A frustrating fact for leaders is that their performance level tends to fluctuate from competent to excellent and back again. How does a leader tip the balance towards the excellent end of the scale consistently? Rather than poring over countless leadership manuals and imitating other successful leaders, Robert E. Quinn suggests you tap into your own abilities already acquired through past experiences and innate values and instincts.

In his recent article for Harvard Business Review, entitled “Moments of Greatness: Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership”, Robert, who is  Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Management, believes that the way you lead in a crisis forces you to tap into your deepest values and instincts. In this state you instinctively know what to do: You rise to the occasion and perform at your best.

Fortunately you don’t need a crisis to tap into what he calls “The Fundamental State of Leadership”, you can do so anytime perhaps prior to a critical conversation or key meeting, by following the next three steps:

1. Recognise you have been here before:  Remind yourself that you have been here before and have overcome great challenges. By recalling these moments and the lessons learnt, you will release positive emotions and see new possibilities for your current situation.
2. Analyze your current state: Compare your normal performance with what you’ve done when at your best. You will fuel a desire to elevate what you are doing now and instil confidence that you can re-enter this state of mind.
3. Ask yourself the following four questions:

Robert and his colleagues are using their research to challenge the way in which leaders in organisations are trained or encouraged to read how to emulate other great leaders. Following their research they believe that leaders who do their best work are not copying anyone, they are drawing on their own fundamental values and capabilities – operating in a frame of mind that is true to them but paradoxically not their normal state of being.

 No one can operate at the top of their game 24/7 but by practising entering this state of mind on a regular basis you will be able to return to it more easily in future whilst inspiring others around you to perform to higher levels of excellence.

Even those widely admired for their leadership skills usually function in their normal and healthy state of being. However, this state is not conducive to crisis management and when in this state people tend to stay in their comfort zones and allow external influences to guide their behaviours and decisions. To elevate the performance of others, we must first shift our own thinking along the four dimensions identified:

1. What results do I want to create? – This question shifts us from problem solving to purpose finding.
2. By becoming more internally directed we clarify our core values and increase our confidence, integrity and authenticity. Our behaviours will shift and be noticed by others.
3. By putting the collective need before our own needs we are instilling trust and respect from others, this in turns makes for a tighter more empathetic team who cohesively can overcome and transcend conflicts that are a necessary element of a high performing organisation.
4. If we are realistically aware of what is unfolding and open to the need for change in our ever changing external world we move from defensive and denial state of mind to an adaptive, credible and unique state.

These four qualities are at the heart of human influence and whilst good leaders can function without addressing them, they will usually need to influence change by control or force which doesn’t give rise to committed followers. By shifting to this mindset, leaders can influence change by elevating people to a new level of community, which continues even in the absence of the leader.

So next time you are faced with a challenging conversation or key meeting, think of a time when you were at your best as a leader and use a check-list to  identify the qualities you displayed. Compare your list with how you are operating today and identify what changes you need to make to get back to that state.

Here is an example check-list to use for each of the four questions:

What is CSR?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an organisation’s strategy and the initiatives it puts in place to monitor and manage the way it impacts it’s legal, ethical and environmental responsibilities.

Overarching the strategic plans is the organisation’s transparent and publicly stated willingness to promote and support community, national, and global causes, via corporate philanthropy, cause-related marketing and sponsorships.

Why Should HR Play a part in Corporate Social Responsibility?

Employee Engagement

If an organisation decides to embrace a culture of responsibility, CSR may well play a part in an employee engagement plan which HR would drive. It’s the opportunity for all employees, of all ages, to collaborate and communicate.  Younger people tend to be environmentally conscious and want to work for a business where they can make a difference. Older workers tend to be more altruistic and also want to feel like it’s time to give something back.

Employer Brand Proposition

Employer brands have taken a beating in recent years, gone are the days of jobs for life with predictable career steps up the ladder and stable and defined benefits. These days CSR can go a long way in refreshing the employer brand offering and attracting talent as well as the wider community. It can serve to promote the business as one that embraces a ‘triple bottom line’ and adds value back to society and the environment rather than take away from it. This makes for an alluring benefit for new hires and helps retain key people.

