Goodbye 2018, hello 2019

'I didn't want to be here, I thought this would be a waste of my time but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's given me lots to think about'.

I delivered a LOT of training sessions in the last couple of months of 2018 and to be honest there were a couple that left me feeling exhausted. To be fair I think the participants in question were busy, frustrated employees that really didn't see any benefit to spending their valuable time in a training room. it's not always easy to sell the benefits of training to busy employees.

The people that push my buttons are the few that roll their eyes and talk while others are contributing, strive to suck the energy out of the room, don't refill the empty kettle for the next person and then loudly proclaim "I don't need to be here, I'm already respectful". Respectful to whom I often wonder?

I keep my eye on these participants, I listen extra hard when they speak, and I put extra effort to identifying with their frustrations. The gold for me, is when there is a point where something resonates – they start to take notice, sit a little straighter and join in. Unfortunately, golden moments aren't guaranteed, the occasional participant spends the whole session (and potentially the whole day/week/month) feeling resentful and miserable. This is when I wonder why? I wonder what has led them to such resistance? and I try to have more compassion.

While 'debriefing' at home after one of these sessions, my wife reminded me 'this is why you do what you do' – she was right. The sessions that I deliver to rooms full of caring, respectful individuals make my job easy. It's the sessions with the resistant, unhappy participants that keep me constantly on my toes that remind me why Respect at Work exists. One of the best compliments I have received through Respect at Work was from an initially unhappy participant who came up to me after the session and said, 'I didn't want to be here, I thought this would be a waste of my time but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's given me lots to think about'.

Respect at Work training makes sense and provides the foundation for a great workplace. A respectful, inclusive and positive culture is one where all staff feel comfortable, connected and supported. When staff feel safe, they bring their whole selves to work, they are free to be innovative, express their opinions and even disagree because of the high level of trust and connection in the culture.

So goodbye 2018, I'm looking forward to many more golden moments in 2019.