New Year Resolutions

Each new year many of us take the opportunity to look at life afresh and resolve to make changes to our lives. These resolutions often take the form of loosing weight and getting fit, (particularly after the indulgences of Christmas), or it may be starting or restarting a hobby or something more radical and life changing such as a change of job or career.

Most of us have made such resolutions but how many have seen them through. Those who actually start to put action to their resolution often loose steam a week or two after buying that art kit or joining the gym. But for some the change can be quite dramatic.

So what is the difference between those that make a difference to their lives and majority of us who fizzle out after good intentions lead to inactivity and apathy?

The first important factor is that those who succeed have very clear goals that they wish to achieve.

If you question most people about the goals they have in their life they tend to be quite vague with answers such as I would like the kids to be happy and have a good job, I’d like a better job, I would like a bigger house, more friends, a better social life. Their goals are often board and non-specific and most likely going to happen by chance if at all.

So if you are to achieve you new years resolution or your life’s ambition make sure you are SMART about it, ensure you are Specific and clearly define what you want to achieve; know how your will Measure success, how will you know you have achieved what you set out to do – don’t say your going to loose weight, decide how much you are going to loose, but be Realistic and set yourself a Time frame in which to achieve.

Many will be familiar with SMART objectives but do you apply them to your life, this is the starting point, what you need then is: motivation; self belief; self discipline; and willingness to change.

Now this is where we see the differences between those who achieve and those who don’t; motivation, self belief, self discipline, and willingness to change are attributes that are programmed into us at young age and the effect of early programming enables us to make positive changes or can cause is to stick to the status quo whether we’re happy with it or not and will stay with us all our lives unless we choose to change - we can be reprogrammed.

It is the same with self confidence, fears, phobias, and self image all can be changed though a bit of reprogramming.

It is impossible to give you the details of how to reprogramme yourself in this short blog but there is plenty of help available to do so, you could use a Life Coach, probably the most personal and worthwhile investment you can make,(check out my website on Life Coaching: www.taskus.biz ), or read many books on Life Coaching such as Fiona Harrold’s “Be Your Own Life Coach” or “Change Your Life in 7 Days” by Paul McKenna.

Personally I would choose a Life Coach as a book doesn’t give you someone to be accountable to or provide you with that extra support when you start to struggle.

In summary, making changes to your life requires clear goals, motivation; self belief; self discipline; a willingness to change, and ideally a strong support system to help you make you dreams and ambitions a reality.

May the next year bring you all you hope for – it’s down to you!

Onboard

Onboard brings together the need of third sector organisation to attract experienced managers onto boards of trustees / directors, and the increasing need of experienced managers and directors to gain further experience and to be engaged in relevant professional activity to increase their chances of employment or career progression, as well as ‘giving something back’.

Third Sector organisations can post board vacancies along with a specification of skills, knowledge and expected levels of commitment.

Experienced Managers can specify the type of experience and skills they can offer and express interest in different fields whether that be young people or elderly, faith based or community led.

What onboard can do

For the organisation:

· Work with the existing board looking at their vision, planning, existing skills and skill gaps

· Assist in drawing up a specification for new board members based on the needs of the organisation

· Match potential applicants

· Assist with the recruitment and induction process

· Provide ongoing support to the board

For the manager:

· Provide training on governance, finance, and the Third Sector

· Assist with motivation and linking into what drives them to succeed

· Link them to potential board experience

· Assist with the application process

· Provide ongoing support and mentoring

For more information contact:

David Johnson or Ann Stonehouse

at onboard 0845 6170718

The EnhancementFund Update

The Enhancement Fund which provided funding for Rickter Practitioner Training in Yorkshire and Humberside has now unfortunately come to and end. However Training will continue across the region so if you wish to receive practitioner training call David on 01642 742020.

Rickter Practitioner Training

The next Rickter Practitioner Training Course is in Tees Valley on the 24th November, places are still available phone 01642 742020 for details and to book your place.

Rickter Practitioner Training

Rickter the unique motivational assessment and evaluation package, which incorporates "The Rickter Guidance Model"; offering an integrated approach to working with a wide range of clients.

Rickter and the Rickter Impact Measurement System is a model that, in the first instance, will enable you to quickly engage with clients, build rapport, identify barriers and draw up solution focused action plans. With subsequent use of Rickter you will be able to measure the distance travelled by each client and the impact each of your support activities are having

The next Practitioner course is on:

Thurday 10th September 2009, 9:15 - 4:30 in Tees Valley

End of September in Hull*

*Companies on Yorkshire and Humber may be eligible for grant funding through the Enhancement fund - contact David Johnson for more details.

To book your places contact David Johnson

01642 742020 info@taskus.biz

For more information on Rickter visit our website:

www.taskus.biz

http://www.rickterscale.com/main.htm

MindSkills

MindSkills - a new offer from Taskus

Click on image below for larger view

Rickter Practitioner Training

Rickter the unique motivational assessment and evaluation package, which incorporates "The Rickter Guidance Model"; offering an integrated approach to working with a wide range of clients.

Rickter and the Rickter Impact Measurement System is a model that, in the first instance, will enable you to quickly engage with clients, build rapport, identify barriers and draw up solution focused action plans. With subsequent use of Rickter you will be able to measure the distance travelled by each client and the impact each of your support activities are having

Bespoke courses can be provided for your organisation.

*Funding is available through the Enhancement Fund for this training event

To book your places contact David Johnson

01642 742020 info@taskus.biz

For more information on Rickter visit our website:

http://www.rickterscale.com/main.htm

Volunteering Into Work

West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust 

you bring

Volunteering into Employment and Work

Through Volunteering into Employment and Work we are offering employers the opportunity to provide volunteering opportunities for unemployed people of Middlesbrough.  This will allow them to gain confidence and learn about the job as well as gaining employability skills.

