This case study was prepared by Geoff Bell the former Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Markets Limited. Geoff currently provides services in Business Planning, Coaching and Mentoring. He can be contacted at 612 6656-2429.

Background

• Sydney Markets are Australia’s largest fresh produce and community markets, and arguably one of the top five wholesale fresh produce markets worldwide.

• Brands include Sydney Fresh Produce Market, Sydney Flower Market and Paddy’s Markets (Haymarket & Flemington).
• High intensity, 24/7/365 operations:
• 250,00m2 of trading, warehousing, shopping, office & parking facilities under management at two sites.
• > $3.0 billion worth of commercial activity generated annually.
• Approx 2 million tonnes of fresh produce traded annually.
• Approx 70,000 vehicle movements per week.
• > 100,000 customer visits per week.
• Markets privatised in 1998 following a long period of management by a NSW government statutory authority. Sydney Markets Limited (SML) was incorporated at that time with the market traders as the shareholders of the company.

(NB: SML turns over approx $50m pa, derived mainly from rents and management fees. The company employs just under 100 fulltime staff, supported by approx 30 contractors who augment security and market operations, and provide specialist trades & technical functions.)

The Problem

A poor workplace culture was clearly evident at the point of changeover from government authority to private sector business. This culture was characterised by the following:

• Process driven workplace with lack of focus on outcomes and low productivity.

• Lack of positive interaction between staff and customers (ie, the market traders who were now also the owners of SML).
• Poor relationship between staff and public visitors to the Markets.
• Punitive environment not conducive to developing people or efficient systems.
• Lack of accountability resulting from unclear lines of responsibility and a failure to properly define job specifications.
• Poor utilisation of staff knowledge and experience to generate ideas and improve efficiency.
• Very little training & development of staff – what did exist was unfocused.
• There was an Award in place for all employees except executive management. This caused a split within the management structure of the company that needed to be addressed.

The Solution

The solution was to implement a comprehensive leadership and personnel management system as part of an overall strategic plan for the company. People outcomes were directly linked to the company’s strategic intent and associated strategic objectives.

• Markets operations were restructured to clarify staff roles and remove inequities. Job descriptions were completely revised for all employees. Career paths were defined in most functional areas. A new rostering system was introduced thereby enhancing work/life balance for many staff.

• A comprehensive recruitment system was introduced to help ensure that people joining the company were of the highest possible quality. At the same time, managers were expected to pay close attention to the retention of their high quality staff so that over time, the quality of the SML workforce would improve. High quality managers were identified and supported.
• The existing Award was renegotiated with the following important changes being included:

  - Pay scales were increased, partly offset by removal of penalty rates. Overall this delivered those on the Award with an improved financial outcome, albeit at a cost to the company.

  - As a result we were able to negotiate the extraction of supervisor level positions from the Award and place them within the company’s contracted managers. This meant far greater flexibility in how we were able to relate with all our management level people.

  - We were also able to negotiate the inclusion of all Award employees in an annual staff appraisal system, with bonuses (if any) to be paid at the complete discretion of SML. This provided us with an essential tool for influencing change in behaviours.

• New operating procedures were introduced to remove some anomalies and empower people through all staff levels. This was an extremely important element in changing the culture of the place.
• A simple, easy to use staff appraisal system was introduced for all employees. This system was based on 4-5 clearly expressed objectives and associated performance measures, which were related directly to an individual’s job description. (NB: These objectives were not necessarily dollar-related, because effective market operation was more about getting things like customer service right rather than screwing every last dollar out of people). All managers were also assessed on a range of leadership skills and attributes.
• A training & development plan was developed on an individual basis for each employee. This included partial or sometimes full payment of course fees by the company. In addition, managers were given training in leadership, and all staff received training in customer service.
• Team objectives and associated performance measures were introduced for all teams within the company structure.
• Managers were left in no doubt that they were expected to lead their people and not merely manage them. Line managers were made responsible for all dealings with their people, which left our small HR staff to work on policy matters and ensure HR systems were being followed correctly.
• A remuneration policy was introduced, based on remunerating people at about the median point for businesses of our size and type. We didn’t want to be market leaders, but nor did we want to be seen as paying under par.
• An annual employee survey was conducted and feedback provided personally by the CEO at staff meetings where everyone had opportunities to comment and seek additional feedback.
• A simple and concise code of conduct was introduced for all employees.
• An Employee of the Month award instituted. This award comprised both a strong public recognition element and a small financial reward. Employee of the Year and Team of the Year awards were introduced along similar lines, but with significantly larger financial rewards.

