Jenny Handley Performance
Apr 25
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

‘USE YOUR TEAM AS HUMAN BILLBOARDS’

I love singing off the same hymn sheet as others in my industry. Regular readers know that I believe in synchronicity. I did, however, question it when I tried to make contact with a visiting professor from Berkley University, and we kept on missing one another. He returned home and every time we tried to Skype the internet misbehaved. We ended up playing telephone tennis and left numerous voicemail messages for one another! I was then thrilled to hear that he was returning to Cape Town, but imagine my disappointment when I realised that his dates were to coincide with my trip to the States! Finally we managed to chat and we realised that we were connected across the miles, by our leadership philosophy. Professor Mark Rittenberg specialises in leadership communication tuition at a university that believes you need to develop the mind and the heart of a leader. They have in excess of 60 hours of leadership training for every student in their faculty as they believe everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth. Our conversation kept on coming back to the fact that we believe in the same fundamentals. He asks a few vital questions of leaders to […]
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Apr 11
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

GUIDE TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING

For many people public speaking is a fate worse than death! For those who are brave enough to try it, they may like it, but only if well prepared. Knowing that it is not always the most talented or qualified or experienced individual who is successful, but those brave enough to market themselves, you need to consider whether the skill of public speaking would enhance your career. If you have been asked to present a speech, make sure you spend the recommended 10 times the length of the speech in the preparation. Plan it as you would any proposal or strategy. Tell your audience what you will be telling them. Have a strong headline, by-line (explanation) and closing line. Tell a story, personalise it by adding life and making it your own. Here are some tips for planning your speech: Check that it carries the same thread from the start to the finish. It is fun to start with a story or theme, and then to string your audience along to the end for the punch-line. They can play join the dots along the way. Use mind maps to plan your speech and then put these key words onto cue […]
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Apr 04
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

VITAL FOR LEADERS TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR TEAMS

Everyone in a team wants to communicate with the captain. For a leader to interact with vast numbers of people in a personal way is challenging, but not impossible. Consider video interaction, intranet, or personal handwritten notes – not just email and telephone messages. Include these in your annual communication plan. Get the message out – everything from budgets, awards, birthdays, special occasions, festivals and religious holidays. Ring the changes so that people get an email on their birthday this year and a message on the welcome board at reception the following year. Make it an integral part of your internal communication strategy. It is invaluable for the leader to go to his team at their work stations to show interest and to have meaningful, personal interaction. It is also termed “leading from the floor”, which is sometimes more appropriate for a production environment than an office. Getting to know your team where they work is vital. Engaging with them in a meaningful way is too. It is often a good idea to host relaxed, informal talk time over coffee. Again, off-site meetings may also provide a more casual, comfortable environment in which to get to know your team.   […]
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Mar 14
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT IN MUSIC AND WORK

Every orchestra has a conductor, someone who, with a gentle wave of a baton, leads the group of musicians, indicating when they should play their instrument, and at what volume and beat. By simply turning, facing the audience and bowing, they even indicate to the audience that they should be applauding! My knowledge of music may be minimal, but my admiration of an orchestra is enormous. How incredible for one group to apparently so seamlessly play together in unison. It does not happen overnight. They will have practised for many hours, individually and as a team. It is exactly the same in the workplace. You need to practise your instrument quietly on your own, and then when you are good enough, you get the opportunity to play in a group. Some will play brass instruments, others string. We are all so unique with varying talents, but together we make a team. To be able to appreciate the differences in a team is not always so easy. If we all played the same instrument, life would be boring. It is the differences in the team that make it competitive. Think carefully about your own distinctive signature tune: What is your competitive […]
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Mar 11
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

GOING FOR GOLD – enjoy Last Nights of the Proms

Written by: Terri Dunbar-Curran
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Mar 07
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

