michael's blog

Greece, bail-outs, and our economy

2012-02-22T09:04:00.001-08:00

Greece has just received its latest bail-out of £110 billion, the second of its huge instalments from the EU and IMF which now total over £240 billion.

Now to put this into context:

1 million seconds (1,000,000) = 11.5 days

1 billion seconds (1,000,000,000) = 31.7 years

240 billion = 7,608 years!!

(Go one, work it out, it’s quite easy. Multiply 60 x 60 x 24 to get the number of seconds in a day = 86,400, and go from there).

How likely, with the national hobby in Greece being tax avoidance, is it that Greece will ever recover enough to pay back these “loans”?

A colleague of mine works with some very wealthy private clients in Greece, and assures me that anyone with liquid assets in Greece has moved it all overseas long ago, at the first signs of crisis there.

The rest of the country, from labourers to professionals such as doctors, will do nothing unless paid in cash. A friend visited Greece last year and had to agree to pay the doctor in cash before obtaining an appointment.

Nobody – including the leaders of Germany and France, the IMF and the EU Central Bank who are all approving and handing out these bail-out funds – can really, hand on heart, believe that they will see a significant amount back.

The Greek government is due to make a Euro 14.5 billion repayment, which, if it defaults, should trigger a sovereign insolvency, but I don’t see that happening. It would be in nobody’s interests, least of all the countries which have already stumped up. More likely the previous bail-out debt will all get written off and another bail-out fund will be negotiated, and so it will go on.

Hopefully at some stage somebody will realise that Greece is never going to be able to repay its debt and that the country should leave the Eurozone and use its own currency again. That is the only way it will stand any chance of getting its economy and finances under control, as it will be able to devalue (something it should have already done twice by now).

How does this affect the UK economy? Not only have we a close tie with the Eurozone, even though we are in the EU but not in the Eurozone, but we have had to stump up several billion pounds of our money as a member of the IMF, which has put money into the Greece bail-out. Both our trade with the EU countries, which will have less money of their own to spend on imports from us, and our own finances and “reserves”, will have to bear the brunt of Greece’s inability to control its finances.

Different attitudes

2012-02-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

In my role (one of several, as you will know) of Business Turnaround/Recovery Interim, I come across a wide spectrum of attitudes and competencies of directors and owners of businesses.

Like the owner of a business who, with £160k debt to HMRC and a bank that insisted that he ring them before writing another cheque, went out and bought a fairly new Range Rover, because “it will impress the clients” – and he has wanted one for years! Or the MD of a business who had spent so much on manufacturing facilities for products that could have been bought in from established sources at half the price they were making them for that they could never, ever recover the investment from the level of sales they were likely to make, who wanted to move to larger premises “because we will have room for expansion”! Two examples of MD’s who really do not have a clue about business!

On the other hand, there is the director who wanted to continue the development of a new product which would have an international market, and who asked me to come in to examine and validate the business plan that had originally been written by an internal team including the Financial Department, Development Department and Commercial Department. Of course, many of the figures no longer “stack up” so it is taking a lot of digging to determine where most of the figures came from in the first place, and the market research needs doing again, but at least he is not ploughing on regardless, and sees the need and value in making sure the product development is worth continuing with and that he knows what it will cost him to bring the product to market – and the likely returns.

And the CEO of a business who asked me to undertake an examination and revision of the company’s Marketing Strategy and Plan, to ensure that he is using his budget wisely and for the best results. He has had to cut some staff and tighten costs, but realises that he must continue with as much Marketing as he can to support the efforts of his sales team to recover the severe reduction in turnover the company is encountering. His company is hurting, and has cut costs hard, but is very reluctant to cut Marketing as he knows that, as long as it is directed in the right direction, it is their only chance to get them out of the current crisis.

Very different attitudes to the first two examples, and I know who I will put my money on to survive.

Negotiating

2012-02-03T04:23:00.000-08:00

I was recently called in to help a company negotiate a new contract. This is not an unusual situation, as I have been successfully negotiating contracts for many years – whether for distribution agreements or for major contracts for new business.

