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"The Terminal , Part 2” -Arriving at your destination (or not as it were) copyright 2005 Ute Wieczorek- King
So now I am thinking, “Is there anything else I need to do to get ready for my trip? Anything I need to watch out for?” It goes without saying that you can’t prepare for a military coup, but it’s always good to double-check some of the basics. Even if like me, you have more than 25 years worth of travelling experience, this very experience can sometimes make you a little complacent. You only miss your flight once! As a result of not double-checking the departure time and then realising too late that it had been brought forward by an hour, my husband and I missed a good friend’s Highland wedding. We were the only passengers who through a glitch in the system hadn’t received the ‘early warning’ email 2 months earlier! There we were, upset and stunned by disbelief and my first instinct was to rant and rave and blame the airline. But then I realised that it was my own unshakeable belief that timetables never change, which had caused me to forget to check the time. To a certain extent we have to rely on other people to deliver us to our destination, preferably in the case of an airline together with our luggage (sorry, that’s another story)! What we hardly ever consider though, is how much we play a part in this process, and how much is completely beyond our control as well as the airline’s. Although staff can sometimes be unhelpful, it is often the unexpected- the bad weather or the security threats- that prevents us from having a smooth journey from A to B, or at worst, from ever reaching our destination. When you set yourself a career or a business goal do you take a smooth journey for granted, or are you willing to visualise the hurdles that can prevent you from achieving your goal? Do you ask yourself what could be ‘stopping’ you from reaching your goal, or do you believe that it is being too pessimistic to anticipate what you would do, in case of…? In the worst-case scenario, do you work like a well known rail company, who one snowy winter morning many moons ago just couldn’t find (!) their snow ploughs? As a result they caused continuing mayhem by not being able to clear their rails for a day or so…. Do you get distracted? Do you find that things always get in the way or stop you from reaching your goals and that your career or business path is anything but a smooth journey from A to B? You’ll
be surprised how many people blame the outcome (and sometimes the
lack of it) on the weather (metaphorically speaking) rather than
taking the shovel and clearing what snow they can clear off their
own path. And
yes I admit it – I‘ve been there and done it too! A
few years ago when my first business went downhill, I blamed this
on the downturn in the economy. If I had started to clear the snow
earlier, OK I’m not suggesting that when you fly, the weather conditions or security threats are in your control, unless you’re the joker with the “bomb” in your luggage of course? What I am saying is that you still have a choice of how you view the situation! You could moan and groan, but would that get you unstuck? You could also accept ‘what is’. You could then bide your time and use the stopover to think, re-focus and plan your next move. As the film Terminal so entertainingly showed, the character played by Tom Hanks managed to make a life locked inside a terminal! This may well be fiction, but nevertheless is a good example of accepting a setback and making the best of it. Likewise, a friend of mine chose to go with the flow and not to worry about a flight’s long delay and in her positive frame of mind connected with a fellow passenger, fell in love and later married him! The choice is yours! There are many roads that lead to Rome: It’s up to you to take the reigns, to stop, adjust your plans or diversify. And, last but not least, don’t forget that you also have the choice in the future of planning certain things better in the first place, like double-checking the departure time of a flight or responding to business trends with open eyes. The traveller I mentioned at the beginning could in fact have chosen a direct connection from A to B with a different airline, which would have increased the odds of her reaching her destination. This would probably have involved a slightly higher cost, but considering the ultimately much higher cost of not reaching your destination and potentially losing a business deal or a life-changing opportunity, which one would you choose? I should probably go back to my preparations now! One of the things I will definitely not forget to do is double-check my departure time, pack my snow shovel, just in case, and make the most of a delay! You never know, I might just bump into Tom Hanks in the terminal... We can be contacted on info@uwkcoaching.co.uk
How can I unlock MY Potential? (copyright 2005 Ute Wieczorek- King) Isn’t it sad that by the time we have grown up, settled into a career, achieved career progress, perhaps even had a family and we hear someone talking about ‘unlocking your potential’ we often think, “well if had potential, or knew what my potential was, then maybe I could unlock it too’?