Cross Cultural Understanding

Whether a large corporate or a SME, all business is crossing global borders and CSR can serve as a way of understanding and respecting different work practices and cultures.  Employee collaboration on a global level will boost employee relations as well as raise an organisation’s brand recognition – which ultimately will lead to bigger profits and shareholder value.

Community Relations

Initiatives can be driven by HR which can include implementing reward programs, charitable contributions and encouraging community involvement and practices. Examples of these programs may include adding updates in newsletters and blogs to staff members that highlight employees and managers involved in community relations or creating monthly reward programs to recognize efforts by individuals within the company.

Linking Products and Services to Local Community

HR can develop employee Training and Development programs that connect the company’s core products or services to the wider community, their value to that local community and ways in which employees can get involved in appropriate CSR projects.

One Policy, One System

Another key way for HR to drive CSR is through the development of a company policy, centrally managed. The policy will ensure that initiatives are measured and successes are recognised. Implementing an online system, perhaps as part of the website or intranet which is accessible and maintained by all stakeholders will encourage participation, engagement and feedback by everyone.

Celebrate Successes

It is important to continually celebrate the wins in order to sustain the energy behind a CSR program. Initiatives should be led and supported by the leaders of an organisation in order to give the program meaning and authenticity.

Team Building

Building a cross functional team to initiate and manage the CSR program provides additional valuable experience and training to employees who undertake roles and get involved in communities they wouldn’t normally be involved in. It adds new skill sets and experience to their resumes and keeps them motivated and engaged.  They are gaining invaluable experience whilst feeling they are giving back to their communities and the wider world.

The lack of a permanent boss didn’t appear to slow HP’s growth plans as their acquisitions continued with an Interim CEO in place. 

In some cases Interim CEO’s are appointed to bring a new skill set to the table, possibly one better suited to the moment the company finds itself in.  The skill set of one individual at the top can be of critical but limited use to a large corporate enterprise as well as smaller businesses looking to move to the next level of their evolution.

Some CEOs are one-dimensional, with great skills in some departments but not others. A CEO with new management professionalism but with a “my way only” approach may not be sustainable for the next stage of growth. That may explain why some very successful CEO’s in one business where their skills were perfect for it’s stage of life, appear to fail at other firms. What they bring is not what that firm needs right now.

So there may be a silver lining to the inability of so many boards to create a coherent CEO succession plan, namely an opportunity to re-think the CEO operating model itself.

With the complexity of organizations today and the required sensitivity to governance and performance, perhaps it's time to rethink the logic of the superhero, supersized CEO. Perhaps boards, in CEO succession, should be paying more attention to assuring a range of skills in the Executive Team, each useful at different moments in the company's strategy.

CFO positions often have been rotational assignments within firms; why not the CEO? Or the Human Resources Director, or the Chief Operating Officer?  Maybe the Executive Team would work together better together knowing that one of their number might be the next team leader, and it would force the board to ensure sufficient skills below the Executive Team for adequate back-up to the executive's functions.

There could be one other, pivotal benefit to this model -- helping to solve the CEO pay issue that has plagued firms for many years.

A rotational CEO position would put boards in control of the CEO spot, rather than the other way around. Instead of paying huge sums to and relying exclusively on a single individual, boards would groom multiple individuals of diverse skills useful for finite durations, with pay cheques to match. Investors would benefit knowing the company had several qualified and/or tested CEOs from which to choose. Perhaps, by failing to engage in adequate succession planning and to rein in pay, boards have, inadvertently, pointed us to a better, more cost-effective model at the top.

Some companies subject candidates to round after round of interviews and psychological assessment in the hope that this will determine the right person for the role. But it might be that the answer isn't more interviews — it's better interviews, that incorporate targeted questions looking for a measure of EQ.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a combination of self-management and social skills that can transform and optimize individual or team performance.

Many years of research has shown that great leaders excel not just through skill and intelligence, but by connecting with others using EI competencies like empathy and self-awareness.  These competencies when learned and practised on a group level can also transform team performance.