I jotted down a few hints and tips for them to think about before setting out to negotiate any new contract, and these apply to negotiating anything.

1) Prepare thoroughly – know your stuff. Find out about who you are negotiating with, what they are looking for, and what their motivations are for seeking to negotiate.

2) Don’t assume anything. If you don’t know something then find out about it, or ask the other party.

3) Don’t be afraid to take a break. Not all negotiations have to be completed immediately. It is common for negotiations for large contracts, distributor agreements etc to take place over a period. The other party (and you) may have set deadlines, but if you are unhappy about something then ask for an extension.

4) Don’t be afraid to ask. Do make sure you understand every issue and even the “small print”. It is not a sign of weakness to say you have to get legal (or other) advice before signing, it shows that you are not gullible and will do everything necessary to make sure things are right. It is too easy to get carried away when you think you have won the contract, sign up straight away in the euphoria, and then find out that there are clauses that make the contract less than ideal for you (or worse).

5) Stay in control, whatever is thrown at you. Some negotiators like to unsettle the other party, thinking it is “clever” or wins them some edge. My view is that this is unprofessional, and you create your own “edge” by remaining calm and in control. If something comes up that you haven’t prepared for and you want time to consider then say so.

6) Don’t offer concessions without being clear what you will get in return. There should be a “quid pro quo” – in other words, if you give a little you should expect some benefit in return.

7) Be wary if they cave in to your demands too easily. That probably means that they have pitched their requirements much higher than they actually expect to get, and there is probably a lot more to come if you negotiate wisely.

8) Do be aware of your own and your company’s strengths – and your opponents weaknesses.

9) Do be aware of your “bottom line” – where you are prepared to go to before the contract becomes unviable.

10) Once the deal is agreed, stick to it and don’t give away anything else. Many negotiators use the tactic of asking for just that little other thing, trying to catch you unaware in the euphoria of successfully negotiating something.

11) Finally, don’t negotiate if you don’t have to. Some contracts are awarded to a company or individual because the other side want them and are prepared to sign up on the opening bid.

Happy negotiations, and remember, negotiation is not about you winning everything. Negotiating is about both parties being comfortable with the outcome. It should not be one-sided; both sides need to be content, otherwise the contract will not be a good one.

What happens may be just what was needed

2012-01-21T03:15:00.001-08:00

I am mellowing with age! A few years ago I would have become quite annoyed about something that inconvenienced me or that I had no control over (or something that I had done that was wrong or disorganised). Sometimes, though, those things that annoy because they are beyond your control, or have inconvenienced you, may actually be providing an opportunity for something better.

A little while ago as I drove to a meeting with the CEO of a business client, her PA rang to apologise but her boss was not going to be in today – off sick. “Oh well, never mind, I am sure that the poor secretary has been struggling with rescheduling appointments and fielding demanding calls for her boss” I thought. At least I had not driven all the way there (now that’s a novel thought – it could have been a lot worse).

Some time ago I would have been really annoyed that I had wasted time and money on an unnecessary journey. Why could they not have let me know half an hour ago, before I got 30 miles into my journey? I would have thought.

Now I accept that these things happen, and it will not be the last time I have a fruitless journey. Anyway, some meetings that do take place without cancellation prove to be utterly fruitless!

As I found somewhere to turn around, I realised that I was only about ten minutes away from the office of an old friend and ex colleague, so I got the faithful old address book out and gave him a call. Not only was he in, he would be pleased to give me a coffee and have a chat.

Over our coffee (and biscuits!) we talked about a piece of work that he has been thinking of doing but had not found the time to spec out properly. We realised that it was something that we at Rapier do. He gave it more thought and asked me to put a proposal to him. End result – an assignment with his company that I wouldn’t have got if my first appointment had not been cancelled whilst I was on the way there.

Not everything that seems to be a disappointment, or seems to be something that has gone wrong, is bad. When things seem to be going wrong in our lives, it is not always the case, often better things turn up or another opportunity arises.

