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Volume 12 | October 2007 | How to live a wealthy
life. |
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Contents
Part 1 -
Welcome!
[Back to Top]
Dear Recovering
Workaholic,
Welcome
to this our twelfth newsletter for Recovering
Workaholics.
Firstly
I would like to thank you for signing up for the
newsletter which is published on a monthly basis.
Recovering
Workaholics is a growing concern. We offer 1:1
coaching, and training to facilitate those who
want a truly satisfying life. Understanding what
drives us to work to the point where love, happiness
and fulfilment are the poor relation is the first
step to creating a life you truly love. We can
help you work towards achieving your “dream”
life.
We
also offer support for those who are facing retirement
or who have recently retired or experienced redundancy
who are finding it difficult to adjust to the
change.
If
you know of anyone who would be interested in
working with us please let us know by contacting
us on info@recoveringworkaholics.com
The
first three of our CDs are now available as both
down loads and as hard copies via the web site
at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/booksandcds.php.
How
YOU Can Manage Your Staff More Effectively (And
Pave The Way To Your Next Promotion)
(featured as our Recommended
Read) together with the companion volume
Kick-Start Your Career
can be ordered in both e-book and hard copy versions
via our web site at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/booksandcds.php.
This
helps with questions like:
-
Do
you spend time dealing with problems generated
with and by your staff?
-
How
effectively do feel you hold people to account?
-
Do
you hate having those difficult conversations
with staff when things go wrong or let things
run on rather than deal with things straight
away?
-
Do
you worry about managing other people’s
emotions?
-
Are
you good at delegating or do you find it quicker
to do things yourself?
-
Do
you have the time to manage strategically or
are you always fire fighting?
-
Do
you want to communicate effectively, establish
high expectations from day one, delegate with
ease and in doing so create a successful succession
strategy?
-
Is
your time, money and energy valuable?
-
Do
you care about the people you work with and
want them to reach their full potential in the
shortest time possible?
*********
How
To Live A wealthy Life
Much
is spoken and written about wealth. Many
of us dream about having a life style supported
by unlimited funds, indeed this is the basis for
lotteries run world wide.
There
is a paradox too in the research which has been
done looking at the levels of happiness and satisfaction
of those who have earned or won large sums of
money. Money it seems, fails to buy a sense
of fulfilment and contentment for a high proportion
of those who attain their dream of being rich.
Is
it the dream of having money which is flawed or
our definition of wealth?
Do
you aspire to a wealthy life? If so read
on…
With
best wishes,
Gina
Gardiner
Helping you create a life you love!
Part 2 -
Recommended Read
[Back to Top]
 |
AwakenThe Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Life
by Anthony Robbins
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
|
This book offers a really interesting approach
to taking control of your life. He encourages
the reader to settle for nothing less than out
standing. He offers principles to underpin
your choices and practical strategies to achieve
your life’s dream. Well worth reading.
Offers
lots of practical strategies for managers to help
get the very best of their staff as individuals
and as a team.
Everything
in the book has been tried and tested in a variety
of organizations; it is a distillation of over
30 years experience of developing leadership at
every level.
The
book does not attempt to teach grandmothers or
grandfathers to suck eggs, but offers tried and
tested principles, strategies and ideas which
have been proven to work.
Time,
energy and money are all very precious resources
and all three seem to be in short supply for most
busy managers.
How
YOU Can Manage Your Staff More Effectively (And
Pave The Way To Your Next Promotion)
Can help! Dip into it if you are facing specific
issues or use the comprehensive approach to underpin
ongoing and sustained individual and team development.
It
has relevance for experienced managers who want
to share good practice and for aspiring leaders
who want to develop and deepen their leadership
skills.
The
book covers a wide range of issues including
-
Developing
strategic vision
-
Creating
your dream team
-
Creating
a ‘Can Do’ culture
-
Effective
delegation
-
Holding
people to account
-
Developing
a solutions approach
-
The
power of anticipation
-
Giving
positive feedback
-
Having
those “hard conversations”
-
Managing
stress for you and your team
-
Creating
a good work life balance
How
YOU Can Manage Your Staff More Effectively (And
Pave The Way To Your Next Promotion)
will stand alone but you will find it useful to
use it in conjunction with the companion book
Kick Start Your Career.
This
book is designed for new initiates into the business
world and graduates who are ambitious and want
to create a successful career for themselves.
