Behaviour Matters June 2015

Your No1 Magazine For Developing Higher Performance 

BEHAVIOUR 

MATTERS 

Issue 25 June 2015 £2.99 where sold 

Do 

Something 

Different 

Traveller, there is no path, the 

path must be forged as you walk 

Antonio Machado 

Inside This 

MONTH 

FREE! Your 2 Minute Guide 

to the High Performance 

Programme 

Special Bite Sized Jez On 

Higher Performance 

Stretching Your Comfort 

Zones in The Neuron Lounge 

Remember More – Boost 

Your Brain 

How To Spot A Liar 

Susan Miles & Richard 

McDougall in Expert Voice 

WIN! In This Month’s 

Competition! 

www.thebehaviourexpert.com 

www.highperformanceprogramme.com

A Thought From Jez 

I 

’m sat watching loads of bees buzzing around one of my 

favourite plants in our garden; it’s a broom, bursting with 

bright yellow flowers, which the bees seemingly can’t get 

enough of. I love bees. 

2 

I read a fascinating article about bees in 

California that are literally herded from one 

blossom plantation to another, to pollinate 

them and produce honey. They are driven 

hundreds of miles up and down the coast 

of America to keep producing honey and 

pollinating the plants; essentially forced labour 

for bees. However, it’s beginning to have a 

detrimental affect on the health of the bees – 

the apis equivalent of office stress I guess. 

I remember that song from Snow White and 

the Seven Dwarves: “busy doing nothing, 

working the whole day through, trying to find 

nothing to do”. Those dwarves had no focus. 

But the bee is an incredible thing, with a body 

weight that defies any mathematical workings: 

technically it shouldn’t be able to fly as it’s wing 

span isn’t sufficient to support it. Yet it does 

(and very well, too), all whilst being one of 

the most productive of all living creatures on 

planet Earth. Well, I’ve been very much a bee 

recently, not an unfocused dwarf. 

As you can probably tell by the weight, this is 

a very special edition of Behaviour Matters. 

It marks almost 3 years since I wrote the 

first issue and coincides with celebrating the 

launch of a brand new, online information and 

training hub, designed to help individuals and 

organisations develop higher performance. 

It’s called the High Performance Programme… 

I was up all night thinking of that name! You’ll 

find a handy 2 minute guide included but 

that’s not the only culprit to the added weight; 

we’ve packed a few extra pages in this special 

edition, too! 

It also marks the start of our new quarterly 

distribution for Behaviour Matters: I know 

The Golden Pineapple Award 

This month’s Client of the 

Month and the recipient of 

our Golden Pineapple Award 

badge is Jacquie Beagan! 

Very often foreword thinking, dynamic 

individuals are recognised here, however, 

Jacquie has had to make some difficult 

decisions and lead her team through some 

challenging and busy times. Jacquie’s focus 

is laser sharp and she knows what she wants 

and how to get there but of course that’s 

only half the solution. The main barrier most 

people face is getting their team to act; 

to want to achieve the goals they set. And 

Jacquie Beagan, Merck Serono 

C lient of the Month 

that’s where Jacquie’s sincere, inclusive and 

encouraging approach has helped her and 

her team to achieve some fantastic results, 

all while motivating them to continue to 

do so. I imagine it hasn’t always been easy, 

however, her focus on working as one team 

with a clear goal in mind has ensured her 

team remain positive, focused and more 

determined than ever. 

Look out for your Golden Pineapple Award 

badge in the post! 

you’re all very busy and many of you don’t find 

time to properly read and digest the contents 

each month, so the next edition will land on 

your desks in September and then after that 

every three months. If you’ll miss your monthly 

dose, make sure you’re signed up to my 

monthly email “From My Brain to Your Inbox”, 

which is a bit of fun and includes a regular dose 

of interesting brain tricks and behaviour fixes. 

Dive into this very special edition and as 

always, don’t hesitate to get in touch, I always 

love hearing from you. 



Inside Jez’s 

Brain 

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire 

Just last week I was sat in a meeting watching 

someone lie through their teeth about how 

they had not only completed a project but also 

done a significant amount of research for it, too. 

Only the completed project wasn’t with them because – and here 

comes the emotional tug on the heart strings – there was a computer 

problem and then an incident with a cat and some coffee and a baby 

crying and a family breakdown and then an argument and then 

something else about the baby and then a problem with the fish. It 

was heartbreaking. It was Oscar-winning. It was all lies. 

The others around the table bought into the story and extended the 

deadlines, made a lot of calls to rearrange the workload and enable 

things to continue without the required details and content from the 

project. I was put in a compromising position because I knew that 

the individual had made all but one of the things in her story up (the 

cat really did knock over the coffee cup). How did I know? Because 

truth detection and the science of uncovering untruths is a personal 

interest of mine and over the past ten years or so I’ve read a lot of 

literature, attended quite a few lectures and befriended quite a few 

specialists in the field of lying – years ago I used to give a lecture 

about how to spot a liar – and how to flush one out! 

