‘Do this and your people will fly!’ Feedback! The key to improving performance. And yet so many people feel awkward about giving it or shy away from it altogether. So why do people find it so difficult? Perhaps you’re one of them. You may be the person who makes a joke of everything or someone […]
A while ago, we mapped out a customer journey for one of our clients. (We map it out on a roll of brown paper, looking at all of the touch-points that the customer has with the team, and who is involved at each point.) Their journey was about twenty-five feet of brown paper long, and […]
One of the questions I always ask my clients is ‘How many of your current team would you re-hire tomorrow if you were given the chance?’ So…how many would you re-hire? If you say all of them I’ll be delighted for you; that’s only happened to me once since I started asking the question! Most […]
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!’ Geoff had been with Martin from the start, and had worked hard to help him grow the business. As a result, he’d been promoted to manager, reward for all his efforts. Well, financially he was so much better off, great! But the day-to-day […]
‘Recent research found that a huge 71% of businesses don’t train their new managers effectively, if at all…’ One of the biggest challenges you face as a successful small business owner is managing your growing team. So, to make your life easier, what do you do? You pluck your very best person from the comfort […]
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions.” – Stephen Covey I was attacked by a wasp the other day. My lovely walk in the country was suddenly interrupted by a severe burning pain in my arm – the little beggar having sunk his stinger into me with no provocation whatsoever. On […]
Did you know that around 95% of everything you think, feel, do and achieve is the result of habit? So the habits that are making you productive or unproductive, keeping you stuck or making you successful, right now, have almost certainly been with you since your youth. Unsuccessful people have a number of common habits, […]
Any business that wants to anticipate changing circumstances and act with agility needs high-performing, multi-skilled teams. If you consider that, ‘the only constant is change’ then seamless adaptability is key if you’re going to meet challenges head on and continue to give customers the consistency they crave. Any training that takes place in an organisation […]
I read an article this week on linked-in where the writer had challenged herself to take a whole week off and totally switch off from work. And she reinforced the ‘totally’ bit. She wanted to spend quality time with her children for an uninterrupted week and was asking readers if they thought she could do […]
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” The other day I answered a query someone had about where they could get help to implement ‘Investors in People’. I started by asking what it was they wanted to achieve? Which got me thinking about learning. It’s said […]
Contentment can sound like a dirty word in business. There’s a thought that we should all be striving and pursuing and achieving and other go-getting verbs! And I agree I’m all for continuous improvement, for making things better and easier for clients; for being as good as I can be. That is my business mantra, […]
20% of business owners interviewed didn’t have a single day off that year. Ah, another bank holiday approaches and all over the UK those SME’s closing down for 3 days are scuttling round like blue-arsed flies. (Where does that expression come from? Anyone?) There’s nothing like an approaching holiday to instil a sense of urgency. […]
I read a great quote by Clare Balding the other day about Pep Guardiola. She wrote, “He (Pep) is the manager not just of a team of players but also of backroom staff whom he always values, praises and thanks. He is a leader who makes them all believe the impossible is possible.” It just […]
Can you remember back to your school days? I’m sure for some of us it will be easier than for others! Remember how you’d answer a question, but even though it was technically right, it wasn’t the one the teacher was looking for? Q. What is ‘hard water’? A. Ice (of course!) See what I […]
Does your other half complain that they see too much of you? Do your kids groan ‘cos you’re taking them out for the day, again? Are you the number one invite on your friends’ social calendar? Do you never take your laptop on holiday with you? No? So you’re telling me you don’t have all […]
Many people I speak to can see the benefits of a systemised business. ‘Look at McDonald’s; look at Amazon,’ they say, ‘every really successful business is systemised, absolutely…there’s no getting away from it.’ But when it comes down to their own business you can see them coming out in a rash. The thought of systemising […]
75% of the reasons people leave jobs come down to things that managers can influence. According to recent research these are the things that make people want to stay: 1. Having opportunities to grow One of the best predictors of turnover is whether an employee has had opportunities at work to learn, grown and advance. ‘I […]
It’s that time again. The time of year we all look forward to. Lambs leaping; skylarks singing, daffodils dancing and rabbits doing… what rabbits do! Spring is in the air! And for many of us that means being overcome by a strange urge to spring clean; to de-clutter and spruce up every area of our home […]
’You can dream, create, draw and come up with the best ideas in the world, but you need people to help you turn your dreams into reality.’ As business owners, we rightly focus a heck of a lot of attention on our external customers and what we can do to give them a great experience. […]
As a business owner you know that a high-performing team is essential for a successful business. But how do you start building a team from the group of individuals who currently work for you with all of their different personalities and egos? Any of these sound familiar? The cat – ‘hmm, good idea eh? I’ll […]
’Development can help great people be even better – but if you have a pound to spend, spend 70p getting the right person in the door.’ In a recent blog I recommended having your ‘aces in their places’ when it comes to peopling your customer journey. And conversely there will be times when you need […]
In my business I often come across managers with one thing in common; they are flying by the seat of their pants! People who are ‘accidental managers’. You know, the great team member who is plucked from their team and given a management role or the talented business owner who finds themselves managing people as […]
An effective Customer Journey Map gives you a clear and detailed picture of how your customer uses your product or services, and how customers and potential customers go through the buying process. It gives you and your team an overview of your customers’ experience and shows how they move through your sales funnel, which in turn helps you […]
Like many business owners, I used to make the mistake of thinking that what was crystal clear and obvious to me would be crystal clear to my ideal client. That they would take the time to jump through my hoops, understand my jargon or click more than once, to find out more about me and […]
‘The one right way gives your customers the consistency they love and increases profit, which you’ll love.’ For years, I labelled myself as a ‘process’ person when really I’m a ‘making life easier’ person. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’d use the word ‘process’ at network meetings, and see the shutters go […]
So, you have a big Vision that gives you goosebumps and it’s plastered on your wall in huge letters. You’ve started to plan with your team about how together you’ll make that Vision a reality. And you’re all buzzing about the future and cracking on. Great stuff! I can feel the energy from here. Now, […]
‘9950! I just need to go up and down stairs a few times; I’m nearly there!’ Are you hooked on your 10000 steps a day? It’s that time of year again when we review how those new year resolutions are going. Use the stairs, eat less sugar, get off the bus a stop early. With the […]
I’ve refrained from mentioning the B word in my posts. Like many of you I’m heartily sick of the dreaded ‘Brexit’ word. It’s not that I’ve been burying my head in the sand or anything, just rather like many people I’ve not felt qualified to give advice. But there is one thing I would recommend, […]
Imagine you have a boat. It’s the start of a new year and you’ve just set sail, headed out to sea – full of optimism and excitement. Captain of your destiny. Owner of your fate. But where are you headed? Wherever the current takes you? Slave to the tide and the prevailing wind? Or have […]
Business owners, will you be keeping one eye on your e-mails on Christmas Day? According to recent research 1 in 5 of us will be. I can picture it now, a sneaky look at your phone secreted under your Christmas napkin and then all hell breaking loose when you’re spotted! These stats make for interesting […]
