Executive Assistants Programme

WELCOME

Facilitator: Catherine Loftus

Interim Deputy Director

27th September 2012

Programme for the Day

• 9.30a.m. Welcome, Introductions and Housekeeping• 10.00a.m. Aims and Objectives for the Session• 10.15a.m. The New NHS Landscape• 10.30a.m. Defining Assertive, Aggressive and Passive

Behaviours How assertive are you?• 10.45a.m. Assertive Communication – Skills Practice • 11.00a.m. Break• 11.15a.m. Assertive Communication - Skills Practice•  11.30 a.m. Personal Resilience

Definition and Personal and Shared Reflections • 12.30pm Action Planning

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session participants will be able to: -• identify the your rights and the rights of others• identify passive, assertive and aggressive behaviour• make and refuse requests in a polite and assertive manner• give and receive feedback• project a positive image with positive language• understand the factors contributing to personal resilience • identified the ways in which to develop and maintain personal

resilience• produced a next steps action plan

 

The National Leadership Academy

• Developing and Embedding a Common Vision for Health Leadership

• Leading the Way in Leadership Development for a New Health System

• Supporting Local Leadership Development• Developing and Delivering National

Leadership Programmes

North West Leadership Academy

• Understands the Evolving Leadership Landscape• Defines the Leadership Required to Deliver

Effective Healthcare in the 21st Century• Uses our Experience to Develop New World

Leaders• Works in Partnership with Other Sectors to

Develop Leaders to Transform Healthcare• Provides Bespoke Value for Money ,Shared

Services for NHS Funded Member Organisations

Assertive Communication

• Self Esteem• Self Knowledge• Respect for Others• Clear Communication

Becoming More Assertive

• Personalising Pronouns• Changing Verbs• Changing Passive into Active• Changing Questions into Statements• Broken Record• Identifying and Raising Awareness of Discrepancy • Finding a Workable Compromise• Inner Dialogues• Using Appropriate Non - Verbal Communication

Functions of Feedback

• Contribute to knowledge

• Increase levels of motivation

• Reinforce desired behaviours

Best Practice in Giving Feedback

• Encourage Self Reflection• Be Specific• Describe Actual Behaviour• Be Selective• Concentrate on Can Dos• Maintain a Future Focus• Discuss the Feedback

Feedback

• The worst feedback is personal and judgmental

• The best feedback is subjective and descriptive

Your experiences of dealing with change and transition so far

Discussion• What is your experience of change and

transition? • How did it feel?• What/where/who was your support? • What can / might you do differently?

Hopson’s Cycle

The Impact of Change on individuals

Choices that individuals can make when change may not be welcome:

• Change the situation • Change yourself• Accept the situation • Leave the situation

Managing through the trough

The stages

1. Immobilisation2. Minimisation/denial3. Depression4. Letting go5. Testing 6. Search for meaning7. Internalisation

Behaviours to consider• Acknowledge it • Offer active support• Give people room to under-

perform• Reinforce new behaviours• Communicate and involve

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Comfort Zone

We are in control

Discomfort Zone

We have influence

Panic Zone

Beyond our influence

Circles of Influence

Stephen Covey

TAKING CONTROL OF CHANGE

What is resilience?

“Resilience is the process of, capacity for, or outcome of successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances.”

(Masten, Best & Garmezy, 1990)

What is resilience?

Bounce-back-ability• “The greatest glory of living lies not in never

failing, but in rising every time you fail” (Nelson Mandela)

• “Its not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change” (Charles Darwin)

What is resilience?

Maintaining high performance and positive well being, including being able to:

• Sustain successful performance and positive well being when facing adverse conditions

• Recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

• Sustain successful performance and well being when ‘over engaged’’

Physicalenergy

Mentalenergy

Emotional

energy

Resilience

The Language of Resilience

• Resilience is the result of individuals interacting with their environments and the processes that promote well-being

• Resilience is cumulative and can be developed• 4 key components:

» Confidence» Purposefulness» Adaptability» Social Support

Events

(Adversities)Thoughts

(Beliefs)

Feelings and Actions

(Consequences)

Resilient Thinking

Thoughts - Typical Cognitive Distortions

• Labelling“I said the wrong thing in that meeting; I’m such an idiot”

• Mind-reading“My boss didn’t speak to me this morning because he’s angry with me”

• Should, musts, have tos, oughts “I should have worked harder on that project”

• Personalisation“It’s my fault that the project was a failure”

Challenging Cognitive Distortions

• Evidence-based

“Where is the evidence that ….?”

• Pragmatic

“Even if it were true that making an error is awful, do you feel better or worse for believing that, and does it stop you making mistakes?”

“How is it helping me if I think that? /How is it helping me if I have that thought?”

Thinking skills to challenge Cognitive Distortions

• Responsibility pie chart to broaden the picture

• Ask for evidence

• Write down your thinking errors

• Befriend yourself

• Find some middle ground. We often view things in absolute terms-amazing or horrendous

• De-labelling

• Thinking more coolly

• Go to the balcony

• Think in a more optimistic way.........(Palmer & Szymanska, 2007)

Signature Strengths• Recognise your signature strengths:

– Understand yourself– Understand the job and skills required

• Develop your signature strengths

• Helps to achieve a sense of mastery

• For Signature Strengths go to:

www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu

Psychological well-being: purpose

Personal Moral Compass Questions

1. What do I believe in so much that I am willing to take a stand on – no matter what the cost?

2. What are my skills, energies, and leadership traits?

3. What would a “perfect” world look like?

4. How do I want to contribute to my world?

5. What do I need to feel free and healthy?

6. What do I want to learn?

7. What brings joy to my life?

8. What is my unique calling or purpose?

9. Five years from now, I am proudest of . . .

10.The thirty things I want to do before I die are . . .

The ‘resilience prescription’”Charney (2007)

– Find a resilient role model – actively finding one is important

– Personal moral compass – sense of purpose

– Recognise and develop signature strengths

– Positive attitudes and emotions

– Develop cognitive flexibility – learn to “reframe”

– Develop/train regularly in multiple areas – challenge and mastery

– Look after your physical condition – exercise may be the “magic bullet”

– Develop coping strategies and social support networks – make active use of them

The good life

• Flow• Engagement

“Being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Thinking about being in the Flow

• Describe those aspects of your job when you often find yourself ‘in flow’

• How might you create more of those experiences?

The meaningful life

• Purpose• Making a contribution

in the service of something larger than yourself

• Eudiamonic well-being

6 ways to boost your happiness at work

• Certainty (or comfort)

• Variety

• Significance

• Connection and Love

• Growth

• Contribution

Levers of Positive Emotion

JoyPride

Gratitude

Amusement

HopeInterest

Love

Inspiration

Awe

Serenity

The Breath Break

Any questions?

Your personal action plan

• What has been your golden nugget?• What are you going to start doing?• What are you going to do more of? • What are you going to stop doing?• What do you require from others?• What do you require from the

organisation?

THANK YOU