It is worth trying to accept that sometimes things happen which seem to be against us, getting in the way of what we had planned, but actually there may be something better about to happen. It does not always prove to be so – but at least we stay “chilled out”.

Never-ending access

2012-01-03T04:04:00.000-08:00

I was at a board meeting a couple of weeks ago where the directors, with one exception, had kept their mobile phones switched on. Throughout the meeting phones were buzzing, blipping and ringing. Eventually, half way through the meeting, the chairman got tired of these interruptions and asked that “something be done about the phones”. I suggested bluntly that they be turned off, to be met with astonished looks from more than one director and the comment that “how will people get hold of me?”

What did we do before mobile phones, Blackberries, I-Phones etc? Oh, I remember - a secretary took calls and only interrupted the meeting if the call really was of desperate importance. That way, the directors could concentrate on the business at hand and not be constantly interrupting their chain of thought (and that of their co-directors) with other things.

Nowadays we all expect to be accessible, and to have access to all our contacts, all day (and often most of the night as well). But is that absolutely necessary? Do we need to be contactable during our evenings, whilst we are on the train or driving, or during meetings with other business people? (OK, doctors and emergency cover staff on call do, but surely not the rest of us.)

I recently got a call on my mobile at 07.55 in the morning. Not unusual and something I am normally happy to accept, but this was a Sunday morning and it related to a meeting the following week! Not, therefore, of critical importance or life-threatening, but the caller just expected me to be happy to receive his call.

Interestingly, my contacts in businesses “over the pond” in Canada and the USA, and further afield in the Far East, recognising the time difference, always email me to arrange a convenient time to call, rather than expecting me to be available at all hours.

Entrepreneurship

2011-12-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

To paraphrase and quote Michael Flanders, of Flanders and Swann: “I am often asked – well, somebody asked me once”. The question was: “What makes a successful entrepreneur?” Having written articles (and part of a book) and spoken many times on the subject, I felt I could answer that.

Although every person (and every entrepreneur) is different, I suppose the main qualities are guts, determination, drive, self-belief and a willingness and ability to work long hours. There are others that can be listed, but you will have to wait for the book to get those. None are “secret” though, and anyone can produce a list of likely attributes for an entrepreneur.

They do need a vision, an idea, and a conviction that they can do whatever it is better than anyone else. It is not necessary to have a unique offering, but something unique or “extra” to add to the offering is necessary to be really successful.

I work a lot with entrepreneurs and enjoy the experience – there is certainly a “buzz” about them.

However, this has also taught me that to be a successful entrepreneur they also need something crucial, above and beyond the qualities listed.

They need a willingness to listen to advice and to accept that theirs may not be the only or the best way of achieving a goal. Some are so focused, full of self belief, or even self-absorbed, that they cannot, or will not, listen to others who may have valuable experience that may help them avoid some pitfalls.

I don’t mind if a business owner does not take my advice – that is their choice – as long as they are prepared to listen, analyse and consider before rejecting it and “doing it their way”. A reasoned decision has then been made.

Some do, some don’t – and those latter are the ones with which we have very short relationships.

A little bit of fun - goes a long way

2011-12-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

I have a long-standing client in the property development field. This year the Chief Executive had his 60^th birthday, and decided to hold a party for his management team and the rest of the staff.

The “bash” was held on a boat on the river Thames, with a jazz band and “bubbly” flowing freely. At the end of the very successful evening, when everyone had enjoyed what had turned out to be a great time and more than enough booze and food, a number of limos had been hired to ferry everyone to a hotel where rooms had been booked for everyone to sleep off any hint of excesses and restore their equilibrium in the spa. Those who preferred to go home had the limo to take them, so nobody needed to worry about drinking and driving.

The party was a total success, and in spite of a few hangovers on the following day, ensured a happy and loyal workforce will remember the bosses sixtieth year.

