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Refine or Reinvent: What your Leadership Team really needs in 2026

Written by Tara Raj on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Management & Leadership Training, News & Tips.

Mapping the Leadership Path for 2026

If you are mapping out your leadership development plan for 2026, you are most likely facing a familiar challenge like everyone else – constrained budgets, stretched resources, and the most critical question—will a training course actually deliver results? 

In the current economic climate where productivity matters more than ever, you cannot afford to get this wrong. Which brings us to another fundamental question – Does your leadership team need refinement or reinvention? 

It’s not about which sounds more impressive but about making an honest assessment of the situation. 

Let’s break this down 

Refinement means your leaders have solid foundations but need to elevate their game. They understand leadership fundamentals however there is a difference between “good enough” and “driving real impact.” Refinement sharpens existing capabilities and helps competent leaders become exceptional ones. 

Reinvention on the other hand means that something more fundamental needs to shift/change. It can be a simple case of technical experts who have been promoted are struggling with the people side of leadership. Reinvention builds new capabilities from the ground up. 

Neither is inherently better. What matters is choosing the right path for your specific situation. 

The Questions That Actually Matter 

The answers are not found in aspirational vision statements or generic competency frameworks found on the internet. It’s in honest answers to uncomfortable questions: 

Your current state 

  • Do your leaders struggle with execution or with knowing what to do in the first place? 
  • Are the issues about fine-tuning or bridging more fundamental gaps? 
  • Do they have the right mindset but need better tools, or is the mindset itself the barrier? 

 Your business  

  • Has your strategy shifted significantly? Do your leaders have the capabilities this new direction demands? 
  • Are you asking them to do something that is fundamentally different to what they were doing two years ago? 

 Your resources  

  • What’s your actual budget and time commitment this year? 
  • What’s the cost of getting this wrong—both immediate and opportunity cost? 

When it’s Refinement you want 

You know refinement is your answer when leaders understand their role but aren’t consistently performing at the level you need. They know they should delegate but micromanage instead. They recognize the importance of difficult conversations but avoid them. 

This isn’t a knowledge problem—it’s execution. These leaders don’t need to be taught what good leadership looks like; they need help translating knowledge into consistent practice. 

Refinement delivers faster returns. You are building on existing foundations, improving performance incrementally and measurably. Results to be seen in this quarter, not in two years. 

When Reinvention is necessary 

But sometimes refinement isn’t enough and pretending it is, wastes time and money. You need reinvention when your business has fundamentally changed but your leadership approaches haven’t.  

When feedback keeps pointing to the same fundamental issues—leaders who can’t adapt, who create rather than resolve conflict, who drive talent away. Reinvention requires a slightly bigger investment: more time, resources, and commitment. In today’s climate, that would be a harder sell.  Which is why you need to weigh the pros and cons with brutal honesty.  

However, pursuing refinement when you need reinvention means spending resources twice—once on training that doesn’t work and again when you address the real problem. 

The productivity reality 

Australia’s productivity challenge shows up in business every day. Leaders spending time on activities that don’t drive results—unnecessary meetings, firefighting, micromanaging, all of these directly impact your bottom line. 

The wrong choice doesn’t just waste budget – it perpetuates inefficiency. The assessment you make now determines whether your leadership investment moves the productivity needle or just ticks a box. 

Making the choice 

Start with outcomes, not activities. Never ask “What training should we run?” but “What business outcomes need to improve, and what leadership capabilities would drive that?” 

Be honest about readiness, timelines and resources. A well-executed refinement program beats a half-hearted reinvention attempt every single time. 

What This Means for 2026 

Organizations that get the leadership development right won’t have the biggest budgets or flashiest programs. They will be the ones who asked the right questions, matched needs to resources and who committed to following through. What matters more than anything is making a clear choice and backing it up with action. 

When you are ready to build a leadership plan that addresses real needs rather than checking boxes, we are here to help. Corporate Training Options specializes in customized leadership programs across Australia—designed to meet you where you are. 

Penned by Tara Raj | Corporate Training Options

What are your thoughts on Leadership development planning? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below. Want to discuss them further, get in touch or explore our Leadership training programs.  

 

CTO Training for Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders Training

Written by Rosy King on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Management & Leadership Training.

Emerging Leaders Training – The Leadership Suite

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

CTO Training for Emerging Leaders

 

Are you ready to develop the skills essential for effective leadership?

Even if you don’t yet hold a leadership position, you can begin learning the principles leaders use to achieve success and prepare yourself for the future.

Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, friends, and even family members. Understand how to surround yourself with a great team.  Learn the qualities of being a great leader and a team member. Understand that part of being a good leader is making good decisions based on the information you have.  Discover the steps to make great decisions, to make the most of every opportunity.

 

Online Leadership Training

CTO’s Online Leadership Training Series

covers four major topics.

 

 

 

 

Achieving Success with Difficult People

Do you know people whose behavior makes completing even the simplest tasks difficult?  Would you like to learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses and co-workers.  Even with your neighbours or family members?

Join this online class and get helpful information on:

  • understanding yourself
  • solving people problems
  • improving your relationships
  • increasing your personal and professional productivity

 

Leadership

Leadership skills help you gain the respect and admiration of others.  They also allow you to enjoy success in your career and more control over your destiny.  Contrary to popular belief, leadership skills can be learned and developed.  Even if you don’t yet hold a leadership position, this course will teach you how to use the principles of great leaders to achieve success in almost every aspect of your daily life.

 

Building Teams That Work

Building Teams that work involves learning the components of a successful team and the stages of its development.  During this training,  you’ll follow real-life examples and scenarios to help you identify with the team-building process.

Are you eager to develop your leadership qualities while also being a quality team participant?  Many of today’s teams rotate leadership roles, so it’s crucial to understand both perspectives.  Learn the best ways to communicate and work together for positive change in your teams.

 

Skills for Making Great Decisions

Would you like to learn how to make excellent everyday decisions from an experienced counsellor and life coach?

This online training helps you discover the steps necessary to achieve your goals.  Plus, the power that ordinary, everyday decisions can have over the quality of your life.  You’ll develop important guidelines for when to take risks, when to trust your luck, and what to do if you make a mistake.

The goal of this course is to give you the power to live the best life you can and make the very most of every opportunity.

 

 

The Emerging Leaders Online Training Suite provides many beneficial learning outcomes, which include:

  • Learning Leadership skills to help you gain the respect and admiration of others
  • Allowing you to enjoy success in your career and more control over your destiny
  • How to use the principles of great leaders to achieve success in almost every aspect of your daily life
  • And you will start to get a sense of what great leaders really do

 

Want to learn more about Emerging Leaders Online Training?

