The Human Moment

The Human Moment

Are you one of those people who answers your phone every single time it rings, regardless of what you were in the middle of?

I’ve noticed that places like the local post office, the doctors surgery and even some retail outlets are putting up signs asking customers to not answer their phone while they are at the counter. To have gotten to the point where it warrants a sign to remind us got me thinking; so keen to connect with people on the phone, are starting to lose touch with the ‘human in front of us’?

I read an article this week in the Harvard Business Review that describes the power and importance of, what was referred to as ‘The Human Moment’; the moment when two humans fully and totally connect. You know the one, you’ve experienced it, and it’s incredible.

According to this article the human moment requires two things:
1. Physical presence between two people
2. Emotional and intellectual energy

Human moments do not have to be long or even ‘touchy, feely’, they can be brisk, businesslike and brief, but you need to be truly present with the person in front of you. Can you imagine what would happen to your relationships with your staff and colleagues, let alone the all important relationships with your customers and clients if you had more human moments.

So today, ignore your phone, close your laptop, drown out the email/skype/msn messenger ‘ping’, turn down your internal monologue, and really connect with the person in front of you. It might just be the smartest business decision you make today!

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison

You are the company you keep

I love this statement, ‘you are the company you keep’, as it is a reminder to me that we all have a choice about the company that we share our day and valuable time with. Generally there are two sorts of people in our lives; those who put out our fire and those who ignite our fire. The fire-lighters in your life inspire. You know the ones. The people who you walk away from simply ‘buzzing’, the people you can’t wait to catch-up with again. You have a choice about who you surround yourself with each day.

Change Works have three incredible programs in the coming month that provide you the opportunity to connect with and be inspired by experts from around Australia and New Zealand.



THE PLUG


Focus On Kids

Maximising Outcomes for Children with Additional Needs

Do you work with, or have children with additional needs?
Are you frustrated by the pressure of competing demands?
Are you looking for new ideas or options?

This workshop offers a unique opportunity to explore practical strategies for achieving outcomes with children with additional needs. Come along to this workshop and you will:

• Get specific actions that MAXIMISE GAINS in every interaction
• GAIN CLARITY in communicating expectations
• Harness the power of LANGUAGE to your advantage
• Reconnect with your PASSION

Date: Saturday, 21st August, 2010
Time: 9am - 3pm
Venue: Holiday Inn Esplanade, Darwin
Investment: $220 (+ GST)

Download the flyer here


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Clear Choices for Women

Too often women short change themselves in their choices. They choose based on what others will think, or expect, or what they have time for.

If you have ever felt like you're not living the life you promised yourself, or that you are juggling too many balls and failing to keep up then this half-day workshop is for you.

Come and join New-Zealand Thought Leader, Shar Henderson, and Alison Hill, as well as a group of amazing women.

Date: Thursday 2nd September, 2010
Time: 8:30am - 12:00pm
Venue: Gallery Room, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Mitchell St, Darwin
Investment: $250 (+ GST) Includes an online assessment worth $120.

Check out the great Early Bird Incentive if you register before 13th August

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Leadership 2010: Ideas, Influence and Inspiration

The 3rd September 2010 will see Darwin host 13 of Australia & New Zealand’s finest speakers on leadership expertise, all in one room for one day.

Network with some of the greatest thinkers of our time and be inspired by an optimistic, action orientated group of people. Learn key skills for innovating and leading into the near and long term future.

Date: Friday, 3rd September 2010
Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Darwin
Investment: $990 (inc GST)

Attractive corporate packages available for this exciting event

Complete your registration now as seats are filling fast and you do not want to miss this!

Click here to complete the registration form


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The artist within

One thing I love about people is they often don’t know, or truly acknowledge their own gifts.

Don’t get me wrong, helping someone awaken to their own talent is incredibly frustrating sometimes; trying to get someone to see their unique gifts and strengths when they cannot see it themselves.

It is however, a truly a magnificent moment when someone does realise their own awesomeness in the work they do every day.

I have an unshakable belief that every human being has an artist within. An artist can be defined as “one who is adept at an activity, or shows exceptional creativity or skill”. I think our internal artistry extends far beyond a canvas, or a score of music.

• That spreadsheet you create (which looks a lot like Egyptian hieroglyphics to me) is a sign of an artist at work.
• The ease in how you tackle a customer’s problem without losing your cool (when I would be ready to jump the counter and throttle them); well that’s an artist at work.
• How you juggle work, home, kids and life in general (and still remain awake) is artistry, no doubt.

