Working from Home - Advice from a 20 year veteran

1. You will get through your work quicker - most of us at home have fewer distractions (cats and kids notwithstanding) so you’re starting from increased productivity. Enjoy the benefit as well as getting more done in a day. 

2. Intense focus and concentration is hard and mentally demanding - keep up your blood sugar so you can manage the intensity. You’ll still have the 3pm dip but the kitchen cupboard might be nearer.

3. Reach out and call a friend or colleague - check in a couple of times a day (including the brief social chat you would otherwise have in the office but keep it brief). I have a team of key friends and colleagues I reach out to when I need support or help with something. They are literally on speed dial (or iPhone favourites as it’s called).

4. Get some fresh air every day - go into the garden if you have one, walk around the block, visit a local cafe or coffee shop (enjoy them whilst they’re open). It’s important to be in touch (sorry *distanced contact) with other human beings.

5. It’s alright to do the laundry at 3.17pm (or any other random time of the working day) as long as you’re not on a videoconference. It is flexible working after all and sorting washing might spark a new idea. Just remember to empty the laundry afterwards…

6. Be kind to yourself - if this is new to you it will take time to adapt (we all went through it). Solo working sets the inner critic off (judging yourself, getting frustrated) - take time out, talk, relax, meditate if you need to. When it all gets too much for me I play with Lego. It calms me and sets my brain straight. Actually, I’ve drafted some of my best strategies and recommendations playing with Lego…

7. It’s ok to feel down, it happens. Recognise it and seek help as needed. Talk to others. Don’t be too brave. Cry if you need to. No one is watching but they are there caring.

8. Remember teleconference and videoconferencing services have monthly plans much cheaper than regular use of pay per minute calling eg PowWowNow or Zoom. Might save a few quid for small teams if their phone contracts support free calling to certain numbers.

9. Google docs is great for sharing documents and indeed co-editing documents together over the phone and internet. Dropbox isn’t perfect but it might also help.

10. Sometimes the internet goes down (it happens). Just work offline for a bit. If your computer is having a bad day then reading or working on pen and paper can be a practical alternative.

11. Plan ahead. You won’t have instant technical support so best not leave that proposal submission or grant application to an hour before the deadline. Mind you, Starbucks wifi is superfast at the moment and there are plenty of tables right now if you need a different connection.

12. If you feel distracted then just try and keep going for another five minutes. If it’s really distracting go and make a brew (coffee, tea) and start again in a few minutes. Remember point 2 – intense focus is hard.

13. You can be of enormous value in what you think and the ideas you have and those don’t just happen behind a desk. If you’ve spent the last few years rushing from meeting to meeting and never thinking clearly then this might be a welcome opportunity to change.

14. Use the breathing space to think strategically. You’ll find that there’s more going on because of the situation but there’s also less going on because we’ve all realised what is actually important. 

15. It’s ok to watch YouTube for 15minutes if you need a break - just don’t stay on it all afternoon. I find music uplifts me. And cat videos amuse me. All the better for getting back down to focused work.

16. If you’ve never used timesheets to record what you spend time on then now’s a good time to start - it’s illuminating (and you can keep them to yourself). Imagine if you knew where the real value of your time went.

17. Maybe now is a good time to experiment with different ways of working – do particular tasks in the morning rather than afternoon and vice versa. After all, it’s never about the hours you do, it’s about the value in what you get done.

18. Have a plan - it helps motivation and delivery if you know what you have to do and what the most important next step is. I’m my own boss and I still schedule work and tasks in Google Calendar. Sometimes it’s the only reason I get out of bed in the morning.

19. Above all, cut yourself some slack. These are uncertain times so remember we all have human frailties and don’t be too hard on yourself. Burning out won’t help you or those who depend on you. We will get through this. We always have.

20. And the condensed version: Try hard. Give yourself a break when needed. Reach out (and go out). It will happen and we will get there.

Making Shift Happen (Change we can believe in and how to make it happen)

Change is never simple and the more systemic the change and more entrenched the existing position, the more challenge it involves.

But there are some key levers , not only to enable change, but to sustain it.

We’ll assume you already have a purpose, objective or hypothesis of what you want to change.

First there is data (which becomes information, then knowledge). You need data to reinforce your point and provide evidence why something is both needed (and ideally, also possible).

Second, there is message. You need to craft the message – this is what we need to do, are doing, expect of you, this is the difference and why you should care. It tackles both the ‘emotional’ aspect of change (rational data never works on its own – you need to make people (yes, actual individuals) care) and the clear path of what you do, the signposting.

Thirdly, there is the persistence to make change happen. Leadership and drive. Building the coalition of support, encouraging behaviours and actions, enabling, sometimes enforcing, but always leading and coaching and supporting. Change doesn’t just happen because everyone looked like they agreed with it. It requires a bit of gritted teeth and a lot of energy and enabling changes to environment so barriers are overcome not stopped at. This is where most change efforts fail. The successful ones keep plugging away.

