Thursday 30 June 2011

Receiving and Giving - how much is enough?

When I hear or see that a child has died somewhere in the world from hunger or a preventable/curable disease (as 27000 will today) I feel an emptiness I cannot describe. I have always felt this way.

Sometimes when confronted with this appauling news I stare for a few minutes without a single thought crossing my mind. When I return to normal I am renewed once more to do my bit to make poverty history.

My wife and I support children in need through World Vision and we know that our support combined with many other people’s mean less children live in poverty. We also give a percentage of the fee from Torchbearer membership of our differencemakers community through our membership of Buy1-Give1 to help others in doing their work. We often ask ourselves however, can we do more? are we doing all that we can?

Recently I read Peter Singer’s lastest book The life you can save - acting now to end world poverty. Singer, named by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, leaves me with no doubt in my mind that each of us can and should do more.

Singer displays a chart in his book that shows that even if just the top 10% of income earners in the United States gave modestly we would raise more than twice the amount respected economist Jeffrey Sachs suggests we need to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals that would end poverty by 2015.

Singer clearly demonstrates that these goals should be easy to achieve. The reality is none are looking as though they will be!

So we have the means to end poverty, why aren’t we? I commend Singer’s book to you as he gives many reasons why we aren’t including the fact that a lot of aid that we do give is tied up in politics and doesn’t actually help make poverty history. The good news is he also gives many ideas of what we can do and how to do it.

For me there is one main reason why we haven’t yet made poverty history. Very few people know how much is enough when it comes to receiving and giving.

The top 10% of income earners in the world earn just over $100,000 per annum. Even if they all gave 5% of their income, and could be certain their money actually went to the right places, poverty could be history. And consider this. The world’s top 0.01% of income earners earn more than 10 million dollars per annum. Singer points out that these folk could give a lot more than 5% and still be very comfortable!

How much we receive for our labour and the value we provide and how much we give away to those less fortunate is a personal decision. I know how much is enough for me to receive and to give. How about you?

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community

Author of Changing What’s Normal

Partner of passionate and enlightened leaders in several countries since 1991, to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Monday 27 June 2011

1 am GMT 29th June 2011 could be an important deadline for you

I am offering the ebook version and companion online vault of my changing what's normal do it yourself program for half price until 1 am GMT 29th June 2011.

You can take advantage of this offer here.

It is fair to say it has taken me my life to write this book

I believe every human being wants and deserves to be loved, valued, and fulfilled.
Imagine our world when everyone is.

When I made this statement in a speech recently a guy yelled out:
“He believes in Utopia” and laughed out loud.

I don’t believe in Utopia. I do believe in possibility.

Turning possibility into reality is what my book is about.
Most people don't want to sit idly by and accept the so-called new normal as how things are. This new normal is not what most of us want!

If you want to be the difference you want to see in the world then I am offering to partner with you as you do your work.

What I say is not important, rather what you hear yourself say to yourself, and then what you intend, feel, think, and do, that’s what’s important. What I provide is sparkenations.

A sparkenation is a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what’s normal.

It will be up to you to keep your fire burning.

This book and companion online vault package are for you if you are passionate about:

Creating organisations people really care about
Being the difference you want to see in the world
Doing something pioneering, breathtaking, and truly innovative
Change where everyone can win
Leaving a legacy for your children and their children
Change people can actually believe in and make happen
Changing what’s normal for the good of people, our planet,and for profit

In my book I explore 58 sparkenations for you to act on in your own way in order to change what’s normal, thrive on the challenges of change, and to co-create change where everyone can win.

In this little black page-turner-of-a-book, Ian got my attention from line one – and kept me to the end. His short, sharp, compelling words of wisdom resonated at every point. He had me drooling as I scribbled copious notes and wonderful reference points that have already proven their worth. Changing What’s Normal – as we shift, and we are shifting, every home, office and handbag should have one!
--- Susan Furness, CEO of UAE-based Strategic Solutions, a global Edgewalker and guide for Conscious Communications.

