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March 2, 2005 00:10 - March Newsletter Available
I'm delighted to be able to tell you that the March Newsletter is now available.
Building on the Frequent Blog content. it combine releases of a selection of new Articles, with current news about the website and Coaching Businesses to Success, as well as 'Eight One Liners', a seething mass of key business questions, which builds month on month - so all copies are available on the Newsletter sign-up page.
If you enjoy the Frequent Blog, you will certainly enjoy this newsletter.
March 2, 2005 22:42 - Take the Easy Route - Delegate
Had I been asleep or was I still awake? That (very) early morning call brought delegation into sharp focus. And it shaped my management for ever. It was 2.30 am. It was cold and dark and I'd been in bed for just a half hour when the phone rang."Alarm Centre... (Read Article)
March 3, 2005 22:35 - Souey Strikes Again
Graham Souness, the Newcastle United football manager, was on TV last night. He was asked a question about his star striker, who many of you will know as Alan Shearer, who is due to retire at the end of the season.
Now there has been quite a bit of effort to get Shearer to stay on for another season and Souey went on to explain about why. Although he is a fearsome striker, Souness gave a reason other than the prolific scoring machine that has been Shearer for the last ten or more seasons. Graham wanted Shearer to stick around a little longer, because he is 'good to have around the place'
So what does that mean?
Managers are not an island - or at least they shouldn't be! They need great partnerships to be successful. And Souness recognises that. He needs a Shearer and probably one or two others 'around the place' to be lieutenant's for him. The bridge between the 'management' and the rest of the players. All managers need that sort of relationship.
So, who are your Shearer's? Who is invaluable to you as your bridge - to help others understand you - a trusted person by both sides? If you have someone, what can you do to generate even more from the relationship?
If you have no-one so far, who can you cultivate?
March 3, 2005 22:56 - Know Your Business! - 7 Key Questions You Must Ask
Business is moving fast. And every business owner, manager and leader must be totally on the ball. Being aware of competiton, employees, the 'market', customers and clients are all vital. So how to keep on top of it? Well, with these 7 little questions... (Read Article)
March 4, 2005 22:08 - Problem Solving - Think Cleopatra's Ass
Today's problems are all around us. In our day to day lives, both at work and at home, we have challenges which require solutions all the time. Yet there are also many things we take for granted. Things which once upon a time weren't quite so easy to solve.... (Read Article)
March 4, 2005 22:13 - Time-Wasting Problems - One Question to Move You Forward
Standing back and assessing where your time goes helps to tell you where you can make time, for the critcal things in the future of your business. But being able to stop wasting time is a starter. Yet sometimes time-wasters are so repetitive...
In any organisation,... (Read Article)
March 5, 2005 22:29 - 10 Customer Service Quality Statements to Measure up Against
Customer service is a fundamental quality that every business must have. The higher the standard, the higher the return on the investments you make. But just how do you measure your performance, in an easy-to-use way? It's really quite simple...
It might... (Read Article)
March 5, 2005 22:36 - Control is All
In the last 12 hours I've been as mad as I've ever been in my life.
Twice.
Which probably does nothing for my blood pressure, nor my relationship with almost any living thing.
Last night I was mad because three terrible decisions and one acknowledged good one ruined my night and a good game of football I was watching on TV. Now I'm not one to get that passionate about football, though I like it. There are far more important things in life - yet, I do get attached to some things. So my favourite team, Burnley (yea, I know :-)!), played a tough encounter with Sunderland. Three refereeing decisions went badly wrong, and, frankly, I'm in the mood for someone to suffer. Firstly, this definitely dodgy referee, Iain Williamson, had his eyes shut tight when our Gary Cahill is dragged to the floor in the opposing penalty box - a 'definite' penalty (except of course to Williamson - probably had his line of sight obscured). Secondly, he misses another infringement of theirs and indeed penalises our player just outside their box, at which point the one right decision he makes all night hits hard. He sends off the player who was clearly fouled and after giving a free-kick against him, our boy sees the red mist and commits several red-card offences - off he goes.
Then right after that, he has his 'eyes wide shut' again as Gary Cahill is again hauled down, very clearly indeed, this time in our own penalty box. Williamson waves play on and they score the second and finishing goal. Fuming - I'll say so!
