Challenge Blog

We have been pondering change and continuing development here at Challenge Manager.  Certainly the last year or two have led many businesses to take stock, make changes and do things differently.

What about each of us as individuals though?  How do we continue to grow, change, adapt and develop?  Do we need to?  Should we bother?!

If you own and manage a business then moving with the times and staying ahead of the game is a vital business survival tactic.  How do you ensure you do that?  If you are an employee how do you ensure that you continue developing your skills to be first in line for new opportunities?

Here are a few thoughts from us:

1. Seek learning in everything you do – ask what could be done better, differently or perhaps not done at all

1. Ask questions and try to learn from everyone you meet – even if sometimes that learning is how “not” to do it!

1. Say YES more than you say NO!  You never know what opportunities might come from the most unlikely sources

1. Take calculated risks – be daring and bold if you want to keep progressing and stay ahead of the competition

1. Look for the positives and opportunities first – you’ll be more likely to find a way to overcome problems or barriers

1. If at first you don’t succeed… try try and try again

1. Commit to lifelong learning - push yourself to keep developing and progressing in whatever is your passion

1. Surround yourself with people who want to do the same then support and encourage each other

1. Above all else – enjoy the journey!

I find myself pondering an interesting subject this week. During a conversation with another trainer they made the point that they don’t believe it is their place to change people’s attitudes just to ensure that staff know what they should be doing at work. hmmmm….now I’m not really a “tell people what to do” kinda trainer so this doesn’t feel quite right to me. I certainly agree that I can’t make people change their attitudes…but I do feel a certain responsibility to offer opportunities for people to challenge their thinking, explore new ways of looking at things, hear other people’s views, and provide a ’safe’ environment for people to try out new attitudes, approaches, tools, techniques and ways of doing things. In my opinion and from the outcomes I see in the work we do at Challenge Manager, this approach leads to lasting improvements that are right for the person, right for the team and right for the business. There is a strong commitment to change, a sense of personal responsibility for the outcomes and an understanding of how changes impact on the bigger picture of company success. But are there times and certain types of subject matter when a “just do this because the rules say so” type of training would be more appropriate? Are there times when training gets overcomplicated because we’re trying to work on hearts and minds when what we should be doing is telling people what to do? Problem is, I can’t think of a time when simply telling what to do would work better. After all I’d rather a manager followed the new health and safety policy because they believed it was part of their duty of care to staff, than did it reluctantly because they had to. And, I’d rather a team understood and respected each other and wanted to work well together than simply kept the peace because the company rules don’t allow for disagreements. Wouldn’t you? I shall continue pondering and if you have any thoughts to add then please do!