Posts
Excerpt from : Secrets of the World Class
By Steve Siebold
• The Middle Class competes...the World Class creates.
• The Middle Class avoids risk...the World Class manages risk.
• The Middle Class loves to be comfortable... The World Class is comfortable being uncomfortable.
• The Middle Class hungers for security...The World Class doesn't believe security exists.
• The Middle Class sacrifices growth for safety... The World Class sacrifices safety for growth.
• The Middle Class focuses on having...The World Class focuses on being.
• The Middle Class has a lottery mentality... The World Class has an abundance mentality.
• The Middle Class slows down...The World Class calms down.
• The Middle Class is frustrated...The World Class is grateful.
• The Middle Class operates out of fear and scarcity...The World Class operates from love and abundance.
• The Middle Class has pipedreams...The World Class has vision.
• The Middle Class denies its intuition...The World Class embraces its intuition.
• The Middle Class trades time for money...The World Class trades ideas for money.
• The Middle Class is problem oriented...The World Class is solution oriented.
• The Middle Class sees itself as a victim....The World Class sees itself as responsible.
• The Middle Class thinks it knows enough...The World Class is eager to learn.
• The Middle Class chooses fear...The World Class chooses growth.
• The Middle Class is boastful...The World Class is humble.
• The Middle Class seeks riches...The World Class seeks wealth.
• The Middle Class believes its vision only when it sees it...The World Class knows it will see its vision when it believes it.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Coaching used by almost 90% of organisations, CIPD reports
Recent article on Personneltoday.com
By John Charlton, 16 September 2009 15:00
Research to be launched at the upcoming CIPD Coaching at Work conference has found that almost 90% of organisations polled use coaching.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says more than 500 companies were surveyed for the Taking the Temperature of Coaching report, which found that 51% of them see coaching as a key part of learning and development and consider it 'crucial to their strategy'.
According to the survey, coaching is being used at all levels to build on good performance (23%) and improve poor performance (20%), and also in leadership development (23%).
"It is not surprising that so many are turning to coaching and mentoring to improve performance," says Dr John McGurk, CIPD adviser, Learning and Talent. "When budgets are tightened, it's a relatively inexpensive way to develop staff, and it also has the benefit of being tailored to an organisation's specific needs. As well as this, coaching has great scope to improve employee engagement, empower people and boost morale at a time of great uncertainty.
"At the conference, we'll look at how those using coaching and mentoring can make sure that they really reap the benefits throughout the organisation.
"It's vital that coaching's impact is measurable and tightly aligned with the business agenda, as well as helping individuals to develop. Otherwise, it runs the risk of being seen as something which only takes place in the executive suite."
The CIPD coaching conference takes place on 24 September 2009 in London.
Meanwhile, CIPD research among 100 HR professionals - backed by evidence from its quarterly employment outlook - indicated that transferable and flexible skills are the number one attribute sought by employers.
It claimed that evidence from both pieces of research showed that these skills were the most marketable in the current jobs market, cited as such by 45% of HR professionals polled and 47% of employment outlook respondents.
By John Charlton, 16 September 2009 15:00
Research to be launched at the upcoming CIPD Coaching at Work conference has found that almost 90% of organisations polled use coaching.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says more than 500 companies were surveyed for the Taking the Temperature of Coaching report, which found that 51% of them see coaching as a key part of learning and development and consider it 'crucial to their strategy'.
According to the survey, coaching is being used at all levels to build on good performance (23%) and improve poor performance (20%), and also in leadership development (23%).
"It is not surprising that so many are turning to coaching and mentoring to improve performance," says Dr John McGurk, CIPD adviser, Learning and Talent. "When budgets are tightened, it's a relatively inexpensive way to develop staff, and it also has the benefit of being tailored to an organisation's specific needs. As well as this, coaching has great scope to improve employee engagement, empower people and boost morale at a time of great uncertainty.
"At the conference, we'll look at how those using coaching and mentoring can make sure that they really reap the benefits throughout the organisation.
"It's vital that coaching's impact is measurable and tightly aligned with the business agenda, as well as helping individuals to develop. Otherwise, it runs the risk of being seen as something which only takes place in the executive suite."
The CIPD coaching conference takes place on 24 September 2009 in London.
Meanwhile, CIPD research among 100 HR professionals - backed by evidence from its quarterly employment outlook - indicated that transferable and flexible skills are the number one attribute sought by employers.
It claimed that evidence from both pieces of research showed that these skills were the most marketable in the current jobs market, cited as such by 45% of HR professionals polled and 47% of employment outlook respondents.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
So, the Tax people do have a sense of humour
Picked up by my colleague, Giles Brindley, this is superb:
This is a reply received from HM Revenue and Customs. The Guardian had to ask for permission to print it.
Dear Mr ,
I am writing to you to express our thanks for your more than prompt reply to our latest communication, and also to answer some of the points you raise. I will address them, as ever, in order.
Firstly, I must take issue with your description of our last as a "begging letter". It might perhaps more properly be referred to as a "tax demand". This is how we at the Inland Revenue have always, for reasons of accuracy, traditionally referred to such documents.