The second incident happens this afternoon. And it's down to a lack of accountability, from anyone beneath him, so I'm blaming John Prescott (and because he's an arrogant, bumptious, hypocrite of a little guy as well).
We set off for my wife's birthday treat to Birmingham. A journey that will take on a normal day, no more than an hour and 10 minutes. After 2 hours and 20 minutes we get there. The tickets for the event (Saltimbanco at Star City Birmingham - very good, go see it if you can get there) cost us just short of £200 for 5. Because of bungling in the highways department in this area, there are huge traffic jams - like immense. Even though I checked with the AA (which, by the way said there we jams only on the opposite carriageway to ours - thanks AA) and Orange travel (RAC led), which said to expect delays of 15 minutes - WRONG!
So we get there very late, despite every possible effort on our part to get it right.
I had no control over either state of affairs - so it became very, very frustrating. In both cases, I could really get into the head of a road-rager, so frustrated and impotent I felt. Life should not be like this, with petty bureaucrats ruling over us like this, be they crap referees - and this guy was as crap as they come, or some minion decision maker, content in his slippers, warm by a fire somewhere on a peaceful Saturday afternoon, after making such a horrendous series of decisions over the weekend on the M6 (one guy reprted on the radio that he'd been to the Aston Villa game, four miles from where he lives and it took him a total of 5 and a half hours to travel - a journey which should take no more than 10 minutes each way.
So how do we shift these little tyrants to be better at taking responsibility?
I think we have become far too soft with people in this country and no-one takes any responsibility, because there are no consequences for them. And that cannot be a good thing.
Signed - Victor Meldrew (Well, I suppose I'd better laugh about it...)
March 7, 2005 19:43 - Top Ten Tips for Customer Service
Keeping customer service focus simple, is the key to enabling all of your people in the front line. Delivering the following Top Ten Tips for Customer Service well, will make sure your people make the best of their customer relationship.
Remember the... (Read Article)
March 7, 2005 19:45 - 3 Simple Things the Best Managers Do - And You Can Too!
Do these three things really well and you will be a great manager; a superb
manager - and that is a great step ahead, with current standards of management as they are...
If it's so simple, why don't managers all over the globe get this right, every
time?... (Read Article)
March 7, 2005 19:47 - A Place to Call Work
Sometimes I work away from my office. I feel a need to be somewhere else, so I go off to a local hotel and sit in a corner with my laptop (and near a plug, if I can!).
These are remarkably effective places to be at - because I am away from what's going on back at the office and I can really focus on what I'm doing. Usually being creative in some way. At the moment I'm writing an e-book called 'Succession Planning Toolkit', which, though it's taking me a little longer than I would wish for, is coming along nicely - thank you!
When will it be ready? Not sure. But it will be worth waiting for as I'm pouring everything I know into it. Over 25 years working with teams is a lot of experience. And it will be coming soon!
It is amazing just how pivotal Succession Planning is and it is all wrapped up in a great action package.
So, in my thanks at the end of the book, will be a great big Thank You to the folks at the Gloucester Holiday Inn Express, for letting me be in the corner of their lobby - it's been a great help - ta, very much!
And, whilst I'm thinking about it, I'm also going to dig out a book that I wrote ages ago and get that out there too. This is my little darling of a book, 'A Conversation with Juliet'. The time is just right for Juliet to come out and tell her tale, so watch this space...
March 8, 2005 22:27 - 11 Great Ways to be Positive about Change
Change, as they say, is all around us. And if implemented badly, creates ill-will and a whole raft of negative beliefs about what it means to us. It can fill us with fear and worry. But there are positives you can get out of change. Here are eleven of them...
... (Read Article)
March 9, 2005 20:17 - Rock Computers Customer Service for the 5th Time
The (not-so) trusty laptop issue again.
After hearing the canned music for the third time for about 20 minutes a pop, I still haven't even got my laptop back to Rock Computers (so I won't be taking it with me when I'm away next week then - thanks Rock). I bought this 18 months ago because they offered a 3 year warranty and after it has now become faulty for the 5th time in 18 months, it's a good job.
Back in the 70's and 80's (I know I'm showing my age here - it's a risk!), there was talk that if you had a car that had a lot of problems, it was probably made on a Friday (a 'Friday car'). I got the Friday laptop, I think. So why does it keep going wrong Rock? Why is the power failing still after four and now a fifth visit to you?
