David Hall Consultancy

Get back to basics....for Christmas

2011-12-22T21:20:00.002Z

In these difficult economic times it is important for businesses to stay grounded, focused and on the front foot.

As my Christmas present to you I will share two processes that I have introduced into my main clients that have added real value:

1. Alignment
Make sure the key strategic issues are translated into priority actions for your senior people. Then ensure your people focus their time and energy on them. Ask them "take out your diary, what have you been doing this week". A target of 50% of time as a minimum is a good standard. Most businesses find that it is less than 10% when they start off. Chances of success?

2. Attunement
Make sure your key people model and champion the core values of your business. For example, if it's 'delighting customers' or 'treating people with respect' check whether they are doing it. 'Inspect, don't expect' is a good tip in these hard times.

If you get alignment and attunement sorted you are doing well and almost certainly better than your competitors.

Merry Christmas and stay focused.

The easiest way to make money is to stop losing it......

2011-11-30T14:17:00.004Z

One of the major challenges facing a number of my clients and most businesses right now is responding to the economic situation in the appropriate manner.

After several years of growth and largess, sales are diving but many businesses have been caught like rabbits in car headlights. How to respond? What to do? One thing is clear, they need to continue with a positive cash flow and preferably profits are paramount. If sales can't go up then costs must come down and in many cases drastically. To enable businesses to make the right decisions they need accurate costings allocated to products or service streams.

Where are we making or losing money? What is a must and what is a luxury we can no longer afford? Some managers are good at growth, others excel when the going gets tough. The problem is that they are usually not the same people.....

So get the facts, identify your winners and cut out losers. Do it now before it's too late! If you're waiting for government policies, better economic conditions or a lottery win you are deluded.

JFDI!

How to improve your business by being consultants to yourselves

2011-11-11T09:50:00.004Z

Here is a tried and tested way to improve your business which I use regularly with clients:

1. Select a small team of 3/4 people who are really up for it. Not the 'experienced' nay sayers but younger recent recruits with an open mind, wanting to make a name for themselves.

2. Create an innovation culture. Ensure you join the group as the CEO or MD but not as the boss, as a facilitator. Tell the team you are going to work on the business together and make some significant improvements.

3. Brainstorm for improvements. Where are the opportunities to significantly boost sales, profits, services or efficiency?
Tip: Follow the money.

4. Identify 3/4 areas to focus on which hold potential for significant gains.

5. Get team members to analyse the areas by getting the facts, trends, stats, KPI's etc. What is really happening here?
Tip: No fear or favour, get the facts not opinions.

6. Identify opportunities for improvement. Where are the quick wins? Where will we get the biggest improvement on the business with the least effort?

7. Try fixing problems, installing new rules or solutions.

8. Celebrate success and learn the lessons! Remember to say thank you!

Not rocket science, but if done well can produce results beyond expectations!

Helping people to find and release the passion and drive to really succeed

2011-10-28T10:22:00.002+01:00

In successful people one common factor is personal passion and drive but where does it come from? How can we help people to unleash it themselves? Our research with successful entrepreneurs provides some clues:

- Moving away from failure at school. Many entrepreneurs want to prove themselves to themselves and others having left school with no qualifications.

- Discovering strengths through processes like proper career guidance. What skills have I got that I was unaware of but can exploit?

- Seeing the future and not liking it. My father told me he hated work when he retired and I was determined that would not be me.

- Finding a mentor or friend who really believes in you and gives you the confidence to become the best you can be.

- Finding a passion for a cause or something you want to put right which you pursue relentlessly.

- Breaking the effect of a peer group with low expectations. All my friends at school were going to work on a building site and I was until I discovered on an Outward Bound programme there were people with much bigger aspirations and I could be one of them!

So there it is, the challenge for parents and educators. How can you help people become the best they can be and to live their lives to the full?

How to stay in touch with what's happening in the business world

2011-10-21T12:17:00.003+01:00

If you want to stay ahead of the game in the business world then you need to read 3 things:

1. Financial Times (daily)
Read from cover to cover. If you don't understand the numbers I suggest you read 'How to read the Financial Pages' by Michael Brett.

2. The Economist (monthly)
Keeps you in touch with what is really happening in the world from a neutral not British bias perspective.

3. Harvard Business Review (monthly)
All the latest thinking in best business practice and new innovation in business and management.

Does it help reading these publications? My friend Gerard Egan reads them and predicted the 2007 financial crash and moved his money into a safe haven as a result! Not even the bankers could do that!

So yes it works!

Entrepreneurial Advice from Ajaz Ahmed

2011-10-21T11:06:00.002+01:00

Ajaz Ahmed, founder of Freeserve, gave a magnificent presentation about his experiences of being a successful entrepreneur at Hull University recently. Here are some of his insights for entrepreneurs:

- A quote from Ted Turner 'Do the obvious before the obvious becomes obvious' inspired him to persist with Freeserve when the going got tough.

- Keep control, don't just be an investor.

- Systems give you control of quality and consistency.

- A Hovis advert which shows a retiring man with a clock motivated him to do his own thing and not wait to get a clock in a corporate business.

- Think like a retailer - all industries can be made much more efficient and that's a major opportunity.

- Be your own PR manager. Send e-mails which contain some controversy direct to editors - it just works!

Thanks Ajaz!

Goal Directed Energy

2011-10-05T07:32:00.002+01:00

One of the many myths about being an entrepreneur is all you need is passion, energy and obsessive commitment and you will succeed........ but this is only half of the equation.

Successful entrepreneurs direct their passion, energy and commitment like a laser beam focused on moving towards their vision. The vision is always the entrepreneurial process:

1. Find a customer problem
2. Create a solution
3. Sell it to the world

Passion and energy unfocused is like a man without reason..... a busy fool. So here is the entrepreneurial recipe for success:

1. Find a customer problem, create a solution and sell it to the world.
2. Create a vision for what this looks like as a successful business.
3. Focus all you energies and resources onto delivering your vision.
4. Stay goal directed, don't get detracted by energy vampires.

That's it. Job done!

Management as a profession?

2011-09-02T12:55:00.002+01:00

Recent research suggests that 95% of problems in organisations can be attributed to poor management. So what can be done about it?

An article in the 1st September Financial Times argued that a potential solution was for management to operate more like other professions, such as the medical world. Typically, doctors make fact founded decisions based on the latest evidence which often includes probabilities of success or failure. Contrast this with management which normally makes decisions on gut felt "experience" at least perceived risk.

What would managers do if it were there own money they were spending? As a client of mine told his team who wanted to invest in a very risky option "if you want to play in the casino, make sure you use your own chips not mine".

A start point for managers making better decisions might be to ask "what would I do if it were my money"?

Doctors share good practice and research which builds up the overall level practice. Managers usually keep good practice to themselves as they see it as potential competitive advantage.

So management is far from being a true profession in the traditional sense but if 95%of problems are caused by managers, we surely need to do something about it?

Innovations in Efficiency

2011-08-24T15:12:00.002+01:00

One of the major challenges facing a number of my clients and apparently many UK businesses is driving efficiency in order to maintain margins.

Actually, businesses seem to have 3 strategic priorities right now:

1. Winning work
2. Efficiency
3. Maintaining the culture, spirit and disciplines

In this blog I want to focus on innovations in efficiency. Most businesses have taken the lower hanging fruit by reducing overheads and external costs via their supply chains. The challenge for many now is to review their own internal processes and practices to cut costs by becoming more efficient.

Some of the innovations I have been working on with a number of clients that have produced some significant gains have been:

E-Procurement
Electronic procurement reduces the cost of purchases on average between 20-30% above normal traditional buying methods.

System Slippage
Getting teams to review existing systems in high value areas to validate systems and reinstall where they have slipped. This has produced multi-million pound savings in a number of companies.

Value Gap Analysis
Finding out what customers really value in your offer and reduce costs in areas not valued. This process not only reduces costs it also enhances win rates when bidding for new work.

