Adieu mon ami

It's time to say goodbye to www.variationanddeviation.blogspot.com

The pleasure is in the journey and not the destination. I hope you have enjoyed the trip and brief insight into my view on life. It's now time for me to take a different view.






When the seagul follows the trawler it is because he expects sardines to be thrown into the sea.

Au revoir.

The world's greatest athlete meets his match

Haile Gebresalassie ran ten kilometers to school each day. He represented Ethiopia at the 1992 junior world championships and won both the 5,000m and 10,000 m gold medals. World championships and Olympic success followed. He broke his own marathon world record in 2008 to become the first human being to run a marathon race in sub 2 hrs 4 mins.

Haile Gebresalassie has broken twenty six world records and today, in Manchester, United Kingdom, faced one of the stiffest challenges of his career.

David Roberts was born in Urmston. He was not regarded as an athlete. In fact he was not regarded as a sportsman except of course for that great achievement, almost Boycottian, in defending his wicket for over 20 minutes in the 1975 Amersham Close Test Match.

On the 17th may 2009 Haile and David were to cross swords on David’s beloved Manchester Streets. Those same streets that Ann Lee had walked nearly 400 years earlier, those same streets that Emmeline Pankhurst had graced. Those same streets that had inspired Engels, Marx and Rylands. Those very same streets that had called Busby, Edwards, Charlton, R., Robson, Cantona, Beckham and Ashley Grimes.

Tony Lloyd, a hardworking politician, wished David well as they travelled together to the event.

A lazy wind blew litter through the streets of the city, masses of spectators gathered for the spectacle and Russell Watson sang an inspirational ballad shortly before the start of the race.


10Km, 10,000 meters, was Haile’s bread and butter. Those daily runs to school were part of his make up. David had no fears however because he was on home turf.

The race was underway and Haile sped in to an early lead. David raced valiantly and achieved a personal best time. The crowds cheered and the strategy of the runners unfolded. Haile at the front setting a blistering pace. David ran at a controlled and even pace. Remembering the story of the hare and the tortoise David was sure his strategy would lead to victory. Haile drawing on his Olympic and world championship experience continued to lead from the front. A fascinating race unfolded and on this occasion experience was the winner.

Shortly after crossing the winner’s line David was greeted by Haile. Haile smiled his broad smile and said “it could have been another record except for the wind”.

David congratulated Haile and looked forward to the opportunity of challenging him again. Haile said he would love to come back.

In addition to the two protagonists a further 33,000 souls joined in the Great Manchester Run today and for good measure some £2,000,000-00 was raised for charity. A sense of community filled the city of Manchester and in the midst of the economic concern further evidence of the transformation could be seen. The transformation from take to give. The transformation from materialism to spiritualism. The transformation from what’s in it for me to what can I do for society.

All this reminds me of a different Corinthian spirit. Faith, Hope and Charity and the greatest of these is Charity.

Plain English and how not to explain things!

Football is known as the beautiful game. It is simple and involves the idea of scoring more goals than the opposing team to win the game. In some competitions the winner is decided by the total score over two games. One game usually played at the team's home stadium and the other game played at the opposing team's stadium. Hence the expression "Home and Away games."  

Just after Manchester United had scored their first goal last night the commentator uttered the following statement which left me and my daughter bewildered.  

"Well that's the all important away goal for United. And for those of you who are not regular followers of football the away goals rule is an instrument which is invoked as tie-break mechanism for separating the teams in the event that after 90 mins of the second leg the aggregate scores are level"

"Oh that's interesting" said my 8 year old daughter. "I thought that the away goals rule meant that if  the match was a draw away goals counted double." 

I replied "Poppy you are right and I think the commentator has been on a course." 

Update: Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona.  The away goals rule was invoked as a tie-break mechanism as the aggregate scores were level at the end of 90 mins of the second leg. In other words it's Manchester United FC  v Barcelona in the Champions League Final later this month. As the match is a one off the away goals rule will not apply. Poppy is pleased!

 

Swine Flu protection for you and your employees

I wondered how useful this article might be.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Employees from H1N1 Flu

By Paul Diamond, Web Editor, Vistage International

The recent outbreak of H1N1 flu (swine flu) has many business owners concerned for their employees’ health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released detailed information on H1N1 flu and says the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of the common influenza virus. The good news is that most people who become infected with H1N1 flu will recover without hospitalization or long-term complications.

Symptoms 
The most common H1N1 flu symptoms include:

• Cough
• Congestion
• Nasal Congestion
• Body aches
• Joint Pains
• Fever
• Chills
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Decreased energy

Those who are immune-compromised, older or pregnant may be at higher risk of complications or serious respiratory illness.

Transmission 
This strain of H1N1 flu is believed to be transmitted, like other human viral flus, by casual contact or through the air by sneezes or coughs. Touching or eating pork products will not transmit this flu.

According to the CDC infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick. That means you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you’re sick, as well as while you are sick.

Prevention 
Here are actions people can take to help prevent getting or spreading the flu virus:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
• If you get sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others.

What to do if you suspect you have H1N1 flu
If you live in areas where H1N1 flu cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact your physician. Your doctor will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others. 

Treatment 
Currently, we are at the tail end of our normal flu season, and most people with flu symptoms simply have a viral infection and not the H1N1 flu. Maintaining adequate hydration is highly important if you contract any viral illness. 

If you contract the H1N1 flu, there are two flu medications which can be helpful.  The CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with H1N1 flu. The CDC says that the antiviral medications amantadine and rimantadine will not work against H1N1 flu. 