Finally, there is accountability. Again this requires leadership and persistence, reiteration of the message, pointing to the data and the purpose. You, yes you, need to hold others accountable to ensure it works. It’s the final missing link in change (often because the persistence to make it happen has been exhausted) but it’s the most crucial of all. Without it, lots of good intentions unravel.

Purpose - Data – Message – Persistence – Accountability

So before you start, think about whether or not you’re willing to see it through. If you’re not (and no one else is), maybe don’t bother trying in the first place?

See also: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-critical-difference-between-complex-and-complicated/

Thoughts for the Access to Justice Sector (via the Cote d'Azur)

OK, it's time I stopped sitting on the fence. I'm getting splinters in my butt and I don't like that feeling...

Whilst enjoying the sunshine and joie de vivre of the South of France, I jotted some thoughts about my three and a half years working around access to justice and advice charities. So here it is. If you're of a sensitive nature, look away now.

1. Let’s stop asking people who aren’t good at something to lead projects they don’t want to do
2. Change takes time and effort - you don’t get over the chasm just by pretending it's not there and if you try and jump without a plan you might break your ankle in the process
3. Technology itself isn’t complicated but it’s application to real world environments and the people within those makes it more challenging than the plan suggests
4. Know what you want and prepare - learning by doing is fine but screwing up by failing to plan at all is not

One final thought - be mindful of who you are training to do what. You wouldn’t teach a fish to ride a bicycle.

Would you?

The organisational benefits of training and how to get them

Training is about improving knowledge and skills in an individual or group. It’s about making it easier for you to do what you do, increasing productivity and making a greater impact with your organisation. About being able to do things better and do better things. New and improved skills don’t always improve organisational services, and staff may not always respond well, so you need to choose training and trainers carefully.

Image (c) zuikoalex

Organisational benefits of ICT training

Not knowing how to do something is frustrating and time consuming. Asking a senior manager how to do something simple is a bad use of resources. Staff must know enough to be able to do what they need to do, well. 

Staff (and volunteers) who are appropriately trained, comfortable in their use of ICT, applications and data and not fearful of technology: 

1. are happier – better organisational ethos

2. are more productive – improve overall service delivery

3. work better as a team – improve effectiveness and reduce management time/costs

4. are less likely to leave their job – reduce management costs

5. enable the organisation to be more effective – better service delivery

6. increase outputs and outcomes – better service delivery

Research shows that organisations who don’t prioritise training have staff with the least IT skills and IT confidence – the latter is often a major factor in poor use of ICT and increases the overall costs of direct service provision as well as staff turnover.

Making the most organisational impact from training – a checklist

1. Know what you need to do - Identify the most important needs for your staff and for your organisation. These might include using your database or monitoring system, using email and the internet effectively, preparing presentations and managing information.

2. Find the right course and trainer/training organisation for the individual –different people have different skills and experience and needs

3. Ensure the new skills can be (and are) used as soon as possible after the training (hours and days not weeks)

4. Evaluate the impact of the training

5. Provide any additional support and training as needed and take feedback on how it went

The role of training

If you want something expert done as a one off, it makes sense to pay an expert with experience as a one off (or for a specific niche role). For everything else, use training for activities/skills that make an ongoing difference.

The three questions you need to ask are: 

1. What difference will this training make to the individual/organisation? 

2. What do we want to get out of it (as an individual and organisation)?

3. What impact will this make on our services? 

Training should always be based on needs and not wants. 

Return on investment

Training costs money. Even if the course is free, you need time out of work, time to assimilate information and practice new skills. But you should also get a payback - training has it’s own ‘return on investment’.

‘Expenditure’

• Time off work (and cost of cover staff if applicable)

• Course fees

• Travel and accommodation expenses

• ‘Immersion time’ – time to practice new skills and follow up ideas and plans

‘Income’

• New skills and techniques learned

• New ideas developed

• New relationships formed outside the organisation 

• Time saved in efficiency and effectiveness ‘on the job’

• Increase in outputs and outcomes – getting more done across the organisation

• Money saved in recruitment costs (staff staying in the job)

It’s a challenge to resource and something funders also need to take on board. 

The fear factor - resistance to change

Some staff will resist training because they don’t like change. You need to support them, help them overcome their fears and convince them that training will make their lives easier in the long run.

Making training more effective

Training doesn’t stop when the course ends. You may learn new skills on the day, come up with new ideas and even start making new plans. But you need to follow them through. Too much training is wasted because trainees never get the time to practice and implement their skills (or can’t implement them soon enough after the course). It’s important to schedule time for this before you start your training.

 

Right course, right method, right trainer - time to choose

Be clear about:

• what training you need 

• what training method/learning style suits the individual

• what type of trainer you want

• what degree of tailoring you need to the content (i.e. how do the skills and knowledge apply in your own environment – there’s a difference being riding a motorcycle and driving an HGV)

What training do you need?

The first step is a training needs analysis. It makes sense to link this to formal supervisions and appraisals but you could do it at any time. It may even be useful to conduct an annual review as part of your business plan (Learning and Development?). It’s critical to find out what people need (and recognise that they don’t always know what they don’t know). 

