WorkStyle Tip - using the S-word at work

Many of us are on a 'spiritual' path but for some reason it is inappropriate to mention this in the workplace. Emotional Intelligence has paved the way for being able to talk about emotions at work, so perhaps Spiritual Intelligence will open the door to us mentioning the S-word in the office?

Recently I was coaching a client and she asked me what I had been up to. This is where coaching differs from many of our allied or similar professions, in that it is permissible for coaches to self disclose. I told her that I'd been building a labyrinth. She asked me what that was and I succinctly shared about it (see below for the longer version). This natural conversation 'gave her permission' to talk about things more metaphysical - without seeming 'whoo whoo' or 'tree hugging' or 'new agey' or any of those titles/labels we put on conversations that are not 'logical' or 'evidenced'.

My own coach is a deeply spiritual woman and I'm grateful to her for pointing out that I'm in a place of manifesting things in a big way.  Recently I have seen my elderly father after a 3 year absence; and I've attracted an old boyfriend back into my life after 25 years! At the beginning of this year I wrote that I wanted to attract more corporate clients and deliver more Coaching Clinics - both of which are happening. In fact I'm just back from Darwin, Northern Territory, at the 'top end' of Australia, where I taught coaching skills to executives who were wonderfully eager to learn.

QUESTION: How can you open up the 'spiritual' or metaphysical conversation in the workplace without sounding like a hippy? 
HINT: Talk naturally about your interests without attachment. 

This may be happiness, strengths, architecture, nature, love, children... Whatever it is, there is a place to gently allude to the more metaphysical and see if your listener picks up on it. If so, great, go with it. If not, let go - don't push your ideas. So in the case above, my client picked up on my building of the labyrinth. I've also mentioned my labyrinth in other conversations with colleagues and friends and some of them had no interest at all.  Either way I'm OK. Be sure you are too.

Spotlight On... you!

This issue of WorkStyle by design shines the spotlight on YOU - the reader, and most likely, someone who is about to get into the festive spirit as the holiday season approaches.  How are you going to realise your vision of enjoying the festive season and having wonder-full memories afterwards?  WorkStyle by design readers are people who work - be it in a corporate or government organisation; in a small to medium size enterprise; or like me, as a solopreneur.

My recent visit to New Zealand highlighted how well I dress - yes you read correctly, how well I dress! Thanks to my image consultant, Helen Robinett, from Image Quest, many times a week I get feedback on how fabulous I look and, apart from making me feel happy, I get to share how 8 years ago I hired Helen to assist me with my business wardrobe. I've never looked back.  Just last month Helen came down to my home and performed a wardrobe audit before we went shopping together. I can now say that my wardrobe (both business and casual) is fully functional, stylish, easy to manage and has saved me $1,000's.  But I digress... I want to share with you Helen's tips on protocol during the festive season - or as Helen calls it, the silly season!

'The silly season is here in full swing. It's time to relax and let your hair down. Is it really? Beware the pitfalls of the office party. Check out our checklist first.

It is a social event and it's still business. Thinking that you might give it a miss? Forget it - it is part of your career building. No need to stay all night, just long enough to be seen and do a little socialising.

Office staff love nothing more than getting into work the next day to chit chat about the general attire, behaviour and who took off around the corner with whom. These stories, like Chinese whispers spread like wildfire and always make their way back to your manager and your family. Remember what you were hired for and the position you hold in the organization. The festive feel of the champagne wears off by Monday morning and the antics from Friday night’s party are not funny any more. 

To ensure your success all round for a really good night out, follow these six guidelines.'

Labyrinth Laying (or How Many Rocks Does it Take?)

Firstly, let me share with you that it was only last month that I finally learned to spell the word L A B Y R I N T H correctly. It is not as easy as it looks. This was mainly due to the fact that I was emailing all and sundry about the question 'How many rocks does it take to build a labyrinth?' As a mathematician this should have been a simple calculation as I knew the area, the length and overall dimensions of my labyrinth... but for some reason each 'expert' I spoke to said I had overestimated by a factor of 10 (and that's quite a few extra rocks!). Stephen the Engineer; Don the Science Faculty Chair; Mark the Genius (and great photographer) all agreed that I needed 0.3-0.5 cubic meters. Yet the guys at the rock supplies and my landscape architects both said 2.0-3.0 cubic meters! Anyway it turned out I needed 1 cubic meter, and along the way I learned to spell LABYRINTH.

