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Practical tools for positive change

Discover How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome Podcast_003

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Hi Friends,

Welcome to the third episode of The Positive Change Guru Podcast, the podcast for a positive community. We want you to be inspired, achieve your dreams and take action. Our mission is to help you achieve your goals and unleash your awesomeness by providing you with practical, actionable tools for positive change. So what better place to start than with the subject of our third episode, the imposter syndrome podcast all about feeling like a fake and how to overcome it. Let’s go! [Read more…]

Growth Mindset: Building your Mindset Muscle

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Growth mindset is one of the key differentiators between people who achieve their goals and those who don’t. Recognising a Growth mindset (and using it) dramatically impacts upon your performance whatever you do in life. Achieving your goals with a growth mindset is a lifelong habit worth investing your time in. But what is it and how exactly can you build your mindset muscle? We give you the lowdown.

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How to create a successful virtual mastermind group

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When was your enthusiasm last ignited by a group of like-minded business peers, friends or colleagues? Do you regularly spend time with others who fire your motivation and encourage you to think big and bold? A virtual mastermind group is a unique opportunity to connect with the expertise of others whilst sharing your own skills and knowledge, collaboratively working together to achieve success.

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7 revealing facts about the psychology of assertiveness

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  1. Get your assertiveness quotient right! There is an optimal level of assertiveness, especially if you’re a leader. Too much or too little assertiveness and you’re seen as less effective by others. In fact, research suggests that getting the assertiveness quotient wrong is one of the main mistakes that aspiring leaders make.
  2. People who are assertive experience less anxiety. It makes sense that when we feel freely able to express our opinion, needs and desires that there is less opportunity for frustrations to build and create anxieties which can result in aggression. A significantly different picture is presented for those who lack key assertiveness skills. A non-assertive person is likely to be more neutral, have high levels of anxiety associated with concerns about his or her interpersonal interactions, and may not be able to create logical goals to strive towards. They are more likely to have significant levels of anxiety.
  3. Context matters. Research shows us that when it comes to being on the receiving end of assertive behaviour context is key. You might be surprised to learn that when we assess how assertive others are and how appropriate their behaviour is we tend to factor into the equation matters such as sex, race, empathy and assertiveness level.
  4. Control yourself! “Assertiveness is about controlling your behavior, not someone else’s.” Columbia University’s Randy J Peterson explains, “When we behave assertively, we are able to acknowledge our own thoughts and wishes honestly, without the expectation that others will automatically give in to us. We express respect for the feelings and opinions of others without necessarily adopting their opinions or doing what they expect or demand. This does not mean that we become inconsiderate to the wishes of others. We listen to their wishes and expectations, then we decide whether or not to go along with them. We might choose to do so even if we would prefer to do something else. But it is our choice. Whenever we go along with others it is our decision to do so anyway. But we can often feel helpless because we forget that we are under our own control.”
  5. Assertiveness can lower levels of stress and depression. Research suggests a link between lower levels of assertiveness and stress and depression. Research with certain professional groups, such as student nurses has highlighted that when vulnerability such as social anxiety is present, student nurses are more susceptible to depression when they lack essential assertiveness skills.
  6. When it comes to Facebook, women are no less assertive than men. In a study of over 15000 Facebook users, researchers found that, although women tended to be warmer in their interactions, they were no less assertive.  Language used more by females was warmer, more compassionate, polite, and—contrary to previous findings—slightly more assertive in their language use, whereas language used more by males was colder, more hostile, and impersonal.
  7. How women can avoid being judged negatively for being assertive. When it comes to asserting themselves verbally, research shows us that women are often penalised and described as overshooting the assertiveness quotient. However, recent research suggests that when women adopt more subtle, non-verbal demonstrations of assertiveness such as expansive posturing, proximity, speaking loudly or interrupting. So if in doubt, exercise your non-verbal assertiveness skills.

10 Ways to Build a Growth Mindset Business

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Want to develop your business into a growth mindset company that inspires and drives success? Follow PCG’s 10 tips to build a growth mindset business.

1. Be a failure friendly growth mindset business

Avoid the fixed mindset trap of regarding business failures as evidence of an innate inability to succeed at the task in hand. Instead, learn to approach each failure as a temporary setback rather than an all defining, confidence shaking blow. When you adopt a growth mindset towards your business, failure and setbacks will still occur but a growth mindset provides you with increasing resilience to persevere with your business goals.

