Kate Christiansen | Business consultant

Kate Christiansen

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25.01.2022 Ease into ‘work-mode’, feel in control, and start the year clear. When we're clear about what's important it helps us to make decisions in the face of disruption. If you and your team are working in a disrupted environment, your prioritisation process needs to be more flexible than if things were more stable. If you are coming back from leave or simply want to explore a different way for you to be clear about what's important in 2021, I’d love you to join me for one of my f...ree 50-minute workinar and understand what really matters in 2021. In this workinar, I’ll walk through a simple 7-step framework that gives you the structure and perspective to clear your head and start the New Year with confidence. You'll walk away with a new way of thinking about 2021 priorities and a process that you can use in your first kick-off meeting with your team. Join me on this free #workinar tomorrow 4th January at 10:30 AM AEST to Get Your Brain in Gear and understand what really matters in 2021. TO REGISTER FOR THE FREE WORKINAR: Click the link in the comments. #webinar #curlycalm&curious

25.01.2022 Five questions to combat siloed thinking Is your team looking from the inside-out or the outside-in? When we’re facing a curly challenge, we often focus on it from the inside-out. That is, we take the thoughts and emotions that are happening inside of us and then use them as the lens through which to see what's happening around us.... The trouble with having an inside-out approach in a team, is that it often leads to individualised or siloed thinking. Instead of looking through a shared lens, everyone looks through their own. This leads to misalignment and makes collaboration difficult. An inside-out mindset is a natural response to unexpected disruption. It’s our brains instinctive attempt to keep us safe. Unfortunately, when we’re in a team, inside-out thinking can be unhelpful. Here are five questions that I use with teams to help flip to a more outside-in mindset. Pick an external lens and answer these questions together. 1. How is {our customer’s/our team’s/our stakeholder’s} world changing? 2. How is that likely to impact what they need? 3. How will these affect the expectations of the world? 4. How will these affect their expectations of us? 5. Which of these factors is likely to have the greatest impact on the ability to create value? or share with others.

24.01.2022 What behaviour are you rewarding? During Spring, birds and other animals behave quite strangely (for reasons that require no explanation). This magpie provided my family with a recent example. It started wandering pecking on the glass in the sliding doors at the back of our house.... It was only pecking gently and we thought, Oh! It wants some food. There was a bit of toast on the table and so we opened the glass door and tossed it out to the magpie. It devoured it pretty quickly. The next day, the magpie came back and it pecked on the window. And, while this time we didn't feed it, we didn't shoo it away. This process went on for about a week. But one day things went a little further. The magpie came and didn't just peck on the glass door, it moved across to the side and started pecking holes in the mesh of our fly screen door. By the time we realised what it was doing, it had pecked some rather large holes in our new fly screen. And the next day, it came back and continued where it had left off. Sometimes we reward behaviour because we think it’s amusing, or we think it’s harmless. However, it pays to think through where that behaviour can go and whether that something that you want to reinforce in the future. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

22.01.2022 *Why is the second wave of a complex problem harder to deal with and how can you make it easier?* In the case of COVID-19, the second wave is an inflection point, when cases go from reducing to increasing. However, this phenomenon is not restricted to a pandemic. Complex problems are rarely tackled in one go and are a series of ups and downs. That’s one of the factors that makes them tough to tackle. I'm pleased to share my article published in Smart Company (https://www.smar...tcompany.com.au//tackle-second-wave-comp/) today, in which I reveal: *why the second wave often feels harder than the first *the four stages of a problem, and *six practical strategies to help you ride the second wave if it rises up in front of you. Check it out here: https://www.smartcompany.com.au//tackle-second-wave-comp/ and remember to share it with people in your team or life who may be feeling disheartened. Also, if you feel like the second wave of any problem is getting the better of you and your team, let’s talk. Connect, subscribe to my fortnightly blog (https://www.katechristiansen.com.au/curly-calm-curious) or drop me an email at [email protected]. Huge thanks to the SmartCompany team. #thinkdifferently#problemsolving#covid19leadership#curiosity#momentum#movewhatmatters