Why do you never pick the thing up when you promised - and always blame it on the courier (ever think of changing courier?).
Given a choice, would I buy from them again? What do you think?
March 11, 2005 19:44 - Agendas Make Meetings Productive
Meetings take up time and effort, so they need to be very productive and useful. One aspect worthy of focus is how well you organise your meetings and having a great agenda does just that. Want to know more? Read on...
Having an agenda template that works... (Read Article)
March 11, 2005 19:47 - Solve Problems Permanently - Ask WHY
Someone once said that the real issue behind a problem, is one or more levels below the problem. So, solving problems by fire-fighting when they arise, is firstly, not going to actually solve the problem for good. And secondly, it's tiring, wearing, distracting... (Read Article)
March 11, 2005 19:49 - Be a Leader - The Importance of Going Home Early!
Leaders in businesses set the standards and the pace for their people. And
sometimes it is surprising how much their people look to them to show the way.
How you run your business is, of course your business. A little focus from your
end will dictate... (Read Article)
March 11, 2005 19:51 - Building Shareholder Value Through Your People
By using your best asset, your people, really well, it helps you and your shareholders benefit. Your people have wonderful skills and leveraging this is what makes good businesses truly great.
Increasing shareholder value is the most important driver... (Read Article)
March 11, 2005 19:55 - How To Learn Great Management from Our Kids
Our kids provide a fabulous resource ready-made for us, 24 hours a day, just ready to teach us all we need to know about management.
Learning comes from many places. And one of the most wondrous opportunities is right in front of us. At dinner, at play... (Read Article)
March 11, 2005 19:59 - Management - Mary Poppins Style!
She arrived like magic and weaved her simple ethic of focus, attention to details and fun. What can we learn from this delightful character and apply to our management style? Read on for more...
Mary Poppins describes a style of management which has... (Read Article)
March 11, 2005 20:02 - So Long Farewell - etc!
The time has come for a few days away, so the blog will go on hold for a bit.
But we didn't forget you!
Here are seven more articles, so that you can view them in our absence!
Are you going to be disciplined and read one every day?
Feel free yo print the articles off, or forward then to friends - we don't mind! Just be kind enough to leave them intact, with the acknowledgement at the bottom of each webpage. We would be grateful for that.
Be back amongst you in a few days!
March 20, 2005 17:49 - Coaching Businesses - Business and Pleasure
For me, Coaching Businesses is all about keeping your eyes and ears open and registering what you see and hear - it's about noticing! The last few days away, were a mix of business and pleasure - as they should always be. So off to Florida, where for quite a bit of the week it was colder than here in the UK!
Here, I will give you my scoring on the Customer Service experienced, scores out of 5. Customer Service is just not that complicated, but I have six rules, which I will share at the end. They are so, so simple!
- BA - has to be a 4. Check-in was easy, seats were well assigned, even the sausage and mash was good!
- Alamo, Miami airport - 1.5 - dirty car, no windsceen wash, 'Change Oil' light came on every time, and if you are ever offered a Pontiac Aztec, DON'T! In fact I won't use Alamo again, it's the second time they have let me down.
- Howard Johnson's on St Pete's Beach - 1, would have been a 2 but for their rudeness when I asked to stay in the room for two hours - they hadn't made the room up till three on every day we stayed there! Scruffy room (despite being 'newly refurbished').
- Starlight Diner, St Pete's Beach - 5. Great value and great people watching - and Ray, the UK owner, is looking to sell, so if you are interested...let me know (I have pictures and require only a small commission!)!
- The Jet Ski guys at John's Pass - 6, well, I love jet skiing!
- Silas Dent's restaurant, St Pete's Beach - 5. Wonderful place - the best America does!
- Cypress Gardens - 4. New updated venture, trying hard, could be a little sharper.
- Finally Miami Airport - 2, rubbish airside facilities and a miserable building.
I know I've set you wondering what it is that's so simple, that so many, like Alamo, like Howard Johnson's, fail to achieve (our 4th and final visit to HoJo's, after our first visit was in 1980).
Here's the thing. You get great service from folks who are motivated to give it. Why would they do this? Five reasons, and one outstanding rule, where most people go wrong:-
- They like working for you - because you treat them well.
