Have you got a workplace migraine?

by Jodie Nevid

As a clinical hypnotist I have a lot of clients wanting to work on “problems of the mind”, things like self-sabotage, low self-confidence, specific fears, eating disorders, depression and anxiety. Getting rid of the problem usually (but not always) involves training people to think differently, see the world, or even themselves differently.

What has really surprised and even shocked me is just how many people have persistent negative self-talk, for some, it is so strong they literally give himself or herself a headache or even a migraine!  But here’s the thing… if a client who suffers from migraines wants me to simply hypnotise them to remove the pain and I just did it… that would be malpractice!  Removing a migraine without understanding the cause could even be fatal.  Here’s why - a migraine is a symptom and behind it lays a cause.  Imagine a migraine as our bodies alarm screaming “something’s wrong!”

And here’s the problem - we live in a society that is more invested in addressing symptoms than understanding the causes.  What if my client’s migraine was a symptom from a brain tumor, if I help them remove the pain the tumor goes unnoticed and they could die!

Before you panic think of Arnie…  that maybe “it’s not a tumor”, migraines can also be symptomatic of any number of causes like perfume, diet, lack of nutrition, poor eyesight, dehydration, stress or depression just to name a few. Unfortunately we are more prone to pop a Panadol (or something stronger) to numb the pain instead of investing focus on understanding and identifying the specific cause.

I see this pain numbing approach all the time in workplaces, in fact the symptomatic problems are so common we have identified a list of 7 repeat offenders.  

1.     Low levels of accountability

2.     Under performance or apathy

3.     A culture of blame

4.     Resistance to change

5.     Working in silos

6.     Poor communication or

7.     Avoidance around performance management

Above is a list of symptoms not causes, they exist in most organisations, however each organisation has its own specific and personal cause.  Are you clear on both the symptoms and causes of the issues impacting your organisations performance?  If you want problems to go away for good then stop numbing the symptoms and start understanding the cause. There are 7 key questions we ask organisations we partner with; and one of those questions is “What are the specific symptoms and causes of your problems?”

To find out what the other 6 questions are, join us at our High Performance by Design breakfast on Thursday 23rd July in Adelaide.

Contact amy@the7effect.com.au or click here to register now!

High Performance by Design

By Jodie Nevid

Have you ever thought about why some things come easily, and other things seem like hard work?  Imagine what life would be like if you had the formula for success?  Or what if you knew the formula for organisational high performance?  How quickly could you catapult your career or business to the next level if you knew the answers?  Great News Alert - there is in fact many formulas for success... and of course there are also formulas for failure or recipes for disaster!  As Tony Robbins often says - "Success leaves clues baby!" so its kind of nice to know that everything in life, from the way we feel each day, through to the tangible outcomes we achieve at work, are indeed the result of the formulas we apply on a day to day basis.

Finding the formula to getting what you want out of work and out of life is simply a matter of opening your eyes and becoming conscious, or mindful about what works and what doesn't!

As a coach and facilitator I do a lot of work with organisations wanting to improve performance levels, first hand experience and years of study and research has taught me exactly what the formula for high performance is. There are specific things high performing organisations do habitually that low and average performing organisations don't.  High performing organisations also strategically invest time and energy into establishing and achieving goals under 6 High Performance Key Focus Areas, which are:

1. Leadership - leaders are aligned on a vision and developed to be constructive by nature

2. Employee Engagement - people are encouraged to grow, given ownership and held accountable to deliver (without fear)

3. Customer Experience - relationships are built on trust, feedback is embraced and experiences are designed to WOW!

4. Perception of Fairness & Equity - expectations are clear at every level and policy is implemented with consistency and fairness

5. Productivity and Profitability - low effort high reward strategies drive value and viability

6. Innovation - a fearless culture fosters creativity and people at every level continually improving the way they operate

High performing organisations understand that the most effective and sustainable path to excellence is through trusting and growing their people, not through monitoring and controlling their people by enforcing policy and procedure.  High performing organisations develop leaders who have the confidence to put down the rule book and influence change by connecting with the hearts and minds of their people. When leaders understand their people (and people in general) they have much less fear of failure, fall out or a bully claim being made against them!

So when it comes to high performance the formula is all about people and culture, there are things that work and things that don't.  Finding your own success formula is much the same, it's a matter of opening your eyes and becoming mindful of what's working and what's not, look for the clues of success and adopt them consciously until they become your new and unconscious way of achieving what you want.

