36 Lessons: Summary of Learnings with Skill Pill (Pearson)

SUMMARY OF LEARNINGS WITH SKILL PILL (PEARSON)

Lesson 1: Handling Difficult People

v  Don’t get emotional

v  Focus on the end game

v  Imitate your role model

Extra learning

Ø  Coping with being shouted at

Ø  Reading emotions

Ø  Dealing with bullying behavior

Lesson 2: The Art of Persuasive Conversation

v  Be clear about your goal

v  Fit your idea into their agenda

v  Ask questions

v  Listen

v  Use their language

Extra learning

Ø  Coming out on top of an argument

Ø  Linking projects to benefits

Ø  Controlling stakeholders

Lesson 3: Setting Up a Project for Success?

Avoid:

v  The wrong problem

v  The wrong sponsor

v  The wrong team

v  The wrong process

The right problem is:

v  Important

v  Urgent

v  Rewarding

Extra learning

Ø  Implementing a Finished Project

Ø  Managing a Global Project

Ø  Avoid the Planning Fallacy

Lesson 4: Being Assertive

Echoing-build on someone else’s point

v  Headlining-be impactful, clear and succinct

v  Framing-market trends, expert insights, personal experiences

v  Visualise-use visual language and animated body language

v  Be evidence based – back-up your points

Extra learning

Ø  Challenging Thought Patterns

Ø  Negotiating Assertively

Lesson 5: Be Likeable

5 Steps to make you likeable

1) Smile

2) Listen

3) Eye contact

4) Look at the part

5) Communicate effectively

Lesson 6: Managing Expectations

Agree the deliverables

v  Manage expectations according to current context and past experiences

v  Get everything down in writing

v  Keep all stakeholders up to date with the project’s progress

Extra Learning

Ø  Stopping Doing Too Much

Ø  Catching Up on Slippages

Ø  Mapping Expectations

Lesson 7: Leveraging Diversity

Encourage employees’ cultural perspective

v  Use diversity to gain insight into different markets

v  Diversity can increase creativity

Extra Learning

Ø  Ways To Encourage Diversity

Ø  Avoiding Discrimination

Ø  Building a Mailing List

Lesson 8: Restructuring the Organisation

v  Take control early

v  Be clear about the messages being sent

v  Restructuring is all about people

Extra Learning

Ø  Developing Messages of Change

Ø  Increase your Development Ideas

Ø  Organisational Politics

Lesson 9: Budget like a Boss

Lesson 10: Influencing without authority

v  Influence their way

v  Don’t treat people you barely know like lifelong friends

v  Be prepared – plan time and place

v  Know the context

Extra Learning

Ø  Managing Project Stakeholders

Ø  Managing Stakeholders

Ø  What is the Incentive Equilibrium Model?

Lesson 11: Starting Your New Job

v  Establish a routine

v  Be punctual

v  Look good

v  Learn to ask “why?”

v  Get noticed – positively

v  Under promise and over deliver

v  Be confident

Extra Learning

Ø  Starting as a Manager

Ø  Before Taking on a New Team

Ø  Letting go of your previous job

Lesson 12: Working a Room

(Networking)

v  Know your goals

v  Keep business cards handy

v  Develop a 10 second introduction

v  Enter gracefully

v  Be the message

v  Memorise names

v  Follow up

Extra Learning

Ø  Maximising Your Networking Effectiveness

Ø  Approaching Groups

Ø  Networking with Bosses

Lesson 13: Derek Sivers: How to start a movement (TED Talks) - follow and lead

Lesson 14: Effective Absence Management!

Lesson 15: Agenda Setting!

Lesson 16: Lone Working

Lesson 17: Management Briefing Meetings

v  Should provide understanding and support for a project

v  Help identify and avoid potential difficulties

v  Look at the situation from a management viewpoint

v  Don’t withhold information

Extra Learning

Ø  Benefitting From Meetings

Ø  Getting Your Voice Heard

Lesson 18: Success is a continuous journey

1. Passion

2. Work

3. Focus

4. Push

5. Ideas

6. Improve

7. Serve

8. Persist

-REPEAT-

Lesson 19: Sales Mastery Module (Authority and Social Proof)

v  Testimonial

v  Pictures

v  Ratings

Lesson 20: Mindfulness at Work-Beginners Mind

v  Focus on the present

v  Remove your preconceptions

v  Look at a problem from a fresh perspective

v  Don’t strive too hard to find a solution

Extra Learning

Ø  Receiving Feedback from your Team

Ø  Beating Stress

Ø  Beating Stress

Lesson 21: Your First 30 Days as A Leader - *sizzle and substance* have charisma and knowledge - the X Factor - inspire and aspire

v  Reconfirm your priorities with your bosses

v  Meet your team

v  Get a sense of the place

v  Finalise your plan

v  Generate excitement

v  Be positive, bond with people and make proactive decisions

Extra Learning

Ø  -Inspiring Leadership Behaviour

Ø  -Growing as a Leader

Ø  -Bettering Yourself as a Leader

Lesson 22: Chairing Creative Meetings:

v  Use a different location

v  Get a mixture of people

v  Give people a brief before hand

v  Leave job titles and distractions outside

v  Have a pre-prepared idea to generate discussion

v  Write down everything and take 48 hours to reflect

Extra Learning

Ø  Creativity - Getting Started

Ø  Routines - Break Them!