It is a no nonsense, jargon free manual, full
of practical ideas and strategies to support the
development of leadership from day one.
These
books can be ordered via our web site at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/booksandcds.php.
Part 3
- Products and Special Offers!
[Back to Top]
The three
new CDs that we mentioned last month are now availabe
to buy from www.recoveringworkaholics.com/booksandcds.php.
We have produced them especially for you to tackle
the most common problems that seem to affect many
of our members. They are available as CDs and
are also available as downloadable MP3 files.
 |
Relaxation
CD 1
- A
Spanish Theme
PRICE: £10.00
Order
CD
|
Download
MP3
|
|
Relaxation
CD 1
- A
Spanish Theme
Take
time out of your busy and stressful day
to relax.
True
relaxation is known to reduce stress levels,
lower blood pressure, clear the mind and
leave you feeling alert, refreshed and ready
to tackle the rest of your day with renewed
energy and vigor.
"A
Spanish Theme" uses a mixture of guided
imagery and deep breathing exercises to
take you on an intensely relaxing journey.
Stress
is sited as the cause of over 500,000 days
of absence a year in the UK alone. It represents
a huge cost in both economic and personal
terms. In order to deal with it we must
first understand what it is and what causes
it.
Where
stress is detrimental people are often in
situations where they feel they have little
control. Sustained exposure to such negative
situations can have serious implications
for the health and well being of the individual
and ultimately for the organization as a
whole
Relaxation
is a powerful tool to combat stress. Learning
to take time out, to truly relax has been
proven to lower blood pressure, improve
mental acuity and reduce stress.
Our
Relaxation Tape with a Spanish theme is
the first in a series of relaxation tapes
created by Gina Gardiner associates.
Using
visualization, guided imagery and deep breathing
exercises take time out of your hectic day
to unwind, de-stress and relax!
|
 |
Beat
Insomnia CD - Retrain Your Sleep Pattern
PRICE: £10.00
Order
CD
|
Download
MP3
|
|
Beat
Insomnia CD - Retrain Your Sleep Pattern
Without Drugs
Sleep
is vital to our health and sense of wellbeing.
We need it as much as we need food and water
and the air we breathe. It is during
sleep that the body rests and repairs itself.
Good quality sleep leaves us feeling refreshed,
re-energized and ready to face the new day.
Insomnia
affects most people at some time during
their lives. For many it is a passing
phase caused because of a stressful event
in their lives. For chronic sufferers
it becomes a way of life. Although
it is not life-threatening it can and does
threaten the quality of life for many sufferers
leaving them frustrated, exhausted and feeling
low.
"Beat
Insomnia" uses deep trance techniques to
help you retrain your sleep pattern without
drugs.
Use
"Beat Insomnia" to get a great nights sleep
and make Insomnia a thing of the past. |
 |
Confidence
Building CD - Creating the Confident You
PRICE: £10.00
Order
CD
|
Download
MP3
|
|
Confidence
Building CD - Creating the Confident You
We
all feel less confident in certain situations.
This CD is designed to help you feel confident
in any situation. It uses tried and tested
NLP techniques to help you develop the confidence
you need to tackle new social situations
or when gicing an important presentation
or interview.
- How
often do you wish you felt more confident?
- Do
you worry about social events or standing
up to talk in front of work colleagues?
- Would
you like to live your life feeling that
you are in control?
- Do
you have butterflies in your stomach that
feel as if they are wearing hobnailed
boots when you have to go to an interview
or a meeting?
- Is
the voice in your head telling you - you
cant do it?
Developing
confidence is about much more than learning
to do an activity better.
It
is about changing how we feel about ourselves
and dealing with our thoughts and beliefs.
It is about facing the things we fear and
being curious about why we fear them.
Use
"Creating the Confident You" to learn to
push through the fear and create a world
of limitless possibilities one where you
are in control of your own destiny. |
We
expect the following titles to be available later
in the year.
- Relaxation
CD 2 - A Country Theme
- Relaxation
CD 3 - Sky
For
any further information or advice about CDs contact
info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or phone 01708 703959
Part 4
- Feature Article - How to live a wealthy life
[Back
to Top]
Much
is spoken and written about wealth. Many
of us dream about having a life style supported
by unlimited funds, indeed this is the basis for
lotteries run world wide.
There
is a paradox too in the research which has been
done looking at the levels of happiness and satisfaction
of those who have earned or won large sums of
money. Money it seems, fails to buy a sense
of fulfilment and contentment for a high proportion
of those who attain their dream of being rich.
