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Do you recall that phrase, ‘if the cap fits then wear it’?

When I was about 11 years old, my father entered into a crazy business scheme with someone he met on holiday. Now my dad was ordinarily a very astute and intelligent businessman;  However, one year for some reason he forgot all reason when he became distracted and set up a joint venture in Southend and opened a bricks and mortar business - A Fishmongers!   

My father’s principle business was commercial land and property, and he was really good at this. He was an ace negotiator and had an uncanny ability to get people to people to like him and therefore to do business with him. He was magic at it. He would get the most stubborn landowners to hand over their parcel of land to him, where everyone else had failed.

But one thing he wasn’t very good at or didn’t particularly enjoy was working with the general public. He hated it.  He was one of the friendliest people I know, and loved meeting new people and had tons of friends.  But paradoxically he didn’t have the patience for people who weren’t on his wavelength. 

So why he moved in another direction is a mystery.

Not only that but he decided to introduce his 5 daughters into the fish trade as well! Ugh - I can still remember the smell of all that fish and how freezing cold it was! It was a bit of a novelty at first, but that soon wore off when I decided that I’d got frost bite from the bitterly cold wind blowing in from the North Sea.

Eventually the business failed and he lost a lot of money (and a good friendship); and he went back to doing what he did best - negotiate commercial property deals out of nowhere.

Sometimes we meet people along our pathway who mysteriously turn up when we’ve temporarily lost faith in our own ability. Then we leave our path and follow them in search of the Unicorn that they’ve promised us is just over the hill. They may appear to hold the key that will lead us to Nirvana - when in reality if we’d searched within the answer was with us all along. Several hills (and no Unicorn) later -we wake up to the reality that WE are the best judge of everything we do.

Even Alan Sugar had to admit in a recent profile about his life and work, that he took leave of his senses when he decided to buy Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club several years ago. His wife went berzerk when he told her. With hindsight he accepted that he’d made better decisions in his career. So we’ve all been there.

But sometimes - you need someone there to help you to get back on the path. Someone who doesn’t have their own agenda, someone who will let you work it all out and gain clarity, focus and complete understanding. Which is one of the reasons why I went into Coaching.

Think about this for a minute.  What would that be like for you to shut the door pick up the phone, switch off your mobile, tell everyone to go away and spend the next hour talking to your own coach about what’s REALLY on your mind?  And knowing that the person on the other end of the phone isn’t a nagging wife, a self indulgent girlfriend, an anxious mother, your mocking best friend, or your stressed out business partner who’s children have just gone down with measles. 

The most successful people eventually start working with a coach or a mentor.  I’d be lost without mine! 

But what would working with your own coach get for you? 
Click here to find out…

Warmest Regards

Wendy Dashwood-Quick

A mystery Careers Adviser has made another random appearance on the London to Norwich train from Liverpool Street Station.  The woman characterised by her striking red shoes and cheery nature, gave a copy of a ‘magic’ book to one of the commuters. 

Tom Tindall-Heart - Reinsurance Executive who works in London boarded the train home from Platform 18 at Liverpool St Station, after a night out with a few friends.  “I was a little worse for wear after a few drinks and I sat next to a very striking looking girl wearing the most amazing shoes!  I got talking to her about my job and how much I hated it, and ended up more or less telling her my life story.  She was so nice.  My heart just isn’t in my job any more.  I’ve been meaning to sort something out but just coulnd’t see the wood for the trees.  I’ve in a bit of a rut to be honest. 

I don’t quite know where she blew in from but she hopped off the train at Chelmsford - but not before she handed me a copy of a book “Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road” and told me to read it straight away.  I took her advice and it’s definitely galvanised me into action!”

Other reports have come in describing similar brief encounters with the Mystery Careers Adviser.  One such person received help after her boss began to bully her at work.

Louisa Lyons - Graduate Accountant was on the London Underground talking to her sister about her bullying boss.  Louisa explains…”Yes my sister knows The Mystery Careers Adviser who told her about this book.  I was fed up with my boss pouring cold water over my ideas, and had frankly had enough of it.  My boss  ’The Witch’ has been ruining my life, so my sister suggested I get hold of a copy of this book.   My confidence was at an all time low, but I didn’t feel brave enough to stand up to her.  Yes, I know you can’t just wave a magic wand and hope it will all go away, but since ”Discover” I’ve had a bit of a breakthrough.    The Mystery Careers Adviser carries a little black dog around with her in a basket and is a real people person apparently”

Another sighting we’ve received came from Dan “Scarecrow” Burnside who lives somewhere in the South East.  He heard about her through his Doctor.

