Archive For: Leadership

Success is Smart (and Brave)

I spent last week hosting the Manufacturers Pavilion at Austech15, a trade show for those in the manufacturing sector.

You can check out some interesting observations and videos from the show (including the 3D printed push bike) here.

The summary from hearing the likes of Google’s head of Sales Engineering, the CEO of Committee for Economic Development in Australia, CEO of Innovative Thinking, CSIRO’s head of Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), Director of AusIndustry and Dean of Engineering from Deakin University is very simple – BE BRAVE.

Too many firms in our manufacturing sector (and from my experience in many others as well) struggle to move from business as usual. This is not new, this is not unique and worst of all, it is not unexpected!

This article in Forbes from 2013 talks about it and in particular refers to the Sigmoid Curve which first came to my attention in the early 1990s. A quick Google search brings up many images, theories and case studies to supports its application.

Yet still we ignore it.

One of my clients has dedicated half of every Monday to work on the strategy of their business so they do not get stuck in the day to day of their business. By looking at what the industry offers, what the issues are and what roles they want to play, they are shaping their future not responding to it.

Success requires bravery and it requires us to be smart as well. What clever edge can we take advantage of? What unique approach will put you in front?

Once you know this, be brave and work for it.

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Who’s Looking After You?

We had a fabulous weekend away at this old butcher shop that has been converted into a B&B with a very French feel. It was lovely and relaxing.

By the way, when I say “We”, I mean four of our friends and myself. My gorgeous wife had to stay at home.

I would have loved for her to join us but she was very unwell and I couldn’t afford to get sick as I am off to Singapore on Thursday to deliver two different presentations at a conference and I am just getting over an ear infection.

We talked about it and decided that she would probably just stay in bed for the weekend so I stocked up the fridge with yummy foods and then cleared out of there before the dreaded diseases got me.

It was a tough call. I wanted to be comfort to my gorgeous wife but I also got it was very important to look after myself and my own health. If I am not prepared to make tough decisions about my own health, who will?

So who’s looking after you?

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Want to Achieve It?

As I write this we are in Mid May. The year is almost half over.

Are you almost half way to reaching your goals?

I was fortunate to be published in the highly regarded Leading the Way magazine on what it takes to REALLY achieve your goals and I thought others would appreciated it as well.

You can check out the article here.

leading the way cover

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Got Barriers?

My gorgeous wife and I took some friends out to dinner on Saturday night to celebrate a big success they had. It was one of the nicer places in the area and priced to match – it was a great choice for a celebration.

One of the first impressions all four of us had was that it seemed that every member of the waiting staff had a nose ring, additional piercings and tattoos.

Now there are some great reasons why wait staff should be able to have body art and I am the first to admit it did not prevent them from giving good service. The important question is, are they a barrier for your customers.

Maybe a grungy cafe would be no big deal, but for a high end establishment it seemed out of place.

There are two key elements to consider here:

1) I could just be a grumpy old fart who is incredibly judgemental and old fashioned (that is entirely possible)

2) What simple barriers can you remove in your workplace or life to help make things flow more effortlessly?

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A Celebration

Wow! What a big weekend.

I was part host, part facilitator and part attendee at the National Speakers Association of Australia annual convention in Canberra.

The most important part of the weekend for me was when I received my Certified Speaking Professional accreditation (as pictured below)

A big thank you to you for being part of my speaking journey and your support in getting me to this stage. Because of this designation and a few other factors, I have been asked to speak in Singapore and Washington DC later this year. I could not have done this without you.

This global certification makes me one of 75 people in Australia and one of about 650 worldwide.

I look forward to continuing sharing observations with you, hosting your events and speaking at your conferences.

Now it’s time to celebrate.

Thanks again for helping make this happen!

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To Serve or Delight?

I have had many a discussion with my mentor group on whether we should aim for Customer Service or Customer Delight. Million Dollar Relationships expert Danielle Storey defines Customer Delight as “Providing the customer service experience that was expected, plus a little bit extra.”

Friends and I were delighted on the weekend. We stayed at a great little B&B as part of our B&B Crew weekends (we all kick in $50 a month and head somewhere different every couple of months). This time it was off to Ocean Grove and we found a colourful and funky looking place with four bedrooms called Fairmont. 