Unfortunately many men and women will confirm that whilst growing up, and then working in a competitive work place, more often than not their performance is critically assessed and measured, while mistakes and weaknesses are being highlighted. People in jobs or environments that focus and build on strengths and develop the individual’s potential are very fortunate. But what really is potential? The dictionary definition of ‘potential’ is an inherent ability or capacity for development or growth - it is something that is possible but not yet in existence. Having potential can therefore be seen as having talents and capabilities, which either haven’t surfaced yet, or as in some people’s cases, have already been explored but could be enhanced or applied in a different way. It really doesn’t matter what abilities we think we have, there is always potential in us to discover more, and there is always room to stretch, grow and improve, as there is room for greater achievements. As a coach and personal development trainer I have noticed that more and more people are questioning where they are going in their current jobs. The workplace has become more and more competitive, and many employees end up feeling not just overworked, but also undervalued. When unsure about how or what they want to develop, some may either feel they haven’t got a choice and stay stuck in a rut. Or they try to initiate positive change by experimenting with different jobs. Sometimes for various reasons people don’t want to make any major changes, but in the hope of finding something more fulfilling to do, move from one hobby to another. Many men and women tend to see their potential untapped as they face mounting pressure to meet work, family and other responsibilities simultaneously. Women especially take special skills or talents they have for granted and usually don’t look at them as being special. A first step in highlighting potential can be to identify the skills people not only do really well, but that they enjoy using most. This often leads to the discovery that your talents can be more unique than you think. A good example of this is when people really enjoy writing, have excellent writing skills but haven’t yet had the opportunities to apply this talent in the work place. Developing potential, even in very small ways, can lead to more fun, job satisfaction and new ventures. By working with their potential people tend to feel much more fulfilled and valued. In addition to having talents and capabilities people may also have dreams and goals, adding to the possibilities, which are often just waiting to be identified, sometimes by someone who works with us in freeing and exploring them further. Last year my
colleague Mary Fraser of Fraser HR and I realised there was a need
for open courses in this area that would help people to develop
their individual potential. Together we designed a series of stimulating
workshops we called 'Free Your Potential', which are not only thought
provoking, but provide people with new insights, experiences, focus
and development. We hope you will join us on one of our courses
and will enjoy to free your potential too! www.freeyourpotential.co.uk
Have you lost your resolve yet? (copyright 2005 Ute Wieczorek- King) New Year is traditionally a time to reflect for many people. They may evaluate how this past year has gone for them, and what they are hoping to achieve, improve on or do differently in the New Year. However
people who know they have not achieved their resolutions from last
year, or who have experienced a particularly challenging year, might
simply hope or wish to turn a corner. Some people simply get there by “creating a plan and sticking to it”. Simple? Maybe! Easy? Not always. The sad truth is that 60-80% New Years Resolutions are broken in the first two weeks. Unfortunately, most resolutions fail because people don't always know what to do next. Motivation levels tend to be at their highest early on but with time passing and not sufficient progress happening, motivation drops right down and people give up. Coaches enable people to succeed whether they are working towards personal, career or business goals. My experience is that when it comes to the planning or goal setting process people don’t always see it as a positive, powerful practice that makes them feel enthusiastic. When practiced badly, goal setting can be rather demotivating, which in turn will threaten success. Feeling they have wasted their time, people can then become both frustrated and cynical. We offers several solutions for people who have struggled with their goals in the past: Having a resolution without a detailed plan is just wishful thinking.
Other useful strategies we recommend are
Be realistic- Rome wasn’t built in a day! Resolutions are made today but often only achieved by taking many tiny steps spread over a much longer period. Treat your resolutions just as a starting point and be flexible and aware of those curveballs that life sometimes throws at us. Last but not least, anyone who has tried working with a personal coach to achieve their goals, especially big career goals like career change or starting up your own business, knows that this is the most tailored solution. Working with a coach you not only create a plan that works for you, but you deal constructively with setbacks and stay on track until you succeed. You too can make 2005 your 'Best Year Yet' We
can be contacted on info@uwkcoaching.co.uk.
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It seems to
be common for parents to encourage and develop their young child’s
potential, but how come that when an adult, so many of us have serious
doubts about what our potential is, and how we can unlock it! What
happens to the development of potential after early childhood?