CirrusBlue Consulting

23/09/2020

04/09/2020

A different slant on the diversity and the working from home stance....... Have you possibly been surprised by the creativity demonstrated in the work delivered by some of your team members and/or colleagues, which might not have been so clearly demonstrated in the team environment previously? Perhaps they've done much better (or worse?) when they have (or haven't?) been able to work in solitude.......
Something worth thinking about to allow the introvert in us (or our colleagues) to flourish....

In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain argues in this passionate talk, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated.

01/09/2020

From my experience, people often seem to struggle with managing their team if the team members are working remotely. It's actually not that difficult - it's just about changing our mindsets from input management to output management. Wade Foster highlights the important points well in this article - hope you enjoy the read.

Good managers don't actually care what folks do with their time. They care if the job gets done.

19/08/2020

For too long, diversity in the workplace has been about ticking all kinds of boxes ........ the purpose of diverse teams so often seems to get lost along the way.

I have seen workplaces, where the workforce may well be diverse when shown according to the traditional diversity criteria,but where the culture in the workplace does not enable creative thinking or optimise the functioning of diverse teams to their full capacity.

Taiye Selasi provides some food for thought on this matter. She asks one question in this talk about whether a group of students is,in fact, diverse, if they all come from different countries, BUT:
- they've all grown up in the same locality
- their parents all have very similar jobs (she mentions the examples of doctors and lawyers).

So, my question arising from this talk is, how is your business environment and culture optimising the diversity of each individual in your team to encourage the team to reach greater heights?

When someone asks you where you're from … do you sometimes not know how to answer? Writer Taiye Selasi speaks on behalf of "multi-local" people, who feel at home in the town where they grew up, the city they live now and maybe another place or two. "How can I come from a country?" she asks. "How c...

17/08/2020

Because I've been doing a lot of consulting over the last few years, I've been using this time to think about how my consulting needs to change. This article gives valuable input on how traditional management consulting should be changing, where this hasn't happened as yet.

It's all about becoming more people focused in the consulting process, valuing each person for the value they're adding to an organisation and optimising that value add so that both individuals and the businesses benefit form that optimally. Any thoughts?

As a recent article in The Economist shows, strategy consulting is under significant pressure. This means change is needed—change towards whole-brain, whole-person consulting.

12/08/2020

This is just too good not to share .There are so many learning points, so I'll highlight just one:
Going forward, it becomes a valuable business tool for employees to know that they have a voice in the business. To make this happen, it becomes even more critical that the Human Resources function in any business works together to achieve this goal.

So, I'd like to encourage my counterparts across the world to focus on this goal in pushing the business you're in forward - it's worth it.

Organizations are navigating through significant uncertainty and stress. What key trends should watch out for to help establish a strong employee...

11/08/2020

Most of us have seen the trends towards the automation of processes in the workplace (aka fourth industrial revolution) over the last few years. This is an interesting read about how COVID is accelerating these trends.

It's always an interesting conversation to have about where the human element remains crucial in any process and also to consider social responsibility versus competitiveness.

fil:///C:/Users/Carmela%20Weber/Documents/Social%20Media/COVID-19-4IR-and-the-Future-of-Work.pdf

05/08/2020

Trust in any relationship is crucial. It is also very challenging to build up in a remote working environment, but that doesn't make it impossible. It's worth making the effort,because it is indeed fragile and difficult to restore once it's been broken.

One fact I do always need to remind myself of is that our interpersonal relationships normally get stronger through having those difficult conversations. This article is a really good read and has reminded me of this important fact, which we shouldn't ever take for granted.

At the start of her career, Marie Rosecrans was told to never admit her failures. She ended up ignoring that advice and shares what actually works.

03/08/2020

This is an interesting article which summarises the strengths and differences between different age groups very well - also provides some useful pointers to be cognisant of.
Enjoy!

According to the Department of Labor, by the year 2025, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z will comprise 99,3% of…

31/07/2020

A short refresher on what makes employees happy at work and thus more productive. These basics are so often forgotten and also get lost when top leadership doesn't lead by example. This can have a radical impact on the company culture and hence the overall productivity of staff. So, it just makes sense to remember these pointers and keep our team members motivated.

There are three billion working people on this planet, and only 40 percent of them report being happy at work. Michael C. Bush shares his insights into what makes workers unhappy -- and how companies can benefit their bottom lines by fostering satisfaction.

29/07/2020

In these past few months, I have often wondered whether we as a human race have forgotten that we all do need to die at some stage and, as much, as we would like to, we are not able to control the how or the when of our death. Lucy Hone raises a very similar point in this TED talk, wherein she confirms that suffering is part of everyone's life.
The talk is well worth listening to, as it empowers us with the hope of becoming resilient in coping with trauma, stress and suffering and.....hope always helps us get through hard times.

Everyone experiences loss, but how do you cope with the tough moments that follow? Resilience researcher Lucy Hone shares three hard-won strategies for developing the capacity to brave adversity, overcome struggle and face whatever may come head-on with fortitude and grace.

22/07/2020

A life coach is a powerful tool for anyone to use to regain a sense of direction and purpose, when we need a "focus" or a "refocus". If you haven't tried a life coach before, contact me. I'm happy to explain how it works - having yourself life coached is a solid investment in yourself for the future. Go for it!

Those of us who are vehicle owners want to make sure our cars will get us through the winter or dog days of summer. Unfortunately, the average person rarely schedules the inspection or gets the tune-up. Service is called when the unthinkable happens: a total breakdown!