Sponsor charity swim, get a complimentary coaching session

Need some help sticking to and achieving your New Year's resolutions? Want to set yourself up for success in 2012? Read on to find out how you can support a deserving charity and get a complimentary coaching session at the same time with this limited-time offer!

One week from today on February 5th I'll have another go at the Cole Classic, Australia's largest ocean swim event. In what's become an annual charity fundraising event for my company, I'll once again tackle the 1km course from Shelly Beach to Manly Beach.

I'm doing the swim to raise money for  the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), in support of their efforts to help protect animals around the world from cruelty.


THE ASK: I'm seeking sponsorships of my race-for-charity. Any amount is gratefully accepted - even $10 donations add up - and you can donate from wherever you are in the world at my everyday hero fundraising page.

THE OFFER: if you choose to donate AUD$50* or more, tmc will offer you a complimentary 1-hour coaching session. No further obligation is required - just make a donation and we'll book you a coaching session (live or by telephone) at your convenience. That's it!

*that's about £33 / €40 / SEK360 / HK$410 / SIN$65 / CAD$53 / US$53

So...with just one donation, you get four things at once:

1. A chance to try out coaching, if you've not done so before, at a knock-down rate
2. Feel-goods as you help a deserving global charity to improve animal welfare
3. The one-on-one attention of an experienced coach to address an issue that's real for you today - and walk away with practical actions to do right away
4. And as a charitable contribution, it's tax deductable.

Why coaching?
Coaching will benefit anyone who wants something and has not yet been able to get it. It is a structured way to renew your focus, better tackle your challenges and identify how you can make the best use of your efforts and resources to get sustained results over a period of time.

Todd asks great questions - pertinent and provocative. Then makes sure you work through to a good answer. ~ Paul Z. Jackson, Owner, The Solutions Focus

In the same way that top athletes have coaches to help them realize their full potential and improve their performance, coaching helps you to be your best. Far from being a remedial step or an admission of weakness, having a coach is a useful way to head off potential issues before they impede your performance, and draw on your existing strengths to get results.

At the outset of a new project, coaching is also invaluable in setting the right course so that when storms blow up along the way, you will already have the means in place to handle them and not get blown off course or overwhelmed.

GET THINGS DONE
Coaching...gave me real clarity and focus, which was just what I was needing at the time. After just one coaching conversation, I found that I was better organised, and managing my time much more effectively. Over time, I have found that the tools I gained have stayed with me, even if my method has changed. ~ Linnet Good, writer and entrepreneur, Goodscribble

How does coaching work?

You will draw on your own experiences as you “think out loud,” with the added benefit of an impartial outside point of view for fresh perspective. Through skilled work as both a sounding board and source of positive support, a coach can help uncover your own hidden insights and ideas. An ongoing coaching dialogue also makes it more likely that you will follow through on your commitment to do the actions you know need to be done.

BUILD ON EXISTING STRENGTHS
Being involved in many other coaching training sessions, the one with Todd has given me the most improvement and value. That’s because it’s not often that I can put theory into practice and have a seasoned expert sitting on the side-line who can objectively provide valuable pointers and guidance to improve my coaching style and technique. ~ Eric Wong, Manager, NRMA

A coaching session gives you that all-important pause to get clarity on a course of action, identify useful and practical ways forward, and follow up on those actions to get the maximum possible learning benefit from them.

ACHIEVE BREAKTHROUGH INSIGHTS
I've found Todd's coaching consistently excellent, in one session helping me reach a goal I'd been striving towards for 15 years...in a field with which he had no previous experience! He is very creative, and generous with his time, energy and ideas. He is both very professional and excellent company. Time spent with Todd is time very well spent. ~ Shakya Kumara, Training Manager and Coach, windhorse:evolution

Some practical examples

Coaching can help if you’d like to develop your skills in any of these areas:

• assertiveness in business and personal situations
• negotiation to get the outcomes you want
• having difficult conversations with co-workers or partners
• using effective persuasion and influencing skills
• leadership development
• becoming a better manager
• coaching others to help their performance/business focus
• time management and priority-setting to get things done
• business planning
• strategy execution to turn your plans into reality
• decisiveness in knowing what you want and how to get it
• cross-cultural (or other) communication challenges
• presentation skills to deliver your message with maximum effect