Now we have stayed at a few B&Bs over time but it was the little bit extras that made a big difference. An early check in, a late check out, chocolates for us, doggy treats for the dogs, quality linen, all the little supplies like slat, pepper, coffee, tea, herbal teas, quality appliances, quality bathroom products, quality toilet paper, … I could go on.

All of these little things that would not have cost a significant amount of money, time or effort, all added up to not just Customer Service but Customer Delight.

So how do you delight your customers?

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Ethics, What Ethics?

couple-pointing-at-cloud-home

One of my gorgeous wife’s friends is looking to buy a house. 

After a lot of searching, she found one she liked. Like all good homeowners, she did her research. She had the conveyancer review the contract of sale/section 32 and she also had a property inspection.

For those that don’t know, a property inspection is where a qualified inspector comes and does a detailed inspection of the house and reports back to you important information about it. It is a valuable report that can prevent you from buying a house loaded with potential disasters. As with all transactions, the report is the property of the person who paid for it.

The day before the auction, my friend received a call from the person who did the inspection advising her that the real estate agent had contacted them and asked for a copy of the report so they could display it as part of the auction documentation.

Whaaaaa….

The inspector did the ethical thing and said it was not their call to make and the owner of the report (our friend) was the only one who could make that decision. The agent then advised they would contact my friend – which they never did. I suspect that they knew after paying hundreds of dollars for a report, our friend would not be willing to give it away to her competing bidders.

Here is the outcome of poor business ethics:

  • A formal complaint can be made against you to your industry body (as will happen in this case)
  • You will never get work from this potential customer again
  • Your reputation will be sullied in the market place
  • Your whole industry will be drawn into disrepute
  • You won’t sleep well at night 

What about you?

How important are ethics to you and your business? How often are they discussed in your team meetings? What can you do to be sure that everyone on your team acts ethically even when no one is watching?

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First on the Floor

My gorgeous wife and I went to a family wedding at the Plaza Ballroom on Valentines Day. (A cheap way to have a great night out on Valentines Day!!)

After dinner when the band started the dance music, people hesitated to get on the dance floor. As my wife has broken her foot (that’s another story!) she was definitely not going on the dance floor. So I thought I would ask one of the cousins who was over from the UK.

She adamantly refused to go on the dance floor until many others had. I even tried dragging her on but she would not budge. So I had to try other methods to get people on the dance floor.

My theory, just get on the floor. No one cares. Yes other people will watch you, some may even laugh but who is on the dance floor having fun? Who is on the dance floor enjoying themself rather than sitting there wishing they were?

In business, this is the same. Give things a try. Yes you may fail, yes people may laugh, yes you may stumble and fall but during your early business dance you will learn things that watching will never give you. You will get immense satisfaction from taking action rather than just thinking about it.

So why don’t you be first on the floor!

Image: The Marriner Group

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Say No to Success

NO

The recurring theme in discussions with clients as they plan their year is saying NO.

In life, it is what you say NO to that will determine your success not what you say YES to.

As the old saying goes, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” It is up to us to maintain our focus on what counts and what is important. We can only do this by saying NO to distractions, NO to worthy causes that don’t serve us, NO to procrastination, NO to events we don’t want to go to but are too nice to say so, NO to amazing business deals that will shift us off course and not give a decent return, NO to opportunities that stroke our ego but do not serve our purpose, NO to things our gut tells us not to do but our head says yes.

Often, saying YES is the easy way out. Standing in our power, in what we know is right for us as a person, a parent, a business owner, an employee, a community member and a family member can be hard. But it is this path that leads to success.

What you say NO to will determine your success, not what you say YES to.

One of the things business owners need to say No to is their customers. Not all of their customers but the ones that no longer serve them. The demanding ones that chew up all of your time but then don’t buy from you. The ones that take months to pay and always have an excuse. The ones that haggle on price every time they deal with you.

The best thing to do with this kind of customer is send them to your competition. You are better focussing on the customers that rave about you, that effortlessly refer you, that know your value and willingly pay your invoice on time. A key to doing this is to know your niche, know your target market, know your value and rarely stray from that zone.

Saying No to unsavoury customers means you free up space to service the quality customers in your niche, it saves the massive energy drain and it also increases your profitability.

What you say NO to will determine your success, not what you say YES to. So, who and what do you need to say NO to so you can increase your success?

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Unleash the Beast

killer dog

Meet Winston the oh so cute and slightly anxious toy poodle.