News Release about my book is here.

and a short review is here.

When I review books I look for two key things: An idea big enough to create change and a way to implement it. This book has both in spades. It's filled with potent insights you can apply to make your future come true.
--- Geoff McDonald, BookRapper.com 

Take advantage of my very special offer of the eversion of my book and 24/7 access to the companion online vault for just $15
here.

Remember to take up this offer you must do so by 1 am GMT 29th June 2011.


Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community

Saturday 25 June 2011

Thriving on the challenges of change

How to engage and retain your best employees in difficult times

The fallout from the financial crisis has been loss of face, wealth, homes, jobs, and/or businesses for many people.

What disturbs me is that the financial crisis is not the root problem, the attitudes that caused it are. Greed, lack of accountability, stupid business practices, and poor legislation in some countries are no longer acceptable. In my view they never were.

People engagement is one way to create the appropriate attitudes for the modern world, which must be about sustainable business practice in ways that contribute to the very sustainability of life itself and the planet on which we live.

People engagement is still for many, a buzz word. To thrive on the challenges of change, and there are many challenges at this moment in time, leaders must turn the words into action.

Employee retention is an outcome of engagement and engagement is an outcome of how well we recruit and induct new employees, and then how effective our performance leadership and management system is in enabling ongoing engagement for new and existing employees.

The journey to employee engagement and ultimately retention, begins with making three key intention, feeling, and thinking shifts. These are:

1) a move away from traditional vision, mission and values, to vision become a sparkenation (a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what's normal)

2) mission becoming a cause beyond profit

3) values becoming virtues. Unless values become verbs they are just meaningless words!

I have seen many, and at one time (15 years ago) assisted organisational leaders in the development of vision, mission and value statements. These often ended up on foyer and office walls and in annual reports.

I learned from bitter experience that when stakeholders are not involved in the creation of such statements, there is rarely any ownership of them, and therefore no commitment to turning the words into reality. Many people are now very cynical and skeptical about these kind of statements.

Every organisation has a story to tell. The question to ask is:
Is your story a sparkenation?

Discovering your story requires a meeting of hearts and minds over time until a story emerges that can be distilled into something that inspires and engages all stakeholders, not just employees.

Organisations who have profit as their only goal rarely have an inspiring story to tell. Such organisations are becoming dinosaurs.

The successful modern organisations have people goals (they are sometimes called social enterprises) or they have people, planet, and profit goals. In the for profit sector this latter organisation will be the one who thrives in these difficult times and in the future.

In broad terms the following is a typical picture of employee engagement percentages: 10% are fully engaged, meaning for me, people are bringing everything they are, that one-of-kind person that each of us is, to their work on a consistent basis. 80% are open to being engaged, and 10% are disengaged. I see very few organisations reaching the best practice level of 80% engagement!

Once you have a story that is a sparkenation, which will most likely be heavily linked to your cause beyond profit, you will be able to tell your story with integrity.

You should only recruit people aligned with your story and cause because they are likely to be engaged right from the moment they start employment.

People will soon become disenchanted however, and eventually leave, unless the stated values of the organisation are actually lived, in other words, values are virtues.

A powerful performance leadership and management system is essential to maintain employee engagement. There are three key components of such a system:

1) Documented agreement with employees on their personal and business goals and how they will be accomplished

2) Processes and techniques leaders and managers follow and employees agree with, that appreciate people when they do well, and help them to be accountable when performance is less than agreed it will be

3) Formal performance reviews, held at least every 90 days, that are a celebration of people’s performance as well as a time to adjust goals and plans to achieve them, for the next quarter if required.

Turn your vision into a sparkenation, your mission into a cause beyond profit, your values into virtues, and your performance leadership and management system into an ongoing people engagement enabler, and you will not only thrive in these difficult times, you will remove the key causes of the challenges you face, and, future proof your business.