Young people under the age of 18 with fever or flu symptoms should not be given Aspirin or aspirin-containing products (such as bismuth subsalicylate – Pepto Bismol) due to the risk of Reye syndrome. 

Travel
Susan Locke, M.D., Medical Director of Vistage Healthnetwork, discourages any nonessential travel to Mexico at this time. “If someone needs to go for business,” she said, “I would recommend seeing his/her physician prior to leaving and to get a prescription filled for either Tamiflu® or Relenza, both of which are effective against H1N1 flu. These should be started at the onset of any flu-like symptoms.” 

For those who have recently traveled to Mexico and have any flu-like symptoms, Susan recommends they go to their physician immediately and get tested for H1N1 flu. 

The Vistage Healthnetwork is available to assist all U.S. Vistage members and their families with preventative testing and treatment for all health concerns. 

H1N1 Flu Vaccine 
Currently, no vaccine is available to help prevent the H1N1 flu. For those who received the flu vaccine this year, it does not offer protection against the H1N1 flu. 

Sample Message for Your Employees
To help prevent an outbreak of flu or H1N1 flu within your organization, establish a “do not come to work” policy for employees who report flu-like symptoms. The policy you adopt should be clearly communicated to your employees both in writing and verbally by managers. Below is a sample announcement which Vistage members can use or modify.

As news continues to emerge about the outbreak of H1N1 flu, we want to be sure that everyone at our company is equipped with the best information about how to cope with this potentially serious disease. 

Our official company policy until further notice is that all employees who are sick with cold or flu-like symptoms should either work from home or take PTO and stay at home until symptoms are gone.

Business operations are normal at the present time; our office is open for business. All employees should report to the office according to their normal work schedule. We are carefully monitoring the evolving H1N1 flu outbreak.  If you or someone in your family is ill with the flu please stay home until all symptoms have cleared.

Q. Should I stay home if I have flu symptoms?
A. Yes.  If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep spreading your illness to others.  You should record that time as PTO.

Q. If I stay home because my child’s school or daycare is closed or because a family member has the flu, how will my pay be handled?
A. If your job allows and with your manager’s approval, you can work from home for this period.

Q. What if my job doesn’t allow me to work from home?
A. You should record that time as PTO.

Q. Where can I find the most current information regarding how H1N1 flu is transmitted, treated and when one should see a doctor?
A.  Refer to http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm.

Our Steph explains the new normality!

The UK treasury has pronounced that today's economic position is the new normailty. In this article our Steph, Stephanie Flanders explains the notion that the financial crisis is a mere lightning bolt and as a result £5bn has been wiped off the books. There was no boom and bust , there was in fact just a one off, unforseen strike of lightening.  

So Ivan according to The Uk Treasury we are right. This is the new normality.

About Coaching - The Anatomy of a coach

My friend Ivan has written an informative and fascinating article about being a coach. I've reproduced it for you here. Ivan is the Managing Director of Michael Adam associates, A vistage chair and a very special friend.

The Anatomy of a Coach

By Ivan J Goldberg

Perhaps the question to ask is - what is a coach? My view is that a coach should be a support system, a point for accountability, a facilitator, a challenger, an honest commentator and a totally confidential advocate.

There are other aspects but perhaps the most important factor is what a coach is NOT and that is an advisor, a consultant or a crutch.

In more than 3,000 coaching sessions over the past sixteen or so years, I have learnt that there can be no prescriptive format or a formal process which takes the coach and the coachee (if that is the right word!) to the Promised Land.

Rather the coach must remain open minded and trawl very carefully to discover the real issue in the mind of the client. Too often, the initial statement of issue is one which masks the real issue and this can only be uncovered by sensitive questioning.

In order to “peel the onion”, the use of the “what else” question can be valuable but essentially, the coach must ask the question and then, vitally, listen to the answer. Remember that an anagram of “listen” is “SILENT” and silence will help the client to marshal their resources and thoughts so as to come to an eventual conclusion.

Stay silent after the client finishes and continue to stay silent until they start again. That restart will take them to deeper thoughts and feelings which may well start to help them uncover the issue. Don’t be tempted to break the silence - the client is more important than your opinions!

There are one or two useful questions to ask - the use of “how does that make you feel?” as a supplementary is a great opener with someone who is prepared to dig into their subconscious, and never allow anyone to say “I don’t know”. That usually masks a reluctance to vocalise their feelings so go on digging deeper until the real answer starts to emerge.

As the client goes deeper into their thoughts and feelings, the true reason for help can emerge. Notice that I said “can” emerge. Because this is a free ranging process, unless the coach stays very alert for some indication in the client’s answers about the real issue, then the point can be lost. This requires great sensitivity and some sort of instinct for the right thing which comes perhaps with experience.

Consequently, a prescriptive approach can almost always be counter-productive. If a formalised approach is used there is a danger that important points can be missed in the perceived need to follow the prescribed format of questioning.

Most essentially, the coach is NOT a consultant so never dive in with prescriptive answers and opinions. That is not what the client needs (it may be what they want, of course) but until he/she comes to their own conclusion, then the session needs to continue.

Always try to use “open” questions (who, why, what, where, when and how) as they can’t be answered with a yes/no. Be careful with “why” as it can sometimes be seen to be aggressive but if it is used with sensitivity, it can be a most valuable tool in the coach’s armoury.

Remember to use the “what else?” question to enable your client to dig deeper each time.

Always summarise at the end of the session. A short paraphrase on the basis of “I have heard that you ……………” or “You said that……….” is best, together with a summary of what you will discuss at the next meeting. Give them something to take away and think about and always make yourself available, by telephone or email, between sessions. It can be a demand on your time but if your client needs it then you should always be there to give help and support.