Meetings should be like salt...
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?
2022 Sladen Guiding Belief Award Winner - Piers Carter
We caught up with Piers Carter – the proud winner of one of the 2022 Sladen Guiding Belief Awards.
Find out what Piers’ plan is to make a ‘ripple effect of positivity’. And enjoy some views over the beautiful English Peak District.
Thank you for sharing this with us Piers, and congratulations again on your well-deserved award.
Guiding Belief Awards
At our virtual Gathering in January 2022 we celebrated together at the first Sladen Awards ceremony which will become an annual event.
Awards were made based on who in the Sladen Family were seen to be exemplifying living the Sladen Way, and broken down into individual awards relating to our guiding beliefs – Mutuality, Rebelliousness, Sustainability, Involvement and Human Potential.
Winners received a ‘Ripple Prize’ from the Sladen Butterfly Fund. The prizes are to be used as the winners see fit – help fund a ‘giving’ project close to their heart, give it all to a person/s in need or share between their favourite charities – it’s their choice. The aim is to create a ‘ripple effect’ in line with Sladen’s sustainability goals.
Many congratulations to this year’s winners.
Speed Dating for Business
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?
It's All About Perspective
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.
Butterfly Fund
We are on a mission. A mission to help to save the world! But we need others to join.
To enable this mission, here at Sladen Consulting, we have created the Butterfly Fund. This fund aims to support organisations around the world who are furthering the cause of our chosen UN Sustainability Goals: ‘Clean water and sanitation’ and ‘Life below water’.
We would love to connect with people and organisations who we can help, using our skills in consulting, facilitation and coaching, to have even more impact. If you are that organisation or you know of someone who this would fit perfectly with then please use or share the application form below.
We really can’t wait to hear from you and look forward to building new relationships for the benefit of all.
https://forms.gle/3vyZBU2oFjtfH6x26
Fixed or Growth Mindset
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?
S.C.A.R.F.
We love and value the SCARF (it's also good at keeping us warm in winter!) model (based on work by David Roc). It identifies five factors that can impact Psychological Safety - Status. Certainty. Autonomy. Relatedness. Fairness.
Using this simple tool allows us to more easily remember, recognise, and flex our thinking and behaviour. This allows us to impact the culture where openness, transparency and trust can thrive. What is sometimes holding you back or driving you forward?
Sustainable Projects
Sustainability isn’t just about lowering our carbon footprints, using less plastic or planting more trees. It’s also about supporting one another, taking care of our communities and understanding other peoples’ situations. Here, Richard Colley explains how the projects we are working on fall under the Sustainability umbrella and why this is such a positive thing.
The 4Ds of Productivity
Have you considered applying the 4Ds of productivity to your 'to do' list? Plot your projects according to Business Value and Complexity and this will help you decide whether to Do, Delay, Discard or Delegate.
We find this useful not just for work, but also in our home lives. Get plotting!