22.01.2022 What's your cognitive clutter? I was recently looking for a key and knew I’d last seen it in the third drawer in our kitchen. It was the utility drawer. The one where everything that doesn't seem to have a place seems to find its way. After scrambling around in the drawer for about 30 seconds, I decided that the only way to find the key was to tip the contents of the drawer out onto the floor. I was surprised and somewhat embarrassed to discover what was in the drawer and h...ow disorganised it had become over the years. After much searching, I eventually found the key I needed. I also went through everything else and threw away 3 quarters of the drawer’s contents because it was no longer relevant. Sometimes we hold on to things because we don't want to make a decision and feel it’s safer to just leave things the way that they are. The more stuff we keep that we don't need, the more confusing our world becomes. And, in a world that is increasingly chaotic, it's harder to find the answers that we need. Are you holding on to ideas or physical items that you don’t need, and are avoiding the decision that needs to be made? How much cognitive clutter is that creating? How much clarity could be unleashed if you made those decisions in the first place? Something to think about.

21.01.2022 Don’t lose sight of the simple things I was speaking with a young man the other day and he said to me, You know? Before the average person is going to be able to travel into space, we’re first going to need to solve a big problem. Oh? I said. What problem is that?... His answer. How to scratch your nose in a spacesuit. I loved his comment because it highlighted how the simplest thing can turn out to be really important. It also reminded me that simple things are sometimes easy to overlook because they don’t demand our attention. So, I’m curious. What are the simple things that matter to you today? Are you giving them the attention they deserve? What complex things are you giving more attention, but they are actually less important? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

20.01.2022 Are you focusing on what matters? I’ve been doing a lot of renovating recently and a lot of painting. In one particular area, I struggled to find exactly the right colour. Having spent a lot of time mixing and playing with paint, I finally created the one I wanted. Then, I spent a three-days painting. The area that I was painting had previously been painted with an oil-based enamel and I painted it with water-based paint. If you’re a renovator, you will know that water-base...d paint doesn't ‘stick’ to oil-based paint and soon peels off. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! All that work for nothing. And, all the future work of taking the wrong paint off and re-applying the right one. I spent so much time focusing on getting the right colour that I forgot to make sure I had the right kind of paint. The key takeaway: Focus on what’s important, not just on what interests you. I wonder. Are you focusing on what's important? Are you making sure the boring stuff gets just as much attention as the things that you're really interested in? I'd love to hear about your experience. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

20.01.2022 Does your thinking feel a little bit foggy? I woke up this morning and looked outside my window. A rather thick fog had settled on the oval nearby. It’s the first real fog we've had this winter and it reminded me about a recent conversation I had with a leader who told me My head at the moment feels filled with fog. It makes it difficult to think and make decisions. I think this happens to all of us at one time or another. It particularly happens to us when we're under s...tress or in uncertain environments. Our emotional brain overrides our logical thinking capability and puts its energy into feeling safe. This can create a thought-block between us and the outside world and it can prevent us logically working through what is going on. So, if today you’re finding that your brain isn't cooperating and feels a little foggy, find some comfort in knowing that it's a very normal reaction to stress, uncertainty, and fatigue. Perhaps now is a good time to give yourself permission to just be in that state. Take a breath and create some space so you're not adding more pressure to yourself by worrying about why can't you think straight. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #problemsolving #momentum #focus #curlycalm&curious #thinkdifferently

20.01.2022 Have you considered all the options? I've recently been doing some home renovating and as part of that, I needed to drill a hole in the wall to attach a birdhouse. However, the particular drill bit I'd chosen wasn't the right size and wasn't big enough for the screw that I had. I borrowed the drills so I asked the owner if he had any more options in terms of drill bit sizes. And he said options?, at which point he opened a whole, what looked like a suitcase full of differ...ent sized drill bits. I had no idea that drill bits could come in so many varieties and different sizes. And I think when it comes to complex problems sometimes we can think that the options we have are limited than the ones that are available. Perhaps it's worth asking: Is it possible that I haven't considered all the options? What are the options that I dismissed because I thought that was silly or not viable? What is the most way-out option that I have not even considered? If I had no limitations what would I do? Then work your way back from those because often we start off with a constrained mindset. But if you start off with the possibility mindset and work your way back, you'll find that you have more options than you thought you did in the first place. #problemsolving #curlycalm&curious

