Who Moved My Cheese?

Who Moved My Cheese? is  a simple parable that reveals profound truths.  It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy.

Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in your life – whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money or a possession, health or spiritual peace of mind.

And the maze is where you look for what you want – the organisation you work in, or the family or community you live in.

This profound book from best selling author, Dr Spencer Johnson will show you how to:

• Anticipate change
• Adapt to change quickly
• Enjoy change
• Be ready to change quickly, again and again

Discover the secret for yourself and learn how to deal with change, so that you suffer less stress and enjoy more success in your work and in your life.”

In his Foreward, Ken Blanchard said “I’m such a strong believer in the power of ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ that I recently [c 1998] gave a copy of an early pre-publication edition to everyone (more than 200 people) working with our company.  Why?  Because like every company that wants to not only survive in the future but stay competitive, Blanchard Training & Development is constantly changing.  They keep moving our “cheese”.  While in the past we may have wanted loyal employees, today we need flexible people who are not possessive about “the way things are done around here.”

Over 24 million copies have been sold.

I first read this little book in 1999 and I still find it useful.  I personally relish change (and deliberately seek it out) which sometimes makes it hard for me to understand what other people (who find change difficult) feel and think.   This book gave me considerable insight.  I’ve read some reviews where people have said that this book “states the obvious” and therefore isn’t worth reading; but I strongly disagree.  Sometimes what is obvious to one person is hidden from someone else and sometimes the simplest metaphors contain the most profound truths.

Unit 5001 Personal Development as a Manager or Leader

I have recently completed my Assignment for Unit 5001 “Personal Development as a Manager or Leader” as part of my Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring (via CMI) and have thoroughly enjoyed the process, especially as this was the final Assignment.    I’ve now completed the whole Diploma.

Unit 5001 covers the following:-

Be able to assess and plan for personal professional development

• Explain the importance of continual self-development in achieving organisational objectives
• Assess current skills and competencies against defined role requirements and organisational objectives
• Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs
• Construct a personal development plan with achievable but challenging goals

Be able to plan for the resources required for personal professional development

• Identify the resources required to support the personal development plan

Be able to implement and evaluate the personal development plan

• Discuss the processes required to implement the personal development plan
• Evaluate the impact of the personal development plan on the achievement of defined role requirements and organisational objectives
• Review and update the personal development plan

Be able to support and promote staff welfare

• Discuss the relationship between staff welfare and organisational objectives
• Explain the process for assessing staff welfare
• Identify the actions to be taken by the manager dealing with a staff welfare issue
• Describe how to communicate responsibilities for staff welfare to the team
• Discuss records that may be maintained to demonstrate that staff welfare is supported

Amongst the many and varied resources I used, I found the following books to be particularly relevant and useful:-

 

How coaching to improve Resilience can help

Thursday 15th September 2011 (6pm-9pm)

Association for Coaching UK – Cambridge presents

“Leading in Change, Uncertainty and Crisis – How coaching to improve Resilience can help”

Venue: Wolfson Court, University of Cambridge

For full details: http://www.associationforcoaching.com/event/CAM110915.pdf

Directions: http://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/contact/directions/#to-girton-by-car

 

 

For details of all Workshops: http://www.associationforcoaching.com/event/workshops.htm#1_15

Coaching for Performance and Business Change Conference

CIPD Coaching for Performance and Business Change Conference

20 September 2011, London

• discover how to enhance business and individual performance with powerful coaching tools
• gain invaluable advice on designing and implementing the right coaching programme
• pick-up rigorous approaches to measuring and evaluating coaching strategies for business success
• find innovative methods for motivating and retaining your people

Further details available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/cande/coach

Unit 5016 Management of Coaching and Mentoring Skills

I have recently completed my Assignment for Unit 5016 “Management Coaching & Mentoring Skills” as part of my Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring (via CMI) and have really enjoyed the process, especially as this means that there is just one Assignment to go to enable me to complete.

