Would you Fire your Employees too?

A few days ago it was reported that two respected police officers had been fired for sending racist text messages. The Metropolitan Police commented that police officers holding racist views do not have a place in the Police Force. Scotland Yard reported that the officers had “breached its standards in relation to authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity” (Click here to read full report)

Some of you will be sympathetic that these officers have had their careers ruined. Some of you may be wondering why were these texts sent when the Metropolitan Police heavily invest in diversity, equality and inclusiveness training.

What action would you take if your employees behaved in this manner? Would you have fired them too?

More importantly in your organisation, what do people really think after participating in diversity and inclusiveness training?

Is your diversity and inclusiveness training achieving the desired outcome? How do you know? If your evidence is numbers and graphs, then I am sorry to say, you are not looking at the complete picture.

The organisational culture is at two levels: what the bosses “see” as a result of their training investment and the “real” culture where people haven’t embraced the changes needed. The “real” culture often stays hidden below the bosses’ radar but is very much experienced by the employees.

There is a lot of talk on how diversity training should address unconscious biased thinking, which is great except you don’t know what you don’t know. You cannot change a person’s values and embedded beliefs by awareness training alone.

What we say and how we behave are indicators of attitudes stemming from our beliefs. The real indicator of whether your training interventions have had the desired effect is to notice what they say and how they behave outside of the work environment. This will reveal whether they are embracing the learning and therefore changing or are they paying lip service and going through the motions of being politically correct in the office.

Your organisational culture is defined by real behaviours from real people and unless you really make an effort to notice, you won’t see the “real” culture.

So, what can you do?

Start by encouraging your staff to build genuine rapport with people who are different to them, by finding connections and exploring similar interests and hobbies. If you think about your close circle of friends, how diverse is it? If your social group isn’t diverse do you really understand some of the different challenges, concerns and viewpoints of other people and cultures?

If you have built up a relationship with someone, you don’t see their colour, gender, disability etc, you converse with the person on the inside. This leads to increased trust and you start to understand each other better. This is your opportunity to understand different people and cultures, leading to new ways of thinking and creating an exciting environment to work in, all of which impacts positively on the company performance.

Changing the organisational culture isn’t easy. We specialise in leadership training that delivers. Our delegates genuinely embrace the changes needed within themselves, proven by the feedback we get from their bosses.

To deliver diversity training that has real impact is the biggest challenge in the workplace. If you would like more information and access to free resources please contact us on info@kaurvalues.com

Be a Woman of Influence

Is there a Glass ceiling?

Why are only a small percentage of  women successful?

Are you recognised for your talent or are you held back?

Be a Woman of Influence is a workshop on the real secrets to being successful and having it all

 Whether you run your own business or are employed in a professional environment, you have a responsibility to pave the way for future upcoming senior women directors in the work place.

You do so by being successful and we show you how

 

Learn leadership insights into how women and men can work together change the behavioural norms that hinder both sexes and leave with a clear actionable development plan to:

  • Boost your career;
  • Get promoted;
  • Make your mark;
  • Get increased recognition for your skills and
  • Manage work/life balance challenges while still having it allThis workshop is open to men and women!

Content:

  • The business case from the House of Lords
  • Current Leadership challenges of gender stereotyping in the 21st century
  • Secrets to being successful
  • Tools and practical sessions on proven methodologies
  • A personal development plan to Be a Woman of Influence

Event Details:

When:                                      Monday 10th November,

Registration and welcome:         9.00am to 9.30am

Event:                                       9.30am to 4.30pm

Venue:                                      The Studio, 7 Cannon Street, Birmingham B2 5EP

Tickets:                                     £240 per person  (includes all day refreshments)

Book now on eventbrite  by clicking here Be a Woman of Influence

Or email us at info@kaurvalues.com for a discount code

Comments from previous delegates:

“Life changing outlook for the better”                 “Inspirational and challenging”             “I feel energized and recharged”

“Workshop has given me a renewed confidence to….”           “materials blew my mind away, my confidence now knows no limits”

“I am glad I made the effort to attend, I didn’t know what to expect and I am now a new person”

 

 

 

Business Workouts

“The figures speak for themselves about half of all small businesses fail in the first 4 years – so in whatever industry you work you need all the help you can get to succeed”

– Sir Richard Branson

Our Business Workout Programs are for Solo Entrepreneurs and Sole Traders who mean serious business and really want to grow their business revenue. Ideal for small business owners already up and running or in the process of setting up.

These Business Workout Programs are designed to meet  specific business challenges that will develop your business growth. Contact us now to discuss a package that suits your needs, budget and will get you results.

Our aim is to make professional business coaching affordable to all small businesses.

But hurry as we are limiting the places on each workout to ensure participants get the maximum benefit and individual support.

 

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending”

– Carl Bard

The Problem with Women on Boards

The problem with Women on Boards is that there is not enough of them, (only 12.5{2d8ca8a57a2be9c4e7c5f608c633b8d2972cbc20ea13f00e48eca0a2f3e4a9f8} for FTSE100 Boards by December 2010), despite the strong business case and evidence to demonstrate that companies perform better with a diverse board in place, as highlighted earlier this year by Lord Davies in his “Women on Boards” report.

With a real push to address the gender balancing of boards, revisiting the basics wouldn’t be amiss.

Why Women are not Promoted

The percentage of women in senior positions is small. There is plenty of research explaining why the significant proportion of posts are held by men, including references to the ease of building strong rapport and relationships where the same thinking and behavioural traits are shared  and that is where the problem starts in promoting women. Nature has dictated that the differences in the two genders are significant enough to create misunderstandings in the workplace, leading to reduced effectiveness and performance.

By understanding that there are differences and knowing the impact of these differences, an awareness is raised that causes a paradigm shift in mindsets to embrace them as a positive attribute bringing diversity of thinking and a fresh perspective.

 

What are the Differences?

Before reading on, please be aware there are more similarities than differences and what is presented here is an insight into some of the different behaviours exhibited in the majority of cases from statistical evidence and is not intended to stereotype any one group as there will always be exceptions. (Remember your frequency distribution diagrams!)
Research has shown that there are major physical differences in the brain of the two genders impacting on the way we think, behave and feel about a situation in addition to the hormonal differences contributing to differences in moods and behaviours. Typical differences include:

Men Women
  • interrupt more
  • appear more confident
  • boast more
  • oppose and debate more
  • take higher risks
  • display more directness
  • forge ahead
  • look for gaps, conflict, weaknesses
  • in it to win it
  • quickly get to point and take risks
  • allow themselves to be interrupted
  • seek more opinion
  • praise more
  • apologise more
  • ask more questions
  • show less authority
  • need to justify
  • look for areas of agreement
  • want to engage
  • explore every detail before concluding

 

The Way Forward
Men often prefer pyramidal hierarchal models and women often prefer flatter hierarchies. The result; Men often approach conversations in order to exchange information and establish themselves in the hierarchy, compared to women, who by desiring level playing fields, down play their authority. By appreciating how differently men and women approach problems, present solutions and engage with the teams, the barriers that cause frustrations (arising from misunderstandings) are broken down.
Misunderstandings work in two directions, the key to overcome the majority of misunderstandings include:

  • Clarity in communication – understanding what has not been said as well as what is being said.
  • An appreciation of different behavioural styles and preferences of those you interact with on how communication is received and interpreted.
  • Respecting the differences.

So there you have it, a brief insight into some of the problems of why women are often overlooked for board positions. For more information on where to find research papers and documents supporting the above or information on the success of diverse boards, contact me at info@kaurvalues.com.