Thincubator - Simple remedies for business success

Playing the angel

For those that know me well the fact that I am using a Depeche Mode album as the title for this blog won't surprise them.  Not only are Deche Mode one of my favourite bands of all time but I also often use their lyrics as examples of how we can all improve in business.

I was asked this morning to consider the topic of 'honesty' in business by @dititoria. In addition I am hosting a talk on 'Transparency in Business' on behalf of Bright Talk.

Let's start with the traditional view of business.....this is the 80's hangover in my view.

You had something to hide
Should have hidden it, shouldn't you
Now you're not satisfied
With what you're being put through

 

From the 'most excellent' Policy of truth in an age where wisdom dictated that we could/should get away with what in effect amounts to lies.

Now I have heard people say things like: 'Well you didn't get the job because you were too honest'.....or words to that effect.  Let's pause a second though and consider this.

If you had a literal translation of this then it says to me that we prefer people to lie to us?  Surely that is less than ideal as a situation as you would spend all your time trying to establish if someone had told you the truth or not?

The other, and in my experience the real, reason for people making this type of comment is that someone said something that 'hurt', as Usher said 'Baby, everything we built on trust, you're tearing it down.  Coz I know the truth hurts'.  We tend to like to feel we know best, especially when bringing in a partner to work with.  There is an inherent contradiction, though, as we go to seek out a specialist and then get 'hurt' by the fact that we may not know as much as we thought we did in the first place.  The key is to recognise, in the first instance, that relationships are built on both sides.

Always assume positive intent on the part of the supplier coming in to talk to you.  Very few people genuinely go out of their way to ruin your day.  They are the experts.  As the supplier try to recognise the sensitivity in the client.  Watch for the points where they become restless, challenging or uneasy.  Seek to understand.  You may have a view that they are clearly uncomfortable with so question them.  After all the best way to build a meaningful relationship is based on great questioning and listening skills.

If all parties are open minded, sensitive and adult then we will all get a far better outcome, but NEVER EVER lie.  After all, everything counts in large amounts....

 
 

What's that coming over the hill...

There is only ever one thing in business guaranteed to really wind me up!

The one thing is 'process'.....now before all those ISO & BS people start attacking me....hear me out.  I am not against process, my issue is when process removes 'common sense' and drives complexity & cost in to the business.

Process people are wired in a particular way, in my experience, and they are great at what they do.  However process requires a set of predictable circumstances to occur for them to be effective.  For me if you need an 'exception process' for your process (hope you are keeping up) then you haven't got a process at all.  I see so many processes where there are more 'exceptions' to the rule than anything else.  This drives cost and confusion in to the system (had to find a different word to use).

Now just to ensure the balance here, the processes themselves are not wrong but they require the right inputs, and generally people writing the process have not got enough business experience in the particular area to do anything other than map, what they are told.

As the song from The Automatic says.....

  

'Confused, mind bruised, it seeps out'

Process, in my opinion, should only ever be based on the 'moment of truth principle', if the proverbial hits the fans and you know instantly who gets the phone call, then you can get a process.

Companies see process in the wrong light, they tend to see it as a way of mitigating risk, rather than ensuring quality.....as such it shackles staff rather than set them free.

A classic example is in the 'contact centre'.  How often do you hear, for relatively minor issues, that the person you are talking to must talk to their line manager, or that something can't be done because it is not the company policy/process?

In business you only add value or cost to anything you do, make sure your processes truly add value, not just make you feel better.  Getting the balance right is key.  You can't have chaos, but you also need a business that can reflect the needs of its customers.

Where is the love

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking long and hard about interaction, be it business or personal interaction.  I have come to the conclusion that despite the myriad of different rules on etiquette we appear to have a natural tendency to forget, what appears to be the biggest rule of all.

I have seen tweets about one nationality being 'smarter' than another. I have even been in meetings where I have seen people be accused of behaviour that the accuser themselves is really the guilty party.  Why is this the case though?  Why, despite the hundreds of rule books do we still fall in to this 'trap'.

The Black Eyed Peas come to the rescue here.  Listen carefully.....

 

Two powerful lines in the song, sum it up for me.

'But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate'

and

'Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother'

Now, before people attack me, I am not saying people are deliberately racist or anything like that, but it is a reaction that is only......

 

........human.

So what are the 'lessons'.  I suppose in simple terms it is all about having real empathy for the recipient of your message.  Consider cultural differences, different thinking styles, and objectives.

The one contentious part ofthis blog is that I do not agree with those that inform people to 'just be themselves and if others dont like it.....'.  The world is all about achieving together.  As one smart man said a long time ago....'No man is an island'.

In business and in personal life we are stronger, together.  You must be true to yourself, but it is 'arrogant' to assume that everyone will just accomodate you.  Find the 'love' and share it.  A little love goes a long long way.