Secondly, your frustration at our adding to the "endless stream of crapulent whining and panhandling vomited daily through the letterbox on to the doormat" has been noted. However, whilst I have naturally not seen the other letters to which you refer I would cautiously suggest that their being from "pauper councils, Lombardy pirate banking houses and pissant gas-mongerers" might indicate that your decision to "file them next to the toilet in case of emergencies" is at best a little ill-advised. In common with my own organisation, it is unlikely that the senders of these letters do see you as a "lackwit bumpkin" or, come to that, a "sodding charity". More likely they see you as a citizen of Great Britain, with a responsibility to contribute to the upkeep of the nation as a whole.
Which brings me to my next point. Whilst there may be some spirit of truth in your assertion that the taxes you pay "go to shore up the canker-blighted, toppling folly that is the Public Services", a moment's rudimentary calculation ought to disabuse you of the notion that the government in any way expects you to "stump up for the whole damned party" yourself. The estimates you provide for the Chancellor's disbursement of the funds levied by taxation, whilst colourful, are, in fairness, a little off the mark. Less than you seem to imagine is pent on "junkets for Bunterish lickspittles" and "dancing whores"
whilst far more than you have accounted for is allocated to, for example, "that box-ticking facade of a university system."
A couple of technical points arising from direct queries:
1. The reason we don't simply write "Muggins"on the envelope has to do with the vagaries of the postal system;
2. You can rest assured that "sucking the very marrow of those with nothing else to give" has never been considered as a practice because even if the Personal Allowance didn't render it irrelevant, the sheer medical logistics involved would make it financially unviable.
I trust this has helped. In the meantime, whilst I would not in any way wish to influence your decision one way or the other, I ought to point out that even if you did choose to "give the whole foul jamboree up and go and live in India" you would still owe us the money.
Please send it to us by Friday.
Yours sincerely,
H J Lee
Customer Relations
HM Revenue and Customs
This is a reply received from HM Revenue and Customs. The Guardian had to ask for permission to print it.
Dear Mr ,
I am writing to you to express our thanks for your more than prompt reply to our latest communication, and also to answer some of the points you raise. I will address them, as ever, in order.
Firstly, I must take issue with your description of our last as a "begging letter". It might perhaps more properly be referred to as a "tax demand". This is how we at the Inland Revenue have always, for reasons of accuracy, traditionally referred to such documents.
Secondly, your frustration at our adding to the "endless stream of crapulent whining and panhandling vomited daily through the letterbox on to the doormat" has been noted. However, whilst I have naturally not seen the other letters to which you refer I would cautiously suggest that their being from "pauper councils, Lombardy pirate banking houses and pissant gas-mongerers" might indicate that your decision to "file them next to the toilet in case of emergencies" is at best a little ill-advised. In common with my own organisation, it is unlikely that the senders of these letters do see you as a "lackwit bumpkin" or, come to that, a "sodding charity". More likely they see you as a citizen of Great Britain, with a responsibility to contribute to the upkeep of the nation as a whole.
Which brings me to my next point. Whilst there may be some spirit of truth in your assertion that the taxes you pay "go to shore up the canker-blighted, toppling folly that is the Public Services", a moment's rudimentary calculation ought to disabuse you of the notion that the government in any way expects you to "stump up for the whole damned party" yourself. The estimates you provide for the Chancellor's disbursement of the funds levied by taxation, whilst colourful, are, in fairness, a little off the mark. Less than you seem to imagine is pent on "junkets for Bunterish lickspittles" and "dancing whores"
whilst far more than you have accounted for is allocated to, for example, "that box-ticking facade of a university system."
A couple of technical points arising from direct queries:
1. The reason we don't simply write "Muggins"on the envelope has to do with the vagaries of the postal system;
2. You can rest assured that "sucking the very marrow of those with nothing else to give" has never been considered as a practice because even if the Personal Allowance didn't render it irrelevant, the sheer medical logistics involved would make it financially unviable.
I trust this has helped. In the meantime, whilst I would not in any way wish to influence your decision one way or the other, I ought to point out that even if you did choose to "give the whole foul jamboree up and go and live in India" you would still owe us the money.
Please send it to us by Friday.
Yours sincerely,
H J Lee
Customer Relations
HM Revenue and Customs
Monday, 24 August 2009
Discipline is key to success
..put very neatly by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said,
"Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not."
"Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not."
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Due diligence in the downturn
An interesting article by James Harris, published yesterday on www.mandadeals.co.uk
There is more emphasis on due diligence than ever before. It's also more difficult, reports James Harris
An unforgiving market means dealmakers are being more vigilant. 'It's a product of the economy,' says Alistair Mackie, partner at law firm Holman Fenwick Willan: 'People are expecting the sky to fall on transactions, so due diligence is much more important.'
This has led to some changes. Mo Merali, head of private equity at Grant Thornton, says: 'In the last two or three years, sadly, we've seen a preponderance of vendor due diligence (VDD), which is slightly contradictory. If you're writing a report about a business and being paid by that business, surely there must be doubts as to the report's veracity. Thankfully VDD is much less prevalent now.'