19.01.2022 Are you stuck in an old paradigm? My daughter is in her late teens. I was giving her a hug the other day and she said, Do you know, Mum, that you still hug me like I’m ten? When I asked her what she meant, she said You put your arms over my shoulders when you hug me, as though I am shorter than you. You kind of hug my head. But Mum...here’s the thing!. You are the short one now. So, technically, I should be putting my arms over your shoulders. Otherwise, I need to crouch... down every time you give me a hug. As it turned out my daughter didn't want me to change the way that I was giving her hugs. She said she liked them just like that. However, the conversation got me thinking about how I was still doing the same behaviour, in exactly the same way, as though nothing had changed. It was completely unconscious. I’m curious to know. What behaviours or actions are you doing today that used to make sense in a previous environment, but no longer do so today? Is the world in which those behaviours began still relevant? Is now a good time to reflect, review and reconsider? I'd love to hear about your thoughts. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #problemsolving #momentum #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #thinkdifferently

18.01.2022 Are you trying to make that answer fit? The other night I couldn't sleep. I had an idea going around and around in my head and I couldn’t make the parts fit together. I eventually realised that the reason I couldn't make it fit was that I had become locked into the wrong answer. It was a bit like a puzzle piece that looked like it fitted in a particular spot but when I tried to push it into place, it didn’t really fit. Consequently, I was mentally bashing the piece into the... wrong spot when what I needed to do was try something else. I wonder if you have a solution that you’ve committed to so much in your head, that you’ve now locked it in as being the right answer. Are things falling into place? If they aren't, perhaps it’s not the right solution. I'd love to hear about your experience. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. You’ve got a solution that doesn’t quite fit and don’t know what to do about it, let’s talk. DM or send me an email at [email protected]. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

14.01.2022 Are you reacting, retaliating or responding? The other day I was working at my desk and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something moving up the wall behind my workstation. It turned out that I had an unexpected visitor. A shiny black cockroach. I don't particularly like cockroaches, however, in my opinion, this cockroach hadn't done anything to deserve any mistreatment. That said, he was pretty big and he did give me quite a surprise.... When the unexpected happens, it's easy for us to respond to the surprise and react. Or, we can assume there is malicious intent and retaliate. However, often the greatest opportunity lies in our ability to pause, then respond. Without thinking before taking action, it's easy to end up doing something we later regret. Next time you find yourself facing an unexpected event, make it a choice. Take the opportunity to decide whether you’ll react, retaliate, or respond and consider which one will serve you best. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

14.01.2022 Just because it’s right, doesn’t mean it’s easy We have had an aviary for many years and this week we found ourselves with only one bird left. We noticed that after the second last bird had died, the remaining bird kept looking around to try and find the other bird. We decided to give the remaining bird away. It was five years old (ie. old for a bird) but it was flying OK. We thought it would be better if it could spend its last days with other birds. ... On the morning we advertised the bird, we received a call from an annoyed-sounding woman who said, Do you know how long these birds live? A 5-year-old bird is not going to live very long". She thought we were trying to profit from selling an old bird and felt the need to tell us that. P.S.: Someone did pick up the bird and took it to his aviary, so our bird is no longer lonely. When we’re solving problems, sometimes trying to do the right thing isn't always easy. Have you ever had a similar experience? Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

