VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

Welcome to the Christmas Issue of Voxy Lady Magazine

„Inspiration

from the

Female

Voice‟

Sally Anderson– Thinking Outside the Box

i

In this Issue

Change is the New Constant – Mandy Holloway

What to do when you need to have a tough conversation at work – Karen Adamedes

Why am I not losing weight? Susie Burrell | What mental diet are you on? Clare Mann

5 Tips for Success – Shannon Dolan PLUS

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

The magazine has been produced to share with you some great advice by

the speakers, mentors, coaches and entrepreneurs who are represented by

Voxy Lady. We will aim to deliver to you quality articles and advice each

month.

This month we feature Sally Anderson who encourages not only to think

outside the box…but to get rid of it! I have mentioned Sally‟s book “Freefall”

before and it was a great help to me recently when my mother had her

stroke. In fact I read Sally‟s book entirely on a flight back from New York. On

the subject of New York Sally is making quite a name for herself over there.

Other Voxy Lady speakers who have contributed to this issue are Mandy Holloway who writes

about leaders being courageous with regards to change. Karen Adamedes gives you a few tips on

having to deal with tough conversations at work. The fabulous Susie Burrell has just released her

new book “Lose Weight Fast” and she gives some answers to why people do not lose weight.

Clare Mann asks you about the thoughts you feed yourself and the gorgeous Shannon Dolan

gives her 5 top tips for success. Quite a bit of reading!

I would be delighted if you opted to sign up for our newsletter on the link below. Our newsletter

will give up to date information on our new woman speakers as well as showcases and events and

will always include a copy of our online magazine link. The link takes you to our Facebook page

and a „like‟ would be greatly appreciated.

All the contributors of Voxy Lady magazine are represented by us, please email me directly for any

booking enquiries. dcarr@voxylady.com.au

There are many speakers who specialize in a wide range of expertise on our books, if you have a

question that you would like answered or a topic covered in our magazine then please email me

and I‟ll endeavour to have it covered for you in an upcoming issue.

Happy Reading.

Deb Carr, Managing Director

Voxy Lady Women‟s Speaker Bureau

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VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

Change is the

New Constant

By Mandy Holloway

For years business leaders have thrived on predictability and

accordingly lead with a reliance on the predictability of cause and effect thinking. Nowhere is this more evident than in our reliance on budgets. Leaders persist with the more traditional way of responding to uncertainty and change with risk aversion and fear – no one wants to be the one who makes the wrong decision or takes the wrong action.

We continue to see leaders feeling a need to control, to comply and to protect their organisation. During the uncertain times prevailing over many economies since the GFC we have seen the return to command and control styles of leadership and this certainly catalyses people onto the downward spiral of fear.

Many organisations continue to resort to the fearful strategy of cost cutting instead of the more courageous strategy of finding new “blue ocean” revenue streams – and even better still generating new business models. This kind of thinking and strategy development requires leaders to unleash their courage – it means embracing a feeling of vulnerability. An underlying foundation for the success of this approach is that speed is paramount and so if the decision to move into a new revenue stream turns out not to be exactly right then the leader also needs the courage to say “this isn‟t working” and let it go.

However for this kind of personal courage to be unleashed means stepping away from ego and embracing the true essence of who you are and the kind of leader you really want to be. This may mean acknowledging the mistake or wrong decision and learning from it in order to make a better decision. To come from a place of such courage requires leaders to step up, take responsibility for their choices and stop blaming, hiding or justifying. Do this and these leaders then feel raw vulnerability. When leaders unleash this kind of courage they approach issues and problems with interest, creativity and integrity. They facilitate the thinking of others so they enthusiastically embrace their future, develop themselves and approach problems with creativity rather than constraint and fear. Thinking is not limited by any out-dated need for predictability. Learning agility is completely embraced so people are not in fear of retribution for making a mistake. Fear is an unproductive and insecure place to live; while courage is where we feel energised, we believe and we have hope. All leaders need a personal framework to embrace change with more courage because without change inspiration is dampened and passion burns out. Generally, leaders are exposed to two types of change – the change they create and the change imposed on them by others. Imposed change is generally hardest for existing leaders to embrace. As the diagram shows it is like activating a chemical reaction within the person and often the business. Once change is imposed emotions are triggered and can only be „neutralised‟ when each person „embraces‟ the imposed change with their head, heart and soul. The length of time it takes to complete this neutralisation process depends

