1.  Ask your customer for feedback.  Both suppliers did this and gave me the opportunity to respond.  How many times do we, as customers, just decide “well I won’t go there/use them again”.  We do not like to complain yet if we are asked, we will give our opinion.

2.  Meet expectations – consistently.  The last time my car was serviced, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the garage had cleaned the car, inside and out, including the leather upholstery.  This time, the car had a cursory wash and vacuum but no upholstery attention.  This wasn’t featured in the service, however, the garage had raised expectations and when they did not meet them, I was disappointed.  If  you deliver something over and above, you need to be prepared to deliver it consistently from then on.

3.  Act on feedback.  The garage called and asked for my opinion on the service.  I told them about the cleaning and the fact that the service record was incomplete as the mechanic’s PC wasn’t working properly (the reason I was given).  What happened?  Nothing.  No further contact has been received.  The website hosting company called and I mentioned that I hadn’t been able to log onto the training course.  The caller told me he would organise this and gave me his email details in case I didn’t hear anything.  It wasn’t even his area as he was responding to an email password problem not website training.  Asking for feedback and then not acting upon it is worse than ignoring your customer.

If you wish to learn more about what to ask  your customer, try my free demo tool by clicking the icon below.

Here is the audio

The Week:  A  relatively quiet client week which allowed me to catch up with service development, marketing and admin.  I had a great meeting on Wednesday with a company offering lifestyle wealth management.   We discuss how our relative services complimented each other and what opportunities there might be to broaden our relative offerings to our combined contact list.  There is an increasing trend for SMEs and individual business owners to work as Associates to offer a broader and larger service and it is one that works well.  I continued to develop my Masterclass on Board Level Behaviours and Competencies and future Forum events for The Leadership Forum and Highflyingdivas.  It was again encouraging to hear of some further business two Leadership Forum members have secured with each other.  Why not join our LinkedIn Group, follow us on Twitter or find out more at www.lshipforum.com.

Reading for the week: 

In leadership coaching you start with understanding goals, motivations and values.  Mike Figliuolo also uses this approach in One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.  Try it.

Lighter Reflections:  I have learnt a lesson this week about the risks of a family email account.  We finally agreed to Guy having a facebook account which we linked with our family email.  We have since been bombarded with up to 5 emails a day of people asking to be confirmed as friends.  Guy of course ignores these requests and in desperation I entered his Facebook and confirmed a whole load of them.  Guy was not impressed!  I was then flicking through and pruning email receipts and hit the delete button on one for James.  This was from one of the partners of his new flying syndicate with whom he seems to be starting an email war (too long to go into the reasons in this blog!).  So you can imagine his delight when he found that I had deleted it especially as it was highly likely that the sender had probably put a Read Receipt on it.  He would have received a response of “your email to James Cooper has been deleted without opening”. What could this lead to, I wonder?  Night-time sabotage of the aeroplane?  Time to step up, confess and then hide in the garage I think!

Future Forum Dates:

Leadership Forum, Ipswich 21st Feb – sold out

Highflyingdivas, London, 28th Feb – 3 places left

Highflyingdivas, London, 20th March

Leadership Forum, Maldon, 27th March

More at:

Rosemary

Operating characteristics that drive complexity up, also tend to drive up costs.  So, step one is to ask yourself:-

1. How complex is my business? List them.

2. Then more importantly, what is the impact of that complexity?

3. What does managing that complexity mean for my business?

Here is an example using customer complexity.  Say you have customers with different requirements, geographies, products and services, volumes of purchase, points of delivery, after-sales support etc.  Does this mean that you have to be in multiple locations, have sophisticated customer relationship systems and other IT systems, experienced and knowledgeable staff?  If so, and you wish to learn from another industry, you should be looking at a business that also has customer complexity, even if they “produce” something completely different.  When consulting with a pharmaceutical industry on their supply chain, it became clear that their customer complexity meant different supply models in each of their European countries.  Some with Just-in-time bulk order requirements and standardised products and others with longer delivery times but unique packaging needs.  They looked to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods industry for one country and the logistics leader in another.  Of course, they first confirmed their customers’ priorities to enure that their assumptions were valid.

