Beaven CMgr FIML, General Manager of Elders Financial Planning, believes the erosion of trust within institutions has a lot to do with the environment we live in today. The pace of globalisation, disruption, and technological advancement are all making trust an increasingly scarce commodity for the majority of business leaders. As Beaven explains, “This can often see the needs of the organisation take priority over the relational aspects of building and maintaining the trust relationship throughout the organisation.”

And the erosion of our natural predisposition to trust goes even deeper than that.

Darren Fleming, behavioural scientist and author of Don’t Be A D!ck, says, “We tend to regard people who don’t trust as paranoid. But in many ways our sense of trust has been abused, and a lack of trust is the outcome. “If we look around the world, leaders haven’t been doing what we want them to do. This has led to a disconnect from leaders who are supposed to be pursuing our interests. The banking royal commission highlighted that we can’t always trust leaders in our business community – again because they weren’t doing what we believe they should be doing.”

Gabrielle Dolan, speaker and author on business storytelling and real communication, offers this perspective: “In these days of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ we are moving away from that default position of trust, and becoming inherently more suspicious. The result is that leaders have to work harder to gain trust.”

A NEW TREND IS EMERGING

While the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer signifies that people are generally less trustful, we haven’t entirely given up on trust.

Edelman says, “People have lost confidence in the social platforms that fostered peer-to-peer trust. These forces have led people to shift their trust to the relationships within their control, most notably their employers.”

Intriguingly, Edelman found 75% of people globally trust their employer to do what is right. Moreover, 76% are looking to business leaders to create positive change.

This suggests leaders and managers have some solid responsibilities to live up to. But why does trust even matter? And how can it be nurtured?

TRUST IS VITAL ON MANY FRONTS

Beaven says trust is important “because if you don’t allocate enough time to get the right balance of relational factors versus the business needs of the organisation, your business is potentially subject to turnover issues and a diminishing culture that can ultimately impact the survival of the organisation.”

For Fleming, the issue is clear cut. “Without trust nothing happens. We only get in our cars because we trust that people will drive on the correct side of the road. We turn up to our jobs because we trust that we’ll get paid.”

Fleming adds, “Trust is what allows us to contribute. If we don’t have trust, we have to second guess everything going on.”

As Beaven points out, trust can deliver real advantages to organisations. Dolan expands on that point, saying, “When employees have trust, decisions can be made more quickly, and workplace teams are more likely to buy into those decisions.”

She adds, “Trust also makes change easier because employees are confident that leaders will look after them and do the ‘right thing’ by them. Trust is especially critical in peak periods as staff can be sure that leaders ‘have their back’, and consequently they are likely to give more.”

FIVE BUILDING BLOCKS OF TRUST

The big question is how managers and leaders can go about building trust. It’s not always an easy task, especially as Australians and Kiwis have what Dolan diplomatically refers to as “a tremendous capacity to detect the inauthentic.”

As Fleming notes, “Developing trust calls for a far more proactive approach than a simple open door policy – after all, the trap door spider also has an open door policy.” Here are five proactive steps that leaders can take.

1. TRANSPARENCY

A key starting point in developing trust is transparency. “If you say you are going to do something, then do it,” advises Fleming. “Explain why you are acting in a particular way.”

He adds, “This is where politicians often get things so wrong. People are big enough to handle the truth but politicians don’t give it to us. Instead they try to secure the popular vote by not being truthful.”

Dolan agrees that transparency is essential. She adds, “It is very important to have transparent communication. Even if you have nothing to communicate, let your team know this.”

2. STRONG PERSONAL CONVICTIONS

“Good leaders with strong personal convictions explain what they are doing,” says Fleming.

“A lot of the time people in the workforce don’t know why they’re doing something. If someone on your team questions why they have been asked to complete a task, explain why. It’s not good enough to just say ‘because I’m in charge’.”

3. DON’T AIM TO BE PERFECT

Be prepared to show a vulnerable side. Dolan explains, “The leadership style of never showing weakness, never making mistakes and having all the answers is outdated. The ability to show a vulnerable side calls for courage and self-assurance.”

According to Dolan, being able to show vulnerability is a sign of strength. Conversely, refusing to demonstrate vulnerability is a sign of weakness.

“The maxim that ‘perfect leaders aren’t real, and real leaders are imperfect’ is very true,” says Dolan. “When someone is trying to be too perfect they don’t come across as approachable, and we aren’t comfortable with them.”

This view is confirmed by the HBR study, which found we’re far more likely to trust people who are similar to us in some dimension.

4. INVITE, LISTEN, OBSERVE

Fleming has developed his own mantra for building trust, “Don’t turn your back on people, don’t cover your ears, and don’t close your heart”.

He explains this saying, “Invite people into conversations. We are social creatures and we don’t like to be excluded. When you include people, they feel protected because they are part of the tribe.”

Be prepared to listen to others. “We all have a voice and we all want to share and contribute,” adds Fleming. “When you shut people down they become resentful.”

Keeping your heart open matters too. As Fleming notes, “It can be difficult to find a balance between leading and building trust. It’s about knowing your people, reading the environment and having social awareness.

