Are you still flying South?

5 birds are sitting on a telephone wire.  2 decide to fly South.  How many are left?

If your answer is 3, you may want to take another look, because in all likelihood there are still 5 sitting on that wire.

You see, deciding to fly simply isn’t the same as doing it.

If a bird (that would be you) really wants to go somewhere, it’s got to point itself in the right direction, jump off the wire, flap its wings and keep flapping until it gets there. So it is with most things. Good intentions aren’t enough.  It’s not what we want, say, or think that makes things happen; it’s what we do.

Thanks to Jurek Leon of www.TerrificTrading.com for pointing this out in one of his eNewsletters.  Like me, you already knew this; but a reminder may be timely.

And the more important question remains …what can be done to convert decisions into action, for ourselves and for those we lead?

So if you’re still sitting on that wire, or you’re ‘in a flap’ but not getting anywhere; and would like some assistance to get yourself and/or your business to a better place; I suggest you register for the next information session I’m hosting for business owners, CEOs, MDs and GMs.

Are people really your greatest asset?

The Human Capital Edge: 21 People Management Practices Your Company Must Implement (Or Avoid) To Maximize Shareholder Value (2009) by Bruce Pfau and Ira Kay, includes details of Watson Wyatt’s Human Capital Index (HCI) which identifies practices that drive a 47% increase in shareholder returns and prove that there is a cause and affect relationship between human capital management and financial outcomes.

The following explains the research and the critical findings, including a quantification of performance drivers. Read more of this post

Applying the 7 habits of highly effective people

Many have been profoundly assisted by the pages of Stephen Covey’s best seller ‘The 7 habits of highly effective people’.  But not all of the ‘habits’ are easily formed or perfected in us individually or in groups.  Crucial Conversations may provide a valuable addition to unlocking the benefits described in Stephen’s book.

Thanks to John Cluer for sharing this with me.

The number one reason why people quit

Recent PhD research reveals that the biggest contributor to employee disengagement is disaffection with non-communicative, unresponsive line managers.  Or put in the positive, the greatest opportunity to increase employee engagement at every level and tap into those invaluable wells of ‘discretionary effort’ is to engender good management. But what does ‘good management’ look like?  Access the BRW article by Leo D’Angelo Fisher published 16-22 June 2011 p23 to hear the upshots of the PhD research by Stigter, now a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Business.

Calling all business owners CEOs MDs and GMs

Are you committed to continuing professional and personal development?  If yes; then I suggest you consider what The Executive Connection has to offer.

As the saying goes … ‘If you surround yourself with successful people, their success will rub off on you.’

So I invite you to meet with my network of successful business owners and CEOs to taste what it would be like to do so regularly.

To be specific … I’ve been invited by The Executive Connection (www.tec.com.au) to form and facilitate a select group of CEOs and business owners in Perth who are committed to assisting each other over a period of years, to become better leaders, make better decisions, and achieve better results.

The Executive Connection (TEC) is a world-wide high performance network of experienced current CEOs (including owners of SMEs) who meet monthly in groups of 16 to challenge each other with their combined experience and wisdom … the sort of input you can’t find in books or manuals.

TEC has hundreds of these groups operating worldwide (since 1957) including over a dozen in Perth (since 2003) but it isn’t widely known because membership is by invitation only.  And selection is rigorous to ensure continuing value for all members.

Each group has a diverse membership in terms of industry sectors, size of businesses, gender, age, etc.  But all members are the final decision makers within their respective enterprises.

TEC groups should not be confused with ‘networking groups’.  TEC groups are primarily for the ongoing professional development of CEOs, the people whose role is often the most critical (and lonely) of all.

TEC seeks out a rare breed of business leader who understands the value of continuous learning … the sort of learning that can only come from others who’ve walked the same or similar paths.

Anyone can go on a course … but not anyone can be a member of TEC.

The worldwide average period of membership is over 8 years.  Quite simply, the proven model and support resources of TEC have been enhancing the lives and performance of CEOs for decades, and I consider it a privilege to have been asked by TEC to form a new group. (After many months of development and an arduous selection process I might add!)

