The Stanton Marris Blog

• How to live on Planet Introvert

  About 25% of the population are introverts.  This is a minority, but a significant one, especially since there seems to be a greater concentration of introverts amongst intellectually gifted people.

  Myers Briggs defines introversion in terms of the source of energy which a person draws on in order to function in the world.  Introverts get their energy from within.  Extroverts need external stimulation (a bit like lizards in the sun). Jung says that we all prefer to behave as introverts or extroverts – one or the other.  We are born with this preference, and it remains with us throughout our lives.  However, this does not mean we cannot behave in other ways.

  If you are an introvert, there are some very interesting things going on in your head and your heart.  Myers Briggs identifies four functional preferences (sensing, intuition, feeling and thinking), all of which play out in a person’s behaviour.  But they do so in a particular order (from most preferred to least preferred). So the first thing introverts can do to bring balance to their personality is to focus on their second preference.  It’s the easiest one to work on, and usefully it happens in the outside world – so people will notice the change quickly.

  Practice makes perfect, so try out small ways of extravert-like behaving during your day.  Here are some examples:

  • Take a look at your diary and move meetings so that they occur when you will have most energy
  • If you have friends who are introverts, or many of your colleagues are introverts, talk to them about their experiences of this preference.
  • At the next meeting you attend, seek out a participant you have not met before and introduce yourself to them before someone introduces you
  • The next time a thought occurs to you in a meeting, say it rather than writing it down
  • If someone asks a question in a meeting, get the first word in rather than waiting for everyone else to speak

  Click here to read the full article on ‘How to live on Planet Introvert’

  Read the full article "How to live on Planet Introvert"

  Published January 8, 2010
  Written by Rupert Symons. This article is filed under: communication, engagement
  3 Comments

• The MacLeod Review on employee engagement

  I read with interest the recent MacLeod Review by David Macleod and Nita Clarke, in essence a comprehensive review of employee engagement.  At its heart is a simple, clear message.  Employee engagement does make a difference to business performance.  There’s nothing new in that, but the real import of the review is the rallying cry it makes for a national awareness campaign. 

  That provides a real test for Peter Mandelson’s Department for Business Innovation & Skills.  Can government show the imagination and skill to galvanise employers and leaders to put the lessons of this report to work?  For if employee engagement is a key driver of productivity, then surely this report should provide a core agenda for a department which has economic recovery and long term economic sustainability at its heart.

  Of course, the subject is close to our hearts as consultants.  It embodies a philosophy that underpins much of our work.  It’s warming to see Birmingham City Council – the largest local authority in Europe - singled out as a case study.  This was based around benchmark work we did a couple of years ago in support of the team there.  It has since won numerous prizes for innovation and engagement excellence.

  One of the lessons we take from our work is that employee engagement is not some sterile process to be achieved through complex plans and communications structures.  Rather it needs to be steeped in a context that people can truly engage with. The success in Birmingham was down to people believing in the strategy. Employee engagement for employee engagement’s sake doesn’t work.

  Another key learning goes to the heart of leadership intent and attitude. Most people in the workplace have a deft sense of how authentic their leaders are and whether they are being genuinely involved in the running of the business.  It is only when that leadership authenticity underpins employee engagement that you reap the real dividends.

  So, go and read the report. But most of all take its lessons to heart.  Do something in your workplace to help raise awareness of the importance of this subject.

  Read the full article "The MacLeod Review on employee engagement"

  Published September 1, 2009
  Written by Andrew Jackson. This article is filed under: engagement, leadership, strategy process
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• Staying connected in stressful times

  Many people are familiar with the Myers Briggs Type Indicator test for whether you draw your energy from within yourself (in Jung’s term, Introversion), or from people and outside things (Extroversion). 

  What may be less widely known are the ways that personality types shape responses to stress. When the share price is tumbling, the groups of employees seeking refuge in the pub are likely to be E types; the I types may become withdrawn and stop connecting with others. Neither response positively contributes to leading the business through tough times.

   So how to find the constructive middle way, whatever your natural inclination?

  • Walking and talking – more than ever, when the business and its people are under stress, touching base with people and showing interest in them helps teams to stay connected
  • Listening and responding, not reacting – when people want to download, give them a hearing before you join in or suggest a different view.
  • Notice your own behaviour – in tough times, the signals sent by leaders’ behaviour are louder than ever. Make sure yours are calm and consistent.
  • Stay cheerful but grounded in reality – spin makes people suspicious, but good humour helps people pull together, even when times are tough.
  Read the full article "Staying connected in stressful times"

  Published July 30, 2009
  Written by John Bruce-Jones. This article is filed under: engagement
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• Giving a damn actually matters

  It never ceases to strike me how much the successful leaders we speak to care deeply, not only about achieving delivery and results, but also about their people and what their organisations are really trying to achieve. This is often in the face of the multiple challenges and risks that leadership brings, now in these challenging times more than ever.

  These successful leaders manage to marry caring deeply with having a clear line of sight to the desired outcomes and the real purpose of their organisation. They know exactly what the goals are and keep them firmly in mind and, importantly, they are able to transmit that sense of passion and vision to their people.

  Allowing passion and caring to show takes courage and a deep seated conviction for leaders. You can only do this if you are genuinely sighted on what you are aiming to achieve, if you know what is important and believe that it is worth the challenges that you will inevitably face as leaders.

  Read the full July Inside Track newsletter here

  Read the full article "Giving a damn actually matters"

  Published July 8, 2009
  Written by Lynn Fabes. This article is filed under: communication, engagement, leadership
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• A clutch of awards!

  We always choose to work in ‘blended teams’ with our clients, building the ownership and skills for ongoing work to transform performance, and helping to boost energy and commitment.

  So we are especially delighted at the recent success of our client, Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe. BCC has just been garlanded with no less than four awards for its BEST programme, which was designed, developed and piloted with Stanton Marris.

  BEST is an innovative and ambitious employee engagement programme designed to create a culture of innovation. Its success has been recognised in the past two weeks by four major prizes: 
  1. Gold Award for HR Excellence, HR Excellence Awards 2009
  2. Employee Engagement Strategy of the Year, HR Excellence Awards 2009
  3. People Management prize, 2009 Management Journal Awards
  4. HR Innovation prize, PPMA Awards 2009

  All of us at Stanton Marris congratulate our client on this tremendous success.

  For further information on the Birmingham BEST programme

  Read the full article "A clutch of awards!"

  Published June 26, 2009
  Written by John Bruce-Jones. This article is filed under: engagement
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