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April 1, 2006 14:15 - Hey - Just Do It
There can be many frustrations in business and more especially in management.
Lots of us, in these roles, get irritated by the smallest things - often these things seem to be about others and, in truth, are just about ourselves.
Getting honest about this is one of the biggest challenges we have.
Sometimes, it's vital to cast all our doubts and fears to one side and get on with it.
The more polite shortening of this is 'JDI' - otherwise known as 'Just Do It'.... (Read Article)
April 5, 2006 20:52 - April Fool All Year
Sometimes you hear people say, 'You couldn't make it up!'.
Another take on this is how often I have to check my diary during the year these days, to check if it is the 1st of April.
There seem to be so many improbable stories in the press, year round.
Last Saturday, there was just the reverse in my paper. Apart from the usual excellent BMW advert (which almost turns me into a BMW rather than a Mercedes dreamer - but not quite), my paper had one about the decision to change the colour of the door at 10 Downing Street from the traditional black to red.
I was a bit horrified and still I took it in my stride - there have been many sillier and more serious things to get over recently in the world (it was an April Fool - in case you weren't sure!).
Yet as Richard Littlejohn in the Mail yesterday commented, life is becoming much more like this - where fantastically silly things happen all the year round.
It's almost as if society, as well as government has decided to turn Alice in Wonderland into reality.
Or maybe I'm just getting a little older - it's hard to say.
Maybe I need to regard everything with a pinch of salt, as they say this sude of the pond.
April 9, 2006 18:51 - Yes and No - Effective Decision Making
Every decision we make, in business, in life in general is bounded by just two options.
Like an on-off switch we make one or the other - there are no variances to this.
Because it's as simple as Yes or No - and so often we get it wrong... (Read Article)
April 11, 2006 17:16 - Show Your Boss the Way!
Building relationships is vital in business.
When you are employed and have a boss it's even more critical, because you have an incentive to get the best from your boss.
And the onus is on you... (Read Article)
April 25, 2006 22:02 - Keeping Cool
Luckily it was a meeting with colleagues who are friends as well.
Today's trip up the M42 was not for the faint-hearted. There were some 15 miles of very slow moving traffic each side of the Birmingham Airport junction, so a 2½ hour journey to Peterborough became 4½.
My friends were good enough to keep themselves occupied whilst I thanked goodness that it wasn't a plane I was catching, this time at least!
It did enable me to reflect on the value of having the time to chill out and I was pleased with myself at how I was able to keep stress-less on this occasion, to have a little thinking time and appreciate, if that's the word, my fellow travellers and the pleasures of the English countryside.
Only once did I ponder on the challenges I might face (in fact I didn't), of the journey in reverse, only a few hours later.
Sometimes we have unexpected opportunities to take a little time out. Sure, we can generate it with early starts and plan in some 'me-time' as I like to call it. Those moments when you might have to stay away and you decide to factor in a bit of space - if only a half day in a hotel.
Or a walk on a beach on the way back from an appointment. It's so great to be able to do that.
Other times it's great to be able to take what could be truly a very frustrating experience and recognise it for the potential that can unfold.
If you let it.
To my friends at Your Business Matters, thank you for being so tolerant!
April 27, 2006 22:13 - It's the Players on the Field that Do it...
It's been a fantastic week for English football.
Hot on the heels of an outstanding performance by Arsenal, tonight came Middlesborough - and what a game that was!
Both managers were quick to acknowledge the result that they could not deliver themselves. That their players on the pitch could.
Whilst a manager can do everything possible behind the scenes and even on their particular 'shop floor' as they lead by example, they cannot ever deliver the performance of their business as a whole. Unless they are a sole trader; a one-man band.
The majority of managers have to ensure that they create the right conditions for their people to perform - managers are no different whatever field they play their game on.
Their team has to do it for them.
Wenger and McClaren, managers of the two outstanding teams of the week, know that they can only do so much - yet, they know that they can create the expectation, the challenge and the drive for their players to maximise their performance.
Every manager has to be accountable for the conditions they create - the relationships they build and the motivation they develop.
You and I are the Wengers and McClarens of this world, in the performances we are able to get from our players.
For the finals they reach, we are the instrument that facilitates success.
Remember the Intercept Coach Training programme, which you can find here! Well, let me remind you that we have just agreed a £1000 discount for those who fill our remaining spaces for June and September - as long as they book before the end of May!
Feel free to make contact through me or the via the details in the brochure download on the link page.
April 30, 2006 23:43 - Building Your Team
When you manage teams of people, they are a huge resource for you.
This week, make a mental note of the special talents of each and every member of your direct reports.
How can you leverage the best talent from each of your people - what can they contribute to the growth and development of your business more than they do today - by utilising those special talents in different places in your business?
Hold the press - there IS an 'I' in Team.
Share a secret? I was once horrified to hear David Brent in The Office facetiously say 'There is an 'I' in team', because I've been saying it for ages - and in direct opposition to that notice you sometimes see pinned up which says 'There is no 'I' in team'.
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
But it is because I believe that every individual brings a unique gift to a team and it needs making the most of. Maybe David Brent got it right that time!
..and remember...
Have a great week noticing the stars in your team and how they shine...with their individuality and how it brings value to your team!
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