One of the 58 sparkenations in my Changing What's Normal book and companion online vault released this week is about how to ensure your story is a sparkenation.
Please check out my book here.
You can download the News Release here.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community

Author of Changing What’s Normal

Partner of passionate and enlightened leaders in several countries since 1991, to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Thursday 23 June 2011

Lead measures matter much more than lag measures

I am always slightly amused when economic growth figures and the like are released usually followed by fanfare.

I amused because we won’t know March quarter figures until June! as an example. It's too late then!

These kind of numbers are measurements of the past, often called lag measures. They tell us where we have been, not where we are going. I for one am much more interested in where I am going than where I’ve been. The past is done, over, finished. We can’t change the past. All we can do is learn from it.

I am yet to meet an economist, a politician, or a media person who understands this.

As an 18 year old my boss came to me one day complaining my sales were down on expectations. I complained I didn’t have enough prospects. He spun on his heels and left my office only to return 5 minutes later with a phone book. Slamming it down on my desk he said “There are plenty of prospects in there!” He then went on to explain to me that all the prospects in the world matters little unless they are qualified. He further explained that qualified prospects was a lead measure meaning if I had a certain number at any given time I would almost be guaranteed the number of sales I needed. I could increase the likelihood of sales even more he told me if I kept appointments (another lead measure) with a certain number of qualified prospects every week.

My boss was right, and understanding lead measures matter more than lag measures has stood me in good stead all my life. It means I am never worried about or in fear of the future providing I am doing what I know works for me in the now.

The world right now is attached to outcomes or lag measures. The economy is an outcome. Profit is an outcome. What really matters is processes. Follow the right processes and the right outcomes are an automatic result.

We are in an economic mess in the world today because for centuries we have followed poor processes and we have kept on repeating the mistakes of our forebearers.

All the doom and gloomers do is send us (if we let them) on a self fulfilling prophecy path and we go down the same well trodden and wrong roads all over again only to end up where we have already been, except in worse shape.

When we go down the wrong road we always end up where we don’t want to be.

In your life and work are you attached to outcomes or do you follow proven processes and let the outcomes look after themselves?

What are the lead measures for your life and work that when you meet them you know that more than likely you are going to achieve your goals?


Achieving milestones matters. Milestones is another way of looking at lead measures.

What are the milestones you must achieve in your life and work that tell you, you are on track to achieve your goals?

I am on the look out for economists, politicians, and media folk I can mentor and teach them lag measures don’t matter anywhere near as much as lead measures. Will you join me? We are building a new world. We are going to places we have never been.

Time to let the old world go.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian

Tuesday 21 June 2011

The Social Entrepreneur as CEO/Business Leader

Towards the end of my corporate career almost 20 years ago there was much talk about how human resources executives would soon be the new breed of CEO’s. This hasn’t eventuated!

Accountants, lawyers, and engineers still dominate CEO ranks. In many cases this means logic overrides intuition, in personal and organisational decision making, rather than the ability and willingness to find the relationship harmony point between logic and intuition.

Could a change be in the air? Human resources executives will probably still not become the new breed of CEO, however my sense is that Social Entrepreneurs will.

The causes of the financial crisis, greed, incompetence, poor legislation in some countries, all defy logic. The good news is that the crisis has accelerated the need, indeed the imperative, for a new breed of CEO.

For me intuition is an inherent human gift. It is something we all have access to when we allow it. When intuition, our sixth sense, our gut feel, is supported by logic we create a dynamic that enables us to create and enact new forms of decision making, and the premises on which we make them.

My intuition is telling me that the way we operate in business, particularly in financial services is broken, and so far very few political or business leaders have come up with anything to fix what is broken.

Business cannot survive in societies that fail. says Bjorn Stigson the President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. His words are a rally cry for common sense to finally become the common thing.

Social Entrepreneurs are folk who conduct business by putting people and the planet before profits. They realise that profit is a result of being good at business, not a reason for being in business.