Dan - Successful Entrepreneur, visited his GP suffering with chronic stress.  “The penny dropped when my Doctor said I had to come off all the pills he’d prescribed to me.  All he did was hand me a copy of a book - which had mysteriously found it’s way into his hands.  I can only think that the Mystery Careers Adviser had something to do with it.  It was hard to admit that I have been the engineer of my own downfall.  Being so stressed, I just wasn’t thinking straight.  And  frankly it had knocked the stuffing out of me. But after reading the book and putting into action some of the strategies, I’m back on track and on fire!”

So, be on the look out for the Mystery Careers Adviser.  She’s in her twenties, attractive with dark hair and wears red sparkly shoes.  We don’t know what her name is.  She’s been known to engage in random acts of kindness by giving away a book which contains all her secrets.  We think there’s a bigger organisation behind her.

Further information on the ‘magic’ book can be found here…

Or how not to handle your staff during a crisis

Before my car was stolen one freezing January afternoon, I had quite a lot of respect for one boss I used to work for.  I thought he was a fair minded, well balanced decent bloke.  But I was wrong.

The theft of my car meant that I had to get a lift home, I was extremely upset and of course I had no transport or means of getting to work.

The journey to work the next day took two train journeys plus it was the middle of winter, and minus 3 degrees.  Now for reasons known only to my boss, he chose to wait in his office for my arrival the next morning.

He confronted me in his office and asked me why I was late, and when I gave my reasons he read me the riot act and announced -  “I don’t care what’s going on in your personal life!  Your job is to get here for 8.30 in the morning.  Get yourself another car!” 

Of course I handled it beautifully – I completely lost it and accused him of being totally insensitive and thoughtless.  Then he marched me into my office  and told me to calm down while he went and called the HR Manager to convene a hastily arranged formal “warning”, saying that I was behaving like a ‘fish wife’ by ranting on at him.  Then he locked the door and didn’t come back for an hour!  A rather medieval approach to man management I thought.

I was baffled.  My boss was clearly off his rocker, but little did I realise that this was the beginning of a long campaign to bully me out of my job.  It would be a long and very tense 12 months as he pulled every trick out of the book to ‘engineer’ a reason to get me fired.  It was scarey.

With hindsight of course I have my own views on that, which I won’t share here, suffice it to say that I am surprised he’s still walking around.  And I definitely should have taken legal advice. 

But  my point here is that handling staff could for some managers be unchartered territory.  And in some situations you may find that any demonstration of emotion may be a bit scary and like a rebellion, must be crushed to a pulp immediately; because in some institutions emotion has no part to play in corporate life, as it’s seen as weakness and a threat to the status quo.

But the truth is, we are all human and sometimes “shit happens”.  But how do you handle someone who’s probably not operating at 100% because of one or two things going on in their life,  which could temporarily affect their performance or their attitude? 

Do you right them off and get rid of them asap?  What if you used another approach like coaching them?  Granted they might leave of their own accord because they are clearly in the wrong role; or  you could work on their training, performance and self development and thus turn them into a bit of a star.  The complete win/win.

Of course this may never happen to you, and your staff may never cause you any problems, but just in case they do here are a few guidelines:-

1. If a crisis has loomed in their life, first ask questions and get the facts about the situation
2. Be supportive and don’t make assumptions or judge them prematurely
3. Work at finding a solution by using proper protocols and staff grievance procedures
4. Be careful how you handle potentially sensitive or volatile situations, because  if things take a turn for the worse and your member of staff walks out – this could back fire badly on you later.  I was systematically bullied out of my job and received zero support from the management team.  I should have taken legal advice but chose not to.  If you are not following employment law guidelines or at the very least have taken some advice on HR/Health and Safety policies and procedures you could land in hot water.
5. Treat people with respect.  Handling staff can be really tough, but accept that people do make mistakes or go off the rails occasionally.  Think “the problem is the problem, not the person”
6. Think about providing some coaching or mentoring - so rather than trying to fix a ‘problem’ person - look at ways to enhance their performance and turn them into an asset rather than a liability
7. If a member of staff is experiencing temporary personal difficulties – (i.e. having their car stolen by a maverick ex-partner for instance) just let them go home and get themselves sorted out. 
8.  Trust that they will be thankful for your faith and belief in them and return the favour with loyalty and commitment

Now, unfortunately my boss  lost a golden opportunity to do the decent thing for another human being. 

Which is basically why I went into the coaching business.  At the end of the day performance and bad management is all down to the same thing – behaviour and how you handle the situation.  Think in every interaction with someone else you are always 51% responsible.  It’s a two way street.

