DS Consulting

30th April 2020

5 Tips for Lifting Morale, the Manager’s Role

Back in April, watching the UK football end of season playoffs, where the last few games for those at the top of their leagues, offer the hope of a promotion along with the fear and disappointment of staying where they are. It made me think of the role corporate managers have lifting morale with their teams.

The manager has their own feelings and emotions to deal with, each individual in the team has their unique perceptions of the tasks ahead and the realities of a positive or negative outcome.

Both impact how the team gel, support and push each other to remain cool headed and perform under pressure.

So what can you do? Here are 5 Tips
1. Always acknowledge your team’s achievements as they happen, so you can all draw on them again in high stake situations.
2. Acknowledge the skills and techniques of each individual and the value of their camaraderie.
3. Create space to hear, share and understand their greatest fears if success is or is not forthcoming.
4. Clarify with them what is in their control, what is their responsibility, what is not, to provide real focus for their attention.
5. Re-enforce that what ever result, the team will always face challenges and tough times build their resilience for these.
#leadership #neurocoaching #mentaltoughness

16th April 2020

What happened when a videographer met a NeuroScience coach?

There are some collaborations that are an easy pairing and others that are less obvious, but become extremely powerful. This is the story of when I, Dominique met John!

I’m grateful to Nick Shrimpton who provides me and my business with excellent marketing guidance that is bearing real fruit. He rightly pointed out that what visitors to my website wanted to see, was me. Afterall it is my expertise and delivery style that people are buying into at the end of the day, and I needed to give a ‘flavour’ of this in my website content.

Having accepted the logic of the argument, I was faced with the reality of knowing I would have to produce a video, and a little of the blood drained from my cheeks! Nick said not to stress overly, as he knew someone who excelled at putting people at ease in front of the camera – John Peddie at J Productions.

After a short period of reflection I considered my reaction to the idea of a video. I mentioned my reaction to John and it was his response that got me thinking. I stand up and give talks to groups and larger audiences for a living, why instinctively did I give the video idea the cold shoulder? If I felt like this, with my neuroscience background, then why don’t I share with others about what is going on in our brain when we are asked to do something that we don’t want to do. Through John’s insight, our idea for some neuroscience videos was borne.

The reasons why a great many people do not like being in a video is rooted in their past. We are a social species, like a tribe, and any risk of exclusion can drive a sense of fear. In adulthood, if you connect to a situation (like being in a video) with fear, which risks embarrassment and exclusion, anti-abandonment strategies from childhood kick in. An obvious one is avoidance; I don’t want to do that. There are though ways to train the brain to overcome this fear, as this first video explains.

With John’s help and my neuroscience knowledge we are helping to explain why the fear of appearing in a video is wholly natural. There is context for the fear and more importantly a proven strategy to overcome it.

To learn more about overcoming anxieties in stressful situations contact me: dominique@reachnewheights.co.uk

To learn more about expert video making for businesses contact John

30th March 2020

COVID and conflict. How a shift in response can aid wellbeing.

It doesn’t take something like Covid 19 and self isolation to put conflict in our paths. The fact is that in life, we are surrounded by the potential for conflict every day.

Some scale around this, a disagreement doesn’t have to move to a ‘battle’ situation. We can agree to disagree. Conflict, on the other hand, is a more powerful collision or dispute of needs, values, interests and intentions between two or more individuals or communities, groups, nations and organisations.

The neuroscience of conflict is that a threat is being detected and a brain ‘fight’ response is triggered. What if you could shift this response in yourself and change it to one of opportunity?

Conflict can be a place of possibility

This 15-minute Ted Talk video touches on how, by choosing (and you make that choice), a different view of conflict you can turn it into a productive interaction. The key points this video highlighted for me are:

Don’t hear ‘attack’ and respond with ‘attack’
Listen deeply and develop curiosity
Ask questions to gain understanding and insight of a position and situation
Share back where you spot common ground so the actual area/s for the conflict can be identified
Explore how to work with, around, change those specific area(s) and how much time and resources that may need.