The key question for you as a leader today is are you for people and planet first? If you can answer yes, you are the new breed of CEO/Leader. If you answer no, you are destined for the graveyard of CEO’s/Leaders who failed to follow their hearts.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
The Change Master™ - catalyst for changing what’s normal inside organisations for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Sign-up here for my monthly changing what’s normal newsletter, and get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business

Sunday 19 June 2011

The Rise and Rise of Difference Makers

Difference makers are bobbing up everywhere, everyday. They are famous people, and non famous people, just like you and me. To me at least, it seems, that difference makers are making themselves known at an ever increasing rate.

I describe difference makers as folk who are making a social, environmental, economic, spiritual, and/or universal difference for the good of other people, our planet, and peace. They are people like Karen Armstrong, Bono, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Nelson Mandela. And, I suspect, you.

In some circles difference makers are called ‘social intrapreneurs’, folk who make a difference as a part of their daily life. Difference makers are also leaders who are often called ‘social entrepreneurs’.

I am most fortunate that in my work as a writer, speaker, mentor, and instigator of change programs, that almost everyday I meet people doing brilliant things that really make a difference.

Here are some of my observations about who difference makers are and what they do.

Difference makers:

put other people first
never knowingly do anything that harms our planet
show kindness at every opportunity
speak up about issues affecting the welfare of people, our planet, and for peace
have a cause beyond profit
don’t wait for other people to take action
serve without attachment to getting back
put people and the planet before profits
collaborate
strive for a shared view being prepared to let go previously held view/s
turn information into insight
turn insight into inspiration and ideas
persevere until ideas are successfully implemented (innovation)
pick themselves up and dust themselves off when ideas don’t work or fail
inspire others by example
co-create workplace cultures that are empowering and often like great families
give away a percentage of their income
know how much is enough
raise children who take personal responsibility
volunteer to help others less fortunate than themselves
see themselves as global citizens who know that what they do has huge effects locally, nationally, and internationally

If the above is you, then you may wish to join The Differencemakers Community which I founded in 2008. We currently have over 500 members from 38 countries.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
The Change Master™ - catalyst for changing what’s normal inside organisations for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Sign-up here for my monthly changing what’s normal newsletter, and get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business

Friday 17 June 2011

Last chance

Today (wherever you happen to be in the world) is your last chance to buy my book Changing What's Normal, at the special price of just $30 AUD.

There are 58 sparkenations in my book to help you change yourself, your relationships, and your organisation, for the good of yourself, other people, our planet, and for profit.


I created 'sparkenation' to describe a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what's normal

To see if my book is for you please download the prologue, 3 sparkenations, and the table of contents with my compliments here.

Changing What's Normal is a do it yourself change program.

You can purchase my book and 24/7 access to the companion online vault that contains downloadable files, references, links, tools, tips, techniques, templates, for just $30 here if you buy today.


Here's what some of the pre-publication-readers have said about my book:

Ian’s book is full of a wide range of wonderful insights and anecdotes that really cause you to stop, think and reflect. I found myself fully engaged with Ian’s challenging questions from the start to the finish and I am confident that you will too.
Gary Ryan, Founder, Organisations That Matter

Most people know the phrase 'what got you here won't get you there.' So why is it many still can't 'get there'? It's because they are not changing what's normal. I will be forever indebted to Ian for sharing his insights with me and guiding me through the journey of Changing What's Normal. Straight talking and no bull (what do you expect from an Aussie!)

We live in an abnormal world and being normal won't get you a seat at the table. Changing What's Normal is your key to a new world of contentment and of being valued and loved by those who love what you do. Changing What's Normal helped me to move from the 'how to' guy to the 'go to' guy.

Kwai Yu, Founder and CEO of Leaders Cafe

I strongly recommend this book to people who share a passion for making the world a better place through collaboration, shared values, noble objectives and a desire to get the very best out of the people around them and as a consequence out of themselves.
Terry McGivern, Executive Team member Smurfit Kappa United Kingdom

This book is full of valuable insights and thought-provoking questions that truly go beyond the normal business platitudes; and invite and challenge YOU to change what's normal in your life and your organisation.
Gihan Perera, Business Strategist

Ian Berry is NOT NORMAL – and that’s a compliment. Normal is not the behavior that the world needs from you right now. Read Ian’s book to take a look at yourself and learn some straightforward ideas you can use to add a bit of abnormal to your life.
Julie Poland, corporate coach, speaker, and author of Changing Results by Changing Behavior.