“Observe your team, ask if everything is okay, and adopt an empathetic person-to-person approach. We’re all people trying to get through life. A lot of leaders lose sight of this amid the ‘we’re here to make money’ attitude.”

5. SHARE PERSONAL STORIES

Dolan recommends sharing personal stories to build trust. “It can be very powerful as long as you’re sending a business message to demonstrate personal values,” she explains. However, this calls for leaders to truly know their own values, such as integrity, respect and teamwork.

“Do things that demonstrate your values,” says Dolan. “For example, you may believe in the value of feedback but this means you need to be able to accept feedback yourself.”

Storytelling can be used at team meetings, presentations, or even in a one-on-one situation. Dolan offers an example of how very public storytelling can deepen relationships.

“A client of mine was speaking at an event, and she openly described how the amount of time she was spending at work was starting to threaten her marriage,” notes Dolan. “It was a deeply personal anecdote. But by sharing it she was acknowledging ‘I haven’t got this right’.

“The response from the audience was exceptional,” adds Dolan. “Many people thanked the speaker – it just hadn’t occurred to those she worked with that this person would be having these sorts of issues. It gave others permission to share their story.”


This article originally appeared in the December 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s exclusive Member’s magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Four ways psychology influences strong leadership

Young leader and registered psychologist, Rheza Tan CMgr MIML, lists how the mind impacts effective management.

1. MASTER THE LEADERSHIP MINDSET

When I studied business, I found that many leadership concepts are drawn from psychology or informed by the science. The two main lessons that I keep in mind are:

  • Look after people. Don’t just focus on the bottom line. If you look after your people, then they’ll do the same for you and your organisation.
  • Have meaning and purpose. As these are higher-level needs, once people meet their basic needs, they search for meaning and purpose. I found that leaders who share their sense of purpose with their staff and organisation support others in fulfilling their higher-level needs too.

2. CULTIVATE A POSITIVE VIEW

Although I was primarily trained to help people with diagnosed mental illness, when I became a manager I was drawn to positive psychology. It’s about assisting healthy people to increase their wellbeing and happiness. The focus is on enhancing the positive rather than eliminating the negative. When I dug deeper, I found that positive psychology, and business and executive coaching are becoming really intertwined. There’s a strong alignment between positive psychology and coaching. Leaders can use positive psychology models and apply those when helping their teams.

3. LISTEN TO THE UNHEARD

Both personally and professionally I’m drawn to assist those from a culturally and linguistically diverse background – including students, migrants and refugees. Regardless of where people come from, there’s always a struggle to adjust to a new culture. The greater issue they face is a lack of good mental health literacy. Many cultures don’t acknowledge mental health issues. In some, they don’t even have words to describe concepts like anxiety and depression. So it can be challenging for them to get support. As a migrant myself, I understand their experience. When they can speak to someone who understands, it really makes a huge difference.

4. DEVELOP AS A PROFESSIONAL AND AS A LEADER

Completing the Chartered Manager program was the first time I was exposed to a competency framework for leaders. Comparing myself against it was an excellent reflective process. I feel that it gave me an ongoing commitment to be competent as a professional leader. As Chartered Managers, we have a responsibility to uphold ethical business standards and a commitment to leadership development. I know many colleagues who are both health professionals and leaders. While they tend to continue clinical training, they don’t always develop their management knowledge or leadership skills in the same way. Now, I complete professional development for two disciplines – as a psychologist and as a leader.


This article originally appeared in the September 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Tips on becoming a stand-out leader

Sir John Storey Award winner, Gemma Wood MIML, is thriving as an emerging leader in the male-dominated sector of engineering and infrastructure. Leadership Matters asked her for her tips on becoming a stand-out young leader.

 

1. BROADEN YOUR MIND

Gemma_Wood
Gemma Wood MIML

I volunteered in Kenya and deliberately picked somewhere that’s basically as far away from home as I could get. It was a really good experience because I not only discovered more about the Kenyans’ culture but also learned so much more about my own culture. It opened my mind a lot.

 

2. RESPECT DIFFERENCES

It’s important to understand that factors like people’s upbringing and culture, background, language and spirituality contributes to how they think and operate. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to have some insight into that and consider what might make people comfortable and how best to work with them. For example, I must be aware of the wording I use and how I speak to someone. Acknowledging that some things are ‘different’, not weird. How we speak can have such an impact on a person.

 

3. LEAD WITH HEART

An unforgettable leadership moment for me was when my boss was faced with a situation that was not in the best interest of his people. My boss, as the leader, decided to put his people’s wellbeing first, no matter how much money it cost the business. And to me it is so incredibly important for leaders to back their team, having their best interests at heart. When people feel really appreciated and feel that they’re adding value, you’re going to get that discretionary effort out of them. They’re going to be really positive and invested in what they do.