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

on the capability and willingness of the people impacted to move through their personal change framework - when they courageously make time and create the head space to react, reflect, rethink and reframe. Building capability to work their way through this framework means they not only speed their journey they can also coach others to do so. Start by allowing time to react to the change imposed by labelling your feelings. Then reflect using Edward de Bono‟s Six Thinking Hats. Creating this space to think is essential because things are happening around you, to you and without you; and you have choices to make.

It is at this stage you start to accept the change and look at ways to adapt your behaviour. Accepting and adapting are done with your „mind‟ but it is your heart and soul which allows you to courageously embrace the change- and this is where rethinking and reframing are vital. You learn about and restore belief in yourself and you understand more about the change being imposed. This leads you to embrace the change and you have heart, soul and mind commitment to it. Your suspicions about the future and feelings of defensiveness and uncertainty disappear because the chemical reaction has been neutralised. We need more leaders to step into this place of complete vulnerability where they are prepared to be challenged and most definitely prepared to change. Only then do organisations give themselves a reasonable chance of attaining a high-performance culture and delivering sustainable results.

Mandy Holloway draws on personal experience, in-

depth business understanding, real business

application and passion to inspire others to be

Courageous Leaders. This passion translates into

the commitment to model courage both personally

and professionally inviting others to develop

confidence and conviction to do the same.

Mandy’s continuing personal leadership journey

from emerging leader to partner at KPMG and for

the last decade inspiring courageous business

leaders, while juggling the roles of wife and mother,

means she brings to life the real and practical

aspects of leading others and leading yourself

through stories and experiences.

Meet Mandy at Voxy Lady

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

What to do when you need to have a tough

conversation at work. Karen Adamedes They're not something anybody looks forward to - but unfortunately at some time or other - there are some tough conversations that need to be had at work. They might be necessary because a conflict has arisen, as a manager you need to deliver some negative feedback, or you might have to raise something tricky with your boss. Whatever the reason, they are not fun. But the consequences of avoiding them may be even worse. Putting them off is not the answer. If you don't have the difficult discussions - the risk is that the problem/situation will get even worse. It can take courage to initiate a tough conversation, but if you make sure you have the facts and approach it in a business-like and respectful manner, the potential benefits of a resolution can outweigh the initial discomfort. To make it easier: Set up the conversation in advance Send a short email requesting some time to discuss the business issue. The less time you ask for the more likely you are to get, or even better, take a deep breath, pick up the phone and ask for the time. Practice what you are going to say beforehand if you are really nervous. Often time - just being prepared to have the conversation will win you kudos from the other person.

Pick the most appropriate venue Different locations are appropriate depending on your relationship with the person and the nature of the conversation you need to have. If it is someone senior, and very busy, his or her office is likely to be the best place. If it's a peer or a staff member, find a meeting room where you can have the discussion in private. If it's someone you have an existing relationship with, offering to buy them a coffee and stepping out of the office might take the heat out of the situation and provide a relaxed 'neutral' environment. Once you're talking, Approach the conversation from the other person's point of view. Ask questions to understand their perspective and understanding of the situation. In these circumstances, Steven Covey's "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" habit from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a good approach to adopt! Once you are talking you're on the pathway to resolve an issue. It might not be the whole answer as many situations are genuinely difficult. But it's a start. Meet Karen at Voxy Lady

Career, Women in

Management, Leadership,

Sales

Karen Adamedes is the

author of “Hot Tips For

Career Chicks” has been

featured in Notebook,

Cosmopolitan, Cleo, Madison

and Working Women‟s

magazines. She has also

appeared on national TV on 9 am with David and

Kim on Channel 10 and has been a panelist on a

CareerOne Women‟s forum

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

Congratulations to Voxy Lady

Speaker, Susie Burrell who just

realized her new book “Lose

Weight Fast”