And if you want to:

• get “unstuck” from current dramas
• achieve breakthrough insights
• handle conflict in a no-dramas way
• interact more effectively with other people
• set a course that’s right for you and stick to it
• get your business in shape to achieve its full potential

FIND YOUR OWN WAY FORWARD
Todd has helped to build my awareness of my own behaviour and provided valuable models, frameworks, techniques and practical examples for how I can work through challenges. Overall I have really noticed the difference in how I approach my career in general and my day-to-day work interactions. ~ Manager, Aon-Hewitt

What to do next

Please make your donation at the fundraising page and then to contact me directly to schedule your coaching conversation. Also: encourage your friends, colleagues and anyone else you can think of who could put this offer to good use to make a donation as well.


**Remember, the donations support a worthy global charity, with a tax receipt issued directly to the donor.

Thanks - I hope I can count on your support of my efforts and look forward to speaking to donors very soon.


The fine print: one coaching session per donor, session to be booked within 1 month of donation date and delivered within 6 months' time. Coaching sessions are for the donor only and cannot be reassigned to others.

Employee engagement forum (Sydney, Wed 16 Nov)

Want to learn more about how to use employee engagement research to inform and promote organizational change? Read on to discover how to secure your complimentary seat at this discussion forum on Employee Engagement.

Next week in Sydney I'm attending the latest in a series of discussion forums on Employee Engagement hosted by my associate partners at ORC International.

These discussion forums are designed to offer guidance on how to increase employee engagement in your organization by creating ownership amongst key stakeholders. Drawing on recent case studies and contemporary thinking, forum participants will consider the latest techniques for generating buy-in to employee engagement research and ensuring the business, your managers and your employees are ready and willing to drive internal improvements.

In addition, ORC International will be joined by special guest speaker Ben Palmer from GENOS, who will be offering insights from his research in the field of emotional intelligence. He will describe how the traditional engagement approach does not always drive engagement, and discuss the need to create a shared ownership model. Organizations need to ask individuals what motivates them, and individuals need to take responsibility for themselves, whilst being supported by managers. Ben will outline the GENOS approach to individualizing engagement and how this can complement your employee engagement survey.

The meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to:

• Understand how to harness the potential of your employee research
• Learn different tactics to raise the profile of employee engagement in your organisation
• Understand how to increase employee engagement at an individual level
• Share best practice with your industry colleagues

If you are going to be in Sydney next week, I look forward to seeing you at this event!

Date: Wednesday 16 November 2011
Time: 09h00 - 12h00 followed by luncheon
Cost: complimentary

Robinson William Room
The Bayview Boulevard Sydney
90 William St, Sydney NSW
View location map

Register for this no-cost event online here or contact Phil Pringle at (03) 9935 5729  

Hello Movember, meet "Grovember" - How expressing Gratitude can change your life

As a useful complement to Movember, I suggest the practice of "Grovember" - using November to establish your daily habit of expressing Gratitude. By introducing a bias towards the positive and focusing on what you DO want (rather than lamenting what you don't want), you can break the downward spiral of depression and positively influence your thinking in ways that can dramatically improve the enjoyment of life and increase your levels of happiness.

We're now in Movember (the month formerly known as November) when many men grow a moustache to raise funds and awareness on two biggest health issues men face: prostate cancer and depression.

The overall intent is to work to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face, get them to act on that knowledge and increase the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

This year for the first time I'm having a go and raising money for charity in memory of my brother Jim, who died this year and who often suffered from bouts of deep depression.

Raising awareness of organizations (like Beyond Blue and Mensline in Australia) that exist to help men combat depression is important work. I think it's also important to offer men the tools for a bit of self-help DIY. That's what this post is about.

How you can combat depression - and live the best life you can!