Contrary to popular belief, liars tend to give themselves away more 

through what they say rather than their body language. Their normal 

speaking pattern will be different, so look out for changes to the way 

in which they speak; either sped up or cautiously forming sentences, 

for example. Most liars will commit less, say less and speed up 

There are subtle tell-tale signs that our 

bodies do, which give us away, too. 

when lying, so as to incriminate themselves as little as possible and 

to get the lie over with as quickly as possible. Listen to elements of 

discomfort, too: regular breaks in the voice, a less uniform tone and 

changes to the words that they use. For example, in the famous lying 

studies, most subjects spoke about other people or things more than 

themselves, when they were lying. 

There are subtle tell-tale signs that our bodies do, which give us 

away, too. Our feet often subconsciously point towards the exit in the 

room, our fingers fiddle and there is an increase in facial touching. 

When we smile naturally, responsively, as a result of feeling happiness 

or sensing something amusing, our smiles appear quickly and 

symmetrically. The muscles instinctively and automatically create 

that visual response – take a look for yourself the next time you make 

someone laugh: their smile appears without reservation. However, a 

false smile is slower and lopsided or crooked; it’s not natural. 

Where you can consciously control your heart rate, your bladder and 

indeed your brain, the movement of your eyes (pupil dilation and 

rapid eye movement, for example) is one of the few reactions in your 

body over which you have absolutely no control. Our eyes give us away 

more than you could ever possibly imagine. When we are nervous 

our eyes often move rapidly and as we grow more uncomfortable 

with the lie we are telling, our heart rate increases and as a natural 

response, our pupils dilate. It has also been observed that people’s 

eyes will often dart towards the exit of a room as subconsciously they 

want to remove themselves from the lie and thus the environment 

they’ve found themselves in. 

Despite a lot of pop psychology information written on lying to 

the contrary, and despite the fact that most of our registered 

communication is actually non verbal (a whopping 55% of the way 

that we relate to each other is via body language: facial expressions, 

posture and gestures and 38% is attributed to how what we hear 

sounds; the volume, intonation etc) the very best way to catch out 

a liar is to listen to what they say. The math whizz readers will have 

calculated that just 7% of how we relate to each other and effectively 

communicate is down to the words that we use. 

The important point, before you start brandishing people a liar for 

simply scratching their nose, is that all of these points need to be 

taken in context. It’s unlikely that you’ll see any one of these signs in 

isolation (which does help with our itchy nosed colleagues). 

Don’t Forget... 

Join me on twitter @JezRose 

for succinct advice, fun and 

SPECIAL OFFERS! 

3

4 

The Neuron 

Stretching Your C omfort Zones 

That’s 

Steve 

Wozniak with 

me (I’m on the 

left). It’s not often 

that you get 

to meet and chat 

to a living legend, 

so in that respect, 

it was a very special 

day for Steve. 

Shortly after that 

photo was taken, 

he turned to 

me and said: “this 

might very well 

be the highlight of my career” and I, naturally, had 

to agree with him. I have, after all, been invited onto 

Gloria Hunniford’s Heaven and Earth show. 

Steve was speaking at a conference I was also attending and he had some 

truly fascinating things to say about his life and career; the formation of 

Apple computers and how, since he’s left, he has to queue like the rest 

of us to get the latest iPhone! Over the past 12 years traveling the world 

speaking at conferences and training events, I’ve met a lot of people; a 

really wide variety: some wildly creative, others incredibly talented and 

some super intelligent, too. But Steve Wozniak tops the geek charts, 

as he casually explained how he was just playing around with some 

Research has shown that the most effective 

way to break habits is by wanting to 

electronic components one night trying to see what he could come up 

with, you know, like we all do, and he created something that he realised 

could create and record binary code that, when a screen was added and 

built into this complex bundle of wires and components, could create 

letters and numbers on the screen. He’d built the very first portable 

computer. Puts your Saturday night in with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc 

and a family bag of Minstrels to shame, doesn’t it? He went on to reveal 

that it was Steve Jobs who had the business, entrepreneurial and 



commercial talents; Wozniak (or Woz as he likes to be called) was happy 

just playing about with wires and was already onto working out that he 

didn’t even need to build the monitor into the components: he could 

simply plug in an external monitor – or even television – to create a truly 

portable computer. The “PC” we all know today exists because of Woz. 

And of course thanks to Jobs’ ability to promote and market it. 

Now, I’ve summed the whole thing up for the sake of brevity. It took a 

while of course to get things right and to get the computer working, 

however, in the very beginning it was Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak 

making these computers to order in their garage. A true back bedroom 

(or garage in this case) start-up company. Now look at them; it’s recently 

been valued at just over 1 trillion dollars. Yes – trillion. No, I didn’t know 

you could get a trillion either. I asked Woz how, although on reflection 

perhaps I should have asked him why, and he said: “you’ve got to dare 

to do something differently; that’s what we did at Apple – we spotted a 

gap in the market and moved into it, regardless of whether others had 

spotted it, too because we wanted to create things that people wanted. 

