Monthly Archives: April 2020

THE POWER OF MINDSET

In moving forward from this pandemic, we all have important issues to address both individually and as a socitey to build a better future. 

Our thoughts, our perceptions and our unique filters process what we see, sense and experience. It’s all about how we think. 

In coaching leaders currently trying to create new ways of thinking, we must always start with building awareness around our beliefs and examining our current thinking. If we think that the universe is out to get us, no matter how hard we try, we’ll always find ways to sabotage our efforts. 

The good news is that with awareness and intention, we can change negative thinking into positive thinking and free ourselves from the imprisonment of limited perception. 

Deepak Chopra tells us that we are the only creatures on earth that can change our biology by what we think and feel. As you feed yourself more positive and empowering thoughts, you are enhancing your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.

As with any new task or commitment, intentional action is the fuel for success. Become wholly committed to catching your thoughts and shaping your words positively. Find your “shoulds”, “I can’t”, “I don’t know” and replace them for more empowering ones. For instance:

I don’t know ——– I don’t know YET
I can’t ————– I can acheve if I do x, y, z
I should ———— I WILL 

Life is change, growth is optional. Choose wisely and position yourself accordingly so you can see a friendly universe and ensure a future that is truly worth living.

Here’s to your success!
Isabel

COULD THIS BE THE FUTURE OF WORK?

The COVID-19 crisis has dramatically impacted the way that we perform our jobs. With stay home orders and social distancing guidelines in effect, many of us who have the option to work from home are doing so.

While some companies have previously offered work-from-home opportunities to their employees, the pandemic has dramatically increased the numbers of remote workers.

Over the last few weeks, I have often been asked whether our new ways of working during COVID-19 could present new ways for our workplaces to change going forward.

Could this be the future of work? In researching about the topic, I came across an interesting TED Talk by Matt Mullenweg, CEO of WordPress.com, jetpack and WooCommerce, where he discusses how to create an equal playing field at work where location is not necessarily important.

In his talk, Matt Mullenweg discusses how a distributed workforce is the most effective way to build a company based on the premise that talent and intelligence are equally distributed throughout the world, where opportunity is not.

Could this become a new way to consciously tap into the world’s best talent?

One thing is certain – for companies to not only survive, but thrive in the world we live in, we need to stop micromanaging and start giving people autonomy over how they do their work.

Over the last few weeks, employees have had to adapt to new working conditions, in many cases having to work from home, whilst also caring for children, family, pets and home chores. What’s really astonishing is how many have managed to accommodate the new changes and still remain productive despite having less active working hours to do it all. When faced with adversity, our minds will look for ways to come up with smarter ways to work. This could potentially offer new opportunities to work smarter, not harder, and still manage to achieve better results faster, whilst also enjoying better work life integration. COVID-19 is offering great learning opportunities for us to learn about, and we must do our best to draw those lessons out.

Will employees be able to remain focused, motivated and productive if allowed to create their own working environments? Could this be the future of work?

Find out how Matt Mullenweg explains if this could be relevant to you by watching this short – but impactful – 4 minute TED Talk.

Let’s not waste this once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine the way thrive both personally and professionally. Since changing careers to become a business owner years ago, my slogan has always been to always seek to achieve personal fulfillment and professional excellence. Can we have them both? We can, and this is the perfect opportunity to help us get out of outdates ways of working and coming up with better ways to create a productive, engaged and high-performing workforce.

Here’s to your success!

Isabel

Isabel Valle is a Peak Performance Strategist and Leadership Coach working with ambitious, forward thinking business leaders who want to challenge the status quo and grow their businesses to the next level through developing skills that enable them to lead and create competitive advantages in today’s uncertain environment.

Isabel specialises in accelerating the development of business leaders and their teams in terms of up-skilling their leadership capabilities, and optimizing individual and team performance, both locally and globally.

The results are leaders that have impact and influence, and businesses which are purpose-driven, productive and profitable.

