Gunpowder, Treason and … “Oh no you don't!”

Guy Fawkes Lantern, taken from him by Peter Heywood 5th Nov 1605

I recently found out my husband’s 13 x Great Uncle (Peter Heywood) was the man who snatched the torch from Guy Fawkes on 5th Nov 1605, thus preventing him from setting fire to the gunpowder that was about to destroy Parliament!
 
I love researching the lives of my family and finding little snippets that make them come to life. Not all are as noteworthy as stopping parliament being blown up, most are farmers, carpenters, church clerks, one or two crackpots and fair share of Coal Miners.
 
But jobs are just one aspect of their lives. 
 
In my own ‘job’ as an L&D consultant I often speak to new managers who find the idea of talking about personal life with their team difficult.  Some might even see it as intrusive, but the reality is people bring their personal lives to work. Especially now with so many of us working from home right now, they are literally juggling personal and professional life in one space.      
 
As a manager, finding out more about your team will help you build a bigger picture about what’s going on in their life and how this might be impacting on their work.  More importantly how you can support them to get the best for them, you, and the company.
 
I’m not suggesting you go researching their family history!  But having a general conversation about how things are can really help to shed some light (see what I did there … lantern, light!) on their situation and make all the difference.  
 
Why not start by asking them what they are up to for Bonfire night!
 
#CuriousLighthouse #managementDevelopment #GuyFawkes