A couple of days ago I heard him making a funny noise so I came out of my office to see him like this. He was so proud of his hunter skills.

He had found, caught and killed a mouse.

It is the last thing I really expected of him. He was strutting around so proud of himself. He had tapped into his hidden wolf ancestral skill set and accomplished the unexpected.

Have you ever done this? Not killed a mouse but tapped into something you never knew or forgot you had and achieved something spectacular?

Maybe it was a sporting event. A hole in one, an ungettable slam dunk that you got or a forehand smash that went exactly where you wanted it. It could have been in business. Negotiating the unnegotiable, meeting an unreachable deadline or leading a team to “victory” in a manner that everyone was in awe of the achievement?

Like Winston, it is attacking the situation and never giving up. Continuing on even when things are not happening just as you want them that will bring you to the achievement. Tapping in to your internal motivation with a focus on your end goal.

Keep going and unleash your inner beast, you may just surprise yourself!

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Un-Australia Day

It’s Jan 26th, Australia day. The day many of us wave the flag, put lamb (or any other meat product) on the BBQ and drink a lot.

Unfortunately the Australian of the year this year is Rosie Batty. I wish to all that is powerful that she didn’t win. More specifically, that she did not have to go through the circumstances that put her in the position to win it. As a reminder, this is the woman whose estranged husband beat their son to death with a cricket bat while they were playing cricket at the nets.

The warnings to police, AVOs and “legal” solutions did little to assist her. She then started her campaign to inform us of why domestic violence is such a big issue in Australia and how it should not be tolerated. The statistics are scary. And it is not only women who are victims of domestic violence, men represent a greater proportion of victims than you may expect.

This is not the only, Un-Australian thing about Australia day. Our indigenous population commonly refer to today as “Invasion Day”. It is the day the White Man came – things pretty much went down hill for them from there. Our history of caring for aborigines is poor to say the least. In fact, it is not even referred to as “caring” but “treatment”.

The good thing is that as you get older your learn from your mistakes. Well, that’s the plan.

When should we talk about the “New Australians”? Is now a good time? For whatever reason, our government thinks boat people are bad and we should not take them in. We have spent billions of dollars NOT taking care of them and in fact, some commentators think it would be cheaper to settle them in Australia than keep them imprisoned in our “Processing Centres”.

It certainly is understandable that we don’t want certain types of people in our nation. People who have an evil intent or would not subscribe to the Australian way of life. Here is an example of the kind of person our government does NOT want in our country, Mr Homayon Hatami.

Mr Hatami is an asylum seeker on a bridging visa currently living in Geelong. His visa expires in April and he has been advised it will not be reviewed so he will need to leave the country.

Let me be up front and say that I do not know the details on his case and there may be more depth to his background. Here is what I do know:

  • Mr Hatami is a karate champion that the official selectors included in the team to represent Australia on several occasions (he could not represent us due to the conditions of his visa)
  • On 8th May 2013 Mr Hatami put his own life at risk to rescue a women who had jumped from a pier near Eastern Beach Geelong and then got into trouble.
  • For his action, Mr Hatami was awarded the Royal Humane Society of Australasia Silver Medal for bravery. With the authority of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Second, Queen of Australia, Mr Hatami was also awarded the Commendation for Brave Conduct by The Governor General His Excellency Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Not quite the spectre of evil our government should be sending back to wherever they came from. Certainly his actions have shown he is a fair and decent person. Some Australians have started a petition has been created to have Mr Hatami visa extended, if not granted asylum.  So it seems he has made a positive impact here. You can read more and sign the petition here.

What kind of Australia do we want for the future?

What kind of actions do we want to be seen as being “Australian”?

So much is happening in our name that DOES NOT represent the great nation that we are and can be. Whether it is action taken by our government, our sports stars, our businesses or general members of the community. Let’s make every day Australia day and celebrate it by being compassionate, understanding, big picture thinkers, community focussed, generous and sharing what we have with those who need it.

Let’s face it, everyone deserves a snag from the barbie!

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Let’s Do Better

Let’s Do Better

I am tired of all the disrespect and lack of tolerance.

Whether it is road rage, bombing, messy divorces, frivolous legal suits or over entitled celebrities, it is NOT progressing our planet or our existence.

Let’s do better.

Once you have some perspective, you see how unimportant we are to the universe and how important we are to each other.

