Doing our job instead of attempting to learn everyone else’s

Trying to please everyone is a risky strategy. Usually, it involves us giving too much time and energy to tasks beyond our remit. Doing our job instead of attempting to learn everyone else’s, on the contrary, puts the focus of our efforts squarely on the schedule we have decided is important to us.

It might be helping people is a central aspect of our job description. Yet even in such cases, we need to be clear about how we structure our day to achieve the maximum return possible.

By doing our job instead of attempting to learn everyone else’s, we are ensuring our tasks are completed when they should be and to the best of our ability. Expanding our knowledge is all well and good. But when it happens to the detriment of our core activities, maybe we ought to step back and review our priorities.

Thanks for reading this ‘Doing our job instead of attempting to learn everyone else’s’ post and please feel free to like and share it.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM FCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches the International graduate course Personal marketing: performance skills at work.

In past semesters, he additionally taught the International graduate course Leadership coaching: bringing potential to the stage of work and the Interfaculty postgraduate course Training through drama and coaching for work.

Through coaching, training and writing, Brian works mainly with motivated young and mid-life professionals who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

What would change if we planned our life like our holiday?

I know I shouldn’t, but let me assume you know already where you are going for your annual holiday this year and have prepared a detailed itinerary to maximize your time away.

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with such actions. After all, we work hard for our time off and it is only right we attempt to live it to the full.

Yet for many people, this level of preparation rarely extends to the rest of the year. Only planning days off suggests the other days are not worthy of attention. That said, what would change if we planned our life like our holiday?

Yes, all those ‘non-holiday’ days are also part of life. Yet for some reason, they are not given much consideration. Admittedly you might be one of those people who do have professional and personal goals and achieve them.

For others, the period covering Monday to Friday is there merely to fill the gap between one weekend and another. Days off, public holidays and annual leave are marked on the calendar and treated as milestones to help get us through the year.

But again, what would change if we planned our life like our holiday? Would we be more proactive and enthusiastic towards our endeavours? And discover life exists also in the days between the holidays?

Writing down objectives, listing things to be achieved, giving priorities to our passions and purposes, breaking the goals into ‘doable’ steps and then putting the plan to work could alter not only the way we view life but live it as well.

Or not. To join the conversation here, please leave a comment below. In the meantime, thanks for reading this ‘What would change if we planned our life like our holiday?’ post and don’t hesitate to like it and share it.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches the International graduate courses Leadership coaching: bringing potential to the stage of work and Personal marketing: performance skills at work.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

 

Giving quality time to a chosen few

As much as we’d like to be everything to everyone, giving quality time to a chosen few underlines the idea of quality over quantity.

Selecting who is part of the ‘chosen few’ is an ability closely related to several factors including:

1) The importance of certain people in our life;
2) Our long-term and short-term objectives;
3) Our significant undertakings: past, present and/or future.

Giving quality time to a chosen few, that is to say, being both physically and mentally present in our interactions, ensures we are maximizing each encounter. On the other hand, superficially passing through the day means we cannot fully connect with each moment.

As we go about giving quality time to a chosen few we may begin to appreciate the importance of our time. Prioritizing our attention gives us the chance to experience life as opposed to merely ‘attempting to get through it’.

To join the conversation on the issue of ‘Giving quality time to a chosen few’, please leave a comment below.

For now, thanks for reading this ‘Giving quality time to a chosen few’ post and please don’t hesitate to like and share it.

Happy Holidays.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches the International graduate courses Leadership coaching: bringing potential to the stage of work and Personal marketing: performance skills at work.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Focusing on here as we keep an eye on there

Throughout the day it is easy to get caught up with any number of issues and situations. Even if we are strict with our scheduling, focusing here as we keep an eye on there is not always possible.

The pressure to accommodate the requests of various stakeholders often pushes our endeavours to the back of the ‘time queue’. As much as we’d like to be focusing on here as we keep an eye on there we might be forced to deal with unrelated and non-strategic matters.

From another perspective, focusing on here as we keep an eye on there could be a way of spreading ourselves too thinly across tasks deserving our full attention. This may be so in certain instances. Yet awareness of what is going on around us (there) as we concentrate on a single task (here) is not a bad thing.

As ever, how we handle our priorities is a responsibility that sits squarely on our shoulders. Allowing interruptions and distractions to stop us from focusing on here as we keep an eye on there, limits our effectiveness. Or not. To put forward your input on these ideas, please leave a comment below.

Thanks for connecting here to read this ‘Focusing on here as we keep an eye on there’ post. Please don’t hesitate to like and share it.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches the International graduate courses Leadership coaching: bringing potential to the stage of work and Personal marketing: performance skills at work.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

 

Engaging wholly with our goal

Without engaging wholly with our goal there is little chance of us achieving it. Of course, this idea is so obvious it probably doesn’t need to be stated.

In any case, once we’ve taken the time to set down our objectives it would be silly not to go about engaging wholly with our goal.