Departures from convention

There are not many times when I get really philosophical....I have a cheery disposition and I love life.  I always have, and always will, that is why I run a children's charity, that is why I try to leave a positive lasting impression with every person I meet.  Do I achieve, no, not always of course.

I've had a number of conversations this week that have brought about my thinking that despite our best efforts some things are just destined to happen....or are they?  The more I contemplate, the more I feel either I have no answer, or maybe there is no answer to this.  Maybe this is like the 'meaning of life' question?

I have seen businesses succeed where all 'logic' dictates they shouldn't. In fact I have also seen solid businesses fail when all indications would suggest that they should 'fly away'.  So what is it that makes these things happen?

I look back over my 'non-business' related experiences, and they seem to offer a pattern. That said, I do wonder sometimes if I am looking for patterns just to rationalise these things in my logical brain?  This year marks the 20th anniversary of my best friend George committing suicide, I miss him dearly, but I also recognise that in his mind there was no other way out.  He had decided, in his mind, that nothing was going to break the cycle of pain he felt.

I also look back to 11 years ago where I was a witness to a horrific accident on the M25 in which a young lady died and I was there by her side as she passed away.  It is one of the most powerful things I have ever witnessed, and has shaped everything I did for the last decade.  I held her hand as she told me how scared she was and slowly slipped away.

I know you are wondering, what the hell does this have to do with business.  Well let me offer some thoughts.  My drive in business came as a result of those experiences.  I have been told all the way along by the 'experts' that I would not be successful but, I hope, I have started to prove them wrong.

The explanation I am offering is that despite the natural best intentions of people,(I am a firm believer that there are very few people who go out of their way to inflict 'pain'.), sometimes we must trust our own 'gut' despite what they advise.  Sometimes, only we know, what is right or wrong.  Sometimes, despite the odds stacking against us, it is our drive and passion that will succeed in proving 'convention' wrong.

The moral in my mind is that if, as per the lyrics in the excellent Robbie Rivera song, you have already got to 'departures', then don't be surprised if you get a strange outcome.

   

Just because conventional wisdom says you are a winner doesn't mean you are.  The same can be said of failure.  The future is in your hands, make sure you learn the lessons of the past, but remember for all the 'scientists' out there (or logical people like me) - energy can neither be created nor destroyed: it can only be transformed from one state to another.  So sometimes things just happen because the universe states they will.

Hello to the productivity paradox?

The other day @tweetsbyskeet mentioned the productivity paradox.  With a world of so many 'self serve' tools as well as the advent of time saving devices, are we moving forwards, or creating more challenges?  Are we in danger of losing productivity, driving prolificacy or even a world of people preoccupied with anything but the job at hand?

Now, as with all things, there is no 'one size fits all' answer to this question but what I can say is that, as with many things in life there are both strengths and weaknesses.  What do I mean?  Well the 'self serve' culture of the world now means that there are more budding professional amateurs (or is that amateur professionals) than ever before.  Look at the spread of Social Media 'gurus' or the number of presentation experts.  Being able to post a blog, send a tweet, or 'throw together' some powerpoint slides doesn't make you an expert but the fact that it is so easy to do means people try.

Now, of course, even experts have to start somewhere, but the ease of access can be a problem with prolific numbers of people in any given arena.

I also noted that the 10 most blocked sites by business include many of those 'productive' communication sites.  Businesses deem many of them a drain on productivity, in fact I am seeing a trend where companies are considering if 'business tools' like the iPad & iPhone are actually beneficial or a drain on productivity.  One client I have worked with has now banned such devices in any meetings as they found attendees were preoccupied with events outside the room they were in.

We can now do, and access so many things, there is concern that we will develop a workforce without an attention span, and surely that cannot be good for customer service or productivity.  In the old 'Belbin' team profiles, are we in danger of making the 'completer-finisher' a rare commodity or even a thing of the past?

As the lyrics of Martin Solveig's Hello say - I could stick around and get along with you, hello.
It doesn't really mean that I'm into you, hello.

 

But surely the world has always been like that and it, like most things in the digital world, is just now more obvious?

Who Dat Girl

Having decided to write another blog today I asked 'Twitter' for feedback in terms of a topic to cover.  What came out of that was a fantastic request from @EmLeary to cover the corporate/personal divide when it comes to the social media space.

In other words - 'How do I manage my 'personal' life v 'corporate' life when it comes to social media.  There are some fantastic lessons in the words to the song of the same title as this blog.  Listen carefully -

 

But also let me summarise.  Firstly let me dispel a myth.  There is a myth that states companies, and people can get information about you now that they could not get of you previously.  That, in my opinion, is fundamentally wrong.