If you need some perspective, watch this short video from Carl Sagan, legendary astrophysicist.

Let’s do better.

It is really quite simple. Let’s follow the teachings of legendary, non-religious, independantly brilliant and uniquely naive teachings of the two prophets Bill and Ted.

They have two simple philosophies:

1) Be excellent to each other

2) Party on dudes

It would be easy to dismiss these as flippant, 80’s movie trivia, but I believe they encapsulate what we need to do.

Treat each other incredibly well and celebrate life’s achievements in the company of others.

Let’s do better

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Get More Success from 2015

Key To Success

Can you believe it is the start of another year?

As we get older the years seem to pass more quickly so it becomes even more important that we make the most of the time presented to us. That means no more New Year’s Resolutions. They are a complete waste of time. Most people don’t even expect to keep them, so why would you make them?

Let’s take our success up another level by focussing on the five core elements we need to experience outrageous success.

Creation

The first element is to spend some time creating the ideas you want to implement for 2015. Be careful! It is very easy to make this a fantasy list. Only include what you REALLY want to achieve. If you have no passion or drive for an idea it will slip by the way side and get pushed out of your mind by someone else’s priorities that seem more urgent.

Some of you won’t need this step. You are already crystal clear what your focus is for the year. You know what you want to achieve and you are already headed in that direction. Fantastic! The reality is, that if you don’t write it down it is more likely to slip down your list of priorities. Make sure you spend the time to list your target achievements for the year.

If you are not sure where to start, pick a theme or focus for the year. Too often we are distracted by the minutia of our multiple goals. Have a single word or single statement theme for a year will keep you on track for what really counts.

Inspiration

The second element is all about getting excited. Surround yourself with ideas, images, people, and resources that get you excited about what you want to achieve.

You also need to protect yourself from negativity. You don’t need others stealing your dreams and inspiration. People who say, “what do you want to do that for?”, “that’s stupid” or “what a waste of time” will not help you achieve what you are after. Family and close friends are particularly good at doing this. They do it under the guise of “protecting you” but sometimes you don’t want the protection.

Inspiration is not something you have once and then it’s done. You need to set yourself up for success by having an “Inspiration System”. That is some process or system that continues to deliver inspiration.

Here are some ideas that have worked for others:

Different things work for different people. Find out what works for you and put it into place

Motivation

People confuse motivation and inspiration.

Quite simply, Inspiration is external. It comes from hearing other peoples experience, creating a goal to achieve, having a coach or some other external factor as described above.

Motivation is internal. It comes from you. No one else can give you motivation only inspiration.

This is why an inspiration system is so important. Motivation is like trying so save water in a leaky tank. You use water every day and also some naturally leaks away. If you are not continually topping it up you find yourself without any at all.

Legendary speaker Zig Ziglar famously said that “Motivation is like personal hygiene – you need to attend to it every day.”

Some days you may only be able to rustle up enough motivation to get out of bed and other days you are an achieving dynamo. What you need to be able to do is to establish a system or process to ensure that you are getting regular bursts of inspiration to address your own levels of motivation.

Activation

Now it is time to make things happen.

Too often people talk a lot about what they want to achieve or tell you what they are going to do. It is important to remember that “Action is the magic word not Words are the magic action.”

All the inspiration and motivation in the world will do you no good if you do not take action. So break your Focus, Goals and Objectives down into tasks and give them a priority. Now apply that motivation and take action.

If you need to, set yourself up for success by having an “Accountability buddy”. This is someone who you make commitments of action to and then regularly check back with to track progress. This can be a paid coach, your mastermind group or someone on your team. Knowing you are accountable to an external person seems to add an increased importance to the task than if it is only in your own head.

Be wary in the activation phase.

Our “Urgency addiction” makes it very easy to become very busy on tasks that don’t move us closer to our goals for the year. It is worth taking a strategic view point on a regular basis to ensure that you are working on what counts and not just busy work or getting sidetracked on items that are important for others but not for yourself.

The focus must always be on the Activation element as this is where results are generated. The previous elements purely support this element. This is part of being Outcome focussed. Your focus has to be on achieving the ideas and objectives your came up with in your Creation phase.

Success will come if you do whatever it takes to sustain the Activation.

Celebration

If you make celebrating success a habit, success will become a habit.