When things don’t go as planned take a growth mindset approach and focus on immersing yourself deeper in the process by asking yourself what different strategies are available, who can provide help and expertise and establish what you’ve learned from this failure that will enable you to improve future performance.

2. Be a growth mindset business that isn’t deterred by the fixed mindset of others

It’s always great to have feedback and learn from the constructive input of others but how do you know when someone else is exposing you to their own fixed mindset approach? Businesses with a growth mindset have a strong sense of their own goals and learning process, their people understand that just because progress and success doesn’t occur overnight, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to throw in the towel, setbacks are just part of the road to success. Refuse to allow your business dreams and goals to be derailed by the negativity and pessimism of others. Be open to new ideas, experiences and processes but frame them within a growth mindset approach.

3) Take a growth mindset approach to the parts of your business that challenge you

It’s easy to avoid the areas of your business that feel more challenging. Stretch yourself and develop your skills to encompass all aspects of your business role and encourage others in the team to do the same. Making a commitment to wholeheartedly engage with challenging tasks allows individuals and teams to develop new skills and abilities. New or difficult tasks are an opportunity to develop new skills and ways of thinking and at the same time you’ll be building new synaptic connections, with perseverance and practice both will strengthen and improve performance.

4) Be a growth mindset business that welcomes new ideas and experiences

Organisations can sometimes stifle experimentation and new ways of working because of fear of failure. It can be tempting to remain in an organisational comfort zone where you stick to the same old processes because that’s what’s always been done. But it’s a changing world and even when you decide to take an ‘it ain’t broke so don’t fix it’ approach who’s to say that you won’t be missing out on new opportunities to expand and develop your business? Be open to new ideas and experiences and ensure that resources and encouragement are available for your team to continuously learn and develop.

5) Celebrate the effort that leads to business success

Process, process, process! Encourage your team to take a deep dive into the process behind successes and failures to maximise learning and improve performance. We work in such fast paced environments that it’s easy to finish one project and move straight onto the next one without pausing to ask:

  • what worked really well there?
  • what could we do differently next time?
  • what can we learn from the last project?
  • what strengths and deficits were highlighted and how can we utilise this information?

Analysing and learning from the process will support your team to embed successful ways of working and increase performance for future success.

6) Promote and reinforce growth mindset practices

To have a truly growth mindset business culture an organisation needs to constantly highlight and reinforce growth mindset practices. Encourage your team to share their favourite examples of a growth mindset in action and promote growth mindset success stories at every opportunity, across the whole organisation.

7) Recall previous growth mindset approaches when faced with a new challenge

Ambitious new projects can sometimes feel daunting. When you and your team embark on increasingly ambitious plans to grow your business, remember previous achievements that involved learning and working in new ways and remind yourself and others of all the ways that having a growth mindset helped you to achieve success.

8) Embed the growth mindset approach into policies and procedures

For a any change in organisational culture to be an effective and lasting change, it’s important to ensure that it’s firmly included in policies and procedures. Make sure that all of your processes reflect a growth mindset approach and pay special attention to processes that recognise and reward achievement.

10) Monitor fixed mindset triggers

Even the most forward thinking organisations that work exceptionally hard to develop a growth mindset culture will still have areas of their approach that lean more towards a fixed mindset. Commit to honestly assessing the fixed mindset triggers that prevail in your business. A fixed mindset trigger might occur when the organisation faces a challenge, experiences a setback or is less successful than a leading competitor, if we fall into defensiveness behaviour or insecurity then a growth mindset will be inhibited.

Here at Positive Change Guru we love to talk about all things growth mindset. Check out our forthcoming events or get in touch to find out more about our suite of courses and discuss bespoke growth mindset training for your organisation.

PCG and IProvision team up for National Wellbeing Tour

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National wellbeing tour

PCG is delighted to be working with IProvision to provide a national series of wellbeing workshops. The sessions will use techniques and tools from positive psychology to increase resilience and performance.

Sponsored by the CIPR benevolent fund iprovision, this is a national tour of a stimulating interactive workshop that was piloted in Russell Square earlier this year. The first stop of the tour will be Newcastle on 1st September.

The workshop

Aimed at helping employees and bosses manage stress in the workplace and achieve a better work-life balance, it will revolutionise the way you get to grips with stress, performance and resilience.
Iprovision has joined forces with business psychologists and trainers Viv and Gill Thackray, from the leading consultancy Positive Change Guru, to offer this two-hour fun, and potentially life-changing, session.

Positive Change Guru has worked with organisations as diverse as the BBC, the United Nations, the Football Association, the Financial Times and Deloitte.