If you would like to test your assumptions,why not try my free tool Know Your Customer click the graph icon below.

If you want to ensure you don’t miss the other parts of this series, sign up to receive them as they are published.

Here is the video

The Week:  Monday and Tuesday were scuppered by the snow and I had to postpone Highflyingdivas in Colchester on Tuesday evening.  On Wednesday I visited J P Morgan as a certified women-owned business via WEConnect International.  Thursday was a day of coaching, website training (for me that is!) and a Board Meeting.  Friday, back to London for a Women-in-technology seminar on Rewarding and Incentivising Staff with the ABG Group.  Then, I’ve been told  that I have officially made history as one of the first organisations to advertise in a book thats being sold worldwide.  Choices has just been approved by Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Choices-ebook/dp/B0070YYRJY.  Just think about the possibilities for the book industry and for businesses with this new advertising channel!

Reading for the week:  I have one or two remedial coaching clients and one came to the conclusion that she was not the “right person” for the job she had been given.  She found herself another role both to her and her organisation’s relief.  How much time, cost and energy could have been saved if this book could have been read?  How to Choose the Right Person for the Job Every Time
  Davila and Kursmark provide a set of skills to help you choose the right people.

Lighter Reflections.  Well I said that I would regularly try a new challenge.  So I started with a fish spa treatment.  As I waited out my 20 minutes watching my little team of fish nibbling away, I started to recognise some behavioural patterns. (Yes I am sad!).  Firstly, there was team A.  They diligently set to work on my left foot.  My right foot was ignored and I started to worry that there was something the fish knew about my foot that I did not.  My fears deepened when I spotted a fish, apparently lying on its back, on the bottom of the tank.  I then noticed another fish trying to make its escape up the side of the tank.  Was whatever was wrong with my right foot actually killing off these little workers?  I thought about sliding forward and giving the fish on the floor a nudge but then balanced up the risk that I might squash my A team stars in the process.  After a little while one of my A stars swerved off, swam down and nudged the floor-hugging fish.  It swam off and I calculated that either it was lazy or maybe on its break.  I then noticed little clusters of other fish who really weren’t doing much at all.  I waggled my feet and that stirred them up a little.  By this time, Team A had moved from my left foot to my right foot and were still doing a sterling job.  So why were the others not working?  What was missing in their motivation?  Were they just lazy, having a legitimate break or just not incentivised enough by the attractiveness (or otherwise) of my feet?  Clearly a behavioural change project needed here I think!

Future Forum Dates:

Leadership Forum, Ipswich 21st Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 28th Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 20th March

Leadership Forum, Maldon, 27th March

More at:

Rosemary

1.  If you send out links to your website, events, articles etc, they can start to become very long.  I found www.shorturl.com a useful resource.  There are rules around not using it for email marketing etc,  however, if you wish to just send a shorter link to a contact, this tool is helpful.

2.  If you have multiple email addresses and devices, it can become quite cumbersome to manage all of your contacts.  www.dubhub.com offers a free contact integration and syncing tool called Circleback which keeps everything up to date and easily accessible.

3.  With open sourcing, there are many free alternative tools to the well-known commercial ones.  www.osalt.com offers links to a number of them and even offers the choice for you to type in the name of the product to find a low-cost or free alternative.

All of these suggestions help you manage your business more effectively.  Find out more by downloading my e-book on 10 ways to grow your business

The Week:  Monday was spent carrying out my Non-Exec Director role and Tuesday involved marketing and service development.   Client coaching on Wednesday and a day’s leave on Thursday.  Friday spent preparing for Highflyingdivas next week and The Leadership Forum on the 21st Feb which is now fully booked.

Reading for the Week.  The last two blogs have focused on appraisals, so the reading this week is “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High”
 by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler which is now out in  its 2nd edition.  The book helps leaders to build relationships while discussing the most difficult subjects.