In my opinion anyone picking up this easy to read book could only find it a valuable resource but more importantly a reflective personal development tool for all aspects of their life.
Gary Anderson, Strategic Marketing Director, Tucker Creative

This is a book that will be a constant reference on my desk - whether applying to myself and my business or to that of clients'. Change what's normal? The days of normal are always yesterday. The day of change is today. Tomorrow is the beneficiary of that change. Ian Berry's practical insights and helpful tools present anyone reading this with an opportunity to change, to lead and to grow. Perhaps it is time that we embrace "abnormal".
Richard Norris, Serendipity Global Ltd

Ian’s book comes from his heart and in his desire to serve others to help them be what they were created to be. He gives many of the critical keys of finding joy and creating a life of meaning. Ian is making a difference in the world and his book is all about helping you choose to do the same.
David Bernard-Stevens, President, Leader Development Group, LLC

Ian’s story-telling method is very engaging. He invites the reader to consider things, in contrast to telling us what we should believe and do.

As someone who has made a difference in his own life, he encourages us to make a difference as a leader or an employee, whether as an individual or an organisation. In a society where conformity and shallowness are ever more the norm, he challenges us to be different.

Reg Polson, Polson and Co.

I’ve never read so many thought-provoking ideas in one book. The beauty of the book is that you can pick one sparkenation and explore it without having to read the rest of the book. It is a fantastic consolidation of a diverse range of incredible ideas that I found quite blessed to be gifted in one book!
Simon Starr, 10X BUSINESS COACH

Lots of folk talk about difference and change, whilst doing things the way you saw them do it last time you saw them. The incongruence between the message and the messenger talks louder than the messenger. Ian Berry has this uncanny “Edge” that is both a little unsettling and intriguing whilst creating an enticing urge in you to explore further out than you normally explore. Somehow he has managed to bring his very unique way of being into print. Yet again, you impress me and stretch my mind!
Allan Parker, Managing Director, Peak Performance Development.
2009 National Speakers Association of Australia, Educator of Excellence Recipient


Purchase Changing What's Normal for just $30 AUD here if you buy today.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Beyond Belief

A client of mine is a devout Christian. Another client is a devout Muslim. Yet another client strictly follows what she sees as the Buddhist way. Still another is Jewish to his bootstraps. I could go on. I know people from most walks of life who strongly believe what they do. I greatly admire each of my clients, yet I share none of their belief systems. What we do share is the fact that behavour matters more than belief.

Many belief systems are tied up in a faith of some kind. Faith by definition cannot be proved. If it could be proved it wouldn’t be faith! The ‘proof is in the pudding’ the saying goes, meaning what we do counts for far more than what we believe. As one of the Apostles of the Christian Church is reported to have said, Faith without works is dead.

A lot of faiths are dead today because the actions of many of the faithful betray their stated beliefs. I meet a lot of people more interested in being right than being compassionate. Compassion for me is at the heart of all the world’s religion’s, most of which I have studied in great detail.

If we are not living and breathing a compassionate life we render whatever we believe as null and void, regardless of what we say.

A new world is being born. Compassion is a key component. There is a place for faith in this new world however belief matters little, what counts is behaviour.

One of the builders of our new world is Karen Armstrong. She has championed a charter for compassion which last time I checked more than 70000 people have signed. The goal is that millions will sign-up, and most importantly take action. Please see and listen to Karen and others here.

Whatever you believe, do your work, because what you do, whatever it is, is what really matters.

Be the difference you want to see in the world

Ian

PS In my book Changing What's Normal there are 58 sparkenations to help you change yourself, your relationships, and your organisation.

