Mindfulness at Work

Innovation culture for growth: does your company have it?

Innovation culture for growth; does your company have it?

Companies need to grow to be healthy but the key question is;

 “how do you grow, and how do you grow in a way that adds value?”

John Danner, co-faculty director of the UC Berkeley Executive Education program The Start-Up Mindset ,  says that;

” in some circumstances, growth for growth’s sake doesn’t always lead to success, that some growth might actually destroy value. The key to value-added growth is having an innovative business culture — a culture of full engagement and involvement from your people.” read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Innovation: is your company staying ahead?

Are you and your company innovating?

Today’s dynamic marketplaces necessitate that leaders perpetually innovate to remain competitive.  Successful companies – such as Microsoft and Apple expect innovation and leadership at all levels, bringing the benefits of;

  •  improved performance
  •  innovation in everything that is done
  •  inspired teams that deliver great things.

Kill the myth that innovation is something somebody else does.

 A mindful leader is someone who embodies leadership presence by cultivating focus, clarity, creativity and compassion to reach common goals that maximize the well-being of all stakeholders. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Google HQ, London

Googlers new London home: designed for their well-being

Many of you will have seen the reports this week on the plans submitted by Google for their new HQ in Kings Cross, London.  Known for being an innovative and forward-looking company, according to the plans Google has designed in recreational space to;

“ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and foster the innovation and creativity that defines the company”

Google recognizes that the formal desk is not always the place where someone has their most inspirational thoughts.  Often these occur when the conscious brain is sufficiently engaged with activities such as running, walking amongst trees, swimming, enjoying an amazing view that your thoughts from your sub-conscious brain can be heard. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Women: do they make good coaches?

When I started my career in IT, I was often the only woman on the team.  What I observed was that men operated differently and I had to learn to adapt to a new set of team social rules.  In my experience men are;

  • much more direct
  • may even shout at you when irritated
  • not hold a grudge afterwards.

Having a mentor to help with this learning became an imperative for me and was enormously beneficial.

If like me you are in the second half of your career, you may have ruminated on how you operate in the workplace.  Meeting up with a former manager from my youth, he reminded me how when I first worked for him I did not speak up in a group situation, even when he knew I had some good ideas.  This is not an uncommon trait in a woman at work. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Mindfulness at work

Finding your Inner You

Many of us have two halves to our lives – work and home.  In your home life you can easily choose to experience more mindfulness and being present in your life.  We can also practice meditation, yoga, reiki which are all good for your body and soul.  The question is;

“How can you bring mindfulness into your hectic business day where your schedule is often not your own?”

This series of articles aims to give you some ideas, hints and tips to be used in your work life.  The first is; read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Women in leadership roles

The UK economy needs two million new managers for it to achieve its predicted growth.

Women could contribute to filling the gap in leadership skills.  The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has launched CMI Women with the aim of achieving gender equality and to help employers to unlock more value in the UK’s workforce.

In many organisations women outnumber the men at junior levels yet the CMI’s 2016 National Management Salary survey shows just 43% of management roles are held by women.  1.5 million new female managers are needed by 2024 to achieve a 50/50 split between men and women. read more

By Alison Wem, ago