Creative Interventions. Team-building consultants.

 Creative Interventions have recently returned from Bulgaria where we provided cross-cultural communication awareness training for one of our Financial Services client’s who are based in Brighton and Bulgaria.  Drawing from research of Geert Hofstede (www.geert-hofstede.com), we developed a lively programme that brought to life the differences between the UK and other European Cultures.  This programme was highly successful and will bring about greater understanding between two different offices, leading to greater teamwork and productivity.

Bulgaria has a fascinating history.  Bulgarian people are warm, friendly and keen to discover what Bulgaria’s entry, one year on, into the EU will bring to them as a Country.  Bulgaria has several dichotomies:  It is here that the West fuses into East; where you can visit to ski and snowboard during one season and soak up the sun in another.  Forgive me, I am beginning to sound dangerously like a (poor) travel writer! 

The picture above is the view from the Client’s office window where Sofia nestles snugly at the foot of the Cerni Vrah mountains.  This impressive view led me to gratefully consider my own office view overlooking Richmond Park.  At this time of year, it is inspiring to see hues of new green growth gently warming the long-time barren branches.  Nurturing and calming the confusion that meddles with our daily lives.

The views and surrounding environments of our lives (business and personal) have a great impact on us as do the circumstances in which we work in.  Mark Bryan from the Artists Way at Work (www.markbryan.com) reminded me this week in his newsletter of the “4 Room Apartment”, a model of change by Claus Janssen and how important it is to acknowledge confusion as part of the change process.

In the CONTENTMENT room, there is little incentive to change because we are comfortable. 

In the DENIAL room, we are not aware of the need to change. 

In the CONFUSION room, this is where it all happens! Accept the discomfort in order to move to the next room.

In the RENEWAL room, Ahhh, it is here where are energy returns!

Bulgaria has opened up a new window of opportunity for Creative Interventions but along with that comes some “acceptable” confusion.  I am grateful to Claus’s model (and Bryan for sharing it with me) inviting permission to accept the confusion and work with it to discover what it means for the future.

Hope Spring is coming to your work environments too!

Donna

 Mandy and I thought you would be interested in statistics released by The Institute of Leadership & Management (www.i-l-m.com) that suggest that learning to lead comes from our involvement in childhood activities.  Take a look at the following enlightening list.  

• 44% were school prefects, 9% were head boy or head girl  
• 22% were captain of a school team, 69% played sport for a school team 
• 34% were Boy Scouts, 42% were Girl Guides 
• 16% were in the school choir, 11% in the school orchestra             
• 32% believe that academic qualifications are the most overrated indicator of a good leader            
• 32% per cent of today’s leaders left education with a degree or equivalent qualification                               
• 12%  left school under the age of 16                              
• 7% left school with no academic qualifications.

The survey was conducted using anonymous telephone interviews with 502 business managers from companies with more than 50 employees across 10 business sectors (manufacturing, construction, retail, leisure, financial services, publishing & media, professional services, telecoms & IT, healthcare, public sector). 

If you or your colleagues would like to develop your leadership capability, check out our ‘Creative Leaders’ programme.  http://www.creativeinterventions.co.uk/whatwedo/fullcourses.php.  We have some information on available funding sources to support SMEs too!Does the survey say much about how we work in teams?  We think it does, so is leadership about being a team player?  Is it about understanding how teams work?How have your school experiences shaped you as a leader?  I was a Brownie!!

This was a question that Mandy and I asked as we walked across Southwold Beach in Suffolk this weekend.  Both of us have a healthy preference for Extraversion (E) in our Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI^®) and to replenish our creative juices, we take ourselves off to “an Ipswich” as we fondly call it - an overnight stay at the fabulous Salthouse Harbour Hotel (www.salthouseharbour.co.uk) which has the most sumptuous rooms and fabulous food, mostly locally sourced. I digress and wallow!  As “E’s” we enjoy going outside and draw inspiration from other people and places.  Southwold was our example this weekend.   Have a look at the pictures of this amazing Suffolk coastal village. (For lettings, check out www.southwoldlettings.com).   We came away with some inspiring ideas around supporting our “Creative Leaders” and we shall be sharing them with you in due course. But our question that we would like to pose is . . .  What about our friends who have a preference for Introversion (I).  How does this experience differ for you?  Is there a difference at all?  Where do you draw your energy from? We lay the gauntlet for our first Blog debate!  Bring it on!! 

Well, we’ve finally done it! Creative Interventions is now online with a great new website explaining what we do, and we’ve decided to jump in at the deep-end with a blog to finish the place off. We think it looks rather smart - do you agree?