- The pay is realistic.
- They like people and love working with them (i.e. they get the best from the 'customer relationship').
- They (and you) have fun at work.
- They have challenges and they feel they succeed.
The sixth - most important - they have a boss who can hit the right buttons for them.
Want to know more?
Checkout our Customer Service page! There are three great pages off that worthy of your viewing.
Forgot to mention - other 5's go to, Anita Shreve, ACP Parking at Heathrow, 'Puter Coffee Shop on Gulf Boulevard, the nice man who checked us in last night in Miami without the dreaded green exit slips ('you wanna come back ever in the next ten years - here, I have some spares!').
These people are out there, you know!
Tomorrow, my friend Lisa's new property blog!
March 21, 2005 13:26 - Team of the Year - Wales Rugby Team?
Teams are such fun! Leading the line is challenging and yet, as in the case of Wales, so, so rewarding. My only experience of a Wales game was in 1976 against Scotland, when Wales won 28-6 or maybe it was two years later when they won 28-14. Whatever, it was an amazing occasion (for an Englishman) to experience. There was an amazing camararderie amongst both sets of supporters. Then it snowed really hard, whilst we were drinking even!
So what are the real tips about creating great teams?
In my experience, there are five key points:-
- Have a clear and completely understood overriding goal.
- Ensure everyone understands what is expected of them, to the letter.
- Have a level of trust amongst everyone, including the leader, coach, manager, Abramovich, whatever.
- Recognise the value of differences in individuals and utilise them fully.
- Have fun together!
A couple of interesting places to go, away from here even!
Jamie Oliver is supporting the improvement of standards in school eating (and even what dinner ladies get paid). Vote with your mouse just below for this - please! (I mostly remember sweaty boiled cabbage, a strange sort of fish and semolina with jam in the middle), so please save the kids from this fate!. Click Feed Me Better to support Jamie!
A great friend of mine has a website and programme which can help you into property, if that's something you are interested in. Lisa Orme has a fab subscription site called ACRES. Lisa provides truly phenomenal information and is a great ally in the property investment world.
Take a look.
March 22, 2005 09:31 - People Are NOT Your Most Important Asset
Or are they? Co-incidences eh? I didn't mention a little cameo experience I had last Friday night in Walgreens, a US pharmacy chain. In fact I was buying brown shoelaces, so Walgreens are much like Boots in this country. When I got to the counter, the assistant was dealing with a dear old man - taking time with him. She called one of her colleagues to come over and as she did, I moved to the incumbent assistant's till, not realising she was getting help.
Immediately, she said, "Come over and be with us, we'll look after you". I passed the time of day with the old boy, accepted and gave pleasantries to the assistant, and went off to dinner, with my shoes properly tied up.
Fast forward to my current reading materials. Jim Collins, "Good to Great". Interestingly, Walgreens are up there as one of his superstar examples. And you know what Chapter Three is all about? It's not "People Are Your Most Important Asset", it's "The RIGHT People Are Your Most Important Asset"
Next co-incidence? My colleague Elaine Wylie and I are prepping a piece on Performance Management today, for a seminar we're running. It's one we've done before and we are just fine-tuning it. Yet, I have a sneaking suspicion that if organisations, businesses, YOU, took the time, to get the RIGHT people either in the first place (which is actually the easiest or wait), or move those wrong people "off the bus" as Collins describes it, then managing the performance of people would become much easier than it seems to have become.
It seems like Walgreens have got this people thing sussed out just right.
March 23, 2005 21:34 - The Difference
I've been watching TV (just a little!) tonight. There have been some excellent examples of customers and their interactions with those whose job it is to look after them.
On 'Airport' we had the example of the two passnegers whose hand luggage was too heavy. Then one of them decided, after it had been checked in (because of the weight) that it contained medicines that his wife might need. So the airline rep. got the bags off, only to be asked by the wife 'why have you taken our bags off'. When told it was for for her medicine, she said that she had it all the time. I felt that there was a little more to it than the medicine - it was more about the passenger being miffed that his bags had to go in the hold - what a waste of everyone's time. Is it any surprise that employees get stroppy?