Not all roles require a high level of EQ but there wouldn’t be many where it wouldn’t make a difference.  It’s essential that a high level of EQ is measured for roles with responsibility for managing and motivating teams. 

How to interview for this quality

To help you identify candidates with high EQ, a series of interview questions can be prepared and asked.  Candidates with high EQ will score well in three key areas:

(1)  Self awareness and self-regulation;

(2)  Skill at reading others, and ;

(3)  Ability to learn from mistakes.

 Knowing not only what to ask but also what to listen for can greatly increase your chances of making a better hire every time.

Self -awareness and self regulation

The candidate understands what drives him and how it affects his behaviour.  He can regulate his negative emotions so that fear, anger or anxiety doesn’t make him lose control and rage at his colleagues but he is able to keep emotions in check and project calmness and positivity to the rest of the team.

Questions that could be asked to establish the level of EQ in this area:

-       Can you tell me about a time where your mood, either negatively or positively, has affected your performance?

-       Can you remember a conflict you have had with a peer, direct report or your boss.  How did it start and how did it get resolved?

Things to listen for is evidence that the candidate is aware of his own emotions and has been able to regulate his behaviour accordingly.  A red light would be someone who appears to have no awareness of the connection between their emotions and their behaviours and the affect it has on others.

Reading Others

The candidate has developed a good emotional and social “radar” and can sense how her words and actions may influence those around her.  She can also pick up on cues from their words and actions and be able to be persuasive and motivating by adapting her words and actions accordingly.

Questions that could be asked to establish the level of EQ in this area:

-       Can you tell me about a time when you did or said something that had a negative effect?  How did you know it had had a negative impact?

-       Have you been in a business situation where you felt you should adjust your behaviour?  How did you know and what did you do?

Positive things to listen out for is whether they can identify times where they have picked up on non-verbal cues and they are very aware of themselves in relation to others. Red lights would be the person who struggles to remember a time when they have picked up on non- verbal cues or relate stories which are all about me, me, me.

Ability to Learn from Mistakes

People who recognise they have made mistakes, are able to reflect on them and learn from them will score high in this area. They will see these events as a growth opportunity.

Question that could be asked to establish the level of EQ in this area:

-       Can you remember a time where you felt you were on the wrong path?  How did you come to realise?  What did you do about it?  Do you think you leant from this mistake?

Good things to listen out for from the candidate is her ability to take accountability for mistakes and the ability to reflect on the lessons.  A red light would be the person who is very defensive, blames others for mistakes and has not learned from past mistakes.

There are many aspects of emotional intelligence but focussing on these three key areas during the interview process will go a long way to identifying candidates with high EQ and eliminate those likely to cause more damage than value.

• a transference of invaluable knowledge between the generations;
• a transmission of your company's purpose, vision and values to new hires;
• excellent mentors for younger employees;
• the know how and expertise to tackle ‘just in time’ special projects outside their usual roles, such as task forces or working committees.

Yet more of these workers are reporting to people younger than they are.

A recent survey conducted by a US Job Site for Mature Workers found that 43 percent of workers ages 35 and older said they currently work for someone younger than them. Breaking down age groups, more than half (53 percent) of workers ages 45 and up said they have a boss younger than them, followed by 69 percent of workers ages 55 and up. This survey was conducted from November 5 and November 23, 2009, among more than 5,200 workers.

This presents unfamiliar challenges that, if ignored, can prevent you from attracting, retaining, and engaging older employees.

Workers report that there are a variety of reasons why working for someone younger than them can be a challenge, including:

• They act like they know more than me when they don’t;
• They act like they’re entitled and didn’t earn their position;
• They micromanage;
• They play favorites with younger workers;
• They don’t give me enough direction.

Leaders that recognize the importance of employees working together to move the business forward, regardless of age, will continue to build success.

Leaders can help younger and older workers to recognize the value that each group brings to the table. By helping them look past their differences and focusing on their strengths, workers of any age can mutually benefit from those around them, creating a more cohesive workplace.