So, the company lost possibly two days of work from everyone – one day to get ready for and go to the party and one day getting back from it (and when at least some of the staff were operating at something below par!)

However, the goodwill generated far outweighed those lost man/woman-hours, and the bosses verdict? – money well spent.

I would not suggest such a generous gesture as a rule of thumb, or as a regular feature of corporate life, but this company is reaping the rewards of the boss’s thoughtfulness.

Preparation

2011-12-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

I look out over the garden from my office window – one of the benefits of having an office at home – and with the trees now bare and the garden “put to bed” for the winter, it looks a bit bleak. But looking forward everything will soon be blossoming again in the spring, only because we have spent a great deal of effort preparing everything for the winter and to get it ready to be better than ever when the spring comes.

If things are looking bleak for your business, look hard at what you need to do to get through it and get in shape for the fresh start. For goodness’ sake don’t do what one neighbour does – leaving everything dead and dying until the spring and then tries to salvage the dead plants to give some new growth (it doesn’t work well!)

“You get what you pay for”.

2011-11-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

All consultants have them – clients who want work done, but don’t want to pay the going rate for it (or at least want to haggle the cost down).

We try to please our clients, and ensure that they are satisfied with the outcome of any work we do, whether it is a small consultancy assignment, some market research or a major project.

However, we charge a fee for our services, just as all consultants do. The fees reflect partly the expertise that we bring - our clients are getting a huge amount of experience and skills to draw on - and we bring that to every assignment. There are also the costs we have in running our consultancy, the overheads we incur (although we minimise these by not renting expensive offices or having secretaries and “PA’s” to do our typing etc). We are a business paying tax, National Insurance, indemnity insurance, pension, sick pay (we don’t get paid when we are not working, unlike an employee), expenses and professional fees just as any other business.

We do save our clients money, as they would pay a great deal more if they had a permanent employee doing the work. We also save clients money in doing the job properly.

We have, I am sorry to say, been brought in on several occasions by company directors who have previously engaged cheaper consultants to undertake an assignment, only to have been severely disappointed or let down by them. We have then been tasked with doing the job properly – a task not made any easier by the distrust engendered in the company by the “cut corners consultants” previously engaged, and sometimes even by the mistakes and mess they have made of the job. The lesson is that professional services such as consultancy, legal advice, accountancy etc is not a cheap commodity to be bargained and haggled over.

The fees we charge are certainly not the highest for consultants of our calibre and experience, but if somebody wants cheap consultancy, there are others who are, I am sure, willing to work for less. But, “buyer beware” – you get what you pay for.

In the end, of those clients who do engage us, many often come back to use us again - most of our business is repeat business from satisfied previous clients. The rest of our work comes from referrals from pleased clients or contacts, and from senior people with whom we have worked and who have now moved to another organisation. They all know that they can trust us, and because of that are unlikely to try to haggle over our fees.

Using consultants effectively

2011-11-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

I am sometimes asked how a company can get the best from an external consultancy, and how they can be sure they are not being taken advantage of. A straightforward reply is: Use a small, independent consultant who will have an interest in satisfying your requirements, will work according to a plan that has been agreed with you, will be responsible for undertaking the work rather than putting in junior consultants to complete the project, and who survives on his/her results. But make sure that they have the necessary experience, and are professional consultants, not somebody doing it between paid employment.

I have given workshops and seminars on this subject, as it is important to me that businesses that use external consultants do receive full value for money and get what they need out of it. Most of the complaints I hear about consultants is a direct result of the activities of some consultancies which charge huge fees and whose consultants are actually tasked to (and rewarded for) obtaining more business from every assignment in every client.

At Rapier Management Consultants Ltd, we prefer to work with our clients as needed, and leave it to them to decide what to employ us on, and when, not to try to make jobs for ourselves within the organisation to maintain a continuous revenue stream from each client. That way, we find we have satisfied clients who trust us and are happy to call us back in when it is necessary. Much of our business is from previous clients and from referrals, and from executives/directors who have used us in one company and then moved to another, where our expertise would be of benefit. (And we have been professional consultants since 1989).