 

4. RECOGNISE TRUE RESILIENCE

There’s a lot of talk about resilience. It’s such a buzzword. But I think, no matter how resilient a person is, it’s important to notice when high stress becomes the norm. That’s when you need to recognise enough is enough, and say ‘no’. Resilience is a great thing to work on and build up, but high stress should never ever become the norm because then you can’t bounce back. So, it’s an awareness of when to be resilient or when things have gone too far, and you have to say ‘no’ for your health or the health of your team.


This article originally appeared in the June 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

The business of mindfulness in modern workplaces

By Anthony O’Brien

 

It’s not the start of an Irish joke, but what do search engine Google, retailer Target and bank JP Morgan, share in common? Apart from making plenty of moolah, these corporate heavyweights have introduced a commitment to mindfulness practices into their workplaces in recent years.

While often associated with adherents to the Buddha rather than mammon, mindfulness training courses are becoming common in New Zealand and Australian workplaces as firms seek ways to reduce stress and absenteeism, increase productivity, develop better leaders, and generate more creative workplaces.

The Australian Psychological Society’s website says work-related stress results when the demands of work exceed resources for managing those demands. Another report from the Victorian Government says workers experience stress over organisation culture, bad management practices, job demands, the physical work environment, relationships at work, change management, lack of support, role conflict and trauma.

 

MINDFUL LEADERSHIP

As a leadership tactic, mindfulness helps people to be more effective by directing focus to the most pertinent task at hand, according to Harvard Business Review. Deprogramming multi-tasking tendencies and intentionally focusing with full attention results in higher quality interactions and decisions, says HBR.

Pippa Hanson CMgr FIML, Chief Executive Officer from The Sports Injury Clinic, regularly speaks on the topics of stress management, work-life balance and thriving under pressure. The IML ANZ Member believes the age of the mobile phone and the internet has increased the need for mindfulness. “People are on their emails, not just when they’re sitting in front of a computer but they’re getting access on their phones. They’re carrying those phones around with them, they’re contactable 24/7 if they’re not putting boundaries in place.”

Creating boundaries is being mindful of what limits you’re setting for yourself as a manager and leader, “not only to complete your day-to-day activities, but so you know what your day looks like and what time it starts and finishes,” Hanson advises. “If you allow your day to be interrupted by responding to every email, you’re not mindful of what your day looks like, and that causes pressure, stress, poor mental health, and a lack of productivity. So, a lack of mindfulness has a negative impact on people’s work day.” Hanson also advises managers and leaders to be aware of how many times per day they check emails, while strategies such as turning off app notifications, can improve mindfulness.

 

DEFINING MINDFULNESS

Hanson says mindfulness can be confusing for the uninitiated. “I find some people only associate it with meditation or colouring in. They don’t believe that they’re mindful when they do other activities like crafts,” she says. “Mindfulness is about being present and aware of your current situation, rather than being on a mouse wheel and just going through the motions every day.”

For Hanson, who manages a busy allied health business employing 60 staff including health practitioners and administrators, mindfulness includes taking a midday break to assess the first half of the day before the afternoon shift begins. “I walk, at the end of the day because after a busy schedule of meetings, phone calls and face-to-face contact, just walking and listening to a podcast, radio or music, allows me to switch off from work, before I step back into family time.”

Hanson adds that mindfulness doesn’t just speak to physical fitness, but mental fitness and the ability to cope with pressure, stress, and the unexpected.

 

Mindful leader, Catherine Stock-Haanstra FIML

 

FINDING THE SWEET SPOT

A 90-day mindfulness plan has been around since Warren Buffett was a boy. But it’s only now becoming more widely accepted in business, says Hanson. “Mindfulness has crossed over into leadership in the workplace for health and wellness as well as business strategy and time management.” While practising mindfulness is part of Hanson’s daily routine, it is also a major component of her firm’s broader strategy. “Our leadership team takes a day every quarter to switch off from everything. This day is about focusing on our achievements and where we’re going, but really without interruption and without taking the phone calls and without reacting to the emails. This enables us to be present, slow down and focus without the extra pressure.”

Hanson says individuals will have a unique mindfulness sweet spot. “Mindfulness is different for everyone, and everyone does respond differently, and it’s about identifying that for yourself. There are simple breathing strategies that you can do at lunchtime to slow your heart rate down, and to take those deep breaths, which when you’re rushing and busy you don’t often do. Others might walk around the block, or someone might say, ‘No, I’m going to put my headphones on and listen to music for 10 minutes’.”

Laps of a pool give swimmers plenty of time to cogitate and practise mindfulness, while Hanson says some people gain satisfaction from running or riding. “When you’re focusing solely on something different, your present activity, you are switching off from work, or your family life because you can’t think of both of those things at the same time.”

If managers and leaders can understand mindfulness, they are better placed to educate their teams. “Maybe the phones haven’t stopped and the team won’t take a lunch break or a tea break. However, if managers and leaders can teach their employees about walking away and getting some fresh air and then coming back, it just makes for better relations in workplaces, better relations with clients and better outcomes for everyone.”


The full version of this article originally appeared in the September 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

Career Doctor: How can personal resilience help with stress management?

By Peter Cullen FIML

Resilience has become increasingly important in the workplace due to the positive impact it can have on an individual’s wellbeing and performance. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of resilience is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”.

