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Tips from the Big Top
A newsletter for Mums @ Work
by Kirstin Barton at Alive to Change
www.alivetochange.com
www.facebook.com/alivetochange
big tip
Issue 8 - November 2013
The Ringmaster - Part 1
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages. Welcome!

The Ringmaster plays different roles in the Circus, and we can come at this from different angles. So I'm splitting this up into two - or maybe three - parts.

The Ringmaster heads up the circus. She or he is the boss and very much in control.

The Ringmaster decides the what, when, where and how of the circus. They've got the big picture in their mind yet are always ready to dive into the smallest detail. 

We all have our Ringmasters, the people who expect us to deliver our act at the right time in the performance. They are the people who ask us to change at a moment's notice as the situation evolves, and who keep the pressure on us so we develop and improve our act. They may be charismatic and inspiring, jolly and supportive, or controlling and temperamental. Or a mixture.

    

 Does your Ringmaster have you jumping through hoops?

 

Who are you thinking of? Your manager? Someone else at work? Someone in your personal life?

 


Working for and with Ringmasters can be tiring. There we are in our groove, doing our thing to the best of our abilities, then in they come and switch things around and expect us to change it up! We've all had times when our precious work, so urgently required, scarely gets a look in as a new priority emerges. Or when we are expected to turn around a new project super quickly. Or have to cover someone's absence.

Sometimes we feel we have no sight of the overall programme. The Ringmaster is racing around sorting things out and feels inaccessible to us. Where do we fit in? Do we fit in?

Although we feel vulnerable to the apparent whims of the Ringmaster, there are things we can do to manage this relationship better.

How to manage your Ringmaster  - the three Cs

Connect - understand what the Ringmaster has to contend with and show you appreciate and respect this. Use this context in order to:  
Communicate - Ringmasters have no better mindreading skills than the rest of us! Make sure you articulate confidently, clearly and concisely your updates, wants, needs, questions. 
Concentrate - on what you can do and can contribute to the circus with your skills and your act. Try to avoid getting caught up in all the sideshows. Bring your focused attention to each task in hand.

What do you need to work on with YOUR Ringmaster?
  
Next time - Ringmaster part two. You as the Ringmaster!

  

 
Sunday 2nd February
Central Basel
9.30 - 12.00
juggling
  
TELL YOUR FRIENDS - it's back by popular demand!
Beyond the Juggling Act
If you're balancing home and work commitments, you'll know all about the juggling act, and plate spinning, and taming lions  . . . as well as trick riding!

This fun and inspiring workshop helps you explore this important topic in a supportive group, gaining new perspectives and ideas about how to make  this juggling act work for you.

You'll leave with some great new connections and ideas, with a sense of renewed energy and motivation, and with a real spring in your step.
  
Please sign up on the event page.
 
This workshop costs CHF75 and this includes Brunch, this inspiring group coaching workshop, your coaching workbook and a follow up call.
clown
Feeling fraught in the lead up to the festive season? Here is an opportunity to clown around a little and bring the laughter back! We have a leave laughing guarantee.
  
Check this event out - and lighten up your lead up to Christmas!
It's our first Giggle Parenting event - Monday 9th December, 7-9pm.
  
****************
The first snow has arrived and it's feeling wintry. The end of the year looms in different ways - the excitement of celebrations, the panic as you realise what is left to be done, the weight of expectations from family and work as you juggle even more during December.
  
See if you can take a little time out for yourself during this busy month. Reflect on your journey through the year - the highs and lows, the learnings and the teachings, the surprises and the accomplishments. Put the year in context and celebrate all that it has been so that you can wrap it up in a nice bow and be ready to start a new one!
  
If you're ready for a change in 2014 and need help kicking off a fresh year, I'm announcing my New Year New You programme in December. This will be a package of personal coaching to tackle your vision for the year, gathering motivation and energy and putting an inspiring plan together to move forward. I'll only have 5 places available, and I'm telling you about this first! More details will come in the December Tips from the Big Top (which hopefully won't be as overdue as this one!).
  
Thank you for your fantastic support during the year. I've really enjoying running the Beyond the Juggling Act workshops - I've loved seeing how it has been making a difference in your lives, and I would love to hear more!!
  
I am doing more and more work now on behalf of Talking Talent - for example, 1-1 maternity coaching, workshops around the maternity transition for expectant parents and their managers. Thanks to some of your contacts, I'm reaching out into other organisations now to offer this work - please let me know if you think your organisation might find this interesting.

With my best wishes for the rest of November, and into December (ARGH - already??).

Kirstin
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Alive to Change Coaching Services, 7 rue du Landskron, Leymen 68220 France
www.alivetochange.com