Lighter Reflections.  My day’s leave was spent at a Spa.   Not at the usual misnomer of a hotel that happens to have a small pool and a sauna but one with over 10 treatment areas ranging from the Tyrolean Sauna to a Japanese Salt Room.  Everywhere you walked there were signs saying “Quiet Please” and “Ssh people relaxing” which did nothing to deter the groups of gangly giggling girls and coach-trip grannies.  I seemed to be chased from one steam room to the next by one set of Director’s wives.  I struggled to meditate and achieve that sense of inner calm against the background of a discussion  on kitchen units in the Indian Blossom room, to antiques and other collections in the Turkish Haman to living overseas in the Greek Herbal room.  There seemed to be a tussle for leadership between two ladies which  ended by the obvious crowning of one of them as Queen Bee.  Her right to leadership was won when she pronounced “I think its time to leave” and was dutifully followed by her entourage of meek ladies falling into line.  The effect was slightly spoiled by her wearing a plastic shower cap.

Future Forum Dates:

Highflyingdivas, Colchester 7th  Feb

Leadership Forum, Ipswich 21st Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 20th March

Leadership Forum, Maldon, 27th March

More at:

Rosemary

1.  Before the appraisal.  Look at your job description and prepare examples of all the great actions you have taken to demonstrate fulfillment.  Research the market and find out how many other opportunities might be out there and their salary ranges.  This is not that you wish to leave or even threaten to, merely to show that you have an external awareness of your position.  If you have competency frameworks, look at the next level up and develop your evidence of working at that level.  Collect positive feedback from those around you to use as recommendations and testimonials.

2. During.  Focus on your strengths and show how they align with your Line Manager’s and the organisation’s goals.  Be specific about what you want to achieve in the next year and ask your Line Manager to support you.  Ask the question “What do I need to do to demonstrate to you that I can………”.(fill in the blank with your goal).  Then, “How will you take this forward when I do ………. by ……….?”.  Get a goal and commitment.

3.  After.  Send an email outlining your discussion, agreements and goals and ask for regular review/support sessions.  This will keep your Line Manager focused on your goals and keep the momentum up.

Let me know how you get on and what works for you.

Why not download my free e-book on how to lead, assess and manage your people? 

Here is the audio

The Week:  A couple of early mornings this week which reminded me of life before C C Consulting! On Monday I travelled to London for a discussion on developing a Leadership Development Programme.  I joined the TLG networking group on Tuesday morning.  A similar but less rigorous network to BNI.  Up to Cambridge on Wednesday to join a CBI roundtable discussion on supporting medium-sized businesses in the East of England. Some coaching on Thursday and an FSB event to meet Colchester MP Bob Russell  on Friday.  My interview was published online at SABBSLondon.com   and I have organised a few more Highflyingdivas Forum events, shown below.  Finally, further work on my Board Level Behaviours & Competencies Masterlcass and the  Art of Chairing programme.

Reading for the Week:  As it is the end of the month, I am summarising the recommended books for the last few weeks.

1. Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People by  Stephen R Covey.
2. Shift from One to Many, A Practical Guide to leadership by Chrismon Nofsinger
3. Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business by Jon Steel

Lighter Reflections.  If anyone is wondering where the Mission Impossible squirrel has gone – he’s in our garden.  He has developed the art of wrapping  his tail around a branch and, hanging upside down, working his way along to the bird-feeders.  He then folds his body around them and empties them, first from one side, then the other.  Another group of visitors is the local pheasant and his harem.  Every year we get these tourists who come and shelter from the hunters.  As our garden is surrounded by farmland, they seem to instinctively know that our island is a safe haven.  We get a great deal of pleasure pressing our noses up at the window to watch these scenes.  That is, James, me, the dog and cat, all in a row.  James and I coo and aah, whilst our furry friends growl and grumble at the invasion and their inability to “play” with these new friends.

Future Forum Dates:

Highflyingdivas, Colchester 7th  Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 28th Feb

Leadership Forum, Ipswich 21st Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 20th March

Leadership Forum, Maldon, 27th March

Highflyingdivas, London, 17th April

Highflyingdivas, Essex, 15th May

Leadership Forum, Essex, 19th June

More at:

Rosemary

1.  Find out their goals and align them to yours and those of the business.  If there is a clear line of sight, then everyone is aware that they are working to a common goal.  Ask them “What would you like to achieve in the coming year?” and then, if needed, help them see how it fits into a mutual objective. Just asking them the question focuses on future possibilities rather than an historic dissection of the past.