Isabel is an experienced ICF PCC Coach with over 20 years of international work experience holding senior positions within the hospitality industry in operational, sales and marketing, revenue management, HR and advanced strategic functions, as well as general management. Over the last 7 years, Isabel has also conducted Executive and Leadership coaching, mentoring and facilitation services to a wider variety of industries globally. She specialises in high-performance strategy, leadership development and building organizational culture.

Find out more about Isabel on www.isabelvalle.com

Children are our future leaders, and they deserve to have the foundations to live a happy and rewarding life. 
COVID 19 is rocking the world, as children are forced to do online learning and spend most of their day in front of a screen. 
Here are some practical ways to help them preserve their physical, mental and emotional abilities so they can bounce back stronger when this is all over.

EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE AND CONQUERING YOUR FEARS WHEN IT MATTERS MOST

A few years ago, I took my children back to Spain during the summer break as I do every year. On this occasion, my husband Pete managed to come with us for a few days, and we decided to travel to Alicante for a long weekend, to get some rest and quality family time.

We had heard that not far by boat, there was the beautiful island of Tabarca, so we decided to spend the day enjoying what the island had to offer. It was a great day, and we made the decision to head back to the mainland before the crowds did. And that’s when it happened …

As the boat left Tabarca, there was a sudden change of winds and before we knew it, we were caught in one of the worst storms the area had ever witnessed. In no time, our catamaran was no match for the angry sea and the big waves. Water started coming in and there were people being tossed from side to side of the boat. The captain decided that it was too dangerous to go back to the island, and our only way out was to continue towards the mainland, at painstakingly slow speed. The boat was eerily quiet; everyone was too scared to say anything. Soon, we started witnessing people getting very sick.

I was petrified, completely frozen by fear at the prospect that this could in fact be our last day alive. I looked at my children and my husband and I remember feeling so guilty for having insisted on visiting the island. And then, in that moment, I felt responsible for putting them in harm’s way, falling helplessly into a victim’s state.

If there was a peak moment in my life where I felt true, raw fear, this was it. There have been many occasions during my
life where I felt fear, but this one was different. We truly had no control of the outcome, and it was down to what mother nature decided to do with this little boat we travelled in. It was imminent, each minute worse than the other, with no end in sight, just waiting to see if we would make it out alive.

Then I looked at my son, who was 2 years old at the time. He was staring at me in silence, unable to express his feelings, yet understanding at a deeper level that our situation wasn’t a good one. And then it hit me. I had allowed fear to completely disempower my thoughts and my actions, and right there, a small window of opportunity opened up for me to be able to do something that was under my control.

I smiled at my son, gave him a big hug and told him all was well, and to go to sleep if his eyes felt tired. He took a big breath and then he closed his eyes and slept for the remainder of the ordeal.

My daughter, 5 years old back then, she was a different story. She was looking around terrified of what was happening, and was being shifted between myself and the end of the seat every time the boat moved. She had already watched me moments earlier and knew that I was terrified, so she wasn’t looking for comfort from me.

If I wanted to help her, I would need to let go of fear. I closed my eyes and for a moment, I allowed myself to visualise the absolute worse thing that could happen to us. I imagined a big wave tipping over the catamaran, the four of us being thrown into the angry sea, seeing my children drown unable to help them and, finally, drowning myself too.

And then, as I went through all that in my head, I had the realisation that even if that was to happen, I still had some precious moments left with them, and all of a sudden I felt tremendous gratefulness for being so lucky to have enjoyed my life and my children for as long as I did. That time, I came to realise that whether I died imminently or not, it had no bearing on how I could choose to be right in that moment.

I looked at my daughter and smiled, and she felt straight away that my connection was genuine. I told her that rather than fighting the fear, we should just join in and go with it. She asked me how, and I told her to imagine that the boat was a big giant ride, similar to the one we had been in just a few months before. I asked her to move with the ride, and not against it, so we wouldn’t bump ourselves.

So when the boat went up, we didn’t fight it; instead, we went up with it, and as it crushed against the waves, we sunk with it too. We held hands and for a moment we almost felt joy.

People all around us were being sick everywhere. You could see it in their faces, the exact moment when they allowed fear to creep in, and their body decided to let go. Powerless.