If you’re ready to begin learning the principles leaders use to achieve success and prepare yourself for future leadership roles, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll enrol you for your online Emerging Leaders – Leadership Training Suite, which begins this month.

Tel: 1300 667 660

Corporate Training Options

Tips to handle difficult situations in the workplace

Managing Difficult People & Situations in the Workplace

Written by Rosy King on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training. Leave a Comment

Managing Difficult People and Situations in the Workplace

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

Tips to handle difficult situations in the workplace

Would you like to remain calm, defuse conflict, and keep your dignity when managing difficult people and situations at work?

Below are some great tips from our handling difficult people and situations training course,  that you can put into action today.

  

Use the LEAD model when managing difficult peopleUse the LEAD Model 

Listen

Attentive listening is the first step to recognising and handling difficult situations and people. Every one of us wants to feel valued, understood, and heard.

Explore

The best course of action in exploring why someone is being awkward, is to listen and let them speak.

Telling them to calm down is not the best move, even though your instincts may be telling you to say that to them.

A better course of action is to remain calm no matter what is said and to not take it personally.  That way, you’ll avoid saying things you wish you hadn’t, in the heat of the moment.

Attend

Jim Rohn has a fantastic quote, which says  “Wherever you are, be there.”

This is a great principle to apply when you’re dealing with a difficult situation or person.  Focus only on attending to that person and their situation. Whether it is an upset customer over the phone, face-to-face, or by email.

By attending to the person and being present, you’ll more quickly gain an understanding of their problem and be able to start thinking about delivering a solution.

Deliver a solution

Delivering a solution may not always be as easy as you think.  The answer will depend on the person, the complexity of the problem or situation, and whether or not you have the authority or resources to solve the problem for them.

A great place to start is by telling the person you’re going to try to fix it for them, and that you will contact them once their problem is solved.

These understanding words will help soothe the savage beast and also help defuse conflict and hot tempers.

 

Turn Customer Complaints into Business OpportunitiesIf you can deliver the solution, provide it as quickly as you can.

If you can’t offer an immediate solution, let the person know you’ll speak with the people you need to, and advise them of the outcome.

 

Examine how your personal beliefs and values play into the way you deal with difficult people

Your personal beliefs and values play a big part in how you handle difficult people and situations. However, many of us never question our beliefs or values.

Most of us like to think we’re non-judgemental, open, and caring.  This is why self-assessment of your personal beliefs and values is challenging and, at times, a bitter pill to swallow.

Many of the beliefs and values you have now may have formed when you were a child.  You have carried these beliefs and values into adulthood, even though they no longer serve you.  They are out-dated or out of sync with who you are now and your current beliefs.

It’s critical to remember when you’re dealing with difficult people, that you’re engaging with a fellow human being. They have feelings, thoughts, and challenges of their own, even though at the moment they may not be rational.

And while your belief may be that they shouldn’t be taking it out on you, the reality is some people will take it out on you.

 

Ways to understand the personalities of difficult peopleHow can you assess the challenges of managing difficult people and situations and make the right decisions in each of those situations?

  • Remaining empathetic, honest, calm and assertive is one key
  • Thinking before you speak and using non-threatening words, tone and body language is another
  • Communicating in an inspiring and supportive tone is also important
  • You can focus on win-wins and positive outcomes as opposed to the focusing on the problem
  • Preparing to negotiate is another strategy you can use to deal with difficult people and situations
  • Don’t make promises you can’t keep
  • And always think about what you are going to say before you say it, to avoid replying in anger or frustration.

 

These are just some of the strategies taken from our training course on handling difficult people and situations.  The key here is learning how to identify difficult situations and how to best action them so that you can make the right decisions for everyone involved.

 

Can you identify difficult people in terms of their characteristics and the rewards they get for behaving as they do?

We all have difficult people in our lives, and many of us would prefer not to engage with them. It could be a supervisor, a boss, a co-worker, a customer, or a spouse, but the fact is that difficult people and situations are part of our lives.

Some of the identities and characteristics of difficult people that we all come into contact with, and that each one of us has been at times, are:

  • Negative Nellies  – The characteristics and rewards negative nellies get is they are always happy to complain. They like to talk negatively, to talk at people instead of talking to them, and to put the blame on everyone else except themselves.

 

  • The Show Off  – These are people who sometimes go to great lengths to go one better than you.  The main characteristicsand rewards they get are letting you know about how they outdid you, name dropping, surpassing you at every opportunity and telling you about it.  In many cases, this behaviour is to mask their lack of self-confidence.

 

  • The ‘Whatever You Think’ character  – The characteristics of this personality are they don’t make any decisions at all.  They’re happy for you to make all the decisions, are passive, and give you one-word answers to questions.  This type of person is usually afraid, and the reward for them is removing themselves from not having to make a decision. They leave it all up to you, and if it’s the wrong decision, they are happy to blame you.

 

  • The ‘Control Freak’  – The core characteristic of this person is usually telling you how to do something and taking control of the situation, whether they know more about it than you, or not.  They can be extremely emotional, intimidating, rude and angry.  ‘Control Freak’ characters enjoy the gratification of taking control of people and situations because they believe if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!

 

Listen calmly, so you can understandOf course, identifying difficult people, their characteristics, and the rewards they believe they receive, is only half the equation.

 

The worst thing you can do once you have identified a difficult person’s character

The natural reaction when you can identify a problematic person’s character and the rewards they get for behaving as they do, is to try and change them.

Telling a ‘do whatever you think” person to speak up, puts them under more pressure.  Asking a person with a ‘control freak’ character to change, will make them even angrier.  So forget about trying to change people’s mindset and attitude because you’ll never change them.

 

A better strategy is to identify a difficult person’s character, then adapt your own thoughts, to better understand them.

The real skill and art in managing difficult people and situations is identifying the person’s character and adapting to understand them and their mindset.

While this is a big topic and requires specialist training, some of the ways you can achieve this is by:

  • Asking open-ended questions
  • Building rapport
  • Establishing trust with the person
  • And creating a meaningful conversation while being honest and sincere

 

CTO Training Courses - Teaching you essential skills for the workplaceIs professional training in managing difficult people and situations a good return on investment? 

Yes.  With professional training in handling difficult people and situations, your call centre teams and other employees, will have the skills to deal with difficult people and situations professionally and diligently.

 

We have a training course available for you, which covers handling difficult people and situations.