2.  As them  “What do you think went well?“  and “Where do you  believe you need to develop further?”.  The chances are that they know, as well as you, where they may not have performed well and by allowing them to say it, you avoid  defensive negativity.  It also leads nicely on to asking them:-

1. “How do you believe ou can improve?” and
2. “What targets and milestones do you think we should have  to demonstrate improvement?“.

The questions above put the responsibility and ownership for performance in the employee’s hands.  It empowers them to take control.

The final question that should be asked to show that it is not all up to them is, “How can I help you to do this?” or “What do you need from me to support you in doing this?”

Why not download my free e-book on how to lead, assess and manage your people? 

Next week, I will write about ensuring a great appraisal if you are the person receiving the feedback.

The Week:  Monday was spent carrying out my Non-Exec Director role and Tuesday involved a day in London.  I gave an interview to SABBS, a lifestyle magazine for professional women, held a development meeting for my new Board Behaviours & Competencies Masterclass and attended a networking meeting organised by The Forton Group.  More NED work on Wednesday, organising the Leadership Forum and Highflyingdiva programme on Thursday and a client meeting on Friday.

Reading for the Week.  As this week’s topic involves conversation, I feature “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High”
 by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler which is now out in  its 2nd edition.  The book helps leaders to build relationships while discussing the most difficult subjects.

Lighter Reflections.  As we are still in January I consider developing New Year Resolutions a legitimate subject for reflection.  Well, I am still developing mine as opposed to having already strayed or carried out the equivalent of driving a tank through them.  The challenge is that I seem to have the same ones every year.  Even worse, they appear to be drifting into the “less difficult and more vague” category.  Years ago (I’m not saying how many) it would be 1.  Lose …. in weight by ……..  Now it is simply “Weigh less at the end of the year than I do at the beginning”.  I fear next year it may be “weigh no more than”  etc.  In 5 years’ time it will be “Put no more than 1 stone on before the end of the year” and I will need double doors to every room.  Then on to number 2.  Run a marathon descended to Run 3 times a week and this year its – keep fit by running, and eventually to walk the half mile to the shops every day.  So, I am determined that Number 3. remains challenging.  Do something new every month.  Now, where is that recipe book.  I’m sure I haven’t baked an apple strudel yet.  Watch this space to read what I get up to!

Future Forum Dates:

Highflyingdivas, Colchester 7th  Feb

Leadership Forum, Ipswich 21st Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 20th March

Leadership Forum, Maldon, 27th March

More at:

Rosemary

If, however, you look closely at your target market and their preferred method of receiving information, you will be able to prioritise the approach, saving your customer time and saving your business money.   I have written in a previous post about communication styles and adapting your own to suit that of your customer.  (How to communicate effectively).   If your market is technology-savvy or innovative, then perhaps you should also consider virtual marketing.  Here are some virtual ways you could consider.

1.   Marketing message to prospects.  If you wish to send a one way message to a specific person or list, then a webcast is an up and coming tool.  You record your video and then send the link to your recipients.

2.  Marketing meeting with small number of people.  Skype or some other computer-linked visual technology.   For a larger audience in multiple locations and for a more sophisticated delivery, for example a sales presentation, a webconference with a selected number of people who can interact should be considered..

3.  Interactive open marketing event.  If you wish to send your message to a market and have anybody elect to join, then a Webinar is a useful channel.  Webinars save everyone the time and expense to travel to a location for a more traditional seminar..

Most people believe that a face-to-face meeting is the most effective way to market.  Indeed, sales people will have a goal in mind when they first start the process.  Usually this is to get a meeting. In these days when people frequently buy cars, holidays and other expensive items on the internet though, is the meeting still the best and only way to market?  Ask any Manager and the challenge of time will always arise.  So how much time, and expense, is wasted in setting up meetings and presentations?  What if your customer doesn’t really “need” to see you, to make a decision?  Is it you who needs the meeting rather than your customer?  Maybe virtual marketing might be the answer.