To do that we simple made a point of seeking out knowledge in areas 

that others weren’t seeking it in, in order to stand out”. Then he said 

something that really resonated with me: “You can do things that have 

but just how easy it is – because they are self-limiting and entirely 

fictitious: comfort zones are very often perceived, not at all real and very 

much a product of what we anticipate may or may not happen, based 

on insufficient information. In short, comfort zones are often based on 

our opinion about things, which we know nothing about. It can be really 

simple things that help us to move out of our comfort zones: reading a 

different book, taking a different route to work or walking the dog on a 

different path, or simply taking a moment before you act to consider the 

alternative actions or options available to you. That’s at one end of the 

spectrum, then at the other you can simply remember that a comfort 

zone is really a habit. Ask yourself these questions: What is it that makes 

you comfortable by repeating that particular behaviour? Why do you 

always opt for the same things inside your comfort zone? Who are the 

people around you? What time of the day do you tend to do them? Each 

time you do things that are very much inside of your comfort zone, 

ask yourself these questions and then look for a pattern: perhaps you 

always do the same things because it makes you feel safe, or confident. 

Perhaps it’s because there are people there you like to socialise with. 

Now look for alternatives that produce the same reinforcement: what 

else could you do that would still make you feel confident, or safe, or 

that would allow you to socialise? 

Lounge 

5 

not been done yet but you’ve got to be willing to move outside of your 

comfort zone.” It’s the old adage: if you do what you’ve always done, 

you’ll get what you’ve always got. Repeating the same behaviour yet 

expecting different results is the definition of insanity. However, it’s not 

always that simple to just “do things that haven’t been done yet”, or “do 

something differently” because we are fundamentally creatures of habit 

and while making habits is simple and often subconscious, breaking 

them can be somewhat tricky (despite that fact that it is actually almost 

as simple as making them). In Be a Purple Banana I wrote about comfort 

zones - and in this month’s Extract From feature on page 6, you’ll be 

able to read why it’s sometimes so difficult to move outside of them 

Research has shown that the most effective way to break habits is by 

wanting to. The truth is that there are thousands of ways to change 

habits and you need to find the right one for the circumstance and 

behaviour, however, ultimately if you believe that you can change; if you 

make changing, a habit, the change becomes real because ultimately 

our habits are what we choose them to be. 

To accomplish great things we must 

not only act but also dream. Not only plan 

but also believe 

Anonymous

Extracts Fr om 

6 

Three questions 

(well, 

technically two as one is repeated 

twice, although in a 

different context), that are 

unnervingly simple, yet can 

make a significant impact 

on the way that we approach 

challenges, respond to opportunities, 

create opportunities, 

think, behave and 

adapt. These three questions (I know it’s two) can 

help shape your ability to think differently. I appreciate 

that sounds a little ethereal, however, 

something quite amazing is happening in your 

brain, I dare say right now. 

I am quite obsessed by the brain. It’s an absolutely astounding organ, 

yet we pump our bodies with alcohol, tobacco and drugs, which all have 

a detrimental affect. I say we; I mean you – and by you, I mean a vast 

generalisation, not necessarily specifically you. I don’t drink alcohol, nor 

smoke. However, if we were to conduct a functional Magnetic Resonance 

Imaging (fMRI) scan of your brain right now (that’s the one you might 

have seen on television, where they lay the person flat on their back 

as they’re slid into what looks like a giant plastic doughnut), we would 

be able to see, highlighted in various colours, where the activity in your 

brain was at any given moment. We’d be able to ask you questions, pose 

conundrums for you to consider and ask you to imagine things, so that 

we could see which areas of your brain were activated by the different 

tasks. Following that scan, if I were to ask you to start challenging things 

more often, by asking “why do we do it this way?” and to then follow that 

question up with another: “how can we make this better?” You would 

begin, very gradually, to change the way that you think. You’d begin to 

approach things differently. If after a period of time, say three or six 

months, we repeated the fMRI scan and I asked you the same questions, 

we’d notice changes. Your brain would be functioning differently, purely 

as a result of how you approach things, as a direct result of the language 

you’d been using. Remarkable isn’t it? We have the power to literally 

rewire our brain’s neural circuitry. If you’re at all surprised, interested 

or gob-smacked right now, this is exactly the problem I have with the 

Bite Sized Jez 

On Performance 

scientific community. In writing this 

book, it is, in truth, the beginning of a 

crusade to make more people aware 

of some of the remarkable advances 

and understanding in psychology and 

human behaviour, which seem to be 

rarely shared with the general public. 