Learning styles of individuals are important and will influence the choice of training and the impact it makes. 

Characteristics of a good course/event

1. Suits the individual’s style/nature of learning

2. Offers opportunities to learn and practice skills

3. Is the right level of expertise for the attendees

4. Moves at the right pace

5. Is the right length for the attendees

The best course and content won’t help if it doesn’t clearly fit with the needs of the individual.

What type of trainer you want - what makes a good trainer or training organisation? 

Research shows that we’re more likely to learn from people we feel are:

• interested in us

• good communicators 

• individuals we can get on with (personality and style inevitably play a part)

A good trainer will:

• Make you feel at ease

• Not criticise individuals but feeds back where appropriate

• Communicate clearly and openly

• Be an expert (but not know all) in their subject

• Have direct experience in the subject

• Be honest about their limitations and gaps in their knowledge

• Be able to think ‘on the bounce’

• Manage the group/session well – act as an effective chair for the event

It’s hard to judge these factors in advance so ask around and get feedback from others who’ve worked with the trainer or training organisation.

Don’t neglect the need to choose the right trainer or training organisation – it’s as important as the course and content.

 

Why training matters in the not for profit sector

One of the common reasons for not investing in training for charity employees is that they go off and get ‘better paid’ jobs elsewhere with their new skills. The job market in the voluntary sector has always been fluid and your newly trained employee may well leave you. The likelihood is that they will go to another charity but that the person who replaces them will have been trained by someone else. It’s a risk investing in staff but a risk well worth taking. Your employees are much more likely to leave (and be unproductive) if they’re frustrated and unskilled – you might just be holding them back from the opportunity.

Training Action Plan for your organisation

1. Decide the key training and development priorities for the organisation for the next year and three years respectively (these must fit your business plan and key objectives)

2. Carry out a training needs analysis in your organisation for all staff (from senior management to junior admin). Find out what they don’t know they don’t know!

3. Work out the learning styles and training preferences for all staff producing individual learning plans

4. Check out what training you can get for free and what you need to pay for (will a webinar, short seminar suffice over a formal course)

5. Schedule dates and flexibility in workplans

6. Build in costs and flexibility into grant applications (training is part of infrastructure)

7. Make sure the training happens, has impact and follow up on progress

8. Review annually

Summing up

Organisations which invest in staff and volunteers tend to be happier and more productive places to work and have lower employee turnover. They produce more outputs and outcomes and pay attention to individual needs in clients as well as workers. Training costs time and money but is fundamental to a successful organisation. Choose wisely and measure the impact.

It’s always wise to take recommendations from others if you want the best experience.

Why don’t people think anymore?

“In the long run my observations have convinced me that some men, reasoning preposterously, first establish some conclusion in their minds which, either because of its being their own or because of their having received it from some person who has their entire confidence, impresses them so deeply that one finds it impossible ever to get it out of their heads.” - Galileo

In 1596, I’m pretty sure they would have burned me at the stake. I’m not Galileo smart but I am quite forthright in my hypotheses and they can contradict existing ‘opinion’. I’m not provocative for the sake of it but I don’t take the easy ride. I’m not going to ‘please you’ for the sake of it.

A little over ten years ago, a wise man called Michael Mallows introduced me to Daniel Kahneman’s system 1 and 2 thinking. We were prepping a thinking skills session for an intervention programme I was running for teenage girls in London. Of all the concepts (and we worked with outstanding teachers and facilitators from private and state schools, business and social sectors) across thirty sessions in three years, the students found this (and the drama triangle) fundamental to their way of thinking and being. It also changed the tone of how we discussed anything and gave the girls a vocabulary to articulate not just what they thought, but how they thought.

If you’re not familiar with the basic concept, system 1 is reactive gut thinking and system 2 more slow and deliberate. The latter is hard, time consuming, often painful (it also uses more blood glucose). It’s easier to roll with system 1 and often necessary if we are short of time and the speed of decision is more important than its value. 

But to go back to the frame of that Saturday intervention programme. If any of my students answered “I don’t know” within the first two seconds, I called them out on it and we stopped and made them think again. Because you don’t simply “don’t know”, you need to think. It’s easy, compulsive, reassuring even, to say “I don’t know,” to just blurt out your first instinctive reaction. Sometimes it’s ok. But sometimes it’s not. If you have responsibilities, one of those will include thinking mindfully (alas it probably won’t be on your job description). More thought, followed by quick effective action, might resolve a few of your organisational problems. And let’s face it, you might (usefully) put a few consultants out of work. For the next time you joke about consultants borrowing your watch to tell you the time, just remember you could have looked at your own watch first.

So think. Take a break. Refresh. Play, walk in the park, enjoy a hobby or distraction. Your unconscious mind can do a lot of heavy lifting if you break the cycle of blurting “I don’t know” or your system 1, fast reactive comment of choice. It’s an investment that will pay off quite quickly. So try it and see what happens.