About Iprovision

For the last 50 years, the benevolent fund has helped CIPR members who have fallen on hard times and have had their lives devastated through illness or unemployment.

But in a radical new departure, the charity is now looking to give CIPR members the tools to handle some of the stresses and strains of what for most of us is an exciting, fast-paced career.

As well as being suitable for individual employees, company bosses can learn how reducing stress levels for what is the key resource of their business makes for a happier, healthier and more productive office environment.

Helping colleagues to achieve a better work-life balance is also an essential part of leadership development for businesses and organisations and a key tool for the development of team roles.

Registration and continental breakfast is from 8.30am with the event starting at 9am. Any surplus made from ticket sales will be donated to iprovision.iprovision

10 tips and tricks for a growth mindset team

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Are you developing a growth mindset team?  Start with our ten tips and tricks to develop a growth mindset culture.

1. Promote problem solving through failure

A growth mindset team problem solves by analysing failures. Help your team understand that taking reasonable risks and experiencing a few failures along the way is an essential part of the process that leads to increased creativity and innovation. Encourage your team to anticipate setbacks and ask..how will you overcome them?

2. Encourage your growth mindset team to talk about how they overcome challenges and setbacks

The culture you create within your business is reflected in everything you do and say. Encourage your team to understand the value and benefits of talking about their professional challenges and setbacks and sharing the tools and techniques they’ve used to overcome difficulties.

3. Encourage the process

Avoid the fixed mindset trap of only focusing on successful outcomes. A purely results driven business risks losing the fertile learning ground that’s contained within both successes and failures. Results matter but learning from the process that your team is constantly engaged in is just as important if you want to create an innovative, agile and resilient culture. Ask your team, what did you learn from the process?

4. Ask your team …where is the challenge?

Invite people out of their comfort zones by asking them to constantly choose and immerse themselves in new challenge. A fixed mindset approach encourages us to stick with that which we’re confident we can achieve and a fear of failure prevents us from breaking free from this limiting approach. In contrast, a growth mindset enables us to take on new challenges wholeheartedly, taking failures in our stride as we relish the new opportunities that a challenge can bring.

5. Encourage a culture of development rather than genius

Carol Dweck’s research has shown that organisation’s who worship a culture of genius rather than development can become places where the majority of employees feel undervalued, disengaged and unsupported. When you encourage a development culture research shows your team is more likely to feel committed, engaged, supported and more able to take on innovative and challenging tasks.

6. Make sure you don’t just talk the growth mindset

At PCG we sometimes hear people in organisations complaining that although leaders talk about growth mindset they do little to embody it. Let your people know that you’re serious about developing as a growth mindset team by talking and walking a growth mindset. Lead by example and talk your team through how you’ve overcome setbacks, dealt with failures and challenged yourself to develop skills and abilities.

7. Encourage reasonable risk

In fixed mindset organisations innovation can be stifled because people resist taking risks for fear of being blamed when things go wrong. Encourage your team to take on acceptable risk in order to support them in developing new strengths and skills.

8. Emphasise that errors are the route to mastery

A growth mindset team understands the need to embrace failure as part of the route to success. When a team member talks about their failures and tells you, “I can’t do this” encourage them to add “yet.” Encourage your team to embrace failure and learn from it by explaining that real mastery is impossible without encountering and surmounting failures.

9. Growth mindset teams ask…who are you collaborating with, who are you mentoring?

In growth mindset teams people share information across teams and networks and support each other to achieve the organisation’s goals. Mentoring and collaboration can spark innovation, improve performance and increase organisational resilience when the going gets tough. Regularly ask your team to share who they are mentoring or collaborating with and how this has benefited them, the team and the organisation.

10. Look for your fixed mindset triggers and encourage others to do the same

The first step to develop a growth mindset team is to recognise what triggers our fixed mindset responses. Learn to listen out for your own fixed mindset triggers and encourage others to do the same by monitoring your inner dialogue and emotional responses.

We love to talk about all things growth mindset at Positive Change Guru. Check out our forthcoming events or get in touch to find out more about our suite of courses and discuss bespoke growth mindset training for your organisation. 

Why the police are turning to mindfulness

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Using mindfulness to develop an empathic police force

It’s always great to hear about the benefits of mindfulness being experienced in the workplace, one fascinating example is the use of mindfulness practices to reduce stress in the US police force.