Yet it’s so important because with 

this level of understanding, even at a 

primitive level, we are better able to 

understand just how capable we are, 

how to change our behaviour and 

why it’s important, too. 

Over the past twenty or so years, 

so much has been learned about how we behave and it’s unlocked 

some serious questions about human potential. For example, we now 

understand that our behaviour today is not concrete: who we are as a 

person; the things we stand for, believe in, the way that we behave 

and think is not permanent. This means that we could be somebody 

completely different in six months than who we are today. It’s both 

enlightening and encouraging to know that we can change something as 

significant as the way our brain behaves. Of course, many aspects play 

a role in this and both accentuate and prevent this potential, whether 

they are genetic or environmental, for example. However, this is exactly 

why we should challenge things more often and ask why it is that a 

particular process or activity is conducted in a certain way. That question 

alone is useful (“why do we do it this way?”) but becomes significantly 

more powerful when coupled with asking how the very thing you are 

challenging could be improved (“how can we improve it?”). 

By Jez Rose, published by Dr. Zeus Publishing 

And that’s where we’re 

cutting you off! 

This is the last ever Extract From 

feature. Be a Purple Banana is 

now available for you to buy on 

Amazon.co.uk 

Humans have a tendency to define things by what they are not: not good enough, not smart enough, not 

extraordinary enough. Focus on the things that are real - what have you got? What can you do? Build a greater you 

by enhancing your natural talents, expanding your skillset or knowledge and embracing the things you do well, not the 

definition based on another person. Ask a friend or colleague to list all of your talents – your opinion is often skewed! 



Amazing breakfast (again) 

at St Pancras Renaissance 

Heidel berg, Germany 

Hanging out with “ The Marriotts” 

Around The World 

Jez spends as much as 200 dates a year away working, so we thought 

we’d share some of the beautiful, unusual - and frankly bizarre - sights 

Jez sees here with you. And no photo montage would be complete without a 

caption competition!... 

With Jez 

7 

Amazing breakfast at 

The P ig In The Wall, Southampton 

Win! 

Caption Competition! 

We’ve got a stack of business books to give away 

that will help you develop your own higher 

performance, featuring The Sales Bible, Delivering 

Happiness, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Disney-U and The 

Chimp Paradox. All you need to do is send in your 

suggested caption to the photo above to 

competition@thebehaviourexpert.com 

before 1st July 

1 winner will be chosen 

at random. 

More Tea, Vicar? Kuwait

8 

Bees Cannot Fly 

by Roger McGough 

Bees cannot f ly, scientists have proved it. 

It is all to do with wingspan and body weight. 

Aerodynamically incapable of sustained f light, 

Bees simply cannot f ly. And yet they do. 

There’s one there, unaware of its dodgy ratios, 

A noisy bubble, a helium-filled steamroller. 

Fat and proud of it, buzzing around the garden 

As if it were the last day of the spring sales. 

Trying on all the brightest f lowers, squeezing itself 

Into frilly numbers three sizes too small. 

Bees can f ly, there’s no need to prove it. And sting. 

When stung, do scientists really believe it? 

READING 

Into It 

Jez drinks tea – a lot. And he reads 

– a lot. His work library has more 

than 3,000 books in it so each month we bring 

you more recommended reading material. Grab a 

cup of tea and get your brain into the book that’s 

tickling his thalamus this month… 

Moonwalking With Einstein 

by Joshua Foer £9.99 ISBN 9780141032139 

You might know that I’m training my memory. I’m learning to 

remember things and build my memory muscle. Can anyone get a 

perfect memory? Joshua Foer used to be like most of us, forgetting 

phone numbers and mislaying keys. Then he learnt the art of memory 

training, and a year later found himself in the finals of the US Memory 

Championship. He also discovered a truth we often forget: than, even in 

an age of technology, memory is the key to everything we are. 

This book is just brilliant. It’s as fascinating as it is insightful. Foer takes 

us on an astonishing journey through the mind, from ancient memory 

palace techniques to neuroscience, from the man who can recall nine 

thousand books to another who constantly forgets who he is. In doing 

so, Foer shows how we can all improve our memories. 

Star Rating: 

We’ve got 10 £10 vouchers 

for Waterstones to send to the first 

10 people to email us at 

competition@thebehaviourexpert.com 

with the subject line BOOK GIVEAWAY 

before 1st July 

On Performance 

Bite Sized Jez 

One of the most effective ways I’ve found to motivate myself in the morning (after tea, dog cudd les and 

a shower), is by planning the day: listing all the things that would make me happy, brighten my day or inspire or motivate 

me if I achieved them. Obviously there are necessary things on the list but as long as there are things that I know will 

give me a great sense of satisfaction when they’re complete, it drives me forward. Direction and purpose. 



www.highperformanceprogramme.com 

HIGH 

P R O G R A M M E

Expert Voice 

Richard McDougall is an expert in body language 

and communication, with more than 10 years experience 

coaching individuals and teams. He is also 

one of the most respected magicians in the world. 