 
There are a few ways for organisations and younger managers to maximize the value provided by older workers. The key is in recognizing that boomers' needs differ from younger generations (Gen-X, Gen-Y and Millenials) and to adapt your management practices accordingly. A few suggestions:

Understand others’ point of view

Different generations tend to have differing opinions on a variety of topics, from management style to pop culture. Put yourself in the others’ shoes to better understand where they’re coming from.

Adapt your communication

Younger workers tend to favor communicating frequently using technology, such as e-mail and instant messenger. Older workers may prefer more face-to-face contact. Both parties should take this and other communication differences into consideration when interacting.

Keep an open mind

Try not to make assumptions about those who are of a different age group than you. All workers have different skill sets and strengths, so see what you can learn from others rather than making judgments based on their age.

Lead with mission

 As employees age, they become more altruistic. Emphasize the positive impact of older workers' efforts on the world around them.

 
Forge social connections

 
Many older employees keep working to maintain social relationships. Offer tasks that require interaction with others.

Provide different benefits

 
Tailor benefits or incentive schemes such as insurance programs or discounts on older workers' interests. An emerging trend is for workplace wellness programs with a focus on older employees.   Programs that educate older workers and help prevent complex and costly medical interventions help companies contain costs and enhance their employees' quality of life.

 
Research

 Research who your older workers are, what they want, and how to manage them for maximum value. Ask them what they value.

Who to Hire?

It might be an operations role, it might be someone who is 20 years further into the sector and has connections and experience you can draw from, it might be someone like a CFO, or IT Director whose technical expertise will add value or a really great admin person who relieves you of all the day to day work and frees you up to work on the business rather than in the business. It all depends on the company's current leadership mix, history, strategy and place in the market.

A CFO may be required if your company is growing at a rapid rate, requiring outside financing or careful cash management; when your company requires a formal audit; or when you are contemplating a complex financial transaction such as an acquisition, merger, or public offering of stock. So how do you go about finding a seasoned CFO? Many companies work at first with a part-time financial executive, an interim manager whom they later recruit to join the management team on a permanent basis.

Traditional HR can often be outsourced. Many smaller companies manage their HR by employing a good interim HR Manager or part-time consultant to assist with initial set up and understanding of legislation, process and procedures. Recruitment can also be outsourced again to a good consultant or by hiring in a part-time recruiter who knows your longer term business strategy and company culture. Hiring a seasoned HR Director on an interim basis for a defined period of time will ensure you implement best practice policy and procedures whilst keeping your costs down.

What is the biggest challenge that young companies will face in 2010?

Some young companies may be facing issues with their lenders or investors, and they may be having a hard time making promises around company stability. If you're trying to hire experienced, strong candidates, you have to be able to show that your company is stable, has growth opportunities and has the resources required for the candidate to be successful. But honesty is still the best policy and avoid sugar-coating challenges - if someone feels they have been misled down the track this will only result in bad feeling all round.

If you're hiring less experienced staff, it's more critical than ever that you hire for flexibility and their ability to think on their feet. Within a smaller business environment these skills and attitudes are essential as the days of organisational charts with clearly defined job descriptions and career paths are out dated and have been replaced with a flat structure with people prepared to carry out diverse, flexible roles under-pinned by a culture that embraces autonomy, flexibility and a clearly defined purpose, vision and set of organisational values which everyone is guided by and which allows for good management decision making, by everyone.

What's the biggest opportunity?

Of course, companies have an opportunity to pick up talented people who have been made redundant in the last year or two, but, more importantly, they have a great opportunity to realign their company culture.

Retain Your Loyal People

If you're trying to retain staff, the future value proposition needs to be clear, honest and, if not exciting, certainly brighter than it may have been painted in 2009. Current staff  need to hear some sincere gratitude for the sacrifices, hard work and flexibility they have already shown and most likely will have to continue to show in 2010.

According to a recent report in Forbes, a daily thank you proves a powerful employee motivator

Verbal praise from a manager can be as effective as a cash award in motivating employees, yet a survey shows 75% to 80% of workers say they get little recognition from bosses. Restaurant chain Hard Rock Cafe reports worker turnover was reduced 3% when managers gave verbal recognition to workers for a minute a day.