I’m knee deep in creating a special report “The Accidental Entrepreneur -  200 things I wish I’d known when I started my business” which contains the results of a short survey of entrepreneurs and the challenges they have face when starting their businesses – which includes handling staff. 

Hear what they have to say when this is published next month.

Warmest regards

Wendy Dashwood-Quick

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…

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

The Answer Could Be Staring You In The Face Every Morning…

There was a time when I used to wonder how to bring people around to my way of thinking more quickly? I’d sit there desperate to point out my astute and incredibly incisive observations which everyone else had completely overlooked. This would happen time and time again. I’d sit there thinking, “I have a solution, but nobody’s paying attention to me!” But I could never quite articulate my thoughts in a way that made any impact at all.

So I began to look more closely at this whole subject of persuasion, for example at networking, selling and presenting. In fact I realised that I had to re-evaluate the impact I was making on people. Eventually the penny dropped.  The powerful cocktail that was required to “knock ‘em dead” included the clothes that I was wearing, but also my use of language, and how I used my voice. Plus my confidence levels (or how I was feeling) were reflected in my body language, so I needed to at least look confident even if sometimes I didn’t exactly feel like that.

I’ve gradually amassed various skills which have made a massive difference to the way people treat and perceive me. So start watching and learning from other great speakers and presenters.   Because it’s the way your message is delivered which makes such a gigantic difference to how it is received. You only have to listen to George Clooney talking you’ll know exactly what I mean. He starts to speak and you are hooked. But that’s not the entire picture.

It’s a combination of how you look, how you feel, how you’ve prepared and the way your message is conveyed.

Communication is an art form which combines to influence how your audience receives your message. Of course the path to developing your skills involves a certain element of risk; the risk of making a fool of yourself or putting yourself in the firing line. You must be willing to do this, because the only other option open to you is to do nothing and stay exactly where you are and not be taken seriously.

Don’t we all love good storytellers who use their voice like a musical instrument. They know all about contrast, pitch, tone and warmth. It’s no accident that the French and Italians are perceived as so attractive and seductive. Wouldn’t you agree that even hearing something as mundane as a train timetable read by a Frenchman is so much more enticing? Frankly, you hear the voice and you’re done thinking. Instead, you’re probably not even listening to the words they are saying. Their charming voice has disarmed you, and thus you’ve become a friendly audience for them – giving them a chance to be heard and understood more quickly. Communication, both verbal and non verbal, can be learned just like any other skill.

Let’s use music as an example. I took up the cello at the ge of 11 and worked my way up to Grade 7 by the time I as 21. Of course mastering all the techniques to become a great cellist takes time and I am far from that. However as my technique grew my ability to sway my audience intensified. Sitting amongst the cello section of  Symphony Orchestra comprising 8 cellos all playing in harmony with each other is possibly one of the most blissful experiences I have ever had. And if that isn’t transferred to the audience in a very intense way, I’d be very surprised.

And it’s the same with human interaction. The combination of the clothes you wear, a compelling voice, the words you use and your body language are an intoxicating mix in the right hands.

These elements say more about you than anything written on a piece of paper, a degree or in a CV.

Have you ever sat listening to dreary presentations that did a better job than heavy-duty tranquillisers?  The presenter missed a big opportunity to influence you, because you (by then) were possiblymore interested in the tea and biscuits that in anything they had to say.

Allow others to get a glimpse of your unique qualities and personality by firstly packaging yourself more attractively, so that your audience starts to care about what you’re saying. People do judge a book by its cover and if you’ve packaged all the elements of yourself effectively your presentation or the key job interview will get the reception you desire.

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

Click Here Now To Listen To The Podcast:

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“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!

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 …

 Click Here To Listen (12.42 mins)

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I had to publish this review just received on Amazon about my new book on Amazon today “Discover Yourself  On the Yellow Brick Road”

“This book is excellent value for money. It is written in clear, understandable jargon-free English (not American), and employs helpful case examples to help one identify with the emotion being addressed. This book truly is a bible to personal and professional fulfilment. The author has also included hands-on exercises to assist the reader achieve his/her goals, and covers just about every aspect of the trials and tribulations that we humans encounter in every day life (e.g. love, values, aspirations, capabilities, attitude, and beliefs to name but a few). The author draws on proven NLP and EFT techniques in a non-technical and readable fashion, and interlaces these with humour thus rendering this little gem an easy and enjoyable read. For the price you will not find such good value for money, nor will you find such good advice. After you have finished reading the book you will find yourself picking it up again and again. Thoroughly recommended. “  Ludmill King, St Petesburg, Russia

Warmest regards

Wendy