It was the longest 90 minutes of my life. We finally made it safely to shore. By that point, every single person in the boat had been sick many times. We were the only family that managed to keep it together. The captain told us in the 12 years that he had owned that boat, that was his worst trip ever. It took us many hours afterwards to finally get a feeling of the stable ground underneath us.

We survived to tell the tale, and I am incredibly grateful to have been one of the lucky ones. I also learnt a very valuable lesson: in the face of fear, always ride with it, don’t resist it.

I have since become interested in the subject, and have come to understand that fear is truly just the precursor of change. If we feel the fear and run in the opposite direction, or get stuck unable to move, then we’ll never know what could have been. I have since been able to get more comfortable with the idea of fear, so much so that, whenever possible, I pursue those things that I am afraid of the most, as I now know that beyond fear, lies incredible opportunities for us all to raise up, grow and evolve. So jump in and enjoy the ride!

Conquer your fears by facing them and going along with it. You will realise that confronting your fears is nowhere near as scary as continuing to be held back by them. If you are willing to explore the boundaries of your fears, you will find that it either holds no logic, or it is actually nowhere near as scary as you make it out to be. So have the courage to explore your fears, and free yourself from what holds you back.

Over to you now. What fear or fears are holding you down? What’s the nature of these fears? In the absence of fear, what would you do?

Here’s to your success!
Isabel x

Isabel Valle is an accredited ICF PCC Coach, Leadership Mentor and Facilitator currently based in Bangkok. Isabel has held senior positions within the hospitality industry in countries around the world, and facilitates a holistic approach to leadership, growth and success. She specialises in virtual coaching and online mentoring that inspires action and helps leaders from all walks of life around the globe bring their gifts to life to help them create professional excellence and personal fulfilment. More information available on www.isabelvalle.com.

This is still one of my top 3 TED Talks in history, and unfortunately, despite its huge success when Sir Ken Robinson spoke back in 2006, not much has happened. 
And yet, this TED Talk is now more relevant than ever before. 

Some of the highlights of his talk, slightly amended in my own words:

– Education is meant to take us into a future we can’t quite grasp.

– We need to tap into our capacity for creativity and innovation now more than ever. 

– Creativity now is just as important as literacy, and it should hold the same status.

– We mustn’t be frightened to be wrong, we must be willing to take chances. Because if we are not prepared to be wrong, we’ll never come up with anything original. 

– We run our companies and our education systems with a condemn for mistakes, which educates people out of their creative capacities. 

– Over time, we start educating our children from the waist up, concentrating on their heads. And so we learn to live in our heads, disembodied almost. 

– The most useful subjects to help us thrive in this new world and unknown future are not english and maths. We simply cannot continue to educate with the same hierarchy of subjects we’ve had since the 19th century. 

– We need to radicatlly review our view of intelligence. Our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology, where we shift our undestanding of the richness of human capacity. We must move towards educating our whole being, so we can face this future. 

If you can, please watch the whole TED Talk, and amuse yourself with the wittiest strike of priceless wisdom offered by Sir Ken Robinson. 

This is the time to tap into inner resources we simply didn’t consider or even knew we had before. We must be willing to venture into complete new lands, to be uncomfortable, and to be willing to fail if we are to come out of this crisis with a renewed sense of resilience, courage and opportunities that bypass all our current adversities.

Stay safe and let’s do our best. 
Isabel 

Click on the link below to watch the whole TED Talk:

https://www.ted.com/…/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_crea…Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

THE #1 THING YOU NEED TO BUILD TRUST IN A CRISIS

Over the last few weeks, I have heard many of my clients losing trust in their company’s ability to navigate through this crisis. Many are feeling demotivated and disengaged, and the change to working from home in many cases has not helped with their overall sense of effectiveness and productivity. A lot of them are worried, anxious and concerned about what could potentially happy to their roles and their livelihood. In many instances, their bossess are brining added pressure by micromanaging for results, which is making employees not know where to look for guidance, support and leadership.

