What I Learnt Yesterday is my Twitter stream which I produce daily at 08:15 (it was going to be 20:15 to align with the year, but more people look at their Twitter at 08:15 than 20:15 – so it’s as near as I can get!)

It has been quite challenging – hitting 08:15 precisely – Twitter doesn’t like pre-publishing drafts to just pop out at  a certain time – otherwise advertisers would swamp the network). So I am trying, and it will be as near as I can get.

There will only be one picture from last week at the bottom of the post. It was Thursday’s tweet. You will know what it was about already.

If you didn’t catch them all – they were as eclectic as week 1 (I am learning a lot about myself!).

1. No FA Cupsets – lovely word for when a lower league team achieves a giant killing act.  It was close in some.  It is gladiatorial in sport – and lower league performers can succeed. Think of new upstarts or a new competitor?  See – the metaphor does transfer from sport?  Metaphor / analogy is one of the best ways of gleaning your own bit of learning each day you are on this earth.
2. I got a bit exercised by the start of an election campaign in the UK. I suppose we always knew with the advent of a coalition and  fixed term parliaments, that we would suddenly become quasi american and have much longer campaigns.  I already hate the narcissistic negativity.  No-one is saying what they would do.  Only what the others would screw up.  How damned annoying is that?  And they, the Westminster Elite, wonder why we are disengaged?  Perhaps a box saying ‘none of the above’, and if that was the winner, then there would be no MP for that constituency? And don’t get me started on lack of democracy – in safe seats, your dissenting voice will have no effect.  That is not democratic.
3. It was strange getting going after a couple of weeks off – as much for me as for my colleagues and clients.  No-one was contactable on Monday.  By Thursday, everyone wanted to chat!
4. My big learning this week was in one day with client meetings.  Mainly to do with managing performance – and how to create a high performing team. Praise and improvement was a simple concept we chatted about.  This fits for the sporting links too.  It is much easier to add to what is going well than to try to turnaround something that is going badly.  Build on the positives (Politicians – I don’t expect you to listen.  But you should do this too.  Or shut up).  But if performance is bad?  Sometimes, we have to forget coaching and an inclusive approach.  Tell is the direct way:  3 E‘s -model for improvement:  Give an Example of the behaviour or input that needs to change;  Tell the person the Effect it is having on you, other people in the organisation, or the processes;  tell them your Expectation going ahead of here.  Then, (and only then) ask them what actions they will take to make that happen.  No discussion – just tell it as it is.  Powerful stuff…it works.  The final quote was Privilege or Entitlement?  Some staff get spoilt in good organisations, and take advantage.  You do have to remind people that they are getting that piece of slack, that bonus, that support as a privilege – it is not just a baseline entitlement.  If they abuse the privilege them they should lose it.

Finally, after Paris, I published just a photo I took on Thursday morning, at my desk.  I don’t draw.  I love the way cartoonists help us to make sense of the senseless.  But here it is.  #JeSuisCharlie