Psychologists at Pacific University have been working on an innovative study, instructing police officers in mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) practices. Training the officers began in 2006. Training involved learning a combination of skills to enhance mental clarity, health, and mindful exercises that emphasised a range of motion and injury prevention. Police officers also learned practical skills to reduce stressors at work and home. An emphasis was placed on self-awareness and compassion. The impact of stress and anger on officers and their work can be significant, the research findings have been published in the journal of Mindfulness.

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7 Essentials When Choosing a Mindfulness Teacher

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What to look for when choosing a mindfulness teacher, course or coach

You’ve been interested in mindfulness for a while and decided to give it a try. It’s now time to find a course. But amidst all of the advertising and the hype, how do you know what to look for, from a mindfulness teacher, a course or a coach? Here’s our step by step guide to choosing the right mindfulness teacher for you.

  1. Committed to good practice? Is your prospective teacher committed to the UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teachers Good Practice Guidelines for teaching mindfulness? The UK Network was developed to promote good practice in teaching mindfulness. Teaching Mindfulness in the UK is unregulated and the Network is an attempt to address this. Qualified teachers who have demonstrated that they meet the UK Good Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness Based Teachers will be registered on the UK Network Listing https://www.mindfulness-network.org/listingspagenew.php This means that they have been verified as suitably trained, committed to continuous professional development, hold insurance and receive regular supervision.
  2. Your teacher has a regular Mindfulness Practice. You wouldn’t go to a gym and expect to find a personal trainer who had never exercised. You certainly wouldn’t choose them to show you how to train your body. The same is true of your mindfulness teacher. Training your brain is no different to training your body. It’s ok to ask them about their own practice, how long they’ve been meditating and whether they practice on a regular basis. Standard advice is that mindfulness teachers should have been practicing for at least two years before they teach others.
  3. Retreats. All teachers should have a regular daily practice and attend one retreat a year as a minimum. You need someone who has walked the path themselves before they can lead you.
  4. Do they have a qualification? Has your mindfulness teacher attended a Level 1 and Level 2 Mindfulness Teacher Training programme? Whilst this doesn’t demonstrate competence it does demonstrate a commitment to professional development. Ask them where they trained and who with. Find out about their credentials; who have they worked with? How many courses have they run? Solo or alone? Don’t feel bashful, a good teacher won’t mind answering your questions. It’s important that your teacher is following a framework when teaching, all of the research evidence is based upon courses led by qualified teachers delivering a structured Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programmes.
  5. Do they undertake regular supervision? It’s important that teachers have supervision on a regular basis. Your teacher should be able to tell you who their supervisor is and how often they meet. This is necessary for regular reflective practice as well as the safety of everyone involved.
  6. How do you ensure you’re up to date? All Mindfulness teachers should maintain continuous professional development in the form of workshops, peer evaluation and keeping up to date with the latest research. A teacher who has their own teachers recognises that we are all on a mindful journey, however long we’ve been practicing.
  7. Do they practice what they preach? Known as embodiment this simply means that they demonstrate mindfulness in the way they behave towards you and others. Look for someone who displays a consistency in actions and words. An authentic Mindfulness teacher will walk their talk. They’ll treat you with respect and compassion rather than use sessions as a platform for their own ego. Asking why they have chosen to teach Mindfulness and what motivates them to practice can provide valuable information.
    Are they a good fit for you? Notice how you feel around your teacher. Listen to your intuition. Do they seem authentic? Do you feel that they have genuine humility and are there to serve you and others in the group? If it doesn’t feel right, find another teacher. Use your judgement, you’ll know when you find a teacher that is right for you.

We love to talk about all things mindful at Positive Change Guru. Check out our forthcoming events or get in touch to find out more about our suite of courses and discuss bespoke mindfulness at work training for your organisation.

Positive Change Guru’s Mindfulness at Work expert, Gill Thackray, is registered with the UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teachers Good Practice Guidelines for teaching mindfulness. She has also studied Mindfulness with Aberdeen University, Bangor University, Dr Patrizia Collard and Google’s SIYLI Programme. She is currently researching Mindfulness, Leadership and Compassion at Aberdeen University.

Compassion at Work

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Compassion and work, strange bedfellows or not?

At first glance they might seem strange bedfellows; compassion and work? Surely not? Whereas compassion may not appear to be a priority in the work place there is increasing evidence that when it’s present, employees flourish and organisations thrive.

So what is compassion at work?

