Blackmill Consulting’s Post

How powerful is self-reflection? What difference could this make to your decision-making, communication, leadership style, and even well-being? I've been researching this topic, as I create a new webinar for delivery next month, and it's even clearer now that the impact of self-reflection can be staggering! 💫 According to the Harvard Business Review: "Research shows the habit of reflection can separate extraordinary professionals from mediocre ones. We would go so far as to argue that it’s the foundation that all other soft skills grow from." The practice itself is all about learning, looking back on the day (without bias or regret) to contemplate your behaviour and its consequences. With this in mind, I've been reflecting on the past few months and this has brought valuable insights: 💡 Grateful to collaborate with Carl Errington & David Bird within our People Development Team, planning impactful sessions for personal and professional transformation (up to, and including, 2025) 💡 Delivering fast-paced, experiential webinars, like 'Managing Up', has been rewarding with really positive feedback. 💡Co-delivering a talk on creating 'Psychological Safety' at the Vistry Connect event in Birmingham was an honour, engaging with a forward-thinking group. 💡Simple yet powerful relationship-building techniques, like the Betari Box, can profoundly impact interactions by setting positive intentions. 💡 Recognising the importance of recharging our 'Body Battery' to come back stronger and more effective. How often do you take time to reflect? Share how you make this practice meaningful for your personal and professional growth.

𝘼 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙀𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 I'm thrilled to have recently completed a dynamic training session on 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙀𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 that truly resonated with participants! In today’s competitive landscape, being a well-rounded professional involves more than just technical knowledge. During this session, we explored the key traits that define success: 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 & 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙: Keeping both physical energy and mental creativity at their peak is essential for sustained success. 💡 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮: Developing a deep understanding and connection with others is vital for effective collaboration and leadership. 🤗 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙚: Mastery of your field is the cornerstone of professional credibility and growth. 🎓 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 took center stage as we delved into the powerful 7-38-55 Rule, transforming the way we convey messages. We also sharpened our abilities in the Connect, Convey, and Closure model, ensuring every conversation is impactful and memorable. Lastly, we emphasized the significance of 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 - from attire and grooming to overall hygiene - because how you present yourself speaks volumes. 👔 It's inspiring to witness the enthusiasm among participants. We at KEI Wires and Cables shaping professionals who stand out not only in their expertise but also in their presence and communication. #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalGrowth #PersonalBranding #SoftSkills #CareerDevelopment #ExecutivePresence #CommunicationMastery #SuccessMindset #ProfessionalSkills #ContinuousLearning

Is your team doing ok? Could things be better? After months of research and development, we have a dynamic new way to improve team performance and productivity. We are doing this by improving manager communication skills. By giving managers the best tools and skills to inspire, set boundaries, handle tough situations and lead from a place of power we can turn a team around. Introducing: 'Six Pack: Core Manager Communication' - a way for managers to skyrocket their team. We focus on CORE skills essential for every manager: - Handling difficult conversations with ease - Providing progressive feedback - Inspiring and deeply connecting with your team - Coaching as a manager - Showing up to inspire your team - And much more Our signature approach of 1:1 online coaching meets individual needs and fits into a busy schedule. We are launching in June. You can join our waiting list to find out more...no obligation but we already have alot of demand. We'll be sharing lots of tips for managers and their teams so stay tuned...

What is your Value? I remember having a small tiff with my boss a couple of months ago talking aboit communication. One of the content was "What is the value that you aim to bring to the conversation?" So that got me thinking. When we talk about corporate employees, it is easy to say, "When you quit, they can replace you in a snap". While that is true, it does not mean that the value you bring is small. When we do our tasks, we have to ensure that everything we do, from our reports, our training deliveries to even replying an email to have value. Not just reply for the sake of replying, doing your task for the sake of KPI or training for the sake of training. Because when we bring value, we bring uniqueness, we bring responsibility and we ensure that by losing us, they will lose value. So, what value do you bring? #training #value #learninganddevelopment #personaldevelopment

Attending a work conference or learning event is one of my favorite things to do for professional development. I leave full of ideas, ready for change, and overloaded with information. But then once I'm back to reality and the day-to-day, it can be easy to have all that great information I just absorbed go to the wayside. In this Two Rivers Marketing blog, my colleague Patrick McGill shares tips for focusing on a few key takeaways to get the best results. 

