Coaching to Success

Our business is your success

Decision Making

Bring the sunshine into the office!

Isn’t it amazing how wonderful we feel once that star at the centre of the Solar System breaks through and the clouds part to let it shine? People reach out to each other and smile.

Much like the sun, a bright positive environment within the workplace brings about not just smiles but also opens the creative right side of our brain. It allows you and your teams to think laterally and creatively, exploring new.

So how do we bring sunshine into the workplace? Often, as Leaders we expect others to do as we have been led by example. It’s difficult to break the mould but if you’re organisation is heading down the same path, then change is a must and ‘old’ ways need to be re-visited.

Quite simply, to get the most out of those around you, become a better boss or role model for peers to follow. Consider the following:

    1. Set an enjoyable environment – Do things differently from the norm. Have a ‘Fun’ day or a dress down day once a month. Issue equipment relevant to the tasks being performed, ie are you still using Word 97-2003? Daily, place a joke or cartoon where everyone can see it. Above all else, ask those around you what they consider would help towards an improved environment, where feasible, act on it.
    2. Praise in Public, Reprimand in Private! – Too many times I’ve seen the opposite. A Shop manager disciplining a member of staff not only in front of their peers but customers too! People remember ‘praise’ and seek to receive the same reward. Reprimanding in public will only alienate potentially brilliant ideas as individual’s fear of humiliation being thrown in their direction.
    3. Communication

 

– Walk & Talk is by far the best way. Every day, as a leader, walk around your team and spend just a couple of minutes actively listening to them without distraction of emails or phones. Squash the likelihood of office gossip or rumours by insuring the team know what’s happening. Hold regular weekly or monthly meetings. Invite people from all levels involved. Allow everyone to address areas of success, concern or puzzlement. Keep it truly open without hidden agendas and take criticism as an area to improve, not to launch a counter-attack.

  1. Become a better leader – Read articles, go to seminars, get a coach, take up evening studies or open university courses (that worked for me some 14yrs ago! Break the ‘habit’ mould). Lead through enjoyment rather than despondency. Think about any occasion where you’ve walked into another working environment and I bet the atmosphere is a result of the leader and not the business!

This is just the start, imbed these ideas into your workplace and after a few months, we guarantee you’ll see a noticeable and positive difference.

Coaching to Success encourages change allowing teams to bond and thus increase growth/productivity. If you’re looking to get the best out of your team(s), start by contacting Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or email info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation. The first step to a positive outcome is in your hands, act on it or simply continue the way things are.

Some tips on how to reach out through Social Media, Just like Commander Chris Hadfield did!

The Canadian Astronaut, Cmdr Chris Hadfield, has now landed safely back on earth having spent 5 months orbiting our great planet and doing a fine rendition of Bowie’s Space Oddity (You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo) before returning.

Whilst in space, he used Social Media channels to its full extent sending down videos and pictures so that we could all share the phenomenon of our planet both by day and the beauty of night too.

He reached nearly 1 million followers on twitter yet this was secondary to his main task of working in the International Space Station.

And this is where the link to this article is formed … Business and Social Media. Whether you like it or not, this is the voice of the people and reaches far beyond any other means of promoting what you do individually and what your business can offer.

Coaching can show you how to communicate effectively but you still need to find the right channel(s) to do this. If this is an area that you’re not familiar or comfortable with, then there are companies that do this and, if required, we can help point you in the direction of one or two.

Here’s just a brief idea of some DOS and AVOIDS for social media in business…

DO… Focus on ‘Which’ will work for you
Think about which of the main networks you choose to use, but which one(s)? As a lead, LinkedIn is the place to showcase the credentials of you and your business to all potential customers and should always be up to date. Twitter should be seen as conversational and offer quick snippets of the latest company news or personal insights. Facebook is about sharing links to pictures, presentations of new products, invitations to events etc. Google+, meanwhile, segments people into groups by their interests and targets them with relevant information.

AVOID… Opening a myriad of accounts
The KISS expression works well here! By keeping it simple, means that you are likely to keep it updated and live. Know where your likely market is to be and concentrate your efforts on these media channels.