Ø  How gaming can revolutionise your workplace

Lesson 23: How to Disagree Nicely - Build Power, Credibility and Allies

v  Don’t argue

v  Listen

v  Empathise

Lesson 24: How to Start a Change Effort

v  Need = success

v  Make the benefits personal

v  Find an early win

v  Reward must outweigh the cost

Extra Learning

Ø  Motivating your Team to Change

Ø  Developing Messages of Change

Ø  How rhetoric can help embed change

Lesson 25: Using the COACH System

1)      Clarifying

2)      Outcome

3)      Actually Going On

4)      Creating Options

5)      Hardcopy

Extra Learning

Ø  Clarify the topic

Ø  What’s the desired outcome?

Ø  Encourage the coachee to talk about the situation

Ø  Create some options

Ø  Record the agreed next steps

Ø  Overcoming Coaching Barriers

Ø  Evaluating Coaching

Ø  Difficult Coaching Situations

Lesson 26: Presenting a Proposal

v  Focus - on the current company situation

v  Don’t forget to mention the negative consequences

v  Change – say what you want to alter & achieve

v  Highlight - the benefits of change to others

v  Explain your proposal – once you’ve highlighted the need for change

v  Underline the proposal details to your audience

Extra Learning

Ø  Speaking Assertively

Ø  Audience Involving Questions

Ø  Devices for Public Speaking

Lesson 27: Going International

v  Watch international news

v  Read foreign press

v  Learn a language

v  Ensure everyone knows you’re looking for opportunities abroad

Extra Learning

Ø  Understanding Other Cultures

Ø  Exploring Ideas

Ø  Managing a Global Project

Lesson 28: What Qualities Should A Leader Exhibit

v  Decisiveness – make tough decisions

v  Vision – where are you going?

v  Clarity – make communication easy

v  Honesty – be open

v  Purpose – influence and motivate

v  Trust – take an interest in your team

Extra Learning

Ø  Three Vitals of Good Leadership

Ø  Inspiring Leadership Behaviour

Ø  Strategy, leaders and leadership harmony

Lesson 29: Turning Complaints into Compliments

v  Front-line staff need the authority to deal with complaints

v  Compensation = repeat business and positive word of mouth

v  Always apologise - especially when appropriate

v  Never interrupt

v  Follow up to make sure the customer is satisfied

Extra Learning

Ø  Dealing with an Angry Customer

Ø  Turning disagreement into agreement

Ø  Controlling Disagreements

Lesson 30: 10 habits of a successful change communicator

v  Prioritise face-to-face

v  Tell it straight

v  Be empathetic

v  Avoid corporate speak

v  Trust people

v  Walk the talk

Extra Learning

Ø  Dealing with Criticism

Ø  Persuading With Paraphrasing

Ø  Controlling Stakeholders

Lesson 31: Active Listening

v  Pay attention and interpret – what are they trying to communicate?

v  Maintain eye contact

v  Encourage the speaker with reassuring gestures

v  Ask questions to show you’re listening

v  Don’t interrupt

Extra Learning

Ø  Audience Involving Questions

Ø  Reading Emotions

Ø  Empathy / Barriers to Listening

Lesson 32: Developing Resilience

v  Cognitive Distortion

v  Cognitive Restructuring - use this to avoid negative thoughts from overcoming your day/self

~Read the book of "Mind over mood" by Dr. Dennis and Dr. Christine

1)      Identify the situation

2)      Identify automatic thoughts

3)      Find supportive evidence

4)      Find contradictory evidence

5)      Take a balanced view

6)      Next steps

Lesson 33: Negotiating

v  BANTA - Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement

v  Preparation is vital

v  Determine what you want

v  Know your entry and exit points

v  Make sure you’re negotiating with the right person

v  Always be prepared to walk away

v  Ask, ask, ask

Extra Learning

Ø  To Open or not to Open?

Ø  Coming out on top of an Argument

Ø  Being Memorable

Lesson 34: Boost Your Confidence

v  Focus on what went right

v  Think about your strengths

v  Buy that new outfit or head to the spa

v  Complete a stretching but achievable goal

v  Connect with your colleagues

When to Challenge

v  Conflict can be constructive

v  Gather all the facts

v  Keep disagreements private

v  Make agreements publicly

Lesson 35: Achieving Work Life Balance

Key questions:

v  Do you want to succeed?

v  Do you enjoy work?

v  How much do you really work?

v  Remember you have a choice

v  Be Active! Don't sit all day long, move it!

Lesson 36: Managing Time Efficiently and Effectively

v  Set goals

v  Cut out the noise

v  Work in manageable chunks

v  Get it right first time and deal with everything once

v  You don’t have to do it alone

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Sophie