If you want more detail about the formula for organisational high performance then join us for a free breakfast at DDLS where I will be unpacking my tool kit and giving everyone a simple step by step formula to take away and apply at work. Are you ready to rise to your next level and achieve high performance by design...?

Are you courageous enough to take the lead?

 By Jodie Nevid

We work with leaders at every level; from aspiring through to executive and along the way we've met plenty who felt helpless in a hopeless situation. Their helplessness usually stems from a deep belief that influencing change and making a difference is beyond their control. We don’t buy it, or believe it, and we certainly don't offer a bunch of soothing sympathy and agree that their situation really does seem hopeless. If we did that we would never inspire growth in anyone!!

Instead we tell them this; “True leadership has nothing to do with position or authority, anyone at any level can inspire change or leave a legacy… if… and only IF they had the courage and the commitment to follow through to the end.” Too many people give up to early… not because they lack the skills or the ability… more so because they lack the belief that change is possible, or they lack the confidence in themselves to lead the change they desire. 

True leaders are those who develop a belief (yes you can develop and change your beliefs) that they can… no… that they MUST own, influence and lead the change they wish to see. These types of people are human and have fears like us all, but they are not ruled by their fears. They are more visionary than most and they have a rare type of courage that might appear innate, but that in fact can be built in anyone. They are the types of people who would have high scores across all 7 Elements of Leadership.

So what are The 7 Elements of Leadership? Think of The 7 Elements as your essential ingredients to being an effective leader. They are also the 7 most common stumbling blocks we have witnessed leaders struggle with on a day-to-day basis. Master the 7 Elements and you will be able to lead change leader with less pain and more pleasure in any situation!

The 7 Elements of Leadership:

1.    Confidence – Fearlessly releasing your full potential and being self-actualised.

2.    Vision – Seeing your world as it could be and constructing a compelling future.

3.    Authenticity – Having the courage to be who you are, and to show your true self at all times.

4.    Communication – Mastering the art of connection to engage others, build trust and inspire action.

5.    Growth – Embracing lifelong learning and coaching others to reach their full potential.

6.    Delivery – Following through to achieve measurable results and sustainable high performance.

7.    Resilience – The ability to bounce back and grow stronger through challenges.

In short Leaders who score high across all 7 Elements are those who are constructive by nature. How do you think would you score across the 7 elements of leadership? Take the test at our one-day Leadership workshop we have our next one on the 11th September.

What Makes You Itch?

Have you got an itch? A passion you would love to pursue? I was lucky as all of my 20’s and my early 30’s were spent scratching my "itch" for pottery, art and travel. Life was amazing, I was making great money doing what I loved (well most of the time) and I got to experience new cultures, meet amazing people and expand my view of the world.  Then when life took a turn in 2007 I was grateful to land my first “real job” with ease at 34.

It was a fantastic job so I felt incredibly lucky just to be paid EVERY WEEK!!! It was quite different to the end of month scramble for cash I was used to.

However, by 2011 I came to realize that Monday to Friday 9 – 5 was probably never going to be my long term happy place. I started feeling stressed and frustrated, to be honest I felt trapped. My son had just started private school, I had a bigger mortgage, as a single mum no-one to help me pay bills... bla..bla..bla.. or maybe wha..wha..wha. In my head I thought I was “stuck”... I truly did feel trapped back then.

At the time my role was (and in part still is today) facilitating leadership training programs, often with leaders that feel stuck or dis empowered in their roles. My advice was always “If you don’t believe the situation will change, and you can't change your thinking about it then you need to change yourself and get out”. As the tables turned I had to look in the mirror take a shot of my own advice.

I made a decision to get clear on what I really wanted out of life, not just to get by, but to really live an amazing life.

The Dream:

• Work flexible hours – maybe only 3 days a week
• Get paid as much, if not more than I already did
• No work during school holidays
• Take leave and travel whenever the urge strikes
• Work with clients in a more flexible way
• Coach and train people to understand themselves and others more deeply so they can have better relationships
• Show people how to design a life they love and set personal goals
• Turn our monthly goals club into a busines and get paid to teach people how to get more out of life with less stress
• Create a wellbeing movement by increasing peoples happienss so they could then increase wellbeing in their families, workplaces and communities
• A holiday adventure in America and Disneyland with my son
• A month in Italy on my own
• Rediscover my love for art and get my hands dirty again

I had some big dreams, a massive itch and that meant I needed to make some big changes.

