Jason Whitelaw

Last week I was working with a team who ranged from aspiring leaders through to established/senior leaders. 🚀

The focus of the workshop was “Strength Based Leadership.” 💪

Strength-based development is focused on identifying natural talent and turning the volume up on that to transform it into productive strength. 🔍🔥

On the flip side, the conventional approach to personal development has always been more focused on identifying weaknesses with the intention of developing an improvement plan around those. 🤔🔄

Growing from a place of natural talent isn’t about ignoring weaknesses or being in denial. It’s simply looking at your natural resources, in the form of how you naturally think, feel and behave and leveraging that power to grow and progress more effectively. 🎯💡

If you’re interested in learning more about how to unlock your natural talent and strength, swipe across to see how simple it is 🌟🔓
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Leadershipcoach

Do you remember 🧐 what it felt like when you finished high school?

Alongside excitement and freedom there can also be fear, uncertainty, challenge, and anxiety. Add raging hormones and you have a crazy mix of emotions to navigate 😬

As we approach Christmas, my corporate delivery and travel ✈️ slows down, opening some space in my schedule.

This year I want to dedicate that space to working with a handful of school leavers to empower them ⚡️with a sense of direction and confidence to navigate 🧭 the journey ahead.

If you are a parent who would like to learn more, you can find the link in my bio or DM 📨 me. Alternatively tag a friend who you think might benefit ❤️

18 years ago today we lost a great man to cancer. My dad. I had just turned 18.

Last week I turned 36. That means I have now lived slightly longer without him than with him in my life.

Even though he hasn’t been physically present in my life for over half of it. He has still led, encouraged and positively influenced me my whole life.

I remember his sense of humour, his ability to tell a great yarn (made even better in a thick Scottish accent), his work ethic, doing press ups before work in the morning, the size of his calves 💪🏽, always clean shaven, his kindness...I could go on!

We should never underestimate the influence and impact we can have on other people’s lives. People (especially those closest to us) are always watching.

That means WE are always LEADING.

The attributes I have mentioned above are a great example of “show me, don’t tell me”. I can’t really recall many mature 'man-to-man' conversations I had with my dad. I was probably too young or unfortunately can’t remember them.

What I can remember is the behaviour. The behaviour of a great man and a man I would want to make proud if he could see the way I behave today.

That is leadership. That is living and leading with excellence.

Here’s to you Ian Whitelaw 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃

****Current stats show 1 in 8 men in New Zealand will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Continue monitoring your health fellas!!****

Who do you see in this picture?

I first saw a variation of this drawing by American cartoonist (William Ely Hill) in a book written by Stephen R. Covey titled “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.

In this book Stephen Covey writes:

“To try to change outward attitudes and behaviours does very little good in the long run if we fail to examine the basic paradigms from which those attitudes and behaviours flow.”

If you want to positively change, influence or lead the behaviour of yourself or others, then understanding this principle is critical.

There are two women in this image – if you can only see one, try changing your view (paradigm) until you can see both.

At 1.5 years old our little boy has already learnt so much. Likewise, he has also taught us so much!

One thing he reminds me of daily is how contagious smiles are. Rach and I agree, we have never smiled as much as we have in the last couple of years and those smile lines / wrinkles are getting deeper by the day!!

Professor Ruth Cambell, from the University College London, believes there is a ‘mirror neuron’ in the brain that triggers the part responsible for the recognition of faces and expressions and causes an instant mirroring reaction. In simple terms, whether we realise it or not, we automatically copy the facial expressions we see.

The takeaway? Regular smiling is important to have as part of your body language toolkit (even when you don’t feel like it) because smiling directly influences other people’s attitudes and how they respond to you.

Ultimately, it’s a primitive thing. If you want to show others you are non-threatening, show you are safe to connect with and positively influence them remember to check yo’ smile!