Zero Based Budgeting
By focusing on the essential costs bottom up i.e. what must we do? This reduces overhead costs significantly.

So the insight for me has been it is possible to be entrepreneurial and innovative even in difficult times when reducing costs.

Happy to forward toolkits on any of these process and share my experiences of applying them in practice.

It's good to talk.

Lessons from the News Of The World Saga.......

2011-07-22T10:48:00.003+01:00

The recent revelations about the behaviour of News International, The Met police et al reminded me of importance of creating and managing a corporate culture.

Culture is the way we do thing here. It is enshrined in the values, hopefully established by the top team, which then 'ensures' people behave in the way the organisation prefers.

Values are often thought to be the 'soft' part of business strategy, woolly and not important. So many organisations prefer to focus on profit, sales, EBITDA, cash etc. Actually, values are hard in two ways, hard to think through and hard to embed, but if you get them right; they create the profits the business desires. This is culture as an asset.

Typical business values are:

- Treat people with dignity and respect
- Honesty and integrity in all our dealings
- Delight our customers etc.

So what we see in the current debacle is a culture by default, one that was clearly either not designed or managed effectively.

Culture that does not serve the business is a liability which can drain the balance sheet and even kill a business.

So what are your business values and are they an asset or a liability?

Business Alignment and Attunement

2011-07-15T09:52:00.003+01:00

Increasingly in my consulting work with clients I have become to realise that my approach is helping them to get alignment and attunement in their business.

Alignment is the golden thread of the link between customer problems, my client's solutions and then internally the strategy, plan, individual objectives and time spent on the priorities. When things are in line and connected the business usually succeeds.

Key alignment tests are:

- What is the strategy?
- How do your objectives link to it?
- How much time do you spend on delivering the objectives?

Answering these questions is the key to productively, efficiency and effectiveness. This is the head or rational part or what we do.

Attunement is the heart or how we do it.

The key tests are:

- Does the business have a stated culture, values and ethos?
- How far are they shared across the business and are they non-negotiable?
- Can people deduce the values from the way the business behaves?

So a recipe for success is getting alignment and attunement in your business. How does yours measure up?

The Entrepreneurial Potential Report

2011-07-01T13:33:00.002+01:00

It has never really been possible to objectively assess Entrepreneurial Potential in people - until now!

Professor Peter Saville of Saville Consulting and I developed the Entrepreneurial Potential Report to enable individuals and organisations to assess their entrepreneurial talent.

Peter discusses the Entrepreneurial Potential Report in this podcast http://www.savilleconsulting.com/podcast.aspx using our friend Ajaz Ahmed, who started and grew Freeserve, as a case example.

If you would like to assess yourself or your people contact Lynn Bradshaw lynn@davidhalluk.com

The Power of 'Mindset'

2011-06-23T12:40:00.003+01:00

I read a great book on holiday which is one of those that comes along every 10 years and challenges your thinking.

'Mindset' by Carol S Dweck is a game changing book.

Mindsets are the views people have of themselves which they can change.

The fixed mindset is people wanting to prove themselves over and over again. They believe their qualities are carved in stone and cannot change. Everything is somebody else's fault not theirs, therefore they stay the same and unfulfilled.

Growth mindset people believe they can cultivate their basic qualities through application and hard work. They enjoy challenges, relish learning, recover from setbacks and grow as people. Simple but very powerful stuff.

Get the book, have a read and change your life.

Good luck!

The Recipe for Business Success

2011-05-17T14:24:00.002+01:00

Fasten your seat belt - here goes....

1. Develop a 3 year business strategy: mission, vision, values, products, markets.

2. Do a S.W.O.T. analysis on the strategy. What do we need to really focus on to deliver success?

3. Identify 6 (no more) key strategic actions from the S.W.O.T.

4. Allocate actions, timescales and milestones to individuals.

5. Review progress on actions monthly - a non negotiable meeting!

6. Check that champions are focusing enough time and energy on their actions.

7. Keep going!

Build your business by getting the basics right

2011-05-17T14:16:00.003+01:00

I am staggered by the number of businesses I have dealings with who do not understand the basics of doing business. So soap box time, here goes.....

1. Always return calls and e-mails promptly even if the answer is no!

2. Turn up on time for meetings.

3. Treat customers as you would your best friends.

4. Seek to delight customers by doing that bit extra and surprising people.

5. Send personal hand written thank you notes.

6. Keep up your network contacts, don't just call people when you want a favour.

7. Treat all contacts with dignity and respect.

There are lots more things to do to build a business but these are a good start point.

Suggestion..... send this list to the people in your network who drive you crazy!

Practice Mental Rehearsal

2011-05-11T10:05:00.002+01:00

One of the findings from our Entrecode research programmes into habits of successful entrepreneurs is the power of mental rehearsal.

Mental rehearsal is rehearsing an event or decision before it happens in your mind and asking what ifs..... and thinking them through. What if this happens - what will I do? What if they do that - how will I respond? The process is very powerful in complex interpersonal situations i.e. selling, negotiating, appraising etc.

Some entrepreneurs ask "what would 'X' do in this situation?" 'X' could be Richard Branson or someone else they value.

Mental rehearsal is one of the techniques we call purposeful practice which is how people develop their talents.

Try it.

Lessons from Football

2011-05-05T14:05:00.005+01:00

Recently I listened to Johan Cruyff explain why he believes Barcelona F.C. are a stronger team than Real Madrid. His view is that Barcelona take a broad stakeholder stance seeing themselves a part of the community including sponsoring UNESCO. Whereas Real Madrid, particularly under Jose Mourinho, are only really interested in winning in any way and almost at any cost. Football, Cruyff argues, is not simply about winning, it should have a more noble purpose including being fun, pleasing fans, contributing to the community and be played in a sporting manner.

"The European Cup semi final was watched by billions of people worldwide and footballers and managers have a responsibility to behave in a proper manner and be role models for young people" said Cruyff. "Barcelona is for the people, Real currently is about Mourinho's personal ego".

The lesson for me from listening to Cruyff was that it reminded me that a business has a responsibility to balance its stakeholder interests, customers, employees, and society as well as shareholders - the Barcelona way. Just making money for shareholders and banks is much less noble or inspiring.

Barcelona demonstrates it is not either noble purpose or success - you can have both.

Innovation Insights

2011-05-03T17:49:00.002+01:00

1. 95% of all the innovations in products and services in the last 100 years have come from entrepreneurial firms employing less than 20 people.

Lesson: if you need to innovate employ or act like an entrepreneur!

2. When you put entrepreneurs together in a team and ask them to innovate the results on average are 6 times expectations.

3. Entrepreneurial Innovative Behaviours:

- Break rules
- Trial and error
- "Seek forgiveness not permission"
- JFDI!
- Seek inspiration from outside your industry
- Use customer problems to drive innovation

Innovation - Done!

3 Common Strategic Priorities

2011-05-03T12:56:00.002+01:00

One of the things about being a consultant is that I get to see patterns in businesses that may be helpful to others. One pattern I have noticed is that most businesses (apart from the basket cases) have very similar strategic priorities.

These are:

- Win work
- Drive efficiency and cost
- Maintain their core culture

So the questions you might ask in your business are:

1. Are these our priorities?
2. If so, who is driving them?
3. How do we assess our progress towards them?

The Benefits of Customer Insight

2011-04-19T14:47:00.002+01:00

Most of my clients reckon they know their customers really well. My experience is that they don't and in difficult times this is an opportunity.

Two tools to gain real customer insight are the customer perception survey and value gap analysis.

Customer perception surveys conducted properly always create new insights which can be translated into new business opportunities. Value gap analysis reviews the things along the customer journey from initial enquiry through to paying the bill that customers value and will pay for.

The insights are:

- are we selling the value customers want?
- Do we deliver the value well?
- Can we cut out things they don't value and reduce our costs?