Why am I not losing weight? –

Meet Susie at Voxy Lady Perhaps the most common question from clients who appear to be doing everything they can to support weight loss. They are going to the gym, cutting back on carbs and not drinking during the week and yet the kg won‟t seem to budge. Here are the most common reasons that you may not be losing weight with the good news is that all of these factors are very easy to adjust and get things moving the right way on the scales. You are eating breakfast too late in the day One of the most important things you can remember when it comes to weight loss is “the earlier you eat breakfast, the better”. Waiting until you get to the office to enjoy the first meal of the day is a little late when you consider that breakfast fires up the metabolism for the day ahead. So if you are waiting until 8 or 9 to enjoy your eggs, oats or shake, shift it forward an hour or two and get that metabolism firing.

You are training inefficiently It may sound harsh but the longer you have trained, the more you are going to have to push yourself in order to achieve the same calorie burn you did initially. Change things around with your training as much as you can and focus on working out intensely for just 20-30 minutes burning 200-300 calories in this time. Change the settings on the machines, swap the order in which you do your cardio and/or weights and swap between different machines and classes. When you have trained for many years, sometimes all you need to do is change the type of training and intensity to get things moving again.

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

Thinking Outside the

Box – Sally Anderson is a

Leadership Coach/Leadership

Retreat Facilitator/Keynote

Speaker/Author/Seminar

Leader/Master Coach Trainer

Meet Sally at Voxy Lady

Instead of thinking outside the box, get rid of the box – love that quote by Deepak Chopra. I feel we as leaders need to embrace liberating ourselves from the steadfast rules of standard traditional leadership. Don‟t get me wrong I am all for tradition where it enhances our decision making but I am categorically against doing things because „it‟s just the way it‟s been done in the past‟. As a leadership coach I witness a lot of leaders constrained by external or self imposed rules! News Flash – there are no rules!!!!

Thinking outside the box is a phrase used quite commonly these days but why does there need to be a box anymore? The first thing that occurs when we do venture into the unknown, into unchartered waters, is that we experience resistance from others and or resistance from our own belief system. The irony, from a leadership perspective, this is our primary responsibility.

The more we remove ANY barriers to our own leadership growth the better. Try on some of these recommendations in the next month and see what happens?

Top 10 Recommendations:-

1. Ask your team what aspects of your leadership style could improve over the next 12

months

2. Delegate and or let go of controlling the ship to the degree to which you currently do –

measure this so that you are not just thinking this is a nice concept

3. Offer a member and or members of your management team an opportunity to contribute to

the leadership direction of the organisation – great if you are already doing this but if not

give it a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised

4. In your assessment of your own leadership style do you currently have limitations? If a box

in fact does exist in the context of how you currently lead, what comes up for you in

contemplating getting rid of the box?

5. Take a day off mid week and see how your team runs the show

6. At your next Executive Team Meeting discuss as a group what „cultural box‟ is in existence

within your organisation

7. Do 5 things this month that would confront you – go out on a limb and see what evidence

you find for your own barriers to change

8. The two key emotions we experience when we step out as human beings are fear and the

inner critic dialogue has a tendency of becoming all mighty powerful. What is your current

relationship with fear, and or your own inner critic? What would you accomplish as a leader

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

if you led fearlessly and or no longer heard your inner critic?

9. Facilitating the above conversation with your management team would be interesting –

give it a go, you would be amazed how many people in management are had by fear and

their inner critic

10. At your next Executive Team meeting have a discussion focused on what you as a team

are confronted by, resistant of, uncomfortable with – the key access to transformation is

owning what has us – we cannot transform something unless we own it is running. This is

not the average discussion to facilitate but in every organisation there are human beings

and I am here to tell you, it comes with the human territory. The collective impact of not

addressing this can usurp a leadership/executive team.