Name of the Game 

meant that there came a time when there was real understanding and 

appreciation of what he was telling us. 

As I sit here and write this, I can hear his voice saying one of his many 

phrases that were short, simple and mathematically correct: 

“The name of the game is communication.” 

10 

It is very important to have a mentor. Someone who can listen, guide 

and offer honest but accurate feedback. I was very fortunate that I met 

mine when I was 13, and he stayed my mentor for over thirty-five years, 

until his death almost exactly a year ago as I write this. 

Alan Alan was extraordinary. After starting out in show business 

performing magic, a love of which he never lost, he made his name 

as an escapologist: his act involved being handcuffed and wrapped in 

chains, which were padlocked by two members of the audience. His 

feet were tied to a rope, and the rope was pulled up into the air, with 

Alan dangling beneath. In a circus or theatre, this was to the top of the 

building. Outside, it might be from a crane or from a helicopter. His aim 

was to get out of the handcuffs and chains. Oh, and the rope was on 

fire... and when he worked in the circus, the lions were let loose into the 

ring beneath him. 

His death-defying, iconic act made him one of the highest paid 

speciality acts in the world and for thirty years, he was in constant 

demand around the world. During that time, he worked with some of 

the greatest performers on the stage, and some of the smartest minds 

behind the scenes in theatre and television. He was close friends 

with some of the most brilliant magicians of the 20th century, and 

all that knowledge, coupled with his own forensic analysis of every 

moment in a theatrical act, gave him a deep and profound insight 

on successful performance. It was this approach to deconstruction 

and understanding, based on acute observation that he passed so 

generously to a group of just four or five of us. 

We used to visit Alan in his flat towards the end of his working life and 

many times during his long retirement, and he would play film clips of 

performers like Sinatra, Judy Garland or Pavarotti. He would freeze the 

action, and ask us about the impact of their persona, and the methods 

they had used to connect with us. He talked about posture, the beats 

of silence between words, how to convey authenticity through the 

eyes; how to make sure that everyone felt they were being looked at, 

even in an audience of thousands. 

We watched Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, Eric Morecambe – in 

fact anyone who was at the top of their game, and the same questions 

were asked. At that time, many of us were still in our teens, and these 

concepts took a long time to be understood, but the sheer volume of 

excellence we were exposed to, as well as the other end of the scale, 

It is true whether you are performing magic for just a few people, or an 

act like his, on a stage in front of thousands. It is especially also true, 

however, in business. The name of the game is communication. Whether 

it’s a business meeting, pitch, internal meetings, large presentations or 

meeting just one client, it all comes down to communication. I am not 

sure if it is arrogance or ignorance, although I suspect a little of both, 

that so little time or effort is expended on arguably the most crucial skill 

in business: understanding how to explain, persuade, negotiate, inform 

or sell, with clarity, simplicity and authenticity. It should be mandatory 

for everyone. Doctors with patients, staff with customers; all would 

improve business relationships by placing greater importance on 

listening skills and confident communication. Knowing how to engage 

an individual or a large group - and keep them engaged, would save 

literally millions of hours and pounds which are currently wasted on 

conferences in high cost venues that are crippled by presentations that 

have been delivered with no impact. As a sign of the low faith companies 

have of their presenters at a conference, most presentations will have 

the screen centre stage, and the speaker to the side. As a sign of the 

low confidence of presenters, most of them are happier presenting like 

this, and would be even more terrified the other way round. 

The most successful performers are always the best communicators. 

They may not be the most talented or have the best product, but 

they have found a way to engage with their customers that their 

competitors have not. 

I am sure we have all met someone in business and either immediately 

felt comfortable with them, or the hackles have been raised. Far fewer 

have perhaps stopped to analyse what has caused such visceral reaction. 

Fewer still have probably stopped to consider what impact we are 

having on those around us. If we did, we would realise that verbal and 

non-verbal communication have enormously more significance than we 

generally pay attention to, and that we can always improve these skills 

and reap greater rewards. It may sound a little trite to say, but how we 

communicate not only affects outcomes. It can also affect incomes. 

So start observing people closely today. Observe yourself, or ask 

your mentor how your style of communication is perceived. They 

don’t have to be an escapologist or from show business, they just 

have to be honest and accurate. Remember, the name of the game is 

communication. However you look at it, there is no escaping it. 



8SIMPLE WAYS TO BE 

STRESS-FREE 

Look after yourself. 

We adopt the most 

common emotion that 

surrounds us, so start 

hanging around with 

positive people. 

Get help. 

We’re only human and simply 

can’t take on everything. Take some 

time off work if need be to sort things 

out but do it sooner rather than 

later: manage stress before 

it begins to manage you. 