What social media has brought about, is an age where getting that information is easier.  Yes you can google people now and draw up long lists of data.  That now draws a real challenge for all parties, both employers & employees.  The real challenge is that more than ever we hold a duty of responsibility both ways, but to suggest social media is a new phenomenon is way wide of the mark in my opinion.  Contentious. Yes, but let me explain.

If we go back hundreds of years trader's social currency was based on lots and lots of interactions via word of mouth......social media 101.  The advent of the digital age has just opened up those boundaries but not changed the fundamental laws.  Guy Fawkes was caught because one of the group sent a letter to a member of parliament, warning them of the impending 'terrible blowe'.

So, I feel, we have established that social media isn't a new idea.  The speed of which it can be deployed, and responded is what digital has brought to the arena.  A more personal interaction because of the visibility.  However, how do we separate our personal/business life.  Well again I don't think the rules have changed there either.  If you don't want something to be public domain you don't say it.  If something would embarrass you, your family, your employer, or potentially the nation then you just don't do it. Employers must also use this 'new found' data in an appropriate & relevant way, and that means acting on real not just perceived issues. 

Wikileaks is a classic example of how social media can accelerate the spread of information but that the fundamental information source was not social media.  In 1912 when Titanic sunk, it was estimated that the average Briton took around 2-3 days to discover the fact.  On September 11th the images were on TV within 10 minutes.

So, in summary, data has grown up.  Information flows around digital networks at the speed of light, and we must 'grow up' with that new found 'power', but the fundamental rules remain the same.

If you don't want anyone to know then don't say anything.  If you think someone/something could be embarrassed by something then don't do it.  Most of all, just because information travels at the speed of light doesn't mean you need to act in haste.  Things may have sped up, but we still need to slow it all back down, and act appropriately and according to the situation.  Be true to yourself, but remember inappropriate behaviour is still inappropriate irrespective of what media it is delivered by.

What are your top tips for managing in a digital world?

Finest of margins

It is amazing how the finest of margins can change perceptions, attitudes & be the foundation for building success, or otherwise.

This week I sent out a simple tweet.  It said:

If you know you are good at something is that confidence or arrogance?

I had no fewer than 72 responses to that simple tweet.  The responses ranged so much, but it was easy to pull out that the finest of margins would determine how people perceived this one simple detail.  We then look at someone like Einstein, one of the most brilliant minds ever.  Many thought he was bordering on insanity, though hindsight recognises him as a genius.....despite this picture of him being one of the most famous.

 

Amazing how such small margins determine so many things, but this is a really important point.  Why the iPod was a success versus some of the other MP3 players around at the time?  Why Microsoft?  Why not Amstrad?  The winning margins are the finest of margins.

I love to refer to sport in these situations, we can learn so much from them.  Take this for example:

 

Just because you are trailing the opposition for long periods it doesn't mean you will lose.  Skill can take you so far but that 'winning determination' can take you through.  Along the way you have adapt.  I was in Camp Nou the night Manchester United won.  Putting the emotion to one side, what you saw the whole night was a team of players who constantly changed their approach and attack play.  They refused to give in.  They knew they had the constituent ingredients:

Game plan (and the bravery to adjust as needed)

Talent

Desire

If you have these you'll win more than you lose.  As the great Jim Collins said:

1. The kind of commitment I find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work. Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step.

2. Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.

Why try and say it again, when it has been said so well.  It really does show that the finest or margins make winners in to losers, but also losers in to winners.

I do feel I am good at what I do. That is not arrogance but confidence based on experience.  I just hope people will agree and support that assumption.  I hope to change the way the business world uses & engages with 'consultants'. I just hope that isn't viewed as arrogance, as it is my game plan.

 

Chicken and egg roulette

Having commented on this blog post by @TweetsBySkeet I realised that I have never really covered the business 'food chain' before.

The business 'food chain' is what I use to describe the situation when business, or more accurately, people in business jump to conclusions.  It is common for people to 'already know' the answer & recruit people in to deliver the solution.  In fairness I have always found this an odd practice, if you REALLY knew the solution to an issue, you would just solve it.

The reason I talk about the food chain is that I liken this type of action to that of having flawed DNA (i.e. building blocks) but thinking that, for example, plastic surgery will solve the issue.

In Doug's blog he is talking about 'selling' via twitter and that we need to have a currency (and almost a ££ revenue target for our social media interaction).  This 'issue' I have with this is the fact that it jumps too far down the 'food chain' and makes, in my opinion, too many sweeping assumptions.  It is a bit like seeing someone go in to a chemist and saying that they are only there to pick up a prescription, and then being surprised that they come out with passport photos.

In all business communications you have to understand the role of different media in the way you 'tackle' the market.  In other words for your service, or product, 'How do your target customers react to different ways of consuming media'.  For example, as a country type example, people in Africa use SMS alot and have a 95% plus ownership of mobile phones.  They share PC's and probably won't use them, in many cases, more than once a week.  So using twitter for them would be utterly useless, but SMS may have a role, depending on what you want to communicate to them.

