The Real Cost Of Meetings!

Just back from my holidays and ready and raring to go! Having ’time off’  does get you reflecting on the ‘value of time’ (well, it does me anyway!) and particularly the time I see people spending in meetings’.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with meetings per se, but this ‘gadget’ (kindly pointed out to me by Eammon Hunt of TDC) looks like a great ‘tool’ to manage the effectiveness of all the time spent in meetings! It’s available from The Dilbert Store.

Seriously though, it is an issue in many businesses. I was once asked to sit on a client’s ‘Senior Management Strategic Meeting’  to help them out. Senior people from all over the country turned up and I watched them discuss ‘tactics and trivial stuff’ for some time. I asked them to stop for a minute and posed the question ‘Could you just write down what’s the purpose of this meeting?’ There was a silence and they looked at me stunned. The answers included ‘Well, it’s the first Tuesday in the month – we always meet at this time’ , ‘He told me I had to come!’ and ‘I had to come – I was scared of missing something!’

So, a couple of things worth asking before a meeting:

• What’s the purpose of this meeting?
• What do we want to have achieved by the end of it?
• What do I need to do to contribute to the above two things?

If you can’t answer these questions, consider not going!

Anybody get any other tips and ideas to maximise meeting effectiveness?

Dragons’ Den? I’m Out!

The new series of Dragons’ Den started last night to lots of high profile promotion from the BBC, but I won’t be watching it! As something that originally set out to ‘promote’ entrepreneurship and enterprise, I can’t help thinking that it’s become a great way of ‘ridiculing’ and ‘exploiting’ people, particularly people who maybe dare to try and do something a little differently. OK, so they throw in a couple of people who they invest in (to make them look generous and caring?). I’ve met a number of entrepreneurs who have been on the show, ‘won’, ‘lost’ and ‘turned them down’ and certainly the way it all works, it’s very much a ‘for TV’ thing, not a ‘business’ thing.

I’m not knocking the individual ‘Dragons’ personally – they are all clearly very successful entrepreneurs and business leaders, but I can’t help but feel that they send out the ‘wrong messages’ to aspiring and potential entrepreneurs who need encouragement and role  models. It’s a bit like The Apprentice (key message? To get on, look after yourself and ‘screw’ others – ok, the junior one was a little more constructive and positive, which was good to see).

I’ve worked with so many successful business leaders and many tell me they looked for and benefitted from real ’role models’ as they developed – and many still do now even though they are ‘successful’!  They are people that they could learn from, in both their successes and their mistakes.

So, come on BBC! Let’s have more ‘constructiveness! Please promote, support and ‘role model’ entrepreneurship, and give people encouragement and constructive support to those ‘aspirers’- This country needs them!

You do it brilliantly with Mary Portas, Queen Of Shops - constructive, enlightening and entertaining – more like that please! 

And while I’m on this – what are you like as ‘role model’ when it comes to your people? ‘Dragon’ or ‘Queen’?

Miriam Is A True Leader We Can All Learn From

I don’t like to post ‘non-business’ stuff on my blog, but every now and then something ‘hits’ you that makes you stop and think. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m passionate about football, and as you can imagine the World Cup in South Africa is really ‘hitting the spot’ for me (I know, I know, England have been shocking, but I love ‘the game’).

However, I saw this short video on the BBC at the half time of one of the games and I just thought it was brilliant. So brilliant, I think as many people as possible should see it. It shows that ‘leadership’ is not about CEO’s, MD’s and Partners. (Oh, this is about business then!)

Leadership is about people ‘doing stuff’ regardless of their qualifications, age and ‘position’.

Miriam of the Zenezela orphanage is a true inspirational leader – we can all learn from her.

Stand In Your Customers’ Shoes? Yes Minister!

News that the Small Business Minister Mark Prisk is going to spend 5 days doing ‘work experience’ on the ‘front line’ with some real entrepreneurs and their small businesses to get to see ‘for real’ the issues they face is a good thing!

Hopefully, it’s not a ‘political stunt’ and he does actually do it for real. It’s a great example of ‘standing in your customers’ shoes’ and for that I applaud him.

‘Standing in your customers’ shoes’ is one of those simple things that we should all do more of, and we should encourage our people  to do too – especially the non customer facing people!

It’s a great way of demonstrating you care. and it doesn’t cost much!  It’s also a great way of identifying issues, problems and opportunities – it’s like ‘free’ consultancy! (Hey, I’m doing myself out of a job here!)