Take 30 minutes every day to 

do something for you: walk the 

dog, read a book or go for a 

swim. It should be something 

you enjoy doing; sacrosanct 

time for you to enjoy, during 

which you switch off and relax 

– so no jogging while on 

your Blackberry! 

You are 10,000 times more 

important than you think you are. 

Your organization is about you 

– you’re a really important asset. 

Without the people inside your 

organization that make it 

happen every single day, it 

wouldn’t function. 

If you use ”I’m too busy” or 

“there isn’t enough time” as 

excuses, I guarantee we can 

fix that right now as they are 

common problems resulting 

from poor time management. 

Brighten up your workspace with 

a plant, photos of family, friends, 

pets or anything that has a 

special memory. Keep your 

working area tidy and free from 

clutter: if you clutter your desk, 

you clutter your mind. 

Recognise the signs of when 

stress is beginning to take over, 

which include irritability; loss of 

appetite; butterflies and anxiety; 

tearfulness and insomnia. 

Embracing change isn’t 

something humans are often 

particularly good at. The innate 

fear of failure we have takes over, 

as change often means the 

unknown. If you feel yourself 

getting worried, ask questions you 

need to help put your mind at rest. 



HIGH 

P R O G R A M M E

12 

Expert Voice 

‘A fish rots from the head’ 

Steve Penson from Alisar specialises in helping 

organisations to harness powerful profiling 

and create high performing teams that realise 

their potential… and is a friend and colleague. 

‘A fish rots from the head’ (We advise standing up wind) Why the fish? 

Well, have you ever seen an avalanche crashing UP-hill? No, we haven’t 

either. Mother Nature knows the best way to cascade is downwards. 

So our team working involves senior members first. Bring them in from 

the get go, get them using the right language and truly understanding 

the benefit of what we’re doing and our job becomes a whole lot easier. 

Discussions kick off around the High Performing Team model. We can’t 

take credit for the model, that’s down to Harvard Business School and 

Tavistock Institute – and they certainly know what they’re talking about. 

In a nutshell it says three key components grow highly effective teams: 

• Skills: Technical and Interpersonal (including Communication; 

Problem Solving; Conflict Management) 

• Accountability: Individual and Team 

• Commitment: Clear strategic vision; Roles and Responsibilities; 

Common working practices. 

It’s constantly surprising to find how often these basic team building 

blocks aren’t as solid as they should be. 

Let’s look at Roles and responsibilities. Frequently discussions around 

this topic begin with people quoting their job descriptions, often only 

part of the story, as roles and responsibilities blur, particularly within 

matrix management structures. 

Illuminating sessions 

Some very illuminating sessions uncover the (sometimes yawning) 

chasm between what people think their role is and what they believe 

others roles to be. We also use the powerful Everything DiSC® model 

to help teams understand their behaviour, and improve relationships 

across the team and their organisation. The DiSC® contextual profiling 

tool asks people questions based on their role, such as: “What kind of 

person am I?” and “Why don’t I get the reactions I’m expecting?” 

It enables people to get to know their default behaviours, recognise 

the behaviour of others and how certain behaviours manifest in 

certain personality types. Learning to flex your behaviour means you 

get the best out of yourself and others, and makes your interactions 

much more effective. 

Instant hits 

Board members are often astounded when we discuss the impact they 

have – sometimes even without leaving their office. We told one MD 

that his staff felt his shop floor appearances were simply done to point 

fingers and criticise. On his next walkaround he did a ‘stop and chat’… 

about last night’s soaps, the football results, even said “Cześć, jak się 

masz?” (How are you) to a Polish employee… which took some doing! 

His bonhomie was an instant hit. Morale improved, people started 

interacting more because they realised he was, in many ways, just like 

them. All we told him was “Be aware of the shadow you leave”. 

We like to play with language (we’re experienced NLP practitioners after 

all) and ‘reframing’ can have a profound effect. Here’s an example… 

At one of Ann’s recent coaching session someone told her they 

practised regular personal affirmations by saying “Being me is no bad 

thing” to themselves – a potentially good tool for shy and retiring types 

(so we’ve never suggested this technique to Jez!). Ann replied: “Let’s 

reframe that, try ‘Being me is a GOOD thing’”. Another instant success. 

The tone of voice changed, there was more energy, it was more 

believable, it’s more positive. What’s not to like? 

We firmly believe in the power of coaching. Giving someone undivided, 

one-to-one attention and the space and time to really think through what 

they’re doing and where they’re going. Then provide a personalised, 

bespoke development route. It works. 

The Alisar approach 

So, what’s the Alisar approach? It starts with a fact-finding mission, 

watching, looking, listening and learning. What’s actually happening? 

What really needs attention? Sometimes we compile a survey that asks: 

“What do you really need?” We never turn up thinking we’re the experts. 

It’s your business, you’re the expert -how can Alisar support you? 