Unit 5016 covers the following:-

Understand how learning and development styles support the coaching and mentoring practice

• Assess the different learning and development styles of self and individuals
• Review and evaluate the impact of the differing learning styles on the development and operation of coaching and mentoring programmes
• Construct a development plan to support individuals and team styles using coaching and mentoring activities

Be able to develop skills as a manager in coaching and mentoring

• Assess current skills of communication and people development to support personal practice of coaching and mentoring
• Identify development opportunities to meet personal skills’ needs and to develop own practice
• Evaluate skills and practices and produce a personal development plan in relation to coaching and mentoring skills

Be able to articular and develop a coherent ethical framework to support coaching and mentoring programmes and activities

• Develop a coherent, congruent statement of ethics for coaching and mentoring programmes and activities
• Analyse the impact of personal and organisational values and belief systems on the delivery of coaching and mentoring activities
• Evaluate personal coaching and mentoring performance, detailing ways of dealing with beliefs, values, diversity and conflicts of interest

Amongst the many and varied resources I used, I found the following books to be particularly relevant and useful:-

Supercoaching (2005) by G. Alexander

Coaching Skills for Leaders (2009) by J. Arnold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, I have also ordered the following books to read as follow-up research:

Office Politics: the new rules, 2009, R. Yeung

Political dilemmas at work: how to maintain your integrity and further your career, 2008, Ranker, Gautry and Phipps

Leading at a higher level: Blanchard on leadership and creating high performing organisations, 2007, K. Blanchard

A Manager’s guide to self-development, 2007, Pedler, Burgoyne, Boydell, Maidenhead

 

Unit 5019 Management of Action Learning

I have just completed my Assignment for Unit 5019 “Management of Action Learning” as part of my Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring (via CMI) and have really enjoyed the process.

Unit 5019 covers the following:-

Understand the practice and operation of action learning against organisational objectives

• Explain the practice of action learning and the role of the manager
• Identify the benefits of action learning in the development of individuals
• Evaluate the impact of action learning on organisational objectives

Be able to facilitate learning through action learning

• Identify mechanisms to monitor that the individual is taking responsibility for their own decisions, actions and learning approach
• Establish practices to support individuals to elicit personal and organisational values
• Describe how individuals are motivated and encouraged to apply learning to practice
• Describe how the individual can be supported to maintain focus and alignment to organisational needs
• Identify programmes that integrate the practice of action learning with organisational needs

Be able to understand the impact of action learning on organisational objectives

• Evaluate the use of action learning across programmes of learning
• Analyse the organisational objectives and the impact of action learning towards achievement

Amongst the many and varied resources I used, I found the following book to be particularly relevant and useful:-

Action Learning for Managers by Professor Mike Pedlar

 

World Business and Executive Coach Summit

July 28 – August 18, 2011 (online)

“The Association for Coaching is pleased to be one of the leading organisations and strategic partners involved with The World Business and Executive Coaching Summit, to be held online July 28-August 18, 2011.”

“This summit will bring together the most influential group of thought-leaders from business coaching ever assembled, for the largest online event the industry has ever seen. The presenters, chosen from over 200 nominations, include some of the highest-calibre business coaching experts around.”

“Thousands of Business and Executive Coaches have already registered for the previously announced pre-summit series which got off to a flying start this week. Registrants are telling us about the enormous value of these pre-summit complimentary presentations, so don’t miss out and register now.”

World Business and Executive Coach Summit

Unit 5015 Management Coaching and Mentoring and the Organisation

I have just completed my Assignment for Unit 5015 “Management Coaching and Mentoring and the Organisation” as part of my Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring (via CMI) and have really enjoyed the process.