What could you learn by‘standing in your customers’ shoes’?

Get Motivated! Get Animated!

You’ll love this! It’s a fascinating illustration of a presentation by Dan Pink who’s written some great stuff:

It was kindly sent to me by Andy Bradshaw of Voddie who do a great job of designing and maintaining this website – Cheers Andy.

If you like this, you’ll find a load more of them in the RSA Animate series.

They really are quite mesmerising!

Podcast 5: Creating A Customer Culture – An Interview With Paul Meehan, Director Of Customer Experience At Axa Insurance

You’ll love this one! It’s an interview with friend and client, Paul Meehan, Director Of Customer Experience at Axa Insurance.

Paul has an amazing amount of experience in building and selling a very successful insurance broking business and then moving to the huge organisation that is Axa Insurance.

You’ll hear Paul’s insightful ideas, views and practical experiences about creating excellent customer experiences that are relevant whether you are the CEO of a large multi-national, an entrepreneur looking to grow and develop a business, or a team leader responsible for the customer experience in your organisation. 

Podcast #5contains:

• Creating a customer focussed culture – Steps to help you develop a real customer focus in your business.
• The role of the leader – Paul’s practical ideas to help make things work
• Involve and engage your people – How to ‘tap in’ to the knowledge and experience of your ‘front line’ staff
• Plus other practical stuff to stimulate thoughts and actions  

You can listen to it here: 
 

Click here to download Podcast

You can also download it to your ipod by clicking here or on the itunes icon at the top of the website

Related links for this podcast:

The books Paul recommends in the interview:

Who Says Elephants can’t Dance? How I turned around IBM – Louis Gerstner

Books by Jack Welsh

Thinking in 3D by Andy Hanselman ( I know Paul’s read that one too!) 

Remember, you can subscribe all future Compete Or Get Beat podcasts on iTunes - simply click here to do that

And finally, don’t forget to if you do go to iTunes, please leave them a rating and a comment on what you thought!

People Will Forget What You Said…..

“People will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel”

Maya Angelou

I like that – it applies to everything we do in business…. as suppliers, as team mates and as leaders.

Have a wonderful Easter Break!

Don’t Just Measure It!

Here’s another quote I like. In my conference presentations and seminars I often say

‘What gets measured, gets managed’.

Here’s a better ‘enhanced’ version of that from customer loyalty ‘guru’ and author of Loyalty Rules, Frederick Reicheld:

“What gets measured creates accountability”.

What do you measure? Who’s ‘accountable’?

Getting Ahead In Gateshead!

Great news for a great client of mine! Gateshead College is one of the ‘Best Places To Work’ and has won a special award in The Sunday Times Best Places To Work. The Best For Innovation In Employment Practice award was won in addition to being 15th overall in the list.

They are a great team to work with and thoroughly deserve their award. As the report on the College shows, when it comes to ‘employee engagement’, it’s about taking a procative approach to getting individuals to contribute (regardless of their ‘rank’ or ‘position’) and it’s about recognising individuals’ contributions either publically like the Staff Oscars, which are a great event to be involved in, or the personal things like ‘birthday’ cards, and ‘thank you’ notes.

I experienced it myself last year at the Annual Staff Conference that I’d been involved in, resulted in me being presented in front of 450 staff with my very own ‘stag horns’ for my pre -wedding celebrations that were taking place on Tyneside that night!!!

Well done to everyone involved -  Not just one of the best places to work, but one of the best places to work with!

JFK – ‘Jobs For Kids’?

JFK Airport Traffic Control have obviously taken on board the example set by Thomson Air in getting kids to do adults’ jobs I mentioned last week! Although they do seem to have created a little more controversy!

Here’s the audio of a young chap doing a bit of ‘Air Traffic Controlling’ when he went into work with his dad yesterday. Apparently his dad has been suspended pending further enquiries.

Obviously, if he was left to direct traffic on his own while his dad and his mates went for a sandwich, I’d be worried, but I can’t help thinking that it’s just a case of a dad proudly involving his son in his work and giving him a little go! I’m all for encouraging youngsters to understand the world of work, and in fact, I think that’s what the best businesses do. if that involves in them getting ‘engaged’ in doing a bit of something, I think that’s good.

Now, if he’d got him to fly the plane, that might be a different matter!

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