That said, if you want them to go and purchase something then, vouchers in newspapers will have a far better return than sending them an offer on the phone as that is a mechanism they understand.

I have real empathy with what Doug is saying, and if you have properly selected twitter as a revenue generation media you should think exactly as he suggests.  I just encourage you to step back, smell the coffee, and be really clear on your objectives, based on objectivity.

Never assume, as they say it makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'.

Different ain't wrong, just different!

I love to muse. 

That doesn't mean I only think and take no action but, for example, I never play the radio in the car as I use it as my 'thinking' time.  That said, there will be millions of people who will disagree with me.  I am sure some will listen to music, books, podcasts, news, & a plethora of other things.

At dinner last night I was sat with @MarkShaw and we were discussing this.  We even sent out a short tweet about UK twitter users being better than US ones.  In my view, the reality is none are better, they are just different.  For example @MarkShaw follows a small number of people, or which I am honoured to be part of that 'special' crew.  However some of my other totally awesome follows (for example @barefoot_exec) follow large numbers of people, but I will always get a response from Carrie.  I also feel 'special' there because out of thousands of people she chooses to respond to me.

It got me to thinking in the car on the way home after dinner, and neither approach is 'right' because in actual fact I feel 'special' in both cases.  So what does this have to do with business?  Well I sent out a #bizgptip yesterday, which I am sure was a little too contentious for some.  It stated the following.

Leaders empower, managers enslave.

Now I accept this may be a little 'harsh' but there really was a very important message.  Business has, for a long time, been talking about being nimble, adaptive, flexible etc etc, yet in many cases it still tries to 'tie-down' people to tightly managed scripts.

Now before all the ISO people beat the 'metaphoricals' out of me I am not stating that we should not have process in business.  What I am saying, is that we should not tie ourselves in knots trying to say there is only one way to do everything.  Businesses should always look to challenge accepted convention, as their customers, and new competition are not bound by the same rules.

The same goes for leaders. The biggest lesson for leaders, in my opinion is:

Just because someone chooses to do something different, doesn't make it wrong, just different.

In the twitter context this means we must learn to reflect on the fact that there are many different cultures, communication styles etc represented here.  To truly engage with people we need to understand and reflect that empathy in our engagement style.  Do so, and there is a rich set of rewards.  Though, you don't have to as clearly that is also your choice. Different not wrong.

Do you find different styles, and approaches winding you up?  How do you deal with the 'tension' that creates?

Timing is everything....

It's  the age old adage isn't it.  How often do you hear the phrase used?  Well, it was all about the timing you know!  But is timing really everything? Or is it just a part of things?

I understand the right pause, or emphasis on a joke, the right delivery can make or break it but if the joke is useless in the first place then surely timing doesn't convert it from bad to good.  How often do you see two almost identical comments on tweets that get totally different responses?  It is the words as well as the timing.

There are many business comparisons here.  Think about Friends Reunited, a successful business but lacked that fundamental something that Facebook got right.  The Facebook team understood that to be really successful in this area you had to generate a 'critical mass' of people on the site.  The only way of doing this was to offer access for free.  It was that subtle change (and clearly learning about usability as they moved on) that set it on the road to huge success.

There are other examples on the web where it wasn't timing but the introduction (or lack of) of a 'pay system' made one site a success, or changed it's fortunes.  The Times Paywall reportedly reduced the the Times traffic by 85%.  Linkedin was very late to market but again it was the lack of a subscription fee for a good service that made it the success.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying that timing isn't important but there is a good degree of truth in Lord Sugar's comments on taking ownership for your business, or career for that fact (some of his comments are not just for the entrepreneur) as managing a corporate career involves taking risks just the same as an entrepreneur. 

Now, before you start criticising me I do not 100% agree with Lord Sugar's comments in fact I have huge empathy with Andy Lopata's comments in his blog.  Business is about networks, always has been & always will be.  In fact how often are sales down to 'who you knew'.  Lord Sugar should know this as Amstrad really only exists today because of the relationship with BSkyB.  I do, however stick with my comments about managing a career.  There are many parallels.  Most of those that 'make it big' in a career took risks to get there.  They also tend to have trusted networks of people that they 'bounce' ideas off.

So, in summary, I have little sympathy with the comment about right time, and right place.  Of course, in the world of 'damn lies & statistics' there are statistical possibilities that mean timing can be everything.  My point, though, is that in most cases, it is the finer details, and the 'tweaking' of a formula for success that makes the real difference.  Just look at F1.  How the cars, performance wise, start the season isn't how they end, and it is those minor adjustments that make all the difference.