In the next programme, we had Caroline Quentin's character dealing with another potential airline passenger - a scruffy, smelly 'no fixed abode' guy, with a dog. The manager tries to throw him out, for no reason, except how he looks (and possibly smells), and that he has a dog. Quentin's character suggests that he tie the dog up outside - a great little solution for everyone - and then seeks to find him his flight home to see his mother - the first time in 12 years.
Then her daughter takes a drugs overdose and it rapidly taken into hospital. But the character Quentin plays remembers her customer and pleads with one of the other staff to make sure he gets his ticket - even though the agency has closed. The colleague gets the boss to track down the vagrant.
Is this out of fairyland, this remarkable solution?
Or is it something we could and should encourage in every one of our people, starting with ourselves. Going the extra mile costs so little and, after all, who are the biggest beneficiaries eh?
Truth is - we are.
March 23, 2005 23:06 - Relationship Building - 5 Tips and 5 Questions
By building great relationships with all of your people, you will shift the baseline way up. So that when you manage them, it will be so much easier. Think how climbing a mountain from sea level is so much harder than from a camp half-way up. It's easy and... (Read Article)
March 24, 2005 10:25 - Performance Expectations - 5 Tips and 5 Questions
Clearly explaining what is expected of your people is a vital and fairly obvious first step. Yet it fails to be defined so often! So, here are some simple ideas to help you get the very best from your people. And that improves performance as well as saving... (Read Article)
March 25, 2005 13:28 - Vote with Your Click
I wanted to book a flight yesterday - nothing exceptional - a flight to a wedding in Northern Ireland - pretty straightforward really.
But I'm a bit of a fussy git really (not noticed? Shame on you!). I kinda like things to work really.
I once bought a Mini. It was my first ever new car and the driver's door didn't fit properly - my shoes got wet in the rain. So I took it back and showed it to the service guy. He said, 'What do you expect, it's not a Rolls Royce'. I never bought a British Leyland car again. In fact I never bough a Rover one either - and I still haven't! I'm good at being a good customer and saying well done, but I also vote with my feet - or now, mouse click.
Back to the flight. bmibaby it was. I spent quite a while sorting out how to make the flights, their times and my car hire all fit together snugly, at the best price as well. And I got to the final click and nothing happened ('Transferring Data from bmibaby.com'), so I waited and waited (after all, I didn't want to book the whole plane, so I refrained from clicking anymore (well, actually after 5 minutes, I got fed up and I did click a few more times actually - so if anyone wants to come with me on a flight to Belfast in June - just let me know - I may have a few extra seats :-))).
So I thought, aha 'FAQ's' , there's my answer. So, on there, it says that if you have problem booking online, to call this 0870 number, which I do (mind you, it also says that if I book by phone, they will charge me an extra fiver!). It then tells me that If I want customer service, to send them an e-mail or a letter! I have been sent a nice e-mail registering me as a bmibaby member - cool! That's useful.
I booked with Flybe instead - it cost me a few quid more, but hey, life is too short to get stuck in bmibaby's website - or to send them a letter. I think they need to shift into the 21st century - don't you? Click-click!
I can recommend CarHire3000 and Dromard House. Nice helpful people, yeah, nice!
Maybe I'm doing too many Customer Service bits on this blog??
March 27, 2005 17:37 - Bringing the Average Down
Rules of operation are valuable in businesses and organisations - no doubt about it. Without them, no-one would understand how to act, so these standards, agreed by all, are created to have guidelines for all to work within.
In many cases that can actually be very freeing, allowing creativity on a massive scale, but, as Jim Collins, in his simply stunning book 'Good to Great' says, that often just doesn't happen. In fact, he makes a point that I've known for years. Some employees (including senior level management - some would say mainly, senior level management) that should not, as Collins says, 'be on the bus' (that is employed by you), perform poorly and need severe restrictions to manage them by. That impacts on everyone in the business, holding them back, or even, just pissing everyone off.
So what happens? Because management isn't sharp (strong, capable etc.) enough to manage the poor performers 'off the bus', they stick a whole bunch of rules in which tie them down - and everyone else.
