Julia Stephenson

We were always taught that teachable abilities or skill sets that are easy to quantify (hard skills) are the most important thing when learning.   But it is so important to recognise the importance of soft skills (we prefer to call them human skills).  We were reminded of this recently in the book Emotional Agility by Susan David.

In the drawing on the right, if you look at the human skills more closely you see that really paying attention to these elements are crucial.  And only both together will they work.  Skills like empathy, showing vulnerability, building connections to people.  Even if sometimes it feels like you can’t grasp the human skills, and they can be hard do and hard to measure, it is so important to take them all into consideration when we do our work.

Measurement can be seen in the happiness of people, how easily trust is built, and retention of staff for example.  Leaders need to show big slices of these elements; who would you rather work for? Someone with great hard skills, or human skills? It really has to be a combination of both.

Strategy is NOT a document…..it is the aspiration, the thinking and the actions. It is the grabbing of opportunities, it is the dreams and the drive, head and heart, making things happen and overcoming certain roadblocks in your way.  Connecting the dots with where you came from, where you are and where you want to be!

Practicing what we preach we have carried out our own Sladen Consulting strategy exercise based on a simple yet powerful and straightforward methodology called ’Strategy Explorer’ by Dr Stefan Pastuszka.

Reading our own ‘Big Strategy Sentence’ that came to life at the end made us proud and shed a tear. We are going to hold ourselves accountable for living this strategy and checking in with it on a very regular basis.

In addition to this methodology we are frequently using a visual engagement process to co-create an impactful strategy together with our clients. We will share more on this tool in an upcoming post.
Curious? Ask us anything!

We love this quote by Jason Fried. Our working life comprises meeting after meeting; done well they can be the lifeblood of any business, done badly they are a waste of time and resources. We have some clients who have ‘meeting free Fridays’, and a few of the Sladen Family are experimenting with this themselves. But does this just mean more meetings during the rest of the week? How do we get the balance right?

Speed dating for business! Developing and nurturing working relationships with colleagues is just as important as the relationships we have in our personal lives. We need to invest time in really getting to know who we work with, this develops trust, strengthens our relationships and improves collaboration.

How do we find out more about people in our team when we have never met them face-to-face? Why not try and put some time aside in virtual meetings for a round or two of speed dating! It is pacy and fun! This could also be taken outdoors, on a virtual walk, which can also prompt great questions and discussion.

When did you last propose a ‘guided socialising session’ for your team and what was the feedback?

How often do you think you are on the far left of the picture above?

We have bad days every now and then, and this image highlights how important it is not to dwell on those days. The frustrating days, the long days, the days we feel lack of confidence and not up to a given challenge.

Take a huge step back. Look back in your diary, at the days you felt great after a certain meeting or maybe a fantastic team workshop, you have had successes and reasons to celebrate, think about new connections, and what you have achieved.

It is so important to take time to appreciate how far you have come. Look at where the months and years have taken you. Celebrate your success. It’s all about perspective.

Take five minutes today and reflect: What are the ‘fixed mindset’ traits you are regularly applying?
Earlier this week I found myself thinking that I might fail and make a mistake by doing something that I have only rarely done before. Fearing to be not good enough and thereby losing confidence.
On the flip side I have covered for a colleague and learned so much. By being stretched I am inspired and thrive much more than by acting within my comfort zone.
A leader that I have always admired kept saying ‘It is your choice’. And she was so right.
No matter how many ‘fixed’ qualities we identify in ourselves, there is tremendous power in making a different choice.
And anyone can change how they think. And preventing or propelling us to live up to our full potential.
How can you better harness this superpower of a growth mindset for yourself and your teams?