FutureTalent

You’ve passed your professional exams and  your career path is on track. Maybe you are about to take your first steps as a Manager or equivalent, or perhaps you have been identified as a rising talent in your business.

However, whilst you have the technical skills to undertake your role, do you feel  you  are lacking some of the softer skills required to really make a success of your career? For example, does your role involve developing business and making connections within your organisation and you aren’t sure how to go about this? Do you attend networking events but feel ill-equipped to make an impact in an effective way? Perhaps you are required to take clients out to breakfast or lunch but are not sure how to handle the etiquette of such occasions whilst having to make small talk.  Perhaps you are required to make presentations to colleagues or clients but lack the confidence to tackle public speaking. Or perhaps you find it difficult to make your voice heard, or make an impact in meetings. You may not be quite sure how to dress appropriately to reflect your growing status and feel that the impression you make isn’t quite right.

These are but some of the issues that you may be facing as your career progresses, and if not tackled, have the potential to impede your progress.

BLT FutureTalent Coaching programme will equip you to face the challenges unique to this phase of your career. We will cover areas such as networking, both internally and externally;  business development; creating business connections within your industry; handling conflict; managing the transition from trainee to Manager or equivalent to your industry; plotting a future career path; looking ahead to where the pitfalls might be and developing strategies  to avoid them.

You might feel uncomfortable about discussing some of these issues with your Managers or peers. This is where a Coach can be invaluable, providing a safe and totally confidential space to work through these issues and come up with workable solutions.  I will work with you to establish a way forward and help you to develop  the confidence to overcome any hurdles that might undermine your career progression.

If you would like to find out a bit more about BLT Executive Coaching FutureTalent programme, please contact Liz Watt on  020 7419 6416 or bltcoaching1@gmail.com for an initial conversation.

Core Values

What are Values?  In short -  values are at the root of who we are. Our  values are the things that we believe are fundamentally  important to us  in the way we live and work.

When our values align with what we are doing and the way we behave,  then we are more likely to feel content and fulfilled; acting against our core values usually results in discontent and even unhappiness. Life can feel off kilter in some indefinable way.

For example – if one of your core values  is family, but you work long hours or travel a great deal, will this cause you stress?  Or if you prize health as a core value but are offered a role with a tobacco company, how will accepting that role make you feel?

Spending some time defining your values therefore can really help you as you seek answers to questions about your career and other major life choices.   To help you define what these values are, here is a brainstorming exercise to start you thinking.

Ideally you should aim for around 10 values that are most important to you.  At the end of this article, you’ll find a list of the most common personal values, if you need a bit of extra help.

Once you have your top 10 values, it is an idea to rank them,  and then use these as a measure against important decisions you  have to make. And don’t forget that your values and their relative rankings can change over time. So for example at the start of your career, ambition and success may be fundamental to you, but at a later stage, balance  and freedom might come to the fore.

If you would like some help in defining your values and how defining these values will  give you greater control over your career and life,  call Liz (020 7419 6416) for an initial discussion.

IF SOFTWARE IS EATING THE WORLD, WE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE A GLASS OF WINE WITH IT

A great headline – though sadly not mine.  I stole it.  To be fair to me, I’m just making a point; it was far easier to lift it from another article than to use my imagination – but am I wasting what sets me apart?

I recently read about a very interesting idea related to the ever-growing predominance of artificial intelligence and machine-centric automation in our workplaces; The House of Beautiful Business.  It is an initiative based on the premise that as machines take over more a more of our jobs then we, as humans, need to re-evaluate our purpose in the business world.

“As machines take our jobs and do them more efficiently, the only work remaining for us humans will be the kind of work that must be done beautifully rather than efficiently”

The initiative was created and run by Tim Leberecht and some like-minded partners, and they held a ‘pop-up’ event in Barcelona recently to coincide with the Mobile World Congress. Leberecht is the author of ‘The Business Romantic’, is an acclaimed speaker at Ted Talks and a regular writer and event-creator for this very idea.

