A Funny Time Of Year

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Aug 312010
 

I spent most of yesterday outside. The sun had finally emerged after several weeks of hiding. Despite the sunshine there was a distinctly autumn-ish feel. It feels like the end of summer. The impending gloom of autumn is a bit unsettling. I hate autumn. More accurately, I hate winter and autumn is its prelude. But there is a positive aspect.

The July/August silly season is almost over. It is new beginnings. Children go back to school and young people head off to colleges and universities. Some will be starting new jobs despite the difficult jobs market. Somehow there are less distractions in autumn. After all it’s difficult to be committed to the office when its warm and sunny outside.

So it’s time to commit to those new projects that we’ve been dreaming about whilst sitting in the garden with a glass of wine on the odd sunny day. I have several projects that I will be kicking off. At least one of them has been inspired by reading of the success of others through their tweets. Reading of other people’s activities and successes is a great way to motivate yourself to move from dreaming to doing stage.

The sun is shining again today. Have I got time for another glass of wine before I start doing things?

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Making Luck

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Aug 302010
 

Golfer, Gary Player, was interviewed by a journalist after he came off the course. The journalist suggested Player had had a lucky round – you know the sort of thing, 20 yard putts go down the hole. Player’s response was along the lines of, “I find the harder I practice, the luckier I get.” 

I can’t remember who talked about ‘getting in the way of luck’. But the point is, luck isn’t always down to luck. We can do things to influence the way events turn out. I will never be a lucky lottery winner because I have never bought a ticket.

If we tell only one person about our business perhaps we should start buying lottery tickets. If we tell 1,000 people they’ll all want a share of our lottery winnings but at least we have a thousand times better prospect of doing business.

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CEO or Head Girl?

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Aug 272010
 

I was reading an article on television producer Daisy Goodwin. Something she said struck a chord with me. “I think it’s quite amusing when people set up their tiny companies and then call themselves CEO. So when I set up Silver River, I called myself head girl.”

I am a huge fan of Brazilian industrialist Ricardo Semler. He got rid of organisation structures and job titles in his Semco corporation and jokingly referred to his key advisor as Chief Pharaoh. When I have been asked my job title, depending on how mischievous I feel, I have offered Chief Pharaoh, Chairman & Chief Executive of Myself and even Consultant Anarchist.

When I set up on my own I was advised to refer to ‘we’ and ‘the team’ so that it wasn’t so evident I was a one-man band. I have concluded that such pretensions are a mistake. After all, my wife still confuses my Global Headquarters with the spare (bedless) bedroom.

My only slight reservation, having sacked my imaginary team, is that it is difficult to avoid using the ‘I’ word rather more than I would like. 

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RATS Found In London Café

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Aug 262010
 

Owen Smith, our man at BHS is on a healthy diet! (Ed.)

I have received a salutary lesson in the value of recruitment being the fundamental driver to business success. Opposite Marylebone Station there is a small café/sandwich bar where yesterday I bought my lunch for the first (but not the last) time. The service and attitude of the staff was exemplary, and I felt welcomed and valued. But I bet their training budget is zero and they have no bells-and-whistles Customer Service Programme. It made me think about the money spent by larger businesses on these sorts of programmes and how this is like pushing water uphill if you don’t have the right attitude and culture to start with. Indeed, these programmes could be largely redundant if the right people and culture are in place to start with! I came up with the acronym RATS – Recruit Attitude, Train Skill – as it made me smile to think that the RATS in this café are actually fundamental to its success!

So if you’re ever hungry in Marylebone they do much more than eggsbaconchipsandbeans – the sandwiches are great too!

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Time Mismanagement

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Aug 252010
 

Am I alone in wanting to fit in one extra thing before setting off for wherever? And then realising I’m now running late. 

My daughter is home on holiday. Yesterday she was going to stay with a friend. I was taking her to the station to catch a train. Determined not to be late I chivvied her up so that we set off with time to spare. Underway I discovered the train time was ten minutes later than I thought and we had half an hour for a ten minute journey. A bit excessive. So rather than driving into the station car park I parked in the adjacent village and we sat in the car chatting for a while. Then strolled up the station drive. And went into panic mode.

The train was being announced. And they had installed a ticket machine so leaping on and buying aboard not possible. Train pulling in. Early. Ticket purchased Anna boarded. Chap on train pointing at machine. Something left in it. Another ticket? Grabbed it and passed to Anna. Train leaves. Text message, “I’ve bought a return!” “Use it on Friday.” “It’s a day return!”

By the way, clock in car slow.

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