DO… Follow your own articles and be sure to respond
If people are interested in what you say or the service/product you are offering, they will write a response to your media post. Consistently responding to these articles is essential. This will impress existing and other readers who have not made comment and re-affirms your place as a leader in this field.

AVOID… Taking negativity to heart
As the expression goes … “You can’t please all of the people, all of the time”. Take note of any negative comments and turn them to your favour. Understand what is being said, look at it for ways to improve your service/product and make sure people know of these positive changes. It shows you are listening and that you want to offer the best that you can!

DO… Be patient
Effective social media strategy requires time. In this age of instantaneity, here we are dealing with the human emotion and not simply selling a product. Resist the natural instinct to see rapid returns. Instead, look at the longer-term picture. Psychologists have commented that the ‘Male’ method of business is a hand-shake and job done whereas ‘Female’ intuition builds long term relationships and repeat businesses … Social media alludes to the latter.

AVOID… Expecting them to do this for nothing
Offering incentives (Obtain free useful information, entry into a prize draw, offer a discount etc) by giving you a ‘like’, or sharing a particular product link, is a way to gain followers.

DO… Use existing followers as advocates
Friends are a great ally to promote your business. New users can be pessimistic about cold contact but that appears to ease if contact is passed on via a friend. 38% of Facebook users would be more likely to become a fan of a brand on the network if they saw that a family member or friend had done so! Therefore, ask existing contacts to recommend you by giving you a ‘like’ on your business profile. (on that subject, please pass this link and ask people to subscribe, to people you know so that they too can experience these blogs)

If you are one of those forward thinking individuals or companies who can see the benefits of Social Media but need some assistance with the delivery, take the first step by speaking to someone who can help. Call us to arrange a free consultation by contacting Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk. We’re here to help, after all … Our business is YOUR success.

8 Tips for those who want to stay ahead…

Being a beautiful Bank Holiday weekend, Thought I’d make a start on tidying up the garden and didn’t realise how much the grass had grown while I was busy with a growing business. Which then got me thinking about the comparisons, so, as a consequence, this week’s blog is asking you if your business is growing as fast as the grass is?

Now, without taking control of the lawn and garden in general, you can see how unmanageable it can soon become and much like business, what starts off as a flourishing beginning, you still need to maintain and keep on top of it otherwise weeds take over and the beauty of it all becomes lost.

Well enough of the analogies, let’s have a look at eight ways that you can stay on top of your game where the business is concerned.

  1. What Elephant in the room? – Deal with the Big jobs first, stop putting them off until later because later rarely comes. The smaller jobs will fit in and around the larger one so avoid trying to get rid of them first… Prioritise.
  2. Don’t take on too much! – Time management is one thing. This is all about managing what you have to do and fitting it into the time you have available but if you take on too much, then there is still only 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour and sometimes you have to realise when you need to say ‘No’.
  3. Delegate – Usually as we work up through the ranks, we feel that we not only have to carry out the task of the new role, but we also have to manage everything else we’ve done so far to get here! It’s time to delegate those tasks that are less important for the role you hold and, besides which, the person you delegate tasks to has a new sense of self-worth because of the trust you bestow upon them. This is not a simple or straightforward thing to do, so please check out This Post which will help in this area.
  4. Create your ‘Scheduled’ To-Do list the day before – For those of you who know me well, you’ll know I’m a great fan of the To-Do list. Not any ordinary one but a scheduled one! (Contact us if you want a copy). Make this the last task of the day to complete the following days list. As your day moves through it and other jobs come about, start creating the following days list and finalise it at the end of the day. Start this the minute your day begins avoiding unnecessary tasks or procrastinations.
  5. Got to check those emails! – As part of your ‘To-Do’ list, introduce a couple of times during the day that you will check emails and then turn the auto alerts off. Simple. Once mid-morning and the other mid-afternoon. Having set this time, mentally you’ll soon allow yourself the freedom to not having to read and respond to each one that comes through.
  6. Be process driven – Having a decent system in place certainly cuts back on wasted time. For example, if you are a solicitor with a new contract in place, create a checklist for the front of the folder that insures that each step from logging full client details all the way through to final account is there. This way, at any time, you or colleagues can see where you are in the process, what has been completed and, in turn, saves having to continually re-read over old stuff just to bring yourself up to speed as to where you are in the process.
  7. Manage meetings – To be a busy business person, you have to have lots of meetings! Really? Don’t waste your time going to meetings that aren’t relevant to you or your business. Check the frequency, if you’re managing meetings, do they have to be every day? Every week? Can you relay the important stuff in half an hour rather than the usual two hours and consider ‘where’ you meet. Do you need to travel or could you hold an ‘electronic’ meeting?
  8. Short, un-interrupted bursts – Rather than allowing those phone calls to interrupt what you need to do, turn your mobile off, ask reception to hold all calls for a given period of time and make sure those other distractions (emails, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc) are also turned off. Then fully concentrate for 30-40 minutes to complete whatever your task is. Do it in one un-interrupted burst that will take you so much less time than just periodically drifting in and out of doing it.

