SINK or SWIM Cutting Edge Seminars

Well, the year has begun, as each one seems to, with a mixture of hopeful anticipation and pondering expectation � what will be good, what will be bad, what will we enjoy and what will we dread?

Each of us lives in 3 circles, the circle of the individual, the circle of the group or the team and the circle of the organisation � much of what we experience this year will be determined by the way our roles within each of these three circles interact and develop as the year progresses.

So what is in store for us in each of our circles?

Here are some of my own thoughts (gleaned from also looking at what others have said)

Top 3 Individual trends for 2012:

1.      Health � with the exponential growth in �lifestyle diseases� (e.g. diabetes, high cholesterol etc) it is up to the individual to fight back (no-one can exercise on your behalf) � personal fitness programmes will continue to explode;

2.      Education � to stay ahead is to move faster than the pack! Education is another area individuals will need to �fight for themselves� in � homework is no longer restricted to school days, learning is no longer something we get behind us but something we need to do daily;

3.      Technology � we�ll all move to (or want to move to) tablets � while someone somewhere thinks of the next thing to captivate us � be aware of the technology for technology�s sake bandwagon as the marketing of technology continues to shift from function to aspiration.

Top 3 Team/Group trends for 2012:

1.      Adaptability � change is the only constant (a cliché that is also true). Teams will be challenged to make the right changes retaining their core values while adapting to new functions and behaviours;

2.      Leaderless teams � the emergence of new types of teams and teamwork will challenge traditional views on authority and hierarchy � these teams may be structurally leaderless, but leadership remains a necessity that they will have to find (in all their members);

3.      Outcomes � performance will more and more be measured on outcomes. In every team what a person contributes to the required outcome will determine their value! The danger is a shift from the �human� element to the �resources/capital� element � the continuing de-personalisation of work.

Top 3 Organisational trends for 2012:

1. Economy � this will keep dominating the headlines internationally � how organisations respond will depend on an understanding of their dependence or independence on the economy. The fearful will blame the economy, the courageous will act despite it;
2. Resources � allocating limited (and often severely constrained) resources is one of the keys to achieving what an organisation sets out to accomplish � the wisdom/stupidity and clarity/vagueness of decisions making in this area will be evident by the result;   
3. Uniqueness � as more and more organisations pursue �best practice� in their field an area that is too easily sacrificed is the uniqueness the organisation offers � as everyone attempts to do things in the same way so they look more and more alike with nothing exceptional to set them apart. Balance best practice with a deliberate pursuit of exceptional uniqueness � be known for something no-one else is known for.

What �circles� can I help with this year?

I am focusing my training and consulting for 2012 on the circles of Strategy, Governance and Leadership � to assist individuals, teams and organisations mature in all three.

·        Strategy � because so many organisations and teams fail to achieve what they set out to do. We provide training, consulting and facilitation in the fields of Strategy Formulation and Strategy Implementation;

·        Governance � failures in governance (responsibility, accountability, fairness and transparency) are currently evident all around us, private, public, governmental and non-profits are wrestling in this area. We provide training, assessments and consulting across a range of governance frameworks � structures, risk, policies, integration with strategy and performance and the like;

·        Leadership � ultimately both strategy and governance are leadership/people issues � without the right people doing the right things at the right time, in the right way the potential for failure looms large.

To find out more visit www.sinkorswim.co.za, or contact me on roger@sinkorswim.co.za.

Have a great 2012.