Both these tools add real value to businesses. Contact us for more information on 01430 425541 or e-mail david@davidhalluk.com

The Business Growth Dilemma......

2011-04-12T14:13:00.002+01:00

I have consulted with a number of companies over the past few years and have noticed a pattern of problems they face in trying to grow. They develop a recipe for success which enables them to grow to a level. Their recipe gets embedded into their culture and they enjoy a period of success.....

Then they want to kick on and go to the next level and try to achieve that by doing more of the same. The dilemma is they have created a way of doing things which usually needs to change but their culture is so fixed it cannot change. What made them successful now holds them back. This can be seen particularly when they are trying to enter new markets or develop new products.

A solution that works is to introduce new processes that enables them to behave differently as a business. These include:

Conducting a customer perception survey in order to identify strengths and weaknesses that can be leveraged or addressed.

Building a new business generating system including networking, intelligence gathering and being entrepreneurial in winning work.

The concept of working on the business as a team in order to challenge and change it.

Finding and empowering their entrepreneur within.

Changing the strategy and culture, particularly values.

The key is that the leaders of the business must act as role models and champion the new desired processes and behaviours.

When businesses take these issues seriously they can grow successfully.

Want to be like the best businesses in the UK?

2011-04-08T10:23:00.003+01:00

I am very proud that my No.1 consulting client over the past 30 years Keepmoat have become one of the most successful businesses in the UK.

Keepmoat track record:

Past 7 years profit 10% (nearest competitor 3%)

Less than 20 businesses out of 3 million in the UK including Keepmoat have improved profits by a minimum 10% every year, 10 years consecutively.

Average profit improvement in the UK over 10 years is 3.4 times. Keepmoat 24 times!

If you want your business to become as good as the best call me for a discussion on how to do it.

David Hall Consultancy Ltd
01430 425541

Customerising Revisited

2011-04-04T15:38:00.003+01:00

Back in 1992 I researched how 30 businesses in the North East of England undertook marketing. I discovered that they did not use traditional formal marketing methods as taught by business schools.

Their approach was much more informal and personal based on networking, building customer relationships, growing by solving customer problems and above all doing that bit extra and delighting customers.

This insight was so different from big business marketing I coined a new phrase to describe it; customerising.

I discovered in 2000 that customerising is the way entrepreneurs start and build successful businesses yet customerising is still not part of business school marketing programmes - why?

Maybe that is because really successful small entrepreneurial firms are too busy making money to be concerned with the 4 'P's, the marketing mix and all that marketing jargon.

Perhaps business schools and academics should go and look at what successful entrepreneurs actually do as I did 20 years ago.... they might then be able to teach their students something useful.

How effective CEOs earn their money.......

2011-04-04T12:33:00.002+01:00

The average tenure of a new CEO is now less than 5 years and 40% last less than 2 years......

So how does a CEO add real value to a business?

In my view they have four things to focus upon and do well:

1. Set the strategy of the enterprise

What business are we really in? Where are we going? What do we need to focus upon to create success?

2. Pick the right people capable of delivering the strategy

Easier said than done sometimes.... but CEOs should not compromise on this task. The problem is that really high performers are around 0.1% of people...... where are they?

3. Set and champion the preferred culture

You get culture by design, or by default if you don't manage it.

4. Prioritise and focus on the key strategic actions that will deliver the strategic goals

Usually there are 4/6 key things to do well.

These priorities apply to both private and public sector organisations.....

It's called LEADERSHIP.

Entrepreneurs..... Myths and Realities

2011-03-23T10:47:00.002Z

Myth 1 - Entrepreneurs are risk takers

Reality: They do take calculated risks but spend a great deal of time and energy trying to minimise the risks.

Myth 2 - Entrepreneurs are born not made

Reality: They often serve an apprenticeship acquiring skills, contacts and experiences often over 10 years to enable them to start their business. This is purposeful practice.

Myth 3 - Raising money from the bank is the biggest blockage

Reality: 80% of start up capital is from personal savings, 30% from family and friends and only 15% from banks.

Myth 4 - Any good idea can be turned into a successful business

Reality: Entrepreneurs understand the difference between an idea - something they are passionate about - and an opportunity - something which solves a customer problem.

Myth 5 - Starting a business is risky and often ends in failure

Reality: Most businesses that end simply cease trading, they do not fail. Less than 2% actually go bankrupt.

Myth 6 - Entrepreneurs are egotistical, independent and want to be their own masters

Reality: Entrepreneurs are egotistical, independent and want to be their own masters!

There, entrepreneurial myths, sorted!

Building your Business's Capability

2011-03-21T12:45:00.002Z

The three key drivers of entrepreneurship are creating opportunities, marshalling resources and building capability. In this blog I want to focus on building the capability of a business.

The job of the CEO or owner is to set the strategy and pick the people capable of delivering it. Getting the right people on the bus is step 1 in building capability yet it is one which appears to be a problem.

The issue is that too often people are appointed to key roles without the skills, experience or drive to deliver, primarily because they are low cost but actually a low cost resource in a key role who cannot deliver is a false economy. It is why small businesses stay small, they do not have the capabilities to grow.

The second step in building capability is to design a preferred culture - the way you want things done here. You get a culture whether you want one or not but if you don't design it you will get one by default - usually one you don't want! (This is worthy of a separate blog).

Finally, you need to operate as a learning organisation and ensure that learnings are built into your business practices and routines. Whenever you do anything you get one of two outcomes; success or learning, and in growing businesses learnings should be viewed as valuable assetts.

There, building capabilities, done!

Perception isn't Everything......

2011-03-11T11:17:00.003Z

We all kind of assume our view of the world is factual and right. "This is how it is, don't confuse me with the facts" as one client told me.

A guy called George Kelly developed a idea called Construct Theory - "we all construe the world in our own unique and idiosyncratic way but it is only one view, other people have their views which they believe also to be right".

We then screen out any information which contradicts our view which makes us uncomfortable and select information which confirms it - pat on the back!

Why am I telling you this and why does it matter? Well imagine if your doctor had their view of how to cure you and it was wrong?

The solutions are to get the facts as far as possible and make fact founded decisions rather than decisions based on your view or prejudices which may or may not be correct. Secondly, try to understand other people's views on issues. One of the features of Bill Clinton's leadership it was said was that he could take into account several different perspectives at once and still function effectively.

So in business seek views from customers, employees and investors, keep up to date with current thinking and build this into your plans, which should help you validate your perceptions.

The Entrecode© - New Research Insights into how Entrepreneurs Operate

2011-02-25T09:36:00.002Z

Our latest research findings into the behaviour of 250 successful entrepreneurs destroys some real myths and provides some helpful insights.

1. The key correlation between entrepreneurial behaviour and success is goal directed energy. Focusing all the energy with purpose and direction. This is highly correlated.

2. Other highly correlated factors are:

- Persistence
- Need for others
- Commitment to vision
- Emotional robustness
- Focused
- Prioritise and sacrifice

3. Moderately correlated behaviours were:

- Drive
- Positive mental attitude
- Action orientation
- Achievement culture

4. Factors which surprisingly did not correlate or were even negatively correlated were:

- A history of family business which may even by detrimental
- A previous history in sales was negatively correlated
- Being overly concerned with self and image was negatively correlated
- Self development correlates if it is business related
- Networking is not highly correlated unless it is purposeful
- Big picture and intolerance of detail was positive
- Not working in a systematic way was highly correlated!

5. In the sample we researched 4 contextual factors were highly correlated with success:

- Making things happen at school - usually achieving results in adversity with minimal resources (education system please note)

- Failure in formal exams and leaving school early

- Being previously accountable for the performance of a team or a business

- Serving an 'apprenticeship' in the industry where they start their business for at least 10 years.

There, a few more insights from Entrecode© into the mysterious world of the entrepreneur. Watch this space for more revelations!