[NB: These awards were very well accepted within the workforce, undoubtedly because great care was taken in selecting winners based on merit.]

The Results

• The us and them culture disappeared, customer service improved significantly, and significant efficiencies began to be made as a result of innovative ideas from staff at all levels. Examples of the latter include a 33% reduction in waste management costs; an 18% reduction in repair and maintenance costs and a 12% reduction in security costs. [NB: These three measures alone took well over $1M from SML’s operating cost base at that time, which more than covered the additional personnel costs required to effect the cultural change.]

• Poor performers were quickly identified and weeded out. This included several management level staff who had worked at the Markets for a long time. Some of these people were unwilling to embrace the new system, whilst others were simply not performing for a variety of reasons and had to go. This provided new opportunities for promotion and development of talented people – such opportunities had largely been missing under the previous system, where promotion depended more on time served rather than merit.
• Staff satisfaction levels [morale] as measured by the annual surveys showed a consistent upward trend.
• Market operations were significantly enhanced, leading to improved handling of fresh produce on its way to consumers, as well as safer and cleaner markets. These changes also led to 20-25% increase in public attendance at the community markets, which made for some very happy traders.

The Main Lessons

• A comprehensive approach is essential, and it must be based on collaboration and engaging staff through open and honest communications. This will help build trust during the change process.

• Strong leadership from the top is also essential, and those at the top must continually inspire and reassure people about the future.
• Patience is needed to see it through – don’t expect immediate results.
• Simple systems are essential – don’t over complicate things.
• Fairness and objectivity must apply, and must be seen to apply.
• Key people at all levels in the organisation need to be identified early and well looked after. These people will help sell the change, which will assist in minimising the associated risk. Conversely, potential saboteurs should be identified and if necessary removed.
• Consider your people as an investment not a cost. Identify and promote the leaders within the group and then, if necessary, give them training in how to manage better.

If you are looking toward the New Year with excitement about what seems like a perfect time for a fresh start, it’s a good idea to take this time to reflect inwardly as well.

Anyone who makes resolutions looks at increasing their success. Are there issues in your life that are preventing you from succeeding? Even if you’re functioning, there may be things going on with you that you could use help with. These things might be impacting your ability to relax, to plan, to focus and they may be plaguing your conscience as well. Hypnotherapy can help. In 2010, why not invest in yourself and your happiness? You can do so through a one on one session either in person or via phone or Skype or you could download a self help recording that helps you address one or more areas in your life.

Hypnotherapy or NLP (neuro linguistic programming) can help with many different issues. A few examples include:

Compulsive Hair Pulling

Some people who pull their hair don’t even realise they’re doing it. They’ll often do it when they’re stressed out or upset. Hypnotherapy can help you change behavioural triggers that may cause you to do this. Many people with trichotillomania are able to overcome this problem in just a few short sessions of hypnotherapy.

Phobias

Is something in your life causing you so much fear that it paralyzes you when you’re faced with it? Phobias may seem extreme to some but to the person experiencing it, the fear is all-consuming. NLP can help you change your reaction to specific scenarios so that you don’t overreact. You can find out why you’re phobic and slowly overcome the fear.

Bad Habits

A lot of our bad habits happen unconsciously, much like trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), can happen unconsciously as a reaction. Re-training your thoughts and your behaviours can help you overcome bad habits.

Panic Attacks

It’s a stressful world out there and panic is problematic for more people than ever. Many experience panic attacks on a regular basis. What are signs of a panic attack? If you experience symptoms such as: heart palpitations, rapid breathing, shaking, and terror in certain situations, you may suffer from panic disorder. Counselling and hypnotherapy can help and it can often be overcome in just a few short sessions.

Overall Self-Improvement

Some people who seek a NLP counsellor or hypnotherapist start off trying to overcome a specific fear, phobia, panic attack or behaviour and once they have success with it, they keep using it to help them with other areas in their life as well. Improve your self-confidence, be more organised, get more physically fit, overcome shyness, etc. The great thing about NLP and hypnotherapy is that you can approach it in several different ways, finding a method of treatment that suits your schedule and your lifestyle, such as: through downloadable recordings, one on one in-person counselling, or via phone or web-based therapy as well.

By Ann Springer

Women carry the weight of the world on their backs.