Although some of us are more resilient than others, all of us become more susceptible to pressure and stress when our resilience is low. Everyone can benefit from activities that promote physiological, mental and emotional wellbeing.

 

STRESS ERODES RESILIENCE

Stress is the body’s natural response to pressure or alarming situations – those that make us uncertain whether or not we can cope. The factor or situation causing our stress either positively or negatively is called a stressor. Unfamiliar situations challenge or threaten us and increase our level of stress. A stress response may require higher energy levels to help us cope.

Occupational stress can be defined as the physiological, mental and emotional responses that occur when workers perceive an imbalance between their work demands, their capability, their access to resources and their level of control. Importantly, stress responses occur when the imbalance is such that the employee perceives they are not coping in crucial situations.

On the other hand, positive stress is beneficial and can improve performance. A natural and automatic function of the body is to provide extra energy to help us tackle a stressful situation. It will then naturally return to its former balanced state. This return to balance ensures ongoing health and wellbeing. Some of the body’s beneficial reactions to a stressful situation include: mental alertness, sugar release for energy, increased muscle responsiveness, faster heart rate, increased adrenaline and cortisol, increased blood pressure and faster breathing.

All these reactions occur automatically as the mind and body react to a stressful situation. It is necessary to remember that everybody copes differently with stress and everybody’s stress barrier is different.

 

BE SELF-AWARE, IMPROVE RESILIENCE

To improve how we manage our stress and be more resilient, we need to build our self-awareness to better understand where we are physiologically, mentally and emotionally at any point in time. A simple method to use when you are in the moment is:

  • Identify how you are feeling and what you are thinking.
  • Ask yourself what effect these feelings and thoughts are having upon you.
  • Consider whether these feelings and thoughts are helpful or not.
  • Take action to address these feelings and thoughts if they are unhelpful, or simply continue as is, if they are helpful.

 

Reflect upon a previous stressful event that tested your resilience and follow the above method in your mind. This will help you gain a greater understanding of how this may be useful for you the next time a stressful situation arises.

We can also build and strengthen our resilience by engaging in a variety of activities as part of our normal way of life. Here are some suggestions:

PHYSIOLOGICAL: Aerobic exercise, strength and conditioning, yoga or stretching, healthy nutritious eating, hydration, breath work, appropriate sleep.

MENTAL: Meditation, self-reflection to build self-awareness, relaxation techniques, reframe your thinking, establish boundaries, set achievable goals.

EMOTIONAL: Strengthen constructive relationships, be appropriately honest with yourself and others, respect yourself, talk openly with trusted friends, know and live your personal values, seek support when necessary, learn techniques to manage your emotions.

 

We all can improve our level of resilience and maintain a strong physiological, mental and emotional state. When are you going to start improving your resilience and be the role model for others to follow?


This article originally appeared in the June 2019 edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine. For editorial suggestions and enquiries, please contact karyl.estrella@managersandleaders.com.au.

The Info: Books on resilient leadership

By Sarah McDuling

 

When it comes to resilience in business, the simple truth is that it isn’t all that different from resilience outside business.

Resilience is defined by the ability to recover after a setback, to adapt quickly to change and persevere when faced with adversity. Learning how to view failures as opportunities, to remain calm in stressful situations, to build a supportive social network and take the time to clarify your goals… these are all important life skills that everyone should have both in their professional and personal lives.

The components that help make a person happy and successful in their personal life (self-assurance, life goals, friends) are the exact same components that help make people successful in business. For example, most strategies to build resilience in business tend to revolve around four key elements: Confidence, Purpose, Social Support and Adaptability.

When you consider those four key elements, it starts to become clear that in many ways, a ‘resilient’ person is really just an optimistic and emotionally stable person. Or in other words, a happy person. If you want to build your resilience, you need to work towards increasing your self-confidence and maintaining a positive outlook.

The reading list on this page contains an inspiring selection of books about resilience. Here you will find some of the best ‘how to’ guides, full of useful tips and strategies to help you build the skills you need to improve your business life, as well as your personal life.

Reading these books will help you develop skills to cope with a stressful work environment, manage time effectively, deal with sudden upheavals and adapt to change. Most importantly, these books will teach you the importance of looking after yourself so that you are better equipped to deal with whatever problems and setbacks may come your way.

When we hear the word ‘resilience’ we so often associate it with being strong, tough and determined. The books on this list will help you to understand that ‘resilience’ isn’t really about strength. It’s about emotional intelligence, positive thinking and self-care.

A resilient person is a happy person… so happy reading!

 

Books to inspire resilience

RESILIENCE BY HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

This book reveals the traits of those who emerge stronger from challenges. It also provides advice on training your brain to withstand the stresses of daily life and presents an approach to an effective career reboot.

 

DIGITAL RESILIENCE BY RAY ROTHROCK

This powerful guide provides the digital resilience-building strategies you need to prevail – no matter what strikes.

