In the workplace, those blessed with a commanding presence, exuding charm and magnetism, are the ones who more often than not attract our attention. We walk in their footsteps, do as we’re told, and look to them for the ‘right’ answers, without asking any questions. Dangerous, perhaps – especially when we look at what’s happened recently in the big financial firms. Admittedly though, not a bad way of ensuring things get done.

Leadership aside, are there any siutations when having an extra bit of v-v-v-voom can be a good thing? What if you’re going for a job interview or making a sales pitch and have just one precious opportunity to win them over? We’d all agree that in these instances we need to dig deep and draw on anything within our personal arsenal of talents to make the best possible impression and get the outcome we want.

Dale Carnegie, way back in 1936, wrote about charisma and the powers of attraction. His books have been bought by millions wanting to discover the secret of winning friends and influencing people. He taught us the importance of making a brilliant first impression (you never get a second chance!), how to hold someone’s attention, keep them entertained and, eventually, gain buy-in and agreement. In a nutshell – how to be a great conversationalist, someone people want to be around.

I’m curious to know what you think about charisma – can it be learned?

If, like me, you’re torn between options 1 and 3 in the poll, then you may be curious to find out what it takes to inject some charisma into your communication style. Our workshop on Monday evening, 20th July 2009, will introduce you to some practical techniques that you can apply immediately and begin getting the results you want. Hope to see you there – there’s no danger in learning!

Charisma Workshop – 20th July 2009, 6.30-8.15pm in Central London

Kathleen

KS Coaching

The economic downturn we’re experiencing on a global scale is one interpretation of ‘hard times’. For many, it’s much more personal than that. People are dragging themselves to jobs every day, simply going through the motions – I call it ‘motion sickness’. Working in a way that lacks meaning, without a sense of true purpose, can feel like hard times that even Dickens couldn’t depict. It’s enough to make anyone want to have a sickie.

Maybe there’s something in the air compelling us to throw caution to the wind and catch a dangerous ride on a fast and furious current that promises to transport us to a place of more engaging, satisfying work. Trouble is, the competition is fierce and opportunities are like gold dust – they may be worth searching for but it takes a committed grafter to sift through all that sludge to get their hands on the reward.

So what to do when you’re not getting totally blown away by your work? I see two possible options:

- Take a risk and let go of that death grip hold on your parachute, free-fall for a while, see which way the wind blows you and explore those places that you’ve always been passionate about.

- Look at your parachute from a fresh perspective – see it as a tent instead. Untangle the ropes, tie them to some stakes and plant them firmly in the ground. Take responsibility for getting more out of your job by engaging and connecting with it at a profoundly deeper level.

Can’t decide? Start by listening to your gut instinct. But whichever approach you take, you’ll get there more quickly simply by doing 2 things: commit to your decision and then take a powerful step.

What’s your next, powerful, mind-blowing step? I’m curious to find out!

Happy sailing!

PS:  If the wind isn’t blowing or the ground is too muddy, you can always have a sickie – you’ll find a bit of help here: http://www.thesite.org/workandstudy/working/workwelfare/failsafesickies

“Or maybe it’s curiosity I mean. You don’t ever see or notice anything important that goes on. You never watch and think and try to figure anything out. Maybe that’s the biggest difference between you and me, after all.”

Carson McCullers wrote those words way back in 1940 in her book ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’. This got me thinking. What is it that makes each of us unique? Is it our Weltanschauung – the individual take we have on the world around us? Or is it down to the way some of us can easily accept the world we live in while others are on a continuous search for meaning and deeper understanding?

McCullers is right, the heart is a lonely hunter. But for curious beings like us, the mind, too, is a hungry hunter. Funny thing is though, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets! I’m now left wondering whether a prodigious appetite for questions, reflection and understanding can lead to obesity of the mind? If we gorge ourselves on a diet of wonder and inquiry can we retain an alert and agile mind? Or does the richness of all this food for thought make us sluggish, slowing down our cognitive function like a ball and chain? If we overdo it on reflection, do our decision-making abilities suffer?

I somehow doubt it. I tend to favour the maxim: use it or lose it. Taking in a daily dose of curiosity is a great way of exercising that hard-to-reach mind muscle. Think hard. Do ten repetitions of daily reflecting. Keep yourself motivated to question what you think is worth questioning. Your reward will come in the form of a sharper, leaner, fit-for-purpose mind always at the ready to help you work things out.

Speaking of working things out, today might be a good day try a different kind of workout. Take your mind to the gym for a change. Do some circuit training in thinking. See how invigorating you feel after you’ve wondered about something for 10 minutes. Notice how things seem different if you take a new, fresh approach to what you do. Look at the world from a child’s perspective.

What difference would it make to the way you see things if you were to try to see things differently?

Put on your curious spectacles and find out.

And don’t forget to let me know what happens and what you see – I’m curious to read about it!