I have a confession.  I really shot myself in the foot when I wrote a self development book for the British market; because let’s be honest, the majority of the UK population (unlike our American cousins) don’t ‘do’ self development.

That’s why we invented boxing, rugby and Millwall on a Saturday afternoon.

The British have their own version of self development which we call ‘the stiff upper lip’, the Charge of the Light Brigade, Polar Explorers and heroes courageously changing the world with one hand tied behind their back, and still home for tea at 5.00 o’clock; and all without breaking into a sweat! 

The stiff upper lip has been in our blood for centuries – but the big flaw in this strategy in this – it creates problems somewhere else, later on.

Take Queen Elizabeth I for example.  She led a nation, devoted herself to reform, had the mind of a political genius, and saw off The Spanish Armada. Even when hearing that her former lover and life long friend Rober Dudley – Earl of Leicester  had suddenly died – she sank to the stone floor of her bed chamber and lay there alone for three days and wept, and ate or drank nothing.

The average Brit doesn’t need any ‘help’ thanks.  Perhaps its centuries of invations, plagues and wars.

Even Brits abroad don’t really enjoy themselves – instead what do they do?  They end up having a punch up and get thrown into prison.  OK OK, not necessarily your Auty Sylvia, but I think you know what I mean.

So, why did I write a book for a nation that isn’t into navel gazing or introspection?  Talking to a ‘professional’ about your problems is something that we Brits don’t even tell the family cat about, and definitely not your best mates.

Whereas over the pond – nearly everyone has their own Coach, Psychotherapist, or Psychiatrist. 

Over here instead we do 20 pints of lager and a packet of crisps or ‘Retail therapy’.  But underneath the calm British cool; somewhere underneath the manic over achieving workaholic is something called ‘feelings’.

We’ve spent eons running away from our feelings and pretending everything’s absolutely okay in a kind of Monty Python comic way.

But eventually for some people their strategy for coping by NOT letting their feelings show will eventually become an even bigger problem.

The retail therapy leads to debt, the binge drinking leads to liver failure or obesity and the denial of what was once a young man’s dream soon turns into a life of meaningless compromise and a stomach ulcer.

So, I couldn’t write a book telling everyone to just be positive, when a millenia of conditioning has taught the British to be ready for the invasion, death, pestillence and the Blitz!  Being sensitive, tender and caring just isn’t the way its done.  It’s just not cricket is it Carstairs!?

So, I’ve gone via the back door and told three stories of  characters who aren’t having a great time, don’t wake up ready to hit the gym after they’ve drank a pint of pulped seaweed whilst reading that book about goal setting.

The average brit wants reality before they can get to believe that something good’s coming.  Which is precisely what my book is all about.

So, if you’re a Brit reading this and don’t do ‘Self Improvement’ and think its for softies.  Listen up - the people it’s written for aren’t soft.

They’re striving with everything they have – but have hit a brick wall whilst getting there.  That brick wall was created because of their own behaviour, programming and beliefs.  Sooner or later many of us face this challenge.  

However the characters in my book have decided to let their guard down just far enough to let some ideas through, which could in the end be the perfect antidote to their challenges; And in so doing end the pain, save them time, precious energy (and the occasional relationship) along the way and GET CONSCIOUS about what they’re doing – it might just be worth a look.

“Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road” might sound like it’s a book for children - when actually it contains some real sensible, practical and inspirational stuff - and it’s one of the easiest and most straightforward books you will ever read.

Follow the link here to read a sample chapter…

When the CEO decided to allow the male employees of the company I worked for to participate in the annual girl’s Rounder’s tournament (because secretly he wanted to win) – this news was greeted very enthusiastically by the boys, who all rushed to join in.  The opportunity to show off, impress and compete was an chance not to pass up. 

As the captain I put together a team to enter the tournament; and eventually the talk in the pub at lunchtime turned to who had the best hand-eye coordination (i.e. could anyone ACTUALLY hit the ball?).

One chap confidently and  proudly informed us that at school he was a marvel and had no problems in despatching the ball into the next county, and was up for the challenge!