 

RESILIENCE AT WORK BY DEBORAH M KHOSHABA, SALVATORE R MADDI

Why do some people remain so calm and collected in the face of looming deadlines, combative meetings, impending layoffs, and turbulent changes? And why are these seemingly unflappable people the ones who consistently get ahead in their lives and their careers? This book provides the answers.

 

HOW TO BE HAPPY BY LIGGY WEBB

You can make the decision right now to be happier if you really want to be, says author Liggy Webb. Life is what you make it, she says, so learn how to be happy, effective and energetic.

 

OPTION B BY SHERYL SANDBERG, ADAM GRANT

From Facebook’s COO and Wharton’s top-rated professor, this powerful, inspiring, and practical book is about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks.

 

FLY! BY RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY

In Fly!, Richard de Crespigny shares the insights and techniques he built up over decades in the high-pressure world of military and civilian aviation. Covering leadership, teamwork, risk assessment, decision-making, crisis management, lifelong resilience and more.

 

POSITIVE THINKING BY GILL HASSON

This book gives readers the tools to view life with a positive outlook and charge ahead in achieving goals that once seemed out of reach.

 

TRAIN THE BRAVE BY MARGIE WARRELL

Train the Brave is a handbook for being more courageous. Written for busy people on the go, its short, focused chapters provide practical tools and empowering perspectives to help you build your ‘courage muscles’ in work, relationships and life.

 

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS BY CHRIS GARDNER, QUINCY TROUPE

The astounding yet true rags-to-riches saga of a homeless father who raised and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street.

 


Sarah McDuling is the Senior Content Producer for Booktopia and the Editor of the Booktopian Blog.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 edition of Leadership Matters, IML ANZ’s quarterly magazine.

Step into the public speaking spotlight with confidence

By Nicola Field

 

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld nailed our phobia of public speaking when he said, “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

Our dislike of public speaking can come down to fear of rejection, according to Tim Bevan AFIML, Chairman of the IML Speaker’s Forum in Brisbane. He explains, “Suddenly we are separated from the herd and we have innate concerns about ‘will the audience be hostile?’ Or ‘will I bore them?’”.

Rather than avoid public speaking altogether, taking steps to improve your skills can boost your confidence – and your career.

 

REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT

Emma_Bannister_Presentation_Studio
Emma Bannister, CEO, Presentation Studio

Emma Bannister is the founder and CEO of Presentation Studio, specialising in presentation writing, design and training. She says, “Preparation is so important, and nerves should encourage better presentation.” Bannister believes content is critical. “This is your foundation,” she says. “If your content is good you can be confident in your own message. It can be a massive game changer when you know the information you provide is helping your audience achieve something.”

The clincher is to deliver content in a way that is clear. “Keep the message simple, and repeat your most important points so that people can understand them, remember them, and act on them,” advises Bannister.

Technology has changed the way we deliver presentations, and PowerPoint in particular is widely used, though not always to best effect.

“PowerPoint slides should never be used as a script to read from,” Bannister cautions. “Having a lengthy essay appear on a slide is the equivalent of using a crutch or autocue.” Moreover, she notes that when an audience is focused on reading the screen, they can’t listen to what’s being said, and that makes the speaker irrelevant. Bevan adds, “PowerPoint slides should only feature three or four bullet points, this way the speaker can talk around those points.”

 

FEEL THE ENERGY

When it comes to managing nerves, there’s a lot to be said for the old maxim ‘take a few deep breaths’. Bannister explains, “Deep breathing is critical to ensuring oxygen flows to your brain so you don’t forget what you are saying.”

While it may sound counter-intuitive, the quality of your delivery will improve if you regard your audience as friend rather than foe. “Instead of being afraid of your audience, make eye contact with audience members and use their energy,” suggests Bannister.

“If you’re speaking in a darkened auditorium, ask for the stage lights to be dimmed so that you can see members of the audience.”

Nerves can be the catalyst for rapid-fire speech, and this can seriously downgrade the quality of what you say and the image you project. As Bannister explains, “We often speak rapidly, or talk a lot just to fill in space. Slowing down your pace and allowing for pauses is vital. Have a sip of water if necessary but pause long enough to allow a message to sink in with your audience.”

According to Bevan, a pace of around 120 words a minute is ideal: “When we speak quickly we lose the power of pause, gesture and intonation.”

Speaking slowly also improves clarity. This matters because as Bannister points out you may have audience members who are not native English speakers. This further highlights why simple icons rather than lengthy essays are a must for PowerPoint slides.

 

PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT

 

Tim_Bevan
Tim Bevan AFIML, IML Speaker’s Forum Chairman

Sitting through a monotone speech can be tortuous, and good speakers contrast their pace, volume and modulation. Bannister notes, “As human beings we like change – a bit of variety helps to keep everyone actively listening.” It may sound like a tall order but it can all come with practice. “Don’t just read through your speaking notes on your screen,” says Bannister. “Say them out loud to your team, your kids, the family pet – anyone who will listen. Get someone to video you – or video yourself.”

