The Blogworld of Poppyfish People Development

I was lucky enough to be part of a conversation recently in which people from different organisations were sharing their personal views about their various workplaces. This is one of the real upsides to my job. This was a multinational group working across different sectors and the threads of the conversation were many and varied, yet what stood out for me against all the statements and opinions about how different our organisations were was one thing upon which everyone in the room seemed to be agreed - namely that it's a 'bad thing' to exhibit vulnerability in the workplace. A bad thing. No one appeared to be too bothered by this and the conversation soon moved on. But for me the apparent confirmation that we can simply accept that organisations create, allow or somehow foster these predatory moments hung heavily in the pit of my stomach with a nauseous pang. The frown and bad feeling that I was left wi...

  Maybe using different words can bring different outcomes  This short entry is inspired by, if not directly stolen from, a quality conversation I enjoyed on the Riverside Terrace Cafe of the Royal Festival Hall this week.... The words we use are important. Many words have connotations and meanings that influence the way that we feel about them. Consider this conversation for instance: Tom: "I don't like change" Sally: "Oh really? So what would happen if you won the lottery tomorrow?" Tom: "You wouldn't see me for dust" Sally: "So you do like change?" Tom: "Well no, I don't like change, but that wouldn't be change as such, that would be a win" Sally: "So a change can't be for the better?" Tom: "Not like that, I mean, it would be great to start something new, something I could really make a go at" Sally: "So change is OK if it improves things?" T...

 Sometimes I learn fast. Swing one punch and you’ll get me, but swing another and I’ll duck. That’s fast learning. But learning just why it was that you wanted to punch me in the first place takes a little longer. For that to happen I need to learn about you, and I need to learn about me, and I need to learn what it is about our relationship that stimulates the Frank Bruno tendencies in you. Learning comes via action, and learning from that action through the act of reflection. Learning isn’t always easy. It is often challenging. Ever heard the phrase “ I learn most when I’m out of my comfort zone ”? Well, it may be true, but life outside the comfort zone (and maybe I’ll revisit just what a comfort zone is in another blog entry one day) comes with lots of other challenges that might actually restrict learning. I am on a learning journey. I say ‘am’ because I don’t suppose it ever stops. Learning starts as soon as a new born baby learns how to breathe in air and stops, ar...