14.01.2022 Are you fixing problems or solving a puzzle? The mindset we adopt when we first encounter a complex problem determines whether we feel positive or powerless. When we feel positive, it enables us to stay calm and access the thinking capabilities we need to navigate the problem. When we feel powerless and overwhelmed, it leaves us at the mercy of our emotions. Sometimes it only takes a slight tweak in our thinking to open up a whole new perspective. Which is why in this episo...de of Curly, Calm and Curious I explore a simple way you can re-frame a complex problem and make it more manageable. Access this latest Curly, Calm and Curious Episode here: https://lnkd.in/g64uz8P. Please remember to like and share. You can also have Curly, Calm and Curious delivered directly to your inbox. The link is in the comments below. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

13.01.2022 Are you second-guessing yourself? It had been a hot Summer night and in the morning I looked outside at storm clouds looming on the horizon. I hadn't heard the forecast for the day and so I asked the Google Assistant, Hey Google! Is it going to rain this evening? She answered, No, there is a zero-percent chance that it will rain.... I looked up at the clouds and thought to myself They look like rain clouds. It looks like it's going to rain to me. But then I thought, No. Google has more information than me. She must be right. So, I proceeded to spend 45 minutes hand watering my garden. Then, the first drops of rain started to fall, followed quickly by a soaking downpour. I knew it was going to rain but I second-guessed myself. Uncertainty can cause us to second guess ourselves. However, just because we’re not completely certain, doesn’t mean we’re wrong and someone else is right. I'd love to hear about your experience. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

12.01.2022 Is it time to reconnect? Curly Conversations enable teams to navigate uncertainty together. One of the critical elements of Curly Conversations is feeling somehow connected to the person you're having the conversation with.... Sometimes, however, in the busy-ness of the day today we can lose, or end up with less connection than we need. I was reminded of this recently. I found a blue envelope at the back of the cupboard that had been there for over 20 years. The envelope had a name and a phone number. When I first looked at the name it was unfamiliar. However, as I thought about it, I realised that this person's name was someone that I had known when I was at university. Just for the fun of it, I decided to reach out and reconnect. Within seconds I received back a positive and welcoming response. We then proceeded to catch-up on many years of history and talk about where we were now. It was terrific! For some of us, COVID-19 has made it more difficult than usual to connect. So I’m curious. Is there someone that you have yet to reconnect with? If so, perhaps today could be the day to do something about it. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #problemsolving #momentum #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #thinkdifferently

12.01.2022 Are you taking advantage of what you have? It's easy to wish for something we don’t have. After all, when we get something new it’s refreshing and helps us escape that feeling of same old same old. However, in our desire for something bright and sparkly we can lose sight of the things that we have. I was reminded of this recently. I have an old kitchen sink that I was about to throw out. I’m not sure why but for some reason (possibly boredom) I decided to see if I could... polish the sink and see how good I could make it look. To my surprise, it looked pretty good. So much so, that I decided not to replace it. Had I not put in the effort in the first place, I would never have known the sink’s potential. And, instead of keeping something that was still valuable, I would have dismissed it without a second thought. So a couple of curly questions to ask yourself. Are you focusing on what you have or what you don’t have? Are you making the most of what you have? If you leveraged everything that you have available to you, what would be possible? Looking forward to hearing what you discover. Please remember to like or share. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

10.01.2022 Switch off your way these holidays When we’ve had a big year like 2020, finding ways to switch off and recharge over the holidays is a necessity, not a luxury. There is plenty of advice as to how we can do this. But, have you ever been stressed during a holiday because you didn’t feel like you were relaxing properly? ... Your version of relaxing doesn’t have to look the same as it does for other people. If completely disconnecting is your thing, then go for it! If staying connected in some way reduces stress and makes your holiday more enjoyable, do that instead! There is no right or wrong. It’s about what will deliver the outcome you want. It’s worth asking yourself: What do I want from this break? When I am back at work, what would I like to remember about this holiday? What will help you to make that happen? I’d love to help you to switch off your way. Make sure you BOOK YOUR PLACE on my Get Your Brain in Gear - camera-off, complimentary workinar in January. Ease into ‘work-mode’, feel in control and start the year clear. This workinar is not about creating a to-do list. It’s about understanding what really matters in 2021. TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER: Click the link in the comments. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it.

09.01.2022 Are you lost in the detail? Last night a member of my household was making dinner. This particular dish required toasted bread to be cut up and sprinkled over the top before it went into the oven. I watched the cook cut up the bread and was fascinated by the symmetry. Each tiny piece of bread was the same as its neighbour. Amazing! I jokingly ribbed this family member and asked them Did they really need to make the toast THAT symmetrical?. As someone who is not prone int...o detail, I thought it was a bit over the top. However, the cook said, Well, if I don’t make the toast all the same size then, when it goes in the oven, some bits will be toasted and some bits will be burnt. It was a good answer and provided a helpful metaphor. Detail, when it has a purpose, can play a critical role in success. However, if we're spending time going into the detail when really it doesn't help us achieve a better outcome then perhaps it's worth asking Is this good enough? Please remember to like or share. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

09.01.2022 What are our ‘real’ priorities? Some of the most difficult Curly Conversations that my clients say they have are about priorities. I don’t just mean the list of goals or objectives used on strategy slides. I mean the ‘real’ priorities. The ones that, when money or resources are tight, they get the attention when other things don’t.... If your team has too much on its plate and not enough time or resources to do the work, try this Curly Conversation Starter below. 1. If something has value, what does that mean within the context of our team? 2. Using that same definition, what do our customers and stakeholders value? 3. Using that definition, what do we value as a team? 4. What evidence do we have that supports this view? 5. Is there any evidence that doesn’t support this view? 6. What does that say about what we value? 7. Is there something we could do differently? Another curly conversation for your team that’s definitely worth having. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

08.01.2022 Is now the time to think first, then act? There's an old saying in Denmark. What you haven't got in your head, you need to have in your legs.... It means that if you don’t think about something before you do it, you're likely to have to pay with some hard work later on. I discovered this recently as I was working in my garden. There was an area in which I wanted to establish a new garden but the grass had spread its way into that space and taken over. I had previously used a grass deterrent to keep the grass back so the weeds wouldn't grow. Having noticed the grass was on its way back, I reached for what I thought was the same grass deterrent. I didn’t have my glasses on and it turned out to be a hardcore weed killer for patios. Having sprayed half of the new garden area, I looked at the packet and saw the big writing that said, Warning: Do not use on areas that you wish to grow things in the next 12 months. To try and fix the problem, I spent an hour digging underneath the grass and lifting out big chunks of the grass and dirt to try and undo my mistake. As the Danish phrase suggests, thinking first saves you time and effort later. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #problemsolving #moveforward #focus #curlycalm&curious

07.01.2022 There is no transition switch We've been experiencing a lot of disruption lately and while life may be getting back to normal for some of us, for others, it's very different. When we've been disrupted, it's natural to hanker for the comfort of something we can call "normal". It's as though we'd like to flick a switch and make the transition happen more quickly. We can become frustrated because the transition doesn't happen quickly enough.... The road back to 'normality' has many stages. Each of these offers an opportunity and helps us to prepare and think different elements through. Perhaps now is a good time to check-in and ask: Where am I on the road? Where are those around me? What is the potential opportunity? Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently #COVID19

07.01.2022 Why do you want to grow? It sounds like an odd question to ask. Growth is a primary driver behind many of the activities that a business does. However, I wonder what would happen if you asked a number of people in your organisation:... What do we mean by growth? Why do we want to grow? Why does it matter? And having asked those questions and obtained the answers, it would be great to ask: Is growth living up to our expectations? Is the effort delivering the benefit or the value that we hoped that it would? It's a critical curly conversation for every Executive Team to have. You may be surprised by the outcome. I'd love to hear about your experience. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

06.01.2022 Are you caught in a thought rut? Sometimes when we face a problem, we end up thinking ourselves into a rut. Our brain ends up going around and around. It’s like entering a roundabout only to find all the exits have been blocked off. Thought-ruts leave us feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, especially when we’re on our own.... If you are working from home, you may have found yourself falling into more thought-ruts than usual. Part of the reason for that is that we have less interaction with others and therefore, less opportunity to talk through ideas and problems. In this episode of Curly, Calm and Curious, I share an example of where I found myself caught in a thought-rut and how I worked my way through it. Access this latest Curly, Calm and Curious Episode here: https://lnkd.in/g-JU-26 Please remember to like and share. You can also have Curly, Calm and Curious delivered directly to your inbox. The link is in the comments below. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

06.01.2022 It's just not fair! It's a thought I've had quite a lot as Melbourne has returned to Stage 3 lockdown while the rest of Australia carries on with some sense of normality. I get the impression I’m not the only one thinking like this. A shared problem often unifies and energises us, especially when we’re in a team. Conversely, when we feel like we’re the ones with the problem, it can leave us feeling alone, disconnected and perhaps even resentful. If you and your team are fee...ling as I’ve described, another shared problem may be just what you need. You’re probably thinking, we have enough problems, we don’t need another one. Find one that the whole team is passionate about and is therefore motivated to work through and solve together. Start with a small one and as you address that, pick another one that is bigger. Have the team decide what problem they want to solve. Make sure it matters and then get out of the way. COVID-19 is not fair, but that doesn't mean we need to face it alone. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently #COVID19 #coronavirus

06.01.2022 Are you trying to predict the future? Over lockdown, I have to admit to doing some serious binge-watching on TV streaming services. I eventually ran out of new content so decided to go back to some older films. I watched the original Blade Runner film starring Harrison Ford. Created in 1982, the plot was set in the ‘relative future’ of November 2019. It was like opening a time capsule. The predicted future included new galactic colonies, flying cars, artificially intelligen...t, humanoid robots. While many of the plot’s predictions were directionally right, others were completely off what has actually happened. It reminded me that there are limits in our ability to predict the future and worrying about what might or might not happen is rarely helpful. Sometimes it makes more sense to just focus and be in the present. What future predictions have you seen that turned out to be completely wrong? Which ones have been right? Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. It's impossible to solve a problem when you don't know what problem you're solving. If you have a complex problem and need help to get your head around it, let's have a chat. DM or send me an email at [email protected]. #positiveproblemsolving #curlycalm&curious

05.01.2022 Are you getting value from that change? When we're facing a curly challenge, ‘change’ is the vehicle through which we implement our solution. However, pursuing change opportunities comes at a cost. It requires money, resources and mental [and emotional] commitment. All of these could have been channelled into doing something else. There is also the hidden cost of the inevitable disruption that change causes for a business.... When we are pursuing a big change, it’s easy to become lost in it. However, change only has value if it addresses the curly challenge or opportunity it aims to address. Is the amount of effort being put into making that change happen, less than the benefit of having that curly challenge addressed? But, how can you make sure that the net effect of change is positive? Three more questions to ask yourself are: Am I clear what value I'm expecting this change to achieve? Given what I know about the change is involved, is the net effect of that change still positive? Am I pursuing this because the value is really there or because I feel so invested in the change, that I can’t bring myself to stop? If you're about to embark on a major change, or if you are in the middle of one, these questions will save you a lot of future pain. Worth a thought!

05.01.2022 Are you leaping to conclusions? Out for a walk on the weekend and came across an older woman whom we often see. This time she was waving towards a car that was driving off down the street. As we approached, we realised that she wasn't waving, she was actually trying to get the car to stop. It turned out that the driver was this woman's son and he had driven off before the woman had realised that she didn't have her house keys.... Each time we've seen this woman she has been using a walking frame. She appeared to be quite frail and had challenges walking and talking. To access a key, the woman needed to walk two kilometres to her son’s house. It was starting to rain and we offered to help in whatever way we could. She smiled and said It takes more than this to stop me. They told me that I'd never walk again and that I'd never speak. Pig’s arse! I wasn't going to have any of that!. It turned out that this woman wasn’t as frail as I had assumed. I wonder if you’ve ever made a big assumption that turned out to be incorrect? I'd love to hear about your experience. You’ve got a solution that doesn’t quite fit and don’t know what to do about it, let’s talk. DM or send me an email at [email protected]. #positiveproblemsolving #movewhatmatters #curlycalm&curious

04.01.2022 Not every problem has a perfect solution Sometimes the solution that we want and need is not available. Consequently, we need to find an alternative that, while it isn’t perfect, addresses the problem we’re facing. There is a great example of this near my house. A long time ago a small tree was planted. As songwriter Paul Kelly says From Little Things, Big Things Grow. That is what happened to this tree, and started to compete with the power lines. ... Consequently, the foliage of the tree needed to be ‘carved’ around the powerlines. This meant that looking side on, one-third of the tree was now missing. It wasn’t a great solution but at least it was better than the alternative. Namely, cutting the whole tree down. Sometimes it’s a choice between a compromised solution or no solution at all. So I'm wondering if there is a time when you’ve needed to make a compromise choice. I'd love to hear about your experience. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. If you feel like your solution doesn’t fit, let’s kick around some ideas. Feel free to DM or send me an email at [email protected]. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

03.01.2022 Baby steps aren’t just for babies Have you ever noticed how, when we start learning something new, it suddenly dawns on us how much we don’t know? And therefore, how much more there is to know. It’s a learning curve that I reckon most of us are pretty familiar with. Learning is uncomfortable and this can cause impatience. We want to be experts and know everything as soon as possible. Yet, the best learning happens when we’re willing to sit and give our brains the space to t...hink. Sometimes we need to take baby steps. I was reminded of this recently when I gave away some of my old piano books. As I flicked through them, I noticed how beautifully each element of knowledge had been broken down into bite-sized chunks. These books weren’t trying to turn their pupils into a concert pianist. They just focused on moving them to the next level, relative to where they were. Is there somewhere in your work day or your team where you’re itching to stride ahead in leaps and bounds, when baby steps might serve you better? Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

03.01.2022 *Is your communication hitting the mark?* A few weeks ago I received a promotional magazine in my letter box. Its headline was On the road again: Where will you go this weekend? For many people in Australia (who had less COVID-19 restrictions than Melbourne), this was a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Also, this magazine came from a company based in an Australian state that was opening up its economy. Once again, a very reasonable message for them to lead with. Howeve...r, even as my rational brain worked its way through these thoughts, this question still hit me right in the gut. That was because, current circumstances meant that the answer was a resounding ‘NOWHERE!’ It was an easy mistake in current circumstances and a useful reminder of some simple communication principles. >>Context is everything >>Know your audience and what matters to them >>See your message from their perspectives >>Positive intent doesn’t always mean our message is positively received Communication is a critical element of engagement and not always easy. ??? - Have you faced a similar situation, either as the communicator or the person receiving the communication? I'd love to hear your experiences. #problemsolving #engagement #communication #curiosity #curlycalmcurious #leadership

03.01.2022 Is your team as aligned as you need it to be? Yesterday, I noticed these pigeons perched on our electrical wires. They looked so neat and aligned with each other that I started to wonder: Why did they choose that wire over any of the others?... How did they know to line up the way they did? Did they care which part of the wire they perched on? I wonder, if your team were on that wire, how neat would they look? I don't mean physically. Obviously, if your team members were on that wire, they’d be looking pretty petrified. What I actually mean is how aligned is your team regarding the challenges it’s facing right now? When we find our team is misaligned, it’s tempting to try to build alignment behind the solution we want to implement. However, the real power of alignment comes from having a shared mindset and motivation behind the problem that gave rise to that solution. If your team needs to be more aligned and you don’t have much time to make it happen, I can help. Hear what my clients say in the video: https://www.katechristiansen.com.au/about-kate. I'd love to hear about your experience. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

02.01.2022 How to stay consciously curious When our brain is a little weary, it can be tempting to click it into autopilot and follow the same lines of thinking. CURIOSITY is the doorway to CREATIVITY, and together, they provide the foundation for INNOVATION.... Over the last twelve months, many areas of our world have been turned upside down. The above critical elements have been a lifeline for many businesses to help them pull through. But how can you be consciously curious about things you’ve seen hundreds or even thousands of times before? A lot comes down to perspective. As an example, the other day I was walking in the park and I came across this palm tree frond in picture one. However, as I walked past it, my perspective changed. It went from being a plain ‘frond’ to resembling a reindeer or horses head. Same stick. Different perspective. So, I’m curious. How could you look at something differently today? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

02.01.2022 Celebrate the steps This week I celebrated a pretty big milestone as I sent my book manuscript off to the editor. This is my second book, so I know that this doesn’t mean that the job is done. On the contrary, when the book comes back, I know there will be significant work to do to refine, revise and in some cases re-write.... Tom Peters wisely said, Celebrate what you want to see more of. Getting my book to the editor might only be one step, but it’s an important one. Without the steps, we never reach the destination. Which is why the harder each step is, the more important it is to celebrate that we took it and moved forward (even if it’s just a little bit). As you and your team race towards the end of what has been (and for many, continues to be) a massive year, what could you celebrate right now? COMMENT BELOW: What little things have you and your team done to celebrate your little successes? A thank you card? An email to say how proud you are? A phone call with a piece of uninvited positive feedback? Can’t wait to hear what you’ve done. #curlyconversations #humansnotrobots #leadership #engagement #keepcalmandcurious

02.01.2022 Are you keeping it real? The other day I was looking through a catalogue for home storage products and I came across a page that was selling products to help organise wardrobes. As I looked at the image of the wardrobe in the catalogue, I found myself wondering Who’s wardrobe has so few items in it that it looks so empty and so neat? That's not a realistic picture of what the average wardrobe looks like, at least, certainly not what my wardrobe looks like.... In many different contexts, we are presented with images, ideas and expectations that are not set in reality. We see these so often that it's easy to start comparing ourselves and our lives to what’s presented in an unrealistic picture. Aspirations are great if they lift you up and energise you. However, beware of unrealistic expectations that can make you feel like a failure and sometimes, prevent you from even trying. A thought. Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

02.01.2022 Are you as focused as you need to be? The other day I was doing some research for my book. I was reading through documents online and taking notes using my computer. On one occasion, I found some really interesting content and so had been typing my notes like crazy. I looked at what I’d written and it looked something like this: A prtdona glrviciyny oyp yheoltd sdfgfs ssdglkjj///.... While my fingers had typed the right words they were in the wrong place on the keyboard. Consequently, my content lost all its meaning. Turned out that I wasn’t as focused as I thought and was just going through the motions. So I wonder: Is there something that you've been working on that maybe needs a little bit more focus? What would happen if you gave it that focus today? Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. Do you have a complex problem and it’s unclear what to focus on or where to start? I’d love to learn more about it. DM or send me an email at [email protected]. #positiveproblemsolving #problemsolving #momentum #moveforward #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #whatinspiresme #thinkdifferently

01.01.2022 Is your team reaching for the green jelly beans? When we're facing a curly challenge, one of the first things we need to do is pause and understand the nature of the challenge before we take action. There’s a common mistake that teams make in this area, particularly in a disrupted and time-poor environment. Instead of focusing on the challenge, teams focus instead on what others have done in what appears to have been a similar situation.... In my first book, The Thrive Cycle, I call this the Green Jelly Bean mindset. That is, we see others we admire doing something that is right for them and we assume that because they are amazing, it must be right for us. This mindset means that if Google or Amazon or some other super-company gave its employees Green Jelly Beans to improve engagement, we’d do the same. Learning from others can be incredibly useful. However, every curly challenge is contextually specific. We, therefore, need to understand the situation and its context, before committing to someone else’s solution. Perhaps now is a good time to ask yourself. Are there any Green Jelly Beans in your team? Please like or share this post with others who would gain value from it. #positiveproblemsolving #momentum #movewhatmatters #focus #curlycalm&curious #thinkdifferently