Are you bouncing your ball off someone else’s wall? 

We all know how hectic things can be, working hard to do what’s “right” for our business and personal life, but are we really putting time and energy in the “right” areas?   

Whilst we may recognise that the most valuable and complex piece of kit in our business (us) needs attention, are we really looking after this asset? 

Investing time to reflect on the fundamentals is an essential habit and one, which, from time to time we need help with! 

A couple of sessions with Vicky Coombes  www.coachyourfeelings.co.uk  provided the perfect blend of challenge and support, I came away focused and raring to go and I can't recommend her highly enough!

So I say again, are you bouncing your ball off someone else’s wall?

Silka

ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership

We're really busy rolling out our Level 2, 3 and 5 leadership programmes at the moment and have another small Level 5 group that wants to start around the end of April in Bolton. 

The ILM Level 5 qualifications in Leadership are specially designed for middle managers looking to increase their leadership knowledge and skills so please share this with anyone you know that may be interested in joining us!

This prestigious qualification is delivered by Pulse Training and Development through a series of workshops and reflective reviews.

The theory is delivered very creatively and there are lots of practical exercises as well as opportunities to discuss and reflect to embed the learning. Clear themes for each session link together the underlying principle of how to become more effective leaders via the art of communication.

We explore topics such as:

• The Leadership style repertoire
• Leadership v Management
• Communication and Emotional intelligence
• Understanding how you learn
• How you view the world and the impact of this on your team.
• Team building and how to get the best results from others.
• Style of management techniques and individual learning/responses
• Change  - impact on people and how they adjust in different ways
• Dealing with team conflict
• Understanding how to motivate your team and get the best from them.

Previous delegates told us about some of the impact its had on them...

“It’s helped me reflect on my leadership skills and as a result I feel much more confident in my role – I know that my responses are what will get the best results. I listen and respond effectively.”

“I’ve become a more effective leader and am working on the areas which will help me improve.”

“I’m now recognising my own and my team members style and how this impacts on them; I’m adapting to gain cooperation from them rather than resistance.”

“I’ve been able to reflect on how I interact not just with staff but with managerial hierarchy to more effectively achieve our objectives.”

And about the learning approach from Pulse...

“The listening and learning, sharing experiences and practice with the other delegates has all been immensely helpful.”

“A good pace and brilliant delivery style - Informative yet relaxed delivery.”

“The training techniques were really good, the training was brought to life in a way which was accessible and informative and fun.”

“I am inspired to learn more now and would like to go on to complete the level 7 if possible. A great course!, everyone was made to feel included.”

“It feels like the foundation for further learning has been set. I’ve already recommended it to others.”

To enquire about places and funding  please telephone me, Judy Hardman on 07740 432986 

or email us at

 info@pulsetraininganddevelopment.co.uk

Blowing Our Own Trumpets... (well why not!)

We had a great group of people from schools last week on the Wirral for a session on Performance Management.

We welcomed Heads, teachers and support staff who have the responsibility of carrying out quality performance reviews for their people and all of whom felt it would be good to have a refresher on both process and skills before they got started.

Della has vast experience of delivering this topic and I just wanted to share some of the lovely feedback she had after the session.

"Really interesting and interactive with clear, concise content."

"An excellent workshop appropriate for beginners to experienced reviewers."

"Very engaging and relevant... and thank you for the offer of support!"

"Really enjoyable with great opportunities for discussion."

"Informative and practical with a good balance of partication."

"Superb explanation of the structure and preparation needed for the review... I think I will now enjoy the experience more."

 Performance Reviews when done well can be hugely supportive for the individual and extremely beneficial for the organisation as its an opportunity to reflect, refresh and review and ensure that your people are on track and supported to meet their and your objectives.

This workshop can be customised for any sector and you'll find that the return on investment a half day workshop for your managers on this subject will be substantial.

Please email or telephone us if you're interested in booking an in-house session.

This article came from Knowledge of Today and we thought it thought provoking so decided to share with you...

 “A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.

The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”