The benefits

Reduce associated stress and the impact of that on the brain and body
Build bridges and deepen connections and relationships
Builds momentum and opportunity to create change

If you’re interested in learning more about managing responses to stressful situations, do not hesitate to get in touch.

6th December 2019

Three tips to deal with the anxiety and fear that can come with leadership changes.

Sparked by the news that Google’s founders are stepping back, the reaction of employees and customers can come from a place of concern, worry or a place of opportunity. Here are some tips that can help settle anxiety (in many situations) and allow you to spot opportunity and have more realistic thought responses.

1. Control your environment – Surround your self with people that boost your mood – avoid gloom merchants who can exacerbate your fears through focusing only on what can go wrong.

2. Move your body – anxiety triggers stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) that if in high and constant doses, can impact negatively on your body functions and health. By doing some exercise, even ten minutes – speed walk, a run or some yoga stretches for example, you will generate other chemicals e.g. endorphins, dopamine are produced by the brain that reduce the stress chemicals, helping you to feel better and therefore think differently.

3. Do some logical analysis – when in a calmer state, write the pros and cons of the situation, share them with some one you trust and get a focus on where you may best set your focus and what you can do to keep a sense of control.

I specialise in helping people for whom change in the workplace maybe unsettling. Any threat may be real for perceived – I help people to work through it.

21st October 2019

Re-training the brain for improved performance and greater workplace satisfaction

Most people in their jobs will, at some stage, face a situation that may trigger a nervous reaction. Common examples can include:

Workplace conflict e.g. conveying bad news to a colleague
Public events or performances e.g. a presentation
Self-belief or confidence e.g. imposter syndrome

Nerves or anxiety can reveal themselves in different ways in different people. You may recognise some of them:

Upset tummy
Constant worry
Waves of fear
Body tension – neck, shoulders, back
Faster heart rate, shallow breathing
Sweating
Trouble sleeping or insomnia
Difficulty concentrating
Restlessness – fidgety, on edge
Irritable – shouty or sharp with others

A shift in response

I help people to shift their ‘normal’ response when faced with a threatening situation. Rather than a threat, re-frame the event to a challenge; something to face up to rather than run away from. In ‘re-training the brain’ to respond differently, one is better able to meet the challenge. This shift in response is achieved using proven neuroscience techniques and is one area of coaching and development expertise here at Reach New Heights.

The right type of stress can be good for us

It’s worth noting that stress can be good for us – some people choose to seek it out voluntarily. For example:

Theme park roller coaster
Free fall parachuting
Scary films
Sitting through a World Cup penalty shoot-out

We experience the same stress indicators as in threatening situations, but we choose to ignore them. We stay and face the challenge. Being able to manage our stress response is key, remembering that good stress brings with it:

Greater focus
More commitment
Increased energy

7 neuroscience brain hacks to regain calmness and confidence

When the nervous feelings kick in. Greet them, remind them you are ‘safe,’ and they are not needed because e.g. ‘I am a [insert expertise]. I have brought value and great results in what I do.’ Speak/repeat this – out loud if possible.
Power pose. Stand upright, strong and grounded for two minutes. Read about the benefits of this posture through the work and research of Amy Cuddy.
Look in the mirror. Smile genuinely at yourself, if you like yourself, others will like you too. If you would do business with you – recognise this and smile with pride.
Eye contact – helps people to feel part of the group. Helps people build trust and rapport. Shake hands with confidence and make eye contact.
Music – if you have favourite music that creates warmth and joy memories – play it ahead of challenging situation.
Breathe – Speak as you would write – Pause and breathe at every point of punctuation (stops, commas, semi-colons, exclamations, question marks). Helps people feel confident in you and to keep up with your words
If a mistake happens (that others will notice) – acknowledge it with confidence – ‘I didn’t want that to happen (smile), (if you drop something) ‘that woke us all up!’

Next steps – Contact us.

This blog is not a teach yourself better responses to threatening situations. It is setting out scenarios that people may recognise and explaining that proven methods of brain re-training exist to create a different response by channelling natural chemicals in the body.

If you’re interested in finding out more and bringing a greater sense of achievement into your working life, feel free to contact me, I’d be delighted to discuss this subject, that I am passionate about, further.