To make it happen I turned dreams into goals and created a plan. Reading back on my 2011 - 2012 journals and Life Plan it's a little bit freaky - so much has become my reality. It wasn't alwasy easy but it certinaly was possible and surprisingly easier than you might think!

Have you got goals that you could commit to right away?

From Dreams to Outcomes:

• April 2011 - Easter trip to Phuket
• November 2011 - offered an amazing new role at BRS
• September 2012 - Disneyland with my son Jazz (Amy and her mum even came with us #bestholidayever!)
• October 2013 - a month in Italy and just for me which began at an art retreat in Tuscany!
• April 2014 - becoming an associate at BRS, which means more flexibility doing the work I love with my regular clients
• April 2014 - The 7 Effect launches with a sold out event!
• May 2014 - Lost 12 kilos and feelo great in my own skin
• July 2014 - Almost finished my Diploma of Modern Psychology, new skills new insight, new focus with clients!

It really is possible - scratch your itch and you could change your world completely in the next 2 years!

Do you have  your own life plan in place? If you want to learn how to create a life plan then join us at The Ultimate Life Planning Workshop

Your Money and Your Mind

By Jodie Nevid

After giving up the safety of my full time salary in April I decided my May goals would best be focused on the “Money” element. Money is just one of the 7 elements we set goals around at The 7 Effect. (What are the 7 elements?)

Money is an interesting topic because for some people even the word money can bring up negative feelings, and a bitter taste. Yet for others, like my 12-year-old son, discussions about how to earn, grow and spend money can be completely exhilarating!

If you have a weird or dysfunctional relationship with money then taking time to understand what’s behind that is time well invested! What’s your relationship with money like? Do you believe you have to work hard for it, or do you like your money to work for you? Do you have an abundance or scarcity mindset… is there plenty or never enough?

These were some of the questions we explored at last months Goals Club. For most of us our relationship with money is greatly influenced by the things we observed as kids which impacts the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes we adopt as adults at both a conscious and unconscious level. The great news is all of your thought patterns around money can be changed, you really can decide what to keep, ditch or tweak!

To get you thinking differently about money here’s my top 7 money habits that I’ve picked up along my journey.

1. PAY yourself first – put 10% of all money that comes in aside in a specific account dedicated to your investment / life style strategy.

2. Think YOU Inc. - Monitor and manage your money like you are a business. You don’t need to become a neurotic tight arse just be consciously aware of what comes and goes so you can make better decisions about your spending.

3. Make it FUN - Play money games like Cash Flow and Monopoly to program your brain to think smart about your spending choices and learn how you can make money work for you.

4. Be BALANCED - Know what your worth and track your assets against your liabilities on a simple balance sheet. 

5. COLLECT coins - Get one of those giant sealed money tins and cover it with pictures of things you are saving for. Get the whole family involved in filling it up with loose change…. It could contain the trip of a lifetime in a year or two!

6. Take back CONTROL - Credit cards are designed to encourage spending, and can easily get out of control! Take back the reins on your spending and make a commitment to get your Credit Card balance back down to zero. Use it wisely and enjoy wiping the slate clean each and every month.

7. Set GOALS – establish weekly, monthly quarterly and annual savings and debt reduction targets and go public with them! Keep a chart on the fridge or hold monthly meetings with the family to report of progress and share the journey. This is a great way to build healthy money habits into your kids as well.

When it comes to money I think the more fun you make the topic of conversation the more rewarding the process of earning, growing and spending money is. I love spending rainy Sunday afternoons with my son Jazz playing Cash Flow as we invest and deal our way out of the rat race and into the Fast Track!

The Short Cut to Change - Change Your Identity

By Jodie Nevid

I’ve been doing some research recently on stages of change so I can continually improve how I work with people to create change in their life that is a) for the better and b) sticky! I believe that anyone can make whatever changes they needed to improve their life. It's never too late to ditch bad habits, remove deep seeded fears, eliminate anxiety and dramatically increasing confidence. The only catch is to get that kind of change you have to want it, and you have to be prepared to allow it to happen without sabotaging your own success.

I’ve recently been exploring the Dilts’ Neurological Levels Pyramid. (See the image) It’s a pretty cool model to be aware of because when understood it’s a fantastic guide to help pinpoint where you should focus your energy to create any kind of change you want.

I’ll explain the pyramid by starting from the bottom because that’s the way many of us pursue change… it is the longest, most painful and the most commonly traveled path to change.