How to Significantly Boost the Efficiency of Your Business

2011-02-23T11:27:00.003Z

1. Introduction

Ways to boost the efficiency of a business are well tried and tested. I have summarised 4 of them in this short paper and would be happy to discuss any or all of these ideas with interested parties.

2. First Principles

“If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got”

The key to boosting efficiency is to look at the business differently, through different spectacles.

New Perspectives = New Opportunities.

So create a process that works and train managers in the process to enable them to drive efficiency. Better still select a small group of entrepreneurs and give them the process and they will produce results 6 times expectations on average! – see my website for examples.

Ensure you select people who:

- Have the power to act
- Are up for it
- Are open to learning
- Work at pace
- Have a range of experience and perspectives
- Preferably entrepreneurial and innovative

See my paper ‘The Entrecode Approach to Business Development’.

3. Efficiency Boosting Processes – An Overview of 4 Processes

3.1 Zero based budgeting

Most budgets are constructed by forecasting sales then estimating costs and what is left is the profit. Profit becomes the variable. In zero based budgeting you estimate sales then state the profit required and the costs become the variable.

So if sales are £100million and we need £10million profit then you can afford to spend £90million max on costs. This forces managers to prioritise what costs are musts and what they then need to cut. Brutal but effective.

3.2 Fixing system slippage

A process that always produces results way beyond expectations is the Fixing System Slippage Toolkit in my book ‘Doing the Business’. You get teams within a business to audit the actual usage (not policy or theoretical) of key systems.

Before you use this process take tranquilisers as you will find things you will not believe – that’s the reason for doing it!

3.3 Value gap analysis

This is quite a complex but very powerful cost reduction and also business development process. Basically when selling complex solutions you need to map the key value points across the process from initial customer dialogue right through to payment of final invoice.

Normally there are internal conflicts in the customer’s organisation across their silos that you need to understand and manage for the customer. This is because different departments using different customer silos can have conflicting drives and objectives and unless these are managed the sale can be lost.

Across this process will be things the customer really values and will pay for and others they will not. So you need to ensure:

- You fully understand the value points across the customer’s organisation.
- Make sure you emphasise and sell the value they require.
- Cut costs in areas they do not value but you offer.

The problem is customers very rarely tell you what they do not value so you keep offering these services and incurring unnecessary costs.

Key Source Read: The Prime Solution, Jeff Thull

3.4 Aligning key individual’s activities with key strategic priorities

Most Business Units have 3/4 key strategic priorities i.e. win work, drive efficiency, control the culture, etc. Successful delivery of these goals depends upon the right people focusing their time on them.

A brutal lesson is to ask individuals to name their 2/3 key strategic goals. Then ask them to take out their diaries and add up the time they have spent on them in the last month….. Argh……. I have done this in 2 businesses recently and their results were in line with previous experiences i.e. less than 5% of key time on the named priorities.

So a major efficiency boost can be made by simply helping senior people link goals and time. If a Director’s key responsibility is say efficiency and they spend less than 5% of their time on it what are the chances of success?

4. Summary

Using these procedures enables managers to look at their businesses through different glasses. This creates new previously unseen opportunities to boost efficiency.

The key insight is that it’s not what you do IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT that gets results.

Goal Directed Energy

2011-02-16T10:46:00.003Z

In our latest research into entrepreneurs, goal directed energy was highly correlated with success.

Here is how to do it:

1. Identify your overall goal.

2. Work back from the goal - identifying the key strategic steps towards it.

3. Focus all energy and time on step 1 - ignore step 2.

4. Avoid all distractions. Say NO to anything that will not help with step 1.

5. Complete step 1 then move on to step 2.

This is easy in theory but..... 99% of people get distracted by energy vampires, trivia etc, or indulge in multi tasking which gives the illusion of being busy......
In fact, most people concentrate on one task for an average of 6 minutes then get distracted and it takes them up to one hour to get back on to the original task.

No wonder most of us are busy fools.

There, goal directed energy, done.

How Entrepreneurs Solve Problems

2011-02-11T10:14:00.002Z

Entrepreneurs solve problems well because they are options thinkers. If plan A does not work they can quickly develop a plan B then C and D....... 80% of the rest of the population are procedural thinkers and require a process to follow to solve problems; if their process does not work they are stuck.... until somebody gives them another process to follow.

So, how does entrepreneurial options thinking actually work and can it be learnt?

Option 1: I have done this before so I will do it again. If that fails ......

Option 2: Ask somebody in my network who knows. If that fails.......

Option 3: I will ask somebody who might know somebody.... If that fails......

Option 4: Just try something and learn from it then adjust next time. If that fails......

Option 5: Outsource it to somebody else.

The keys are above:

1. Having a strong network

2. Being persistent and being able to recover from setbacks

3. Taking personal responsibility for results.

These requirements can be built and learnt.

Getting into the Zone

2011-02-03T20:30:00.002Z

Peak performance in any activity comes when people are in the zone. This is the optimal mental state which the sports world has known about for years but it is relatively unknown or discussed in the field of management and business. So here goes.....

My research into successful entrepreneurs which led to the identification of the Entrecode (how entrepreneurs start and build great businesses) identified the key factors of being in the zone in business.

Positive Mental Attitude - seeing the cup half full and staying positive at all times.

Recovery from setbacks - being able to use setbacks as rocket fuel to propel performance forward. Not getting deflated which shows in body language and negative self talk (Andy Murray please note).

Persistence - keeping going through adversity.

Focus - keeping the priorities in mind and not getting distracted (not multi tasking!).

Action Orientated - just doing it and getting on with things.

Drive - this comes from early life experiences that lead people to want to succeed to show people they are OK!

The good news is that all of these apart from drive can be coached, but how often are they on the curriculum of MBAs or business courses? Usually never, so we are not training people for peak performance in business.

So wake up universities, colleges, consultants and trainers and start adding real value to people and business.

By the way, you can tell when you have been 'in the zone' because you will have been totally focused, accomplished a great deal and when you look at your watch you will be surprised how the time has flown.

There, getting in the zone - done!

How to be Entrepreneurial in 3 Steps

2011-01-21T12:46:00.002Z

Step 1

Spot superior (sustainable profits) opportunities by identifying a real customer problem that is causing them pain (then they will pay for it), develop your solution and then sell it to everybody else. Protect it via patents or IP if required.

Step 2

Marshall the resources to take up the opportunity. Pick the people or partners capable of helping you take the opportunity. Don't compromise. Sell the opportunity and the strength of your team to investors to get the cash.

Step 3

Build the capability of your business to deliver the opportunity. Do this via trial and error pilots, learn from them quickly then go to the next stage - work at pace.

Every successful entrepreneur I have ever met follows this process - so learn from those who have been and done it.

Entrepreneurship, done!

Get the right people on the bus

2011-01-12T09:38:00.002Z

Over the past 3 years I have watched with dismay the demise of a number of successful household named organisations. Some of these have been clients of mine in the past.

So what is the problem? Investors, including the city or VCs decide that the profits are not good enough so they change the CEO and or top team. They parachute in somebody with a reputation from outside the business or even the industry and they proceed to mess it up. How does it happen? Here is my take on it.

Creating success in one business does not mean that the model can be transferred directly to another. The context and culture will be different and the 'success' model may not fit or work. Profits decline and the CEO is changed once again and then costs are slashed, the culture destroyed and profits end up half of what they were in the first place.

You need to have someone running the business who really understands it and has a passion for it. This cannot be replaced by whizzo's with a Harvard MBA or track record with a completely different business. If you make the wrong hiring decision then the business can be screwed.

Very sad to see once great businesses on their knees. So make sure you get the right people on the bus......

A Key to Long Term Business Success - Balance Stakeholder Interests

2011-01-05T10:42:00.003Z

At the start of another year it might be a good time to review the performance of your business from a different perspective.