Our fact finding is followed by a series of workshops to introduce 

general concepts, then we get down to business with one-to-one 

coaching. And cascade this process from senior level throughout 

the company. We continue the cascade from senior members to the 

next tier using exactly the same concepts, then the next… until we’ve 

worked with the entire organisation. 

Using a confidential questionnaire that demonstrated the real issues 

faced by a premium manufacturer, our work resulted in increased 

confidence amongst all team members and our recommendations and 

improvements helped to: 

• Eliminate inefficiencies in business processes and daily work 

schedules 

• Review, learn and improve what they did, which led to previous 

customers returning 

• Save the company down time and the cost of generic sales training 

• Transform the team into a more communicative, cohesive unit 

• Increase their sales closing skills. 

An injection of Alisar insights and the company became more efficient, 

customer focused, and on course to exceed their annual target by £100K. 

Find out more about the Alisar approach, visit our website at 

www.alisar.eu 



9 

WAYS 

TO EMPOWER 

YOUR TEAM 

It’s a firm favourite of many but micro-managing is time consuming 

and ineffective. Strong leaders build strong teams around them 

through empowerment and trust. Here’s a quick overview of how:. 

Tell people 

What you want to achieve 

and involve them in 

finding ways to achieve it. 

Set out expectations 

Ensure everyone knows what their 

role is and what part they play. 

Use positive language 

And plenty of enthusiasm 

and encouragement. 

Highlight successes 

And show the 

way forwards, 

learning from 

failings. 

Provide mentors 

in the form of 

buddies or 

more formal 

coaching as 

required. 

Make individuals 

Personally 

accountable 

for their results, 

you want 

a professional 

team producing 

professional results. 

Ensure individuals 

Have the tools and equipment 

and training required to carry out 

their role fully and to the best 

of their ability. 

Seek high standards 

And then incrementally 

raise the bar. 

Recognise 

And reward successes 

but be mindful that 

individuals have different 

ways that they will want 

to be rewarded and 

which will motivate 

them to continue. 



HIGH 

P R O G R A M M E

Expert Voice 

Whose career is it anyway? 

14 

Sue Miles is Director at Chaseville Consulting 

Ltd, a people development consultancy specialising 

in professional services and the construction 

and property sector. 

www.chaseville.co.uk 

Have you ever been in an appraisal meeting with a ‘Waiting To Be 

Told’? Someone who wants you, their manager, to tell them what 

they want from their career, how to get it and what you are going to 

do to help them? This article aims to help you have a conversation 

with a ‘Waiting To Be Told’ (well before they walk into their appraisal 

meeting) about why they should care and not leave their career in 

anyone’s hands other than their own. 

Years ago I was pondering over a big life decision that I needed to 

make around my job and where I lived as a result. It was a hard 

decision – I asked friends their opinion, sought advice from family 

and, well, anyone who would listen to be honest. I think even a 

visiting dog had its ear bent one night (dogs, for the record, are 

great at listening but are pretty rubbish with answers). Finally, two 

months of prevarication and procrastination led me to a coffee with 

a good friend. His words were wise. “Sue, it does not matter how 

many people you ask, the decision is yours. No one cares as much 

about your job as you do. They are too busy worrying about their 

own life.” 

At first, I thought this was a bit harsh. People did care about me 

and my decision would impact on them too. One slowly sipped 

Americano later, however, and I realised he did not mean that 

people did not care about me, just that my life was my life. It was 

my decision to make. 

I tell this story because one of my big bugbears is people who want 

others to take responsibility for their career (or indeed in some 

cases their life, but don’t get me started on that one!) and I think 

his words ‘no-one cares about your job as much as you do’ are 

powerful. Depending on our own personal circumstances, many of 

us will be expecting to work in some form for about 40 years or 

more. Let’s say, for 8hrs a day. 330+ days a year for 40 years. That’s 

a lot of hours in our lives. 

Why then, do I meet so many managers that tell me that many 

of their team members come into appraisal/career planning 

conversations with a blank sheet of paper “waiting to be told” what 

to do with their career, or asking questions like, “what courses do 

you think I should go on this year?” 

If you are managing a ‘waiting to be told’, here are 6 compelling 

reasons to share with the individual to help explain why career 

ownership is important. 

(Before you read on, be clear that I am not saying that all employers 

should have a magic wand to grant us all our wishes. However, I do 

feel that individuals, whatever level, should be proactive enough to 

have an open conversation to explore options around opportunity, 

aspirations and personal growth. And leaders should be confident 

enough to have them.) 

Reason 1. As my wise friend says “no one care as much about your 

career as you do.” Not even the best manager in the world. 

Reason 2. Early in my career, I was told, “If you want to get on, make 

yourself as useful as you can to your line manager. Don’t give them 

work to do”. Simple advice from a senior Construction Director. 

Entering a career conversation (which is about their career!) with a 

blank sheet of paper, gives you (as their line manager) a job. It’s far 

more powerful for an individual to tell you what they want and for 

you to have an open conversation about what’s possible. 