What's the most important step a small, fast-growing company can take to build its leadership pipeline?

Recruiting top managers is not always easy. Persuading talented leaders to join a start-up is not as hard as it once was, but it still involves having a good eye for talent and the ability to sell an idea and its potential upside to a savvy operator who might well have other options.

Moreover, making the wrong hire at the highest levels of an organization can have serious consequences. The severance costs of terminating a top manager can be high-and they can be higher still when you factor in any turnover in a key department that precedes or accompanies the departure of a bad hire.

For all of these difficulties, however, entrepreneurs who have built strong management teams enjoy obvious rewards. They can rely on the skills of others to compensate for their weaknesses. They can focus on strategic issues while confidently delegating day-to-day tasks, such as managing people. And they can use their management team to secure outside funding and establish creditability with potential customers.

Some businesses have people who are our high performers and these people are in big demand out there in the market. I'm not just talking about the " Top Gun" sales person who brings in the big orders but also the other members of the team who become indispensible to your business, I'm talking about the people who will help a business succeed even in the most difficult of times. They are the ones who pick up the slack when the organization is forced to cut back; those who continually come up with ideas on how to save time, money, and effort; and never under estimate those whose positive outlook help keep the organization and their team mates moving forward.

So how do we retain these people?

The answer is simple. Leaders must give the same attention and care to their human resources as they devote to their financial assets. For leaders under pressure to perform financially it may seem difficult to balance their focus when the economy is tough, however, it is critical to the business' success to make sure the people who manage your business are not forgotten.

There are a few different ways that organizations can ensure that they are taking care of their human resources and not only retain them but develop them to become future leaders of the business..

Have Some Respect:

Even though you and the organisation are under pressure don't take it out on your people. You must continue to treat people with kindness, respect, and dignity. It will ensure their continued loyalty through the hard times.

Create a Flourishing Environment:

Creating an environment in which your best people want to stay and perform at their best takes more than a "knee-jerk" employee motivation program. The flourishing environment is a place where people are continually given the opportunity to learn, honing their skills through a solid training and developing program. It also should be a "safe" place where people feel they are free to make inquiry and start a dialogue with their boss without fear of being fobbed off. A good leader will take the time to provide feedback to their people so that they feel stretched and challenged.

Offer Cross Training:

A business that gives people the opportunity to experience and train in different aspects of the company is a great way to cross-fertilize skills sets and experience between departments and across regions. This is a great competitive advantage when organizations are required to cut back on manpower. Cross-trained employees are equipped to handle different functions in the organization far more easily than those confined in silos.

Provide Coaching:

A leader who develops skills in coaching and is able to work one-on-one with their direct reports or who brings in skilled coaches to work with the team can discover and tap the talents of those people and direct their development. Aligning their behaviors and skills to the core strategy and purpose of the business will also make them advocates for change, enhancing the success of the organization.

Give Feedback:

The leader who recognises that ongoing feedback is a continuous process and not just an annual event that happens at the annual review meeting will be one step closer to engaging their people. Feedback need not be just about performance but also should cover issues such as handling work/life balance, developing networks, job skills and training. The organisation may consider setting up mentoring programs, support groups and action committees.

Money and Autonomy:

Money is a key motivator for anyone but it's rarely the most important one. As long as a person feels fairly remunerated they will be looking for other types of benefits and a key benefit people tend to look for is that of autonomy and the ability to be part of the decision making process.

If a business can introduce ways to involve their people in how the business operates, how it can increase it's effectiveness, be more cost effective and introduce new products or services. If a leader is bold enough to open this up to the team they will find that most people have the most amazing, creative ideas and a good handle on how to implement them because after all, they are working at the coal-face everyday - who better to ask!.

So, developing people should always be part of the strategic plan. Not only will it add value to your people's lives but adds dollars to the bottom line. Organisations that create a flourishing environment for their people to work and grow in will reap the financial rewards and hang on to their best people, even when the going gets tough. This approach will help sustain the business through the down cycles and lead to success for everyone.

