Blog Posts - JO RICHINGS

What lights your fire?

14/2/2022

What lights your fire? ❓

Many of you may not know that apart from being a business & executive coach extraordinaire, I also have a team of pretty special leadership and management trainers. We cover EVERYTHING to do with leadership, management and staff well being. They are what you'd call trainers with real personality!
Anyway, the training team have been lucky enough to take on some pretty amazing clients that are here to change the world. Charities, non-profits and NGO's from all over the world who are passionate about making a difference.

Let’s talk about trust. ?

7/2/2022

I often get called into help squabbling senior leadership teams work out their differences. Whether they are B,C,D or V suite executives, the core problem is always the same…

A LACK OF TRUST! 😕

✔️ In each other.
✔️ In their manager.
✔️ In the senior leaders.

Or sometimes, all of the above.

When teams don’t trust each other…

? The cheese has moved!

10/1/2022

📖 Many of you may have heard of a lovely little book about change called Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson.

It’s about 4 characters that live in a maze called Hem & Haw (the little people) and Sniff & Scurry (the mice 🐭).

They all go every day to the same place to get their cheese.
They’ve been doing it for years.
They love the cheese there.
They like that it’s always there.
They like that know where to find it!

what type of working environment do you prefer

19/12/2021

I’m just back from a lovely holiday in Gran Canaria. Despite the faff of the covid tests, locator forms and getting pinged at the airport, it was a great trip. 😊

Apart from dolphin watching and visiting the pretty spectacular mountains, my two favourite days were when everyone else went out for the day!

Just me. A sunbed. The sun. And my kindle. And an audio version of my book to make sure I didn’t come back with panda eyes! Heaven! Bliss!

Do you have a clear, written business, career or life plan for 2022?

13/12/2021

❓So… Do you have a plan for 2022? A business plan? Career plan? Personal development plan? Life plan? Any plan?

If not, is it time to get one? 🤔

There is no doubt that 2022 is going to be a very difficult year for some.

Uncertainty over COVID, staff and material shortages are already major issues, and it’s not looking like it’s going to improve dramatically in the 1st half of 2022! It may be time for a rethink for some.

28 Benefits of Meditation

15/11/2021

A recent study of the amount of cortisol found in hair by scientists in Germany have confirmed that meditation reduces long-term stress. I could have told them that years ago but apparently now it’s official - meditation and mindfulness reduce stress!

Whilst some of you may be very capable of recognising that you are under stress, unfortunately by the time you notice that you’re stressed, your body has already been trying to manage it for some time! For a start, your immune system and digestion system are shutting down, making you susceptible to all kinds of nasties.

And there are those of you that are in denial about stress, the ‘I work at my best under pressure’ brigade. Whilst it’s true that a small amount of stress is good for us, the type of prolonged stress that many are under is definitely NOT good for us!

*Here are 28 ways that stress can affect us…

Let’s talk about the best communication tool out there - DISC.

11/10/2021

As many of you know, DISC profiling is one of my MOST favourite subjects!

I love it! So much so, that I think everyone should learn about DISC, even our kids. The way we engage, manage, lead, sell to, build rapport with and communicate with each of the four DISC profiles is very different. Understanding this is a vital life skill.

For example, the primary motivators for each profile are very different:

Let's talk about square pegs and round holes!

13/9/2021

Often when we are trying to sell our products or services, we have a tendency to assume that we have exactly what the customer wants!

What we have is fantastic! Why wouldn't they want to buy?

What we have to offer is not always right and unless you ask the right questions, you are not always going to know that.

I have had many 'salespeople' sat in front of me over the years trying to sell me something that I don't need, want or can afford.

So let's talk about the word BUT...

10/8/2021

Who remembers Vicky Pollard and her 'Yeah but no but' in a VERY strong Bristolian accent?

What with 12 ASBO's before she left school at 11 and swapping one of of her 12 kids for a Westlife CD, she didn't really show us Brissle folk in a very good light!

So let's talk about the word BUT...

Mostly, whenever we add BUT to a sentence it pretty much negates what we said prior to that.

I understand your objection, but...
I understand your complaint, but...
You did a great job, but...

How do you feel when you hear a but?

Although we think it softens the criticism or critique that's likely to follow, it often doesn't. We go on the defensive, tend to ignore what came before the 'but', and focus mainly on what came after. 'However' has the same impact.

Instead, try using the word and. Whilst it may feel a little odd at first, it can help to get your point across in a positive way so worth trying.

How about:
I understand your objection and I can understand your point of view. Shall we...
I understand your complaint and I am going to do my best to sort it out for you. How about we...?
You did a great job and I'd like you to work on being more of a team player next.

Thoughts?

Let's talk about silence!

11/7/2021

As they say 'Silence is golden', especially in a sales situation. Here it can be the difference between closing or losing the sale.

It's funny how a lot of us just don't like silence. We ask a client or prospect a question, & if they don't respond immediately we feel this massive urge to jump in & help them out!

I think one of the biggest mistakes we can make when promoting our offering is talking too much. Silence gives your prospect a chance to process the information so don't be afraid of it.

Let it happen!

Most people will only wait 3 or 4 seconds before jumping in to either answer the question, rephrase it, or move on.

Two of the DISC personality profile types take much longer than that to process the information & formulate their response, so jumping in is likely to irritate them & could potentially lose you a client or a sale.

Red dominant & yellow influencer profiles process information quickly, whereas your green steady & blue conscientious profiles take longer to process information. It's important you know which you are talking to, whether that is in a sales, customer service or management situation. (I can help with that! Give me a shout 😀)

How do you feel about silence? Love it or hate it?