Northbound Consulting

29/05/2024

This week I visited town for the first time in a while. It used to be my stomping ground. Having worked there for years, I know the streets and the layout like I know the back of my hand. Leaving my meeting, I drove down a familiar route and went to take a right turn. Halfway into my turn I realised that the street I was turning into was no longer a two-way street and I was turning into oncoming traffic on a one-way street!?! Suddenly I remembered that the road layouts in town were changing. Embarrassed I had to back up and turn around.

Yes, there was a sign and no I didn’t really see it because I was on autopilot and wasn’t expecting it.

While this is a warning for anyone who might be going into Tauranga and has not for a while – it is also a warning for leaders. So often we can be on autopilot when it comes to how we lead. We have done it for so long and it’s worked for us. The problem is that sometimes the landscape changes and the way that you have led may no longer work. Its important to be constantly looking for the signs and staying alert to changes that are happening so that you can show up and continue to be a great leader.

26/05/2024

05/05/2024

Meet Rosie. The most beautiful dog in the world (in my opinion at least). Rosie has a lovely gentle spirit and charms most people – that is until you are walking by her territory. Then she becomes ferocious, and her bark makes you think she could tear your limbs off. We once had someone mow our lawns who had to throw his lunch at her because she wouldn’t let him in the property.

Recently Rosie was on her post making sure that no one dangerous came our way. We were out gardening so the gate to our yard was open. A man walked by with a small dog. Rosie sat up tall and looked quietly at the dog as it walked past. The next thing we knew she ran across our yard to the other side where we have another gate and started barking at the dog as it walked past that gate.

Rosie didn’t bark when the gate was open but waited until she was in a safe space to do so and then let the little dog have it. Her bark is definitely bigger than her bite.

Rosies reaction made me think of how feedback can be given. When we have difficult conversations, or we need to deliver negative feedback we can often wait until we have something safe to hide behind. For many its email. Having a direct conversation in person can be difficult and staff may hurdle words back to you that you might not be able to defend or are ready for. An email can feel like a protective barrier. The reality though is that an email may never communicate what you are trying to convey, and you can never really know if the receiver understands the message. Clear and direct conversations in person that allow your staff the opportunity to respond and give their side are the best way to give feedback.

What gate are you hiding behind?

24/04/2024

Lest we forget -

Today on this anzac day my heart is for the mothers. The ones who didn't get to see their young men grow old. Who waited at home every day and worried - every single second of the day. Whose hearts broke the second their son put on the uniform and walked out the door because they knew the young man leaving them would not return home the same.

While I'm thankful for the sacrifice these brave soldiers made for our freedom, today as I watch my own growing son make anzac biscuits, I remember the mothers who fought their own battle at home.

22/04/2024

Vulnerable post alert. Recently I have been going through the process of finding some part time work to supplement my business. My experience has been enlightening - especially after having sat on the other side of HR for so long. This blog post is not about the hiring process but about the importance of our words. When offering any sort of feedback, its important to refrain from using any labels ever. This blog shares some of my own held insecurities and hopefully will help leaders think twice about the words that they use.

"Unfortunately, you are not our choice for the role". I was gutted. Even though in my head I had made the decision that this organisation was also not my choice, it still stung. No one wants to be rejected for a job. As I sat there, attempting to come to terms with this news, the manager continued t...

21/04/2024

Im getting ready to take a workshop on one of my favourite topics today - time management. What do frogs have to do with managing time??

18/04/2024

I’m a big fan of data. I always have been. It can tell you a lot about people. I used to do the payroll in a previous role and little things could tell me when someone wasn’t happy. An increase in days off and a reduction in work hours were one of the biggest indicators that someone might be checking out.

While the economic conditions means that staff may be less likely to move from the current roles they are at, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be “quiet quitting”. Still coming to work but not invested in the work you employed them to do.

As an employer, its important to pay attention to your people. Look at the data. Are they less engaged, having more sick days and only doing the bare minimum? If so, they are likely unhappy. Don’t be afraid to have an honest conversation. Check in and see what is going on from a place of curiosity. It shows that you notice and that you care and if something is going on, you can make a plan.

What signs have you had that tell you someone is on their way out?

14/04/2024

Yesterday was a year since I started Northbound. Where has the time gone? When I left my role at Sequal, I was full of optimism, excitement and perhaps naïve. Now, I'm feeling a bit more ominous, a little cautious and have been dropped down to reality. For anyone who is thinking of doing something similar, there are some things I have learned in the last year that I wish I had known before I started 😜:

💡 Networking is critical - especially in Tauranga. Unfortunately in HR, your networks are largely internal, so when I entered the business world I had a lack of these. Before you make a decision to leave your job, make sure you have a large network of people to pull from.

💡 The quiet times are really quiet and things on in New Zealand have a big affect on your business. I have found school holidays, the election, two months over Christmas and the end of the financial year has caused a sudden drop in any communication from potential leads or current clients.

💡 If you can, start with a part time job on the side so that you have guaranteed income to help you grow your business.

💡 Just because everyone says that "there are so many people that need your business" and "you will be so busy", does not mean that business is going to just fall from the sky. Do your homework. I have learned that the people saying these things are talking about businesses that they know and not about themselves. For myself, I am learning that the businesses inspired by what I am doing don't need me and those that are not will need a lot of convincing that they do.

💡 Its a lot harder to manage your time when you have a lot of time on your hands. It can be very easy to find yourself going down rabbit holes when you don't have a reason not to.

💡 Find some cheerleaders who will help to encourage you and have your back. You no longer have a boss that is patting you on the back and you need to have people in your corner who will do that for you.

💡 Don't feel like you need to focus in the first year. Say yes to lots of things until you find where you fit in the market.

While I wish I had known these things a year ago, I'm a little wiser now than I was a year ago and that's what its all about. Constant learning, developing and adapting. For me, that's my happy place. I still love what I'm doing but I won't sugar coat it and say its not hard right now and I know I'm not the only one feeling it. I'm weighing up different options to help me keep going and weather the storm. If you know of any part time opportunities or contracting I'd love to chat! 😁

07/04/2024

It's been a whirlwind of a month. Anyone who lives in another country to their own home country knows the intensity of overseas family visitors. You try to grasp every second available for quality time. While I tried to find time to focus on the business, in the end I chose to let go and be present. It had been nearly seven years since all of my siblings and partners had been together so I was not going to miss this.

During that time I was delighted to receive a copy of Tonic magazine put out by Exult which features an article I have written on the Employee Experience. As family time is drawing to a close it helps to have little things to focus on to make the sting of goodbyes a little easier. I am looking forward to diving back in and resetting my focus on this much needed topic.

13/03/2024

✨ Imagine you have decided to start working for a lawn mowing company. You got into mowing lawns because you love the change that a fresh cut lawn can make, and you enjoy working outside. For years you have taken pride in mowing your own lawns. You don’t have a top-of-the-line mower but it’s reliable, cuts the grass well and has a good grass catcher. Now, picture your surprise when you start your new job, only to be handed an old electric mower that you must plug in. While you mow, you have to be careful not to run over the cord and in addition to this, you find you have to rake up all of the grass because there is no catcher. To make matters worse, your boss is expecting you to cut the lawns in the same amount of time that it would take you had you been using your own lawn mower. ✨

💡 When an organisation does not keep up with technology, staff can feel like they are using a plug-in lawn mower. They know that they can do things more efficiently with better tools, software and infrastructure and will become frustrated if you start to analyse their efficiency when they know they could be going faster if the tool they used was better. This can have a major impact on the employee experience.

❓ Have you taken a technology inventory lately? What are some of your plug-in lawn mowers you are using still?

07/03/2024

She arrived in the world in 1929. The middle child of an immigrant family, born to a Swedish mother and a Greek father. Incredibly proud to be living in America, her parents pressed upon her the importance of making her way in the world and getting an education. She attended University and went on to teach young women secretarial skills in high school and when computers were introduced, she became the high school computer teacher, working well into retirement.

She was a fulltime working mum and was proud of that. Growing up I knew that education was important to my grandma, not because she went to university, but because of how much her generation had fought to get an equal footing in the world that had been dominated by men up to that point. She wanted to me to see that I could raise a family and have a career. She was proud that she had been able to use her talents and wanted me to do the same.

🌼 Today is International Women's Day and its a great day to remember those that fought hard for rights that we didn’t have not that long ago. While we still have some ways to go, I'm thankful that I have had the freedom to be educated and I have the opportunity to have a voice in the workplace. I'm thankful that I have had a choice - a choice to work or not work. A choice to to be able to find my fit, whether it be at home with my kids, working in an office or a bit of both. Most of all, I'm thankful for the amazing women in my life who have grown me into who I am today – those who have planted seeds, who have watered me, helped remove the weeds and pruned me when it was needed (and still do!).

06/03/2024

I was able to spend a great morning talking about one of my favourite topics this morning - Wellbeing! I love when a company takes the time to invest in this incredibly important area of life with their team.