It is not just the balance sheet that is subject to greater scrutiny. According to Merlyn Gregory, manager of diligence services at Calash, all aspects of the business are now being held to a harsher light.
Says Gregory: 'In the past, commercial due diligence was seen as an ancillary service and often had little relevance to whether the deal would go through. It's no longer a matter of conducting a bit of market research; we're expected to look at everything from operations to strategy and people are seeing real value in it. It's not just because times have changed, but because commercial due diligence is a more established market.'
In essence, the change means that the right questions now get asked: 'After we uncover an issue, the price is renegotiated, and this is happening several times, so deals are becoming longer and longer. As things pick up, I don't think people will look at the smallest details as much.'
How much?
Owing to the increasingly difficult environment, assessing value has become a minefield.
Intangible assets, such as human capital and goodwill, have proved particularly difficult to assess. Mackie says: 'People have had to challenge assumptions about businesses' goodwill. Forward sales are difficult to predict; you can't make assumptions about growth any more. Every part of the business is being stress-tested.'
Pension fund investments have also been hard hit. 'Pension funds have taken a real knock on stock markets,' says Mackie, and it might be hard to know how much value has dropped if actuarial information has not been updated.
For the international business, foreign currency conversions are also problematic. As the sterling continues to fluctuate wildly, businesses with European or American creditors may find themselves owing that much more, and as Mackie points out: 'British businesses will find everything more expensive, especially in Europe.'
Merali advises businesses to keep it simple: 'The key focus should be on the cash generation side of the business. It's all about actual earnings; it's hard to trust anything else.'
There is more emphasis on due diligence than ever before. It's also more difficult, reports James Harris
An unforgiving market means dealmakers are being more vigilant. 'It's a product of the economy,' says Alistair Mackie, partner at law firm Holman Fenwick Willan: 'People are expecting the sky to fall on transactions, so due diligence is much more important.'
This has led to some changes. Mo Merali, head of private equity at Grant Thornton, says: 'In the last two or three years, sadly, we've seen a preponderance of vendor due diligence (VDD), which is slightly contradictory. If you're writing a report about a business and being paid by that business, surely there must be doubts as to the report's veracity. Thankfully VDD is much less prevalent now.'
It is not just the balance sheet that is subject to greater scrutiny. According to Merlyn Gregory, manager of diligence services at Calash, all aspects of the business are now being held to a harsher light.
Says Gregory: 'In the past, commercial due diligence was seen as an ancillary service and often had little relevance to whether the deal would go through. It's no longer a matter of conducting a bit of market research; we're expected to look at everything from operations to strategy and people are seeing real value in it. It's not just because times have changed, but because commercial due diligence is a more established market.'
In essence, the change means that the right questions now get asked: 'After we uncover an issue, the price is renegotiated, and this is happening several times, so deals are becoming longer and longer. As things pick up, I don't think people will look at the smallest details as much.'
How much?
Owing to the increasingly difficult environment, assessing value has become a minefield.
Intangible assets, such as human capital and goodwill, have proved particularly difficult to assess. Mackie says: 'People have had to challenge assumptions about businesses' goodwill. Forward sales are difficult to predict; you can't make assumptions about growth any more. Every part of the business is being stress-tested.'
Pension fund investments have also been hard hit. 'Pension funds have taken a real knock on stock markets,' says Mackie, and it might be hard to know how much value has dropped if actuarial information has not been updated.
For the international business, foreign currency conversions are also problematic. As the sterling continues to fluctuate wildly, businesses with European or American creditors may find themselves owing that much more, and as Mackie points out: 'British businesses will find everything more expensive, especially in Europe.'
Merali advises businesses to keep it simple: 'The key focus should be on the cash generation side of the business. It's all about actual earnings; it's hard to trust anything else.'
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Price: Quotes to make you think
"It is unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money; that is all. When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything,because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It cannot be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.
There is hardly anything in the world that someone can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper – and people who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey”.
- John Ruskin
"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."
- Henry Thoreau
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It cannot be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.
There is hardly anything in the world that someone can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper – and people who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey”.
- John Ruskin
"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."
- Henry Thoreau
Friday, 3 July 2009
Peter Jones's view on the current climate
A new article on www.smallbusiness.co.uk by Peter Jones, which I thought would interest you:
‘We are out of the recession,’ says Jones
Jun 30 2009
'We are out of the recession,' says Dragons' Den star Peter Jones
Serial entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den investor Peter Jones believes UK businesses have seen the worst of the economic crash.
‘We are out of the recession,’ said Jones. ‘People will say we remain in a recession over the next 12 to 18 months but what we will be seeing from now on are just the consequences of hitting the bottom of the recession.’
Speaking at the BT Business Experience 2009 event in London, the Dragons’ Den star argued that if there was a better sense of entrepreneurship in the UK, then the recession would be ‘a lot more shallow’.
‘We lack the mindset of entrepreneurialism in this country. It requires forward thinking, clarity and self-belief and these need to be encouraged,’ he said.