So instead of working the average up to meet the great performers benchmarks, they are pulled down to an arbitrary level of rule adherence - otherwise known as performance. Which suits no-one. Especially those who create the revenue, your clients and customers.They then get hacked off and complain at your sharp end workers even more - and the business starts to collapse - or to use Collins' terminology - be not great at all. The deteriorating organisation loses customers because commom sense goes out of the window and they lose great, wonderful, creative, pro-active and engaged employees, because they get fed up at being treated like children (and getting shouted at a lot).
And all because it was easier to create a minefileld of sad rules to manage poor performers off your bus.
Any CEO's reading - take note and just think about it.
March 28, 2005 15:33 - Future Thinking
I was recently asked to do a piece of work about Succession Planning. A subject close to my heart, as I was already in the process of write a book about it (watch this space!).
When I started to think a little more about it, Succession Planning relates so much to what the best of Coaching Businesses to Success is about. Remember, from the home page, the contents of great management and leadership can be boiled down into Eight Key Steps:-
Leading with Vision
Making Time
Building Your Best Team
Stunning Customer Service!
Delivering Great Results
Developing Each Other
Keeping In Balance
Into the Future
Now, have a think - what is there here that isn't a part of Succession Planning?
So, by getting your Succession Planning up to speed (and it isn't that hard, especially with the Succession PlanningToolkit due out shortly!), so many other things in your business or organisation will fall into place!
In the meantime, if you need to know more about any of these keys steps, just check them out by clicking the links - there is a load of free information in them, so use them!
March 28, 2005 17:31 - Make the Most of Your Time - Focus on Strengths
Time efficiency and business effectiveness are much better served when we focus our efforts where we are strongest – when we are aligned with our values and skills. And by delegating those parts of our skill-set which less best suited, we get the best of both... (Read Article)
March 29, 2005 19:00 - Technology - The Joy!
So my great little M515 Palm went to meet that great chip maker in the sky. It flipped over and went belly up. Well, almost. Infuriatingly, it works perfectly, but it's little USB port has, as it says upon the relevant fora, 'fried'.
But I like it (I even have a keyboard for it - which I love even more than my laptop, which is still at Rock, thanks for asking) and since it hasn't been talking to the mothership PC, it was time to move on. So I got a great bargain at Ebay, it that's possible (!). I paid my £50 or so and waited and today, yeah, it arrived. But I couldn't get it to synch right and in the end, when it did, it sucked most of my calendar and half my carefully nurtured contacts right out of Outlook. Yea, I know I should have made sure it was pushing and pulling the right way round, but it didn't. Rats!
So, I get out the old one, which is living except for the not-talking-to-mummy bit and try to work out how to get whats in there, into the right place without losing it all.
Aha. I can 'beam' it. Yep, just like StarTrek, you can zap things across from one thingy to another. Phones and stuff, but more importantly from one Palm to another. But, you can only beam your calendar one entry at a time and when I tried to beam my address book - looking good, YESSS! But it didn't, except to duplicate some things several times and I'm still 400 contacts down (both on the new palm and, more critically, in the mothership.
Next step - what is that little hole at the top for? Aha - it's a card slot - off down to PC World in the rain (I know we need it, but not right now) and ask three people what it is that I want and they send me home with it, clasped in my now sweaty (and rained on), little palm (get it...come on, keep up!).
Before I open the packaging, I consult the boy (my on tap techno son www.affinityevents.co.uk), who tells me I need the 'Back-up' card, not the expansion one (why, I humbly ask, can't they do it in one?)
Will go back to PC World and be a grumpy customer tomorrow.
Find a 'Back Up' card on the internet (www.widget.co.uk - really!), shell out another £32 and wait.
Sadly I have no deep philosophies tonight for you, my carefully reading audience, except to say. It has been one of those days and another day before the e-book gets finished (did I mention it before? I think I might have!).
March 31, 2005 13:59 - More Time Wanted? Deal with Your Time-wasters Now!
Focusing your time to be as productive as you can has never been more important - yet many of us waste our precious time on employees, who frankly don't deserve it. They will never fit. And they may well be feeling pretty miserable underneath.Solving this problem... (Read Article)
March 31, 2005 14:08 - How to Coach Your Employees - 5 Simple Steps Anyone Can Do!
Coaching has become the buzzword of the 21st century and for many managers and small business owners, it seems like a weird and mysterious thing. Yet it's not complicated or hard. Best of all, you're probably doing much of it already. Here are 5 simple steps... (Read Article)
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