This course provides several beneficial learning outcomes, which include:

  • Being able to identify difficult people in terms of their characteristics and the rewards they get for behaving as they do
  • Examine how your personal beliefs and values play into the way you deal with difficult people
  • Identify the ‘sources of power’ your difficult people have over you, and the degree of difficulty posed by each one
  • Assess each difficult person to enable you to make a good decision about how to handle each situation you face
  • Identify tools to help you find the right words
  • You’ll also receive a process model to guide you through difficult interactions with uncommon grace and skill

 

Want to learn more about managing difficult people and situations?

 

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to handle difficult people and situations, to provide powerhouse customer service, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

Corporate Training Options

Improve team performance with training for your supervisors

Want to learn how to be an excellent Supervisor?

Written by Rosy King on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Management & Leadership Training.

Learn how to be an Excellent Supervisor

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

Improve team performance with training for your supervisors

 

Want to know how to be an excellent supervisor?

If you are concerned about team performance, and how to best lead your team, you won’t be for much longer!  CTO’s Excellence in Supervision course will enhance your problem-solving abilities, teach you to communicate effectively and upgrade your skills as a supervisor.

 

Team performances can dwindle. That’s reality.

When you’ve arrived at a crossroads, will you lie down, or will you rise to the challenge to become a better supervisor?

 

The FIVE benefits of professional upskilling to teach you how to be an Excellent Supervisor

If you’ve read this far – congratulations. We’re going to take you through all the reasons you shouldn’t be missing out on this opportunity for success. So stay tuned.

 

You’ll learn how to transition to a supervisor role, preparing you for your new responsibilities & the best strategies for getting started.

Climb the Leadership ladder with CTO TrainingEveryone starts at the bottom. Making your way up the corporate ladder and transitioning to a supervising or managerial role can be daunting to those who lack previous experience.

During the initial transition period, it’s essential to know how to establish a line of trust and credibility with the people you’ll be working alongside – particularly now that the team dynamic has changed.

You’ll need to get comfortable with your new duties as a supervisor. Managing workflow, hiring and training new employees, conducting performance evaluations, conflict resolution and roster management are all everyday responsibilities involved with supervisory roles and should not be taken lightly.

 

Guide your team towards higher performance rates. Set expectations, goals & handle performance issues with ease.

Guide your Team towards higher performanceMarking out some clear expectations for your team is just simple, clean and effective management.

Knowing how, when and what type of goals to set is vital in ensuring your team aren’t overworked trying to hit unreachable targets- or on the opposite end of the spectrum, not challenging themselves enough to push forward your company.

Performance issues are encountered more often than we’d like, and the way we handle them can dictate the future success of your business.

Approaching employees with professionalism and tact doesn’t come to a lot of people naturally, and that’s what our Excellence in Supervision course sets out to tackle.

 

Supervise with flexibility, communicate proactively and coach your team towards excellence.

Supervise and Lead with flexibilityFlexible supervision makes ALL the difference to your team of employees.

Decrease stress levels, improve job satisfaction in the workplace and reap the mutual benefits which result.

Our Excellence in Supervision course will inform you of all the ways you can alter your personal management style to accommodate for reasonable flexibility with employee rostering, responsibilities and Leave requests.

 

We’ll take you through examples of some of the best and worst supervisors.

Promoted from Co-Worker to SupervisorSome people just shouldn’t be supervisors.

Others excel.

Micromanagement, selfishness, greed and control freak behaviour are just some of the undesirable traits we all hope we’ll never find in a supervisor.

Learning from the past management mistakes of supervisors who didn’t quite meet the mark is an effective means of ensuring you won’t suffer the same fate.

 

 

Navigate how to deal with change positively, changing management styles and techniques for problem-solving.

Learn how to navigate supervision with eastTransitioning into a new work role or environment can be more overwhelming than people give credit for.

CTO will deliver effective strategies to help those transitioning to new supervisory positions find their footing.

You’ll learn how to integrate from previous management styles into new ones successfully, and how to put a positive spin on the changes you will be encountering.

We also include a range of problem-solving techniques tried and tested in the corporate workplace.

 

 

Want to learn more about the Excellence in Supervision course?  

We have a training course available for you, which will help you achieve several learning outcomes.

These outcomes include:

  • Becoming an effective supervisor
  • Dealing with new responsibilities
  • Communicating efficiently with employees, peers and managers

 

You will learn about:

  • The roles and responsibilities of a new Supervisor
  • Strategies for improving team performance
  • Dealing with change positively
  • How to set reasonable goals and expectations

 

If you’re ready to become the ultimate team leader, to provide Excellence in Supervision for your team, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor your training program to suit your requirements.

 

Corporate Training Options 

 

 

Customer Service Excellence Training

Your Top 5 Skills for Call Centre Success

Written by webplanners on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

Your Top 5 Skills for Call Centre Success

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

Call Centre Success

 

Would you like Instant Success for your Call Centre Team?

In every organisation, customer service and customer satisfaction are top priorities.  Why?

61% of customers say they have stopped transacting with a business after a poor service experience.

Microsoft – State of Global Customer Service Report

 

Whilst many organisations are progressively shifting to a more digital experience with their customers, call centres still remain at the core of many customer interactions – and at times, at the core of customer frustrations and complaints.

Therefore, offering a seamless, personalised and ‘human’ experience over the phone, can delight our customers and turn them into advocates.  

Highly skilled, professional call centre teams represent a great opportunity for organisations to gain a competitive advantage.  This is a fact Australian call centres are hearing loud and clear.

73% of Australian Call Centres are striving to improve their customer experience.

The 2018 Australian Contact Centre Industry Report

 

Call Centre Success

You will meet all kinds of customers in your Call Centre.

As part of a call centre team you will encounter customers of all kinds.  Some are incredibly patient and understanding, others are unsure about what they need, and then others are incredibly frustrated with your organisation, your product or both.

Many of the different customers and scenarios you encounter can be tough to navigate, but with the essential skills for call centre success in place, you and your team will know exactly what to do­.

With these skills come instant benefits.  You’ll enjoy shorter call times, better outcomes and greater satisfaction for you, your customers and your organisation.

 

We need to help solve our customer’s issues and ensure they’re happy with the outcome of their call.

 

Here are my Top 5 Skills for Call Centre Success

Happy Call Centre Staff

 

Clarify the complaint

In the heat of the moment, a client may not communicate efficiently. Or, you might simply misunderstand them.

This can lead to both frustration and time lost when it comes to solving the issue. Start each call by listening carefully, then repeat the complaint back to the customer to ensure you are both on the same page.

 

Lead with empathy

Remind your client that you’re there to help them; that you are someone in the organisation who is on their side. This reassures them that they will be taken care of and can bring a sense of peace to a tense situation.

 

Beginner? Don’t tell them.