A really effective way to combat depression, and to shift your state of mind in general for the better, is to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude"

One specific practice is to intentionally and regularly record positive appreciation in a Gratitude Journal. Here's how it works:

You write down five (or more) things every day that you are grateful for

That's it.

Even Don kept a journal!

Don't be fooled! Though simple, the practice it is a surprisingly powerful way both to get out of negative/depressed states of mind and to positively influence your thinking in ways that improve your enjoyment of life.

Depression is often the result of a pervasive, circular pattern of negative thoughts. Keeping a gratitude journal breaks that pattern and re-programs your mind to think more positively.

By regularly noticing and recording things for which you're grateful, you train your brain to focus on things you like about your life (and want to have in it) rather than the things you don’t. This simple practice, done consistently, can improve your whole perspective on life.

In her book The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, University of California professor Sonja Lyubomirsky praises the practice of writing a Gratitude Journal as a good way to increase your level of happiness. In a nutshell, her research has found that "truly happy individuals construe life events and daily situations in ways that seem to maintain their happiness, while unhappy individuals construe experiences in ways that seem to reinforce unhappiness."

In other words, as Lincoln said:

"People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." 

Have a Go!
And so as well as taking part in Movember, I've started keeping a regular Gratitude Journal this month. What you write down doesn't have to be huge or mind-blowing. It might not matter to anyone but you. For example, my entries for today included:

1) taking time this morning to tend to the plants on the balcony and in the flat - gives me a sense of nurturance and feeling "grounded"
2) hearing about NaNoWriMo - feel inspired about doing more writing and like the idea as a way to increase connection with others while pursuing an inherently solitary activity
3) I like that I can get Dutch goodies like speculaas, hagelslag and honingkoek in Oz - yum! (feeding belly & soul, "ethnic" food)
4) liked reading the positive inspirational quotes that come through daily on my facebook page
5) enjoyed sitting on balcony this AM eating breakfast with the springtime Sydney sunshine on my face, a full day of coaching, meeting people and writing ahead of me, and an early surf session with some mates set up for tomorrow morning

You can write things in the AM - including things you're looking forward to with the clarity of mind that comes after a good sleep, or in the PM - recording what you've appreciated about the day and to symbolically end your day, heading off to sleep with a positive frame of mind. For my part, I'm doing both as I like the idea of having a morning-and-evening ritual.

Start your journal writing today, whether it's at the start or end of the day, or both!
Continue the daily habit of expressing Gratitude consistently through November and I bet you'll notice a difference in your life. Think of it as your own personal "Grovember". It's a practical habit that, as you have learned, can profoundly change your life. Who knows, maybe it'd be better to call it GROW-vember!

Finally, if you've found this post at all helpful then I'd love you to support my Movember fundraising efforts. All amounts are appreciated as every little bit helps. Remember, anything over $2 is tax-deductible.

The view from 4 years on - tmc blog's birthday

Four years ago I penned my first post to launch both this blog and my journey here in Australia, re-establishing the consulting business I'd successfully run in London and before that in Montreal.

I'm very grateful that during the past four years I've had the chance to work with some great companies, make so many connections with terrific people, learn a lot and spread the word about how bringing out the best in your people produces better results, faster, with longer-lasting impact.

Who knows what the next four years will have in store... for the moment, to mark this anniversary I'll be diving into the archives over the next few weeks to find some of the best and well-discussed posts, which I'll repost with updated content and insights.

I'll also begin sharing details of the project that I'll launch in 2012 to increasingly be the vehicle for my work, building a community and a movement around the concept of promoting Positive Change.

So as usual, watch this space - to make that a little easier, subscribe to this blog! Just enter your email address in the "Get blog updates sent to your email" box in the top-right side of this page, Or, you can click on the "Get blog updates by RSS feed" button (Wondering how RSS works? Watch this video.) That way you can be sure to hear about upcoming posts as they're published. 

Employee Engagement research - Executive Briefing (next Thu in Sydney)

Want to learn more about how to use employee engagement research to inform and promote organizational change? Read on to discover how to secure your complimentary seat at this Executive Briefing on Employee Engagement. You'll gain valuable insight on how to create a culture that invites maximum staff engagement and also hear the latest thinking on how to develop and implement a strategic engagement program.