A few tips on managing a consultancy assignment, and the consultants:

¨ Define the scope of the project in advance, and after careful consideration of the requirements of the company;

¨ Set time-scales and budgets for the assignment;

¨ Agree the scope of the project with the consultants, defining the full range of the project, the outcome expected, the deliverables (may be a written or verbal report) and the time-scales (with interim deliverables where appropriate);

¨ Assign a lead consultant from the consultancy, and a project manager from within your company (this may be the owner/manager, a director, or in larger organisations a manager with responsibility for the project);

¨ If the assignment is longer than 4 weeks, ensure progress reports are provided by the consultant, and consider holding project review meetings regularly;

¨ Ensure at the end of the assignment that the consultants are fully de-briefed by the appropriate director(s) of the company, and that any reports that are due are completed and submitted;

¨ Finally, ensure that the consultant’s invoices are paid on time. Remember that consultants are in business as well, and need to maintain their cash flow, just as your company does. This is particularly important if you are using self-employed sole traders or small consultancies. They will be more likely to want to work with you again in the future if their invoices have been paid promptly.

Comfortable?

2011-11-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

Are you too comfortable? I mean in a business sense, not in the chair you use. Routine is comfortable and comforting, and it is very easy to get into routines. We all use routines – from the cosy household routines to the way in which we structure our working day. But routine can be counter-productive, especially to innovative thinking, or getting things done effectively.

I see it a lot, in my Business Turnaround work, but also in other aspects of businesses that I help. “Oh, we have always done it that way” is like a red rag to me, and my questions are “why?” and “is that really the best way of doing that?”

Sometimes it is because that way always works, and if so good. But so often it is because nobody has ever challenged that way of doing things, and it becomes established practice. Businesses move on, and often the old ways of doing things are not right for the present.

So my challenge is – try to do something different in your work or business – start with just one thing, and if that change works, then try to think of something else that may need changing.

I never advocate change just for the sake of change, but if you look at the way things are done, you may be able to change some things for the better. Try it.

Taking things for granted

2011-11-07T03:58:00.001-08:00

Driving around the USA recently reminded me that we should never take anything for granted, never assume.

There are quite a few (obvious) examples of the differences between the UK and the USA, but when pulling into a filling station in the car, beware. The first difference is that in many you have to pay in advance for the fuel you want to fill up with. That’s not a big problem, but can cause a queue behind you at the pumps as you spend some time trying in vain to get the pump to switch on before you have visited the cashier or put your credit card in the slot. It does stop people driving off without paying!

The second, and perilous, difference is that in the USA the green nozzle is for diesel and the black one is for petrol, the exact opposite of the UK standard (and they are both the same size nozzle). Assume you know what you are doing (without reading the pump instructions closely) results in a costly mistake.

This applies equally in business. A few weeks ago I was asked to look into a business that had several problems. I asked one of the (commercial) directors about reports on lost and cancelled orders which can be a problem and he had assumed that this was looked at by another department. I checked with every department, and if they were in any way connected with orders and commercial matters they all gave me the same answer – “somebody else looks at that”. Those departments not obviously “commercial”, such as Finance, had not bothered with it as it was “not in their domain”. No, but it seriously affects the financial performance of the business, which is in your domain!

It’s a simple thing to establish what problems impact on the business performance and what information is needed, and then establish a responsible department and even a responsible person. Don’t assume, and don’t take anything for granted – in business or when elsewhere.

Get out there

2011-10-24T07:34:00.001-07:00

With the pressures on businesses to perform growing greaterwith each passing day, there is a distinct reluctance by business managers tostep back and take stock over the summer months.