New team members can be tempted to fall back on “I’m new on the job.”  However, this can frustrate a client and can diminish your knowledge in their eyes. If you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to let them know you will need to ask for help. But keep your experience level to yourself.

 

Skills for Call Centre Success

Speak naturally

Customers want to feel like they’re talking to a real person, not someone just following a script.  Maintain your relaxed and natural tone so that your customers feel like they are simply talking to a friend. Your conversations will flow much easier, and your customers are more likely to remain reasonable.

 

When in doubt, ask!

It would be ideal if you could just read your customers minds when they called, and understand exactly what the issue was.  But sometimes, that’s not going to be the case.  If you are confused about your customer’s request, or if you think you might have missed a piece of information, simply ask your customer.  They will appreciate that you have taken the time to clarify all the details of their issue.  It’s important for you to ensure all the information is correct.

 

 

The Benefits of updating your Call Centre Skills

Providing reliable, consistent, professional experiences for your customers is a critical component to the success of your Call Centre.  When you train your call centre team in these five skills, and they begin to use them in their daily customer interactions, you will see immediate benefits.   Your team will enjoy:

  • shorter call times
  • better outcomes
  • greater satisfaction for your customers
  • happier & more relaxed team members
  • higher customer retention rates

 

And that’s a win/win for everyone.

 

 

 

Want to know more about improving the skills of your Call Centre team?

CTO’s  Call Centre Success  training course provides you with the critical success training required to ensure your Call Centre team are delighting your customers.

Your team will learn about:

  • Their Valuable Roles
  • Why First Impressions count
  • The Six Elements of Professionalism
  • Managing Customer Calls
  • Knowing your Products and Services
  • Being a Team Player
  • Remaining Customer Focused
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Ten Essential Communication Skills
  • And much more!

 

After completing your Call Centre Success course, your organisation and your team will see improvements in …

  • All-round customer service
  • Staff and team loyalty
  • Business perception
  • Cost savings, sales & profits
  • Staff and team productivity
  • Team problem-solving
  • Team knowledge of products and services
  • And so much more …

 

 

If you’re ready to upgrade your Call Centre skills, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training program to suit your requirements.

 

Corporate Training Options

 

 

 

 

 

The importance of Manaing Change

Five Tips For Successful Change Management

Written by webplanners on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Management & Leadership Training.

Five Tips for Successful Change Management

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

The importance of Manaing Change

 

In today’s environment of rapidly changing technology, constant disruption, globalisation, connectivity and of course Covid-19, organisations are altering dramatically.  New businesses and new industries are emerging, and success relies on being able to adapt quickly. This places demands on leaders across all industry sectors.

Change in the midst of a crisis is never easy—especially one like Coronavirus, which hits as hard at global markets as it does at life around our kitchen tables.

You can use the strategies covered in the CTO Change Management Course to respond effectively and to continue to deliver against your business goals.

 

So what are the steps that lead to Successful Change Management?

Teams working together to achieve change
Successful Change Management for your organisation is based on open communication, management and team collaboration, and commitment from everyone to the change process.

If you’ve ever led your team or company through an organisational change, you know change management is not easy.  It’s not easy for existing managers, existing team members or for any new people who may have joined the organisation as part of the change.

 

You need to focus your efforts

Leading your team through an organisational transition successfully means knowing where to focus your efforts and resources. There can be a lot of guesswork, lost time, lost productivity and frustration for everyone involved.

One of the challenges is understanding that approximately 50% – 70% of organisational change projects fail to achieve their objectives.

Why?  For any number of reasons.  In some cases, mid-level managers and employees are excluded from the planning process. So they do not understand why the changes within the organisation are happening and therefore have no idea of how the process will take place.

Then they are told how it is and are expected to make several transitions at once, usually in a short time.  This can bring resentment from those staff excluded from the planning and implementation process.

 

With any organisational change, there will be loss, denial and resistance.

Organisational change for your teamResistance to change can come from employees, managers and supervisors, senior management, even suppliers, for any number of reasons.

It’s not necessarily a case of people not liking change in their workplace.  It’s more a matter of how the organisational change is planned, communicated, delivered and executed.

Most of us understand that effective leadership and the ability to adapt is crucial to ongoing employment, increased market-share and business success.

However, having a new employer or supervisor, or changing the way specific processes are done, will engender resistance.  And telling your team to undertake a task in a totally new way, without asking for their input, may well breed resentment within your organisation.

 

That said, here are …

Five Tips To Successful Change Management

 

  1. Managing change – It all begins at the top

Yes, it’s crucial to involve your team members at every stage of your organisational change. However, before that can happen, you need to ensure your management team are in sync and committed to a successful outcome. Doing this will set the stage for engaging and leading the change in your organisation from the top down.

 

  1. Resistance to Change & Preparing for change fatigue

With organisational change comes uncertainty, which means your team’s cosy comfort zone is about to become uncomfortable.  Part of organisational change means we’ll also be changing our employee’s lives.

You cannot introduce change without including your people in the process.  The best way to instil change is to do it with them.  Tasks and issues such as proposing new systems, introducing new supervisors or managers, and scheduling additional training, usually accompany an organisational change.  And that’s a lot for your existing team to take on board.

For successful change management, you need to take into account:

  • How the changes will affect your team
  • Where to focus your efforts
  • The pace at which the change will happen
  • Understand the five phases of planning for organisational change

 

  1. Understanding Change – Collaboration, Communication and Commitment

Communicate changes with your teamMany of the leaders who have completed our Leading Change Management course have believed that  meeting with their team once, to share why change is happening, will make everything clear.  Then it’s full steam ahead!

It’s a common mistake and a BIG part of why many change management programs fail.

To experience successful organisational change, you need to encourage collaboration and commitment from the top of your organisation to the bottom.  And you need to communicate, communicate, communicate !

Organisational changes made within your ranks need to be consistent and regular (daily or weekly to start with), with input and updates from everyone involved.

 

  1. Leading Change – Lead from the front and create new behaviours

When an organisation and its people undergo organisational change, old habits have to make way for the new, and that’s not easy.

As a leader, you must lead from the front and create new behaviours that employees will see, model and follow.

Some ways you can achieve this include :

  • Meeting with your team before and throughout the change
  • Keeping them motivated and involved in your organisational changes
  • Listening, and creating a vision together, so as a group, you have a vested interest in a successful organisational transition

 

Only by leading change from the top will your team grasp that the organisational change is happening, and needs to be accepted, because they are seeing you driving it.

 

  1. Develop a Change Management Action Success Plan

Build Change Management Plans with CTO TrainingIt may seem obvious, but many organisational changes fail because they’re introduced and executed on an adhoc basis.