Is
it the dream of having money which is flawed or
our definition of wealth?
How
do you define wealth? What needs to be in
place for you to feel truly wealthy? Is it
a question of bank balance or is it something
more?
One
of my clients described their life: “I
feel like a hamster trapped in a wheel, going
round and round in an endless cycle of trying
to hit deadlines, please other people and as soon
as I complete something it is replaced by half
a dozen others.” How many of you feel
the same?
Many
of my clients are trapped in an ongoing cycle
of working very long hours. As a result they
create financial wealth that they have neither
the time, nor energy to enjoy. When they
do manage to snatch a break from the daily grind
they often become ill as soon as they stop, recovering
just in time to return to work. They choose
exotic holiday destinations as a reward for working
so hard but are so exhausted they spend their
fortnight sleeping or in a frantic attempt to
fit enough ‘living’ into a fortnight
to keep them going until the next holiday.
You
may relate to their situation and feel as they
did – that there is little alternative. The
actual sense of feeling trapped often adds the
sense of being overwhelmed and that things are
out of their control. So long as you believe
there is no alternative that will indeed be the
case.
Each
of us will have a different definition. How
you define wealth will impact on the range of
choices you allow yourself.
For
some wealth is having a surplus of money, enough
to buy what I want, to wear designer clothes,
have a big house full of antique furniture and
a top of the range car.
For
others it is about so much more: the quality of
life, of rich and loving relationships with people
who appreciate us for who we are, the ability
to enjoy the autumn colours and the sounds of
crunching leaves as you walk through a woodland
floor in Autumn, time to stop and take in the
beauty of the world, time to notice another person’s
need and do something about it.
The
first step to creating a different perspective
and identifying different choices is by thinking
about your personal definition of what wealth
is for you. What is it that is really important
to you? There is a need to be financially
secure to be able to provide food, a home and
the necessities of life but beyond that what is
it which gives you the sense of being truly wealthy?
A
fisherman lived on a tropical island. He
fished for his family and had plenty of time to
play with his children, to enjoy the beauty around
him and to be a good neighbour.
A
yacht arrived carrying a wealthy entrepreneur. The
fisherman took him out for a days fishing. As
the day went on the entrepreneur looked at the
beautiful island with its silver sand fringed
with palm trees, the azure blue sea filled with
a rainbow of darting fish and saw the opportunity
for development and making lots of money. He
was a generous man so thought he’d help
the fisherman by offering him the idea.
“Why
don’t you build a hotel and encourage tourists
to come to the island. If fact build a holiday
village with a sports complex so people can come
and relax. It could be so successful that
you could build an air strip so you can offer
the whole package to the tourists so you can cut
out the middle man and make even greater profits.”
“Why
would I want to do that?” asked the fisherman.
“You
would make lots of money and be rich of course!”
replied the entrepreneur.
“How
long would it take?” said the fisherman?
“Oh
I would think it would take ten years to be really
successful” answered the entrepreneur.
“What
would I do with all that money?” enquired
the fisherman.
“You
could go on exotic holidays to a beautiful island
where you could fish, play with your children
and take the time to enjoy the beauty all around
you” replied the entrepreneur.
Are
you wishing for something else and missing the
wealth you already have around you?
You
might find it useful to work with a coach on some
of these issues. If you would like a free 30 minute
coaching session to explore how you could improve
the relationship you have with yourself contact
me on info@recoveringworkaholics.com
In
the next newsletter we will consider the strategies
we use to feel fulfilled.
Part 5 -
Media Interest
[Back to Top]
We
have been approached by a journalist who wants
to explore the issues facing workaholics I’ll
know more by the next newsletter so will keep
you posted. In the mean time if you become
aware of any interesting articles please let us
know
on info@recoveringworkaholics.com.
Part 6
- organizations - People are our greatest wealth
[Back to Top]
Ten ways to make the most of your treasure
I
believe that the work force of any organization
represent their true wealth for without them the
organization is going nowhere.
If
you are the owner or Managing Director of any
organizations you will know what the assets of
your company are worth. Your Financial Directors
and accountants will no doubt provide you with
balance sheets of your net worth, those assets
which are depreciating and those investments which
are growing in value.
What
value do you put on your staff?
For
many organizations the monthly staffing bill is
the major expense of the organization and yet
they appear to undervalue the amazing resource
they have at their disposal.