And for the audio

For a copy of a free report on the 10 ways to grow your business

The Week:  A couple of days to clear up some admin and start reconnecting with people.  Then I gave a speech to Soroptomists International in Ipswich on Wednesday evening. Four meetings on Thursday and back to service development on Friday.  Happy to set some more Highflyingdiva and Leadership Forum dates shown below.  I also came across a new e-book about financial opportunities for women-owned businesses that will be published if a 1,000 subscribers register for it.  It is called  Women’s Business Finance Guide ebook.  Register for your free copy.

Reading for the Week:  As it is still the first Month in 202 I am featuring “Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People” by  Stephen R Covey.  It is based on his best-selling book and gives a thought for each day.  I particularly like the “If we want to change a situation ……..we first have to change our perceptions”.

Lighter Reflections.  I felt a bit guilty on Sunday and wish to apologise to my neighbours.  My husband and I are fans of the new Sherlock Holmes series on TV.  Sunday’s episode featured The Hound of the Baskervilles.  Now people who know me or read my blog know that I have a big black dog.  I can touch his head without bending down (no I am not a dwarf).  He stands 74cm at the shoulder and doesn’t need a chair to sit at the dining table.  For this reason he believes he has a rightful position at the dinner table which we have to correct at every meal.  Anyway, I couldn’t resist letting him out into the garden and as it was a full moon, we watched Sherlock Holmes accompanied by our hound baying at the moon outside.  A certain realistic touch I thought but apologies to any nervous neighbours and their young offspring who felt the Hound outside their window was not necessary to the enjoyment of the film.

Future Forum Dates:

Highflyingdivas, Colchester 7th  Feb

Leadership Forum, Ipswich 21st Feb

Highflyingdivas, London, 20th March

Leadership Forum, Maldon, 27th March

More at:

Rosemary

1.  Purpose.  What is the purpose of your business?  What are you delivering and why?  Think benefits and your “big-picture” that forms the reason for your spending time and energy every day.

2.  Plan.  How are you going to achieve your goals and deliver your purpose?  Others refer to this as strategy, or the how of reaching  your goals.  What do you have already and what do you need?

3.  Process.  What do you need to do on each step of the journey to your goals.  What are the tasks, targets and milestones that you can monitor and measure your progress against?

Why consider these 3 Ps?  Being clear about your objectives helps you communicate to others, keep the real priorities at the head of the “To Do” list and divides the journey into measurable steps.  What are your 3 Ps and can you say them now, smoothly and succinctly?

For those who prefer sound – the audio

The Week:  The week has made a promising start to 2012. I had a business planning day in London on Wednesday during which two further opportunities were discussed.  On Thursday, another client meeting with a further 2 opportunities.  It was interesting to talk about a potential new service with a fellow consultant in the morning, and then have a contact calling me to ask  if I could deliver the very same service to a prospect of theirs in the afternoon! No networking this week but I have enjoyed sending out my latest article published in HR Director in December.  Send me a request via my website if you would like a copy. Click contact

I also came across a new idea – advertising in e-books and have arranged a special offer for my readers of a full-page ad in a book to be published at the end of January.  The offer gives a massive discount of £1,000, giving a price of £250 for a standard page.  To find out more contact  editor@mithrapublishing.com and mention my name.  You need to be quick though.  More details at www.mithrapublishing.com.

Reading for the week:  Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business by Jon Steel.  Although coming from an advertising background, Jon applies his approach to all types of presentation warning us away from “death by Powerpoint”!.

Lighter Reflections.  Well it is a week or so since Christmas and I know I was particularly pressured during December.  I did decide that I was not going to bombard people’s’ inboxes with seasons greetings as everyone has enough to do without opening copious notes of well wishes. Normally, though, I like to send my Christmas cards with a message tailored to each person to family and friends.  This year I asked James to help for the first time in our 25 years together.  Well it seemed to be going well as he mentioned that he had bought another supply of festive cards.  That is until my mother came on Boxing Day and mentioned that she hadn’t received a card this year.  “Must have got lost in the Christmas post” my dutiful husband replies.  Two days later, Mother returns with “Your Auntie Annie was disappointed not to get your card this year – she always looks forward to your photo of Guy”.  I look at husband and he responds “Well I didn’t know you wanted to send them to everyone in our address book.  I believe that his philosophy is “If you don’t want a job, do it badly the first time you are asked”.  This has worked well for me in that I regularly burn toast (well that’s my excuse!) and James now cooks all our meals, far better than I could ever hope.  So, if you did not receive your card from us, as it must have got lost in the Christmas post, here is one for the New Year.