Sogyal Rinpoche describes Compassion as “not simply a sense of sympathy or caring for the person suffering, not simply a warmth of heart toward the person before you, or a sharp recognition of their needs and pain, it is also a sustained and practical determination to do whatever is possible and necessary to help alleviate their suffering”. Wharton Management Professor, Sigal Barsade describes compassion as “when colleagues who are together day in and day out, ask and care about each other’s work and even non-work issues.” Barsade talks about the importance of an emotional culture, stating that this is equally as important as cognitive organisational culture, stating compassionate employees “are careful of each other’s feelings. They show compassion when things don’t go well. And they also show affection and caring — and that can be about bringing somebody a cup of coffee when you go get your own, or just listening when a co-worker needs to talk.”
Put simply, compassion at work is empathy with action. The ability to notice the suffering of colleagues, whether it be a stressful day, a difficult conversation with peers or a problem at home – and then the ability to act upon that noticing.

Why is compassion at work important?

There is a growing body of research that suggests that the happier we are at work the more productive we are. Sonja Lyubomirsky’s research suggests that happier staff are more engaged, creative, productive and motivated. Successful leaders recognise that happy employees mean increased productivity and ultimately increased profit. It’s not just about the bottom line, nobody wants to be miserable in the place where they spend the majority of their waking hours.

The results?

It’s not just about the feel good factor and being civil to each other in workplace. In a 16 month longitudinal study “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” set in a health care facility, Barside and Olivia O’Neil researched the impact of compassion upon the emotional behavioural outcomes of employees. They found that compassion reduced levels of exhaustion and burnout. The researchers also saw a decrease in absenteeism with a corresponding increased levels of employee engagement. Increasingly research in the field of compassion at work is beginning t show that there are tangible results when we develop compassionate individuals, leaders and cultures;

• When we’re on the receiving end of compassionate leadership at work we’re more likely to be committed to our organisation and to talk about it in positive terms (Lilius et al. 2008)
When we experience compassion at work connects co-workers psychologically and results in a stronger bond between them (Frost et al. 2000).
Managers who believe that their organisation is concerned about their well-being are more likely to show supportive behaviour towards their team members (Eisenberger, 2006).
• Those who receive compassion are subsequently better able to direct their support and care giving to others (Goetz et al. 2010). As Bayside found, this is important in healthcare organisations. Working in a compassionate organisation reduces the chance of compassion fatigue and burnout in caregivers (Figley 1995). This also provides them with essential emotional resources that they need to care for their clients (Lilius et al. 2011).
• Compassionate leadership also influences employees’ perception of their colleagues and organisations. Studies show that employees who believe that their leaders care about their well-being are happier with their jobs and more commitment (Lilius et al. 2011). When we experience compassion ate work we are also less likely to leave the organisation, reducing employee turnover.
• Fredrickson et al. 2000 found that when we experience positive emotions our heart rate and blood pressure is lowered. Our psychological distress also decreases. Compassionate leadership has the potential to improve employee wellbeing.
How can you develop compassion at work?

Consider the way that you interact with others in the workplace. Think about;

  1. Say ‘Good Morning’ to colleagues, acknowledge their presence and let them know you care.
  2. Actively look for ways to help colleagues, direct reports and clients.
  3. If you’re making a coffee, offer to make one for a colleague.
  4. Notice how others are feeling, bring mindfulness to your interactions and if someone appears to need help, reach out to them.
  5. Practice mindfulness. Professor Paul Gilbert one of the world’s leading experts in compassion says that mindfulness can be used to develop an attitude of compassion at work.
  6. Here’s a Mindful practice from Compassion Life by HH The Dalai Lama to help you o your way:

Sit in a comfortable position. Take a few moments to pause and relax bringing your focus to your breath. Gently settle into a relaxing breathing rhythm.

Bring to mind a person or situation where you got angry, impatient, frustrated or seriously annoyed.  Get a clear picture of the people in this situation and what they were doing that really bothered you…..
Now think of each person when they aren’t at work. Connect with them as another human being.
Picture them as a fellow human being with a family, pets, children, brothers and sisters… just like you
Think of them working to support their family and wanting to live happily…. just like you
Imagine them working as best they know how to work ….. just like you
Think of them having life challenges, fears, worries, insecurities….. just like you
Picture them trying to do their best with what they know to do…. just like you
Know they desire happiness and want to be free from suffering… just like you
Breathe deeply as you picture them with their family or neighbors enjoying life and being happy.  Feel the wave of compassion in your body as you connect with your desire for their happiness.

Take our compassion psychometric

We love to talk about all things compassion at work related at Positive Change Guru. Check out our forthcoming events or get in touch to find out more about our suite of courses and discuss bespoke compassion at work training for your organisation.