I created 'sparkenation' to describe a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what's normal

You can purchase my book and 24/7 access to the companion online vault that contains downloadable files, references, links, tools, tips, techniques, templates, for just $30 here if you buy before 18th June.

Sunday 12 June 2011

Is it time to be unreasonable?

Two of my heroes are Muhammad Yunus, perhaps the greatest living social entreprenuer, and John Elkington, the originator of the Triple Bottom Line concept, so it will come as no surprise to you that my recommended reading includes books by both.

In Elkington’s case his co-author is Pamela Hartigan, who at the time of writing was the Managing Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. The book is The Power of Unreasonable People. I highly recommend it to you. It contains many examples of co-builders of our new world. As a result of reading it I have decided to become more unreasonable.

In Yunus’ Creating a world without poverty he introduces the concept of social businesses. The book is full of great insights, inspiration, and ideas.

I was inspired by Yunus’ wish list for his dream world, for it describes beautifully how I see our new world. Here is my shortened in part version of Mr Yunus’ list:

There will be no poor people, no beggars, no homeless people, no street children

There will be no passports and no visas

There will be no war, no war preparations, and no military establishments

There will be no incurable diseases

There will be a global education system accessible to all from anywhere in the world

The global economic system will encourage sharing of prosperity. Unemployment and welfare will be unheard of

Social business will be a substantial part of the business world

There will only be one global currency

All people will be committed to a sustainable lifestyle

There will be no discrimination of any kind

There will be no need for paper and therefore no need to cut down trees

Basic connectivity will be wireless and nearly costless

All cultures, ethnic groups, and religions will flourish to their full beauty and creativity

All people will share a world of peace, harmony, and friendship


I am an idealist and a dreamer and proud to be both. I am also a pragmatist. I am doing my bit everyday to co-build a new world. Our current world still has much about it that is broken as the recent financial crisis has vividly demonstrated.

How unreasonable are you being? Are you a real difference maker?

The good news, as the above mentioned books and the others I recommend clearly show, there are many co-builders of our new world.

Soon we will reach a tipping point and finally be able to assign the old world to the history books, perhaps a museum as Yunus suggests, as a reminder that greed, lack of accountability, fools in positions of power, war as a solution to our challenges, and other hallmarks, should never happen again. We have screwed up big time economically, emotionally, environmentally, and spiritually, and the time has come for ordinary people to stand up and take extraordinary action.

Are you a co-builder of our new world or are you hanging onto the old one by your fingertips?

Is it time to be unreasonable?


Please download my list of the top 21 books I recommend you read here.

My full list is here.

My own written contribution is my book Changing What's Normal which contains 58 sparkenations to change yourself, your relationships, and your organisation.
I created 'sparkenation' to describe a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what's normal

You can purchase my book and 24/7 access to the companion online vault that contains downloadable files, references, links, tools, tips, techniques, templates, for just $30 here if you buy before 18th June.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
The Change Master™ - catalyst for changing what’s normal inside organisations for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Sign-up here for my monthly changing what’s normal newsletter, and get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business

Monday 6 June 2011

Are you a sparkenationist?

A sparkenation is a word I created to denote:
a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what’s normal.

In my book Changing What’s Normal there are 58 sparkenations.
To see if my book is for you please download the prologue, 3 of the sparkenations, and the table of contents here.

You can purchase here.

Sparkenationists are people who:

Act in the best interests of others
Add value
Bring a sense of wonder to every day
Carry out random acts of kindness
Challenge the status quo
Change the status quo
Co-create change where everyone can win
Co-create change people can actually believe in and make happen
Collaborate
Create memorable moments
Create value
Cultivate curiosity
Deliver value
Do stuff pioneering, breathtaking, and truly innovative?
Do things every day that amaze you
Do well by doing good - thrive in your work and solve problems in your world at the same time
Fufill their personal promise
Help others be accountable
Inspire others by their words and their actions
Laugh a lot
Leave homes, workplaces, communities better by being there when it really matters
Leave a legacy
Listen with their hearts as well as their minds
Make a difference
Pay it forward
Seize the moment
Share inspiring stories
Show appreciation to people
Speak from their hearts
Stand for something
Take responsibility for intentions, feelings, thoughts, and actions
Thrive on the challenges of change
Walk the road less travelled
Won’t die wondering

In living in these ways we ignite passion in people that leads to action that changes what’s normal.