More at:

Rosemary

1.  Deal with it.  If it is important or urgent, deal with it immediately.  It is then cleared and out-of-the-way.  You will save time not having to flag, move, remember and revisit it later.

2. Diarise it.  I used to put a flag on everything that needed attention.  Result?  A long list of flagged items that I seldom got around to managing.  If you diarise two or three flags into specific days in your calendar, provided you are disciplined, you will deal with them and keep the list of flagged items to a minimum.

3.  Delegate it.  Look at the task.  Are you the only one who can deal with it?  If it isn’t urgent why not delegate it if you can?  Even if you don’t have a team, do you or could you have a Virtual PA or other external resources?

4.  Dump it.  Whatever remains that is not urgent or important – dump it.   One colleague of mine never looks at emails where he is not the prime recipient.  May not be right for you but it certainly keeps his inbox manageable!

The Week:  I continue to rush towards the end of the year by finalising my coaching assignments.  On Monday I met my BT apprentice whom I have been coaching.  It was great to see his development and meet in person.  I also had a business development session with my strategic partners relating to a bid we have won for the NHS Institute to provide several Masterclasses.  I lead the one for Boardroom Behaviours and Competencies.   On Tuesday I went to the KPMG luncheon meeting in Ipswich.  Three marketing meetings on Wednesday and then a client close-out workshop for the SJIC Coaching for High Growth Programme.

Reading for the week:  “Shift from One to Many, A Practical Guide to leadership” by Chrismon Nofsinger.  As the title suggests this book focuses on moving away from the personal need for recognition to one of facilitation and empowerment which is required to truly move from Manager to Leader.

Why not assess your leadership skills? – Take the short by clicking on the image below

Lighter Reflections.  I have studiously avoided getting too chummy with our cat.  For two reasons.  Firstly she belongs to our son and secondly I belong to our dog.  Loyalty and ownership boundaries are clearly defined.  However, since Guy has gone to Boarding School, Moshie has looked around for the next similarly sized body and decided that I am her new No 1. best pal.  She follows me everywhere, demanding attention via activities such as  jumping up onto my keyboard and sending gobbledegook emails to my contacts to leaping onto the bed to groom my hair at 3.a.m. in the morning.  She either drapes herself around my neck like a muff or arrays herself across my head giving James a fright as he thinks I have taken to going to bed wearing a Davy Crockett-style hat.  So, in desperation I bought a cat igloo basket and placed this invitingly, at the end of the bed.  After all, she will climb into anything – carrier bags, boxes, rubbish sacks.  Her new igloo?  No, of course not.  It sits abandoned in splendid isolation. Of course she cannot be told and won’t take a hint.  Any advice anyone?

Finally, this will be my last blog over the Christmas period so I send you season’s greetings and wish you a very Happy New Year.  Until 2012!

More at:

Rosemary

1.  www.getresponse.com.  Free for up to 100 contacts or 500 emails a month. This site is the best for starters with its easy to use templates.  It imports contacts from Outlook and has google analytics integration.  As your contact lists grows, you can upgrade to a reasonably priced service.

2.  www.graphicmail.com.  Free for up to 500 contacts and 5,000 emails a month.  The only downside is that you cannot remove their company logo from the email without paying to do so.  Offers google analytics integration but not importing contacts from Outlook.  Still a good service though.

3.  www.mailchimp.com.  As the site says, store up to 2,000 subscribers,  send up to 12,000 emails per month. No expiring trials. No contracts.  Scores highly in reviews and offers contact management, importing/exporting, website forms etc. Only downside is there is no telephone customer support.

Here is the audio

The Week:  The end of this year seems to be increasing in workload rather than tailing off towards Christmas.  This week, I held a client coaching session on Monday and then travelled to Plymouth to deliver another 2 day workshop on Being a Trusted Advisor.  Thursday was a CECS day and two business coaching workshops on Friday.  In the morning in Cambridge and the afternoon in Essex.  Whew!