So we met up for our first practise session and our champion batsman stepped forth and prepared to bat, with me standing behind him as backstop.  Now, for that particular season we were fortunate that our bowler played at county level, and trained me to stand really close to the batsman so that if he or she missed the ball,  it would literally land straight into my hands.  However, she bowled so fast I had to wear padded gloves to cushion the impact. 

Our gallant Champion batsman stepped forth to prepare…and that was when I made a really big mistake.  I was so carried away by his past tales of glory that I forgot what my job was.  I forgot that the ball would be hurtling towards me at 90 mph, after it left the hands of our demon bowler.  Instead I was focussing on the bat.

The Demon bowler bowled – Batsman missed…and

Because I was looking at the BAT and NOT the BALL - the ball smacked me in the face full pelt.  I fell to the ground, saw stars and was convinced I’d gone blind, feeling really stupid and actually rather annoyed with him for not delivering the goods!

Who here can put their hand on their heart and honestly say that at some point whilst running their business they’ve never been approached by a wise man bearing gifts and been lured away from their core purpose?

 And did you discover months later that had you applied more effort and focus on what you were already doing, you’d have achieved far more instead of being distracted or seduced by something sparkly and new?

And did you feel angry at them for letting you down, and furious with yourself for taking your eye off the ball in the first place?

And did the reality of that hit you smack in the face with the realisation that you’d just wasted 6 months on a fruitless exercise?  What’s your experience and what did you do? 

Were you distracted by some inducement or get rich scheme which in fact wasn’t any better than what you were doing already? 

Relax, it’s happened to everyone.  And most of us are sadder and wiser after the event.

Here’s a top tip for next time you are faced with temptation to abandon what you’re doing in favour of something else.  Remember if you take on too much you are in danger of straying into Arthur Daley territory, galloping after the latest fad, whilst neglecting the one thing that you’d already invested a lot of time and energy in - and upon which is built your reputation.  Being a jack of all trades waters down your credibility and then others get confused about what you actually represent.  Your presence and power is diminished; because others will question what you STAND for.

If you’re in two minds about an enticing new opportunity - run the idea past your CORE PURPOSE first and ask yourself – is it the END RESULT that you’re chasing?  Does it fit with what you’re  already doing? Have you considered whether the vehicle you’ve chosen to move towards your objectives is the right one or if you’ll even enjoy the journey (and the view).

Your success is as a direct result of the choices you make – so take responsibility for the choice.  Sometimes there is merit in staying on target before you lose interest or momentum with what you are already doing; because you never know – the fire you’ve been nurturing and tending so patiently and diligently could eventually catch light…

Some people volunteer to be made redundant.  Some people can’t wait to be out the door (one of my friends did that and never regretted it).  However, for the vast majority redundancy is something that you sit and wait for with trepidation.  You know that the firing squad is out there waiting for you, you have no control over it and when the day arrives, the long walk down the office is like walking to the gallows.

I know, because when I got made redundant I was the only person out of 100 staff to get the chop.  I clearly remember sitting in my car for over an hour afterwards sobbing. And I ruined my favourite blue shirt with mascara stained tears and had to throw it away.

I’ve been hearing conflicting opinions about the experiences people have been having since they were made redundant.  The majority of it is quite negative, with many stating that they haven’t really been given the right support, not being told about the resources available to them.  News stories and radio programmes tell the same stories of feelings of failure, isolation and humiliation at the hands of the agencies set up to help them. 

So what is REALLY going on?  Do you know someone who’s been made redundant and who currently isn’t really receiving the kind of support and advice that could help them turn the corner?

I’d love to hear from you or them. 

Please share your stories and tell us!!!   Please forward this blog post to them and ask them to complete the following survey and help me get a clearer picture.

 Click Here to take survey

 Sincere regards

Wendy Dashwood-Quick

Executive Coach, Resolution Coaching

This Week’s Podcast:  3 Keys To Persistence From Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid

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 Or Are You Being Driven By Your Needs…?

I don’t care what anyone says, you may have qualifications coming out of your ears, you may have 20 years’ career experience behind you and an IQ of 160, but the fact remains that if you have unmet needs in your life these ould impede your progress, even without you realising it. These might be completely subconscious drivers, simmering away beneath the surface. This  will manifest in any number of ways. 