If, like me, you have worked in a large corporate environment in the past, you will know that as employees, often our training and career development is supported and we don't have to plan too much to achieve our goals. But as business owners, time for professional development and learning is often neglected.

Use your Professional or Industry Memberships to learn more

If you are a professional and/or accredited member of an industry group you may be required to stay up to date by completing a certain number of development hours a year. For example, I am a member of the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) and in order to remain a Professional member I must complete 30 hours of approved Professional Development a year. This requirement will, of course, drive you to seek out approved activities that satisfy the requirement but your professional industry group will also be providers of professional development opportunities so seek out what's available on their websites and newsletters.

As an example, the CDAA provide opportunities to attend seminars, conferences and the chance to contribute to your industry newsletter or magazine, as well as the opportunity to mentor or be mentored. All of these activities will contribute to your hours and satisfy your annual requirement but most importantly will help you to keep learning.

Even though in the back of my brain I'm aware of these activities and that I must make time to complete them, I have just checked my status and I am more than half way through my year and have only accrued 8 of my 30 hours required. However, looking more closely at the activities relevant, I realise that I am probably completing more professional development in every day activities than I am giving myself credit for. You may not have a requirement to keep a professional status with an industry group but as a business owner and leader I urge you to try and incorporate some time for continuous learning - one day you will be glad that you did!

I would like to share a few ways we can incorporate both formal and self-directed learning into our every day plans.

Write a Blog

One way of staying current is to regularly write articles for your own blog and contribute to other industry related blogs. Become a contributor to The Australian Businesswomen's Network blog. Blogging gets you in the habit of researching various topics in your area of expertise and provides an up-to-date understanding of what's going on in your industry. It helps to improve your writing skills and increases your knowledge of your area of expertise as well as building your profile as an expert in your field. So submit articles to share with your peers.

Become a Committee member

Another way to learn more is from each other by becoming a member of your state or national committee for your membership groups and associated organisations (including the ABN). Attending meetings and conferences not only earns you official development hours but also leads to new relationships with colleagues and associates within your industry, possible new leads, marketing opportunities and most of all new learning opportunities.

Read for Work AND also to be Inspired

Reading is another way to learn and keep up to date. Reading industry related journals, magazines and online publications is essential for keeping up to date, contributing to industry discussion and building your profile. Most industry websites have a newsletter that can be emailed for free, you can contribute to industry related blogs by reading articles and leaving your own comment or by starting a discussion.

Reading can also be so inspirational, even life changing. How many times have you seen or read someone being interviewed and they are asked, "What book changed your life". I have just started to read again, I found that I didn't have enough time in my day for reading but I have started to make time again and have rediscovered the joy of an engaging, inspirational story. A story can put your own life back in perspective and help you view things in a different way. It can motivate you and inspire you to make changes that you have been putting off. You can learn all manner of new things from how to save money, how to manage a crisis to how to become more healthy and happy.

One of my favourite books recently was The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. It gives some excellent tips on how to outsource your non-essential business activities so that you start to work on your business and not be destroyed by it! You can take a look through the associated website also for some great tips.

Formal Learning

The obvious way of thinking about formal learning is when you enrol and complete a course of academic study relevant to your business and professional standards. I think it's worth bearing in mind we all learn in different ways and formal learning is not enjoyed by everyone, so some people are not going to be motivated by this type of professional development. They also may have just spent several years completing their formal accreditation and the last thing they want or need to do is another formal course, but don't despair as already mentioned there are other ways to enjoy ongoing learning perhaps in ways that are better suited to your personal learning style and ways you will benefit from. Learning should never feel like a chore but should continue to fuel what we are passionate about.

Formal learning also need not be an accredited course that is directly related to your business in an obvious way but might be a way to add value to our core competencies like learning a new language, perhaps enabling us to broaden our business horizons overseas or perhaps specialist facilitation skills which will enable us to deliver our work in new and interesting ways.