Let’s compare leading your management and team through an organisational change, to building a house.  You don’t start with the roof.  You start with the plan and design, then you build the foundations.  After that, you work your way systematically through the building plan, until the project is completed.

Creating a change management action plan for your organisation is essential if you want the transition to be executed successfully and profitably.  You need positive support and contributions from senior management filtered down all the way to your team on the ground.

 

In Summary – Successful Change Management can be achieved

You can achieve a successful change management project, with planning.  Failing to plan the structure of your organisational change could otherwise result in your change program being in the 50% – 70% that fail.

There are certain outcomes each individual in your team must achieve for change to be successful. A Change Management Plan, when followed successfully, allows leaders and change management teams to focus their activities on what will drive individual change, and therefore achieve organisational results.

You need a change management plan which provides clear goals and outcomes for change management activities.  It should also provide a simple, easy-to-use framework for everyone in the organisation to begin to implement change.  Teams, managers and senior leaders alike can then all describe, discuss and achieve the desired changes together.

 

 

Want to learn more about Planning for Successful Change Management ?  

We have a training course available for you, which will achieve a number of learning outcomes.  These outcomes include:

  • Exploring and understanding the changes taking place in organisations today
  • Being able to explain how organisations can prepare for change
  • Clarifying human reactions to change and how to deal with them
  • Explain team involvement and visionary leadership

You will learn about:

  • Facing Change
  • Understanding Change
  • Leading Change
  • Creating a Change Action Plan

 

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to provide Successful Change Management for your team, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor your training program to suit your requirements.

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Author - Rosy King @ CTO

 

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

Image of how to learn Telephone Etiquette Training with CTO

Telephone Etiquette Essentials for Customer Service Roles

Written by webplanners on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

Telephone Etiquette Essentials for Customer Service Roles

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

image of Telephone Etiquette in Call Centres

 

Telephone Etiquette essentials for Customer Service roles include having a great attitude, being consistent in your delivery and understanding customer behavioural styles.  If you’re in a call centre team, or other roles within your organisation where you interact with your customers by phone, you need high level skills in these areas.

No matter how rehearsed, experienced or confident you are, providing amazing customer experiences over the phone can be a lot of pressure.

After all, you are the first impression a customer has of you, your organisation and your brand.  Therefore, communicating effectively, taking ownership of the call and letting your professionalism shine through is crucial.

 

So here’s our A-Game Telephone Etiquette Essentials for Customer Service Roles.   

Because, whether your organisation is big or small, anyone who answers your phones needs to have top level skills in telephone etiquette.

 

Attitude is everything

Image - Attitude is everything in a call centre

Let me be frank. Some days you may not be not feeling well, or you may not understand your customer’s question or issue.  These are just two variables you have to contend with every day and identify almost instantly.

So dust yourself off and pull up your socks because as a Telephone Customer Service Officer, your attitude is a huge key to your success.

When you do answer a call, make sure you’re enthusiastic and helpful without being insincere.

A great habit to develop is to practice smiling while you speak over the phone to bring out that warm, caring and professional personality of yours.

Identifying customer behaviour styles in 5 seconds or less

Being able to identify your caller’s behaviour style is critical, and you only have a few seconds to do it.  It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution either because we all have different personalities, questions and needs.

Some people who are calling may be upset. Telling them to calm down is the worst thing you can do. Others may be time-poor and in a hurry, or alternatively, talkative.  Still others may think they know more than you.

As a Telephone Customer Service officer, don’t take anything personally.

What you need to do is be able to identify this customer behaviour, acknowledge it and then provide your solution in a calm, pleasant and professional manner.   You see, the chances are the caller is not angry with you, they’re just having a bad day and taking it out on you.

The thing is, being able to identify a customer’s behaviour style and solve their problem isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s a skill that requires special techniques and training, which you can learn in a course such as our Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service training.

 

Systems of consistency

image of call centre staff on computers and phones

When people call your business, they are goal orientated. They have a reason for calling.

Some may want more information.  Others may have a problem or want to speak with someone specific in your company.  Still others might just want to make an appointment.

Therefore, having a system for every phone call is essential.

Without a system in place for taking customers calls, you’ll come off as unprofessional and disorganised.  Ultimately this can affect your customer’s experience, your brand, your reputation and maybe even your sales.

However, with Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service training, you won’t have any of those problems.

You’ll learn how to put a system process in place, so each caller receives the same level of service and professionalism.

You’ll also reduce call times.

Answering the phone will also be a lot less confusing for your staff, and you’ll save time training new team members.  You’ll have systems in place to cover telephone etiquette in all customer service roles.

Get Organised

Answering the phone takes a lot of organisation. There are some great resources and tools at your disposal.  The problem is many staff members do not take the time to learn how to use these tools effectively. 

So even after attending training, without proper organisation, many call centre staff go back to doing the same old things, the same old way.

They can, however, change their ways, with tools such as:

  • Organised scripts which guide them on how to provide telephone etiquette as soon as they answer the phone.
  • A list of commonly asked questions, and the answers to them.
  • Guidelines on how to forward calls to other team members if required.
  • A clear desk and access to a pen and paper, or Microsoft Word on their screens, if they need to take notes.

All of these simple things, which can be very easily provided, are essential to your team being organised.

 

Provide Premium service

Image of three women in Call Centre providing customer service

Many businesses think that their excellent service is what separates their organisation from their competitors. I have to disagree.  You need to have more than that.

When you consider I can buy a book on Amazon and have it delivered to almost anywhere in the world within 24 hours, then you’ll understand that premium service is not necessarily a point of difference.  It’s just expected in any business these days.

However, one way you can differentiate your business is by having a better understanding of your customers.  This will enable your team to provide friendly, professional solutions over the phone, which can satisfy your customers’ requirements.

With professional training in Telephone Etiquette and Customer Service, your call centre team and any other team members who speak with customers on the phone, can take your customer service to entirely new levels.

 

 

Want to learn more about providing Telephone Etiquette in Customer Service roles?

We have a training course available for you, where  you’ll learn how to:

  • Define quality customer service
  • Employ nine necessary but important telephone skills
  • Professionally manage complex customer telephone calls
  • Manage various customer behaviour styles on the telephone
  • Interpret customer wants and deliver positive customer service actions
  • And learn some of the systems you can put in place, so people calling remember you, your company, your brand and your awesome customer service for all the right reasons.

 

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to provide powerhouse Telephone Etiquette and Customer Service, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

 

Corporate Training Options

 

 

 

 

Virtual Teams online

4 Tips for putting together a Virtual Team poised for Success

Written by Rosy King on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Management & Leadership Training.

