Business needs its five a day

In yet another autobiography ( I think he writes one a year), The Fry Chronicles, Penguin Group 2010; the ubiquitous comedian Stephen Fry explains ‘If you are hungry for food you are prepared to hunt high and low for it.  If you are hungry for information it is the same.  Information is all around us, now more than ever before in human history.  You barely have to stir or incommode yourself to find things out.’  He then expounds frustrations of people’s failure to understand this.  ‘Incuriosity is the oddest and most foolish failing there is’.  I suspect if you asked a seasoned homicide detective, a veteran paramedic or serving infantry soldier in a troubled war zone, they may have a different view of what really is the most foolish failing of mankind; but let’s debate that another time.

Back to the Fry theory; is all information really out there?  Yes it is and guess what?  It is free!  We just need to enlist the help of our electronic cousins; Bing, Google, Mozilla, Yahoo, Explorer or my mate Dave Gibbs (if you ever enter a pub quiz or need phone a friend choose Dave above the others).

Some examples:

What is the highest peak of engineering capacity output in the UK this year?  BING, Free

What is the % demand for cruise holidays within the over 50’s age group in Europe?  Yahoo Free

Which car has the most environmentally efficient engine output in China?  Google, Free

Where are the projected data centre market trends for EMEA?  Mozilla, Free

What is the capital of Bolivia?  Dave, Free

FREE, FREE, FREE.

But that is not it; using the Fry comparison, if food was free then you would still need your internal complex bodily functions to convert it to fuel and the ability to grow, see, feel, hear, breath, run, fight and not just survive but compete.  These complex functions; your heart, lungs, liver, intestines, muscle groups, digestive tract.

Business information is free and you still, and will always, need your internal complex business functions to convert it to energy and the ability to grow, operate, sell, market, lead, integrate, change, and be highly competitive.  These complex functions; your people.

In case of impending litigation (my lawyers have asked me to state) I must qualify that not all information is free; Dave generally works for a pint of lager and a packet of twiglets.

Oh, and a final question I randomly placed into any of the virus free accredited search engines; How can I improve absolutely any part of my business beyond the dreams of Araby?  The unswerving response every time as below.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/index.php

Try it out, it is an amazing solution.

Coaching Tip

“Let the path be open to talent.”
Napoleon Bonaparte

The most critical challenge facing HR professionals currently is ‘managing talent’.  A People Management article this week explores the admission that HR professionals having identified talent, don’t know how to use it to improve the bottom line.

That’s where we come in….

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2013/02/overwhelmed-hr-fails-to-harness-power-of-talent-data-says-study.htm

 

Coaching Tip

“Coaching highlights what people can readily achieve, given the right support.”

In a recent Sunday Times article, the latest Management Agenda survey from Roffey Park found that many organisations are focusing too much on leadership and forgetting about managing people more effectively now that the economy is beginning to get back on an even keel…

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/Appointments/article1206082.ece

Leadership is for Shrimps by Paul Cook

This week marked the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2013, the Year of the Snake.  One of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, the snake signifies cleverness and tenacity and is associated with the element of fire.  I strongly recommend that in these essential times for leaders it should have been the year of the Mantis shrimp.

I may have to explain further.

Biological reasons as follows.

Do you cut the grass or mow the lawn, eat scones or sconns, visit the cinema to watch a movie or go up the pictures to see a film?  There is of course the possibility that you do none of these things or the higher percentage bet is that you do and describe them differently.  The mathematical possibilities of differing descriptive behaviour are slightly more than the number of atoms in the known universe and that’s a lot because Brian Cox told me.  Through BBC’s edifying ‘Star Gazing’ and ‘The wonders of life’, Professor Brian Cox has recently transported the viewing public into an awareness and photographically dazzling aspect of, well, everything; from the smallest nucleus within an atom core to the furthest most planets in our vast galaxies.  In last week’s episode (Wonders of Life) Professor Cox described eyesight and the Mantis Shrimp.  Said crustacean is a remarkable creature in many ways, one of which is its eyesight; us Homo Sapiens have what is known as binocular vision which means two separate eyes with one view cross referenced to each other to give depth, colour, light, distance and height; all in all quite useful (particularly when mowing the lawn) .  The Mantis shrimp has trinocular vision in each eye which gives a hundredfold perception on our own.  It can see ahead of its competition, anticipate risk at lightning speed, comprehend muti dimensions and ultimately command its environment.  What must that creature really see of the world and how on earth did they find that out?