QUESTION: What is a labyrinth?
ANSWER: A labyrinth is an ancient winding path leading through a series of seemingly endless twist and turns, into a centre and out again.

Labyrinths date back to the Bronze Age where archaeologists are finding simple seven circuit models in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Greek mythology tells the story of Theseus and the Minator at Knossos in Crete. Labyrinths were popular during Roman times and again during the Middle Ages. Today there is renewed interest in labyrinths, mainly for meditation/spiritual practice to gain a sense of peace and connection. One thing is for sure, labyrinths are a mystery. 

My own experience with a labyrinth started in 2003 when I was still married to Warwick and we were in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA visiting my coaching colleague Hannah Wilder PhD. She introduced me to the Santa Fe Cathedral labyrinth after dinner. Now this was in November, so it was freezing, dark and I was tired. The last thing I wanted to do was to walk this flat path of curves in front of a large dimly lit cathedral. I wanted to go home to bed. Yet, for some reason I went along and started walking the path (the traditional Chatres design), and I began to feel the most amazing sensation of connectedness and peace. This was not what I was expecting, so it took me quite by surprise. As I write this now, after all these years of wanting to build my own labyrinth, I remember the experience as if it was yesterday and wonder what went on that night to possess me to create and walk my own labrynth.

Regular WorkStyle by design readers may remember that Warwick and I lived in a tiny 2 bedroom renovated Victorian cottage in an inner city suburb of Melbourne - no place for a walkable labyrinth. Then we moved to 2.5 acres in sunny Maleny in Queensland and had plenty of space for the labyrinth. I took my time in getting the right layout, materials and placing, so much so that by the time I had finally agreed on the placement with the labyrinth layer, my marriage was over and I was in no mood to build! In fact within a year I had sold our property and moved to where I am now based, at the beach on the Mornington Peninsular. I live on a very steep limestone hill so I'm fortunate there is a flat area at the front of the block and it is here that the landscapers laid out the base for the labyrinth earlier this year.

Eventually I did order the rocks. My fairy goddaughter, Ella, helped me measure up the space. Mark helped me with the actual layout using stakes and string.  Two wise women, Sally and Belinda, came over to help me move each rock by hand into its right place. By the end of the first weekend it was half built. Then, my old boyfriend from university, Don came to stay and we finished placing the rocks on the following weekend. On Sunday 12 October, five years after I first walked the labyrinth in New Mexico, I walked my very own labyrinth for the first time. What an experience. Here is a picture of India and I, in the merrymentality labyrinth which is a simple seven circuit traditional design - honouring my Norse/Scandinavian heritage!

If you are interested in labyrinths simply google LABYRINTH and you will be amazed at all the sites that come up. There are many books on labyrinths and I find Labyrinths - ancient paths of wisdom and peace by Virginia Westbury very readable.

QUESTION: What is the difference between a labyrinth and a maze?
ANSWER: A labyrinth is unicursal (one path only) and a maze has choice points and dead ends.  They are 'cousins'.

Darwin, Australia's most northern capital

When I was a little girl, I remember my brother and his wife living in a far away city called Darwin. I had never been there and from what my parents and elder siblings said, it was a frontier town. Darwin (and my brother) made the news in 1975 when Cyclone Tracy hit the city on Christmas day, literally flattening 70% of the buildings to rubble. 

Fast forward to last Friday when I visited for the first time so that I could run a Coaching Clinic with executives from Tourism NT. What I found was a thriving city with delicious food, cafes, markets and less than 2 hours away, the stunning Litchfield National Park where I was able to swim in a number beautifully stunning, fresh (crocodile free) waterholes with free flowing waterfalls. We also saw the giant termite mounds - many of which are north/south aligned to provide maximum shade for the clever termintes. I also ate truly delicious 'top end' mangos and fresh barramundi fish.

The Coaching Clinic is a 2 day experiential workshop for executives, experienced managers, and even newer managers, to learn and incorporate basic coaching skills into their leadership skillset. It does not turn participants into coaches; it does give leaders new ways to approach performance reviews, give feedback, acknowledge their teams/staff, and have fun while learning.  Click here for more information on The Coaching Clinic. Feel free to contact Belinda if you are interested in talking about running The Coaching Clinic in your organisation.