Let’s have Christmas in July!
Christmas is nearly upon us and once again we are caught in a
whirlwind of deadlines, planning meetings, parties and family gettogethers.
But in the busy-ness of it all, it’s worth taking time to slip
below the surface activity and get in touch with the essence of the
season ... honouring those in our lives.
At Lamont we believe that every person has a unique contribution to
make at work. What often stands out at Christmas time is that, despite
the hassles, people are frequently kinder to each other and more willing
to encourage and support those around them. To me, this is the magic
of Christmas: the moments where we see and salute the best in others,
when we acknowledge their importance in our lives. Imagine if we kept
this up all year round...
By honouring our colleagues we reflect back to them the very best that
we see in them. Research in Positive Psychology now supports what ...
(Continued below)
Lamont Associates are Expanding
Welcoming Jennifer to our Team
I’m thrilled to be working with Lamont Associates because I am
passionate about people reaching their potential at work. I deeply
believe that, no matter what work we do, at its best it can give us an
opportunity to reveal our highest potential, stretch our talents and
contribute to a greater good.
My background is in the area of social change. I did a Ph.D. in
International Political Economy and much of my work has focused on
ethical trade; where I have worked with international brands and small
grassroots organisations, particularly in Asia. I have also worked on
projects as diverse as teenage pregnancy prevention in the UK, labour
rights awareness among women workers in Asia and retraining schemes
for the unemployed.
Tip of the Month
Stillness
Are you making plans for 2008?
Before you sit down to develop your proposal, write your plan or
contribute to a working group, consider taking just one minute of
stillness to focus on your goal and to allow yourself to be inspired! After
all, if your mind is full, how will you notice when inspiration strikes?!
Those of you who have been on one of our courses will be familiar with
this tool that can sound a little odd in traditional business environments.
But consider this, before every athlete begins to compete they take a
moment out: they clear out the noise around them and the clutter in
their minds, they become still. A champion archer creates internal calm
in order to accurately hit an external target. In the stillness, no matter
how brief, they have the opportunity to focus on their goal sharply and
clearly. They ignore all that is superfluous, creating the space and time
to align with their vision.
Stillness allows us to slip below the chatter of the mind, which is
frequently a burble of old thoughts and tired ideas. But in the silence
beneath the noise, creative ideas, brilliant solutions and spectacular
ideas can arise. In stillness, we tap into a deeper knowing and inner
wisdom that allows us to manifest our inner greatness.
If stillness is essential for top athletes, imagine what it can do for you!
“Every challenge is nothing more than a chance to make things better
... To resist them is to decline greatness
Robin Sharma
Christmas in July (Continued from above)
... every savvy manager already knows: recognising and affirming the good
work your colleagues do creates more cohesive, productive teams. And
great business successes are built on such teams.
It’s all too easy, apart from special occasions, to take for granted the
good work that goes on around us. But the glow we feel when we are
acknowledged at Christmas time can be experienced in July as well – it
just needs a little extra effort to acknowledge our colleagues more
frequently. Why not make a note in your diary once a month, or even
once a week, to let a colleagues know that you value their contribution?
And remember to give specific examples – we all love to hear what we’re
doing well.
The Hot Seat
Hilary Hosier, Lamont Associates
Anyone who’s been on a Lamont course will know the ‘Hot Seat’. This is
where the group nominates someone whom they want to acknowledge.
At our last team meeting, we chose Hilary Hosier, our Administrator.
Hilary adores challenges – luckily for us! She is eternally optimistic, pays
enormous attention to the details that are so crucial to our success and is
one of the most thoughtful and caring women we know. Thank you for
being you, Hilary!
Nominate someone for next month’s Hot Seat. Just send us a
short paragraph about why you appreciate working with them.
| |
If you have any comments,
questions or stories you
think would help others,
share them with us.
Every month we’ll publish
your contributions. All
contributions are published
anonymously, unless
otherwise requested.
|
Book Review
The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma (2006) – reviewed by Jennifer Hurley
This book is an ideal Christmas gift. It is a
powerful, inspiring book aimed at inspiring even
the most jaded CEO with a fresh lease of life.
Sharma’s focus is on leadership and supporting
others in “laying claim to their greatness”. And
it’s easy to be inspired by the book. I certainly
felt motivated as I read. And, as most chapters
are only two pages long, it’s easy to dip in and
out the book when you have a spare minute or
you’re trying to inject some inspiration into your
life.
The chapters deal with a wide range of topics
from ‘Lead Without Title’ and ‘Listen Twice as
Much as You Speak’ to ‘Problems Reveal Genius’
and ‘The Innovator’s Mantra’.
The language is crisp, articulate and punchy.
Underpinning all the chapters is his belief that,
regardless of who we are, each one of us can live
an extraordinary life by simply becoming aware
of our lives, by becoming conscious of what is
meaningful and of value in our lives and then
committing to that 110%.
Sharma believes that when we allow our passion
to shine, when we are evangelical about something,
we dig deeper inside, we go the extra mile
and, consequently, we live magnificent lives.
The impossible becomes possible.
The book is full of stories and anecdotes. One of
my favourites is ‘Your Four Minute Mile’. Until
1954 no one believed it was possible to run a
mile in under four minutes. Once Roger
Bannister did it, several other runners
achieved the same feat in a matter of weeks.
What had changed? Bannister had shown
others the limits of their thinking. Each one of
us, he argues, has created equally artificial
limits within our thinking, a set of false
assumptions that bind us to the past rather
than free us to become the magnificent people
we are capable of being.
The easiest way to cross those self containing
frontiers is to find our own four-minute mile:
that value, belief or cause that inspires us so
deeply we pursue it passionately and, almost
inadvertently, allow our magnificence to shine
and inspire those around us.
Lamont Associates, 3 Kinross Avenue, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 9EP. Phone: 01344 628329
Web: www.lamontassociates.com
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