Reading for the week:  Why not download my e-book on people management this week?

Lighter Reflections:  I have reflected on three examples of how we, the masses, will take action into our own hands if we get to the stage of finding that we have had enough and something is no longer acceptable.  The first evidence was on my return to the UK from the Netherlands.  On leaving in 2006, you got behind the wheel of  your car, buckled up and checked your scowling “Don’t mess with me” face in the mirror.  In overtaking stationery cars with oncoming traffic, it was a game of “chicken” won by whoever drove faster or, even better, had the biggest car.  On my return, I note that normal drivers have returned to respecting each other and almost always raise an appreciative thank you hand, even when it is their right to drive through.  (Well, I am assuming it is an appreciative hand!).  This week some youngsters got on my return train from Plymouth.  They were shouting and swearing.  Almost immediately the guard announced that bad language and noise would not be tolerated in any carriage.  One woman told them off as she was leaving and then another man asked them loudly and politely “to tone it down a bit”.  It seemed to be a group response to them.  Then I watch the mass sit-ins in protest at the corporate, and particularly the bankers’, behaviour.  It makes me think that in the next generation, we might no longer need to carry the women in leadership equality flag.  It will no longer  be an issue for the those who will regard equality as a given.  What will we protest about then I wonder?

Rosemary

1.  Working on a cross-disciplinary project.  People develop skills as they work in a particular discipline and they also develop different perspectives relating to their functional expertise.  A Financial Manager will usually look at topics with a different mindset than perhaps a Commercial Manager or HR Manager.  Working in cross-disciplinary teams (whether within your organisation or via networking) will introduce new skills, perspectives and an understanding of different disciplines and how they are applied.

2.  Put learning as a self-development activity into your diary and keep a learning log.  What video could you watch?  What online research could you do?  What reading material could you have in your briefcase for those train journeys, waiting rooms etc?  The availability of information is never the issue if you have a focused approach to how much time a week or month you wish to allocate to self-development.

3.  Reflecting.  This is a powerful skill if developed into a habit.  First you have to notice, then absorb and finally ask yourself questions such as “what have I noticed?”.  “What does this mean?”  “What have I learnt or am I learning?”  Every event, whether a meeting, reading an article or sharing an experience will provide opportunities to develop yourself,  if you take the time to reflect and capture the learning.

So don’t just wait for the “training budget” to be fixed – look at a learning mind-set that keeps up the pace between, and in addition to, the usual formal approaches.

More ideas on increasing learning for yourself or your team is included in my e-book.

The Week:  A busy week with the University of Essex BigE Workshop 5 on Monday followed by two workshops of two days each.  The first in London and the second in Leeds both for a major high street bank on the subject of being a Trusted Advisor.

Reading: As the end of the month was this week, I am summarising the books mentioned in November.  These were.

” You Already Know How to Be Great: A Simple Way to Remove Interference and Unlock Your Greatest Potential” by Alan Fine.

“Language of Leaders” by Kevin Murray .

“Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day” by Dave Evans.

Lighter Reflections:  I have returned to carrying a UK map in my car as my trust in the car’s navigation system has been somewhat dampened.  My system only accepts the first 4 letters of a postcode.  I then have to enter a street, hoping that either the details that I have will appear in the list or I will recognise something similar in the list.  This has resulted in my driving to a location which ends in a one-way street and my destination is at the opposite end.  Or, the other side of a dual carriageway or the other side of some impassable obstacle.  I have never however heard the following announced from my Sat Nav until earlier this week.   “You have arrived in the vicinity of your destination”.  What am I supposed to do with that information?  What exactly might be the logical interpretation of “vicinity”?  Would I expect my bank to tell me that my balance was in the “vicinity” of the overdraft limit?  That my exam results were in the “vicinity” of the pass mark?  How close is the official definition of “vicinity” – steps, yards, kilometres, miles????  Do I need a pair of running shoes, roller-skates, bike in my car-boot or just the phone number of local taxi?  Any light shed on this term would be greatly appreciated!!

More at: