Happiness! It is all it’s cracked up to be!

Are you happy? Are you the kind of person who is always cheerful? Are you the kind of person who nothing phases, who takes everything in their stride? Are you the kind of person who people go to with their troubles, because you encourage them to get back on track?

According to Dr. Travis Bradbury, happy people are 36% more motivated, 6 times more energized than and twice as productive as those who say they are not happy. But happy people are just so much nicer to be around. Happiness is infectious; when you smile, the whole world smiles with you (to coin a phrase)!

So can you become happier? Yes, you can! Because it’s all to do with how you process the information which your brain receives – if you process information in a positive way you are much likelier to be happier than if you process it negatively. Happiness is down to the way you think, because the way you think affects the way you feel and the way you feel affects those around you.

In business circles, people who are intuitive about their actions, thoughts and feelings are said to be Emotionally Intelligent. Leaders are emotionally intelligent because they understand what motivates the people they interact with. As we know, motivated people are happy people, are more energized and are twice as productive, which is why leaders want happy people on their team. But a good leader is also able to work with an unhappy person to increase their motivation, raise their energy levels and increase their productivity.

So next time you are feeling sorry for yourself, behave like a leader! Remember you are in charge of your own happiness and the happiness of others, think positively, don’t judge yourself and just get on with it! You know you can!

Communicating Decisions Well is Key to their Acceptance

Mahatma Gandhi was so insightful when he said 'The future depends on what we do in the present'. And there are so many things we can do! At every minute of the day there are multiple choices. Deciding whether to do one thing or another and trying to work out the consequences can drive us to distraction, but the decision we make ultimately depends on our objectives. However, there are further complications when we take other people's objectives into account. Our partners usually have very different ideas as to what we spend our money on, for example!

In business, decision-making can be fraught, because you have to live with your decisions. But the way in which you communicate your decisions also has an impact on your future, because both verbal and non-verbal communications contribute to the way in which you and your decisions are perceived. Being open, honest, calm and rational can make the difference between  your decisions being perceived as reasonable and worthwhile and you being perceived as a true leader.

No-one likes being shouted at and told what to do. Why? Because it triggers our emotion centres and causes the release of stress hormones, making us want to run away from the situation, slap the person who is shouting at us or freeze in fear. Sometimes even being asked to do something elicits the same response because we are conditioned to think the worse of requests - our childhood is filled with requests and orders to do things we don't particularly like doing such as tidy our bedrooms rather than invitations to go out and play with our friends. However, if we are asked our opinion about a situation and invited to suggest how we would solve the problem before being presented with the decision which has already been made, then we are much more likely to accept it rather than rebel against it.

Being sensitive to others is a necessary quality of being a good leader. For some, leadership comes easy, but others need training and coaching. Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness sessions are key skills which can ensure your management and staff not only make the right decisions but communicate them effectively to.

Resilience Management Training

Stress costs British business £3.7bn in 2012, according to Business Matters magazine; 10.4 million people are affected and off work with stress or anxiety every year; stress is taking over as the No. 1 reason for people being off work. Stress could be costing you and your business more than just money.

Stress is a fact of life – we need a certain amount of stress to function.  But too much stress could be life-threatening. Some people can handle significant amounts of stress but others are not so resilient. Release Your Potential's courses can help you and your staff learn how to deal better with stress to reduce the costs to your business. Experience of working with and dealing with stress in the real world is the basis of these sessions.

Training Courses

Introduction to Stress Management

The introductory, interactive course for staff of all levels is designed to inform your staff as to what stress is, why too much stress can be dangerous and what can be done to manage pressure. A variety of tools are employed to increase understanding of the way stress can affect the whole body and therefore, importantly, techniques are taught to help reduce personal and work-based stress - relaxation, mindfulness, healthy eating and exercise - which can together help ensure you and your staff remain fit, confident and energised to contribute fully to work, as well as to their social and family life.

Participation as a company in stress training will enable all levels to handle stress so they can remain in control as pressure increases. Individuals will be enabled to identify the situations which cause their stress levels to rise, and given tools and techniques so they can learn to relax quickly in order to function to meet the demands of the task in hand and achieve optimum results.

Introduction to Stress Management (half day suggested itinerary)

9.30       Coffee on arrival, registration

10.00     Introductions, Housekeeping, Aims and Outcomes.

10.05     What is stress? Definitions. Biology of stress, short- and long-term effects on the body and mind.

10.45     Areas of work which can cause stress (HSE Guidelines)

11.30     Coffee

11.45     Changing perceptions and attitudes towards stress; putting things into perspective; positive thinking; reframing of identified problems

12.00     How to control stress – lifestyle choices e.g.  diet, exercise, mindfulness, relaxation, keep a stress diary. Positive thinking. Role of alpha waves in switching off stress hormone release.

12.45     What changes can you make to reduce your stress levels? Goals and Intentions.

13.00     Summary and Close

Stress Management for Managers (half day suggested itinerary)

This short course provides a useful overview of the current legislation regarding stress and possible changes to the Mental Health Act in 2013 and tools freely available from the HSE and CIPD to managers which measure their ability to deal with stress and stressed staff. It will also give managers  the opportunity to discuss ways in which stress can be identified and to develop a personal action plan to manage their personal stress.

14.00     Role of Management in controlling and managing stress in the work-place; emotional intelligence

14.15     Signs and symptoms of employee stress

14.30    HSE & CIPD Guidelines and questionnaire

15.30     Tea

15.45     Feedback on Guidelines. Management style, strategies for handling workplace stress, available resources, work-loads, communication etc

16.45     Personal action plan; goals and Intentions

17.00     Summary and Close

Why your company culture is so important - even in a company of two!

Culture - it underpins who you are, what you stand for, how you behave, what you value and what your customers can expect from you as a company. Culture is more than just a mission statement - it binds the company together and informs how staff behave. Companies with 100s of employees need to identify and reinforce their company culture to ensure all of their staff are aligned in the profile that they present to the world - but isn't that just as important for an SME or a two-man band? If your company culture is healthy then everyone works for the benefit of the organisation, pulling together to ensure the customer is satisfied; in an unhealthy company there are frequent instances of individuals working to benefit themselves and their own needs. Company culture can make or break a company!

                                                                                                                 Picture: Stuart Miles

Where there is a healthy company culture, where Directors, Management and Staff are all valued for the job they do and the contribution they make and are recognised and rewarded equally, stress and anxiety are minimised; staff retention is reduced too. There is a buzz about the place, employees are proud of working for their company and company reputation soars. As reputation increases, so trust increases and sales increase - if sales increase then salaries and bonuses can increase.

Companies experiencing high levels of staff absenteeism and presenteeism and reduced productivity due to stress and anxiety in the work place often only need to look dispassionately at their culture to see where things are going wrong. Aligning teams to a single goal, viewing culture as a strategic tool and training staff to be emotionally intelligent are interventions which take a relatively short period of time but have been proven to improve individual performance and company productivity.

                                                                                                                      Picture: Renjith Krishnan

Release Your Potential works with senior and middle management initially and then facilitates team involvement to ensure your company culture is working for you, to release the potential of your staff and your company.