4 Tips for putting together a Virtual Team poised for Success

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

Virtual Teams online

 

Here’s 4 tips for putting together a virtual team, irrespective of size, which will have endless possibilities for your organisation.

During the past six months, micro businesses, medium businesses and large corporations in Australia and throughout the world have all scrambled to set up virtual teams. Most of us have had to do it out of necessity, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, every cloud has a silver lining.  With a secure, high performing virtual team of your own, you’ll now be able to:

  • Improve business systems
  • Utilise new technology
  • Increase sales
  • Reduce operating costs
  • And more

 

However, if not done with the proper care or consideration, forming a virtual team can cause upsets! There’s a lot to take into account if you want to step into a streamlined virtual team with success.

 

Here are our top 4 tips for putting together a virtual team, that’s organised, well run and successful. 

 

Learning to work from home

Tip 1 – Forming Your Virtual Team

Here begins the foundation of your virtual team, and the foundation of your successes. In this step, you’re establishing the fundamental aspects of your team. If you want an easily managed group with minimal hiccups (who doesn’t), it all starts here!

Getting all the bases covered first and foremost is going to help you and your team as you progress. A rocky foundation is a big reason why some virtual teams fail to flourish.

Because let’s face it – It’s no good getting two weeks into your project and discovering one team member has accidentally misinterpreted a particular task due to language barriers, cultural differences or a simple misunderstanding.

 

Here’s what you can do:

Get familiar with everyone’s priorities

What is everyone’s focus? Do their goals align with each other? If there’s anything ultimately left field, it’s essential to make sure everyone is working cohesively.

 

Resources

What’s everyone commonly using to communicate within this virtual team? Is everyone able to consistently access this point? Everyone needs to be on the same playing field to avoid any discrepancies, so it’s essential to hash this out from the get-go.

 

Identify any cultural differences within your team

Communication is key. If there are any boundaries at all, it’s crucial to make these known before any project begins.

Cultural differences can stem beyond simple language barriers. They can mean that one team member has a different view on working roles, social structures, project status, and personal boundaries. This is when you need to get to the nitty-gritty and set out some rules that make everyone happy.

 

Create your team culture

It’s crucial each team member feels part of your team to create a positive virtual team culture. Creating a culture that’s trusting, accepting, inspiring and motivating is just as important as office working environments. It’s all about making each team member feel comfortable, to maximise your results.

Trust is a big part of team culture. Why? Because a lack of trust can lead to failed projects. If all team members trust one another, they can feel secure knowing each task will be completed as assigned, alleviating stresses and concerns.

So, start building these relationships here in step one.  You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it can make down the line.

 

 

Tip 2 – Create Your Virtual Tech Environment

Now you’ve done some groundwork; it’s time to fine-tune the technical elements of your virtual team.

 

Choose your technology for working remotelyChoose your tech

Technology is the essence of a virtual team, and it’s quite important to take this step with a lot of consideration. It’s no good having team members running completely different operating systems. This will incur the dreaded file incompatibilities, communication errors, unreliable networks, slow computers,  and network traffic.

To avoid this, make sure everybody’s running the same system, and the teams’ technology of choice is consistent across the board.  For instance, if you decide that Microsoft Teams is going to be your platform for chat, online meetings and sharing files, then everyone needs a licence, the software loaded on their computers and other devices, and general training in the use of the MS Teams tools.

 

Train your team

Not everyone in your group will have the same skill levels, so every member must have training on all elements involved in your virtual systems. Allowing each team member to have access to training is essential for practice, growth and success.

 

 


Tip 3 – Manage Responses to External Sources of Change

External influences are not unique to in-house office teams.  They’re just as common in a virtual team.  Within both, there are things you can control and things you can’t.

 

Respond quickly to changesA few pointers to take here include:

Appoint a virtual ambassador

It’s essential to define a team ambassador who will handle, reach out and have involvement with, managing any external changes that affect your team.  It’s all about keeping your team afloat and in-check.

 

Be prepared to manage changes

If you’re able to smooth over any sudden changes that occur – you’re winning. Team members can experience each influence differently, so your team ambassador needs to handle changes, if and when they occur.

 

 

Tip 4 – Ensure your Virtual Team is Set for Success

Once you’ve built the basics, established roles, streamlined communication and you have projects underway – it’s a must for your team leader to continue to keep an eye on how well the team is functioning.

 

Manage your teams’ performance

By keeping a consistent track on how things are running, team leaders will be able to identify any problems early and nip them in the bud before they get out of hand. Any problems identified within or by your team, should always get resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.

 

Celebrate your successes!

Implementing clear goals and achieving them is a great way to set an embracive cultural environment within your virtual team.   Celebrate your wins and successes as a team, and recognise and thank those individuals in your team who have contributed to team wins.

 

Provide Feedback

Giving continuous feedback to each team member along the way is another way of making everyone feel comfortable, trusted and appreciated.  Those things can easily get swept under the rug when it comes to working remotely.  So, keep feedback a priority.

 

Regularly Check Health and Wellbeing

Remember to take into account that not everyone in your virtual team has worked from home before.  They therefore may not be used to the isolation of not being in an office full of co-workers.  Or, in reverse, they could be in lockdown with their whole family, plus the dog and cat.  So it’s important to regularly ask – “Are you okay”?  “Is everything going well for you working from home?”  “Is there anything I can help with – even just a chat or a shoulder to cry on”.

It’s extremely important to regularly check on the wellbeing of your virtual team, to ensure they are coping well with their remote working environment.  If you find they do need support, please reach out to them immediately, and offer it.  If you don’t have the skills they need, there may be someone else who does, within or even outside your organisation.  Please refer them to your team member as quickly as possible, as the well being of your team members must always be a priority.

 

 

Is Setting Up a Work From Home Virtual Team Difficult?

If you have little or no experience in setting up or working with virtual teams, there are quite a few mistakes you’ll want to avoid. Corporate Training Options can provide you with guidance and support if you need it.

If you need more tips for putting together a virtual team, CTO facilitators have expertise in setting up virtual teams for businesses of all sizes.  Our training courses, webinars and 25+ year’s experience means we’ll deliver positive results for you when you’re ready to learn more about how to set up a virtual team.

So contact CTO for friendly, professional advice.  We’ll discuss your specific needs and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

 

 

Why Choose Corporate Training Options?

  • Your Trainers are certified experts who are real-world practitioners
  • The courses are interactive, well organised and fun – making it easier for you to learn
  • Small classes mean each trainee will receive individual attention and can be confident about the skills gained
  • Our complimentary trainer consultation before your training ensures your objectives will be met
  • CTO is a Business Excellence Award-winning company

 

 

About Corporate Training Options

Corporate Training Options 

 

 

Corporate Training Options is Australia’s leading professional development training company, incorporated in 1992 and Australian owned. In that time, we have facilitated & run over 100,000 training courses Australia wide.