Between family life, professional strains, and a to-do list a mile long, a woman wouldn’t be considered human if she didn’t succumb to the stress on occasion.

If counting to 10 no longer works to relieve your stress or helps you to refocus then consider a new strategy for managing your daily stress. Whether you’re a full-time stay-at-home mom or a multi-tasking wife, mother, and business executive, every woman experiences stress from trying to juggle all of the titles of her day-to-day life.

Think you don’t have time to take a break? You can’t afford not to put these 10 ideas into place. Besides, each of these 10 tips will help you de-stress in 10 minutes or less.

1.       Go outside. A crying infant will calm down once she takes a deep breath of fresh air and feels the sunshine on her face, and it can help to bring Mom’s heart rate down too. Step outside for a few minutes and take a few deep breaths. Even if you just sit on the front porch, the new perspective will energize you to return to your routine.

2.       Exercise. Getting your heart rate up will get those endorphins pumping. It’s a natural stress reducer and energy booster. Can’t sneak away for a workout? Run around the park while your kids play, run up and down the stairs, turn some tunes on and dance around the house, or play a couple of sets of tennis on your kid’s Wii.

3.       Get it on paper. Worried you’ll forget one of the zillions of things you’re supposed to do today? Is your mental to-do list overwhelming you?  Then take a minute and write down all of the things you need to do. Next put a star next to the three most important items and then get to work on them.

4.       Laugh. It really is the best medicine. Use those 10 minutes while you’re kids are brushing their teeth and getting dressed to find something that will make you laugh. Lock yourself in your room after they’re tucked in and watch a few minutes of a “Seinfeld” or ‘Friends” re-run, read funny jokes online, or peruse the cartoons in the paper.

5.       Close your eyes for 15 minutes. It’s amazingly refreshing to spend 15 minutes just lying on your back with your eyes closed. You can feel all of your muscles begin to relax and your breathing slows down. Giving yourself a mental and physical break can allow you the chance at a second wind later.

6.       Call a friend. Need to vent? Did something upset you and cause your stress level to shoot through the roof? Then call a trusted pal and get it off your chest. Once you’re done ranting, thank them for listening, and then change the subject to a happier note. You’ll feel better and your friend will still want to take your calls.

7.       Hop in the shower. Washing away your bad day or a stressful situation can be done literally as well as metaphorically with a quick shower. The steam helps you breathe a little easier and it relaxes your muscles which tense up when you’re under the gun.

8.       Pop in the iPod. The kids are playing happily but they’re wound-up and rowdy. The dog is barking at your noisy neighbor. The dishwasher is running and the TV is on and you’re trying to focus on getting a few things done. If the distractions are stressing you out, then pop in your ear buds from your MP3 and tune it all out.

9.       Reaching relaxation. Remember those stretches from your yoga or Pilates class? Strike a pose or two and feel yourself slip into a better, more Zen-like state.

10.   Let it go. Is it all too much? Is the list a mile long? Does the possibility of bedtime seem like mission impossible? Then free yourself from frustration and decide to not do it all. Remind yourself that if it doesn’t get done, it doesn’t get done. Think about the consequences and decide which objective is more important – getting it done or piling on more stress? If the answer isn’t to add more stress then you’ll have to find another way or time to get the rest of it done.

Ann Springer is a published writer living in Southern California. She’s the mother of three daughters and her pug, Aggie. (Hence the name of her blog – www.3girlsandapug.com – where she posts tips to save time, money, and sanity to find more joy in the journey of motherhood. Someday her tombstone will read, “Killer of Plants,” with a quote beneath it reading, ‘If you don’t bark or cry at my house, you don’t eat.’”

This is a guest article by Andrew Salmon.

We’re all consumers. We love every gadget, antique doohickie, fashion, and bauble on the market and, before you know it, we’ve stuffed every nook, cranny, closet and shelf in our homes with stuff. Some of these items make are lives easier, some enrich our journey, and others are just pretty to look at. But there comes a time of critical mass when we simply run out of space for our trinkets. Then what? Well there is a way out from under the mountain of stuff we surround ourselves with. And it’s easier than you think.

1. Haul Your Trash!

This is the fastest way to begin reducing clutter in the home. Take a look around you. Is that an old pile of newspapers in the corner? Overflowing recycling bins in the porch? Full trash cans decorated with the odd crumpled ball that missed when you attempted a Steve Nash 3-pointer? Amateur lab experiments in your fridge? Get rid of this stuff! Curb it! Now you’re on your way!

