Jackie Cameron - Coaching and Communication

This is my entry in Robert Hruzek’s monthly group writing project for October at Middle Zone Musings  

As is usually the case, when I saw Bob’s topic for WILF this month I could think of nothing to write.  So I put it on hold - at the back of my head ( which is what I would call a “safe” place. You know - the place where you put things but then can’t remember what you have done with them - or is that just me?) until I had some space to reflect.

Today I was due to visit on the of the schools in the Space Unlimited project  for  Historic Scotland for the first time. As is often the case I don’t know the area in which the school is situated. I use trusty old Google maps to find me a route - and I set off with enough time to spare. I knew I was almost there when I had to stop to ask for directions so I was relaxed about it and I even had time to have a cuppa with Paul the teacher I am working with before the young people were free to come to meet me.

We finished bang on time as they had to go to another class and I was in the car with an hour and half to get me back to my next meeting 50 miles away in Edinburgh.

It’s simple, right? I take the same route I came by - only in reverse…

Hmmm. Well something went wrong right away and I found that I was heading for Glasgow ( totally the opposite way to Edinburgh) and there was no obvious way to turn around without causing a major pile up. So I kept going, sure that there would be some signposts for the M8 - which could reasonably be called one of the major roads in Scotland. I was driving through smart suburbs, then some run down areas, then industrial estates - all the while telling myself that I would see a landmark soon and I would get onto the road. Eventually - hoorah - there was a signpost with the M8  marked - but I had to travel for about another 5 miles before I got onto it.

Phew - despite that detour I was still on track for time to meet Zoe.

Until…. I got to the outskirts of Edinburgh. I won’t bore you with the details but Edinburgh will have trams in 2012 - and the current upheaval is pushing its good citizens to breaking point. I hit the major roundabout that I needed to navigate to head into the City Centre and …the priorities and lanes had been changed since I was last there. I was in a lane taking me away from the City. No problem though - I would just come off at the next junction and take another route - but I missed the turning.

By now my stress levels were building. I was almost back at my own house ( right on the outskirts of the City) before I could take a turnoff. I pulled to the side of the road and called Zoe - who was not available so had to trust my voice message to reach her and plough on.

I realised that my knuckles were now white and that I had a knot in my stomach - willing traffic lights to red and that there would be a parking place for me when I got in the City Centre.

Did I mention that Edinburgh is getting trams? Oh I did .. The City Centre is like an endurance test for drivers at the best of times - right now it is impossible - and I have to say that had there been any other way to make it in time I would not have been there in my car.

I actually arrived only 15 minutes later than arranged. Given what I had been through I think that was something short of miraculous.

Now this is where I tell you what I learned from the stress of this journey. I am guilty of not building enough time in for journeys and often get mega - stressed before I arrive. All things being equal  I had enough time for today’s journey though. Aside from a couple of small errors - I found another way. Where the biggest stress came for me was in situations that I could not affect.

The City is hugely disrupted because of the tram work - fact. I cannot change that.

The City centre is very driver unfriendly at the best of times - fact. I cannot change that either.

Then I remembered this prayer ( which I knew but did not know the history of) - and suddenly I am calm…

Hearing late last night that Lloyds TSB was to take over Halifax Bank of Scotland has really made me think. We are living in interesting - and downright difficult - times and business casualties are inevitable. I have been trying to work out why this one has had such a personal impact on me.

I clicked on their website . The landing page probably sums it up for me. The picture is of their HQ - which sits proudly on the Mound in Edinburgh and is on the route I take when travelling into the City.  It is truly a landmark and a symbol of the history of the Bank. When I left college in the late 70s - dropping out after a year - (I was not yet ready for serious study) I was looking for my first job. As a young woman at that time in Edinburgh getting ” a job in an office” was quite an ambition - and a job in a bank was even better. I applied to the 3 main banks then - the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale ( all of which are permitted to issue their own bank notes would you believe!?). The Royal and Bank both offered me a job.  Both interviews were held in beautiful old offices in  St Andrew Square which at that time was the financial centre of the city. I took the Royal Bank offer and lasted a whole 9 months with them before joining the Civil Service. In all of the banks in Edinburgh though there are still people of my generation who joined straight from school and have worked their entire lives with that one organisation - and my thoughts are with all Bank of Scotland employees - but them in particular today. They face an anxious time right now.

I blogged yesterday about being prepared for situations like this. I still believe that is wise advice. But who would have seen this happening  a few weeks ago? TV interviews of people who are affected cover the same ground - in a sector where there are  already many job losses and likely to be more - what kind of alternative jobs are there with so many people hitting the job market at the same time?