Crippling financial conditions are leaving business managersfearing that taking their foot off the pedal even for a moment will leave themvulnerable to what is an increasingly volatile marketplace. Yet using the nextfew weeks to take stock of where your company is in terms of its developmentand identify gaps within the market which could benefit your business couldwell be the most effective use of your time. Solving the age-old puzzle ofwhere your business should go next is never easy, but identifying the areas onwhich you can build upon is crucial if you are to stay ahead of yourcompetitors in the game. And when inspiration is proving hard to come by,stepping out of the office can often provide the distance needed to examineyour business' strengths and weaknesses objectively.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the current climate a recentsurvey by the Chartered Management Institute found that fewer managers areplanning to take their holiday entitlement this summer than ever before. But isthe office really the best environment for those key decision-makers toreassess their business' potential? A great deal of time is spent highlighting thebenefits of networking in terms of promoting your company and selling productsand services, but less emphasis is based on the benefits of actually talking toother businesses with whom mutually-beneficial working relationships could beformed. After all, an exciting, not-to-mention profitable new joint project couldbe sitting waiting for you at the next networking event, you never know.

So, however great the temptation, don't stick your head in thesand and chain yourself to your desk. Get out there, meet new people, talk tothem about their businesses and glean new ideas for your own. But mostimportantly of all, take a break this summer. Then come September you will feelrested and rejuvenated, bursting with the energy and inspiration needed toinject your business with the life and vivacity it needs to succeed.

Business Link - changes or demise?

2011-10-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

There has been a "roadshow" doing a tour of the region explaining why the government is closing Business Link - the government scheme that was designed to help small businesses and start-ups to obtain business advice. It was started many years ago by the DTI in response to the problem of small businesses being ripped off by unscrupulous "consultants", many if whom had no high-level business qualifications and no training in consultancy. However, it was extremely confused and confusing about its remit. Initially it offered consultancy using its own employed consultants, but they were not trained or qualified in consultancy. It then suffered many re-inventions, the last one being to act as a "broker" to enable the small business owners to find an "approved" consultant from a list it held. Unfortunately the approval process was flawed, and many "consultants" on its list were no more qualified than a school-leaver to provide advice to businesses!

It is now being virtually closed, with just a web-based advice system.

Unfortunately it never achieved its original aim of giving businesses a place to find good quality consultants. There are still a whole bunch of "consultants" out there taking a large fee, mainly up-front, and providing little help, advice or assistance of any use.

I have come across more than one such "consultant/consultancy" in my career, and came across one of them yet again recently. The owner of a small business which has got itself into financial difficulties was attending a local networking event. The "consultant" offered to help the struggling company and took £5k up front. Shame nothing of any use was actually achieved or delivered. No recompense, no remorse, and now the struggling business is really on its knees, as the owner cannot find enough money to employ a real consultant to provide real help.

Perhaps instead of re-inventing Business Link again, the government should consider regulating the consultancy industry and introducing minimum standards of business qualification and specific training in consultancy before licencing a consultant to work! We don't really want that, do we - more government interference. But until these charlatans are sorted out and stamped out, the small business owner will not know that they are hiring a useless waste of space.