For instance, have you ever had conversation with someone who was really excited about something and were keen to share this with you.  But instead of feeling elated and pleased for them, you ended up resenting them?  Their good day was a trigger for you to have a bad one.  And then your day spiralled out of control as you grumpily drove to your next meeting, gesticulating at the driver who ‘cut you up’ at the traffic lights shouting crazily at them, “yeah, same to you – you **** Moron!!”

Unmet needs could include a need for security, love, friendship, power or control for instance.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not necessary just talking in the negative here. A need might include a strong or adventurous creative streak, or a uuge interest in interacting and entertaining people, but your career might not provide any outlets for your this, leaving you feeling unfulfilled and bored.

Maybe you have a very precise and ordered mind, but the environment you work in doesn’t require those skills. You may be an absolute natural at attracting and engaging with your customers, but instead you’re stuck in the back office working on strategic planning and feel like a canary in a cage with it’s wings clipped. If there is no outlet for your inherent talents you may have to comply and adapt in order to fit in. But that’s like keeping the lid on a pressure cooker.

I fell into this trap many times, trying REALLY hard to get things right, when I should have said to myself “look Wendy, stop and think. Is this where your talents are best spent?” I’d grown tired of working for someone who’s keen eye for detail was driving me insane. And the harder I tried to be absolutely perfect the worse it got.  Being a people pleaser got me absolutely nowhere.

What I didn’t know was that actually had I been a little more self-aware and made the conscious choice to apply my natural gifts and transition into something else, I would have found myself effortlessly moving into ‘the zone’. I would have been less stressed and lacking in confidence, because once I’d identified something wasn’t quite I could then proactively take action . Which is why our emotions have a very important role to play here.

Sometimes we may experience negative feelings and assume that these must be suppressed at all costs because we fear failure or being exposed as falling short in some areas. Consequently our deepest needs stay buried for years, and our true potential never sees the light of day.

But what if you were to stop for a minute and acknowledge an uncomfortable feeling as a sign or a warning flag
that’s madly waving at you which says: “hello, pay attention, we’re trying to tell you something – you need to take some action here”.

Interestingly if you were unable to feel any emotion this would seriously impact on your ability to make decisions, which is why emotions are crucial guides in our decision-making process.

At this point, if you are a man reading this, the subject of emotions and feelings might possibly be enough to bring you out in a rash or make you run for the hills. That’s absolutely fine and I want to reassure you that this blog isn’t about getting in touch with your ‘feminine side’ or encouraging you to sit around in a circle singing sad songs with a tambourine.

However, the word ‘emotion’ doesn’t necessarily equate with weakness or failure.

Emotions are warning lights for us to act upon. Feelings of slight unease could deteriorate into bigger and more profound emotions when these flags are ignored or dismissed altogether. But living with feelings of regret and guilt for instance, have so little energy attached to them they achieve precisely nothing. So, if you bring your needs to work either because you aren’t working to your strengths or haven’t acknowledged that there’s something amiss, then you might engineer situations in order to satisfy them and get a quick fix instead, which is a short term strategy. If your career doesn’t provide you with an outlet for your natural talents and skills your progress up the ladder may be slow, especially if you either a) don’t recognise there is a problem or b) aren’t prepared to reflect on this or change direction to look for something more rewarding (because presumably you’re too busy being grumpy). The energy will have stalled and you won’t be in the flow.

A need may become a blind spot that you don’t even realise you have, although to other people it probably stands out a mile. This blind spot may manifest in any number of ways, to your detriment. For example, if you insist on your colleagues conforming to your methods (because your method works for you but not for them) others may resist you, argue with you, contradict you and then eventually fall out with you completely. For
instance, if you’re a big picture person but your superior is a lover of fine detail and they spent more time than is absolutely necessary pointing out the minor flaws in your plans, this may grate a little, leading to some frank
exchanges and major differences of opinion. And who’dbe right here? Is anyone ever absolutely right?