By way of contrast, Jones noted that the US has a deeply-rooted culture of risk-taking. ‘We need more of that entrepreneurial attitude in this country and that can only happen through education,’ he said.
Jones has seen an unprecedented level of interest from young people in starting their own business, but he suggests many of them shy away from putting their ideas into action because the business skills of entrepreneurship are not taught in schools.
‘It’s all about education and that is why I set up the National Enterprise Academy,’ added the Dragon.
The Academy was set up last year and helps 16 to 18 years olds to study enterprise and entrepreneurship.
‘We are out of the recession,’ says Jones
Jun 30 2009
'We are out of the recession,' says Dragons' Den star Peter Jones
Serial entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den investor Peter Jones believes UK businesses have seen the worst of the economic crash.
‘We are out of the recession,’ said Jones. ‘People will say we remain in a recession over the next 12 to 18 months but what we will be seeing from now on are just the consequences of hitting the bottom of the recession.’
Speaking at the BT Business Experience 2009 event in London, the Dragons’ Den star argued that if there was a better sense of entrepreneurship in the UK, then the recession would be ‘a lot more shallow’.
‘We lack the mindset of entrepreneurialism in this country. It requires forward thinking, clarity and self-belief and these need to be encouraged,’ he said.
By way of contrast, Jones noted that the US has a deeply-rooted culture of risk-taking. ‘We need more of that entrepreneurial attitude in this country and that can only happen through education,’ he said.
Jones has seen an unprecedented level of interest from young people in starting their own business, but he suggests many of them shy away from putting their ideas into action because the business skills of entrepreneurship are not taught in schools.
‘It’s all about education and that is why I set up the National Enterprise Academy,’ added the Dragon.
The Academy was set up last year and helps 16 to 18 years olds to study enterprise and entrepreneurship.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Reading to get you thinking
An interesting article on the perils of setting out in business.
The article appears to be based upon Michale Gerber's EMyth, a must read for all small business owners.
The article appears to be based upon Michale Gerber's EMyth, a must read for all small business owners.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Hope this inspires too
“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”
- Bob Moawad
- Bob Moawad
I hope this inspires
“Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”
- Barack Obama
- Barack Obama
Monday, 25 May 2009
Calls to bolster EIS
A recent article from www.growthbusiness.co.uk. An initiative that might just help to revive the economy. Unlike many others the government is pursuing...
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Is irreverence your thing? A great new newsletter from my colleague
Please see below a new regular missive (I daren't call it a newsletter!) from my colleague, Dave. Drop him a line if you would like to subscribe; I have!
Too many newsletters?
If you, like me, are brassed off with receiving dozens of platitudinous e-mail newsletters telling you how to run your business better, well here’s another one to fulminate about. Or not. Because I’m rather hoping to act as the antidote to such irritants with The Bugle. Think of it as a “Get it off your chest” item. And I’d welcome feedback: more than happy to incorporate your own gripes and pet hates in future editions. I promise not to send them too often either. Except in the unlikely event of popular request.
The Antidote
Every day, my inbox contains at least one new e-mail newsletter designed to persuade me what a credible operator and genuine help the sender is.
I’ve been collecting a few gems from the plethora of the last month or two, just to labour the point:
50% of small business owners are cautious about employing young women. (No… I wonder why).
Consumers are still buying during the recession but they are ‘buying differently’. (Well beat me over the head with a wet fish, who’d have thought it).
Late payment and bad debt are the scourge of business. (No suggestion as to what to actually do about it though).
Monitoring what your competitors are doing is essential for businesses as they grow. (Who’d have thought it?)
Oh and here’s my favourite, from BT: React to your customers. Fast. (If at all; someone with an advanced degree in irony must be working for them)
Now frankly, if you need and/or welcome advice like this, you deserve to go to the wall, recession or no recession. And if you’ve got the time to read this guff, you could do with investing in a time management course, for starters.
So what is the point of this one, you may be asking (assuming, quite possibly wrongly, that you’re still with me)? Well I thought it was about time that someone started a forum to get off their chest all the nonsense, platitudes and laziness that passes for business advice.
Irreverent
Think of it as The Daily Mash of the business world, but not quite as rude or offensive. (Never heard of The Daily Mash? www.thedailymash.co.uk) And with at least one piece of blindingly obvious perception per issue.
So what’s today’s magic message? Just this: businesses which are well run thrive in any business environment. All this talk of credit crunch and recession is a complete blind. The businesses that go down are, on the whole (and there are always exceptions to any rule), those that were going down in any event – they just go a bit faster when times are tough. Woolworth’s? MFI? Basket cases for years. Right now, half of all businesses are having a better year than last year. You don’t read that in the papers because good news sells nowt in Fleet Street. Sort out your own systems and processes, for every department, and you’ll likely be one of them.
Cash flow an issue? Don’t complain about the banks or the government: go collect it yourself. If it’s your biggest problem, put your best operator on the case.
Not enough sales? What are you actually doing about it? Many small businesses do not have any dedicated sales resource and rely on the phone continuing to ring ‘like it always has.’ In a court of law, it’s called recklessness.