In business it is fortunate that we only have to build rapport with humans and not spiny, bottom feeding, dangerous predators… I think I may know what some of you may be thinking at this point.  So with our binocular perception of the world it is incredible that we all have completely diverse perceptions of our own universe; this then inevitably leads to unalike experiences, dissimilar ideas, values, beliefs and of course ways, of expressing it all.  How do we understand everyone all the time?

As a highly effective leader in business it is essential to understand as many variants as possible, to have situational perception, to connect, to build rapport, to communicate at all levels, to understand, to have our own trinocular vision.  It then also follows that your successful talented leaders need these skills.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/leadership_and_development_programmes.php

I did notice that most of the thalassic creatures that came a little too close to the shrimp tended to get eaten by it.  So how would you build rapport with such a highly tuned organism?  Take it to the pictures of course.

Shock horror it’s snowing outside! by Paul Cook

The soft filter Nikon lens had been exquisitely positioned to capture the lithe, but athletic rear profile.  The female athlete in full running stride was enveloped in a snow landscape where the sheer white had taken over everything in her path: the icy hue of her breath, the vivid indication of her extreme physical effort.  The strapline of this compelling image, ‘if you wait for perfect conditions you will never achieve anything’.
 
The not so athletic comedian Billy Connolly famously said ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing’.

Humans are multifaceted, genetic machines evolved to operate at the most incredible levels; we can design complex machines, control environmental encounters, communicate multiple compound messages over vast distances (teenage boys are excused this section) and survive in all, or any areas of our planet.  Nevertheless with this prodigious blueprint comes a real human trait, FEAR! Fear of the unknown, of the climate, of pain, of rejection, of failure!  So do we transfer this sometimes in business?  We know hesitation through fear comes from experience; we also know we can transfer ours to others.  How many times have you heard a concerned adult say to their fearless toddler ‘don’t fall’? The consequences thereafter are of course obvious.

Richard Bandler and John Grindler asked the important question ‘’What is the difference that makes the difference?’’  Leaders throughout history may have had a slightly different epithet had they made the big decisions based on climate and fear.

On hearing that Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, was camped in the Bay of Whales with

his expedition party: "One thing only fixes itself in my mind.  The proper, as well as the wiser, course is for us to go back inside and keep warm".

After a poor first business start Henry Ford declared ‘’Failure is a good reason to stop’’

Julius Caesar ‘’I came, I saw, I went home it was a bit parky’’

So what happens when your leaders worry about the business weather?  What do they need to step outside in the extreme conditions?

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/zest_services.php

Some years ago I was at a leadership conference where a very senior lecturer explained that collective research has shown that the top two fears are 1) fear of dying, 2) fear of public speaking! There is of course a third as far as I am concerned, the fear of dying whilst speaking publicly.  So instead I am off out to run in the snow where the soft filter Nikon lens will be exquisitely positioned to capture the slightly sad looking figure in a constant battle against middle age, whilst continuously slipping over.

Compelling strapline:

Nike ‘just do it’ (not you Cook)

Christmas is not just for Christmas

Who is your favourite member of the Royal family?  Well I can tell you who mine isn’t; Prince Albert of Sax-Coburg (Queen Victoria's husband).  History attributes him for the introduction of the Christmas tree to the UK.  This Pagan tradition was already known to the Royals in Germany and Victoria was already aware of this before she met Albert so she has some part in the blame!  The, sorry, my, Christmas tree is unlike many other modern ‘bolt ons’ to the original Christian celebrations;  a red robed red faced Santa introduced as a marketing campaign by Coca Cola in the 1930’s, stuffing socks full of gifts replicated from a Dutch philanthropist in 1200, Christmas cards first seen in 1843 after Sir Henry Cole created the idea to help young boys practice their writing skills.  Even the ancient Celts believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and it is said that among Romans, enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace.  None of these symbols of our year end marker of personal meaning have the destructive influence of the tree!

Every year I engage my dexterity, influence, assertiveness, patience and emotional intelligence in a ritualistic contest against an artificial Christmas tree.  The tournament usually commences in mid-December with an eye to berry across the loft encounter followed by a flurry of activity down the step ladder chased by cardboard boxes, stems, branches, colour coded inserts, plastic decorations and exploding dust bombs of synthetic snow; this does not of course include the wondrous fairy lights which baffle the art of electric circuitry.  Hours later I emerge triumphant, tree intact, house empty; note from family explaining they will be back when I’m in a better mood.