We can be quite territorial when it comes to our needs and go to extreme lengths to preserve our ‘patch’ and may expect other people to conform or tow the line to preserve the status quo.

Listen and pay attention to the signals you are receiving through your feelings and think about how you are currently dealing with them. Sometimes we deal with our needs in odd and not very logical ways. This is your subconscious mind, like a little kid brother or sister, desperately trying to make things right for you but without the benefit of experience or balanced rational thought.

More strategies like this can be found in my new book “Discover Yourself On The Yellow Brick Road – 7 Core Principles of Career Success”

 Advice For Workaholic Adrenaline Junkies…

If your workload or career is pushing your stress levels through the roof, then what follows is a simple guide to how your brain works. I know because, being a borderline adrenaline junkie, I’ve had to learn some of
these strategies myself to stay balanced. Believe me,  beating stress is more about being a big kid…here’s why.

Do you remember when you were a child and the summer holidays seemed to last forever? You invented games to play from the most innocuous and mundane objects, which became holy shrines or magic keys. Drinks turned
you into a superhero. Up until the age of 10, that is.
That’s because before the age of 10, children primarily use the right hemisphere of their brain – the creative side. The creative right side of the brain produces Alpha waves, and when you meditate, your brain produces more Alpha waves. In Alpha we naturally have a better command of life, our health and our moods. We are able to think more clearly, can consider responses and perhaps make more creative decisions, with better longterm results. Alpha thought waves help us to access that part of the brain responsible for more enlightened, sophisticated thinking.

John Levine composes Alpha Music to help people relax and is used by Complementary Therapists to help their clients easily produce Alpha waves and therefore enter a deep state of relaxation very quickly. I was introduced to this music by a therapist friend, and regularly listen to
this when I am brainstorming, writing when relaxing or meditating. It’s extraordinarily serene. According to Levine research shows that when we’re in Alpha through to Theta (as we prepare to go to sleep), the brain also produces a number of chemical hormones which affect our mood, productivity and general health. Delta waves then take over as we fall into slow wave (deep sleep). However, after the age of 10 different brain waves take over – Beta waves. Beta waves vibrate at a higher frequency and are linked with the left logical side of the brain. Coincidentally this is when children move on to secondary school, where everything gets really ‘serious’. Gone are the lazy days spent fishing for newts and making mud pies (by the way if you didn’t made mud pies when you were a kid – you haven’t lived!). Now it’s all homework, course modules, mock exams, routines and remembering loads of facts – fun, eh? Leaving  precious little time for imaginative thinking, talking or creative pastimes, which could lead to stress.

Levine also discovered that although Beta waves are important, if this is the dominant thought wave, we remain hyped-up and stressed. So being in this state is not good long term. We are less likely to make rational choices and our responses are more primitive as higher thinking begins to shut down. However, some people appear to be born with a gift for increased Alpha wave production. Scientists have established that creative people operate in Alpha and Theta states far more frequently than the rest of us.

Eventually we leave school to start a career, with the accompanying train timetables, spreadsheets, passwords e-mails and compliance, etc. All logical left brain stuff and yet more Beta brain activity. In fact bringing your creative streak out in a work environment (in some organisations) is positively frowned upon and discouraged. Until, that is, you wake
up one morning and wonder why you haven’t a single scrap of innovation left in you. You can’t switch off because you’re so stressed-out having to reach all your ‘targets’. As Daniel Goleman in his book “Emotional
Intelligence” puts it “Stress Makes You Stupid”. With all that Beta brain activity going on, there’s just no inspiration or fun in your life any more. Using ‘Beta’ thought waves too often is like driving your car everywhere in first gear. Being grown up and serious has  actually become really stressful. All the routine, discipline and targets haven’t actually made you anymore effective or indeed any happier. Need I say more?

This is where you may become even less effective, shut off from the ‘source’ – the source being the pipeline leading directly to all new ideas and innovation: your creative right brain. Although it is important to point out that you need a good balance between the left and right sides.

