GETTING TO KNOW YOU
culture was seen as important , but not urgent . Now it is important and urgent .
People only believe what they can measure , which is effect . Affect is harder to measure as it is constantly changing and occurs in people ’ s thoughts and feelings . At the beginning people didn ’ t want to work on improving something they couldn ’ t measure . Now not only can we measure the affect , but we are starting to see the effects of cultures that negatively affect their leaders and their employees in escalating rates of anxiety and depression in the workplace . These negative cultures are causing companies to implode .
Tell us about some of the expectations that you had . Have they been met ? Originally I thought getting people to think differently in a 3 hour or full day workshop would inspire a shift in mindset and consequently action . Then I realised how busy life has become for everyone . We desire more of everything , set our targets around results we have very little control over and have shrinking attention spans . This makes it very hard to create new habits no matter how compelling the evidence is that we need to . We have started to have a lot more success in the last 12 months by implementing constant feedback loops , buddy systems and open follow up sessions where we discuss what has worked and what hasn ’ t with the clients then work together to customise ways of working to their workplace and personalities .
What types of services do you offer ? Training centres around these main areas ;
• Problem solving , idea generation and decision making
• Communication , collaboration and feedback
• Applying creativity to the way you work and live
Do you provide services nationally ? Yes . What I really enjoyed recently was traveling to all the states that a national client worked in . It was fascinating to share the learnings between the different offices and also understand the nuances that made each state office ’ s culture unique .
Do you have any plans for overseas expansion ? We have been sent to New Zealand and Los Angeles . We are now hoping to work with some companies in Singapore and I have a dream to work in South Africa ( I spent the first 2 years of my life there and have never been back ).
What would you say to someone looking for a business consultant and what advice would you give them ? Know what the consultant ’ s values are as that is the basis of their opinions and beliefs . Values affect how people make decisions . If the business consultant ’ s values aren ’ t aligned with yours then either that ’ s not the right consultant for your business or you don ’ t believe in your values .
Have you written a book ? If so , please tell us a bit about what business owners can get out of it . Yes . The book ’ s title is The Age of Affect . The book shares my experiences and those of 15 of my respected and admired peers who run their own businesses across a diverse range of industries . It explains how I combined the ways of thinking unique to arts and commerce into a deeper understanding of how we affect each other through the way we do business and how business affects us . The main areas I explore in the book are :
• The importance of creating a Culture of Courage
• Leading with Authenticity
• Discovering Passion and Purpose
• The Relationship between Art and Commerce
• Understanding Decision Making and Drive
• Goal setting & building a Community
Filled with examples and relatable stories , The Age of Affect integrates what we can learn about the art of business from business people and what art can teach us about affecting people .
Namely how business people can learn creativity and how to inspire and move people within and outside their organisations from artists and artists can learn business acumen and future planning from business people to drive their career .
54 ModernBusiness June 2016