Bevan emphasises the need to rehearse, saying, “Practice makes permanent, and practising using the wrong techniques can become habit forming.” In his involvement with the IML Speaker’s Forum, Bevan has seen the benefits of practice combined with constructive criticism. Ryan McKergow MIML, for instance, is a current member of the IML Speaker’s Forum and was recently awarded an IML ANZ Sir John Storey Leadership Award in the Emerging Leader category. McKergow joined the group in early 2018, and says, “I’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in my public speaking ability, and also in my day-to-day communications, which is vitally important in my role as a leader.”

 

DANGER ZONES

For nervous speakers, a lectern can seem like a safe harbour. However, Bannister cautions “Audience members often don’t like it when a speaker stands behind a lectern.” She recommends enquiring about the availability of a remote system for the microphone, so that you can move around a little.

The key word is ‘little’. Going overboard with gestures – or repeat gestures like pointing and waving, can be distracting for the audience. Bannister suggests: “If you’re not sure what to do with your hands, follow the likes of Barrack Obama, whose resting position was often one hand on top of the other just below his watch. When speaking, his hands were expressive and animated but not repetitive.”

When all else fails, smile. According to Bannister, “As a general rule, when the speaker smiles, the audience smiles back.”

The thought of fielding questions from an audience can be especially daunting as this is one area where curve balls can be thrown. Bannister says it is possible to control at least part of this by explaining at the outset that you will be speaking for 10 or 20 minutes and taking questions at the end of your presentation. “This discourages interjections and maintains the flow of your presentation,” she notes.

At some stage, you will need to respond to questions, and even Bannister admits “this can be tough”. She advises, “Always start by repeating the question so that everyone else knows what was asked. Make eye contact with the person, and even if you don’t have a ready answer, explain how you are addressing the issue moving forward.”

 

THE NO-GO AREAS

When it comes to workplace presentations, humour can be risky business. “What is funny to you can be offensive to some of your audience members,” cautions Bannister. Play it safe by skipping the jokes altogether.

Bannister also believes metaphors can be equally hazardous: “I’ve seen US-based speakers consistently using baseball analogies, talking about home runs. Audiences outside of the US can become quite upset about this.” She says this highlights the need to “Respect your environment and use analogies that are relevant to your audience – if you must use them at all.”

Few things can be more uncomfortable than the sinking feeling that your audience has lost interest, and unfortunately, these days, people may even start checking their phones during a presentation. That may seem impolite, but the onus is on the speaker to prevent this happening. “Mixing up your content, visuals, and tone of voice and volume keeps the energy and engagement of your audience,” says Bannister. “People notice when things change so keep a good mix.”

Ultimately, a good presentation is relevant to your audience. As Tim Bevan points out, “Don’t focus on yourself, focus on the audience. Your aim is to be a person of influence over your audience.


This article first appeared in the February 2019 print edition of Leadership Matters magazine. 

Why leaders need to develop mindfulness

A less obvious threat within organisations is the that of a psychologically unhealthy workplace. When colleagues, or worse managers, add mental and emotional fatigue to an employee’s work day, it’s enough to drive down productivity if not drive out workers.

It’s not an isolated case either. In Australia alone, the government pays approximately $543 million in workers’ compensation for work-related mental health conditions.

While it’s true that managing processes matters in leadership, managing people is even more crucial. Likewise, creating a mentally-safe workplace starts with having strong policies and processes in place, but ultimately it is defined by the behaviours of the people within.

That’s where mindfulness can play a crucial role.

 

Mindful leadership

Mindful leadership based on being attentive to the present moment and recognising personal feelings and emotions while keeping them under control, particularly during stressful times. It requires an individual’s awareness and understanding its impact on others.

Researchers identified the benefits of mindful leadership and summed it up into three meta-capacities:

  • Metacognition. This is the ability to observe what you are thinking, feeling, and sensing during critical times. It is like removing yourself from an intense situation to actually see what’s going on. It’s an effective means of escaping the dangers of operating on autopilot.
  • Allowing. This refers to the ability to let situations be. It isn’t about weakness or passiveness. Rather, it’s about dealing with experiences with openness and kindness to yourself and others. It links firmly with not letting our criticism of ourselves and others crush our ability to observe what is really happening.
  • Curiosity. This means taking an interest in what occurs within our inner and outer environments. It drives a strong impetus for bringing our awareness into the present moment and staying with it.

 

Emotional intelligence and mindfulness

There are three parts to emotional intelligence according to the man who coined the term back in 1995, Daniel Goleman. The first involves self-awareness, and this is where mindfulness fits in. By monitoring what’s happening within your mind, you can handle it better. This leads to the second part of emotional intelligence, self-management which in turn allows you to manage stressful situations and display a positive attitude despite upsets. The third part is the presence of others and how the other two components combine to determine the quality of our relationships with those around us.

 

Developing mindfulness

A note of caution: this is not a quick fix. Attending one mindfulness session doesn’t make a mindful leader. The key to developing this ability is practice. Take just a few minutes each day to focus on your thoughts and gradually integrate it into your daily tasks.