“Experiments show that most children rank highly creative (right brain) before entering school. Because our educational systems place a higher value on left brain skills such as mathematics, logic and language than it does on drawing or using our imagination, only ten percent of these same children will rank highly creative by age 7. By the time we are adults,
high creativity remains in only 2 percent of the population.”
Dan Eden, Editor, Viewzone.com

Early signs of stress include being a bit tetchy, food cravings, mood swings, feeling extremely tired or hypedup leading to sleep problems caused by too much Beta brainwave activity and stress hormones racing around your bloodstream.

Long-term stress will have disastrous consequences for your health. As you get older, your body will find it harder and harder to cope and could be the reason why some people are struck down with chronic conditions
such as arthritis, chronic fatigue, IBS, High Pressure, and raised levels of cholesterol. The short-term solution is treatment with conventional drugs, when in fact the long term and ultimately the best solution is to
give your lifestyle a complete overhaul.

Not paying attention to your stress levels and lifestyle, affects your body, your energy levels, and your resistance to stress. Ultimately, your ability to rationalise and memorise, and your performance at work will suffer.

“Neckwear Characterisation and Management Theory in Practice”

What Business Schools Should Be Teaching About People Management in 2010

By Dr Malcolm Braithwaite, Principal Consultant
                                                    Resonato – Reputation Matters
                                                    www.resonato.co.uk

By observing the behaviour characteristics of business managers over a period of some 35 years of a career in the Chemicals Industry and by associating their ‘management style’ with their choice of neck attire, I have developed a technique to be applied to the management of people across the workforce, which I fully expect to see taken up by the Business Schools for their MBA students. We will call it “Neckwear Characterisation and Management Theory in Practice” or “NCMTP” for short. The term ‘neckwear’ is chosen because the technique applies to both male and female neck attire.

Two seminal experiences triggered my interest in the power of neckwear. The first was when I attended an interview with a representative from Kodak in the 1968 University “Milk Round” programme. I became totally distracted by the guy’s plain red tie and luminous green socks. The clash appalled me, gave me a totally false impression of Kodak as a company, materially altered the direction of my career and made me vow at the tender age of 20 years old that I would always take particular care in my choice of neckwear and matching socks!  Kodak’s reputation was ruined forever in my mind!

The second was on the night that I first met my wife in September 1970.  We are still married today.  I heard a radio programme, earlier on that day, suggesting that women were attracted by neckties with flowers depicted on them (it was the ‘Hippy’ era after all) and that they wanted to ’mother’ men whose neckties were partially undone and ‘look after’ them. So I chose my tie carefully for that night’s student dance – a floral number, hand made for me by a former girlfriend, and wore it loose!  Sure enough, she saw me as I prowled around the edges of the dance floor, accepted my invitation to dance, and promptly tightened my tie when only a few moments into our first encounter. It worked well, again persuading me of the power of neck attire!

A more recent experience recited by a male business contact illustrates that the neck tie can transmit impressions, not always as intended, to those who read or attempt to read the messages.  At a conference that he was attending wearing his ‘colours-of-the-rainbow’ striped neck tie, he was approached by an attractive young female asking whether she could join with him when it came time to sit down.  Wondering why this much younger lady had selected him as a companion, he politely agreed but was still puzzled.  At the end of the session, the young lady thanked him and said that she felt much more comfortable sitting with someone of similar sexual orientation proudly wearing the rainbow colours of the Gay Pride movement.  He replied that he would mention this to his wife before she next bought him another tie for his birthday present!

This brings up an interesting fact that most men have ties bought for them by their wives, girlfriends or daughters

These ladies buy the tie thinking that it will suit, probably not overtly considering that it is more the personality of the man they are matching than the colour combination with the type of clothes he wears.  Female intuition at work!  It is usually the choice of the man himself as he comes to select the tie from his collection that he is going to wear for any particular occasion.  Hence there are two factors which make the tie a useful indicator of character – female intuition and the mood of the man as he selects his tie for the day.  These factors alone make the neck tie a pretty useful tool in defining the personality and psychometric profile of the wearer.  But surely, you say, this doesn’t seem to be a very scientific approach to personality assessment when there are many, much more sophisticated and expensive methodologies developed over many years being offered by expensive consultants.  Oh, yes indeed!