Reason 3. Advice passed on to me by a wise CEO: “If you want to 

be considered for an opportunity you have to have ‘first thought 

status’ – i.e. you are the first person someone thinks of when 

they see or hear of an opportunity. If someone is a passenger 

in a career conversation, how will anyone, let alone you (their 

manager and personal advocate/major spokesperson) know what 

sort of opportunities interest them with customers/clients or in 

your own workplace? 

Reason 4. Some management books tell us that performance 

only makes up only 10% of success. This is often a shocker to many 

people who work hard and long hours. But it implies that “getting 

your head down and doing a good job” is just not enough. Wherever 

you work. It’s Harvey Coleman that tells us that 60% of success is 

made up of exposure and the remaining 30% is image and exposure. 

Whether or not you or they agree with the stats is not the point – it 

is just worth thinking about what turning up and ‘waiting to be told’ 

could lead to…or not lead to. 



Reason 5. Only they know what really motivates them. You are 

their manager, not a mind reader. Good managers will coach and 

guide and ask good questions, but it is not your responsibility to tell 

them what they want from their work life….it’s their responsibility 

to have given it thought. 

Reason 6. We are all constrained by ‘inhibitors’ at times – fear, 

procrastination, lack of confidence or self-belief etc. Even some 

of the most outwardly confident people I meet will often reveal 

something I would never have guessed upfront that can hold them 

back from taking action. One of the most compelling exercises I 

have used to get myself over my own fears has been to: 

• To ask myself what I want to look back on my life and say 

about it. 

• To consider what I might say about it right now. 

• To recognise the gap (if there is one) and make a personal 

plan to do something about it. Part of this will always include 

work stuff. 

That might mean making an uncomfortable phone call, doing a job 

I don’t like to achieve a longer term goal for me or taking a risk 

I would otherwise not take. Encourage them to know their own 

‘gap’ before they walk into a career conversation so they can have a 

conversation in the context of what they want.

News in Brief 

BUF F 

JUST ONE C ORNET T O… 

16 

You can read articles I’ve written about focusing 

on our goals and also reviews of my new book 

Be a Purple Banana this month in Forever Sports 

and Train magazines (think dumbbells not choo 

choo). Naturally they wanted someone ripped 

and buff to write for them and, well, couldn’t 

find anyone so asked me! 

F IBBERS 

According to HireRight, 57% of British job 

applicants lie on their CVs. Check out this 

month’s article on How to Spot a Liar to flush 

those fibbers out! 

ON THE WALL 

The writing is on the wall: 71% of UK adults 

think that businesses put profit before 

consumers. They’re probably right, too but 

it speaks volumes that the majority of your 

customers feel that way. Is it time to make our 

customers feel more valued? 

SHAP E MAT T ERS 

Why is it that triangular sandwiches always 

taste better than square ones? 

Well, not a Cornetto, per-se. Or at all in fact, 

I just love ice cream and there’s an Italian 

man sat next to me so it was the first thing 

that popped into my head. I’ve got just one 

space left in my coaching diary. If you’d 

like help achieving your goals, gaining or 

maintaining focus and unlocking the huge 

potential that’s in your mind, get in touch 

with Steph: jez@thebehaviourexpert.com or 

head here for more information: http://bit.ly/ 

jezcoach 

Executive 

PROGRAMME 

Some more mental entertainment for your neurons... 

SCALE 

There is a clerk at the butchers shop. He is 

five feet, ten inches tall and he wears size 

eleven shoes. What does he weigh? 

TALL 

Before Mount Everest was discovered, what 

was the highest mountain in the world? 

REMEMBER? 

This is a fun memory assessment and 

training game, which has been turned into 

a drinking game on many occasions (not by 

me but it was inevitable that someone did, 

wasn’t it?!): 

Have someone lay out 8 or 9 different 

objects for example, a paperclip, a packet 

of tissues, a magazine, car keys, a glass etc) 

and cover them up. You’re given 30 seconds 

as soon as the cover is removed (I use a 

scarf or someone’s jacket) to look at the 

objects and remember as many as possible. 

Once you’re successful, try it with different 

objects but give yourself less time, then 

more objects and gradually less time. Voila! 

– instant memory trainer! You’re welcome. 

Do you know someone who’d love a copy of Behaviour Matters? 

Maybe a friend, colleague or least favourite child? Email their name and address to orders@thebehaviourexpert.com and 

we’ll post them a copy each month absolutely FREE! Ask us nicely in the email and we’ll also send you a little something in 

the post to thank you for helping us to widen distribution of Behaviour Matters. 

Contact The Behaviour Expert 

Midlothian Innovation Centre, The Bush 

Roslin, EH25 9RE 


Join in the fun here! 

@JezRose 

www.facebook.com/thebehaviourexpert

Behaviour Matters June 2015

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