Education for the sake of a certificate

2011-09-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Much has been made in the press of the lack of education and even basic skills of young people coming out of school and even university - not being able to do basic mathematics or use English properly. The debate about our education system will continue, I'm sure, as I have heard it all before over the years. These lack of basic skills does seem to be getting worse though.
However, from my lecturing experience, not all the blame should rest on the teachers. I lecture at two well-known higher education establishments to those who are already in jobs in management and marketing. In the general management establishment (a university offering Diploma in Management Studies and MBA, as well as many other business and non-business courses) classes are populated by those in junior and middle management positions who really have a desire to learn, gain experience and knowledge, and advance themselves. True, gaining a DMS or an MBA will probably help advance their careers and they have to focus on that, but their interest in gathering knowledge that can be used in those more senior positions is also a priority for them. They have the intelligence to see that just getting a certificate means little or nothing if it is not backed up with the ability to actually add something to their work.
Compare this to students on a marketing course at a another college. A recent class was typical, and surprisingly their attitude was actually supported by the college management.
The sole aim of these "students" was to pass the course and get a certificate from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, through the college. Nothing else. With two notable exceptions (one of which was running her own business and so wanted to know all there is to know about marketing for that), the rest had no interest, desire, or intention of attempting to gain any real knowledge or learn how to apply techniques being taught into real life or work.
I was saddened and dismayed. They may "learn" marketing techniques and theory - enough to get the certificate - but flatly refuse any attempt to teach them real life marketing and how to apply the knowledge and theory to working situations.
The college, sadly, took the line that they, or rather their employers in most cases, are paying for the course and therefore should decide what they get from it.
I agree to a point, but they and their present - and future - employers will lose out on the potential of having worthwhile working knowledge of applying theory and techniques to situations. Having a piece of paper with "Pass" on it doesn't help when faced with real issues and problems at work.
Tutors and teachers are there to pass on their knowledge and experience, usually gained over many years in the job, and make sure that the output from the school, college or course is as learned and well-rounded in the subject as possible, not just get an exam pass.
From the last cohort of marketing students from this college, I would only give a job to the two I mentioned who were keen to learn. None of the others are employable in a serious Marketing job. Employers be warned!

Our mortality

2011-08-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

I have just returned from the funeral of the wife of a very dear friend and colleague, and this brings our own mortality closer.
It was when my friend returned from attending a conference with me last year that it was realised his wife was seriously ill. Tests revealed she had an inoperable brain tumor and not only would she suffer continuing and severe deterioration of her health, but her time was really limited. I have watched him suffer as he has supported his wife and the rest of the family during the past 8 months, watched him try to be strong for her and them and still do his job as CEO of a company. I can only hope that if something happens to my loved one I can be as strong and dignified as he has been.
At the service for her funeral, many of the men, myself included, struggled to hold back tears, and on my part it was for him more than for his wife. The pain he has been through recently and the pain he has yet to go through as he comes to terms with such a gap in his life after sharing 43 years with his wife is inconceivable to many of us.
My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, but I feel so helpless and frustrated that I cannot do anything tangible to help them.

July 2011

2011-07-08T02:25:00.000-07:00

I was giving some thought to bullying in the workplace this week, having read an article on the subject in Management Today, the journal of the Chartered Management Institute. The writer (a Baroness appointed by Tony Blair to his last government) stated that "the majority of bullies have no idea of the effect their actions have on the victims".
I strongly refute that. Having seen three world-class bullies at work - one in British Airways Speedwing when I was an Interim Manager there, and two in a telecommunications consultancy (both a director and a senior employee) when I worked as a consultant to them - I can vouch for the fact that they know exactly what the effect is of their behaviour on the victims, that is what they get off on. There was clearly a great deal of gratification for them in bullying selected people in their organisation, and the BA one used bullying as a tactic to ingratiate himself with his senior management - "look at me, I control my people so well I must be a good manager". Unfortunately his nickname from his staff was "Ronald MacDonald", as he was seen as a big clown, but the bullying worked - he always got his way! Bullying is not done just by the ignorant. The director at Quotient had a "PhD" and the executive had an MBA. Their bullying was designed to give them power over others that they felt unable to obtain through legitimate methods, and to demoralise the victims to the point of fear. Just like school playground bullies, but with often devastating effects for the company they work in as well as the staff they are targetting.

Keeping in touch

2011-05-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

I have just sent out my latest newsletter, and already within 30 minutes have had several replies. I suppose it shows that people are reading them. I send out a business newsletter every 4 - 6 weeks (I intended to send it every 4 weeks, and keep meaning to, but business and other things get in the way). it does keep me in touch with my clients - and other key people who it is important to keep a profile with. Several years ago I was on an Interim Manager contract with BA for 2 years, and I was out of normal circulation for that period, which meant that I didn't get to networking or other general business meetings, and failed to keep in regular touch with contacts. When I resurfaced from that contract and started making contact again, I got several comments such as "I thought you had retired", and "Somebody told me you had moved to France, nobody had seen you for ages". That made me think (as well as peeving me somewhat - moving to France??) Since then I have at least tried to keep in touch with people on a regular basis, and if I am too busy to ring them personally I can at least let them know via the newsletter that I am still around (although I suppose I could be writing and sending it from France - perish the thought).