During my career, as I scaled the levels of responsibility, I was exposed to various psychometric testing methods, team building exercises, management consultant scrutiny, and training courses on man management and negotiating skills, amongst others.  As a result of my Kodak experience, I always noted the necktie/socks combinations of my mentors, adversaries, inquisitors, bosses, and, at Senior Management level, my Board colleagues, particularly the Chairman. Back in 2006, I joined the Board of a company as a non-executive Director and quickly became a confidant and mentor to the Managing Director.  I am now, as I write, Non-Executive Chairman of that same Board.  The MD confessed to a perceived problem that he had at Board meetings in ‘reading’ the state of mind of the Directors and the angle from which they would question him during the meetings.  This affected the way in which he responded, not always with confidence and not recognising when he had real support or genuine opposition.  He asked me to mentor him on this particular problem.  I observed the behaviour of the Board members throughout a couple of meetings and during one-to-one discussions, and attempted to assess their psychometric profiles without doing the tests.

Remembering my semi-obsession with neck attire, I also applied an analytical approach to their neck attire and the personality profile that I had deduced.  The correlation was amazingly accurate, in my view. 

I discussed this, in mentoring style, with the MD and we came up with an empirical approach to neckwear assessment and behavioural prediction.  It also made the MD question his choice and be more careful in the selection of his own neck tie.  Probably more effective was the fact that, in taking a few moments to assess the neckwear of others around the Boardroom, table, the MD gave himself that little extra thinking time and stopped him opening his mouth too soon and putting his foot in it!

Psycometric Profiles/Personality Types and their neckwear

So what are we saying about people and their choice of neck attire? It is vital to understand the motivations and natural inclinations of people you work with and deal with in all aspects of life. Companies spend great amounts of money in ‘testing’ their employees in attempts to classify them, understand them, and ultimately control them. Specialised consultants make a fortune from providing such services to corporations. Wouldn’t it be so much simpler and more cost effective to appreciate what drives an individual to choose what he or she puts around the neck in the morning before setting off for work, or in the evening before social encounters?

There are some very interesting and complex (and expensive) methodologies for assessing personality types.  My particular favourite is:

Life Orientaions – Lifo®. This methodology identifies four orientations or characteristics in individuals:

·        The supporting/giving-in orientation

·        The controlling/taking-over orientation,

·        The conserving/holding-on orientation, and

·        The adapting/dealing-away orientation.

Most people are a mixture of all of these orientations but with one being dominant.  The typical behaviour associated with each orientation is well summarised by its name and this is all that has to be remembered when assigning neckwear types.  Remembering the approach that each orientation gives easily enables one to read where that particular individual is coming from and how to relate and respond.  Going into too much detail on these orientations is superfluous when matching neckwear with orientation because the simple descriptor is enough to give the average manager the impression that he or she needs to be able to deal with the person on a routine basis.  It is beyond the scope of this paper to go into the behaviour characteristics of each orientation but most useful to the conscientious manager to read the background.

 [See: http://www.lifo.co.uk/personal_style.htm]

Another, and probably the most widely used tool to assess personality characteristics is the DISC methodology, developed by John Geier and others and based on the 1928 work of psychologist William Moulton Marston and the original behaviouralist Walter. V. Clarke.  DISC also identifies four particular behavioural characteristics – Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.  Dominance ’D’ relates to control, power and assertiveness and is analogous with controlling/taking-over in Lifo®.  Similarly, Influence ‘I’ which relates to social situations and communication is analogous with supporting/giving-in;  Steadiness ‘S’ relates to patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness and is analogous to adapting/dealing-away; and finally Conscientiousness ‘C’ (or caution and compliance) relates to adhering to rules, regulations, and structure. ‘C’ types of people are, in fact, conserving/holding-on types.

Another very popular psychometric test method used is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment that is designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.  Again the outcome essentially distils down to four basic characteristics further evaluated as opposite pairs, or “dichotomies,” with a resulting 16 possible psychological types.  These “dichotomies” are dealt with under three headings: Attitudes-extraversion or introversion; Functions –sensing intuition, thinking, feeling; and Lifestyle – judgment and perception.  Fuller analysis would overcomplicate this discussion but suffice it to say parallels can be drawn between the characteristics determined by the other methodologies described.