This is however a pattern.  By the sheer consistency of my toil every year( for the past eight years), I have the forecast; let’s face facts, I can be be assured when Christmas is coming.  I know the data set, I know the logistics, I know the challenges, I can predict the problems and I can identify the root cause (no pun).  And if I am perfectly mapped and planned, in January I could adjust my projections and problem solve it.

We all run patterns in our lives, some helpful some not so; equally your business will run patterns with the same equality of balance and yes of course there are some chaotic theories and capricious intervals, but these will be matched by equivalent predictable events.  Ask yourself, what you know about your business in twelve months’ time that you already know now?  When is your busiest period? When is the lowest resource time?  When is the quietest?  Where are your critical calendar times?  Throw yourself twelve months into the future and tackle it from there.  Future solutions focused business coaching is here and available.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/team_business_coaching.php

What is your business Christmas tree?

I mentioned earlier the test of my emotional intelligence.  Here at Zest we are deeply involved with many organisations in Emotional Quotient profiling for senior leaders and therefore increasing performance capability.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/emotional_intelligence_profiling.php

The profiling asks you a series of questions based on your emotional reaction against certain circumstances.  Having completed one such EQi 2 profile myself, I am very proud to say that I have a higher than the norm score.  The reason for this, I now suspect, is that the new process has omitted a key question-  ‘How do you feel after construction of an artificial Christmas Tree?’

Tune in next year for ‘How to put a tree back in a box’.

Communicating (through my letter box)

Ever been shouted at, or shouted at someone; by e mail?  It’s remarkably easy YOU JUST DO, IT OK!

Or, ever seen something remarkably simple that stuck in your mind?  Yesterday I was driving home and took the usual route which ends with me stuck in traffic on a small down gradient hill expectantly waiting to transverse the final roundabout before home.  Here I saw it; a poster, a photograph of the saddest looking white cat with black face.  This feline had a small multi coloured tie around its slightly scrawny almost underfed neck and one of this moggy’s eyes was slightly offset down to the left as if indicating a sad outlook on life.  The poster strapline ‘Have you seen Blackie?’

I am writing this blog from a West London suburb traffic queue.  It has got my overactive activist brain pondering a matter which has perplexed me recently.  In fact such enigmas require audience participation through the medium of blogging.

Here it is…

Question 1: What do the following subjects have in common?- Pete and Maureen’s dog grooming, Akan Tandoori, Wooden Blinds Cars.  Yes, correct, they all have a major role in the destruction of South American rain forestry because they are a regular feature of my door mat.  And I wonder what the communication policy of these companies is; imagine a small dimly lit room, a consultant facilitator and the Directors of each organisation participating in a well versed model which reaches its mission statement and values crescendo with the earth shattering delivery plan - ‘to dump leaflets in every house, each Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday until submission of the householder is gained’.  Now I have to be careful here!  Understanding as I do that marketing is crucial, (see previous blogs) sales are essential and constant visibility is enduring; but what do we actually see, hear, feel, taste or even smell?  What makes us be drawn and what draws you to an organisation (or a cat?).

Question 2: Close your eyes and think of the first organisation that comes to mind, so which one came up what made you do that?  Who was it and why?  I certainly didn’t see Pete, Maureen a curry or Nat West’s valeting service or whatever it was.  Stephen Hawking said ‘communication is the key’ and adversely George Bernard Shaw famously quotes ‘The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place’.  Which spectrum is your communication product, a Stephen Hawking or a George Bernard Shaw?

I recently worked with an MD from an engineering company and asked him what their Unique Selling Point is; he thought and pondered and squirmed a bit and then said, ‘well we are no worse than the others’.  Outstanding!  Imagine the leaflet on your doormat ‘JJ Engineering, no worse than the others’.

Certainly in Zest we use simply this - ‘The meaning of communication is the response you get’ - measure the response and you grasp the success.  Part two of the communication seminar in the dimly lit room would be the response plan; how do we stop all our expensive graphically exclusive colourful leaflets ending up in the blue recycle bin?

I am in a West London Suburb because my business partner Elaine sent me an e mail strongly urging Zest Business Coaching to get into action, but because of a typo I am here in Acton.  I’m looking forward to seeing Blackie on the way home.