It’s wise to know that coaching isn’t something that firms, companies or organisations use just when areas need to be improved. We would ask you to consider some of the great leaders and organisations around at the moment. You can be assured they’ll have a coach on board to insure they remain that one step ahead of their rivals.

Coaching to Success frequently keeps their clients one step ahead and invite you to contact Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation should you be one of those great businesses that wish to step ahead of your rivals.

How to be a ‘Commercial’ Marathon Runner by looking at the Big Picture …

What a glorious weekend for those running the marathon. Perfect weather, perfect temperature, perfect conditions but with a change in the way so many looked on due to the Boston Marathon incident. Something local that can have implications in so many different ways from events some 3300+miles away (3325ml if you’re truly interested).

Change affects us all in a myriad different ways and in the world of commerce, this can be even more dramatic so often tools such as SWOT analysis are used.

However, have you considered looking at the bigger picture that ultimately affects what you do? The ‘OT’ (Opportunities and Threats) of SWOT can be further explored by another acronym in PEST (Political, Economic, Social-Cultural and Technological – believed to be created by Harvard professor Francis Aguilar)

In brief, PEST …

  1. Gives you advanced warning of significant threats yet aids in spotting business or personal opportunities.
  2. Assists with avoiding the start of projects that are likely to fail, for reasons beyond your control.
  3. Reveals the direction of change within the business environment. Helping shape and to work with change, rather than against it.

Unlike SWOT, which focuses inward, PEST is best used to open the thought process and to ‘Brainstorm’ ideas.

 

POLITICAL

  • Consider what happened at the Eastleigh, Hampshire, UK by-election! What affect did that have on Government? Could the next election change government policy?
  • Who are the contenders? What are business policy views/opinions, or other policies that affect your business?
  • Will business regulation and/or planned changes to it, affect your business? Is there a trend towards regulation or deregulation?
  • Are there any other political factors that are likely to change?
  • Could any pending legislation changes affect your business, positively or negatively?

 

ECONOMICAL

  • How stable is the current economy? How is it in your market?
  • Where are customers’ levels of disposable income at? What’s the likelihood of change in the next few years?
  • What is happening concerning unemployment?
  • How accessible is credit for businesses or consumers? Will this affect you?
  • Is globalization affecting your economic environment?

 

SOCIO-CULTURAL

  • What is the population’s growth rate and age profile? How is this likely to change?
  • Are generational shifts in attitude likely to affect what you’re doing?
  • What attitudes toward work can you ‘truly’ observe? Do they differ for different age groups?
  • How do lifestyle choices or religious beliefs affect the population?

 

TECHNOLOGICAL

  • Are there any upcoming technologies that could radically affect your industry? (the internet with the likes of Jessops!)
  • What new technologies could you be using?
  • How have infrastructure changes affected work patterns (ie, remote or home working)?
  • What other technological factors that you should consider?