Embrace the artist within, and take time to realise the things you take for granted, or find easy, are often seen by others as truly awesome.


Yours in amazement,

Darren and Alison


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THE PLUG

Leadership 2010: Ideas, Influence and Inspiration

The 3rd September 2010 will see Darwin host 13 of Australia & New Zealand’s finest speakers on leadership expertise, all in one room for one day.

Network with some of the greatest thinkers of our time and be inspired by an optimistic, action orientated group of people. Learn key skills for innovating and leading into the near and long term future.

Date: Friday, 3rd September 2010
Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Darwin
Investment: $990 (inc GST)

Attractive corporate packages available for this exciting event

Complete your registration now as seats are filling fast and you do not want to miss this! Click here to complete the registration form

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Clear Choices for Women

Too often women short change themselves in their choices. They choose based on what others will think, or expect, or what they have time for.

If you have ever felt like you're not living the life you promised yourself, or that you are juggling too many balls and failing to keep up then this half-day workshop is for you.

Come and join New-Zealand Thought Leader, Shar Henderson, and Alison Hill, as well as a group of amazing women.

Date: Thursday 2nd September, 2010
Time: 8:30am - 12:00pm
Venue: Gallery Room, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Mitchell St, Darwin
Investment: $250 (+ GST) Includes an online assessment worth $120

Check out the great Early Bird Incentive if you register before 13th August

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WITH COMPLIMENTS
This week’s with compliments comes from Matt Church, one of the world’s hottest 25 speakers and expert on inspiring leaders.
Read Matt’s chapter from Ideas Vol 1

Get up and get moving!

There are a lot of messages that we receive, whether it be through marketing, through the latest research or even through our peers, that tell us that it is important for us to slow-down, take time out from our busy lives, relax, chill, switch off, do less etc etc etc. I’m wonder though if we have taken this sedentary, in-active mindset too far.

At the moment I am reading an incredibly engaging and thought-provoking book called ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDougall. Amongst other things this book explores the notion that more than just needing to stay fit and active, human beings have actually evolved to be running machines. Our physiology, genetics, and access to nutrition make us one of the most efficient running machines on the planet. Despite the excuses you might be thinking (I’m just not a runner, I’m too old, I’m not built for it) we are all built to move.

When looking at the world of work we have ingeniously automated and structured our places of work to minimize effort and maximize output. The result? I believe we’ve lost touch with the innate sensation, drive and incredible buzz that being busy and active gives us. Personally over the past week I have consciously made the effort to engage physically in my workday, and with the invention of devices such as the iPhone we literally can take our office anywhere. When I’m busy, on the move, ‘running around’ at work I’m simply buzzing.

So if today you are reading this sitting in your cubical or open plan office, tied to a computer, feeling stuck or lethargic make the decision to tune into your job physically not just mentally.

Get up and get moving….I believe you were born for it!

Keep on moving!

Darren and Alison

THE PLUG

Leadership 2010: Ideas, Influence and Inspiration The 3rd September 2010 will see Darwin host 12 of Australia & New Zealand's finest speakers on leadership expertise, all in one room for one day.Network with some of the greatest thinkers of our time and be inspired by an optimistic, action orientated group of people. Learn key skills for innovating and leading into the near and long term future.

Date: Friday, 3rd September 2010
Time: 8:30am - 5:00pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Darwin
Investment: $990 (inc GST)

Attractive corporate packages available for this exciting event!

Complete your registration now as seats are filling fast and you do not want to miss this! Click here for further information

Clear Choices for Women Too often women short change themselves in their choices. They choose based on what others will think, or expect, or what they have time for.

If you have ever felt like you're not living the life you promised yourself, or that you are juggling too many balls and failing to keep up then this half-day workshop is for you.

Come and join New-Zealand Thought Leader, Shar Henderson, and Alison Hill, as well as a group of amazing women.

Date: Thursday 2nd September, 2010
Time: 8:30am - 12:00pm
Venue: Gallery Room, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Mitchell St, Darwin
Investment: $250 (+ GST) Includes an online assessment worth $120

Check out the great Early Bird Incentive if you regiser before 13th August

With Compliments

Geoff McDonald is an architect who no longer designs buildings. Instead, as the Ideas Architect he helps thought leaders package and productise their ideas. He is the creator of Book Rapper and his speciality is designing custom board games.