Link Learning to Your Business Plan

A good place to start when figuring out where to focus your professional development is to look at your business plan. Look at what you have already achieved and see this as the cornerstones of your development plan. But, where do you see yourself in five years, how does your business need to evolve and what skills and learning will allow you to get there?

For example, if you are new to business it's probably worth investigating writing skills so that you can confidently start and maintain a good blog, as well as contribute to other blogs and articles in business related publications. A good site I have come across, for example, is www.copyblogger.com which is an excellent blog to help amateur copywriters improve their own copywriting skills. A blog that Suzi Dafnis has recommended to me recently is www.problogger.net. Here you can sign-up for daily email alerts on blogging tips, it's fantastic.

You may wish to review your core qualifications and build on them in order to get where you want to go. Post graduate courses can be completed over a couple of years part-time, and remotely in some cases so you can work at your own pace. It's a flexible and time efficient way to supplement your formal qualifications or take you into a new field. I find that SEEK Learning is a good resource for researching courses available from across the country, and all in the one place.

Keep Up with the Latest Trends

If you, like me, are a Baby-boomer or Gen Xer you will recall The Who going on about "My GGG... Generation". Not sure about you, but I'm personally not hoping for an early demise so I need to understand how things are done these days and what to expect in future.

Starting out in business, I needed to understand how business development has evolved and more and more is conducted in an online world. Blogging, social networking sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook are already generating business leads. Getting formal training or self-developed skills in this area are worth pursuing if you want a place at this marketing table. Being able to express who you are and what your business provides in an entertaining, engaging way via your blog or website will lead to success.

Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning is less expensive and works well if tailored to your business needs. Perhaps you need to consider upgrading your software skills to ensure you are optimising your ability to send out well-designed newsletters, or perhaps tackle your own accounts by learning MYOB or a similar package?

It's good idea to keep a look-out for online podcasts and webinars which are mostly free to attend, on subjects of interest such as motivation, business development, networking tips, marketing tips, etc. These can all be attended via your pc or laptop from home or your office at your convenience and are a cost effective way to gather tips and useful learning to put into practice in your business. Being a member of the Australian Businesswomen's Network is a huge benefit as they regularly offer useful podcasts and webinars on various subjects for free. The newsletter sets out what's on offer.

iTunes

Another great source for free podcasts is iTunes. They offer over 150,000 free podcasts which you can download and listen to at leisure on all manner of different subjects.

I have also discovered recently the joys of iTunes University where you can download lectures, discussions, audio books and podcasts from universities across the world such as Harvard, Stanford and others, in topics that interest you, for FREE. This is a fantastic resource for those of us who feel we no longer need any more formal qualifications but love to keep learning. It's easy, flexible, FREE, and one of the most enjoyable professional learning experiences I have engaged in, outside of setting up and running my own business! I usually listen to the lectures whilst at the gym or walking the dog - that way I am doubling up on my available time by combining it with exercise.

Block out time in your diary

It's worth blocking out a few hours a week in your schedule to complete your learning, after all life is busy and it's hard to find the time, so making it a real appointment in your diary will help you stick to your goals.

Remain Curious

Finally, always remain curious about everything you encounter and the people you meet- after all, life is unfolding and every one of our human experiences are, one could argue, the best teachers of all. Eartha Kitt once famously said "I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my Diploma". Purrrrr fectly put Cat Woman!

Clive informed us that research shows that despite huge increases in wealth, advances in health care and access to technology, western societies today are no happier than they were 50 years ago. This doesn't mean everyone is miserable; but levels of life satisfaction and well-being have not improved, despite arguably higher standards of living. The reality is that levels of anxiety, stress, fear and depression are rising.

He explained that the causes for lack of wellbeing include the breakdown of family and community relationships, increased violence, crime, drug and alcohol use, and (perhaps the most insidious culprits of all) ‘afluenza' and social comparison. Too many people believe that happiness can be found through their looks, clothes, iPods, mobile phones, trainers or cars. There's a lack of realisation that once these things are attained, we all too quickly adapt to them and promptly become envious that others have something bigger, better or newer.

