Sian Jeffery’s Post

Sunny days still have shadows 'happy' people still have sorrows Green Day put this so well "My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me 'Til then, I walk alone " Today, 10th September is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SeniorLeaderApprenticeship programme includes themes of safeguarding and british values - this is not to tick boxes. It is to put these themes into practice as #Leaders. It is pushing leaders to think about the wellbeing of people within their span of care. Span of care goes beyond direct reports or even within our own organisations, it is reaching out to the communities we are part of. It is 'finding' people and caring. Today some people are walking the boulevard of broken dreams - are you willing to find them and walk beside them? #PeopleMatter #Kindness #LookAfterEachOther #CompassionateLeadership #SuicidePrevention #Talk

Apprenticeship portfolios are easier than you might think. #Apprenticeships are all about applied learning to build skills and develop behaviours to deliver impact in the workplace. ☑️ Do the learning ☑️ Apply learning and develop skills ☑️ Reflect on the impact ☑️ Collect the work products produced for your portfolio It is that simple - don't overthink it! #ApprenticeshipsWork #Skills #WorkplaceLearning

When coaching reveals an uncomfortable truth. Exactly halfway through my Nutritional Therapy degree; a coaching module presented me a hard truth - I would never practice as a Nutritional Therapist. Using coaching techniques to work at depth to support change, I felt the intense emotions of the people I was working with acutely (dietary changes almost always have an emotional component). Managing the balance between boundaries and empathy was overwhelming. As a problem solver I wanted to 'make it better'. For some people, just being heard is what they need for 'it' to be better, people take time to see their own solutions. I recognised a role where boundaries and empathy are so close would not work for me. I need some open space to problem solve. In this situation my climbing mindset was a super power. Realising Therapy practice was not for me was like a hold gave way. I had fallen and picked up some significant grazes. I assessed the damage, I recognised the skills I had developed and passions I was discovering. I was still on the rock face (phew!) and it was clear there were other routes I could explore. A new course option was being validated. Putting my faith (and money) transferring to a course with no proof of concept was a risk. I became the first graduate of that programme. The reward I gained from taking that risk was discovering my deeper passion of supporting the learning of others. I continued to fuel my passion for learning and education. Through developing my education credentials I was able to create a new route on my climb, changing my headline from Nutritionist to Educator, circling back to become the programme leader of the programme from which I was the first graduate. Those coaching skills were not wasted. I have a great bank of questions to support students develop and apply their learning for change and development. My educator role resets the boundaries, creating space for collaborative problem solving, providing me a pressure release for the intense emotions that can come with change. Coaching can be genuinely lifechanging, mindset is what drives the direction of response to that change. Being reflective to notice the glitter and the gaps in my skill set and understanding the experiences that bring a little sparkle to my soul help build courage to take some risks which can lead to some pretty good (if unexpected) places. #Reflection #Courage #MindsetMatters #Progress

Simple questions prompt deep thinking... "Bring an example of something that made you the person you are today." This was a task for a recent team meeting. I considered some of the easy pickings of: 🎓 BSc 🎓 PGCert 🎓 MA 🛠️ First job 🛠️ Career change Achievements and formative experiences but did they make me the person I am today? Probably not I turned my thoughts to a more personal direction. ❤️ Relationships ❤️ Children These are certainly a huge influence on my life and the choices I make. Making external things the things that make me the person I am today is putting ownership outside of myself. It took me a long time to get to Mindset is what made me the person I am today. It was the experience of learning to climb that has helped me understand the mindset that makes me the person I am today. As a climber you can only climb safely so far on your own. At some point you need a belay partner. You know you have a good belay partner when: ✔️ You trust them with your life (literally!) ✔️ You communicate well - you both know what is meant ✔️ They notice your non-verbal cues - respond with encouragement/advice ✔️ You ask for and trust their advice ✔️ They are goldilocks at rope management! (you can move and safely explore) ✔️ They don't drag you up - this hurts! ✔️ Catches you gently - if you fall you don't want a drop and yank approach! A climbing mindset has made me the person I am today: ✔️ Being the lead in my climb ✔️ Choosing the right belay partner at the right time ✔️ Being realistic about my ability at that time ✔️ Being able to recover when a hold gives way ✔️ Replacing kit/developing skills for the next stage ✔️ Taking some risks As with most adventurous activities, the gains don't come without some scars. Scars might start red and angry I have found, over time, they fade to silver and become part of the story of who I am. My object to bring to this grown up show and tell? A carabiner necklace. A reminder, whenever I need it, I am the lead in my own climb. #MindSet, #YouCanDoIt #NeverGiveUp #WeAreUnique #CarefulWhoYouTrust

Change is often challenging especially when new 'normal' appears worse than the starting point. A significant prescription change forced me to make a change in the glasses department. I wear them all the time, new glasses feels like a little identity change. Declining night vision is my first sign that a change is needed. Next comes struggling with screens. The change is inevitable. This may resonate with other glasses wearers. What I want is essentially the same as I've got But a version I can see with. My frames are obsolete, the only choice is choosing something new. I try on every frame matching my exacting criteria. Eventually I settle on an acceptable frame. The fitting and measurements all done, I eagerly await delivery of my new upgraded eyesight. The first try of the new glasses I'm still nostalgic for my old ones! The optical assistant gently persuades me to give the new glasses a chance, it could take up to 2 weeks to adjust to the new lenses. I do the work, I wait for the time, I get used to the look however the vision never matches the promise I take the glasses back and explain the issue The store manager says to me: "But they look really nice" He seems to have missed the focus. The 'look' from his side of the glasses isn't the issue. The issue is: The problem I bought the new glasses to solve is now a worse problem. This made me think about why #change fails. When we are implementing change, we need to do the work to understand the core needs of stakeholders and make sure the solution satisfies these core needs. Simply looking good is not enough!

Love this creative challenge from Slow Ways. This is an analogy I frequently use working with Senior Leader Apprentices. The apprenticeship standard is an invitation to explore. #Apprentices curate their own story and illustrations. #Storytelling #Curiousity #ExperientialLearning

Storytelling is a core leadership skill. This simple sketchnote is a great example of why. #Apprentices on leadership programmes have specific learning outcomes around #storytelling to #BuildVision, drive change. I hope I never grow out of finding stories engaging!

Universal truth is rare... Verisimilitude creates an arena in which truths exist I first learned of the concept verisimilitude whilst studying nutrition science, a discipline rife with different versions of the truth. It was a very useful way to move away from a binary position of true or false. It helped me see that we are all circling around a version of the truth. Verisimilitude became a favourite word more personally. I first learned it during in a 'vocabulary expanding' phase with my daughters. There are happy memories of eating dinner and sharing examples of new words we had learned that day. It brought a little warmth to my heart when I was reading The Perfect Story by Karen Eber and saw it twice on one page! This feels an important idea in #Leadership and the ability to drive #change. Verisimilitude can be defined as: The likelihood that story events may actually happen (Van Laer, et al., 2014). Creating vision “imaginary solutions for real contradictions.” Connecting indivduals to coherent truth or personal truth Frequently my youngest daughter used verisimilitude to connect us to a coherent truth, that she almost conviced us Charles Dickens was the first person to use the term YOLO! We are operating in world of uncertainty, often the 'truth' is unclear or things change and new truths emerge. #Apprentices on leadership programmes, have outcomes including: "Establishing the value of ideas and change intiatives and driving continuous improvement" Verisimilitude is an important concept to tell stories to cultivate belief in possibility, to shift from imaginary solutions to impactful change and action. #Storytelling