In the long run successful businesses seek to balance the interests of their customers, employees and investors. Keeping them aligned is the job of business leaders.

So how did you do in 2010? If you want to find out ask these three questions:

Q1. How many of your staff have produced results beyond expectations and are real assets to your business?

Tip: Judge your people on the results they achieve, not whether you 'like them'.

Q2. What would a customer perception survey reveal about how your customers view your business?

Tip: Conduct a customer perception survey; see 'Doing the Business' Toolkit No. 16 or personally experience your own service by mystery shopping your business. Be warned you may get some shocks but that's the reason for doing it!

Q3. Are the investors happy with the returns they got in 2010 from their investment in the business?

Tip: Benchmark your business performance against your major competitors investor's returns over the past 5 years. Where is your business in the investor performance league table?

If all three questions get the thumbs up then you are on track for business success. If any fall short then make it a priority to deal with them ASAP in 2011.

If you need help then contact me.

For Entrepreneurs Only

2010-12-13T11:19:00.003Z

I have helped set up a new venture in the East Riding of Yorkshire - a group of the regions most successful entrepreneurs with the aim of helping other entrepreneurs in the region. The group of 70 serious entrepreneurs have combined sales of over £2 billion and employ over 25,000 people.

The aim is to help create new wealth and jobs for the benefit of the local economy. Specifically the group will help the 10% of the population who are thinking of starting a business to consider taking the next step into business. We will also help existing businesses to grow their capacity outside the regional boundaries by helping to remove the barriers to progress.

Entrepreneurs prefer to learn from successful peers and also get their energy topped up which is drained by 'energy vampires' such as banks, local authorities and other bureaucratic organisations. The group will facilitate this process.

Have a look at the new website www.forentrepreneursonly.co.uk and let me know what you think.

Understanding and Developing your Business DNA

2010-12-08T10:02:00.003Z

One of the most important ingredients in the recipe for success is the businesses DNA.

The DNA is THE WAY businesses do things. It is their unique set of beliefs, attitude, culture and priorities.

Rarely written down, the DNA however can be deduced by the way businesses treat their 3 primary stakeholders, their customers, staff and investors. It's either an asset or a liability. A strong consistent DNA can be a powerful source of energy and drive within any business.

It can include 'hard' elements like profit or sales goals but the real source of business success usually comes from the 'soft' things for example:

- A delighting customers culture
- Treating employees with dignity and respect
- Pride in performance
- Managing with integrity
- Taking personal responsibility for performance
- Commerciality in all dealings

My very best clients in terms of consistent performance over time, like Keepmoat, have a DNA by design which serves the business.

Q. What's your business DNA and does it serve your business?

Adding value or cost?

2010-11-26T11:07:00.003Z

Whenever people do anything in a business they either add value or cost - there is no in between.

A good question to ask yourself is "what am I or my team doing today, adding value or cost to the business"?

Senior people should ask "our strategy calls for 'X' therefore I will focus on that". Senior people are normally the highest paid so the investment of their time gets the best return by focusing on the strategic priorities.

Common sense? Maybe we should rename it 'rare sense' because I do not see people thinking like that very often.

Busy Fools

2010-11-19T09:55:00.002Z

A key to success is aligning the strategy, business plan and individuals focus and effort. Are the right people spending enough time on the right things? This is not a question of time management it is about priorities. People cannot have 27 priorities; by definition they need 3 or 4.

A great test is to ask people what their job priorities are and then ask them to review their diaries over the past month and see how much time they have actually spent on their priorities. Most people get a big shock from this test.

It is too easy to confuse activity with productivity. Busy fools rush round from meeting to meeting telling everybody how busy they are…… productive people work out what their priorities are and put time in their diaries and stick to it.

Another test: When people call and ask for a meeting you put it in your diary. Q. Whose objectives are you meeting? Normally theirs. How often do you put time in your diary to focus on your priorities and stick to it?

Lesson: You are prepared to help other people reach their objectives but not your own…..

Q. Do all your key people understand their priorities – linked to the strategy and the business plan - and have they put the time in their diaries to focus on it?

Moral: An objective without a plan is a dream…..

So don't let yourself or your team be busy fools!

What do Leaders do?

2010-11-19T09:47:00.002Z

Above everything else leaders take personal responsibility for results. They deliver what they are asked to do. The best leaders exceed expectations.
Here is how they do it:

1.They take responsibility for the objectives of themselves and their teams/projects.

2.They champion the strategy, the culture and the project plans of the business. With the best leaders you can deduct the strategy, culture and plan from listening to what they say and how they spend their time. In effect they become the business……

3.They act as ambassadors for the business both inside and outside and take a personal pride in its success and performance.

4.They continuously strive to make the business better by being open to new ideas and learning and offering ideas and innovations to the board and the team.

5.They coach and develop people in the business ensuring they understand the strategy and the culture.

6.They ensure that people’s activities are aligned with the business goals and priorities.

7.They stick to what they are good at but make sure they get people around them who can cover areas where they are less strong.

8.They set high standards of behaviour and performance and insist they are adhered to.

9.They constantly ask themselves is what I am doing today adding value to the business strategically?

10.They enjoy themselves, make work fun and don’t take themselves or the business too seriously.

Q. If you rated your top team against these 10 criteria what would it look like?

How will you measure your life?

2010-11-03T15:01:00.003Z

Once in a while you read an article that makes you think deeply about what you are doing. One that stopped me in my tracks recently was by Clayton Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School. The article 'How will you measure your life'? appears in the July - August 2010 edition page 46 - 51 of the HBR. In the article Christensen argues we need a strategy for our lives just as we do for our business. He poses these questions which he attempts to answer:

1. How can I be sure I will be happy in my career?

2. How can I ensure my relationships with my family become an enduring source of happiness?

3. How can I stay out of jail?

The final question may sound a bit lighthearted but it isn't. Christensen taught, amongst others at Harvard, Jeff Shilling of Enron fame......

I recommend this article to you and hope it makes the kind of impression on you that it did me.

Let me know what you think.

Get the Right People on the Bus

2010-11-01T11:16:00.002Z

I used to think that Step 1 in the recipe for business success was to get a clear focused strategy. I now believe that Step 1 is to get the right people on the bus with you and strategy is Step 2. The reason is that without the right people a strategy cannot be designed or delivered successfully.

Tips for getting the right people on the bus:

- Ask 'if I had a clean sheet of paper how many of my team would be on the list?
- Ask 'how many of my team consistently produce results beyond my expectations?
- Get the best people you can't afford!

Ask these tough questions and act on your answers.

Think like an Investor

2010-10-29T16:31:00.002+01:00

One of the biggest breakthroughs I have helped my clients with is to encourage them to think like an investor as apposed to a manager in their business. Thinking like an investor makes you look at your business totally differently and you then make more informed decisions about what the priorities might be.

How do you do it? Well, if you are not financially minded I have encouraged many clients to upskill themselves by reading 'How to Read the Financial Pages' by Michael Brett. Then you can start studying and understanding business through the Financial Times.

The second thing to do is to ask a professional investor how they would value your business and what you need to focus upon in order to increase its value. I guarantee they will give you different feedback than say a business advisor and that's the point.

You need to get your money working for you rather than the other way round.

Does this advice work? Well you could ask the Keepmoat boys, they followed it and sold out for £780 million in 2007!

Evidence Based Business Advice and Decision Making

2010-10-22T15:47:00.004+01:00

In the medical world doctors make diagnoses and provide treatments based upon sound evidence founded on scientific research. In the business world consultants peddle advice and potions based upon often flaky 'research' conducted on a few people, if at all. Businesses buy the advice then wonder why it doesn't work!

For example, when I carried out my Entrecode research into how entrepreneurs start and grow successful businesses we correlated our findings with over 400 business's performance over a 10 year period. In conducting this research I discovered less than 10% of 'studies' of entrepreneurial behaviour has any correlation with business performance at all. Its just somebody's opinion......

