The Leadership of John Adair

How do people who develop managers, develop themselves?

I 'do' management development and Leadership for a living, so I have a responsibility to keep up to date. However, in February I got the chance to look back at the way Leadership development has changed!

I went to an event to meet John Adair, organised by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). Adair is something of a founding father of management development, and an advocate of 'Action Centred Leadership'. In 1979 John became the world’s first Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Surrey. Today, at the age of 78 he is running Leadership programmes for the UN.

He told us that in 1968 there were no meaningful Leadership programmes anywhere in the world. Leadership was thought to be “in the genes”. It was “male, military and western”. By 2012 spend on Leadership in the UK stood at 1 billion pounds.

This shift was brought about by the level of change in the workplace and globalisation.  

Change requires leadership!

Adair posed an interesting question:

“Why is one person accepted by a group as a leader, rather than another?”

Part of the answer seems to be that Leadership is tribal!  In other words the Leader manifests the traits expected by the group.  For example in the military – courage.  In nursing – compassion.

This set me thinking! I've worked in some modern organisations where leaders do not necessarily represent the traits or qualities of the staff. One example is the NHS - leadership in the NHS is quite 'managerial'. Senior medics are very 'professional' and the staff are... well, perhaps that's another blog!

 Adair's ideas about leadership do still have relevance and some sectors (the military for example) still apply them enthusiastically. However, I came away wondering, if you're a modern organisation, subjected to ceaseless change, does being 'Action Centred' actually provide comprehensive answers?

Maybe not! I think I'll go away and re-read Beverly Alimo-Metcalf's stuff on Transformational Leadership...

~ John

A Few Words from The Chair

Maybe it’s a result of my natural learning style, but I’ve always believed the most powerful learning comes from direct experience. Sometimes this can happen in contrived environments, like the simulations and exercises that we build into our workshops, but sometimes good learning can turn up completely unexpectedly.

My most recent experience happened quite by accident, in the form of a broken ankle! Early learning confronted my total lack of skill in being able to balance on one leg, resulting in even the simplest task became a major feat! Why should balancing on one leg make cleaning teeth such an impossible task?

I needed to get back to work as soon as possible, and whilst crutches are ok for hopping between the sofa and the loo, they’re not ideal for trekking around the country running training events.

I decided to hire a wheelchair (thank you Wheelfreedom – amazing service!) and that’s when my learning really moved up a gear! I started to think about the logistics of travelling to my sessions and was surprised to discover in this technologically liberated / customer focussed era that if you are a wheelchair user, journeys on public transport need to be planned with military precision. Trains need to be pre-booked so that ramps can be available to get on and off the train, and routes planned to ensure step-free access at the beginning and end of every journey. Bus services seem to be better, with well designed wheelchair areas as standard, together with automated access ramps or ‘low-floors’, meaning they can be lowered to pavement level by the driver at bus stops.

Once I had begun to re-claim my place in the outside world, it highlighted the next – and in many ways most powerful - learning: As a wheelchair user, I became invisible! People stopped seeing me (the person) even if they managed to notice The Chair! At it’s most terrifying, this resulted in being climbed over by stressed commuters trying to get to work in the snow, who failed to register me as anything more than an obstruction! However, on many occasions people stopped talking to me, even if it was about my need. I found it harder to be assertive, felt it challenging to be independent, and even found my style of training changed as I couldn’t easily move around the training room which made it more difficult to facilitate my groups..

In many ways this wasn’t new learning. Over the years I’ve worked with colleagues and clients with a range of disabilities which has given me perspectives on how we, Society, can stereotype people and reduce inclusion. This knowledge has led me to be an advocate for Equality and work towards making it an everyday reality. However, as the KOLB learning cycle explains, Knowledge and Experience are totally different things! What I learned from my first-hand experience has added a depth of understanding and awareness to my knowledge of the concept of inclusion.

Lastly on this particular journey I’ve remembered the power of setting goals to motivate progress. I’ve signed up for ‘Race for Life’ in June. I won’t be running the 5K, but am determined I will be walking the course, without crutches.  That means I’ve got 14 weeks to get out of the plaster and into the running shoes – oh yes, and achieve the £500 sponsorship target I’ve set myself! Challenging goals? Maybe, but that’s what makes them interesting!

Help me to achieve my £500 target, and give me a few words of support at my sponsor page:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/terrylinehan0

~ Terry

What makes a happy office?

Whether you work in a cubicle or from your living room, there are things you can do to make getting through the working day a bit easier.

Today, we’re going to give you some of our top tips, tried and tested by us, for making time spent at your desk less tortuous!

1.  Light!

Wherever your work area is situated, try to make sure there’s adequate lighting, particularly if you work at a computer. Fluorescent lighting can cause headaches and fatigue, so bring in a desk lamp if the lighting available isn’t good enough. Where possible, make the most of natural sunlight. Whilst this isn’t always easy with British weather, natural light can make use feel more energised, more motivated and aids concentration.

    2.    Air!

Think back to your school days when teachers insisted on having windows wide open regardless of the season in the name of ‘good ventilation’. As it happens, they were on to something! The circulation of fresh air also contributes to better concentration levels, and can also help to stop us feeling drowsy.

   3.  Plants!

Bring some plants into your workspace. Not only do they create a more stimulating work environment because of the variety of colour, but they also produce Oxygen – increase Oxygen levels and you increase concentration and the ability to deal with difficult and complex tasks.