Next week in Sydney I'll be co-presenting a session entitled Using employee engagement research to drive organizational improvement. It's happening on Thursday 26 May 2011 from 09h00 to 12h00, finishing with lunch.

Sign up today at no cost for this Executive Briefing, part of a series of discussion forums put on by my Associate partners at ORC International. These sessions are designed to offer guidance and useful insights into how to use employee engagement research to inform and promote organizational change.

Drawing on recent case studies and contemporary thinking, we will offer a strategic framework and valuable insight on how to initiate change and maximize staff engagement.

The meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to:

• Understand engagement in your workforce
• Learn the processes for effective action planning
• Share best practice with your industry colleagues

The most challenging aspect of employee engagement research is delivering sustainable action. In this session we will use case studies and recent client experiences to isolate the obstacles for taking action, and outline how these challenges can be overcome.

Making Business Personal - People Engagement that Works
Effective people engagement is a hard thing to get right but the benefits are tremendous. Engagement describes a relationship, and like any relationship it takes time and ongoing attention to nurture its development. Making business personal means having a people-positive culture. This interactive discussion will give you some of the practical tools you need to build and sustain engagement. A few topics we'll cover include:

• The key role of people managers when implementing engagement strategies
• New ways of thinking about the emotional component of engagement
• Key components of a "culture of engagement"

If you are going to be in Sydney next week it'd be great to see you there!

Date: Tuesday 26 May 2011
Time: 09h00 - 12h00 followed by luncheon
Cost: complimentary

Fraser Suites
488 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
map

Register for this no-cost event online here or contact Phil Pringle at (03) 9935 5729

Change management - the what and the how

Intranet projects address the whole organization and their holistic focus can offer a unique window into an organization's inner workings. Addressing the organizational issues that can emerge during this process involves both the "what" and the "how" of change management - to implement the intranet project itself and to ensure the organization's long-term success in achieving its strategic objectives. Read on to find out more...

During conversations this morning at Step Two Designs' inaugural Intranets 2011 conference in Sydney some interesting views on change management have emerged that I'd like to share.

The link between intranets and organizational change
A good intranet encompasses the whole of an organization, cutting across departments and functional areas as a tool for internal communication, social interaction and even community-building.

Intranet projects (whether new or renewed) are therefore about much more than "just" the intranet itself. These projects offer a unique window into an organization's inner workings. During intranet projects many organizational issues and internal tensions can swiftly rise to the surface, presenting an opportunity to identify and address key stumbling blocks that impede overall organizational success.

Intranet champions beware! It pays to be aware of these potential added elements and have the means and expertise ready-to-hand to address these issues when they arise. Demonstrating a thorough understanding of the client's context and offering value that goes beyond the intranet itself is a sure way to develop the coveted "trusted advisor" status.

What's more, it reinforces the value of a holistic view and positions the intranet itself as a key tool for change management and organizational success.


Effective change management - the power lies in the "doing"

When it comes to projects (intranet or otherwise), it's worth teasing out the steps involved between the stages of planning/strategy development and actual project implementation.

1. Develop the project plan/strategy (e.g. new intranet, org restructure, product launch, merger, new CEO/leadership team, etc.)
2. Understand what needs doing to make the project plan/strategy happen (change management plan)
3. Identify how to implement of the project plan/strategy (at the level of people's day-to-day behaviours, promoting interactions that get the outcomes needed to ensure project success)

The third bit is really handy. It helps to build change competence in the organization, with people who are able to handle all of the changes involved in this particular project as well as changes in other future contexts. That's value that goes well beyond a single project and makes a meaningful difference in the long term.

Look forward to discussing these and other points during the balance of today and at tonight's social networking event on Sydney Harbour. See you there!

Employee Engagement research - Executive Briefing (next Tue in Melbourne)

Want to learn more about how to use employee engagement research to inform and promote organizational change? Read on to discover how to secure your complimentary seat at this Executive Briefing on Employee Engagement. You'll gain valuable insight on how to create a culture that invites maximum staff engagement and also hear the latest thinking on how to develop and implement a strategic engagement program.