So here is my advice. If you intend to get somebody to advise you on your business ask them what the evidence base is for their proposal and check the science underpinning it. Too much business consultancy is frankly smoke and mirrors and it may be doing more harm than good to many organisations.

Improving performance using seven words....

2010-10-18T15:39:00.003+01:00

A major research study in the USA found that it is possible to significantly improve people's performance in any field using seven words.....WOW!

The words are "you have worked really hard, well done"! In other words, performance comes from purposeful practice not 'natural talent'.

In the research one group was told the above seven words at random intervals and another group, "you are talented and clever, well done"! Individuals in the first group outperformed the second by 50% on average on a range of tasks.

The experiment was repeated several times with different people in different cultures and contexts, the results were the same every time.

So try it with your team and even on your kids.... remember, you heard it here first!

There, performance management, done!!

How are Keepmoat so successful?......

2010-10-13T15:28:00.003+01:00

Many people in the past year, including city bankers, have asked me how Keepmoat, my No.1 client, are so successful....

They have produced profits of 10% over the past few years whilst their competitors have struggled to make 3%. So whats going on?

The recipe for success in any business is always difficult to capture and even more difficult to communicate to others but Keepmoat have 3 assets I do not see in many other businesses:

1. A clear, focused strategy shared by all which drives the business.

2. The 'Keepmoat Way' which is a culture by design not default.

3. The most capable people in the industry, actually, as I have ever met in any industry.

So there it is. I am happy to share Keepmoat's 'secrets' because they are one off and the recipe could not be copied but the lessons are there for others:

1. Get a clear strategy
2. Define and manage your preferred culture
3. Get the right people on the bus

Leadership vs Management..........

2010-10-08T13:56:00.002+01:00

A number of people responded to my last blog in which I tried to argue for taking management more seriously. One of the questions raised was 'what about leadership'? So here goes.....

Management is about making the business work, setting goals, hitting targets, doing what it says on the can - results to expectations. Leadership I think is about making the organisation better. Its about improvement and change - results beyond expectations.

Leadership was once portrayed as the characteristics people needed to be leaders. The problem was that many great leaders had not heard about the characteristics they were 'supposed to have' yet were still highly successful!

Leadership is now seen as producing results. Its what leaders do rather than who they are that matters.

So what do they actually do? Usually they start with a vision of where they want to take the organisation. They create a strategy. They also develop a culture of how they want the organisation to behave.

The better leaders 'become the strategy and culture', in other words, they champion it. They insist that the business changes in order to deliver the strategy rather than the other way around. In doing this they are able to transform and change organisations.

There, leadership done!

Taking Management Seriously.......

2010-09-29T11:57:00.000+01:00

90% of the problems in organisations can be traced back to a failure of management - fact. So why do we fail to take management seriously?

The first thing to say is that it is not the individual managers fault it is the system (or lack of) for recruiting, developing and managing managers. Management is the only profession that you get promoted into because you are good at something else. The classic mistake is promoting the best salesperson to be a sales manager.....

Also, management is the only profession that it is thought no preparation is necessary. Yet the latest research clearly shows that high performance is any field requires considerable practice over a long period of time.

Managers are generally hired without any real assessment of their ability to manage. They receive little guidance about what is expected and have few real successful role models to imitate. They get little feedback on their performance and few opportunities to practice their skills with useful feedback.

However, no one within the organisation normally recognises that the standard of management, recruitment, development and performance is poor, therefore nothing usually gets done about it. Likewise, the managers in other organisations are no better so benchmarking is of little value. This is a conspiracy of silence.....

Meanwhile competitors, the government, taxes, banks, markets etc are blamed for the organisation's failure. We are looking in the wrong place! It's down to management.

What is to be done about it? In my view nothing less than a revolution in the way we select, train, motivate and manage managers will solve the problem.

Are we ready to take management seriously?

Which side of the balance sheet is your culture?

2010-09-24T13:09:00.001+01:00

Often when I first visit new clients their culture is either neutral or a liability. The challenge is to make the culture an asset of the business. You get this by design not default.

Here is how we do it:

1. Clearly state the values you want your business to operate by e.g. treating people with respect, delighting customers, every person a business person, non-negotiable health and safety practices etc.

2. Write a one page policy for each of the values, preferably simple, bullet point rules.

3. Tell all your people this is the way we now do things here - they are non-negotiable.

4. Monitor the application of the rules scoring individuals/departments/units out of 10. The aim is to get consistent 8+ across the business.

5. Consider getting individuals/depts/units to review and score each other.

6. Keep up the discipline for a minimum of 2 years. Celebrate high scores, insist low scores change.

7. After 2 years your culture should be embedded and serving the business.

When you do the above well the culture will be an asset and if you do it really well you will be an industry leader.

There, culture, done!

The Talent Myth

2010-09-15T09:41:00.000+01:00

What do you look for when trying to recruit high performing people into your business?

- IQ
- Experience
- Memory
- Emotional Intelligence
- Personality

Well some of these characteristics may help but a new book based upon extensive research 'Talent is Overrated' suggests that the key to high performance is personal practice on the skills that really matter in business, sport or any other endeavour.

The book argues that even Mozart, Tiger Woods and Bill Gates were not particularly talented they just worked really hard over a long period of time, often alone. They put in the hours to hone their skills. Jack Nicholas the golfer knew this years ago when he said "the more I practice the luckier I seem to get!"

So when recruiting, look for people who have worked hard at developing the skills you require.

There, talent done!

Helping managers to get the job done

2010-09-13T12:15:00.000+01:00

One of my business values is that the wisdom to make businesses a success resides within..... and my job is to provide processes to help managers to find and use the wisdom to creates successful businesses.

Here are the processes that have really helped to add value:

- setting and delivering strategy
- creating a preferred culture
- developing a strategic action plan
- making important decisions
- protecting plans
- picking the right people
- innovating
- supply chain management
- identifying and focusing on priorities
- delighting customers
- becoming more efficient

I have used these processes with the majority of my most successful clients. I recommend them to you if you need to get the job done!

Successful Clients

2010-09-10T14:45:00.000+01:00

I am very proud that most of my clients are now the top performers in their market or sector including:

- Keepmoat - the most profitable construction company over a long period

- Gordons LLP Solicitors - the 4th most biggest fee earners in the UK

- MKM Building Supplies - the most profitable private building supplies

- Rex Procter & Partners - the most successful private quantity surveyors in the region

These are just four, there are more.....

So what features do they have in common?

- A smart, hard working, open-minded, no-nonsense CEO
- A clear strategy
- A team that is up for it and has pride in the business
- They take the actions required to develop the business

Not rocket science..... it just seems to work.

Why do customers buy from you?

2010-09-08T09:40:00.000+01:00

There are many myths about why customers buy - it's hard to get at the truth. So I decided to investigate.

Reviewing the research is also inconclusive but the evidence suggests that in many markets customers buy for one of four reasons:

1. Price
2. Quality
3. Service
4. Personal relationship or habit

In many markets its seems it is about 25% for each of the four criteria.

Lessons....

1. Do not assume that all your customers buy for the same reason.

2. You may be able to increase your prices and profits if they are buying for reasons 2 - 4.

3. The only real way to find out is to conduct research to give you better customer insight.

Understanding customers, done!

Guiding Principles

2010-09-08T09:29:00.000+01:00

I have been reflecting on what has influenced my approach to working as a consultant. 25 years ago my friend Gerry Egan (a world class consultant) shared with me his guiding principles. I have tried to use them ever since.

Here they are:

1. What ever you do should be based on the needs of the business and not the latest management fad.

2. There are no magic formulas for success.

3. The wisdom to make the business a success resides within.

4. Managers benefit from having a set of shared models to help them to find and use internal wisdom.

5. Your role is to facilitate learning in an organisation not to tell them what to do.

6. Seek to work as close to the top of the organisation as you can.

7. Your biggest contribution will be to help the management develop a shared strategy, create a preferred culture and manage the 'shadow side' of the organisation.