Refreshed and Revived... After a long and eventful flight yesterday, I managed to catch a fitful sleep and woke up refreshed for the program, I conducted for 18 top-level managers of this company. With smaller groups, I love to introduce new activities, as a testing ground and this was the perfect opportunity. The activity, called "Bottle the Pencil," focuses on communication. Participants hold the ends of strings tied to a pencil and, as a team, must coordinate to place the pencil into the bottle. The challenge is that they can't see what they're doing, as they're looking outward. Only one designated communicator can see the task and instructs the group on how to achieve the goal. The activity was a success, yielding significant insights. A key highlight was the shift from a victim mindset, where participants initially felt it was impossible to achieve the goal. We engaged in discussions about the symbolism within the activity: 1) what did the pencil represent, 2) the meaning of the strings, and 3) the role of the bottle. This led to the concept of the "Rule of 5," where we explored: The five figures in life who help us achieve our goals. The five habits we should hold on to in order to achieve our goal. Five things that one needs to start, The five things that need to be stopped and The five things to continue. #flawsomeme "Work is all about trying new things to see if they work. If they do, then hurrah, if not, improvise" - Namita Naik "Everything is theoretically impossible until it is done" - Robert A. Heinlein

What needs to change as a business grows from sole trader to having employees? At Didactic Services Ltd, BABAK JAHANBANI, the MD, recognised that the change he needed to make was to extract the vision he had for his company from his head and involve his team in achieving it. He asked me to run a workshop to help write down the vision and develop a mission statement and some values to support it. And yesterday the whole company came together so he could share and ask for their ideas of what needed to happen in the next year to achieve their goals. The power of sharing the vision with your team and then asking them for ideas ensures that you constantly evolve as a company and stay ahead of the competition. Thanks to Babak for asking me to run these workshops and credit to you for recognising that change needs to happen to keep moving forwards. I look forward to continuing to work with you and seeing you achieve your vision 🙌😊 If you think something needs to change in your company but are not sure what let's have a chat. -------- 👋🏻I am an internal communication specialist working in businesses like yours to help engage your employees, develop your key people and help your leaders to soar.   To book a call 📞to see what ideas I have to help you improve communications in your business send me a DM 📨   #smallbusinessgoals #smallbusinessgrowth #SME #goalsetting #thepathwaycommunicationcompany

2 Weeks Left – Don’t Miss Out on This Exclusive Workshop! Join us for a FREE Peak Performance Workshop with Tony Robbins’ top National Trainer, Stu Massengill. Designed for professionals seeking to elevate their performance, this session offers expert strategies that are typically reserved for Fortune 500 companies, executives, and high-performing sales teams. What you'll gain: ✅ Three strategies for achieving immediate, remarkable results ✅ Five communication habits that drive effectiveness ✅ A deep understanding of the Success Cycle and its application ✅ A roadmap for setting clear, actionable goals in all areas of life ✅ An unbreakable mindset to enhance your personal and professional growth As Tony Robbins says, "Success is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics." This workshop will equip you with the tools to create lasting, impactful change. 📅 Date: October 1, 2024 ⏰ Time: 10:00 AM EST 💻 Platform: Zoom 💲 Cost: FREE Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from the best—reserve your spot today! 👉 Register now - https://ow.ly/Q6Ow50TpuKQ

I love learning! 😁 Completing the internal "Foundations - First Class Consulting" training last week with some colleagues from my team and other consulting sub-capabilities was fantastic! 😍 Learning about and with each other in a dedicated safe space, results in an accelerated experience with more trust, candour and curiosity - more often than not at least! 😜 We had some insightful discussions about one's status and how to give away or claim more status in various situations to achieve more impactful results. Have you ever considered every aspect of your status in differing work contexts? 😉 Another key learning point was around non-verbal communication - a field I always loved! Considering the needs of your conversation partner, client, colleague. etc. in light of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, for example, enables you to navigate conversations even more efficient and outcome focused. While most of us covered Maslow's model in various shapes and forms, it certainly helped me to put some tangible actions into my day to day. ☝ 💡 How often do we REALLY make the 5 minutes before a meeting to reflect about our desired outcomes and how often do we really reflect right after a meeting what went well and what could have gone better?! 🤔 Utilising a few recent tools I came across, I'm aiming to change that from today and will let you know how it went on Friday! 💪 Oh and I learned about myself that the "Creative Black Tie" style is the style in which I'd love to turn up to work and other events much more frequently! 😎 🕺 #MondayMotivation #Learning #Consulting #OrganisationalTransformation #ChangeManagement #Team #Leadership

If you have clients to serve, your approach can stem from one of two perspectives. Which one resonates with you? 1. "What are your service level expectations for this engagement?" 2. "How can we ensure involvement in projects critical to our strategic future?" One perspective is about playing to WIN, the other is about playing NOT to lose. Which mindset drives your client interactions?