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 […]
“If you could re-hire all of your team members tomorrow, would you?” That’s a question you’ll have heard me refer to many times, and it’s a question I always put to my clients to get an immediate insight into the effectiveness of their hiring system. It’s occasionally met with a resounding ‘yes!’ Sometimes with a […]
Fourteen inspiring businesswomen from across the globe come together to inspire women to create the next chapter of their lives. It’s been an extraordinary couple of years, during which time countless women around the world have gone that extra mile to inspire and support each other, to help one another rise, often in incredibly difficult […]
I learned a lot during my time with McDonald’s, a scaling giant, but there are 3 key lessons that stick with me. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but along with spring, there’s a real sense of renewed optimism in the air. Home-schooling parents are soon to be released from their duties, vaccinations are on […]
‘A vampire is a creature from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital essence of the living.’ – Wikipedia We all have vampires in our lives. Time vampires! And the biggest vampire of all is your inbox. You know what I’m talking about – you plan your day, have it all set out the evening before, […]
Tip 1 Work in sync with your ‘productivity clock’. Growing up I remember that everyone was expected to be productive at the same times during the day. And we just aren’t. There are early birds and night owls, and every shade of grey in between. Everyone has a natural rhythm so you need to work out […]
‘Too many people let the day happen to them, and then get to the end of it feeling frustrated because another day has passed them by without them achieving anything.’ So many people are feeling overwhelmed at the moment. You may be one of them. Between working from home, running a business, home schooling – […]
If you want to be there for your team and your family, you have to protect your own time and energy. Protecting our own time and energy, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a leader. Protecting it so we can be our capable, calm and compassionate selves, enabling and inspiring those around us, […]
“If you could re-hire all of your team members tomorrow, would you?” That’s a question you’ll have heard me refer to many times, and it’s a question I always put to my clients to get an immediate insight into the effectiveness of their hiring system. It’s occasionally met with a resounding ‘yes!’ Sometimes with a […]
‘94% of all failure is a result of the system, not the people.’ That’s quite a statement from W Edwards Deming – a pretty revolutionary thought-leader on management and productivity back in the day. So is he right? How easy is it for your people to get it right, first time, every time? I was […]
Are you easy to do business with? ‘How do you sell in your business?’. ‘Err, well it’s sort of like this.’ ‘What is the buying process for a potential customer as the first stage of their journey through your business?’ ‘Hmmm, well we don’t have a process as such but we seem to get by’. […]
One of my guilty pleasures at the moment is catching up with The Great British Bake Off. With everything that’s going on around us this year, it’s a proper slice of comfort telly. Happily, the only tiers you’ll hear talk of are the tiers of the show-stopping gateaux or the tears of the winners and […]