The
collective intelligence, skills, expertise, energy
and enthusiasm of your staff is so much bigger
than the sum of the individual parts. Optimising
the potential of your staff can lead to a competitive
edge and a more settled contented work force it
is well worth the investment in time and money.
Ten
ways to ensure you maximise the staffing treasure
you have at your disposal:
1) Have
a clear strategic vision which is shared by everyone
It
is particularly important in times of change or
difficulty. Uncertainty and lack of clarity creates
huge amounts of stress for the majority of people. Having
a shared strategic vision enables all staff to
understand what the organization wants to achieve.
It works like a light house in stormy waters.
2) Create
effective systems of communication which work
at every level within the organization.
This
is vital as the “Chinese whispers”
and “Rumour” style of leadership are
ineffective and divisive. Involve staff in
creating a system of communication which works
for everyone.
3) Ensure
your decision making process has integrity
Where
people have faith that decisions have been made
for the right reasons they are much more likely
to accept them willingly. There are still too
many managers who opt for the easiest decision
rather than the right one or they base their decision
on the last person they spoke to.
4) Create
a culture where everyone feels their ideas are
welcomed and valued
Encouraging
everyone to do their best is good business. Giving
credit for the contribution that they make is
a great way of achieving a culture of contribution.
5) Have
high and explicit expectations of yourself and
your staff.
These
should be set out from the outset and provide
the measure of performance. Where people
are doing well ensure that this is noticed and
that staff are made aware that their efforts are
valued. Where people are found wanting they
should be given constructive feedback and training
if necessary. The “hard conversations”
should take place in a professional and supportive
way.
6) Encourage
your staff to be solution finders rather than
problem givers
This
has a number of incredibly positive spin offs. You
minimise the role of the “victim”,
and encourage everyone to take responsibility
for their contribution, it shares the work load
and encourages a positive approach to the future.
7) Train
everyone in good team behaviour
Leaders
and managers should model the behaviour they want
to encourage. The role of “ego”
should be minimised and people encouraged to listen
actively and contribute willingly.
8) Create
a reward system which encourages collaboration
and co-operation rather than competition
Encouraging
staff to see each other as competition rather
than as a useful resource may have short term
benefits but in the end encouraging everyone to
engage the customer or client to provide the best
possible service will protect your future market
and enable you to grow consistently.
9) Look
for ways to grow and retain your staff.
The
cost of recruiting Middle and Senior Managers
is extremely high. Ongoing professional development
leading to promotion will act as an incentive
to improve performance and facilitate effective
delegation and succession planning. Of course
there will be times when you need fresh blood
into the organization, then your track record
for ongoing training and treating your staff well
will become a great encouragement for others to
join you.
10)
Never take “good will” for granted.
Staff
will give their time and energy willingly when
they feel that their efforts are appreciated and
valued. Take them for granted and they quickly
become resentful and start to think “Why
should I bother?” A simple thank you
for a task well done goes a long way but be aware
the simply going through the motions of showing
appreciation has the potential to do harm to relationships.
If
you would like to discuss how we can help you
ensure you make the most of your staff please
contact us through
info@recoveringworkaholics.com or through
info@graduatesolutions.co.uk
Part 7-
Support For Partners Of Workaholics
[Back to Top]
There
is now a monthly Newsletter designed for the partners
of Workaholics. This can be accessed by going
to www.recoveringworkaholics.com/partners.php.
Your
feedback is greatly appreciated.
If
there are any topics you would like covered in
future issues please let me know on info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or complete the feeedback form at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/enquiryform.php.
What
do you think?
Warmest
wishes,
Gina
Gardiner
********
For
any further information or to discuss your coaching
needs contact info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or phone 01708 703959
Gina Gardiner, recognized by "Investors In
People" as creating an "innovative and
exemplary training programme for emerging and
middle managers" and by Ofsted as an “inspirational
leader”. Her experience includes that of
“Change Management” and in supporting
organizational leaders in developing strategic
vision and creating a “can do” culture.
If
you aren't a subscriber already, please sign up
to receive the next issue of the free monthly
Recovering Workaholics newsletter at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/freemonthlynewsletter.php.
You
may copy or distribute this newsletter, provided
that full credit is given and copyright information
is included.
Copyright notice
Author : Gina Gardiner
For
any further information or advice about Recovering
Workaholics contact info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or phone 01708 703959
|