Through our new association with Occam HR, we are now able to provide an expanded service in five key areas:
More soon on our partnership.
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As trainers, it's not often we have cause to visit building sites and wear hard hats whilst on the job. But last Friday was an exception as David and Emily went to Brighton in search of venues for the spring creative problem solving course.
One of the venues was still under construction so we were given a guided tour around the work in progress. What a metaphor for organising a course!
We currently have the skeleton course outline and are assembling the team to work with us on the project. We have provisional dates and a number of interested parties asking for more details.
For now, like our venue, we've got the (WO)MEN AT WORK sign at the door, but stay tuned for more details as we move ahead with this one. We'll be publishing more details soon.
The jury is out. Are they a pest or a pleasure?
At our office, we have always been very pet friendly and have just adopted our first office dog. Misty is a West Highland White Terrier who grew up in the salubrious environs of Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park. Now living in Teddington, she has been spotted commuting in to Occam HR for a Learning & Development meeting... though after the obligatory morning walk and squirrel chasing expedition, she is equally happy to curl up under a desk in our office for the duration of the day.
The relaxing nature of her presence was anticipated, but a surprising side-effect of her arrival in the office is the spontaneous burst of renewed creative energy amongst the directors of The Creativity Coach. New ideas and initiatives and even some unexpected musical composition… we’re real converts to the ‘pets at work’ fraternity!
And it looks like we’re not the only ones. An FT article cites the Los Angeles office of TBWA\Chiat\Day as a dog friendly workplace with 40-50 dogs to 850 people. They’re not the only ones to welcome pets at work and a recent survey of small businesses commissioned by animal charity the Blue Cross found that 90% of companies who allowed dogs in the workplace noticed a positive change in the working environment. Two-thirds claimed staff morale had lifted, 56% said pets had improved work relations and half even noticed a decrease in absences.
It sounds like a pet-friendly workplace is a cost-free benefit for the improvement of morale and productivity. It may also be an effective recruitment and retention tool. At the independent London technology advertising agency Fox Parrack Hirsch, one of the account management team turned down multiple opportunities at other agencies because her laborador Ruby would not have been welcomed in a new workplace. And the dynamic duo of Alicia Johnson and Hal Wolverton, Executive Creative directors of Euro RSCG, have referred to their dog as a muse and make public reference to the fact that they have turned down opportunities because of the potential impact on their dog.
The key to a successful ‘pets at work’ programme is to ensure there are effective guidelines. These are some that we would recommend:
1 The pet should have up-to-date vaccines and be in good health.
2 The employer should specify how often an employee can take the pet out for breaks.
3 Special guidelines should be considered if any employees are allergic to or fearful of the animals.
4 The pet must have good manners. (And that naturally includes knowing where and when to use the loo… so we recommend having bountiful supplies of these at the office door!).
The Creativity Coach office has been fairly quiet lately with an influx of work involving off-site events, workshops and meetings. Yesterday was another busy day with Emily out attending the Institute of Practioners of Advertising HR conference.
Speakers included Sarah Jackson, OBE, Chief Executive of Working Families who provided an insight into a recent study on the changing nature of work and Sarah Myers, Director of Talent at BSkyB, who discussed the development and retention of talent when times are tough.
Dawn Sillett of DSTC Training & Performance Coaching provided a fascinating insight into ‘The changing talent pool of Generation Y’. For the last year, Dawn has been conducting research internationally into the attitudes of different generations to their working lives and she spoke about her findings with particular reference to the creative industries. The arrival of Generation Y into the workforce is clearly already generating opportunities and challenges for employers trying to motivate a generation with a brand new set of values and motivations. For more information on Dawn’s insights, contact her at DTSC. Dawn also referenced the latest CIPD study on generational diversity which is available to download here.
Following on from our July 11th blog entry, John Gage of Agency People gave an overview of the new self-assessment tool designed to identify people with an ability to ‘think diagonally’ (meaning in a linear as well as lateral way) which has been proven to be characteristic of people who do well in the advertising business. To take the test, visit Diagonal Thinking. The Creativity Coach team will all be finding out if they think diagonally (though Emily has confessed to be feeling nervous she may find out that she isn't cut out for advertising... after more than fourteen years working in and around the business!)
We are beginning to use the blog to introduce the associates and partners who help us deliver our programme of learning and development training. Today we are delighted to be introducing Geraldine Thomson whose diverse experience of life in creative businesses and of developing people potential makes her workshops so enjoyable and full of energy.
After graduating from the University of Liverpool in 1982, Geraldine moved to London and established successful businesses in millinery, dress design and gardening. Then in 1994, she qualified as a therapist at The Metanoia Institute, one of Europe's largest psychotherapy educational organisations. Geraldine went on to become a tutor, supervisor and academic consultant at Metanoia. She currently holds a teaching post at the Institute.
Geraldine very much enjoys finding creative ways of offering support to professionals, children and young people. A member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, she has also trained in Jungian Art Therapy and has worked as a trainer and consultant with the Child Bereavement Charity and Cruse Bereavement Care, Scotland. Together with her business partner Mike Worrall, Geraldine also recently founded Relationships at Work; a consultancy which focuses on establishing relational environments that enhance creativity and performance in the workplace.
Geraldine offers coaching, therapy, supervision and facilitated retreats from her home in Cornwall. She takes time and space to enjoy the feel of sand beneath her feet and the wind in her hair.
We are currently working with The Hospital Club on their new Creatives in Residence programme to support up and coming creative talent.
The Hospital Club describes itself as London's pre-eminent home for creatives from media and arts industries. They have extensive facilities including music studios and a gallery and cinema as well as bars and lounges designed to offer inspiration, support and fun for people within the creative industries.
The Creatives in Residence mentoring programme is open to artists, writers, fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians, graphic designers, actors, journalists and people who work in TV, cinema and theatre.
Applications are now being taken so if you are under 30 and you would like your creative talent and focus to be supported by one of London's creative hubs, then download an application form here.
Having completed certification with Dr Geil Browning (pictured to the left of our family of Associates), we are now pleased to announce that The Creativity Coach Ltd is able to offer Emergenetics seminars and workshops.
What is Emergenetics?
Put simply, Emergenetics is a new brain-based approach to psychological profiling that shows individuals how to identify their own natural strengths and talents and to recognise those of others.
Companies are using it as a talent management and team building tool in both one-to-one coaching and group workshops. We will be introducing the Emergenetics tool into our workshops on creativity, leadership, stress management, presentation skills and teambuilding.
You can find out more about Emergenetics here or by reading Dr Browning's book.
These past months have seen some big changes to The Creativity Coach offering. We have connected with new associates and expanded our offering to include new methods of enhancing self-awareness and creativity inside and outside the workplace.
We have planned a new route map and will be using the blog in the following ways:
Firstly, we will be conducting interviews with associates to get the inside track on their individual areas of expertise.
Secondly, we will be publishing outlines of some of our workshop programmes to provide an insight into how we work.
And thirdly, we will be including more scientific research and analysis on the psychology of creativity and communication.
As with the previous blog, we will continue to include book reviews, personal musings, inspirational quotations and - for the sake of our international visitors - comments on the state of the weather in Great Britain!
We will welcome your comments and feedback.
Onward and upward!
Roger von Oech: A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
Dave Allan: Sticky Wisdom: How to Start a Creative Revolution at Work
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention
Gordon MacKenzie: Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace
Geil Browning: Emergenetics (R): Tap Into the New Science of Success