Unit 5015 covers the following:-

Understand the impact of coaching and mentoring programmes on the organisation

• Evaluate the benefits of coaching and mentoring to an organisation
• Identify how coaching and mentoring is used by an organisation
• Discuss the organisational and human resource implications of using coaching and mentoring

Be able to manage change in the operation of coaching and mentoring

• Evaluate the impact on an organisation of establishing a coaching and mentoring culture
• Identify barriers to change
• Explain how to overcome organisational and individual resistance to the implementation of coaching and mentoring

Be able to monitor and evaluate the operation of coaching and mentoring within an organisation

• Develop a plan to implement coaching and mentoring programmes within an organisation
• Establish processes and mechanisms to record and monitor the impact of coaching and mentoring within an organisation
• Review the implementation strategy to ensure continuous improvement

 

Amongst the many and varied resources I used, I found the following books to be particularly relevant and useful:-

SuperCoaching – Alexandar & Renshaw

Coaching Skills for Leaders – Jackie Arnold

Manager's Guide to Mentoring - Crawford

 

Unit 5017 Management Coaching Practice

I have just completed my Assignment for Unit 5017 “Management Coaching Practice” as part of my Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring (via CMI) and have really enjoyed the process.

Unit 5017 covers the following:-

Understand the tools and techniques used in coaching practice

• Explain what is meant by the coaching cycle
• Evaluate the use of reflection, self-awareness, dialogue, questioning and listening techniques within coaching activities to achieve behavioural and organisational change
• Explain the impact of personalities on the selection of the tools and techniques adopted with individuals
• Determine when problem-solving techniques are appropriate within coaching activities
• Explain the differing techniques needed when coaching different groups and individuals

Understand the need to develop relationships to support coaching practice

• Analyse what is needed for successful coaching relationships
• Identify how to build the commitment of the individuals to establish a partnership for effective coaching
• Establish goals and agree action plans with individuals
• Evaluate individuals’ engagement with the programe through the coaching process

Be able to develop coaching interventions to meet organisational requirements

• Discuss guidelines and protocols for interventions based on accepted coaching theory and practice
• Develop coaching interventions against identified organisational objectives
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the coaching interventions in achieving organisational objectives

Amongst the many and varied resources I used, I found the following books to be particularly relevant and useful:-

SuperCoaching - Alexandar & Renshaw

Coaching Skills for Leaders - Jackie Arnold

Excellence in Coaching - The Industry Guide - J. Passmore

 

 

 

 

 

Brand You - Purkiss & Royston-Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, I have ordered the following book:

• W.Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Work, 2000

Unit 5018 Management Mentoring

I have just completed my Assignment for Unit 5018 “Management Mentoring” as part of my Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring (via CMI) and have really enjoyed the process.

Unit 5018 covers the following:-

Understand the tools and techniques used in mentoring

• Evaluate the use of reflection, self-awareness, dialogue, questionning and listening techniques within mentoring
• Explain the impact of personalities on the selection of the tools and techniques adopted with individuals
• Identify when problem-solving techniques are used when mentoring
• Explain the differing techniques needed when mentoring individuals

Understand the need to develop relationships to support mentoring practice

• Analyse what is needed for successful mentor relationships
• Identify how to build the commitment of the individuals to establish a partnership for effective mentoring
• Establish goals and agree action plans with individuals
• Evaluate individuals’ engagement with the programe through the mentoring process

Be able to develop mentoring interventions to meet organisational requirements

• Discuss guidelines and protocols for interventions based on accepted mentoring theory and practice
• Develop interventions of mentoring to support individuals in the achievement of organisational objectives
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the mentoring interventions in achieving organisational objectives

Amongst the many and varied resources I used, I found the following books to be particularly relevant and useful:-

Excellence in Coaching - The Industry Guide - J. Passmore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Managers Guide to Mentoring book cover

Brand You - Turning your unique talents into a winning formula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a particularly useful section in “Brand You” about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (based on the work of Carl Jung) and also on Mark & Pearson’s 12 Archetypes, which has led me to add the following books to my current reading list:

• R Meredith Belbin’s Management Teams – Why they succeed or fail (3^rd Edition), 2010
• R Meredith Belbin’s Team Roles at Work – (2^nd Edition), 2010
• M Mark & C S Pearson, The Hero and The Outlaw – Building Extraordinary Brands through the Power of Archetype. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2001
• Carl Jung’s Psychological Types, 1920

 

 

In addition, I have ordered the following books:

• Anthony Stephen’s Jung: A Very Short Introduction, 1994
• W.Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis, 1975
• Jackie Arnold’s Coaching Skills for Leaders in the Workplace: How to Motivate and Get the Best from Your Staff, 2009