Team morale low? Look in the mirror: most office environments, in whatever size of business, are a direct reflection of the owner/manager’s personality and management style.
If you run a tight ship and keep doing the right things, the business will thrive. If you’re not sure whether you’re doing all the right things, ask an expert (that would be me, then). Or just write to get your own pet hate(s) off your chest. I’ll publish them if they’re not too offensive. And maybe even if they are.
No advisor (including me) is a universal panacea for all problems and issues. As you can tell, while I can do diplomacy, it is not on the whole my long suit. If you’d like a conversation based on mutual respect, honesty and straight talking and are not afraid of hearing some uncomfortable truths, give me a call. Otherwise, just write and complain. Any reaction’s better than none. Probably.
David Croydon: 01844 238692 or e-mail dave@hilltopconsultancy.co.uk.
Too many newsletters?
If you, like me, are brassed off with receiving dozens of platitudinous e-mail newsletters telling you how to run your business better, well here’s another one to fulminate about. Or not. Because I’m rather hoping to act as the antidote to such irritants with The Bugle. Think of it as a “Get it off your chest” item. And I’d welcome feedback: more than happy to incorporate your own gripes and pet hates in future editions. I promise not to send them too often either. Except in the unlikely event of popular request.
The Antidote
Every day, my inbox contains at least one new e-mail newsletter designed to persuade me what a credible operator and genuine help the sender is.
I’ve been collecting a few gems from the plethora of the last month or two, just to labour the point:
50% of small business owners are cautious about employing young women. (No… I wonder why).
Consumers are still buying during the recession but they are ‘buying differently’. (Well beat me over the head with a wet fish, who’d have thought it).
Late payment and bad debt are the scourge of business. (No suggestion as to what to actually do about it though).
Monitoring what your competitors are doing is essential for businesses as they grow. (Who’d have thought it?)
Oh and here’s my favourite, from BT: React to your customers. Fast. (If at all; someone with an advanced degree in irony must be working for them)
Now frankly, if you need and/or welcome advice like this, you deserve to go to the wall, recession or no recession. And if you’ve got the time to read this guff, you could do with investing in a time management course, for starters.
So what is the point of this one, you may be asking (assuming, quite possibly wrongly, that you’re still with me)? Well I thought it was about time that someone started a forum to get off their chest all the nonsense, platitudes and laziness that passes for business advice.
Irreverent
Think of it as The Daily Mash of the business world, but not quite as rude or offensive. (Never heard of The Daily Mash? www.thedailymash.co.uk) And with at least one piece of blindingly obvious perception per issue.
So what’s today’s magic message? Just this: businesses which are well run thrive in any business environment. All this talk of credit crunch and recession is a complete blind. The businesses that go down are, on the whole (and there are always exceptions to any rule), those that were going down in any event – they just go a bit faster when times are tough. Woolworth’s? MFI? Basket cases for years. Right now, half of all businesses are having a better year than last year. You don’t read that in the papers because good news sells nowt in Fleet Street. Sort out your own systems and processes, for every department, and you’ll likely be one of them.
Cash flow an issue? Don’t complain about the banks or the government: go collect it yourself. If it’s your biggest problem, put your best operator on the case.
Not enough sales? What are you actually doing about it? Many small businesses do not have any dedicated sales resource and rely on the phone continuing to ring ‘like it always has.’ In a court of law, it’s called recklessness.
Team morale low? Look in the mirror: most office environments, in whatever size of business, are a direct reflection of the owner/manager’s personality and management style.
If you run a tight ship and keep doing the right things, the business will thrive. If you’re not sure whether you’re doing all the right things, ask an expert (that would be me, then). Or just write to get your own pet hate(s) off your chest. I’ll publish them if they’re not too offensive. And maybe even if they are.
No advisor (including me) is a universal panacea for all problems and issues. As you can tell, while I can do diplomacy, it is not on the whole my long suit. If you’d like a conversation based on mutual respect, honesty and straight talking and are not afraid of hearing some uncomfortable truths, give me a call. Otherwise, just write and complain. Any reaction’s better than none. Probably.
David Croydon: 01844 238692 or e-mail dave@hilltopconsultancy.co.uk.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Still trying to do it all yourself?
Here is a great article about why you really shouldn't and what you really can do about it.
Hope you enjoy it.
Have a great weekend!
Hope you enjoy it.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, 1 May 2009
The key to success
Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.
Thomas Huxley
Thomas Huxley
Monday, 27 April 2009
How to cultivate gravitas
Please find below an article by my friend and colleague Sarah McCloughry - very powerful stuff:
Gravitas
A dictionary definition of gravitas is “a serious and solemn attitude or way of behaving”. To the ancient Roman republic, it meant dignity, seriousness and duty, one of the several virtues expected of men to possess.. However, currently in my view, it’s not about taking oneself seriously - it’s about taking what one does seriously.
Why bother to cultivate it?
In order to convince someone in business to buy from you and especially promote your interests, the decision maker is likely to need to know, like and trust you. Cultivating gravitas is a compelling business strategy for establishing credibility, respect and trust. Ultimately this leads to increased profile for you and business for your company.