2. Calling Dr. Jones!

Remember that suit/dress you wore to your best friend’s wedding 8 years ago? Or those LPs you stuck in the back of your closet because you thought they’d be worth something? How about those shoes you couldn’t bear to part with? Or the empty boxes stored flat under the bed? Well, it’s time to don your Indiana Jones fedora and excavate your hidey-holes. You’ll be surprised to find that stuff stored in these lost recesses years ago is no longer relevant to the present-day you. If it’s out of style, it’s out of here! If it doesn’t fit, it’s gone. Boxes to the recycling. LPs to the thrift store – or eBay if you’ve got an entrepreneurial streak. Either way, be ruthless. It’s tucked away, forgotten. You’ve gone x-number of years without it. Time to move it on out the door.

3. Tech = Yecch!

Without a doubt the #1 source of clutter in the 21st century is technology. TVs, CD and DVD players, computers, phones, appliances and toys will have you sleeping on your porch for want of space if you aren’t careful. Here’s what you can do about it. CD music can be stored on your computer, iPod or MP3 Player. Sell the discs for quick cash, or donate them, but get them off the shelf. The same goes for DVD movies. If it’s not your absolutely favourite movie of all time, then show it the door. Got an old TV in the basement. Bye-bye. Ditto that DVD player you’re going to fix all by yourself one day. Got suckered into the latest Veg-O-Matic infomercial? Well, the damage has been done, but you don’t have to look at the thing. Goodbye! The simple rule for technology is: if you’re not using it regularly, you don’t need it. No exceptions.

4. Close Down Your Gap Franchise

Clothes give technology a run for its money when it comes to clutter. Get rid of: what doesn’t fit, what’s out of style, what needs the mending you never seem to get around to doing. If you don’t wear it regularly, you don’t need it. This is essential if you’ve got limited space in which to store spring/summer, fall/winter stuff. The answer is simple: get seasonal. If it’s 30C outside, you don’t need the parka. Flip-flops in January?! As the seasons change so should the look of your closets and drawers. Store the winter clothes in the summer, and vice versa when the artic winds begin to howl. Basements, storage lockers, packed tightly in containers under the bed… this are where seasonal clothes belong until needed.

5. Get Organized!

A place for everything and everything in its place. Shoes go on the shoe rack, not on the floor near the shoe rack. Coats in the closet, not the doorknob or the back of a chair. Dirty laundry in the hamper, clean in the closets and dressers. I think you get the message here. Set aside a place for something and keep it there when not in use. After all, what was the point of creating all that free space if you’re not going to use it efficiently?

6. Ask Why Before You Buy

Now that you’ve organized the stuff in your home it’s time to take preventative measures. That is unless you’re looking forward to having to go through these steps again in a few years. If not, then simply ask yourself why you’re buying the next shiny object that crosses your line of sight. Impulse buys = Clutter. Einstein may not have proved this equation but it’s true. Before you bring something new into your home, decide if it’s something you need, or something you merely want? If it’s the latter, then put it back. Go home and enjoy the clean, neat living space you worked so hard to create.

Andrew Salmon is an author and freelance writer. He writes about various healthy living and finance topics including life insurance in Canada.

Well in excess of four hundred different counselling styles used by mental health practitioners today exist to treat stress related problems. Two main schools of hypnosis have emerged, the older model being Traditional hypnosis and the more recent being Eriksonian hypnosis. However research has consistently demonstrated that the relationship between therapist and client (also referred to as the therapeutic alliance), rather than the therapists counselling style, is what makes or breaks the successful therapy.

So if it doesn’t matter what approach is used, why should counselling and hypnotherapy be combined?

Milton Erikson, the founder of Ericksonian hypnotherapy claimed that processing and change had to occur in the conscious and unconscious mind to really be effective. While counselling traditionally targets conscious experiences (such as thoughts, images and feelings we can easily access and communicate to others), hypnosis aims to influence the unconscious mind. So while the counselling process, involving respect, empathy and listening encourage conscious trust, hypnosis performed in a safe environment by a qualified and experienced practitioner helps to develop unconscious trust and rapport. Counselling and psychotherapy, whatever the approach, can help to make hypnosis and NLP more effective and vice versa, even though each attempts to address problems from a slightly different perspective.