At times of crises, trust between employees and leaders is crucial. If you are a leader trying to navigate your way through COVID19, here’s the one thing you can do to build trust and get your employees to continue to bring their best at work: COMMUNICATE!
Your employees are looking for who to listen to, and who to believe. We’re looking for a trusted voice in the storm to help guide us, one that can steer us toward the truth as it unfolds, and away from lies and misstatements, be they well-meaning or malicious. This is the leaders’s task — to provide that “True North” to employees, community, customers, investors, and stakeholders.
What to say and how often? My advice to you is commmunicate, communicate and over communicate. All communications need to be about, or take into account, the pandemic crisis. Anything else feels callous, and off. Make your communications caring and inclusive, because we are ll in this together.

Communicate more frequently than ever before with your teams. Be open, be honest, be transparent. And in return, your employees will give that trust back to you by showing up in their best capacity.
Leaders need to be the light in these darker times. Let’s care, let’s be safe, and let’s do out best.
Isabel

7 Ways to Stay Ultra-Productive when Working from Home

COVID 19 has changed the way we work. Working from home has now become a necessity. In trying to keep the pandemic from spreading any further and reduce the numbers of people getting sick, quarantined, or caring for loved ones, we’ve had to look at ways to send our employees home and trust that business targets continue to be met. 

Establishing a work-from-home routine isn’t simple – especially when you have no time to waste. When done right, however, employees and business owners working from home can stay just as engaged and productive as they would in an office space. 

I’ve put together a list of 7 practices applicable to anyone working from home, no matter what role or industry they may be, so you can all stay safe – and productive – while the virus takes its course. Please note that these are self-leadership practices to help you stay ultra-productive, on an individual basis. I will cover strategies to help virtual teams at a later stage. Here they are:

• Set your schedule for next day before going to bed. That’s right. Your performance next day will be impacted by how you organise it the previous evening. Look at your calendar, your must-dos, and everything else you’d like to fit in to make it a productive day. Plan for it and schedule it in your calendar, so you can follow your way to success the next day.

• Set a daily routine. If you sort of wonder out of bed at different times and don’t follow a particular routine, you’ll be wasting a lot of precious time and dedicated focus to propel you forward in what needs to be done. Sticking to a daily routine will help us to be more efficient, create structure in our lives, make us feel more in control, help us save time – our most valuable resource – and reduce procrastination and bad habits. 

1. Select a dedicated space. Just because you are working from home, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a dedicated workspace or office. Create a clean, organised, calming and inspiring home office environment, which can help you get into the right mindset and prevent you from distractions. I have created a working desk to do my content work, that I’ve decorated with quotes and visuals that help me stay focused and inspired, and a sitting area for me to conduct my clients’ calls and connect via phone of email with others. 

• Schedule breaks during the day. Every 40-60 min, stand up and stretch, walk around, go drink some water, interact with people at home or make a quick call to interact with others and maintain a sense of connection. Just as you schedule meetings and tasks in your calendar, you must also schedule breaks to refocus and recharge. This is not the time to go on social media and lose track of time. These are intentional breaks to help you maintain a sense of balance and self-care during your day, so you allow time to eat, rest and connect with loved ones. 

• Get into the habit of working early in the morning. My morning routine goes something like this: wake up – set my intention for the day – do some deep breathing (1 min) – make my bed, do some light yoga / exercise, shower, breakfast, work by 8am. Add to that my plan of action from the previous evening and I am ready to tackle my day with clarity and motivation. Habits will help you create effortless efficiency. Give it a try for yourself, stick with it until it becomes automated, and watch your productivity soar. 

• Set specific work hours. If your home is your permanent office, at least for a while, then set specific work hours. If your work and company allow it, you can choose your own flexible working hours for yourself. Let’s say if you feel more productive in the morning and not in the late evening, then you can set your work hours from 7am to 3pm. Don’t forget to share your work schedule with your colleagues or boss. Having set times will help you get more done during your day, rather than just continuing to work longer hours with no end in sight. The brain works very well by assigning it pre-determined tasks within a specific period of time – that’s why deadlines work! 