1. Appearance
Take care to look the part. An interesting study revealed that if a vet dressed ‘down’, they were rated as low in effectiveness. However if they dressed in a white coat and wore a stethoscope (however superfluous), they were rated as highly effective! Go to expensive hairdressers to get the best advice on how your hair should look. Go to an image consultant to match your colouring, your style and the context of the clothes you are wearing. Go to the gym. Buy expensive shoes and keep them polished – people DO notice. Make sure your nails are carefully manicured. Make your appearance looks better than expectation to make an impact.
2. Occupy your space
Imagine the 18” the British traditionally claim around the body. To increase a sense of ‘presence’ when you walk into a room, increase the space around you to include the room and enfold everyone in it. To create energy within you, imagine that you have a secret that no one else knows and go into the room thinking this. On entering the room, pause in the doorway and look round. Then move forward towards a group where the body language suggests they are open to others joining them. Even when you think that people are turned away from you, their peripheral vision will catch your entrance and make assumptions about what to make of you.
3. Value your words
Be sparing and measured in your speech and make every word count. People with presence say relatively little. Though everything they say
counts – valuing quality over quantity. You have no need to raise your voice – in fact, you will have people leaning forward to catch your words if you speak firmly yet quietly. And according to research, for men, the female voice is more complex and more difficult to hear and understand
and women’s higher pitch can be interpreted as subordinate. So for women to gain authority in the workplace, they need to deepen their vocal delivery and make it more deliberate.
Hold the silence
Before you speak, hold the pause to ensure others’ attention. When you have finished speaking, stop talking. You communicate very powerfully by your silence.
4. Set the mood
Before you enter the room, focus on and imagine how you want everyone in the room to feel. People are only too willing to be guided by you so set the tone and mood. You will gain the influence to set the agenda for the rest of the meeting.
5. Act ‘powerfully’
Imagine a triangle. Put in a horizontal line near the apex denoting the top 7%. That is the amount of conscious awareness people have of what you say. However, the 93% below the line is the unconscious mind absorbing your body language and vocal delivery that will determine how they really see you. Make sure your unconscious signals are powerful: your movements and delivery deliberate and you use the major key in your voice to convey certainty.
6. Feeling disempowered?
In a situation where you are likely to feel unsure or lacking in knowledge –and especially if you are talking with someone who is an expert, change the role that you are playing. Ask searching and challenging questions to keep them thinking or give incisive summaries of what you have heard to make it clear you are still powerfully attentive. If you get interrupted when speaking, look irritated and immediately cut in to repeat what you were saying. And ladies, cut down on smiling. It can be seen as placatory and
submissive. Make your smile the reward.
7. Give your undivided attention
Give eye contact and quieten the internal chatter. Make space to absorb what’s being said and especially HOW it’s communicated. Become consciously aware of the subtext of body language and vocal tone. It will give you a lot of information as to how you want to respond. Then make your response deliberate and targeted.
8. Note taking
Expect to take notes - you are valuing what you hear and are taking the information to digest at a later date. However do not scribble furiously – others are likely to dismiss you as the minute-taker, particularly if you are a woman.
9. And finally - don’t expect to be liked!
Having gravitas will gain respect from those around you. Gaining respect is far more valuable in business than being loved. It gives you instant credibility so you get taken seriously. Businesspeople – and staff members need to know, like and trust you to follow your lead. Having established respect and credibility, building rapport later will encourage them to want to like you.
Email me sarah@anrah.co.uk or phone 07939 261743 if you want to follow up on any thoughts you have about increasing your gravitas. I’d be happy to discuss things with you.
Sarah McCloughry
Anrah Training and Development
CSSD (1974), London Univ, member of the British Voice Association
www.anrah.co.uk
01865 243655
07939 261743
“Sarah has opened my mind to new ways of communicating which dramatically improved impact, first and lasting impressions. I have used many of her techniques in real situations which have resulted in positive and profitable outcomes.” Ben Dair, Product Manager, Harris Corporation
Gravitas
A dictionary definition of gravitas is “a serious and solemn attitude or way of behaving”. To the ancient Roman republic, it meant dignity, seriousness and duty, one of the several virtues expected of men to possess.. However, currently in my view, it’s not about taking oneself seriously - it’s about taking what one does seriously.
Why bother to cultivate it?
In order to convince someone in business to buy from you and especially promote your interests, the decision maker is likely to need to know, like and trust you. Cultivating gravitas is a compelling business strategy for establishing credibility, respect and trust. Ultimately this leads to increased profile for you and business for your company.
1. Appearance
Take care to look the part. An interesting study revealed that if a vet dressed ‘down’, they were rated as low in effectiveness. However if they dressed in a white coat and wore a stethoscope (however superfluous), they were rated as highly effective! Go to expensive hairdressers to get the best advice on how your hair should look. Go to an image consultant to match your colouring, your style and the context of the clothes you are wearing. Go to the gym. Buy expensive shoes and keep them polished – people DO notice. Make sure your nails are carefully manicured. Make your appearance looks better than expectation to make an impact.