I have strong connections with Lloyds TSB - my own bankers - and many friends and associates working in the sector. I will watch this story unfold and develop with interest.

I found this post last week over at the Chief Happiness Officer blog.

I found it - and the subsequent comments - really funny. I assume on that basis that I am an atypical Scot! Well of course I am not.

But what the heck is going on here? I know my electoral vote goes towards choosing a politician to represent me. I know that my representative is a person ( human being)…so what happens when he or she gets into power and they start speaking on my behalf? Is this the kind of image I want them to represent for me? However - I have searched widely and can’t find a full report of the conversation that led to the politicians saying this so I am reserving judgement.

I thought I should have a look into writing on happiness just to get a flavour of what is going on. I have just completed 2 parts of a 3 part seminar on emotional intelligence and my score on happiness said that I am “generally satisfied with life”. Yes indeed - spot on. I have what has been described as a “cheery disposition”  and a positive outlook to life. Am I always happy - well of course not. Sometimes I am sad, at others less happy - and so on somewhere in between.

Valentine’s day is tomorrow. I expect most lovers “want to make their beloved” happy tomorrow ( and I suppose always). Some will opt for extravagent gestures - others will do the small but important thing that usually works. Whether or not it will “make them happy ” or the person feels contentment/love/joy/delight/satisfaction/security is something else.

I was always told that a man who can make a woman laugh would be very popular!

Anyway - on that ( hopefully) uplifting note I found this  article   about Scots and I knew all was not lost!            

Please forgive me for making Monday’s post a wee bit of an indulgence!

I read yesterday that whether Alexander Graham Bell  - a Scot- really did invent the telephone is being questioned. A couple of weeks ago I listened to a debate about whether Alexander Fleming - a Scot - really did discover penicillin ( apparently it was a team effort - which is probably what we would expect from scientists?). Either way Scots have been influential throughout the world in so many ways.

I am not writing to score points though.

I want to talk about a Scot who never left these shores - as far as we know - yet his work can be found the world over.

Have you ever sung along to “Auld Lang Syne”?

The poet who wrote the words was Scotland’s most famous poet - Robert “Rabbie” Burns - and all over the world “Burns Suppers” were held on or around his birthday last Friday. To put this into context we will celebrate 250 years since he was born in 2009!

My husband and I went along to a Burns Supper hosted by the University of Edinburgh Business School. The University’s reputation attracts students from the four corners of the globe. Before we even got to dinner I was chatting to a young man from Shanghai who said many of his fellow students investigated coming to Scotland to study on the back of the movie Braveheart. (I have commented before on my thoughts on that movie - but if it means that someone’s awareness of Scotland is raised enough to merit coming here to visit/study/work then I can cope - really.)

Inside the hall there were some 200 guests - of such a variety of nationalities. The format of a Burns supper is that we eat haggis, tatties ( potatoes) and neeps ( turnip) and listen to someone talk about the man himself, sometimes recite some of his poetry. There is always a toast to the “lassies” from a brave man and usually a robust response from a “lassie” as a bit of fun. On Saturday the lad was Welsh and the lassie was Canadian.

Burns poetry and songs are written in Scottish and even to someone who has lived here all their life they often need a bit of translation. But Burns’ message is clear

• he believed in the equality of men - regardless of wealth and background
• he loved women - and I mean loved them! He has many many descendants from the numerous children he fathered. Not and ideal role model I know but I think  his love poetry is beautiful so it is little wonder that he was such a wow with the ladies.

Burns Suppers are held where Scottish expatriate communities exist - in obvious places like Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada. They are also held in places where a Scottish connection is not quite so clear. I recall my Russian teacher telling me that Burns was widely read in the old USSR ( when I was learning Russian in the eary 70s).

Rabbie’s influence is most obvious in Auld Lang Syne and that is one very proud and long standing Scottish contribution.

Big question - prompted by a seemingly minor incident today.

On the staffroom noticeboard there are awards for acts of kindness…and underneath there is a comment on the lines of “or for the best sook”. The Online Scottish Dictionary gives the following definition ( and spelling)

Souk [suk] - suck, teachers pet

Now I want to be absolutely clear here - this comment on the board was totally tongue in cheek. The spirit of kindness is alive and well in the school  and it is recognised regularly. It was just as I as chatting about it with colleagues that it made me think.

There is a school of thought that Scots are inherently gloomy and pessimistic. I don’t hold with that sweeping generalisation but I have met my fair share of people who do start with their glass half empty.

However, I do think that we do have an enormous range of words which can be used as a “put down” - like sook. We also have a real sense of humour and these words often crop up in the jokes about ourselves. Maybe the two things go hand in hand.

I think I might come back to this one!