On July 15th, ANZ hosted this workshop at their Featherston branch. Special thank you to ANZ and the wonderful Cillín Hearns (Director, Leadership and Performance Coach of Results Coaching) who delivered an engaging and insightful workshop on behalf of ANZ. 

What are Personal Rules?

In this workshop, Cillín taught us that “personal rules” are the inner values and beliefs each individual has and subconsciously uses to influence our reactions and emotions. Cillín explained that by identifying our beliefs about what is good and what is bad, we can categorise our personal rules into two categories; rules we should do and rules we must do. “Must Do” rules are our core values and fundamental beliefs that shape who we are as a person. Breaking these rules is a big no-no and is what often leads to conflict in our lives. “Should Do” rules refer to things outside of our control, things we’d like to have done but we can still live without.Learning to identify our “Must Do” and “Should Do” rules can help us navigate difficult situations better as we know which rule has been broken and can act accordingly. For example, if I had a “Should Do” rule to show up to meetings on time and a teammate was late, angrily confronting the teammate isn’t necessary as this is something out of my control; a rule I’d like to have but isn’t necessary to maintain my core values. However, if I had a “Must Do” rule of showing respect and the teammate consistently failed to attend meetings and was rude to other colleagues, then I would be inclined to talk to that teammate as one of my core values and beliefs has been breached. 

Feedback and Goal-Setting

We also learned to always take feedback professionally, even if it can be hard to take. Feedback is absolutely essential for personal growth so we shouldn’t view it as a negative thing! Cillín also emphasised the importance of setting “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAG) but breaking them down into smaller, achievable goals. By completing one step at a time instead of trying to achieve the goal all at once, we have a better and more realistic chance of completing our BHAGs.

Top Tips from Cillín:

• Identify your “Must Do” and “Should Do” rules
• Always take feedback professionally -  thank the person for taking the time to give you feedback!
• BHAGs are awesome! Just make sure to break them down and plan how you want to achieve it

These are just some of the insightful tips we gained from the workshop. We highly recommend attending one yourself so you can gain all of Cillin’s brilliant knowledge first-hand!By Bea Jayme