Through this volunteering we will bring into view career options within your sector and allow potential employees to showcase their skills whilst the work with you as a volunteer.

How the programme works:

When an organisation joins the scheme our Employer Support Officer will talk to them to see what volunteering opportunities you can offer.  These opportunities should be for 50 hours and offer a meaningful experience for the volunteer and provide you with a valuable pair of hand and a potential employee.

There will be no costs involved in hosting a volunteer.

Taskus is working in partnership with Network Solutions to provide project implementation management and support to ensure VIEW gets of to a flying start and meets its delivery targets.

Rickter - Funded Training for Yorkshire & Humber

Sport England, A4e and SPORTING PASSPORT

Taskus is working with A4e and Sport England to develop a tool to work with young people to translate the

ir sporting activity into identifiable employability skills.

When applying for jobs young people often have difficulty in appreciating and expressing the quali-ties and skills they have that employer look for when recruiting.

The CBI believes there are seven employability competencies which would benefit young people and increase their employability:

• Self-management: clocking in/out, keeping timesheets, achieving tasks on time, under-standing accountabilities and expectations, keeping a log of activities
  
  
  
• Teamworking: attending internal meetings and team briefings, contributing to discussions, working closely with a ‘buddy’, sharing basic tasks such as getting teas/coffees
  
  
  
• Business and customer awareness: learning about the organisation’s business strategy and performance, observing or assisting with answering customer queries face-to-face, over the telephone or by email, drafting letters of response
  
  
  
• Problem solving: investigating and responding to customer queries, assisting an IT help-desk, setting up spreadsheets, interpreting diagrams
  
  
  
• Communication and literacy: completing an application form before the placement, draft-ing and proofing documents, drafting letters, faxes and emails, observing and making phone calls, attending presentations and briefings, writing a report on the placement
  
  
  
• Application of numeracy: analysing receipts and calculating expenses, working with spreadsheets, measuring and taking readings, conducting stock-counts and completing stock sheets, checking orders received against delivery notes, weighing goods
  
  
• Application of IT: updating databases, preparing a presentation using PowerPoint, con-ducting internet-based research, preparing a report on the placement itself.
  

CBI also recognises that a positive attitude is the key foundation – this can be summed up as a ‘can-do’ approach, a readiness to take part and contribute, openness to new ideas and a drive to make those ideas happen, this underpins the seven competencies.

Many young people gain these skills through their sporting activities but need a way to translate their activity into concepts and terminology that will help them gain employment.

Sport England and a group of stakeholders wish to consider the viability and subsequent develop-ment of a mechanism of recognising the contribution that involvement in sport can make to a person’s employability skills.

We are considering the potential of a Nationally Accredited process that will be recognised by employers in the recruitment process and by awarding bodies to count towards accreditation of prior learning.

We propose having 3 levels of achievement to demonstrate young peoples level of achievement:

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Many young people gain employability skills through their sporting activities and talents but need a way to translate their activity into concepts and terminology that will help them gain employment.

Sport England and partners are developing a mechanism of recognising the contribution that involvement in sport can make to a person’s employability skills - PasSport, using a national recognised tool, Bright-Sparks.

Life Coaching for the Primary Care Trust

Working with A4e, Taskus is providing Life Coaching for clients who are on Incapacity Benefit to assist them to move towards employment.

We work with clients for one hour a week for six weeks using the tradition TGROW model of Life Coaching but utilise techniques from Neuro Linguistic Programming and Solution Focused Brief Therapy to maximise the time we have with them.

The Rickter Scale is also used at the start and end of the programme to assist with goal setting, provide motivation, and demonstrate distance travelled. (For more details see previous blog on The Rickter Scale).

This is a very effect combination and can significantly change the clients outlook on life.

We can apply this model to innumerable situations from the those furthest from the job market to those in the board room.

The Rickter Scale

The Rickter Scale

The Rickter Scale® provides you with an innovative hands-on assessment and evaluation tool. 

• Easy to administer

• Instantly engages the client

• Helps to overcome communication barriers

• Produces a clear, comprehensive profile of individuals needs which is     immediately available to facilitate action planning

• Motivates the individual to take ownership of their own action plan

• Produces valid and reliable information within a short period of time

• Offers standardisation

• Provides a measure of soft outcomes and 'distance travelled'

• Helps identify appropriate support

• Can be adapted to different client groups/needs

• Provides evidence to demonstrate accountability to stakeholders

The Rickter Scale® allows clients to better understand their present circumstances, to identify priority areas for support or intervention, to recognise strategies that have worked for them previously and to explore future possibilities.  

• Easy to use and understand
  
  
• Avoids communication barriers
  
  
• Allows the client to explore possibility
  
  
• Builds on what works for the individual
  
  
• Is non-threatening and non-judgemental
  
  
• Gives instantaneous feedback about progress made
  
  
• Allows client to see the 'big picture' and make connections
  
• Creates greater self awareness
  
  
• Helps identify appropriate specialist support
  
  
• Builds motivation

This exclusive tool has been created for practitioners by practitioners, with a minimum of recording documentation. 

What it does is measure distance travelled and the soft outcomes that clients achieve such as:

• Improved confidence, focus, direction and self-esteem
  

• Feelings of well being, safety and satisfaction

• Personal skills e.g. time management and problem solving
  

• Practical skills e.g. cooking, healthy eating and budgeting 
  

• Community involvement and a sense of place and purpose
  

For details of upcoming Practitioner Training events email info@taskus.biz