 

OPPORTUNITIES

Now you know the changes, brainstorm all the potential opportunities that could be opened up for you (regardless of how inept they may first appear). Is there a new market you could venture into? Are there new products or services you could offer?

THREATS

Equally as important, consider and brainstorm these too. What could potentially demoralise your business and considering these at this early stage, what can you do to minimise the impact knowing in advance rather than fire-fighting them later?

ACTION

This is the area I love. Once you know what the Opportunities are, how to break the Threats, or at least, minimalise them … Take action and build these into a Business Plan

This tool can be used by individuals but so much more benefit can be gained by inviting others to join in and contribute as their perception may bring different ideas to the table than just the ones you may have.

Coaching to Success frequently help organisations with such tools as we know how to delve that little bit deeper to understand obstacles or barriers that may not be revealed due to the closeness to the business. Being external, we’re trained how to ask incisive questions to find those little diamonds often missed and to open up the thought process.

Have a go and consider how your organisation would benefit. To open the thought process further, and to explore the other benefits coaching/mentoring can bring, contact Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

Our business is about your success and your future successes are in your hands so give us a call so we can help you turn the ideas into reality.

Here’s a tool to help you make Quick, Decisive decisions!…

Whether you believed in her methods, political standing or manner, in her time, Margaret Thatcher made strong decisions and stood by them. Amending them only if and when proved to be needed and by keeping one step ahead of her rivals!

This is no different in the world of business today and keeping one step ahead of the competition is critical to lead the way forward , making decisive decisions quickly and assertively is more important now than it has ever been.

US Air Force Colonel John Boyd created a model (OODA – Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) whilst looking at the advantages of US aircraft over Russian rivals which, although quicker and more manoeuvrable, didn’t have the visual clarity of the F-86 which won the day.

Business is similar in its deliverance and, as its name suggests, the ‘Loop’ can be entered at any point and continues to revolve and evolve. So how does it work?

This tool helps towards making effective, quick and pro-active decision-making. These four stages are…

  • OBSERVE – Collate and gather information from a variety of different sources. The more information you can ‘observe’ and take in here, the more accurate your perception will be. Question what’s happening in the environment that both directly and indirectly affects me. What’s happening now that may have a lasting affect later on? Are predictions accurate? What’s the difference between these and reality?
  • ORIENT – Analyse and digest this data. Compare it with your own. Boyd identified five main influences: (1) Cultural traditions (2)Genetic heritage (3) The ability to analyse and synthesize (4) Previous experience (5) New information coming in. How you interpret a situation leads directly to your decision. By becoming more aware of your perceptions, moving through the decision loop becomes quicker and more effective. If you can make assessment of the situation and the environment around you faster than your competition, you’ll have an advantage. It’s important to be constantly re-orienting.
  • DECIDE – Establish and determine the course of action to take. Based on the observations made and the orientation used, a stronger evaluated decision can be made. While continuing to cycling through the OODA Loop, new suggestions arrive and these can be incorporated triggering changes in Decisions and the consequent Action. These new ‘understandings’ are brought in during the Orient phase, which in turn influences the rest of the decision making process.
  • ACT – Do it! Follow through on your decisions. Once your actions have been reached, cycle back to the Observe stage, to judge the effects of your action. Keep learning from what your competition is doing as well as being aware of your own developments!

This model is designed to be fluid and not static. Observe the results of your actions, seeing whether you’ve achieved the results you intended. Keep as a continual process, the faster you can move through each stage the better.

The objective of this model is to increase speed through orientation and reorient based on new date forthcoming.

When you start operating within your opponent’s Loop,  your competitor starts reacting to environmental changes as opposed to trying to be ahead of them because that’s where you are. Working on the offensive, making strikes and forcing them to react to you.

Should you, your team members or someone within your team(s) be indecisive or wanting to find better ways to make positive decisions, Coaching to Success utilise these and many other tools to help you and invites you to contact us to open conversations on how we can assist in this or other areas that you, your company or firm are wishing to excel at.

Please contact Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

Our business is about your success and your future successes are in your hands so give us a call so we can help you turn the ideas into reality.