2. Occupy your space
Imagine the 18” the British traditionally claim around the body. To increase a sense of ‘presence’ when you walk into a room, increase the space around you to include the room and enfold everyone in it. To create energy within you, imagine that you have a secret that no one else knows and go into the room thinking this. On entering the room, pause in the doorway and look round. Then move forward towards a group where the body language suggests they are open to others joining them. Even when you think that people are turned away from you, their peripheral vision will catch your entrance and make assumptions about what to make of you.
3. Value your words
Be sparing and measured in your speech and make every word count. People with presence say relatively little. Though everything they say
counts – valuing quality over quantity. You have no need to raise your voice – in fact, you will have people leaning forward to catch your words if you speak firmly yet quietly. And according to research, for men, the female voice is more complex and more difficult to hear and understand
and women’s higher pitch can be interpreted as subordinate. So for women to gain authority in the workplace, they need to deepen their vocal delivery and make it more deliberate.
Hold the silence
Before you speak, hold the pause to ensure others’ attention. When you have finished speaking, stop talking. You communicate very powerfully by your silence.
4. Set the mood
Before you enter the room, focus on and imagine how you want everyone in the room to feel. People are only too willing to be guided by you so set the tone and mood. You will gain the influence to set the agenda for the rest of the meeting.
5. Act ‘powerfully’
Imagine a triangle. Put in a horizontal line near the apex denoting the top 7%. That is the amount of conscious awareness people have of what you say. However, the 93% below the line is the unconscious mind absorbing your body language and vocal delivery that will determine how they really see you. Make sure your unconscious signals are powerful: your movements and delivery deliberate and you use the major key in your voice to convey certainty.
6. Feeling disempowered?
In a situation where you are likely to feel unsure or lacking in knowledge –and especially if you are talking with someone who is an expert, change the role that you are playing. Ask searching and challenging questions to keep them thinking or give incisive summaries of what you have heard to make it clear you are still powerfully attentive. If you get interrupted when speaking, look irritated and immediately cut in to repeat what you were saying. And ladies, cut down on smiling. It can be seen as placatory and
submissive. Make your smile the reward.
7. Give your undivided attention
Give eye contact and quieten the internal chatter. Make space to absorb what’s being said and especially HOW it’s communicated. Become consciously aware of the subtext of body language and vocal tone. It will give you a lot of information as to how you want to respond. Then make your response deliberate and targeted.
8. Note taking
Expect to take notes - you are valuing what you hear and are taking the information to digest at a later date. However do not scribble furiously – others are likely to dismiss you as the minute-taker, particularly if you are a woman.
9. And finally - don’t expect to be liked!
Having gravitas will gain respect from those around you. Gaining respect is far more valuable in business than being loved. It gives you instant credibility so you get taken seriously. Businesspeople – and staff members need to know, like and trust you to follow your lead. Having established respect and credibility, building rapport later will encourage them to want to like you.
Email me sarah@anrah.co.uk or phone 07939 261743 if you want to follow up on any thoughts you have about increasing your gravitas. I’d be happy to discuss things with you.
Sarah McCloughry
Anrah Training and Development
CSSD (1974), London Univ, member of the British Voice Association
www.anrah.co.uk
01865 243655
07939 261743
“Sarah has opened my mind to new ways of communicating which dramatically improved impact, first and lasting impressions. I have used many of her techniques in real situations which have resulted in positive and profitable outcomes.” Ben Dair, Product Manager, Harris Corporation
Thursday, 9 April 2009
A funny going into Good Friday
I had a mate who was suicidal. He was really depressed, so I pushed him in front of a steam train. He was chuffed to bits.
Have a great Easter!
Have a great Easter!
Friday, 3 April 2009
Sam Walton on the recession
I picked up this quote recently - and it hit a nerve:
"I was asked what I thought about the recession. I said I had thought about it and decided not to participate."
Sam Walton, Founder of Wal*Mart
I choose not to participate.
"I was asked what I thought about the recession. I said I had thought about it and decided not to participate."
Sam Walton, Founder of Wal*Mart
I choose not to participate.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Out of date laws
I picked this up from a newletter from Cousins Business Law and I thought it would amuse...
• It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.
• In Lancashire, it is an offence for a person to incite a dog to bark after being asked to stop by a police officer on the seashore.
• Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.
• In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice every day.
• In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
• In York, it is perfectly legal to kill a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.
• In the UK, it is lawful for a man to urinate in public as long as he aims for the rear wheel of his vehicle and keeps his right hand on it (the vehicle that is).
mmm.
• It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.
• In Lancashire, it is an offence for a person to incite a dog to bark after being asked to stop by a police officer on the seashore.
• Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.
• In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice every day.
• In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
• In York, it is perfectly legal to kill a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.
• In the UK, it is lawful for a man to urinate in public as long as he aims for the rear wheel of his vehicle and keeps his right hand on it (the vehicle that is).
mmm.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Inspirational quote
When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."
-- Audre Lorde
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Acres of Diamonds, by Russell Conway
Russell Conway was so successful with this speech that he was asked to give it over 5,000 times.