1. Put yourself high on the “to-do” list. At the end of the day, no matter how many productivity tips I share with you, if you are not looking after yourself, you are going to lack the motivation, energy and focus that you need to help you create the right priorities in place. All of the above requires you to do some intentional work, possibly outside of your normal routine, and changes require energy and focus from you, otherwise your brain will find ways to trick you into quitting trying to change how things are. Later on, I will dedicate a full resource on how to take a proactive approach to taking care of your health, but I bet you already know most of it, only now it is time to really do something about it. You’ve heard it all before, eat healthy, clean food, stay hydrated, sleep well, take rests during the day, exercise, and do some kind of practice to help you keep your mental and emotional states in check. These are all very important ways to help you stay positive, optimistic and productive at a time of crisis and change like this.

I could go on. When it comes to ways to continue to improve performance, the possibilities are endless. Put into practice the ones you need to build into your day working from home now, and watch your effectiveness and efficiency improve dramatically. 

What’s your favourite productivity practice and why? Please share the ones you found work best for you. At times like these, we all need to lean in together and share best practices. 

Stay safe everyone, let’s do our best!

Isabel 

COVID 19: A CASE STUDY FOR GOOD AND BAD LEADERSHIP

I watch in disbelief as governments around the world work in silos trying to cope with these changes, often taking action too late, making hasty last-minute decisions that affect so many of us. Hasn’t this become a global issue? Why are we approaching one of the worst times in history in such a disconnected, mistrustful way? Everybody is vulnerable, the virus knows no borders.

World leaders have responded to the crisis in very different ways. The gap between countries worldwide while attempting to solve their own problems is ever increasing. Calls for common solutions to encourage global cooperation is noticibly absent. 

Are we handling the COVID 19 outbreak poorly? With our current situation worsening by the hour, you’d think that world leaders would be actively engaging into finding ways to cater for the medical supplies needed, supporting one another and eliminating traditional ways of competition and hostility on a global scale. 

Instead, I watched in wonder as the EU refused to provide Italy with medical supplies at a time when they needed it most, or how the US attempted to put the health of businesses ahead of people’s lives. Where is our sense of solidarity, cooperation and alliance? What can be done to make COVID 19 a global issue, not just a local issue? 

At a time when everyone is affected by the same issue, have we not learnt anything from previous crises?
Now is the time for our global leaders to uphold a vital aspect of their role: making a positive difference in people’s lives. 

I’ve observed how governments around the world work in isolation to tackle this crisis by either adopting the most radical course of action to minimize the impact of COVID 19, whilst other countries encourage their people to continue with life as normal, and suffer the consequences that many countries in Europe and the US are facing. 

I’ve also watched how leaders all over struggle to communicate with their people in a clear, transparent and specific way. At times like these, ambiguity and a lack of coherence only promotes more confusion and panic. 

And then I’ve witnessed how some unexpected countries are leading this crisis and navigating through the impact of COVID 19 fairly successfuly, such as South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Turkey. 

People are afraid, stressed and confused. In such moments, people look to their leaders for guidance. When people aren’t sure how they should behave, they look to leaders as role models. 

I wish I had a handful of suggestions of global leaders I could share with you to bring you much needed support and guidance. I want to remain hopeful as we are still early enough in the story of COVID-19 that leaders all over can shape the role they will play. Yet rising to the part of hero requires intentional choices to put some measure of self-interest aside in order to contribute to a greater good. 

In my own personal opinion, when it comes to leadership ability during COVID 19, Jacinta Ardern – PM of NZ – is winning on the world stage. Winning the hearts and minds of people all over the world, she is the clear winner. She’s remained calm, caring, compassionate, open and transparent in all of her continuous actions. If you can, follow her on social media. From having age-appropriate COVID 19 talks to kids, communicating frequently ongoing implementations, answering people’s questions before making dinner for her family, she is one of the most real and authentic leaders out there. 

Let’s hope our global leaders will soon find a way to align to a common vision to tackle COVID 19 with combined resources, courage and resilience. 

Sending virtual hugs to you all. Let’s hold on and give it our very best. Stay safe!

Isabel