The Info: Must read

Derek Parker reviews the latest essential reading for Managers and Leaders 


Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness

By Rick Hanson

(Penguin, $33)

A critical area of study that has emerged in the past few years is the intersection of thinking – how you experience things and make sense of them – with neuroscience – the study of the brain as a physical organ. Rick Hanson, an American psychologist, was one of the first to examine this subject with his 2013 bestseller, Hardwiring Happiness. In Resilient he takes the theme further, looking at how feelings of wellbeing can be enhanced and strengthened as a buttress against adversity.

He points to scans of brain activity that show there is a natural ‘negativity bias’. This is an evolutionary hangover from the time when awareness of threats and danger were necessary survival tools but these days the effect is to create undue sensitivity to the stresses of everyday life: rushing about, being continually interrupted, having to jump between tasks, feeling pressured and being overloaded by information. The culture of the 21st century is continually trying to grab our attention with one thing or another, forcing us to move on from positive experiences before they can make their way into our consciousness. The result is anxiety, uncertainty, the sense that nothing is really within our control.

The counter to this, says Hanson, is to grow resilient resources within ourselves, by learning methods to profit from our positive experiences. This can change the physical structure of the brain, in the same way that a muscle is strengthened by conscious training. There are particular chemical responses in the brain that flag an experience as an important one, and new neural pathways to support it are formed.

The crucial step is to become acutely aware of positive experiences. Stretch out the good feeling, Hanson suggests, even if it is only by 20 seconds. This embeds it in our memory. Also, focus on why it feels good and how it connects with other experiences. Try to see what makes it unusual, meaningful, and personally relevant.

He emphasises that there is no definitive ‘good’ experience. It might be walking in a field, or enjoying a game of football, or playing with your children. It might be accomplishing some small task that leaves you quietly satisfied. It is likely to be different for everyone: the point is to understand it, focus on it, and draw upon it. With a conscious effort, moments that would otherwise slip away can become part of a stock of wellbeing, and help to build mindfulness. Over time, the hardware of our minds becomes more resilient and more capable of dealing with challenges, whether personal or professional.

From his neuroscience research and his work as a therapist, Hanson draws up a list of 12 “fundamental inner strengths” that can help to deal with problems and setbacks. Each of these – compassion, mindfulness, learning, grit, gratitude, confidence, calm, motivation, intimacy, courage, aspiration and generosity – is carefully unpacked by Hanson, but he also notes that various individuals might look to other qualities. The principle of training the brain – the technical term is positive neuroplasticity – remains the same.

The point is not to ignore negative experiences and emotions but to avoid being overwhelmed by them. A core of inner strength has the benefit of placing things in context. This means that small stresses and aggravations do not accumulate into large ones. Equally, it is a means to move past old grievances. Of course, in any life there will be serious problems – a major illness, the loss of a close family member – but a sense of resilience can help to deal with them in an appropriate way.

Hanson does not claim to have invented this way of thinking, only to have taken existing methods and organised them into a therapeutic program as well as a set of tools for everyday life. It is not easy, he says, as it means putting aside old patterns of thought and deliberately creating new ones. The good news is that it gets easier as you go along, and eventually becomes nearly automatic.

The benefits to both mental and physical health are significant. Essentially, this sort of resilience makes it easier to survive and thrive in our troubled, difficult times. It is a lesson we could all use.


The Future for Our Kids

By Phil Ruthven

(Wilkinson, $40)

As founder of the business information firm, IBISWorld Phil Ruthven has access to a huge amount of data, and he uses it to extrapolate existing trends to provide a picture of Australia’s future. He is generally upbeat, preferring to focus on opportunities rather than problems, and it is hard to not be caught up in his enthusiasm.

Interestingly, he sees outsourcing – often thought to be a destroyer of jobs – as the single biggest driver of job creation. Already, he says, many young people see themselves as entrepreneurial freelancers, moving from one project to another and being paid for outputs rather than inputs. Ruthven predicts this will increase as the pace of technology creates a truly global marketplace. At the same time, he says, the average working week will be around 20 hours by the end of this century, with a greater focus on fulfilment. Ruthven calculates that Australia is creating many more jobs than the number being lost, and will continue to do so.

At the other end of the demographic scale, longer lifespans will mean longer careers, with older people working well past the traditional retirement age. Older people will also be more likely to return to the education system, either to gain more qualifications or simply to keep their minds fresh.

Ruthven sees Australia as well-placed to take advantage of the continuing shift of economic momentum to Asia, and says Australia’s population mix will become even more diverse. The agriculture sector is likely to expand, both for domestic demand driven by a rising population and for export markets, although the real boom will be in the service sector, especially hospitality, tourism and aged care.

Along the way, Ruthven laments that governments have been slow to introduce ultra-fast broadband technology and to push for a higher GDP growth rate. Nevertheless, we are headed in a positive direction, he says, and the best is yet to come.


Give Back Lead Forward: why every leader should have a mentor and be a mentor

By Julian Carle

(Major Street Publishing, $30)

Julian Carle, the head of leadership training firm Synergen Group, believes that mentoring is the ingredient that turns good managers into great leaders, and in this book he provides a practical framework for getting the most out of the relationship, from both sides of the equation.

