Hot on the heels of International Women’s Day, comes another day which celebrates and honours the women of the world, in this case, more specifically, Mothers. Yes, it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday – a day dedicated to celebrating the strength, love, and guidance of mothers and to appreciate the tireless effort and sacrifices they make […]
I think it’s fair to say that there is a significant amount of fatigue around ‘awareness days’ for subjects and issues that should be permanently high on our radar… International Women’s Day, a globally recognised day to celebrate women’s contributions to society and to raise awareness about the various challenges they face, is one such […]
Friday 3rd March is #EmployeeAppreciationDay… I have to say, as with love your pets day, isn’t every day the day to appreciate your team and the work they do? Showing appreciation, saying thank you, and generally showing an interest in every individual you work with should be the norm, and it’s absolutely essential for creating […]
February 20th is National Love Your Pet Day, and even though I doubt any of us pet owners need a special day to love them, it is pretty great to have a day to celebrate the special bond we have with our furry, feathered, or even scaly friends. It’s an excellent reminder to show extra […]
I know a number of individuals who would equate ‘being a kind leader’ with being a ‘soft’ leader. But for me, being kind is a hugely important quality for a leader to possess. It’s not about being nice, it’s about having a deep understanding of what leadership is really about, and using that knowledge to […]
Finally it’s here… something I’ve been working on, and I’m proud to share it with you all… I’m delighted to introduce you to the NEW, 90 day Chaos to Consistency programme! I couldn’t be more excited about this programme and the positive impact it’s going to have on every successful small business owner looking to build a […]
Have you ever thought about the whole idea of Groundhog Day? That day at the beginning of February when the groundhog is said to come out of its hibernation hole and if it sees its own shadow – if it’s a sunny day – then it will turn round and go back into its hole, signalling six more […]
When growing your team, what mindset are you looking for? Many businesses promote competitive working instead of collaborative working. In some instances, such as individual sales, this might work well. However, with something like bringing a project together, pitching your team against each other to see who produces the best work actually wastes energy – […]
It’s the start of another New Year… 2023 no less (I remember when a date like that was futuristic sci-fi territory!) And I’m sure that like most business owners, your head is full of thoughts, ideas…maybe even plans (although you haven’t committed them to writing…yet) of everything that you want to achieve over the next […]
Could do better?! Do you remember when you were at school and you’d get your end of year report with a little summary from all of the teachers about how you performed? Maybe, like me, you still have a couple and have a good laugh at them, on the odd occasion you stumble across them, […]
Tis the season of the overloaded socket! Of course we have to have 3 sets of lights on the tree, and lights in the window, and we definitely need outside lights (only tasteful ones of course) and there’s only that one socket near the window so we’ve got to make it work somehow! In the […]
When you build the right team around you, everything in your operation becomes easier. So how do you attract the ‘right’ people to your team? Here are my top 5 tips: 1 Get really clear about the DNA of your ideal team member. Is there someone in your team who is the personification of your […]
Right now as business owners, we’re all assessing and re-assessing key elements of our operation – from our business model to our marketing, from our team to our own role in the day to day – it’s that time of year. We start to think about what’s worked well, and what hasn’t. How the team […]
In horticulture, this time of year is one for reflection, harvest and protection from the coming elements… The Autumnal equinox in September signifies the start of the seed gathering season where we’re encouraged to forage for seeds, fruit and nuts to plant them under our protection. To nurture them over the Winter for the coming […]
The increase in concern over burnout and overwhelm and the breakdown of the work-life balance is very real. Technology is a double-edged sword; for every advance and for every connection made, for every time zone broken down, we are more available and more accessible than ever. The flip side? We find it more and […]
Leadership as loving service? Over the past couple of weeks there’s been an awful lot said about The Queen, about the person behind the throne, about her faith and the impact it had on her daily life, and most relevant to me, about her qualities as a leader – The Vision she had for her […]
Not surprisingly in the current climate there are a lot of posts about leadership on LinkedIn at the moment. Many outline the ‘normal’ traits and behaviours of a leader, things like vision, integrity, empathy, nous, decisiveness. We can all trot them out and they are important traits, don’t get me wrong. But today I thought […]
“You’re communicating with me way too much,” said no employee to their manager ever. No successful business has ever become successful without great people managers. But how many businesses have lost great people due to a bad one? There are many skills needed by a manager but if you want to keep your team engaged […]
One of the biggest lessons learned by many business owners during lockdown, was either that they had too many individuals who were indispensable, or that there were too many tasks that could only be done by one individual – often the business owner themselves. What resulted was at worst, a breakdown in their operation, at […]
Managers – do you listen to audiobooks? Well it’s taken some time, but I’m delighted to tell you that… drum roll… Mission: To Manage is finally available as an audiobook on both Audible UK and Audible US. I know parents aren’t meant to boast about their children, but I do love this little book, […]
When systemising and creating ‘one right way’ to do everything in your business, things can start to feel a little repetitive. It’s all very well the idea of having one right way to do everything in your business, but in reality, training the team and new hires in each and every task seems endless! […]
Consistency is a key word in our business, and the achievement of consistency is key to everything we do. The desire for a consistent operation is the whole reason our clients come to us – the goal of having a consistent operation that runs like clockwork whether they are there or not – the […]
Are you proud of your team? Whatever your industry, business or team size, I bet you wouldn’t be where you are now without your wonderful team! Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate and appreciate your people, and in particular our LGBTQ+ team members in honour of Pride month this June. How well do you look […]
I may be showing my age here, but back in the day it was a real thing to ‘do a spring clean’. Some say that it originated in Iran where local people celebrated the new year with a cleaning frenzy known (roughly translated) as ‘shaking the house’! Others say it was to do with Easter, […]
I’m a firm believer in that phrase and it was well illustrated a couple of weeks ago. If you’re not a rugby or football fan please bear with me 🙂 It was watching the Liverpool v Atalanta Champions League game. An Atalanta player fouled an opponent and was being booked with a yellow card. (For […]
‘5.7 million SMEs generate £2 trillion for the UK economy; 33,860 scaleups contribute £1 trillion of this total!’’ ONS 2020 Staying in startup mode As a small business grows, and employees increase, it’s just not possible for the business owner to sort out all of the problems they face, as they arise. And if every […]
“So your secret weapon when it comes to creating How Tos will be…” If the mention of the word systems has brought you out in hives, fear not! By the time you’ve read this post you’ll be seeing systems in a different, brighter, much friendlier light. And seeing the creation of systems in your business […]
I talk a LOT about the need for effective systems in your business. About the benefit of developing them and improving them in collaboration with the people who are going to work with them – and about how McDonald’s have used systems to become one of the most consistent and reliable brands on the planet. […]
Over the last few weeks I’ve been sharing specifics of how to systemise different areas of your business. So this week I thought it may be worth reminding you why you should bother, with my top ten (of the many) benefits of a systemised business! Increased customer loyalty and retention. You attract new customers as […]
The first crucial step of your new team member’s journey through your business “A small company depends on great people much more than a big company does.” – Steve Jobs So! You’re happy that you’ve made a good fist of your hiring. You took your time. You’ve not settled. You’ve hired to your values. You’re […]