Fundamentally, he doesn’t want to fight the growth of AI but instead ask the question of what we can offer that machines cannot. What advantages do we have to offer? For him it comes down to our basics; our ability to feel, to transcend and to imagine (not just predict!). Our ability to hope, create illusions, and develop entirely fictitious worlds, says Leberecht, separate us from animals or robots.

“It is paramount that we don’t surrender to a reductionist market-based view wanting us to believe that the wonder of life is a simple economic equation”

It’s an interesting view – and I tend to agree with it; some of the most innovative and loved products or businesses throughout history have not just led directly from existing conditions. Innovations by nature don’t arise from just incrementally building on what we already have – they come from crazy, out-there ideas where someone has thought beyond what can be predicted.

For me it’s the ability to surprise which is key. Positive and intelligent surprise.

We live in a ‘click and paste’ world where so much information at our fingertips leads to a predominance of plagiarism, fake news based on half facts, re-shared tweets, re-posted Facebook messages and even classic movie remakes with endless sequels. At a time when we should be thinking more and more about what makes us stand out, our behaviours seem to be pointing the opposite way.

-          Tariq

https://medium.com/@timleberecht/welcome-to-the-house-of-beautiful-business-b09693373860#.3gmm9e3jd

https://www.houseofbeautiful.biz/#start

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 2017

Over the past few days I’ve mentioned in  conversation that I am attending an event to celebrate International Women’s Day this evening,  and whilst in the main the people I’ve spoken to are ‘in the know’ about IWD, I have also encountered some quizzical looks and raised eyebrows! And I would hasten to add here that the latter responses have been cross-generational and not age or gender specific!

So it got me thinking about the assumptions we make, and how these in themselves can exclude others – the antithesis of the values of IWD, which are :

• Justice
• Dignity
• Hope
• Equality
• Collaboration
• Tenacity
• Appreciation
• Respect
• Empathy
• Forgiveness

If for example I assume that everyone I meet of course knows about IWD, and don’t explain what it is and what it means, I am effectively creating barriers where they don’t need to exist and excluding people who might want to find out more.  This does not help promote the inclusiveness we’re aiming for!

So, in an attempt to educate and inform,  in essence – ‘International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.’

In practice, what does this mean? International  Women’s Day is a global event played out on a local level and sees thousands of events – global gatherings, conferences, awards, exhibitions, festivals, fun runs, corporate events, concert performances, speaking events, online digital gatherings and more. Events are held by women’s networks, corporations, charities, educational institutions, government bodies, political parties, the media and further communities.

To find out a bit more, visit the  IWD website.

The theme for this year is  #BeBoldForChange. Will you?

As for me – well I’m very much looking forward to attending the Voice at the Table  Women’s Day Reception  this evening .

By Liz Watt – Executive Coaching at BLT

Could Will.i.am sell you a mortgage?

The next couple of years are going to be pivotal in the retail banking sector. While the Competition and Markets Authority is increasing competition between the banks, the consumer is demanding an ever increasing digital service with the smartphone being the vehicle of choice. Have you heard of the Open Banking Initiative? No, neither had I, but it’s going to shake up the retail banking sector even more.

The OBI is due to be in place within the first three months of 2018. It offers the innovative (and slightly scary) option for customers to use rival services without switching bank accounts. Many new banks are operating digital – only transformation models, lowering the cost of customer acquisition significantly, through operating via an app-only model.

Let’s hope that the challenges (and opportunities) facing the retail banking sector lead to a more streamlined and efficient offering for us the consumers. Atom Bank are planning to offer mortgages via their app in 2017, with Will.i.am reportedly signed up as a consultant and advisor to enhance their presence on digital and social media platforms. Looks like our days of setting foot in a bank or talking to anyone on the phone about a mortgage application will definitely be a thing of the past!