Does Yoga Have a Role in Business?
I bet you didn’t know that I’m doing my yoga teacher training. Most people know me as the suit wearing Chartered Accountant. But after 15 years of yoga practice I’ve realised that there is a lot we can use in business from yoga. Not in a secret cult way but in practices and mindset.
After a week of training with some of the best yogi’s in the world in Byron Bay, I’ve been inspired to share this video with you. Because I know how stressful work can get. And managing employees is difficult, especially when stuff goes wrong and things get out of your control. It’s a little unconventional but it works. Maybe it’s not for you?
http://managerfoundation.com/management-zen-taking-control
(Watching time under 5 minutes)
And I also think that this is a good time to share some of my secret sauce. I often get asked: “Keith you’re an accountant - what do you know about people?” Harsh, but fair comment. Because I’ve come to the realisation that I was (am!) lacking in some critical people (management!) skills. And they certainly don’t teach this stuff to you in university.
The truth is I haven’t come up with all the solutions - I’ve learnt from smarter people than me. Industrial Psychology started in 1876 and Dale Carnegie, Peter Drucker and many other giants have all made great contributions. I love this quote from Isaac Newton: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
I’ve searched disparate fields like productivity, psychology, behavioral economics, sales, management consulting, recruitment consultants, futurists and even yoga. To find tried and tested methods and to get the best of the best.
And then I modernise it, mix it together with my own insight, my own unique formula so that my clients don’t have to. And I work with real live everyday managers so I can see what works and what doesn’t. And these Boss Camp videos are about taking what works in real life and making it available on line (after all the internet and all that ;-)).
This has been a real journey of discovery for me. Coming face to face with a lot of personal shortfalls. Realising how many managers are in unconscious pain. And realising how unhappy people are at work. But after a lot of research, experimenting, talking and thinking I’m really excited about what I’ve got and can’t wait to share it.
So What's The Management Take Away Here?
1. Bosses don’t have to have all the answers.
Because the collective wisdom of your team is greater. You don’t have to rely on your expert power to get things done. Find the unutilised skills of your team and tap into them. Right now your employees are frustrated because they aren’t doing what they are good at. (I know because besides what the research says, right now I’m doing “career counseling” with someone who wants to resign because her boss is blocking her.) Remember if you’re the smartest person in the room then you’re in the wrong room. I can’t wait to share more in hiring, delegation and development.
2. Whatever goes wrong, keep on breathing.
Change comes from within, Keep Calm, watch the video and let me know what you thought.
http://managerfoundation.com/management-zen-taking-control
SPECIAL MENTION ABOUT ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS - the key to manager nirvana
Do you know that regular, high quality one-on-ones with your employees are the single easiest management practice. Do one-on-ones right and not only can you can take care of almost all your management responsibilities in one go but they will also deliver you to manager Nirvana . It almost seems too good to be true – which could be why some managers don’t believe in them.
The reason why not every manager believes in one-on-ones is because not every manager knows how to do fast, high quality one-on-ones. As with anything in life, do it wrong and you're simply not going to see the results. But do it right and one-on-ones will change your life and deliver you to management nirvana.
And the reason why bosses and employees have poor one on ones is simply because no-one shows you how to have high quality One-ones. I know none of my my bosses every taught me this skill and clearly no-one ever showed them either. What I do with Manager Foundation is that I show you the real world boss skills that you need but they don't teach you in university. That's why I made a mini-course on one-on-ones (including a one-on-one template with a one-on-one meeting agenda) which will show you 3 Easy Steps 2 1 on 1's. What I expect you'll find is that you already know some of the content on some type of level but maybe you're not putting it into practice. This will help. As I say this is essential for new managers and helpful for experienced managers
Comments:
Do you have any comments, questions or tips for improving employee performance? Help the rest of us out by sharing in the comments below.
Boss Camp
I bet your staff would rather be at the beach than working hard. But you’re the poor boss who’s responsible for their work. Managing is hard. Find out how to make managing easy at WWW.BOSS.CAMP. The program includes topics such as:
- How to hire for performance,
- How to motivate employees,
- What are bad employee motivators,
- What you must do as a manager but isn't on your job description,
- How leaders get power.