I will be chairing/facilitating a new TEC group starting in October, so now I’m recruiting for the right people, that is people I would like to spend years with, who would be contributors as well as a willing to receive, who are strategic, open to development, able to give and receive honest and penetrative feedback, and of unquestionable personal integrity.  Are you such a person?

To explore and taste the ‘TEC experience’ for yourself, along with other CEOs, MDs, GMs and Owners; including time to hear from and meet with some current members of TEC in Perth; please register online to attend our information breakfast 7.00am-9.00am on Friday 16 September to be held at Kailis Bros in Leederville. Or if you prefer, call our local TEC EA Cheryle McLaughlin on 08 9285 0165 to register over the phone. Or simply reply to this email with your current contact details and I’ll attend to the registration myself.

This event is purely informational and experiential.  There will be no selling or pressure whatsoever.  Attendance is without cost or obligation, and may result in you joining a group other than the one I am forming.  So even if you don’t see yourself spending years meeting with me, I still encourage you to come along and find out what TEC as an international organisation has to offer you.

If you’d like to discuss anything prior to registering, please contact me by reply email or phone 0412921292.

Consultants fail to deliver

New research reported in Management Today, June 2011 edition, reveals that the ‘overwhelming majority of consultants do not deliver on client expectations‘.  So how do you ensure external expertise is well applied so that you’re part of the mere 30% whose expectations are met or exceeded?

The Consulting Client Satisfaction Survey February 2011 conducted globally by the RFP Company examines the factors behind client’s overall satisfaction with results achieved when working with management consultants.  It shows that more than 70% of consultant engagements fail to fully, let alone exceed, the results that the client expected.

The survey reveals some strengths of consulting firms; but shows that these are not significant contributors to client satisfaction.  The quality of the individual consultants assigned and their focus on the project at hand are identified as areas of greatest relevance to satisfaction.

Importantly, the survey goes on to examine the responsibilities of the client for selecting an appropriate firm for their needs and proactively engaging with that firm.

My own experience reveals that most clients don’t know what they don’t know, so are particularly weak at defining their own needs and making appropriate selections of consultants and coaches to assist them, particularly when a multi-disciplinary approach is required.

The formation of www.MultiCOACH.biz is part of my own response to this dilemma, a cooperative of multi-disciplined coaches, consultants and practitioners coordinated to assist owners and managers of small and large organisations with both needs analysis and solution delivery.

The secret powers of time

In this 10 minute animation, Philip Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. He maintains that our attitudes to ‘time’ influence who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.  It also has profound cumulative effects on nations and cultures; so what affect are attitudes toward ‘time’ having on the practices and culture within your own place of work?

The surprising truth about what motivates us

When will our practices in business eventually catch up with what behavioural science already knows about motivating ourselves, our colleagues and our staff?  Watch the 10 minute animated video below to get the full picture, and don’t forget to leave your own comment.

One marshmallow or two?

Maybe you are already familiar with this now famous experiment explaining the different time orientations of people and the significant benefits that flow to those who can exercise ‘deferred gratification’.  In any case, this 2 minute video animation is worth sharing with your colleagues and staff for the inevitable conversation points that will ensue.

Are you BiZFiT?

An initiative of the WA State Government funded Small Business Development Corporation, the BiZFiT program is designed to help you sustain your business for the long term.

BiZFiT logoOne of the BiZFiT project coordinators attended a workshop I conducted as part of an Enterprise Connect grant in 2010, and so the SBDC have now asked me to present the same workshop under the banner of the BiZFiT Extension program for 2011.

This workshop is called ‘Productivity & Time Management’.  If you think you don’t have time to attend a half-day workshop like this, that’s exactly why you need to register!  It’s highly subsidised, so you only pay $50 inc GST and refreshments.

The next workshop is scheduled for Wednesday 20 April, 1-5pm in Perth; and others are scheduled for later in the year including some regional venues.

Business owners will love it.  So too will General Managers and other senior managers.

The government is paying, so why miss out?  Think of it as a tax refund in kind!

Brochures are available regarding the BiZFiT Extension Program, the BiZFiT Productivity Workshop, and a BiZFiT Extension Registration Form so you can quickly and easily reserve your seat.  Places are genuinely limited due to funding ceilings.

Any enquiries should be directed to bizfit@smallbusiness.wa.gov.au or visit www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/bizfit for further information.

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