Arty breakfast bar photo I just liked & had to include... |
Corporate training events aren't always something that busy professionals look forwards to....
Clearly, it is motivating to see time and cash invested in your longer term development (provided it's not part of a disciplinary process !), but training days & longer can be rather hit and miss I find.
I have attended many and even run a few myself but I'd always wondered why a standing joke response was "It was a good lunch" ?
I have attended many and even run a few myself but I'd always wondered why a standing joke response was "It was a good lunch" ?
Mal Maison, Oxford (castle) |
Appealing Irreverent Hotel Brand Personality |
I will be brutally honest, I only signed up for this because it was located in Oxford (a nice place to visit that is a couple of hours from my home) and the recommended hotel was a Mal Maison. I like their sumptuous use of bold velvet like colours and textures that are very much out of the mould. Better still, not only one of the few hotel chains I actively prefer and will pay a premium for, the Oxford property forms part of the historic castle site & some of the rooms are tastefully renovated from the prison block.
"If I have to go, at least I'll enjoy the hotel experience."
Maggie, Maggie, Maggie - Out ! Out ! Out !
Emotive ex-Prime Minister |
Oddly, given my profession, I'm not a great participant at big room events. I like a personalised learning experience, I need to interact extensively with others as I learn. I switch off quickly if the pace is too slow or content less relevant to me. I can keep myself entertained by looking at the participants and the room set up (the exec ed Thatcher wing offered luxurious facilities that included a power socket in every desk, beautiful natural materials and a comfortable environment that was just right), but this only lasts for so long.
So about the 'Good lunch' ?
Healthy puddings - an oxymoron ? |
Now that's a cheese board: pilots be jealous ! |
A veritable feast even Maggie would have been proud of. Look ! Friendly staff, lots of high quality choice, hots, colds, even a cold meat antipasto platter. Puddings and a cheese board to die for. Never mind the diet, or the soporific effects a heavy lunch often deliver in the graveyard shift.
So why do I remember sarcastic comments about the lunch ? I guess, if you don't want to attend a training day, but are given no choice but to... Or you are profoundly jaded by visionary mantras being extolled by 'the management' and would rather just get on with your nice little job, the highlight of the day might really be the lighthearted interaction over lunch. A hot, pleasant and free lunch.
Perhaps my personal enthusiasm had missed this perspective historically ?
Perhaps my personal enthusiasm had missed this perspective historically ?
Table politics: Pixar culture fable
The long rectangular table gave me the perfect spring board to share my power positioning story gleaned from reading up on Pixar this summer. SIDEBAR context: I have been looking to write something about the clever gender appeal Pixar animations achieve, counter pointing Disney's pink princess prowess with more masculine stories that delivers box office busting whole family (& no-kids grown ups too !) audience appeal. In seeking to establish the now popular Silicon Valley collaborative, flat organisational culture, John Lassiter ran team meetings that purported to be highly egalitarian. Perhaps the power of the Pixar product offering has been driven by the frequent open feedback screenings, that encouraged everyone to critique work-in-progress and offer up creative solutions. However, the long rectangular table shape and the use of name cards that positioned the most senior staff at the centre had the effect of marginalising staff who sat on the extremities, who felt less engaged and able to make their contribution. Solution, if I remember correctly, a large square set up and absolutely NO name tent cards pre-allocating seating.
Royal Holloway MBA |
It's better: A round the table |
Sometimes unconscious, simple things = big impact.
Justin O'Brien: Daring to be different ? |
Justin attended a two day case writing workshop hosted by The Case Centre and highly recommends the experience. Find out more by linking here.