Like the wicked queen in Snow White, when we can only judge ourselves by what the external world (the mirror on the wall) thinks, we can never be truly happy.

So, enough of the bad news.What's the good news?

Clive assured us all that the field of positive psychology provides a wealth of evidence that it is possible for us to increase levels of happiness and well-being and sets out a clear and applicable framework for living a life of pleasure, engagement and meaning.

We know that the most hopeful and optimistic people share three simple characteristics:
they have goals,
they have agency (self belief) in their ability to reach the goals and
they are able to identify a range of pathways or routes to success which helps them to persevere when faced with inevitable setbacks.

Five daily actions that will help you flourish

Clive went on to give us several examples of how we can begin to build our resilience, improve well-being and aim to be our best possible selves. In particular, I was fascinated by the research that was commissioned in 2008 by The New Economic Foundation, by the UK Government's Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Well-being. The review was an inter-disciplinary work of over 400 scientists from across the world with an aim to identify a set of evidence-based actions to improve well-being, which individuals should be encouraged to build into their daily lives. Here is a brief description of those five actions and how you incorporate them into your daily life:

1. Connect

Connect with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the corner of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
Social relationships are critical to our well-being. Survey research has found that well-being is increased by life goals associated with family, friends, social and political life and decreased by goals associated with career success and material gains. Governments can shape policies in ways that encourage citizens to spend more time with families and friends and less time in the workplace. For example, employment policy that actively promotes flexible working and reduces the burdens of commuting, alongside policies aimed at strengthening local involvement, would enable people to spend more time at home and in their communities to build supportive and lasting relationships.

2. Be active

Go for a walk or a run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
Exercise has been shown to increase mood and has been used successfully to lower rates of depression and anxiety. Being active also develops the motor skills of children and protects against cognitive decline in the elderly. Yet for the first time in history more of the world's population live in urban than non-urban environments. Through urban design and transport policy, governments influence the way we navigate through our neighbourhoods and towns. To improve our well-being, policies could support more green space to encourage exercise and play and prioritise cycling and walking over car use.

3. Take notice

Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the usual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
In the US, research has shown that practising awareness of sensations, thoughts and feelings can improve both the knowledge we have about ourselves and our well-being for several years. But the twenty-first century's never-ending flow of messages from companies advertising products and services leaves little opportunity to savour or reflect on our experiences. Policy that incorporates emotional awareness training and media education into universal education provision may better equip individuals to navigate their way through the information super-highway with their well-being intact; regulation to create advertising-free spaces could further improve well-being outcomes.

4. Keep learning

Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
Learning encourages social interaction and increases self-esteem and feelings of competency. Behaviour directed by personal goals to achieve something new has been shown to increase reported life satisfaction. While there is often a much greater policy emphasis on learning in the early years of life, psychological research suggests it is a critical aspect of day-to-day living for all age groups. Therefore, policies that encourage learning, even in the elderly, will enable individuals to develop new skills, strengthen social networks and feel more able to deal with life's challenges.

5. Give

Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

Studies in neuroscience have shown that cooperative behaviour activates reward areas of the brain, suggesting we are hard wired to enjoy helping one another. Individuals actively engaged in their communities report higher well-being and their help and gestures have knock-on effects for others. But it is not simply about a one-way transaction of giving. Research shows that building reciprocity and mutual exchange - through giving and receiving - is the simplest and most fundamental way of building trust between people and creating positive social relationships and resilient communities. Governments can choose to invest more in ‘the core economy': the family, neighbourhood and community which, together, act as the operating system of society. Policies that provide accessible, enjoyable and rewarding ways of participation and exchange will enable more individuals to take part in social and political life.

BONUS: Get a coach!

Finally, one more way to learn about and understand how you can use your strengths and inner resources and to achieve a life of purpose, satisfaction and achievement is by attending an Evidence-based intervention, such as a workshop or one-on-one coaching. Outcomes of research studies have shown that coaching can result in significant increases in levels of well-being, resilience, hope and goal attainment in people. Exploring such findings might add value for your own life as well as the lives of your friends, family and colleagues and result in flourishing people.