He makes clear that mentoring is not about getting together occasionally for a chat. Both mentor and mentee must be chosen carefully, both for their personal and professional attributes. Carle suggests that the two should not come from the same company, and perhaps not even the same industry, but a set of common experiences is important. Mentoring is not about teaching technical information but rather the soft skills of empathy and judgement. The mentor does not provide solutions but helps the mentee find their own answers.

For the mentee the benefit is the opportunity to draw upon the experience of the mentor; for the mentor the benefit is about the self-reflection that comes with understanding another person. The relationship is a balance of the personal and the professional, and there must be enough trust for discussion to be honest and forthright.

Meetings should be regular – Carle suggests every three weeks – with a firm schedule and agenda, as well as milestones to be discussed in quarterly reviews. Being a mentor is not easy: it requires skills to both inspire and motivate. An essential part is to show the mentee how to keep going in the face of setbacks. This can mean, for the mentor, revealing the mistakes they have made along the way – and, crucially, what they learned from them. For the mentee, it means making hard decisions about what sort of person they want to be. Often, says Carle, mentors find that their mentees inspire them.

Carle has mentored many mentees himself and is the host of ‘Mentoring Effectively’, a recorded IML webinar that explores the elements of good coaching practices and mentoring tips to promote personal development. The webinar is available online, here.

Moving up: how to consider the changes

By Geoff Cohen FIML

There you are – a hard-working team player in your thirties determined to have a successful business career. You want to leave a positive mark, your “footprints in the sand”.

With outstanding performance reviews as a technical specialist – complemented by competitive salary packages and bonuses – all your painstaking years put into studies have been rewarded in your career. Well done!

Then you learn that your team manager has moved into another more senior position. So finally, and without much notice, the chance arrives for you to step up into a managerial position and lead the team. Eager to make the most of the opportunity, you start off by getting all the training you need from your colleague. With all the necessary knowledge and expertise successfully transferred in a handover, you feel that you have landed on your feet as a new manager.

However, soon the hidden problems become apparent – your colleague tells you everything about the challenges of the job, from poor staff attitudes to the ever-demanding senior management group. For a second, you may begin to worry whether you’ve made the right decision to step into the role. Still, you are inspired to revolutionise the way things are done around here – no holding back!

Moving from star specialist to fledgling manager is probably one of the biggest challenges you will ever face because now you must manage people and your coworkers as your staff. These are people who have feelings, values and priorities that may not accord with your own. So how are you going to manage them? Should you order them around? After all, they work under your leadership.

However, what you may learn the hard way as a first-time manager is that your staff may put up with being directed by you for a while. But, if they don’t feel part of a consulted team, your best staff may quickly move on to where they will be appreciated – another team or organisation.

Autocratic behaviour is no way to be recognised as a leader. Great leaders earn a respect which makes people choose to follow them. You do not determine your success as a leader – that is something those around you will decide on. Their respect and behavioural response will provide the clues on whether they support you, or not. A wise colleague of mine once said of a new manager: “My loyalty he will have, my respect he will have to earn.”

Indeed, your welcome to management comes with a big challenge: how to instil respect for your leadership. Hopefully, you are attuned enough to know that there are no instant answers. There are many short development courses that you should certainly explore, but this must be abetted by long-term support – much of which you will get while on the job.

The most effective way of development leadership, not matter what stage of your career you’re in, is this: have good ‘soft skills’ – for example, listening, communicating and empathy – and marry them with the ‘hard skills’ that landed you the management position in the first place. With a combination of these, you will have the resources to successfully set you up on your desired career path.

There are few more things worthwhile to think as a manager:

  • Cynicism is, regrettably, part of the workplace today. So, if your staff don’t already know you, will there be a degree of scepticism?
  • Have you just been brought in to shake the place up, make jobs redundant, cut back staff expenditure and budgets?
  • If your staff do know you and watched you rise to new heights, what are they thinking?
  • Maybe they feel you are just filling in until the ‘real’ manager arrives.
  • They could confide in you when you were a co-worker, but maybe not anymore.
  • Perhaps they think you’ll just be a ‘yes man’ for senior management, totally compliant.

While it might be a daunting thought that all these above situations might be a reality, it is important to remember that ultimately, learning from your experiences is necessary for development, even if the message may not be what you want to hear.

Reflecting on these experiences allows you to gain understanding of your leadership strengths and weaknesses, and often it is helpful to reflect on how you are going to manage yourself before you start managing others. It is also a good idea to find a colleague who you respect and trust to share experiences and advice, a proven strategy for professionals around the world. Nurses at hospitals put aside time at the end of a shift each day to ‘debrief’ with the next crew coming in. This process is not just about explaining the status of patients but to relieve stress by telling someone about the frustrations of the day.

Debriefing with someone regularly will improve your resilience, help you manage stress, lead staff with humility and transparency and, above all else, remain positive.

Give it a go… step up to a management role! Don’t wonder what might have been later on.


Geoff Cohen FIML Geoff Cohen FIML, a former General Manager focusing on regional business growth / major property development in NSW, works with startup business entrepreneurs and new managers.