CTO training provides a cost-effective way of ensuring you and your staff is presenting your best image to the world.

CTO Professional Development and IT Training courses are customised to meet your requirements, and your training is provided on-site, on dates, which suit you.

 

We specialise in skills to help you run your organisation more efficiently, and promote growth for your team:

  • Leadership & Management
  • Strategic Business Planning
  • Project Management
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Customer Service & Relationship Management
  • Business Administration
  • Finance & Accounting
  • People & Culture
  • Computer Training
  • Personal Development

 

Each CTO trainer has specific areas of expertise.

This enables them to provide invaluable assistance to corporations like yours, seeking to maximise your investment in your teams and your technology.

So if you’re ready to upgrade your skills, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice. We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

 

 

The Benefits of Using the BEST Selling System

Written by Rosy King on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Marketing & Sales.

Learn how the Best Selling System will increase Sales in your organisation Today!

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

The Best Sales System
Increase Profits, Customer Service & Team Performance With The Best Selling System

Having selling systems in business that fail to qualify and convert a large percentage of leads, is costly and frustrating.

It can result in inconsistent results, excessive customer complaints and even high staff turnover, costing you more time and money.

Ineffective selling systems also halt your business growth, hurt your profit margins, the long-term future of your business and even your customers.

You’re not alone either.

These are just some of the warning signs which organisations with little or no sales systems in place can suffer.

Why?

Well, the Best selling systems are simple, powerful and effective, and based on our decades of experience providing selling systems training, they work!

So what are the four key areas holding organisations back from regular sales systems training?

  1. Some businesses feel they do not need sales training
  2. Others think it takes a lot of time and resources, which is not true
  3. Some think that because they’re only a small business they don’t need sales selling systems or training
  4. And another percentage want to implement or improve their sales team system training, but they don’t know how to plan, create, action and introduce it into their business, culture and employees proactively.

 

One thing is clear.

A business without sales training systems in place will be more disorganised, will be wasting money, will have inconsistent results, will be less productive and will be leaving a chunk of their potential profits and sales on the table.

 

So how do you solve this problem?

Well, successful sales skills is a talent some people possess naturally. For everyone else, it requires the right combination of skill, training and determination to get the job done. Whether by nature or nurture, high-calibre companies and their sales professionals understand the value in honing their skills. Using a tailored sales training program such as our BEST Selling System is beneficial to every member of the sales team and the organisation.

Our selling system training course sets sales teams on the right path. It empowers employees to develop their skillsets and sparks discussion, provokes thought, and inspires self-reflection.

You can also download a FREE PDF about our Best Selling System training course here.

 

What are some of the benefits of using a Selling System to improve your sales team’s performance?

1. Exceptional increase in Sales

When you are a sales professional, it only makes sense that you would want to increase your ability to close deals. Sales training provides access to effective and efficient sales strategies that work with your style. With the BEST Selling System training course, employees will learn how to identify and capitalise on individual sales skills that result in a notable sales increase.

 

2. Enhances your questioning and listening skills

Salespeople must possess strong communication skills to succeed. Communicating involves more than just the ability to talk to a prospective client. The best salespeople understand the value in listening and offering meaningful questions in response to information gleaned from the potential customer. Our system focuses on using a customer-centric sales approach that helps win new business.

 

3. Conquers customer concerns and objections

Responding quickly to customer concerns or complaints is one of the best ways to foster a long-term relationship. Listening with a compassionate ear and offering real solutions to problems lets customers know they are more than just sales figures in a monthly profit report. Our course provides an overview of how to establish rapport and build trust with customers effectively.

 

Macintosh HD:Users:eddiebryant:Desktop:Eddie Oct 2020:2020 Single Projects:November:CTO blog 1:Image of two asian woman, two aussie woman and one guy in call centre on corporate training options blog.jpeg4. Identifies and confirms individual buying motives

The ability to analyse and establish personal buying motives is a crucial component of converting potential leads into successful sales. Our course enables employees to identify a customer’s “pain point” to help close the deal.

Do they have economic motives? Are they time-poor? Are they driven by pride or prestige, or are they interested in playing it safe with their purchases?

Once you can identify the buyer’s motives, you can tailor your approach to meet your client’s needs and therefore complete the sale.

 

5. Improves employee retention rates

Sales are one of the highest-pressure work environments. Giving your sales team support is the best way to retain talented employees. The BEST Selling System provides top-notch training that bolsters sales teams’ confidence and ability to do the job well.

 

Do you have sales systems in place to ensure your Sales Team’s skills are improving every day?

Every company has different goals and objectives, which is why the BEST Selling System is customised to meet your individual needs. At CTO, one of Australia’s premier training organisations, our system includes training experiences that engage and fuel active participation. We use a sales-driven approach and provide successful buyer support.

Most of us have gaps in knowledge, blind spots, or other shortcomings that prevent us from being the best we can be.  With webinars, online and in-house sales system training our 30 year’s experience can deliver business skills for your organisations when you desire growth, progress & staff development.

Our Best Selling System training is simple, powerful and proven effective. It’s also been developed for high achieving clients and has never failed to bring about exceptional increases in sales performance in teams from widely varying industries and marketplaces.

 

Customised for each group, your training includes:

  • The benefits of using a sales ‘system’ to ensure sound self-management and consistent success
  • The BEST Selling System – the process and the principles of successful buyer support
  • Relationship-building skills to support trust and rapport development
  • Understanding and relating to different behavioural styles
  • Professional questioning and listening skills
  • Identifying and confirming individual buying motives and ‘value drivers’
  • Establishing customer goals, expectations and ideal outcomes
  • Specific value-driven strategies for a price-driven marketplace
  • Developing relevant, meaningful specific customer benefits
  • Negotiating customer concerns and objections
  • Closing without pressure

 

Want to know more about creating your own Best Selling System?

 

When building and improving a Sales Team, It’s essential to have a partner who can pinpoint the training you need and how best to deliver it.

Corporate Training Options understands that your business results hinge upon how successfully your teams perform. Our team of more than 200 professional facilitators can interpret the specific needs of your organisation, and how to train your people successfully, to achieve the changes you need to see.

As one of Australia’s premier training organisations, CTO works with over 7,000 clients around Australia. We present training experiences that engage both large and small groups and fuel active participation and motivation, right through to assessment and recall.