My own experiences in observing behaviour in the corporate business environment lead to a much simpler but very useful classification of types.  I have observed personally that there are actually only three meaningful classifications for people in company make-ups. These were also identified and named by Patricia Pitcher as “Artists, Craftsmen, and Technocrats”. In her book: “Artists, Craftsmen and Technocrats: The Dreams, Realities and Illusions of Leadership”

The “Artists” are the entrepreneurs, the off-the-wall thinkers, the visionaries, etc.  They are ’ideas’ people who generally are not good at attention to detail and repetitive tasks that require patience. They want to move on to the next idea before the current one has been thought through and a decision made. They are not necessarily good at making decisions themselves and not good at working to plan, but they do tend to be inspirational leaders. (Maybe Lifo’s controlling/taking-on types and DISC ‘D’s?)

The “Craftsmen” are the “doers” in the organisation – the hewers of stone and carriers of water who enable the dreams of the artists through application of their skills. They take pride in their work, have less sense of time and urgency, follow directions willingly and are generally less imaginative in their approach than the “Artists”. (Maybe Lifo’s supporting/giving-in AND adapting/dealing-away types and DISC’s ‘I’ and ‘S’s?)

The “Technocrats” are the organisers and analysers.  They apply ‘techniques’ to organising their fellow workers, plan to the ‘n’ th degree, analyse to the last detail, write reports and absolve themselves of blame in a crisis. They tend generally to be ‘bean counting’ accountants or have some sort of Business Administration qualification. They think they should be the leaders but usually make a mess of it all when they take the lead because of their inflexibility. (Maybe Lifo’s conserving/holding-on types and DISC’s ‘C’s?)

What is very clear, and a tenet of Pitcher’s book, is that technocrats and artists find it extremely difficult to understand each other and work together in harmony.  It is vital that each recognises the other and understands where each is coming from and wanting to go to when facing each other, particularly across the Boardroom table.

Ties for Types

This brings the discussion nicely back to the point!  How do you recognise the characteristics which influence the behaviour of your colleagues in the workplace and the Boardroom?  What should we look for?

It is my general observation, and the tenet of this discussion, that differing types wear characteristic neck attire.  Male ‘Artists’ wear ‘loud’ ties in bright colours, with abstract patterns, usually with large knots. Female ‘Artists’ wear BIG beads that rattle as the wearer moves, or colourful neck scarves held tight by a gold or jewelled ring, rarely knotted, or indeed wear ‘loud’ ties in bright colours, with abstract patterns, usually with large knots.  Both genders tend to wear coloured shirts, often patterned but rarely plain white.

“Craftsmen” don’t wear ties generally but do like to sport one at important meetings.  It’s their need to appear to be part of the team.  They tend to wear ‘quiet’ ties in pale, mono colours or with tiny animal motifs, modest necklaces (women and men), and wear plain coloured, check, or pale striped shirts.  They don’t really want to be in a meeting where decisions are taken and hope therefore to merge into the background and let others lead.  At meetings they will tend not to ’risk’ polo or t-shirts that they prefer to wear at their own work stations because that would make them feel ‘different’.

“Technocrats”, on the other hand, must use their neckwear to demonstrate their authority over all around them.  Men wear the ‘company tie’ if one exists, or bright but contrasting, diagonally stripped ties, and occasionally a thick gold chain from which an expensive gold medallion hangs.  They ‘boast’ with their ‘old school tie’. Female “Technocrats” prefer strong gold necklaces or narrow-folded neck scarves, usually with stripes, held tight in place with a small, tight knot. Both genders tend to wear a crisp white shirt which makes the neckwear even more emphasised.  They ooze confidence because they “dress to kill” with overpowering intent.

