Helping Organisations Thrive with Julian Roberts

#109 Sally Newall | How to use challenging times to create business innovation

Simply Icecream founder and owner Sally Newell talks about how she successfully navigated her business through the pandemic, despite losing 70% of her customers. Sally explains how she had open and honest conversations with staff about the financial implications of covid, and maintained regular contact with them, whilst they were on furlough. 
 
Sally's 4 adult children moved back home and helped with the day to day running of the business, pulling together as a family to make icecream during the pandemic. 
 
In order to retain staff post pandemic, and meet new requests for greater flexibility post lockdown and furlough, Sally brought in two Production Managers and two new shift patterns to balance people's work preferences and keep the business moving forward. 
 
Sally explains how she has always run 2-3 businesses at a time, and lived life at 100mph. She said lockdown gave her thinking space, and she implemented a franchise distribution, launched a vegan range, and dog icecream - all ideas that she previously hadn't had the time to put into action. 
 
Sally continues to navigate the unknown waters of business life post-Brexit, post-covid, the impact of the war in the Ukraine, the fuel crisis, and the general rising cost of living. She has seen dairy prices almost double, and explains how she manages to keep her own business going, without doubling her own prices.
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9qGFs9HCQQ
 
Connect with Sally:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-newall-148095b/
Website: http://www.simplyicecream.co.uk/
Email: sally@simplyicecream.co.uk
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com

#108 Shani Magosky | How to create impact as a leader

At the end of your meeting/conversation, what do you want people to walk away saying? How do you want them to feel? How do you need to be, in order for others to leave your interaction feeling inspired and connected?
Best selling author and founder of the Leaders Shift Project Shani Magosky discusses these questions in this latest podcast. Shani explains how people will remember how you made them feel, more than what you said. She advocates having a "to be" list, as well as a "to do" list - How do I want to show up? What mindset do I want to have when I'm communicating? Be intentional, plan to be enthusiastic, transparent and vulnerable in your communication. Vulnerability brings connection and psychological safety, and is the number one indicator of a high performing team. The more people feel free to voice their ideas, the more ideas from within a team, and the greater the benefit to the organisation.
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R278nw85EyI
 
Connect with Shani:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanimagosky/
Website: https://theleadershiftproject.com/
Email: shani@vitesseconsult.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadershiftproj
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com

#107 Charles McLachlan | How to develop your Adaptability: The ability of grit

Adaptability isn't just about surviving more punches, it is a key skill in being able to manage change effectively and thrive on both a personal and business level.
CEO and founder of 3 companies Charles MacLaughlan discusses the Adaptability Quotient, and why it is both measurable and something we can see increase. One key concept within adaptability is being able to unlearn assumptions that have led to our default actions. Charles explains ways to measure both the internal and external environment in relation to adaptability, including factors such as mental health, and psychological safety within the workplace. He challenges the concept of resilience as sometimes being an excuse for business leaders expecting people to do more with less, and relates the "Big Resignation" to lost human connectivity in the workplace.
This podcast will challenge current practices and inspire you to develop adaptability, both for yourself and for your teams.
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPy-AEEIk2g
 
Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesmclachlan/
Website: https://ceogrowth.biz/ceo-growth-academy/
Email: charles.mclachlan@futureperfect.company
Twitter: https://twitter.com/2ndhalfcareer
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com

#106 Lisa Gable | How to successfully turn around a failing company

Lisa Gable has been helping companies return from the brink for 30 years. She is a US advisor to Fortune 500 companies, a Wall Street journalist and USA Today bestseller.
In this podcast Lisa explains how to spot the telltale signs of failure; how to navigate the challenges of restructuring a company; and most importantly, how to identify and focus on exactly what needs to be done. If you could wave a magic wand what would you want your company to look like? Lisa talks about how to conceptually burn your company to the ground and then build it back up again, to achieve that perfect vision of the future. Auditing and ranking current activities helps you to maintain a clear focus in order for your company to be successful, thriving and competitive.
Lisa works with companies in very transparent and specific ways, consistently communicating and acknowledging any changes that may be making people feel uncomfortable. She takes lessons from Roman history - Caesar was known to regularly talk to his troops and listen to what they were saying; and the first President George HW Bush sent handwritten notes to staff to praise and acknowledge. Lisa has to make very tough and often unpopular decisions when working with companies, but ensures she consistently listens to and values her staff, in order to maintain relationships even with those who leave the company.
This podcast will inform, challenge and inspire you in leading your team to build an even better version of your organisation.
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMC8Jd5JE1E
 
Connect with Lisa:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisagable/
Website: http://www.lisagable.com/
Email: lisa@gable.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisagable
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com

#105 Andres Fonseca | How to support your staff so that presenteeism doesn’t negatively impact your organisation..