1. ENVIROMENT – This is the first place we often try for change if we are unhappy about life. Get a new job, new home, new car or even new crowd to hang out with – but we take ourselves with us so sometimes we remain just as unhappy in our new environment… so we step up the pyramid and try something else…

2. BEHAVIOUR - If our environmental change didn’t hit the spot we might adopt some new behaviors to bring on change. We might get up early, eat less, stop smoking, exercise more, or what ever else we could try that is different to what we currently are. It can work in the short term but it rarely sticks because it feels like massive effort!

3. SKILLS - Frustration with our failed attempts to create new habits can then lead us to want to get more committed, which is a good thing. So we commit to developing some new skills. We take a course, get some qualifications, learn, grow and develop. This can open up new opportunities and increase our confidence, however it is often only at a surface level. As we know new skills don’t always stick either!

4. BELIEFS - Even with our new skills limiting beliefs like; this is just how it is, I could never do that, or that could never happen, can continue to haunt us. This is about where I show up. The scenario: the training box is ticked but nothing has changed! Why? Because no one really believes deep down that change is possible. I used to work with clients to try and change their beliefs… OMG it was challenging… and sometimes it worked… but mostly people STILL return to their old ways. I’ve learned that yes beliefs matter but this is not the first place to go because it can be exhausting for everyone.

5. VALUES – By moving beyond beliefs to find congruency between a persons values and their desired outcome change is easier. I also like to focus on individual character strengths because this gives the person a base of confidence to build on… however this is still not the first point of call.

6. IDENTITY - This is the place I have learnt (Yes learnt the hard way!) to begin by simply asking; what do you believe to be true about yourself? Giving an honest answer can be challenging for some people and very revealing for all concerned. If deep lasting change is the goal then we must first look inward at our very core. Sometimes change can only come when we change our thoughts about who we “think” we are.

7. SPIRITUALITY - In some versions of Dilts’ model I’ve seen the peak listed as purpose, perhaps spirituality is a little bit “woo woo” for some? Personally I like the notion of spirituality but it is not for everyone and I get that. In essence at this level it is about being connected to something greater than self. When you can find that type of connection to purpose it can be a very powerful force for change.

Experience has taught me that change is achieved at a quicker rate with less overall effort and pain when we start at the top. Who you think you are and your connection to a sense of purpose can have a massive impact on your life. Next time you want to change something take the short cut - Sometimes the last place we go is the first place to try!

Go Away and Be Mindful in May

By Jodie Nevid

On Sunday I was up at 4.15am to get ready to board a 6.30 flight to the Sunshine Coast – I’m off to indulge in two weeks of solid study as part a of my Diploma of Modern Psychology.

The week prior was MASSIVE for me with back to back coaching, facilitation and consulting Monday to Saturday. It was one of those weeks that leave you feeling energized and exhausted all at once, the work and clients were varied we shared lots of laughs, and even the occasional light bulb popped up. I LOVE weeks like that!

Based on the intensity of my week I was sure that once I got on the plane my mind would fade to grey, my body would melt to become one with the seat and I would slip into a coma like sleep (secretly hoping not to snore) only to wake at the other end. However… thanks to our Mindful in May challenge that's not what happened at all. As soon as I found my seat I got comfortable and did my “Mindful” body scan practice, it only takes about 10 minutes. Then as if like magic as the plane took off I left the busyness of the previous month behind as a mass of new clean and clear space opened up in my head, it allowed me to instinctively and automatically think differently about a range of things that had been rattling around in my subconscious for the last few weeks.

Instead of annoying my neighbor with my snoring I stared scribbling down my rush of ideas… (Sheer genius of course!! Haha) It might sound weird but just getting away and that sense of leaving things behind induced a completely new way of thinking and a heap of learning before my training sabbatical had even begun. In just 40 minutes it felt like I had solved the "problems" of my world!

Just 10 minutes of being Mindful helped me get really clear on how we need position ourselves as a business... something we have stumbled over a little so far. I came up with some exciting ideas for a new and unconventional 4 day leadership program for those wanting to not just improve but really master the art of leader, and I came up with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) as light dawned on me about how to design and deliver our Elementary program so that it would become Australia’s #1 Well-being program!!!

Already my journey has given me a great balance of practical actions and lofty ideas which make the investment of time and money worth my while... imagine what will happen once the training begins.

There’s a lot to be said for switching off, slowing down, being mindful and getting away. If you want to solve the problems of your world and think differently about a few things then try some escapism of your own kind and get back in touch with your brain - get away and be Mindful in May!

If you want to join our Mindful in May Challenge you can join The 7 Effect team and sign up here:

http://www.mycause.com.au/page/70570