At the height of the recent financial turmoil a.k.a “the credit crunch”, both the UK Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer wore plain purple ties.  The leader of the Liberal Democrats also sported a plain purple tie in the same period.  Apparently ‘purple’ was the colour of Imperial Rome. It’s also a mixture of red and blue. Red = male = fire. Blue = female = water.  Most Labour Party politicians tend to wear a plain, red tie.  The leader of the Conservative Party used always to wear a light blue tie, but is increasingly seen with an open neck formal shirt in TV appearances!  Interestingly, very recently he has also taken to wearing a plain purple tie in more formal surroundings!  So who do we trust?

The Daily Telegraph has its views, in reporting:

“David Cameron should hold fast to his neckwear

News that the most iconic item of male dress, the necktie, is in danger of falling out of fashion in America is a grim intimation of the decline of yet another civilisation. The tie is a weathervane of the health of a society; if you doubt that – look at Iran. The tie is the emblem of western civilisation, said to be descended from the focalia worn by Roman orators to protect their vocal chords.

“A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life,” declared Oscar Wilde. He was right and the rules of neckwear are rigid. Vulgar innovators may have experimented with a variety of expanding and contracting versions, from kipper to boot-lace, but the classic width remains three and a quarter inches at base, the patterns restricted to small white polka dots on a blue or wine background, Paisley whorls, lozenge shapes, or self-coloured. Silk is the only approved fabric.”

This article gave rise to a regular series of letters to The Telegraph since its publication in mid 2008. 

A series of letters to The Times in February 2009 further added to the debate after a report that the Garrick Club in London had reversed its policy on gentlemen being allowed not to wear ties at lunch.  One letter argued “Ties DO serve a useful purpose.  They indicate the wearer’s personality or the image of himself he wishes to project but the astute observer can easily spot his inconsistencies. The matching of coloured/patterned shirts and ties is also intriguing.”

And I think that the penultimate sentence encapsulates the essence of this discussion and an important point to which I have yet only alluded.  Indeed, ties do indicate “the wearer’s personality” and this fact can be used to judge the style and mood of the wearer in most situations.  The new element is how the wearer can influence how others perceive him (and it applies to a woman’s neckwear too) depending on the choice of tie – the image he (she) wishes to project.  Be aware of the warning also that “the astute observer can easily spot (his) inconsistencies”.

In Conclusion – NCMPT

So we have a people management system based around neckwear!  There is an intuitive element in assessing the reaction you yourself have towards the neck wear exhibited by the people around you.  Decide how you feel about it.  Correlate that feeling against the personality characteristics identified by psychometric testing, or your own emotional assessment of personality; categorise the wearer in your mind; and deal with him/her accordingly.

Remember also to choose your own neckwear to be consistent with purpose.  What sort of person do you want to appear to be? Eliminate any item of wear that might give away inconsistencies in your own image. In other words, make sure your shirt AND socks match your tie!

Most importantly, remember that by looking at the neckwear of your inquisitor or opponent, and thinking for a moment what this tells you about them, you will have that little bit of extra space to think about the issue before you open your mouth and commit yourself beyond recall, and will also frame your response to be more aligned with the angle of the other person.  NCMPT has proved to be a very useful tool for my MD and he performs much better in Board meetings as a direct result.  It makes my job as Chairman of the Board much easier!

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In this week’s Podcast Suzanne Bolwell-Davies from Flexible Hr Ltd and I are discussing  the real meaning of “The Jewel In the Nile“.    If  a coach ( i.e. a ‘Diamond polisher’) could walk into your life with the skill and the wisdom to guide you in the right direction, would that become a priceless opportunity?

I have put together a list of 50 reasons why coaching can help individuals who are finding their career too stressful, who have aspirations to aim higher but haven’t so far taken action, or who would love to discover just what they are destined to become.  As the character played by Danny Di Vito Discovered in this film, sometimes what you’re looking for isn’t necessarily the end of the story …

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Running a business hasn’t all been plain sailing for Suzanne Bolwell-Davies of Flexible HR Ltd as she discovered recently.   Everything was going really well until she ruptured her achilles tendon whilst playing tennis. She’s now in plaster up to her knee and is in a wheel chair or has to get about with the aid of crutches.  Suzanne can’t drive, she can’t even leave her house!  Plus she has a daughter at school, and a business to run.  Hear how she’s been coping …

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