**Of course, you need to exercise self-awareness here and use appropriately!

This idea was first presented to me by Dr Rich Allen at an unforgettable communication workshop I attended in Christchurch in 200…8ish… 👴🏻

The concept is explained best by the man himself in his book ‘Train Smart - Effective Trainings Every Time’

“What it is - this concept moves away from the traditional education model that simply tells participants “this is what you need to know, now repeat (memorise) it”. Transmitting information in this way sacrifices involvement on a deeper level and doesn’t allow participants any personal processing time. However, when we encourage participants to analyse concepts and make connections through their own mental efforts their recall increases significantly.” 🧐

Whether it’s a keynote presentation, a 1-on-1 coaching conversation or a team session I always look for opportunities to involve participants in the training material rather than simply telling. 🗣️

The concept applies in a broader context too. “Transmitting information” is taking place all the time. If you are a parent, a teacher, a coach, a manager or a friend, at some stage you will be transmitting information with the intention to teach. I encourage you next time you are in this position to think about involving the person you are communicating with rather than just telling. 🔇

If you want to learn more about captivating communication flick me a private message, I would love to help out!

18 years ago I studied Adventure Leadership in Canterbury.

At the time the Nokia 3310 aka “The Brick” was still the concealed carry of choice.

I never imagined in the future I would be facilitating leadership development through a screen of any size - especially a phone screen (or an iPad what’s that!?)

It simply wasn’t an option / hadn’t been invented yet.

Yet here we are.

Leading with Excellence - coming to big (and small) screens soon…

I can’t wait 🎥

🚨 Attention Parents 🚨

Limited spots are available for virtual coaching sessions!
 
As I enter my second year of fatherhood, and with a background of specialising in youth development, I am reminded of a commitment I made to myself to maintain my responsibility to give young adults the tools they may need to succeed.
 
Despite my corporate training/travel/Dad schedule, I have made it my mission to help young adults aged 16+ discover and develop their unique strengths, with a focus on building motivation, self-belief, and resilience.
 
When I was 18, I lost a parent. That same year I studied outdoor education and had an amazing mentor in facilitation/personal development which helped guide me through this difficult time and strengthen my character and resilience. I want to pay it forward. If you feel your child needs assistance with their own challenges or setbacks, I would love to help. I want to see the youth of today thrive!
 
Spots for this service are limited, so message me now to discover if I would be the right fit for your family.

Please tag parents you know who may be looking for some support, wherever they are in NZ/🌍

Staying positive isn't about pretending that everything is perfect or ignoring our struggles. It's about acknowledging the tough stuff and choosing to focus on the good, no matter how small & no matter where we can find it.

As someone who naturally gravitates towards positivity, but also someone who has dealt with loss and pain, I know that having an optimistic outlook can be a game-changer when it comes to navigating life's ups and downs.

With this being said, I 100% acknowledge that sometimes positivity can be misunderstood and could even be labelled as being “toxic positivity”.

By cultivating a positive mindset in a way that's authentic and grounded, we can develop resilience, boost our mental well-being, and might even inspire those around us. AS LONG as we remain empathetic and aware of where others are at.

I fear that terms like “toxic positivity” could give such a powerful strategy (positive thinking) a bad reputation and lead to the dismissal of a such a valid technique for getting through hard s**t.

So, here’s to positivity 🍻

Your perspective determines YOUR reality but not necessarily THE reality.

I recently attended a beautiful wedding ceremony. All guests were seated and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the wedding party.

The celebrant then announced there was a “small complication” and asked “can anyone here tie a traditional bow tie?” The groom had underestimated the complexity of such a task.

My wife, without my consent, raised her hand above my head and pointed her index finger straight down on top of my bald dome.

The thing is, I haven’t tied a traditional bow tie for yeeeeeears let alone tied it whilst it was attached to somebody else’s neck. My mind was blank regarding how to tie such an advanced masterpiece.

I was ushered out back to where the groom was hiding. Upon my arrival, you can imagine my relief to see the groom was donning one beautifully executed bow tie!

Someone had already sorted it out for him. Success!

I gave it a quick tap and a “looks good to me” before making my way back to my seat. Job done.

For the rest of the evening, I had countless compliments and high 5s for “saving the day” and doing such “a great job” I corrected the first two people but after that I stopped trying and just let the praise wash over me.

Back to my first point. The perception (and quite understandably) was that I solved the problem. The guests saw me leave my seat, disappear out the back, and return a few minutes later followed by the groom with a mint-looking bow tie. The reality for most of those guests was that I did a wonderful job.

That wasn’t THE reality though. THE reality is that I did nothing. Nothing useful anyway.

The moral of this story? Be aware of how you choose to see yourself, others, your work, your relationships, your goals and even your life as a whole and ask yourself “how is this perspective impacting my reality?” and most importantly “ is it useful?”

How you choose to see will 100% be influencing YOUR reality, but that won’t always be THE reality.

Choose your perspectives consciously and carefully, my friends, and never underestimate this superpower you hold and the impact it can have on your results.

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Local government, commercial, not-for-profit, small business, big business, six employees, six hundred employees - the organisations I have worked with over the years are all so different yet have one crucial thing in common.

They value and are invested in the well-being of their people.

They embrace the observation that the World Health Organisation made in 2017 “Leadership commitment and engagement is the most important factor to achieve healthy workplaces”

They are committed to one of their biggest assets – their people. I know this because they engaged my services – something that only leaders who are invested in their people do.

When someone says “don’t look down” what do you do?
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When you think to yourself “don’t screw this up!” where are you focussing your attention?
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When you’re told “don’t be so grumpy” what are the keywords in that request?
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The relationship between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind is fascinating.
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It’s believed that our subconscious doesn’t acknowledge the word “don’t” rather it focuses on the keywords in these phrases i.e - look down, screw up, and be grumpy.
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The subconscious mind will find supporting references, examples, behaviours and evidence to support what your conscious mind is focusing on.
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ACTION - If you are trying to (insert goal or outcome here) then rather than focusing on what you DON’T want to have happen, focus on what you DO want!
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This strategy of positively phrasing statements can be effective when communicating with both others and maybe more importantly ourselves.

CONNECTING in the workplace 🧩
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We all need to feel close to and valued by other people. At work, having good relationships with colleagues helps us stay motivated and engaged.
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“Connecting is about being there for others, talking and listening, and feeling a sense of belonging” - MHFNZ
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These behaviours are also a rock solid way to boost oxytocin and serotonin levels which are two chemicals the brain creates which make us feel good!
•This could look like - eating lunch with colleagues, talking to someone new, connecting in person (rather than emailing) or collaborating to solve complex challenges eg. how to protect an egg 🍳 when dropped from 3 metres using only a balloon, tape and some straws!
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Evidence shows that connecting with others promotes well-being and provides a support network when times get tough.

The Mental Health Foundation recognises “Mental well-being is one of the most valuable business assets. Workplaces that prioritise mental health have better engagement, reduced absenteeism and higher productivity, while people have improved wellbeing, greater morale and higher job satisfaction”.
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If you value and want to invest in the well-being of your team and need some support facilitating that, I would love to connect over a LB (long black) or a VLB (virtual long black) to discover how I can assist you in this vital space.

I have been working in the well-being and resilience space for many years.
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It’s such a rewarding time to be delivering programmes focussed on these topics due to the external (and more recently environmental) challenges we have been facing personally and professionally since 2020.
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It’s also exciting to see the types of initiatives being rolled out by the big players in the game like The Mental Health Foundation of NZ.
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The MHF and the HPA developed an awesome tool - The Five Ways to Well-Being at Work:

- Connect
- Be Active
- Take Notice
- Keep Learning
- Give
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These are simple and proven actions that workplaces can introduce to help their people find balance, build resilience and boost mental health and well-being.
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If you are an employer or an employee interested in learning more ways you can boost well-being in your workplace check out the resources available here 👇🏽👇🏽
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https://mentalhealth.org.nz/resources/resource/five-ways-to-wellbeing-at-work-toolkit