Always Something Good by

Deb Carr Meet Debbie at Voxy Lady Whenever I see dark skies I know it’s a fact there is sun above them

Whenever I feel like life is too challenging I remember that tomorrow is a new beginning

Whenever I think a negative thought I remember I am in charge of my thoughts and I can think the opposite Whenever I think ill of someone I remember something nice about them

Whenever I think life is too hard I remember that someone else is doing it harder

Whenever I think I hate my job I remember that I am lucky to have a job

Whenever I whinge about someone who voices their opinion I remember I am lucky I live in a country where we can voice our opinion

Whenever I complain about having to stand on my feet all day I remember I am lucky I can stand on my feet all day

Whenever I get angry sitting in a traffic jam I remember I am lucky I own a car

Whenever I bitch about someone else I remember I am not perfect….but I am trying to be

Whenever I complain about my teenagers I remember I was one of those once

I remember that - I have my freedom I am unique I breathe I see I hear I touch I smell I feel I have food I can walk I can speak my mind I have water I have electricity I have warmth I have a bed I have a computer I have the ability to communicate I have my individuality I am special I have another day to experience life I have been loved and I have loved I have the power to seize every opportunity given to me No one ever has or will ever be ME!……and if I don’t have all of the above, I have some of the above and for that, I am grateful! Thank you.

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

What Mental Diet Are You On? Clare Mann

Meet Clare at Voxy Lady

Anxiety is a physical and psychological experience which can rise and cause panic attacks. Because so much is written on it in the popular media, it seems that everyone has become a psychologist and immediately looks for psychological reasons for it.

However, whilst self-reflection and examining one‟s current circumstances is enormously valuable, I would like to offer something important in how anxiety is often exacerbated.

What mental diet are you on?

We all know that our physical diet is important – a few days of overindulgence or with too many sweet or rich foods, makes us feel tired or sluggish. We need good fuel if we are to perform at our optimum. In the same way, what we feed ourselves mentally is essential for our psychological wellbeing. If we feed ourselves on negativity, trauma and distractions, there is no doubt that we will, over time, feel anxious, negative or even depressed. Watching the news repeatedly, filling our minds with trauma or fear – if only fictitious through a movie, has a negative impact on our outlook on life.

When we view information about an earthquake or tsunami, it is understandably tragic and distressing but to watch it over and over again, makes us more fearful of such a situation or even our ability to trust anyone or anything. We simply feel anxious. As with our physical diet, we feel unbalanced, exhausted and with indigestion.

Whilst I think it is important to be informed of what is happening in your environment, I suggest you limit filling your mind with negativity and trauma, instead take inspired action to improve your life, those of people you care for and even offer your services to the community – contributing to others reminds us that there are some wonderful things happening in the world as well as trauma, fear and limitation.

Clare Mann is an organisational psychologist, existential psychotherapist and author of numerous books and training programmes. She is skilled in dispelling the myths that limit people in their lives and work so they can create and satisfying lives which align with their values and purpose. Her education equips her with the skills to work in a variety of contexts and contribute creative interventions to challenges facing individuals and organisations.

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

Personal and Professional Leadership- 5

Tips for Success

Shannon Dolan

Would you like to be more respected and successful in your communication and in your role? Sometimes small things can make a very big difference. Here are some simple practical reminders that will make a strong impact and inroad on your development as a leader in all aspects of your life.

Tip #1: The Golden Rule-You can't go past this

one to start. If this foundation is not in place,

you won't be getting any further along the path,

or the success you achieve certainly will not

last. The Golden rule is not only about treating

others as you would like to be treated, but

treating others as they would like to be treated,

and that is as a unique individual. If you have

not done much study into various

communication and personality styles and

preferences, 2012 is the year to start. Make

sure you are a leader in the way you read,

adapt, and communicate with people. Be a role

model in every way. Respect always at every

moment in every situation. Your people need to

respect you and buy into you first before they

will listen and buy in to what you have to say.

This is true not only in our professional life but

our personal life. Who do you admire as a

leader and why? What could you and what

would you like to be doing more of this year that

will continue to bring you down the path of

success you desire.

Tip #2: Be Present-Bring yourself into the space. Be there. Physically, vocally, emotionally, spiritually, professionally, and personally. Bring the best part of yourself through the door and share it. Be on time. Be early. Promptness is one of the true signs of respect, care, organisation, attitude. energy, humility, and that winning edge. Your body, your face, your gestures should say "I am here for you. I am listening to you. I am open to you. Let's work together. I feel good. I want to be here." The tone of your voice should display confidence, credibility, strength, warmth, and inspiration. Moods transfer, don't kid yourself. Make sure when you step into a space you are present and switched on. If any of these areas are letting you down. Ask someone you trust to give you feedback on your presence. This year is the time to step up. "The handshake of the host affects the taste of the roast." Benjamin Franklin Tip #3: Communicate with Influence- Keep people in the loop, follow up regularly, communicate along the way. Build trust. Tell it like it is. Be honest and direct but diplomatic and savvy. Create trust and firm strong relationships with people. As Stephen Covey says, make regular deposits into your emotional bank account. There will be something to draw upon when the hard times hit. If people do not hear you, if people do not follow you, if people do not get your message, then you are not communicating as a leader. Foremost and completely leadership is influence. A leader needs to speak well. A leader needs to have great presentation and speaking skills. If this is a weakness, it will be to your peril and to everyone's detriment. This is a skill like any other. It takes study, guidance, practice, and feedback. "The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate." Harry A. Overstreet

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

Tip #4: Find Balance- Take care of yourself. Exercise, meditate or pray, relax, have fun, eat healthy delicious foods, drink plenty of water, give up destructive habits, reduce stress, find time for your family your interests, hobbies, growth, education, and reflection. Make a plan and stick to it. Everyone is time poor not just you. Use any time you have. Take the stairs, stand up and stretch, walk the floor and connect with people, take a power nap, meditate on the bus, sing in the car, take 3 deep yogic breaths, dance around the house, hug and kiss your family and tell them that you love them. Time is short and ephemeral. Live life and don't waste a moment. Respect and be grateful for where you are and for what you have been given. Without gratitude for where you are right now you will not get to where you want to be going. Keep stretching, keep growing everyday. "Beware the barrenness of a busy life." Socrates

Tip #5: Create a Positive Mindset- We all have

an inner voice. If you don't think so, then what is

that inner voice doing right now that is telling

you you do not have one! The problem is that

many of us have a negative inner voice that is

constantly niggling away at us telling us that we

are not quite good enough, not quite able to

handle it, not feeling well enough, not confident

enough, too afraid to speak up, blah, blah, blah.

This negative voice can really get in our way of

success. Now is the time to get on top of it.

Replace it with a positive voice that is

supportive of you and your life journey. Coach

yourself internally to success. Give yourself

positive messages, even if you don't believe it.

You create your own destiny. You create your

own world. You are supported and guided, but

ultimately it is up to you to make it happen. Look

around and see what you have created in your

life.

Tell yourself you are worthy. Tell yourself you

deserve love and success. Tell yourself you

have something very special and unique to

offer. Start now you have nothing to lose and

everything to gain. No one can do this for you.

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of

character."

Albert Einstein

Shannon Dolan is Director of Performance Power, a

boutique communications firm based in Sydney,

Australia and New York City; specialising in personal

and professional

development. She

has a BA in Dance

and Psychology

from UCLA, a Post-

Graduate degree in

Movement &

Direction from The

National Institute

of Dramatic Art

(NIDA), and a

Masters in Theatre

from The University

of New South Wales. She is qualified to administer

the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.

Meet Shannon at Voxy Lady

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

VOXY LADY MAGAZINE February 1,

2012

About Voxy Lady Women’s Speaker Bureau

Our expert women speakers come from all areas of business, politics, finance, women leaders, marketing, sales, communication,

customer service, inspiration, motivation, networking, team building, health, fitness, family, networkers, time management,

business owners, entrepreneurs, authors, indigenous and corporate speakers. In 2011 Voxy Lady was chosen as a finalist in the

2011 Stevie Awards in the category "Women Helping Women".

www.voxylady.com.au