    4.   Lunch!

Make time to eat. By eating at regular times, and choosing sensible foods you can better control your blood-sugar level. For instance, when your blood-sugar level rises after eating lunch, it should also up your ability to concentrate. Try to spend your lunch break away from your desk – walk to the cafeteria, go and sit with a colleague, if it’s nice weather eat outside. Creating a psychological break can work wonders for your motivation when you get back.

    5.   People!

Talk to the people around you! Not only can this help in a practical sense, in terms of sharing ideas and help with specific projects, but also in preventing feelings of isolation and creating energy.  Even if you work from home, try to get in contact with others throughout the day, either through meetings, phone calls or Skype.

    6.   Exercise!

Researchers at the University of Bristol found that workers who exercised before work or during their lunch break were more able to cope with whatever the working day had in store for them. Improvements were noted in time management, workload management, stress reduction, mood, motivation, concentration, productivity and performance! If that’s not enough reason to dig out your trainers I don’t know what is!

If, like me, you find the thought of sacrificing your precious lunch break to put yourself through hell on the treadmill, fear not! There are alternatives…

Insight have been based in a range of places over the years, and we’ve been lucky enough to have some fantastically situated offices. Several years ago, we used to work here:

One of our Directors used to routinely go out for walks, sometimes taking a Dictaphone to work on documents (Remember those??!). Half an hour spent walking still has a significant benefit. If you’re not lucky enough to be surrounded by scenery, walk to a local café for lunch, or take a longer route into work.

    7.   Pets!

Not every work environment would be too pleased with you bringing your Great Dane to work, but if you are able to work in proximity to animals, do!  A key member of the Insight team for a number of years was ‘Smudge’. Smudge would spend most of the working week in the office with her owner but had her own roles and responsibilities: promoting exercise (as we’ve already discussed) by coercing employees to take her out for a walk, and providing stress relief by offering to be petted. Her presence acted as a calming influence on the work environment, which was noticeably different when she wasn’t there.  This may be a particular benefit if you work from home – make the most of your pet during work hours, as it will make a notable difference to your work!

Lastly, a few words on working from home - as Insight no longer uses an office base, our team are very aware of the pros and cons of working from home. It can be challenging to maintain motivation and concentration if you work alone in your home environment, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier:

• Make your workspace separate – set up a desk and create an area which is solely for working. This creates a psychological pattern of ‘when I’m here, I work’, rather than being distracted by the way you use your house outside of work hours.
• Set yourself clear working hours, with clear breaks, so that you don’t feel guilty for taking time out and so that you can ‘switch off’ from work at the end of the day.
• Dress for work! This doesn’t mean to need to be cracking out the tie and cufflinks on a daily basis, but working in your pyjamas has an effect on your productivity!

These are our top tips – what else have you found that works for you?

~ Laura

NSA Graduate Scheme 2013

This week, Insight and the National Skills Academy (NSA) launched Cohort 4 of the Graduate Training Scheme.

NSA received just under 1,000 applications for this year's programme and faced the difficult task of whittling it down to just 22 final delegates.

On monday, we finally got to meet our new Grads, and we're very excited to get the programme underway!

The Grads come from a variety of backgrounds, locations, and specialisms, but are all interested in and passionate about making a difference in Social Care.

We at the Insight Team are looking forward to working with them, and wish them the best of luck over the coming year!

Sports Driving Unlimited

My name is Liza Pern and I have worked with Insight for many years as a Director with responsibility for most admin and website tasks and issues.  I’ve always had a passion for horses and have been involved with a carriage driving centre that specialises in activities for people with disabilities and special needs for nearly 20 years.  During this time I have become increasingly frustrated that we have been unable to secure funding to enable such people to come to the centre and benefit from contact with our very special ponies.

So in 2007 I set up a charity called Sports Driving Unlimited, supported by Insight, which aims to raise funds to enable anyone with a special need to enjoy the fun and therapeutic benefits of carriage driving as a sport and interaction with ponies.  In the past 5 years we have given many individuals the opportunity to try the sport and we hold regular ‘therapy’ sessions for local schools and voluntary groups.  We have a ‘core group’ of drivers with a variety of disabilities who have honed their skills so that they can now compete regularly, often with success in open competition against able bodied drivers.  As you can imagine this brings them a huge boost in their self esteem and confidence!  Some of our winners include a young man with cerebral palsy who won the title of Scottish Indoor Novice Champion 2012 and a young girl with the same condition who won Novice Para-Champion 2012. 

Carriage driving as an activity has great benefits in terms of improving motor skills, concentration, ability to reason, communication and motivation.  Sitting on a carriage builds core strength and the need to develop effective communication in order for the pony to go forward is a great motivator!  All participants are taught how to drive a pony including correct sitting position, rein handling and voice commands to control the speed and direction.  They also experience the practical aspects of caring for a pony, including grooming, leading, harnessing, feeding and carry out practical tasks at each session.  The coaching is tailored to each person’s own abilities and goals and we have special carriages that can accommodate a wheelchair.  Our participants range from 3 to 80 years old, from all walks of life, with a huge range of additional needs.

The charity has just received the award of Dumfries and Galloway Life Charity of the Year 2012 – which we are over the moon about!  This recognises everyone’s hard work and the success of our activities.  We hope it will raise our profile and bring in more much needed funds to the charity’s coffers!

- Liza