Well there they are. I hope I have managed to apply these principles in my work.

Lessons for Managers from the Sports World

2010-09-06T13:26:00.000+01:00

I have discovered that the sports world is way ahead of business in its understanding that high performance requires paying attention to the mind.

Our research shows that high performers actively work at getting and staying in the 'zone'. They learn how to:

- Develop a compelling vision of what success looks and feels like
- Are proactive and action orientated
- Have a positive mindset
- Are persistent and tenacious
- Recover from setbacks
- Have high energy and drive

Top athletes have employed mind coaches to help them develop these behaviours for years. Maybe there is a lesson here for business people wishing to become successful?

Are you CEO material?

2010-09-03T10:26:00.000+01:00

In order to help a client recruit a new CEO in Ireland I have been catching up on the latest research into high performing CEO's. What qualities do the star performers possess?

What do you think?

- Innovative
- Brainpower
- Teamwork
- Listens
- Planner
- Communicator
- Interpersonal skills

If you ticked any of the above you would be very wrong. The latest research on 316 CEO's shows clearly that the key quality is execution skills i.e. getting the job done, not interpersonal or team related skills.

In order to do this the research identified the key qualities as:

- Efficiency
- Integrity
- Persistence
- Analytical skills
- Strategic thinking
- Proactive

Well there you go, CEO's done!

The Psychology of Organisations…….

2010-08-27T13:11:00.000+01:00

I have been working quite a bit with banks, the public sector and some large corporate businesses recently. These experiences provided an insight that I thought you might also be interested in. These organisations all had a strategy (of sorts….) processes, controls, KPI’s and policies, the usual stuff. The bit the majority do not get is that success seems to come from nurturing the spirit and soul of the business.

The pride that people share in working in an organisation that produces results beyond expectations consistently. The pride the Australian cricket team get from wearing their baggies (green caps) or my favourite client Keepmoat who are obsessed with becoming a billion pound business – 10 times growth in a very short period.

I see it in people’s eyes…..the passion, the pride and the commitment to the shared goals. It’s not about bonuses, job titles, egos or fancy cars; it’s about a shared purpose which people genuinely believe in.

Most large organisations in my experience really struggle to understand this so they try to buy it through over-generous salaries and bonuses (banks) plus fear – “We get rid of the bottom 10% every year” (corporates) or rules and policies (public sector).

So Mr Cameron and business bosses, put the psychology of the organisation on your agenda if you really want to improve the performance of UK Plc. Make it a priority to nurture the pride and soul of your organisations……the skill to do this is called LEADERSHIP.

Top Tip for Tough Times

2010-08-25T12:01:00.000+01:00

When business gets tough there is a natural tendency to focus inwardly, worry, cut costs, batten down the hatches and hope......

In fact, in tough times business people should get out of their offices and spend as much time with customers as possible. In difficult periods customers also experience problems which you can help to solve:

Customer Problems = Your Opportunities

Common sense? Obvious? What are you doing right now?

Get a Grip - Part 2

2010-08-23T10:52:00.000+01:00

In the last blog we promised to share the six key indicators small businesses need to monitor and manage in order to sleep easy in their beds. So here goes:

1. Sales vs plan
2. Gross margin as % of sales
3. Break even %
4. Debtors as % of sales or days
5. Creditors as % of sales or days
6. Working capital available or cash

Track and trend these monthly and you will manage 90% of the key numbers in your business.

Get a Grip

2010-08-02T21:41:00.000+01:00

Calling all Small Businesses

90% of small businesses are out of control financially....fact!

They do not sleep easy in their beds and if they do they must be either self deluded, drunk or mad!

So get a grip by hiring somebody who can add up to do your monthly accounts accurately. Then ask them to track and trend the six key indicators.

Find out what they are in my next blog.

So follow this advice and sleep easy in your bed.....

There, financial control for SMEs... done!

Job for the CEO or top dog..........

2010-07-22T09:49:00.000+01:00

I sometimes get asked what do I see as the role of the top person in an organisation?

The best answer I have ever heard to this question was provided by my friend Gerry Egan 'the role of the CEO is to set the strategy for the business and pick the people capable of delivering it - job done'.

So I will continue to provide this explanation to my clients until somebody comes up with something better.

STOP trying to delight your customers

2010-07-16T10:25:00.000+01:00

The idea that delighting customers is the only way to compete has become so entrenched that managers rarely examine it.

Ask yourself how often do you patronise a company because of it's over-the-top service?

Well a major research study in the Harvard Business Review this month has destroyed the myth that delighting customers is the holy grail of competitive advantage. The research shows that the answer is to make it easy for customers to buy from you and to solve their problems. No need for bells and whistles!

There, another business 'truth' destroyed.

Let's nail leadership once and for all.........

2010-06-29T13:40:00.000+01:00

The use of the word leadership has grown exponentially in the media over the past 10 years but there appears to be many definitions of what it is....... Does it matter? I believe so because teams, organisations, countries and even national football teams depend for their success on effective leadership.

So here goes......

Management is about making the organisation work. Do what it says on the can - results to expectations. Leadership is about making things better, changing, improving, developing things - results beyond expectations.

Leadership is not about personality, style, process or behaviour it is about results beyond expectations.

So there, leadership. Done.

Delivering results or just ticking boxes

2010-06-28T09:36:00.001+01:00

One phenomenon I see regularly when working as a consultant on projects with client's staff is that only a small percentage of people have the drive to actually achieve results.

Many people on projects come together, analyse a business issue, produce an action plan and then do nothing.......

Only about 5% of people have the fire in their eyes to take personal responsibility for achieving success. The rest go through the motions, say the right things and tick all the boxes except one: DELIVERING RESULTS.

When you find the deliverers in your business treat them like heroes for they are worth their weight in gold!

Reflecting on 30 years as a Consultant

2010-06-23T15:55:00.000+01:00

Recently I had to write an 'experience CV' for the Yorkshire Region Entrepreneurs Group which I facilitate.

When I reflected on 30 years as a consultant I surprised myself at what I have actually done..... Here it is:

• Starting, growing and selling a 150 person business.
• Helping Keepmoat Ltd grow from £25 million to £750 million over 30 years.
• Facilitating business strategy with many Boards including Lafarge, EWS and Johnson Matthey.
• Entrepreneurial business development with Oracle, Hanson and Yorkshire Post.
• Helping over 150 businesses to achieve their growth aspirations.
• Improving profits significantly through efficiency projects.
• Selecting and building top teams.
• Turning round several businesses.

For Entrepreneurs Only.....

2010-06-13T17:17:00.000+01:00

For Entrepreneurs Only facilitated a great meeting of the 50 most successful entrepreneurs in the Yorkshire region. The entrepreneurs are tired of pulbic sector faliure to do anything positive to stimulate the economy of the region and so have decided to do something about it as a group themeselves.

Real energy and comittment to do something positive....... and make a real difference.

Watch this space...........

Breakthrough in Assessing Entrepreneurial Talent

2010-06-04T15:43:00.001+01:00

Great News! The Entrepreneurial Potential Report (see www.savilleconsulting.com) now enables you to objectively assess for the first time ever entrepreneurial talent.

Who should be interested?

People thinking of starting a business and want to be sure they have what it takes.

Investors who can assess business plans to two places of decimals but have to take a guess at the people.

Organisations wanting to identify the 10% of their people who have the capacity to innovate and transform their business.

This is a major breakthrough - check it out! Or contact David Hall Consultancy Ltd on 01430 425541 for more details.

Taking Management Seriously.......

2010-05-28T11:33:00.000+01:00

90% of the problems I find when I work as a consultant with organisations can be traced back to poor management. So why do we not take management seriously?