Next week in Melbourne I'll be co-presenting a session entitled Using employee engagement research to drive organizational improvement. It's happening on Tuesday 29 March 2011 from 09h00 to 12h00 finishing with lunch.

Sign up today at no cost for this Executive Briefing, part of a series of discussion forums put on by my Associate partners at ORC International. These sessions are designed to offer guidance and useful insights into how to use employee engagement research to inform and promote organizational change.

Drawing on recent case studies and contemporary thinking, we will offer a strategic framework and valuable insight on how to initiate change and maximize staff engagement.

The meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to:

• Understand engagement in your workforce
• Learn the processes for effective action planning
• Share best practice with your industry colleagues

The most challenging aspect of employee engagement research is delivering sustainable action. In this session we will use case studies and recent client experiences to isolate the obstacles for taking action, and outline how these challenges can be overcome.

Making Business Personal - People Engagement that Works
Effective people engagement is a hard thing to get right but the benefits are tremendous. Engagement describes a relationship, and like any relationship it takes time and ongoing attention to nurture its development. Making business personal means having a people-positive culture. This interactive discussion will give you some of the practical tools you need to build and sustain engagement. A few topics we'll cover include:

• The key role of people managers when implementing engagement strategies
• New ways of thinking about the emotional component of engagement
• Key components of a "culture of engagement"

If you are going to be in Melbourne it'd be great to see you there!


Date: Tuesday 29 March 2011
Time: 09h00 - 12h00 followed by luncheon
Cost: complimentary

RACV City Club 
501 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Register for this no-cost event online here or contact Phil Pringle at (03) 9935 5729

tmc's facebook page: Make Shift Happen (you like...?)

Today I've launched the facebook page for tmc: Make Shift Happen. Check it out and be sure to give it a like to be a part of this young yet growing community. While it's early days, I'm excited about the chance to reach out to more people and develop great new ways to Get people working better together.

And yep, twitter too: @MakeShiftHappen

Though still a work-in-progress, I wanted it live in time for tomorrow's Young Entrepreneurs' UnConvention here in Sydney, to be a part of the discussion already happening on their facebook page now and in the days to come.

Watch this space, look forward to many more conversations to come!

Chair for Communications Conference in Canberra

How do you negotiate today's complex communications landscape, where new merchants of public opinion can spring up overnight and influence the masses? 

Have the basic ingredients that constitute a workable, effective and ethical media strategy changed or do they merely need to be adjusted?


I'm delighted to be Chairing this year's 3rd Annual National Public Sector Communication Officers Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in Canberra.

Issues of the new, the tried and tested, as well as the unexpected will be discussed, explored and debated by experts and peers to help communication professional navigate the changing road ahead. Billed as "the premier event for communication professionals to exchange and acquire knowledge, tools and skills" the focus this year is on the how – as leading practitioners engage their audience in how to apply leading edge strategies and solutions to contemporary problems and challenges.

Look forward to seeing familiar faces and making new friends at this week's event. See you there!

Cole Classic result: coaching offer still on!

Shark's-eye view

Wow I can hardly believe it's been two weeks since I swam the Cole Classic ocean swim. There's so much great stuff going on that time's got away from me!

Tell ya more about that later, for now: I'm happy to say that it's official - I braved the crowds on land and in the water, dodged the jellyfish (sharks?) and completed the 1km in under half an hour. Pretty happy with that result for my first-ever swim! Check out pictures of the event here.

Good show, old chap!

What I'm even happier about is the generosity of more than 20 donors, whose support of my chosen charity the WSPA raised over $1,100. Over half of those donors can now take advantage of the coaching offer.

And - the offer still stands! The fundraising page is still live and if you choose to donate AUD$50.00 or more, tmc will offer you a complimentary 1-hour coaching session. No further obligation is required - just make a donation and we'll book you a coaching session (live or by telephone) at your convenience. That's it!

Thanks to all the donors so far and I hope anyone who wanted to donate before the event will take advantage of this chance!