Is presenteeism costing your business? In 2021 people turning up for work unfit to do so cost UK businesses £24-28 billion in terms of lost productivity. In the public sector 42% of people will turn up for work even if not well enough to do so. In the private sector this rises to 51%. People struggling with aspects of their mental health are particularly likely to succumb to presenteeism as they feel their careers may be negatively affected if they admit to having mental health issues.
 
Physician, Psychiatrist and Senior Executive of privately held companies in the mental health field Andres Fonesca discusses presenteeism in the workplace, and what it might mean for your staff and your organisation. Andres addresses how to support your staff so that presenteeism doesn't negatively impact your organisation.
 
Andres is committed to improving service provision for NHS patients. He is currently CEO of Thrive, a company dedicated to creating evidence-based digital tools to detect, prevent and treat mental health conditions. 
 
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxO_TjxD9FI
 
Connect with Andres:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andres-fonseca-1679b716/
Website: https://thrive.uk.com/
Email: andres@thrive.uk.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrFon
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com

BOOST #12 | How to use visualisation to create success

Welcome to this solo series called BOOST, the purpose is to give you little BOOST to your day, to further provide ways to create a thriving organisation.
 
Michael Phelps famously credits visualisation to his success in the 200m butterfly at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won gold and set a world record despite not being able to see for the last 75m while water filled up his leaky goggles.You may be thinking, yeah I get it for elite sports but what has that got to do with the workplace. Well you can use visualisation whether for personal or business, the effect is just the same.
 
What is visualisation?
In essence it is a mental rehearsal using all of your senses – see, feel, hear, taste and smell.
 
Why is visualisation Important?
Visualisation is important because it helps to prepare and to teach you how to respond to a situation before it happens. It also helps you achieve your goals by conditioning your brain to see, hear, and feel the success in your mind.
 
How does it work?
Visualisation will engage the reticular activating system (RAS)—a bundle of neurons that acts as your filtering system and helps you to determine what information is important vs. what is not important. The phrase ‘you get what you focus on’ is linked with the RAS, and the reason why goal setting works and is important, since you are setting your RAS to filter everything for the goal achievement.
 
Three types of visualisation
There are 3 main types of visualization in performance psychology: outcome visualization, process visualization and clarity visualisation. I use all 3 types with my coaching clients where appropriate.
 
Clarity visualisation is when you look ahead to what you would like to see, hear and feel and then track back to find clarity of steps to get there.
Outcome visualisation is when you imagine your end goal. For example, you see yourself winning and crossing the finishing line of a running race.
Process visualisation is when you imagine each step it will take to get to your end goal. For example, you mentally rehearse yourself giving a presentation to an audience, going through the whole process of the event.
 
Does visualisation work?
In essence yes, and there are lots of examples used in sport along with everyday business, but also there was an empirical study conducted by Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago in 1996 on visualisation.
 
Dr. Blaslotto’s study was conducted by asking a group of students who had been randomly selected to take a series of basketball free-throws. The percentage of made free throws were tallied. The students were then divided into three groups and asked to perform three separate tasks over a 30 day period.
–         The first group was told not to touch a basketball for 30 days, no practicing or playing basketball whatsoever.–         The second group was told to practice shooting free throws for a half hour a day for 30 days–         The third group was to come to the gym every day for 30 days and spend a half hour with their eyes closed, simply visualizing hitting every free-throw.
 
After the 30 days all three groups were asked to come back and take the same number of free-throws they had in the beginning of the study.–         The first group of students who did not practice at all showed no improvement–         The second group had practiced every day and showed a 24% improvement–         The third group however, the group which had simply visualized successful free-throws, showed a 23% improvement
 
Mental rehearsal (or visualisation) is powerful because the subconscious processes the experience as a real one (by firing those neurons that are responsible for skill acquisition), makes the person calmer and more adapted to stressful situations, and can speed up the learning process.
 