Once you have achieved your goal or objective, it is imperative that you celebrate accordingly. The degree of celebration needs to match the importance of the objective. Some of your celebration will cost money and others wont.

Add to your inspiration and motivation by deciding at the very beginning what your celebration will be for each of your achievements. Don’t wait for only the significant achievements either. Sometimes the smaller more repetitive elements also need to be celebrated.

How does 2015 look for you?

The first thing you need to do is throw away those new year’s resolutions and free yourself up to have some really success.

If you employ these five elements with discipline and get ongoing support, you can’t help but have a successful 2015.

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What's Happening to the World?

There is too much terrorism but WE are letting them have the power. Here is what I am doing to fight back.

I am concerned about the increasing racism I see on my internet feed from people who I thought knew better. The blaming of Muslims for terrorism as if they are the only religion who has had extremists tarnish their faith is wrong and easily proven so.

I have several Muslim friends and I have a great deal of respect for their religion. I have Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Agnostic, Hippy, Wiccan, 12 Steppers and even apathetic friends. Most of them live their beliefs and don’t try and ram them down my throat. I respect their beliefs and their right to have them.

What I cannot tolerate is people forcing their ignorance on me or others.

Please refrain from blaming “Muslims” for terrorism. Here are some examples of Extremist Christian’s terrorism to prove my point.

Acts of Terrorism are typically performed by people who have a skewed perspective on the world and use a construct like religion to justify to themselves their course of action. Succumbing to the fear and hatred only proves them right. Individuals perform acts of terrorism, not religions.

I will be fighting terrorism by continuing to live my life as I would have without them. I will continue to learn about other beliefs to increase my understanding rather than jumping to conclusions. i will continue to tolerate things I don’t yet understand or have an appreciation of. I will continue to smile at strangers, give trust without grounding, expect the best of people, talk to people I interact with, include people in my life regardless of their faith, race or creed and laugh out loud at things I think are funny.

Would you care to join me?

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How to Catch an Internet Troll

internet troll

Ask not for whom the internet trolls 
It trolls for thee

(apologies to Hemmingway)

Trolling is easy.

Look at any social media site and you will see examples of it. Wikipedia defines it as “a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people.”

Too often, a discussion that starts out as a healthy debate with valid concerns transitions into a “slinging match” with someone finally activating Godwin’s Law. (Godwin’s law being where someone accuses another of being Hitler or a Nazi)

Trolling is nothing new. It has been around on the internet since the 80s with discussion boards rife with it. New technologies equated to new forums for Trolling. Politicians seem to have been trolling for years.

The shifts in to a more self-centred society seem to be a breeding ground for more trolls and troll like behaviour. Even people we know, who seem so polite and rational have succumbed to trolling. Some may say that road rage is a form of trolling, so are we surrounded by trolls?

Truth be told, most of us have a relative (typically being an Uncle with drinking issues) who seem to troll our family events. It is even more likely that you have some kind of troll at your workplace. The worst case is when the troll is your boss.

So how do you catch a troll, or at the very least, minimise their impact. As with most things, it is easier to catch a troll when they are small and before they get momentum. Once they have been activated they are almost impossible to catch.

Here are some Troll Hunters Guidelines for you:

Never Ever Feed the Trolls

A troll’s power increases with their feeding. What feeds a troll is attention. They don’t care if it is good or bad, any kind of attention will do. Godwin’s law is usually activated when two or more trolls start a flinging match with each other. Trolls cannot hear rational argument or a different perspective. It is not worth even trying. You can prevent significant damage just by following this guideline.

Set Boundaries for the Trolls

If you need to have a conversation or you are about to communicate something you know may be a little contentious, set the rules. If you run a page, group, or site set the rules up front. Trolling escalates when the commentary becomes personal so set the rules that you welcome comments about the idea or concept but unsubstantiated comments about a person or entity will not be tolerated. You can say something about their behaviour or ideas but not about them. Ensure that you also state the consequence of that action. Whether the comment will be deleted or the user will be blocked, it is up to you.

Never Tolerate Trolls

Should troll like behaviour start, shut it down quickly. Whether it is a conversation with the person, a direct message or a preventative deletion of the comment, do what it takes to kill the troll behaviour before it even starts.

Yes, the internet and life would be better without the trolls. Unfortunately, they are here to stay. What these guidelines will do is help you minimise the impact of trolls in your life.

Happy hunting!

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