Geoff's Book Raps are literally book summaries on steroids. This week enjoy reading Geoff's book rap on ‘Leaderful'. For the past few hundred years the command and control model of centralized organisations has ruled the business world. Thanks to the Internet and digital technologies, the pendulum is swinging toward decentralized or starfish organizations.

Organisations will become "leaderful".

Read Geoff's Bookrapper, ‘Leaderful' here

Breathe life into the rest of your year

It’s been a busy half year to this point hasn’t it?

End of financial year has come and gone, and like many others, perhaps you are struggling with the traditional July slump that happens to many of us.

Breaking free of the doldrums can be tackled in two ways.

The first way and probably most traditional way is to set a plan, put the processes into place and through a systematic approach you will achieve goals and get re-motivated this way. It rakes time, it works, and I don’t know about you, but I think that approach is so...boring!

The second option around breaking free of mid-year missing motivation is to get inspired. Inspiration is the kind of inside-out motivational shift that drives not just our work output but many other aspects in your life. The reason why inspirational motivation is an ‘inside-out process’ lies within the definition of the word...inspiration is defined as ‘to breathe life into’.
So tackle your mid-year lull head on, by getting inspired. Read a great book, get yourself on a great course or seminar, book time for a coffee with a person you have great admiration for, or watch a good movie.

Sources of inspiration are all around us, and the other great thing is inspiration doesn’t take 4 weeks and an action plan, it takes four seconds and a decision to commit.

Be inspired!

Darren and Alison

Leadership: some things change, other things stay the same

Leadership has been around as long as the human race has existed. Leading and following is interwoven into the fabric of humanity.

There is nothing new in this concept, leadership is as old as we are, and will be around as long as we are. Individuals not only desire leadership, they crave it.

But there is a change in what people are demanding from their leaders today. Individuals crave to be inspired; to belong to something bigger than themselves; to bond with others.

Fundamentally our world has changed in the past decade. No longer does position or status determine leadership. Authenticity, inspiration and desire are key criteria, opposed to long service, privilege and expectation.

Things are changing rapidly about how we ‘do’ leadership; the one thing that doesn’t change is the need for it.

So the question remains. Are you a contemporary leader, or has the use-by-date passed for your leadership?

Regards,
Darren and Alison




With Compliments

Leadership 2010 Darwin
The 3rd September 2010 will see Darwin host 11 of Australia & New Zealand’s finest speakers on leadership expertise, all in one room for one day.

Network with some of the greatest thinkers of our time and be inspired by an optimistic, action orientated group of people. Learn key skills for innovating and leading into the near and long term future.

Date: Friday, 3rd September 2010
Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Darwin
Investment: $990 (inc GST)

Attractive corporate packages available for this exciting event

Click here for more information on Leadership 2010

Complete your registration now as seats are filling fast and you do not want to miss this! Click here to register

What are you tuned in to?

Team Change Works achieved our goal this weekend of running the Gold Coast half marathon which was an exciting experience with our closest 9000 new-found friends!

As with any other distance running events, there were highs and lows; feeling great and feeling downright terrible at certain times, but it was also hard not to observe some particular trends in such a unique congregation of humanity. One such thing that was interesting was just how many people wore iPods in the race.

We estimated well over a third of runners were wired for sound, despite race rules discouraging their use. We also observed there was a much higher prevalence of music-reliance in the second half of the field versus the first half of the field. The faster runners hardly, if at all, wore headphones, whereas it seemed many slower runners (and we should know!) seemed to be in their own worlds, zoned out to the people around them. This got us to thinking, maybe people are missing the point a little? For us, the people around us made the run bearable. The shouts of encouragement from other runners and the crowd lifted you through the tough parts, and the rhythmic sound of your own heart and feet became so important as we dug deep through the last third of the 21.1ks.

Now we are the first to admit we love listening to music when out running on our own in training, but we just think there was a great pleasure and inspiration missed when people chose to ‘tune out' to the efforts of others around them; whether it was missing shared experience, or missing the supportive watchers, but most importantly missing the critical point of an entire group of people undertaking a common pursuit. Feels like being part of your tribe.

Don't tune out to the people around you, tune into them instead!

Warm regards,

Darren and Alison

With Compliments

Seth Godin's blog has a wealth of interesting thoughts, observations and queries to get you thinking. This week read through Seth's latest blog post about checking into the point of the activities you are engaging in.

Click here to view Seth's blog