Monday 29 February 2016

The Great Leadership Leap

Below is today's Monday Morning Momentum video.

It's about the great leadership leap. Unlike today, which only happens every four years, you don't have that long to make the leap should you want to achieve better business results at less personal cost.



You'll find the resources referred to in the video here, including a short story about an entrepreneur who's made the leap.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 26 February 2016

Scaling Your Culture

I first met leading entrepreneur and CEO of AirShr Phil Hayes-St Clair on a Virgin flight more than a decade ago.

We caught up recently and Phil asked me 5 questions about scaling culture, a quest every business leader must be on today.

Here's my answers.

Be remarkable.
Ian

More on scaling culture here.




Wednesday 24 February 2016

Seeing like an astronaut is essential for remarkable leadership

This is an awesome 18 minute video.

I found it via this LinkedIn post by Anthony Etherton.


All remarkable leaders see themselves, their employees, customers/clients, and other stakeholders as part of one ecosystem. 

A thriving business is a place where everyone needs everyone else working together so that we achieve what we all want.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 22 February 2016

The one critical factor for co-creating cultures of innovation

Below is this weeks Monday Morning Momentum video. It's about what I believe is the one critical factor for co-creating cultures of innovation.



Check out the resources referred to in the video here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 19 February 2016

'plain-speaking jane' is a brilliant read for women and men


This is a great book that I found to be both delightful and disturbing at the same time. Disturbing in the sense that I had to think about the drama's of my own life.

I came to see my trials and tribulations from perspectives I hadn't previously considered.

This is a wonderful book for any woman wanting to thrive in the modern world. And a must read for every man wanting to do the same.

My favourite bit is towards the end. Had the following words been at the beginning I perhaps wouldn't have agreed with them.

Jane says:

Some people say that the good is the enemy of the great. 
I actually think the reverse -
that the desire to be great stops people 
who would otherwise be damn good.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 17 February 2016

Anyone, anywhere, can dream and achieve a BHAG

One of my heroes was Buckminster Fuller.


There's nothing like a 'BHAG' (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to inspire us.

Because of the Internet and digital revolution, anyone, anywhere, can dream and achieve BHAG's.

For the longest time there were landowners and farm workers.

Then there were industrialists and factory workers.

It's clear of course who was powerful and who was powerless.

Then, for a short time there were information experts and knowledge workers which meant less people feeling powerless.

Today we are living in the greatest entrepreneurial revolution in history. There's entrepreneurs dreaming and achieving their BHAG's everywhere. It's a game-changer for anyone feeling powerless.

The most successful entrepreneurs I observe are also Insightpreneurs and Differencemakers. These folk are literally changing our world.

Insightpreneurs are experts at turning information into insight, into inspiration, into ideas, into innovation, fast.


Differencemakers innovate for the good of people and our planet. 

And Insightpreneurs and Differencemakers see technology as a key to enhancing the human experience, not as a be all and end all within itself.

Here's 5 key observations I've made from working with these two special kinds of entrepreneurs:

1) Purpose driven

I put this as follows: Profit is not a reason for being in business, rather a result of being good at business.

Focus on your reason, your why. As you do this apply common sense. Likely your results will take care of themselves.

Google purpose driven business and then take action in your own way.

2) Employees are first, customers second

Google employees first, customers second, and take action in your own way.

3) Know the difference between doing the hard work and working hard

I'm not against hard work and have a strong work ethic. All my clients are the same. There's a big difference though between working hard and doing the hard work.

A lot of the hard work in business is to do with building and sustaining relationships of high value and mutual reward.

Invest heavily in relationships. Start with how you communicate and converse. Agree on boundaries, and let people work out how to get on with the tasks.

4) Value delivery is the name of the game

All your stakeholders demand, desire and feel that they deserve certain things. I call them must haves, should haves, and nice to haves.

The taxi industry failed to understand this and UBER continues to take their customers.

Find out precisely what all your stakeholders demand, desire and feel that they deserve and provide it. And surprise them every now and then with value they didn't expect.

Price is what you pay.
Value is what you get.
Warren Buffet

5) Life/work balance is nonsense. Life/work harmony is achievable.

Work whenever you want and need to. Just make certain your family and your friends matter more.