Management is the only 'profession' that you get promoted into because you are good at something else and the only one where no preparation is apparently though necessary. Why?

By the way, it is not the individual managements fault, it is the 'system' that does not value management as a profession.

If we were serious about sorting out UK Plc then for me the one thing we could do which would have the biggest impact is to develop better managers in both the public and private sectors. It is not about banks or government policy where the solution lies, we are looking in the wrong place.

Successful Entrepreneurs

2010-05-21T16:07:00.000+01:00

I have spent a few hours this week in the company of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Hull and East Riding region. What did I learn? The experience reminded me how high performing entrepreneurs are so different from ordinary managers, public sector people and bureaucrats.

Entrepreneurs have passion, energy, focus and commitment in spades. They get hold of an issue and just fix it by taking action, solving problems and having fun doing it!

So refreshing, it lifted my spirits..... Why the hell do I work with anybody other than these kind of people..... God only knows.......

The Myth of Innovation

2010-05-07T10:52:00.000+01:00

Innovation is overrated. There I have said it......

Recent research by Harvard Business Review found that of 48 'innovations' 34 were copies of what previously existed. 98% of the value generated by the innovation is actually captured not by the innovators but by the copy cats.

So you heard it here first.......imitation is more valuable than innovation. So a practical tip is to ask who does this best?, find out and then copy it.

Creating Superior Opportunities

2010-05-07T10:37:00.000+01:00

When working with clients I ask some questions which have helped unearth superior opportunities. The best opportunities are visible but not seen in my experience.

Here are the questions:

- What big problem is keeping customers awake at night?
- Is the problem widely recognised?
- Does it affect other industries?
- Are radical innovations required to tackle the problem?
- Can tackling the problem change industries economics?
- Will addressing the issue give us a fresh source of competitive advantage?
- Would tackling the problem create a superior opportunity for us?

10 Things to Do to Create a Great Business

2010-05-07T10:29:00.000+01:00

How can a business move from good to great? Here are 10 things they need to do to achieve that accolade.

Firstly the top team need to get a shared strategy – where are we going and what are our priorities? Strategy is the start point for all great businesses. Part of this process is to develop a compelling vision which inspires customers and employees to want to be involved with the business. ‘If we were in 2015 and we were very successful what would we have accomplished’?

Great businesses require great leaders. Leaders set stretch goals that inspire people to go the extra mile and produce results beyond expectations. A recent major study of what people wanted from their leaders was honesty, inspiration and competence.

In order to create customers, great businesses focus on effective networking which has the highest correlation with successful business growth. How do great businesses actually create new customers from network contacts? They use the entrepreneurial approach to business development. Find a real customer problem, solve it and then sell the solution to everyone else. That’s it. Simple but incredibly powerful.

Once they have created customers, great businesses set out to delight them in order to keep them. The benefits of delighting customers are high levels of repeat business, new opportunities from referrals from delighted customers and a lowering of sensitivity to price.

Running a great business requires great people. How many of your people consistently produce results beyond your expectations? This is a critical business question. In the great businesses it would be many people at all levels in the business. Selection is a key business task.

Great businesses also control they key factors in their recipe for success. This might be product quality, delivery, service, personal relationships or cost. They know that what gets measured gets managed and they do not leave this to chance.

Finally, great business leaders invest in themselves. They are inquisitive, they want to learn how to do things better, they rarely get complacent or rest on their laurels. So when was the last time you read a business book, attended a training course or invested in a coach?

So there it is – 10 things to do to create a great business.

Body Language

2010-05-01T16:01:00.000+01:00

65% of communication is via body language. Could somebody please tell the politicians.....

Brown's fake grin, eyes cast down = lying.
Cameron's eyes to camera, positive hand gestures = passion and self confidence. Clegg's eyes to camera, natural smile = honesty.

So watch their bodies not their lips.

Entrepreneurs 10, Managers 0

2010-04-23T16:00:00.000+01:00

One of the insights over the past 2 years is that in times of uncertainty entrepreneurs create opportunities where managers see threats and problems.

It is possible to grow a business even in a recession if you have an entrepreneur driving the business. The time to take risks is now but most businesses go the other way which is why they decline.

The UK needs a Strategy!

2010-04-14T14:59:00.000+01:00

What can we learn from the general election campaign so far?

Firstly, no party has a strategy for the country. So all we get are feeble attempts at vote catching tactics. Come on politicians learn from business!

Job 1 - Get a strategy, everything else will fall into place.

Politicians have not got one so here is mine to help them:

Mission: To put the Great back into Britain

Vision:
* All debts repaid in 5 years
* World leaders in 'X' industries
* Health service the envy of the world
* The Education system in the top 3 in the world
* Everybody has the chance to become the best they can be
* Public sector productivity up by 25%
* We treat all people with dignity and respect

Would you vote for it?

Send this Blog to your Parliamentary Candidates - Save the UK!

2010-04-09T14:14:00.000+01:00

The UK is currently caught up in election fever..... well the politicians and media mob are.....

If any politian bothered to listen to what people want from their leaders they would win easily. A major research study of followers showed that they wanted their leaders to be honest, inspirational and competent. On a scale of 1 - 10, 1 = awful, 10 = the best, how would we rate them?

Please send this blog to your local parlimentary candidates and lets see if we can get some half decent leaders, God knows we need them!

The Hull Entrepreneurs Forum

2010-04-01T21:04:00.000+01:00

I have been working with some of the regions most successful entrepreneurs to set up an organisation which will create significant wealth and jobs in the Yorkshire region.

The Forum will be showcased at the Yorkshire International Business Convention in Bridlington w/c 7th June 2010. Here are the details:

The Hull Entrepreneurs Forum presents…… For Entrepreneurs Only……

Can entrepreneurship be learnt? David Hall thinks so……

In this unique event you will learn how to:

- Think and act like an entrepreneur
- Use the entrepreneurial mindset to grow your business
- Top up your energy, which may have been drained by ‘energy vampires’

Three of Hull’s most successful entrepreneurs will share their experiences of growing successful businesses. One is a serial entrepreneur, another grew a business, failed, started again and recreated success and the third grew the UK’s most successful business in their sector.

This will be a high energy participative event where you can get answers to your business questions you could get from nowhere else. You can also meet members of the Hull Entrepreneurial Exchange and find out whether you have what it takes to join this prestigious group of entrepreneurs.

UK Plc

2010-04-01T20:49:00.000+01:00

Our recent research clearly demonstrates that 90% of business problems can be traced back to poor management, not the economy, competitors or even Gordon Brown..... But it is not the individual manager's fault. It is a system that operates from the assumptions that no preparation is thought necessary and that people get promoted because they are good at something else! No other profession holds these assumptions.

The answer? Select managers because they have the necessary qualities and provide them with the models, methods and skills to manage effectively.

What a difference this could make to UK Plc.....

Welcome to my first blog and my new website

2010-03-18T13:00:00.000Z

Welcome to my first blog on my new website.

I intend my blog to have something of value that will help or interest clients. Too many blogs are simply personal sounding boards or rants; content free communication.

One big insight recently has been if you really want to grow your business then go and hire the best quality people you possibly can. Many businesses make the mistake of recruiting similar people so the business stays the same......

obvious but a very common error.

Welcome

2010-01-22T16:17:00.001Z

Welcome to our new blog which we hope you will find interesting and helpful. I will personally update my blog weekly with information which i hope will help you with your business.

Whilst acting as a consultant to some of the UK's best businesses, I learn a great deal about what works. I will share these insights with you which I hope will add value to your business. So keep checking in with us.

Here is my first insight:

It has been estimated by accounting bodies that 90% of small and medium enterprises are out of control financially. Our research has shown that if they track and monitor six indicators, they can sleep easy in their beds.

If you want to sleep easy in your bed by knowing what the indicators are, then contact me and I will share them with you for free! Not a bad start eh...