2011-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:00

Once out of the "Christmas season", which this year extended into about two weeks, due to the Christmas and New Year days being at the weekend, we have started back in business, with a couple of quiet weeks and then a lot of busy time ahead. It seemed to take a few days for people to get back into the mood for business after such an extended holiday, but now they are back in with a bang.
I have been working on a book for about a year now, and never put aside enough time to really get on with it. Because of the nature of the subject (The role of Non Exec Directors in businesses), there is quite a lot of research, as well as mine and others experience to gather. This all takes a lot of time and effort.
I have a friend and colleague who has written several business books, all shorter than the one I have been working on. I have concentrated, perhaps incorrectly, on one substantial book. I see the error of my ways and the sense he had now - to claim to have written 8 or 10 books is more impressive than to claim to have one book in the writing! Perhaps I should change tack.
However, I have also been so busy with consultancy work, which pays the bills and the tax man, that time has not been available freely to me.
I am not one for making new year resolutions, they always get broken so quickly, but perhaps this year I will make an exception and resolve to finish my one book/.

2010-11-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Once the coalition government decides what it is going to be - Conservative, Lib Dem, a joint version, or a copy of "New Labour", we will get down to the real business of governing the country and reducing the deficit. At present, there still seem to be a lot of power games, posturing, and putting individual/personal interests first. Who's bright idea was it to appoint personal friends and conservative party employees to the civil service? This government seem to be (a) copying Tony Blair with the creation of spin merchants, webcam operators, web designers and personal photographers (I bet Tony wishes he had thought of that one!), and (b) busy contradicting each other. The banks are still busy working out how to pay themselves bonuses that keep them in the mega-rich bracket, and the spending review allocates a wopping 37% increase to overseas aid whilst having to go cap in hand to the French to share military resources. Meanwhile, the small businesses in this country still cannot get funding to start or grwo their businesses. Things go from bad to worse. Those of us whose role in life is to help businesses sort out their problems bang our heads against the wall, as that at least gives us less pain.

Back in the saddle

2010-10-04T01:56:00.001-07:00

I have just got back to work after a 4 week break in the USA. I am always struck by the difference in attitudes between the Americans and the Brits. Not everyone likes Americans, but I have found them to be open and friendly, and have worked with many of them in different countries, as well as holidaying over there. They have a "can do" attitude which contrasts with our "can't do" approach. Take traffic: They have an over-riding concern to keep traffic flowing as freely as possible, and f you are unfortunate enough to have an accident in a car, they insist that you move everything over tot he side of the road to keep the rest of the traffic moving. Here, the police spend countless hours inspecting the "scene of the crime", blocking the highway with their own vehicles as well as leaving the damaged cars in the middle of the road as well. If somebody fails at something in the USA, they expect them to get back and get on with something else, or try again, whereas in the UK we label them as "failures". Their economy is suffering as ours is, but they expect their government - at federal and local levels - to get on with mending things, rather than wailing and gnashing their collective teeth at how bad things are and are going to be. I would say "it's good to be home", but BA let us sit at the airport for an extra 2 hours before flying us out, rather than getting somebody to sort out the mess their booking and baggage system is!

2010-08-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

With a "portfolio career" as I have had for many years now, it is nice to mix different types of work. I choose what to work and and with whom to work - a luxury many people don't have. I have been in positions where somebody else has power over me and mostly they are the control freaks that nobody should have to answer to! I sympathise with those who are still in that position, we cannot all be in charge of our own working lives, but stick with it, some day you will be in a position to take control of your own life and not be beholding to the aggressive, bullying boss. My advice: Pay off the mortgage as soon as you can, stash something away for a rainy day, avoid pension plans like the plague (somebody else is in control of your money then) and take the opportunities that come your way to do something different.