Are you a sparkenationist? You are needed like never before.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian Berry CSP FAIM
Founder Differencemakers Community

Friday 3 June 2011

Be aware of the barriers of busyness

Over the past few weeks I have often been reminded of the barriers of busyness. Most executives, leaders, and managers I know are bound up by busyness. In no way is it exclusive to these roles however. Here are some of the tell tale signs:

* Problem Solving & Decision Making processes not being followed
* Decisions being continually revisited
* Documentation is produced in lieu of action
* Meetings occur with key players absent
* Meetings have no agendas
* Meetings are poorly conducted
* Whiteboards full
* Diaries full
* Inbox full
* Negative body language of staff
* Confusion between what information should be shared and what doesn't need to be

I could go on and on.

Here are a few tips to ensure you are not bound by busyness:

1. Educate yourself and others that communication requires both sending and receiving and results in agreement even if it is agreeing to disagree. Information sharing on the other the other hand is one way

2. Refuse to attend meetings where there is no agenda available well in advance. Don’t discuss anything not on the agenda

3. Review your efficiency and effectiveness weekly, monthly, fortnightly, quarterly, and yearly. A great way to be disciplined is to create and follow a rituals document like mine here.

4. Set aside time each week to do nothing. I sit under a tree somewhere for four hours per week. It is amazing how refreshed we can feel just by doing nothing

5. Get your leadership and management balance right. For some of us it is 80% leadership and 20% management, for others the other way round, and many other combinations. Remember leadership is about people and effectiveness. Management is about systems and efficiency. Leadership is art, management a practice. The two must be in harmony for us to be the best we can be

6. Do not tolerate negativity in any shape or form

7. Block out a lot of space in your diary and/or rituals document where nothing is planned. You will be astounded at how much more effective you become when your diary is no longer full

8. Work on things that are important and urgent. Forget the rest

9. Celebrate process more than outcome

10. Spend time with positive children as often as possible. They have an amazing sense of self, initiative, curiosity, creativity and wonder

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian Berry CSP FAIM
Founder Differencemakers Community

PS For a short time only you can buy my Changing What's Normal book and 24/7 access to the companion web page that contains downloadable files, references, links, tools, tips, techniques, templates, for just $30 here.

Wednesday 1 June 2011

The Pull of Positioning

An adage of 20th century marketing and selling was - the preferred lead is the referred lead. In the 21st century obtaining referrals is a still a good way to grow your business, however a person to person recommendation is much more powerful.

Recommendations about your work on LinkedIn and other places are useful however when someone who trusts you recommends you to someone who trusts them, person to person, this is far more powerful way to grow your business.

People are more likely to recommend us person to person when we hold a position in our market that is specialised and when our specialisation fits a need or want for the person we are being recommended to.

My expertise is in the broad field of change leadership and management.
There are lots of very good people who work in this field. What sets me apart is my specialisations of changing what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit; change where everyone can win (the technical term is creating shared value or CSV); and change people can actually believe in and make happen. Very few people specialise as I do and therefore I have positioning.

What areas of your broad expertise do you specialise in?
Are your specialisations unique, different, or better than other people who operate in the same broad space?


If you can answer yes to these questions you have positioning. If not, do your work because positioning is the best way I know to pull rather than push in our businesses.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community

PS For a short time only you can buy my Changing What's Normal book and 24/7 access to the companion web page that contains downloadable files, references, links, tools, tips, techniques, templates, for just $30 here.

PSS Make it easy for people to recommend you person to person by first recommending them person to person!