Engaging wholly with our goal involves a variety of actions, including:

a) Prioritizing efforts designed to achieve certain objectives;

b) Being disciplined to respect our priorities;

c) Being sage enough to learn from the moments we lose direction.

Other actions are surely equally valid and, as ever, if you have a system producing the desired result you probably should continue with it.

To share your thoughts on the ideas raised here, please leave a comment below. For now, thanks for reading this ‘Engaging wholly with our goal’ post today and feel free to like/share it.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches the International graduate courses Leadership coaching: bringing potential to the stage of work and Personal marketing: performance skills at work.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

How focused are we on what is really important?

Questions regularly crop up in these blog posts, so let’s continue the habit with this one: ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’

Our answer to the inquiry ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’ will depend on our rapport with heartfelt goals, plus our ability to schedule priorities. Provided we are clear about what we want to achieve and base our endeavours on this, our focus will automatically be on what is really important to us.

At varying moments of the year, we may be obliged to spend time on matters not directly related to our core goals. Nevertheless, even in these instances, we need not lose sight of our overarching objectives.

There is no reason to be despondent just because we have to work on less strategic issues once in a while. And, provided it is only ‘once in a while’, we shouldn’t worry about not dedicating all our time to our key concerns. 100% remains the response to ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’

Anyway, enough of my thoughts on the issue ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’ To share your input, please leave a comment below.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Do one thing

When we choose to do one thing only it can feel as if we are cheating the world. Multitasking seems to be almost a compulsory way of behaving nowadays. That said, we all know the possible dangers of attempting to do everything at once: increased stress, missed deadlines, insufficient attention to details and so forth.

So why don’t we just do one thing at a time, to its completion or natural end then move onto the next item? There will be many reasons for not doing this, some even valid. But perhaps we should ask ourselves to what extent we are happy being busy, especially when busy doesn’t equate to being productive.

Operating with a ‘Do one thing’ mindset could, in the first instance, create hostility in those people who are used to offloading everything to us. Stating and defending our priorities with a polite refusal when necessary won’t win us many friends in the short-term. But then, unless that is our goal, we shouldn’t worry.

To soften the perceived slight, we may offer a convenient moment to deal with their request or, better still, suggest a more suitable person who is in a position to help. Either way, if we let go of feeling guilty and focus on providing alternative solutions things probably won’t be so bad for all concerned.

Rather than getting bogged down with words, I’ll bring this ‘Do one thing’ post to an end. To share your thoughts on the ideas raised here, please leave a comment below.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Knocking on the door of 2019

 

Well, we’ve reached the doorstep, all that remains is for us to begin knocking on the door of 2019.

How we actually undertake the annual task of seeing in the New Year is one for each of us to do in our own desired way. Knocking on the door of 2019 is, of course, a personal matter.

But however you decide to go about knocking on the door of 2019, let me wish you all the best, for today, tomorrow and each day of 2019.

Enjoy!

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian taught a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Do we want to wait?

With the traditional summer holiday period in full swing in the northern hemisphere, perhaps we have time to ponder the question ‘Do we want to wait?’

It might be the inquiry itself is linked to a particular event or activity requiring some time before it commences. Alternatively, we could be considering a new venture and need to be clear about when we should begin.

Asking ourselves ‘Do we want to wait?’, puts us on the spot. In all likelihood, we know the response in our heart yet may have shied away from it. The timing for certain specific matters is determined by factors beyond our control – Bank Holidays, annual festivities, for example, occur regardless of our priorities.

However, when responsibility for something is ours to carry, there should be an assessment of the likely success or otherwise of holding back from initiating actions or events. Our interests deserve attention. ‘Do we want to wait?’ thus transforms into ‘What are the costs and the gains associated with waiting?’

Clarifying these details is a crucial part of being in a position to answer with conviction the inquiry ‘Do we want to wait?’ And once we have decided our strategy we are in the position to move swiftly or enjoy a moment of leisure if we have given a resounding ‘Yes’ to the query ‘Do we want to wait?’

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Viewing the future in the present

Without indulging in the theoretical question of time being relative and so forth, it could be interesting to spend a few moments pondering the value of viewing the future in the present.

Many people set aside a period of time on a Sunday to prepare the coming week. Goals are assessed, strategies clarified and the agenda reviewed to ensure at least part of the week is going to be dedicated to our core objective – be it as a minor or major step based on the time likely to be available to us.

Within this process of viewing the future in the present, certain items may need to be given a greater or lesser priority to accommodate pressing issues, ideally without overlooking our professional and personal interests.

Viewing the future in the present in this manner is a way to anticipate challenges and schedule in periods of the week to handle them should they arise. Building flexibility into our timetable also reduces stress in the event we are obliged to modify our programme to deal with the unexpected.

Once the week is structured, it can be good to give ourselves time daily, possibly before getting out of bed, to mentally run through the tasks of the day. By viewing the future in the present in this way, we have the chance to rehearse and tweak, if required, our actions with a winning mindset.

To share your input on the issue of viewing the future in the present, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.