If you’re ready for your team to perform better, and prepare them for positions of greater responsibility, Corporate Training Options can offer friendly, professional advice. We’ll discuss your needs, and tailor your training to suit your requirements.

 

Contact our team of specialists today to schedule a no-obligation consultation and to learn how the BEST Selling System can work for you.

 

Why Choose Corporate Training Options?

  • Your Trainers are certified experts who are real-world practitioners
  • The courses are interactive, well organised and fun – making it easier for you to learn
  • Small classes mean every trainee will receive individual attention and can be confident about the skills they will gain
  • Our complimentary trainer consultation before your training ensures your objectives will be met
  • CTO is a Business Excellence Award-winning company

 

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You need strategies to manage stress at work

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work – Be Proactive, Not Reactive!

Written by Rosy King on . Posted in Corporate Training Courses, People & Culture.

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work – Be Proactive, Not Reactive!

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

 

You need strategies to manage stress at work

 

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work – To Be Proactive, Not Reactive!

Irrespective of who you are or what you do, at times, you’re going to experience stress at work.

Especially at the moment.  With more and more people isolated due to COVID-19 restrictions and millions of people working from home, concentrating on your own well being right now has never been more critical. 

The key to managing your stress is to not ignore it.  You need to identify the cause of your stress, acknowledge it and then learn stress management strategies so you can deal with your stress effectively.

 

Money worries, overwhelm at work, poor time management, can all lead to workplace stressThe crippling cost of stress in Australian workplaces

Pinning down an exact number of this statistic isn’t easy as there are many variables to consider. However, it’s estimated that stress in the workplace costs Australian companies between $10 – $14 billion every year, which is why it is a growing concern.

 

More than just the numbers

The lack of stress management results in lost productivity, people feeling isolated and depressed and increased absenteeism, not to mention the emotional roller coaster ride or spiral many people feel when it comes to dealing with stress.

 

So who’s responsible for stress in the workplace?

In all honesty it’s not about finger pointing. Ask most employee’s and they’ll say employers with unrealistic expectations are responsible for stress in the workplace. Remember, you’re an individual and responsible for how you think and act, & what meaning you give events in your life.

The fact is we all create our own stress based on our interpretations of events that happen at work or in our life.

It’s much easier to blame others for our stress and expect our world to change to suit us.

The reality though is much different. True change can only come from within, which starts with you.

 

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work

After decades of teaching individuals and company teams about stress management, here are five tips I can give you to manage stress at work.

 

Understanding The Effects of Stress at Work  

First, you need to be open to understanding the cause of your stress at work. This will different for each of us.

It could be a certain person causing you stress. It could be a certain task such as cold calling people or following up on overdue invoices.  Or it could be something such as sales targets or KPI’s your supervisor has set, without any real input from you.

The fact is, once you understand the effect or reason for your stress, you can identify it and learn strategies to re-programme your mind to deal with it.  If a certain task causes you stress at work because you feel your skills are not good enough to handle it, speak to your supervisor or employer and ask for more training.  If it’s an unrealistic sales targets or KPI’s, discuss it with your manager to set more realistic expectations for both of you.

Communication about stress management in the workplace is key here if you are going to manage stress.

 

Taking Responsibility for Your Own Stress

We are all responsible for managing our own stress. Once we understand this, and begin to work on it, we can open up a whole new attitude to all areas of our lives which can catapult us to great things.

When you get cut off in traffic and don’t abuse the person, you’ll feel great. When you put your heart and soul into a task or project in your workplace, and it doesn’t work out, if you’ve given it your best, you’ll feel great.

Taking responsibility for your stress in your work and life is extremely empowering and a potent skill to have.  Taking responsibility will set you free from all the little things in life you put a lot of negative energy into.

 

Meditation and mindfulness are part of the strategy to manage stressReducing Stress Through Biofeedback, Mindfulness and Meditation

When you think about it, your mind is an amazing organ. You can train your mind to remember positive events, and to focus on what you want and where you’re going in life.

Or, you can use that same mind to focus on all the negative things and events in your work or life which can destroy you.

This is where many people find mindfulness and meditation invaluable.

Take five minutes a day at the start of each day to get focused.  Vision how your day will go and what you’re going to achieve.  Breathe deeply to give your mind, body and soul the tools they need to deal with stress during the day.

The key to this is progress, not perfection.

Mediating before your workday begins trains your mind on what you want, not what you don’t want. It also gives you the attitude and skills to deal with negative events that pop up in life and at work so you learn from them, instead of allowing them to bog you down and eat you up.

 

Improving Relationships with Self and Others

 Sadly, many people work and live their lives trying to be something they are not. You only have to look at social media for this. Accepting yourself as a unique individual and for who you are, is something you need to embrace.  You need to remember that there is only one of you, which is critical to improving your relationship with yourself, and others, and to managing the stress in your work and personal life.

 

Enhancing Your Emotional Health A simple hug can help relieve stress

When the facilitators at Corporate Training Options talk about enhancing your emotional health in our stress management training courses, they can often see the students thinking, what is emotional health?

For my team and I, enhancing your emotional health is about Understanding Emotional Maturity.  It’s about being able to express emotions appropriately and exploring your own emotional fitness. It also involves learning strategies for building self-confidence and solving problems.  Maintaining emotional fitness includes Personal & work Goal setting and being able to review those goals without judgement. Once again, this is about progress, not perfection.

 

Is reducing your stress levels at work and focusing on your wellbeing a myth?

Not at all.  Corporate Training Options can provide you with guidance and support if and when you need it.  With webinars and online and in-house training in stress management, we can deliver stress management skills to people and organisations who desire growth, progress & staff development.

If you’re ready to learn more about stress management in your workplace or to upgrade your stress management skills, take a look at CTO’s Stress Management Course.

The Stress Management course will help you understand the nature and causes of workplace stress, emotional wellbeing and help you reduce stress in your life.

The topics covered include:

  • Understanding Stress
  • Taking Responsibility for your Own Stress
  • Reducing Stress Through Biofeedback, Mindfulness and Meditation
  • Improving Relationships with Self and Others
  • Enhancing Your Emotional Health

 

You can also view our latest Webinar on Mindfulness and Wellbeing for tips you can use today to reduct stress and improve your wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

Why Choose Corporate Training Options?

  • Your Trainers are certified experts who are real-world practitioners
  • The courses are interactive, well organised and fun – making it easier for you to learn
  • Small classes mean each trainee will receive individual attention and can be confident about the skills gained
  • Our complimentary discovery consultation before your training ensures your objectives will be met
  • CTO is a Business Excellence Award-winning company 

 

So if you’re ready to upgrade your skills, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

 

Corporate Training Options