An old African farmer heard about people who had gone off into Africa, discovered diamond mines and become fantastically wealthy.
So he sold up his farm and decided to go off into Africa and crown his life by discovering a diamond mine and becoming fabulously wealthy. He wandered the vast African continent for 12 or 13 years and, finally - tired, broken, broke, alone, sick and exhausted - he threw himself into the ocean and drowned.
Meanwhile back on his farm, the new owner was out watering a mule in a stream that cut across the farm. He found a rock that threw off light in a remarkable fashion. It was later found to be a diamond of inestimable value!
The person who identified the diamond asked the new farmer to take him out to where he had been watering the mule when he found the rock. They went back out and found another diamond...and then another...and then another! In fact, they found that the old farm was literally covered with acres of diamonds.
The old farmer had gone off seeking diamonds somewhere else, without ever looking under his own feet; he did not realise that diamonds didn’t look like diamonds in their rough form. They simply looked like rough rocks, burned fragments and charred remnants of coal.
To bring out it’s very best value, a diamond must be cut, shaped, polished and set.
Our major opportunities in life also come to us like rough diamonds. They say the reason why people miss their major opportunities in life is, in the words of Thomas Edison:
“Most opportunities are disguised in work clothes and look like work.”
Our major opportunities to achieve everything that we want lie right under our own feet. Not only in our own talents and abilities, but also in our own towns, our own industries, our own interests, our own education, our own background and our own connections. Everything that we want, everything that we hoped for is probably very close at hand -but it does not look like a diamond in its rough form. It will require work, planning, preparation and effort. It will require getting down there with our own hands and creating, polishing, buffing and setting.
Don’t think that you have to travel across the country, change industries or go back to school. In setting goals, look right where you are and start where you are right now. Most millionaires become millionaires from the very town in which they grew up. They recognised the opportunities from what was all around them and right under their own feet.
An old African farmer heard about people who had gone off into Africa, discovered diamond mines and become fantastically wealthy.
So he sold up his farm and decided to go off into Africa and crown his life by discovering a diamond mine and becoming fabulously wealthy. He wandered the vast African continent for 12 or 13 years and, finally - tired, broken, broke, alone, sick and exhausted - he threw himself into the ocean and drowned.
Meanwhile back on his farm, the new owner was out watering a mule in a stream that cut across the farm. He found a rock that threw off light in a remarkable fashion. It was later found to be a diamond of inestimable value!
The person who identified the diamond asked the new farmer to take him out to where he had been watering the mule when he found the rock. They went back out and found another diamond...and then another...and then another! In fact, they found that the old farm was literally covered with acres of diamonds.
The old farmer had gone off seeking diamonds somewhere else, without ever looking under his own feet; he did not realise that diamonds didn’t look like diamonds in their rough form. They simply looked like rough rocks, burned fragments and charred remnants of coal.
To bring out it’s very best value, a diamond must be cut, shaped, polished and set.
Our major opportunities in life also come to us like rough diamonds. They say the reason why people miss their major opportunities in life is, in the words of Thomas Edison:
“Most opportunities are disguised in work clothes and look like work.”
Our major opportunities to achieve everything that we want lie right under our own feet. Not only in our own talents and abilities, but also in our own towns, our own industries, our own interests, our own education, our own background and our own connections. Everything that we want, everything that we hoped for is probably very close at hand -but it does not look like a diamond in its rough form. It will require work, planning, preparation and effort. It will require getting down there with our own hands and creating, polishing, buffing and setting.
Don’t think that you have to travel across the country, change industries or go back to school. In setting goals, look right where you are and start where you are right now. Most millionaires become millionaires from the very town in which they grew up. They recognised the opportunities from what was all around them and right under their own feet.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs
There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing so he didn’t listen to the radio. He had trouble with his eyes so he read no newspapers and didn’t own a tv. But he sold good hot dogs. He put up signs on the highway telling people how good the hot dogs were. He stood by the side of the road and cried, “Buy a hot dog mister?” And people bought.
He increased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. He finally got his son home from college to help him out.
But then something happened. One day his son said, “Father, I’ve been listening to the radio. I’ve been reading the newspapers and watching the news on tv. There’s a big recession. The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse.”
Whereupon the father thought, “Well, my son’s been to college, he reads the newspapers and he listens to the radio and watches tv. He ought to know.”
So the father cut down on his bun orders, took down his advertising signs and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway selling hot dogs. And his hot dog sales fell overnight.
“You’re right, son,” the old man said to his boy. “We’re certainly in the middle of a great recession."
'Nuff said.
He increased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. He finally got his son home from college to help him out.
But then something happened. One day his son said, “Father, I’ve been listening to the radio. I’ve been reading the newspapers and watching the news on tv. There’s a big recession. The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse.”
Whereupon the father thought, “Well, my son’s been to college, he reads the newspapers and he listens to the radio and watches tv. He ought to know.”
So the father cut down on his bun orders, took down his advertising signs and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway selling hot dogs. And his hot dog sales fell overnight.
“You’re right, son,” the old man said to his boy. “We’re certainly in the middle of a great recession."
'Nuff said.
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