Mind Set and Resilience Seminar with Arcadia Consulting in London

On the 23rd of February London was visited by Storm Doris, however it didn’t stop a number of our HR network attending our first seminar of 2017 on Mind Set and Resilience where attendees learnt how to manage themselves during turbulent, challenging and changing times.

Damian Callanan, Director at Arcadia Consulting delivered the keynote presentation which quickly gained momentum when the audience was asked to form groups for various discussions and activities throughout the seminar. You could see how effective this interactive method was in keeping people engaged; the room was often full of the sounds of laughter, discussion, volunteered opinions and views. Initially everyone discussed the attributes of a peak performer in their groups and shared them with Damian. We recognised that technical skills are always going to be important but it is one’s mind set and resilience which achieves the desired results. Learning how to be resilient in your workplace is key to reducing stress levels.

First it’s important to know the difference between ‘stress’ and ‘pressure’. Stress is when we are in a situation where there are too many demands being made of us and limited resources of time, money and people to meet them. Pressure is a situation in which we perceive that something at stake is dependent on the outcome of our performance. When you are under pressure the outcome is important to you and you have one shot to get it right. When you are stressed, you are struggling to meet the outcome. Once you distinguish which you are under, you can respond accordingly.

The audience were then provided with four solutions (The Four P’s) to regulate, redirect and release the flow of pressure:

• Perfect focus - learn how to self-manage under pressure. When an ‘event’ occurs, such as a confrontation in the workplace, you need to choose your response and we often don’t consider ourselves so our emotions dictate the ‘outcome’. Instead, once an ‘event’ occurs, you should first consider the desired ‘outcome’ and then form your ‘response’ so that you achieve a positive result. In time this process will come easily.
• Powerful words – choosing positive over negative self-talk. For example ‘learn’ instead of ‘lose’ and ‘will/won’t’ instead of ‘try’.
• Positive Pictures – utilising the benefits of visualisation. Imagining a skill forms the same mental pathways in your brain as if you were executing it and helps to focus your mind on the task at hand. Visualising the positive outcome of a situation helps to conquer your fears and improve your performance.
• Physiology – use body language to fill yourself with confidence and positively impact other people’s perceptions of you. Try using high powered poses, making yourself look tall, open and in charge. Two minutes of power posing has been shown to result in a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol. Remember that our bodies change our minds, our minds change our behaviour and our behaviour changes the outcome.

The format of the presentation served well as an ice breaker with many of our guests continuing discussions and networking over a glass of wine and canapes after the seminar.

The UK team is excited for the next event in the series, which will be held on the 18th of May with Arcadia on Executive Presence. Be sure to follow us on our LinkedIn to be the first to receive our latest updates or email km@elliottscotthr.com for more information.