Labyrinth News

Give yourself a pat on the back!

Issue 19
October 2009
www.labyrinth.uk.com
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tel: 01273 671488 or 07843 593534

In this issue

When times are tough its easy to feel negative about the world around us.

Today's Labyrinth News is about spending a little time reflecting on how much you have achieved and how motivating it can be to give yourself (and others) a pat on the back.

There is also a quick update on what's new in the world of The Learning Labyrinth.

Welcome

[NAME], who said the summer was a quiet time in the world of training and development?

The last few months have been quite hectic for us - so much so that I apologise for not getting a copy of Labyrinth News out to you sooner. In addition to being busy with our clients, we have also been finalising our new look website. Do check it out and let us know what you think: www.labyrinth.uk.com

We are also delighted to introduce some new faces who you may be seeing over the coming months if you attend any of our training programmes. If you want to find out more about our team, click here.

For those of you who use the excellent Trainer's Library website, you may be interested in an article I wrote for their September Newsletter on how I have maximised some of their resources. Click here to read the article.

Also, a big welcome to two new groups of delegates from Southdowns NHS and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS who are just about to commence studying for a Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualifications with us. I hope they are looking forward to it as much as we are.

First though, a quick story of what happened when I took my two boys swimming in the summer holidays...

Gary Elton-Shewan
Director

A stroke of genius

One fine afternoon in August, I took my sons Harry (8) and Tom (4) swimming to our local pool. Harry is an exceptionally strong and confident swimmer, so as he practised for the 2012 Olympics, I focused my energy on Tom who clung to me like a limpet from the minute we entered the pool.

After 15 minutes or so I managed to get him swimming with his arm bands on.

As Tom splashed away trying to get from one side of the pool to the other, he turned to me looking very disappointed and said 'daddy, I can't swim very well, I'm not moving forward'.

'Tom' I said, 'look back'.

As he turned back, a big smile appeared on his face as he realised he had moved about 8 feet from the side of the pool.

'I am moving daddy!' he said.

With renewed confidence he kicked and splashed, eventually swimming his first full width of the pool.

Later that day he told mum the exciting news and it kept him boyed up (excuse the pun!) for the rest of the day.

This little family episode got me thinking about what has been happening lately in my life, and the world in general!

Its tremendously easy to get bogged down in times of crises. Like everyone, I have had times of doubt and periods when my confidence has taken a knock. But when I think about Tom in the pool, I believe that this is a lesson that I can take on board and pass on to anyone who I meet through The Learning Labyrinth.

Sometimes we need to look back, give yourself (and your team) a pat on the back and say 'well done'!

Taking time to reflect on achievements is a simple strategy for motivating yourself and others - and it costs nothing but some time.

For more on motivating your team, you may be interested in our Team Development or Leadership programmes, and don't forget that government Train to Gain funding may be available - meaning the cost to you could be little or nothing.

And what else is new?

I am pleased to introduce Moira Blake and Andrew Jeffrey who will be working with us in the coming months. They both bring a wealth of business experience to The Learning Labyrinth, including marketing, finance, presentation skills and even magic!

Some of you may have met Andrew at a Graduation evening we held at Reuters as we celebrated a number of delegates achieving an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualification.

check out Andrew's website: www.andrewjeffrey.co.uk

And if you visit our office, you may get to meet Nat, who is helping us with our office systems.

How can we help?

At The Learning Labyrinth, we are passionate about driving business performance with leadership and management programmes, team development, coaching and behavioural profiling.

We would love the opportunity to discuss how we can help you achieve more in your business, so please give us a call on 01273 671488, 07834 593534 or email us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .