Author: Hilary Steel

Life’s Too Short

Posted by | Jun 3, 2014 | |

I received news this week that someone I adored had passed away due to cancer. She was far too young and her passing really had an effect on me. She was a friend who always made me smile and was always smiling herself and yet in a matter of days she was no longer with us. A very sad time but the impact it had on me personally has changed certain things in my own life this week. I started thinking about all the activities I am involved with and whether they were adding something to my life or simply draining me. It was time to start getting rid of the things that weren’t important and give more attention to those things that are. I realised I was spending time on things that had no real impact of value to where I want to be in life and began to feel slightly frustrated about them. Out came the blank piece of paper and coloured pens as I started to chart all aspects of my life, both personal and professional. It was a simple exercise with profound results. Things I hadn’t really thought about suddenly became important as I charted an importance score of 1-10. No longer am I building up an empire to enjoy when I retire, I am now intent on building up a lifestyle that affords me...

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Do people need training on Telephone Skills?

Posted by | Jun 3, 2014 | |

The phone is such a BIG part of business that it may often be neglected in the ‘business improvement’ arena, so why do companies not train their staff to use the telephone in a way that reflects their company ethics? I had to phone an independently owned company not so long ago, they have roughly 45 staff. The person who answered the phone sounded as though they had just arrived for work experience as they didn’t know how to transfer me to the right person and didn’t even know who they were. (They owned the company for the record). This really surprised me, and I felt as though I had to say something to the company owner – first impressions and all that! I am glad I did say something. The member of staff wasn’t at fault, they were simply lacking in experience within the company and training followed. In May I was invited to deliver a training day at the NHS Academic Centre at Maidstone Hospital on the subject of ‘Telephone Skills’ – While preparing for the course I decided to really look at the impact the phone would have on an establishment such as the NHS. When the group arrived they were from diverse departments and had very different opinions about their relationship with the phone in the workplace. By the end of our full day together,...

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Steely Dictionary

Posted by | Apr 25, 2014 | |

New meanings; Panadol – Kitchen Barbie Hippocampus – Large University Disappointment – Unused Hollistic treatment phone application Independent – Alternative necklace Disassociate – Slagging off a colleague...

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Is Goal Setting a Waste of Time?

Posted by | Apr 21, 2014 | |

It most certainly is if you don’t do anything with them! Writing down a list of goals you want to achieve is all very well but unless you do something about them, they will soon fade in to the back ground. Goals for me are my dreams coming true. It may sound a little ‘Disney’ but it is kind of a magical experience when you achieve something you thought was way out of your reach. I have a bit of a routine when it comes to setting goals, slightly OCD in some respects but as it works for me with some outstanding results I am not going to change it! I know when it’s something I really want to achieve because I literally dream about it and I catch myself drifting off thinking about it at random times. It becomes very easy to visualise and in turn I start to feel that it is already real. Yes this took some practice but like most skills, they can be learned and become easier the more they are used. Once the goal is decided upon there is a simple way you can work towards seeing it realised. Yes this will take some work and effort on your part but just think about how you will feel when you achieve it, that feeling can then be duplicated time and time again as you push...

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