How do you mentally visualise?
The process visualisation technique is a common one I use with my clients. Before you visualise, get yourself in a relaxed state, this can be done by sitting down, closing your eyes and taking 3 deep breaths in and out.Once you are relaxed, visualise the situation, for example speaking at an event in front of a audience. Mental visualise what you will see, the people, the venue, the stage etc. Then what you can hear, you speaking, the audience and other noises you may hear in the room. Then move onto how you will be feeling when you are speaking, what you can smell, has food been served and also what you can taste.Try to make the visualisation as vivid as possible, it helps if you have already been to the place before. Now visualise it all going well, using all the senses – see, hear, feel, smell and taste.
Now think of number of scenarios where there might be some obstacles to your presentation, e.g. you get a dry mouth as you are speaking, the technology doesn’t work etc. Now visualise the plans to mitigate those things going wrong, the plan B’s, e.g. having a glass of water to drink if you get a dry mouth. I would suggest you spend around 5 minutes on this visualisation, and look to do it a few times prior to the event itself.
 
In summary, visualisation is a powerful way to prepare yourself for an event or situation before you even get there, along with gaining insights into what could be the obstacles that get in the way, which gives the opportunity to develop strategies to overcome those obstacles. 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com

#104 Sally Orange | What are the analogies between endurance racing and mental health

*** Trigger warning - mentions of suicide ***
 
The analogies between endurance racing and mental health have often been cited. In this fascinating podcast Sally Orange draws comparisons between her extreme physical adventures and her challenges with severe depression, suicidal tendencies and crippling anxiety. 
 
Sally has completed over 8 Ironman triathlons, 71 marathons, along with events such as Ride Across America. She is the only person to have run a marathon on every continent dressed as a piece of fruit. Her creativity when taking part in such events is all to raise awareness and money for mental health charities. 
 
Sally describes how any big challenge needs breaking down into achievable parts, whether that is getting through the next minute/hour without attempting suicide, or completing the Marathon Des Sables. Setting and working towards a goal is helpful for her mental health, and she is committed to both supporting charities and raising awareness. 
 
When in Antarctica to run a marathon, Sally found the 24hrs of daylight hard, and found that as in life, we need a balance between the good times and the hard times, the light and the darkness, in order to fully live and fulfill our own potential. 
 
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snQ12N2QP7I
 
Connect with Sally:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-orange-95948741/
Website: https://www.sallyorange.com/
Email: sally_orange@hotmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sally0range/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sally0range
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com
 

#103 Dr Rebecca Williams | How to empower and equip your team to manage their own stress

How to empower and equip your team to manage their own stress. 
As a GP of 20 years, Rebecca saw a multitude of variations of the harm caused by stress, with most people coming to her at crisis point, when it was hard to disentangle what might be causing the physical and mental health symptoms she was presented with. This led Rebecca to start her own business, Williams Stress Management. She now helps people manage their own stress levels by recognising symptoms and putting in effective boundaries. Rebecca explains how some physiological systems are suppressed when we're under acute or chronic stress, such as the immune system, gut health, and sexual and reproductive health.. Chronic stress can also affect processes in the brain leading to mental health issues.
 
Organisations would benefit from education within the workplace to help people identify potential stressors in their lives, and develop strategies to manage this, understanding how stress might be affecting them physically, mentally and emotionally. Employees experiencing acute or chronic stress have a prefrontal cortex which is less active, leading them to be less able to concentrate and more prone to memory lapses, as well as having difficulties making decisions and planning. This can lead to more anxiety, loss of confidence, and a general downward spiral ensues. Rebecca explains simple tools to help us manage our own stress, work more productively, and generally enjoy life more.
 
Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8z2azDv5_s
 
Connect with Rebecca:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamsstressmanagement/
Website: https://williamsstressmanagement.co.uk/
Email: rw@williamsstressmanagement.co.uk
 
 
Helping SME’s build resilient, high performing teams and businesses, quickly, so they can innovate, deliver, and thrive.
 
The SME’s I work with typically struggle/suffer/ with one or more of these challenges:
- no clear strategy
- dysfunctional team dynamics
- not knowing their vision or mission
- feeling stuck and procrastinating
- business not growing
- leadership challenges
 
If you want support in helping your organisation thrive, do get in contact with me:
https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com