CHANGE OF MINDSET DETERMINES ALTITUDE

During summer I have sought solace at the beach. I have been alarmed to note how many people ignore disabled or no parking signs, how they park on a yellow line or over someone’s private driveway, or can sit on the beach with their dogs right under the ‘no dogs’ signs. Is it a need for special attention, or merely a bad attitude? Interesting to note in countries where petty crime has been well managed and almost eradicated, that the statistics show that ultimately major crime decreases too. As the seasons change, I start thinking – surely it must be in the change of mindset, or attitude?  ‘Attitude determines altitude’ is a wonderful saying. If you have a good attitude it will be noticed, responded to and in many instances, rewarded. Expecting special attention or thinking that you are exempt from rules and regulations is never going to help you on your career path or in life. It is hard when starting a new job in a junior position, doing a job shadow or when interning, that you may get no attention at all! Cultivate a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude before you try to develop your aptitude. People are hired for […]
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Feb 29
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

COMMUNICATION VITAL FOR POSITIVE WORKPLACE

Communication should be an inside out approach, getting communication in the organisation to optimum levels before managing external communication. So much information in the workplace is shared informally (at the coffee station, in the lift and at the smoking spot) that is often inaccurate. If efficient formal structures were in place and communication from the leader was timeous and transparent, rumours and insecurity would be decreased. Every audit we have ever done in a company before instituting a performance management model has exposed inefficient communication being a major cause of negative issues. Sometimes small changes like starting a conversation by using someone’s name or using “we” more than “I” can improve your personal communication style. The most powerful act of communication can be silence – saying absolutely nothing at all, nodding your head, putting your hand on a colleague’s arm or merely smiling. Allowing for a pause allows for someone to understand and process what you are saying, and as we all process at different speeds, it is vital to allow for the pause. What can you do to become a better communicator? Negate noise pollution and enjoy the opportunity of listening to your inner voice, your intuition. It is […]
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Feb 22
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO BE EXCEPTIONAL

One of my favourite lines to write when giving someone a copy of one of my books is ‘be anything but average.’ Others are ‘make it happen’, ‘be your best’ or my old school motto, ‘aim high’. I have always had a fear of being average. To me the word average has strong connotations of mediocrity. If you have been described as below average you have been given something to work on. If you are deemed above average, then you are on your way to success. It came to my attention that those who shine brightly at the top of the class are noticed, and those who battle at the bottom, hopefully also get special attention. Somehow those in the middle may not be spotted and may therefore fall through the cracks with their potential going unnoticed. It was with this in mind that I drew up criteria for a learner in Grade 8 four years ago. I wanted to create a bursary for a girl (I am a mother of sons!) who was diligent and hard-working, who displayed leadership qualities, participated in sport, was involved in and supportive of her community, and was scholastically sound. She did not have […]
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Feb 15
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

SET OUT TO ALWAYS COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

If an army marches on their stomachs, then surely an organisation marches on good communication. Communication is fun, yet it is also the area where most problems are experienced in a business. An organisation requires a communication plan, and an individual should have a communication component of his or her brand plan. The principles of communication lie in: A for accuracy, B for brevity and C for clarity – it is essential that information is accurate, brief and clearly understood. So often we say one thing and our audience hears and understands another. Problems in an organisation can often be traced back to poor communication. It is vital that optimum internal communication is cemented before communicating with a public audience. The stakeholders of your business include all employees and members of the public who come into contact with them. They all need to work together to ensure good communication and an exemplary reputation. We need to acknowledge that of all the vast changes in the workplace, communication in particular has evolved drastically. It is not only due to technological advances, but because the next wave of leaders and followers think differently and therefore communicate differently from the old guard. It […]
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Feb 01
by jennyhand in Cape Times – Career Times 0 comments

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND OTHERS WILL AS WELL

There is a currency to confidence. In many cases where candidates are applying for a job, it is the one who is more confident who manages to secure the interview. They have accomplished the task of personal selling well, able to communicate their worth and point of distinction in their CV or written application. Once they have secured the interview, the confident candidate is more likely to cinch the position. So how does one become more confident? Sometimes it is as simple as seeing yourself as others see you. We are naturally hard on ourselves, often focusing on our liabilities rather than our assets. How do you see yourself as others see you? You ask them what they see. Sit with someone you know well in your school, university or workplace and ask them to describe you, warts and all! Listen to what they see and say. Take the negatives as an opportunity to work on these factors. Take the compliments and use them well. If you are preparing for an interview, then write down a list of your attributes – your qualities and your competencies. You may be asked what your liabilities are. Be able to mention them but […]
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