Hypnotherapy usually focuses on changing behaviours, while counselling and psychotherapy more often help to promote self-understanding and self-acceptance. Together, breaking old habits and developing more adaptive behaviours and improving self-esteem and self-knowledge can create a much happier individual. Therefore, its impossible to really compare counselling and hypnotherapy. It would be like asking who’s better out of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones – they are both popular and well-known bands with much to offer.

Hypnotherapy can help psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists who are wanting to help their client deepen their self-understanding and awareness of their transferences (seeing aspects of authority figures from childhood, such as parents and teachers, in perceived authority figures in adulthood) and projections (seeing disliked qualities of themselves in other people) through establishing a secure relationship with the unconscious. It can also be one of the fastest ways to develop rapport and trust with a therapist.

On a more individual level, I use dream work and analysis with my clients to help them identify more with their unconscious and to help them better understand the messages being sent from this part of the mind. Interventions promoting relaxation, such as light trances, meditative practices and Eriksonian hypnotherapy greatly accelerates this process. Another handy by product is increasing memory recall and self—confidence.

A further common difference between hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is the number of sessions required. Psychotherapy can literally go on for years, and in some schools such as traditional psychoanalysis, therapy is viewed as a life-long endeavour. Hypnotherapy can bring about noticeable changes in just a few sessions. Of course this is an average and will vary from person to person. While both approaches can be crucial to long-term healing such as in cases of unresolved or complex trauma, there are some issues such as nail-biting that hypnotherapy alone will be able to assist with.

So why in the world would anyone think abut having long term therapy that goes for months and in some cases years? In my view, NLP and hypnotherapy themselves are not able to address deep seated emotional and attachment disorders originating in early childhood. These issues are thought to arise due to parents not responding effectively to the needs of their infants and young children. This lack of response can range from the parents misinterpreting that their baby is hungry when the baby is cold, to parents overtly ignoring, neglecting and abusing their children. The relationship and responses we receive from our parents in the earliest years of our life go on to form the templates we use that guides our expectations of what we will receive from others in all sorts of relationships including platonic, professional and intimate. Almost everyone who seeks psychotherapy have an insecure attachment style which can either be avoidant (lots of conscious mind activity, but rarely any emotional or feeling states), anxious ambivalent (flooded with and guided by emotional feelings and states with less conscious mind activity) and disorganised (who are incredibly sensitive to threats, inherently mistrusting and find it very difficult to feel safe).

Regardless if the presenting complaint is anxiety, pain, depression, addiction, OCD, trauma or relationship problems, there will always be an attachment disorder exacerbating the emotional torment. All of these problems unconsciously have one purpose: to avoid feelings. That is why “getting rid of a behaviour”, for example quitting smoking or giving up alcohol is not enough. While the behaviour may be gone, the underlying motivation for the behaviour lingers and eventually crops up again if the deeper reasons are not acknowledged, processed and understood for what they really are and what they represent. This is explains why I see so many people who have “tried so much hypnotherapy and NLP and CBT before”. I reassure them that there is a very valuable place for hypnotherapy within the counselling relationship but it is not a quick fix.

Willing people work courageously to face their inner conflicts and resolve them in time. This develops an authentic self, a self which is well integrated, congruent and fully aware of all it’s aspects. In effect, this process transforms and insecure attachment into a secure one, helping to shield against depression, anxiety, stress and traumatic feelings.

In my view true therapeutic work comes from changing an attachment pattern to a secure attachment complex. With a safe enough therapeutic alliance and weekly sessions this can be possible. A key pillar of this process in the ability of the therapist to remain non-judgemental, to offer ongoing acceptance and respect regardless of what the client discloses. With hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis the client can learn how to do this for themselves by accepting what they experience non-judgementally. This takes regular practice of around two years for the plasticity of the brain to change and an adaptive attachment style formed. This does require a commitment of energy, time and money, however the life waiting for you at the end of the rainbow is well worth it. Can you imagine being more resilient to stress?

Melbourne Hypnotherapist and Counsellor Adam Szmerling has been practicing since 1996. He has completed and Advanced Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy, an undergraduate university degree in counselling and postgraduate studies in counselling and psychotherapy. He is a Master Practitioner of NLP and takes a Mindfulness and Attachment Therapy approach to counselling, integrating clinical hypnotherapy, NLP, mindfulness, psychodynamic and experiential approaches to best support the needs of each individual client he is privileged work with.

http://www.baysidepsychotherapy.com.au/