Here's my 11 laws for life/work harmony.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Celebrating 25 years in 2016 of working with 'salt of the earth' leaders, who work bloody hard, and are looking for ways to do less, yet achieve better business results, while living a vital and fulfilling personal life.

Sharing discoveries via video and providing resources to help you take action every Monday. Find out more here.


Monday 15 February 2016

Stop Being A Manager and Let Your People Get On With Management

Below is this weeks Monday Morning Momentum video.



You'll find the resources referred to in the video here.

Embrace the suggested actions at the link above in your own way and you'll immediately improve performance in your business, and at less personal cost to you and other people that's normally associated with performance improvement.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 10 February 2016

The Expert Manifesto by Geoff McDonald


I was honoured that my Changing What's Normal manifesto was referenced in this great ebook which you can download here.

This is an excellent resource for keeping your entrepreneur within alive and well.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 8 February 2016

The number one role of leadership

Below is today's Monday Morning Momentum video.



You can access the resources referred to in the video and the archives here.

If you'd like the convenience of receiving each Monday's video and associated resources direct to your in-box please click on Yes Please here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

I help business owners/leaders increase their profits and reduce the personal cost for them and other people in the business [by working with their people and processes]. And because I’ve been around the block enough, I do it in a way that’s fun and easy. Also because of my personality being the way it is, I always have my clients backs, whatever the situation.

Friday 5 February 2016

The joy of engaging in a master-class

I had the honour and privilege yesterday to conduct a master-class in the place of my birth and in a venue where I once got into trouble as a teenager.

The real joy though was engaging with a small group of people committed to being the best version of themselves.

As I reminded them at the beginning of the day, you're the masters, and I have the honour of being a mentor.

I reminded them too that what I had to share would be important, yet nowhere near as important as what they would hear themselves say to themselves, and then deciding on the one action they would passionately take next.

The slides below acted as back drop for our candid and convivial communication and conversation.

We didn't use them all of course. We focused on what was most relevant for individuals right now.

It might be that some of the content in the slides, albeit out of context, adds fuel to the fire within you. If so we should talk today about a master-class for you and your leadership team or you and your colleagues in your master-mind group. My telephone is +61 418 807 898.



Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Leadership that's fit for the future now

I really enjoyed participating in a Blab last Monday with colleagues from my speaking master-mind group Alicia Curtis, Dr. Jenny Brockis, and Gihan Perera. The recording is below.



We're going to be doing more of these. Stay tuned.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 1 February 2016

How to Stop Wasting Time: A Guide to Effective Meetings

This is a guest post from Brian Neese and Alvernia University.

“Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything,” economist Paul Krugman wrote in his book The Age of Diminished Expectations in the early 1990s. “A country’s ability to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its output per worker.”
More than two decades later, the focus on productivity is stronger than ever. A multitude of time management methods, articles, books and tools inundate the business world. Around $28 billion was spent on business and professional apps alone in 2013, according to a report from VisionMobile. The market is expected to reach $58 billion by the end of 2016.
But as businesses dwell on productivity, many are ignorant about unnecessary and time-consuming meetings. Changes are needed to prevent further loss of time, money and productivity.

The Current State of Meetings

According to Atlassian, half of all business meetings are considered a waste of time. Most employees attend 62 meetings each month, creating 31 hours of time spent in unproductive meetings. Harvard Business Review reports that 15 percent of an organization’s collective time is spent in meetings. A weekly executive committee meeting consumed 300,000 hours in a year, due to ripple effects handed down in a large company.
Research from Attentiv shows that for the average nine participants in a meeting, they regard a third of their time spent in the meeting as unproductive. The culprit to wasted time in meetings may be lack of preparation and decision making. Sixty-three percent of meetings were conducted without a pre-planned agenda, and few meetings actually led to any decisions. The following complaints, in order, offer insight into the problems with meetings.
  • Inconclusive or no decisions made
  • Poor preparation
  • Disorganization
  • Domination by individuals
  • No published results
The true culprit may be unnecessary meetings. Nearly half of meeting attendees complained that meetings were the top time-waster at the office, and nearly half felt overwhelmed by the number of meetings they attended, according to Atlassian. Ninety-six percent missed meetings, 91 percent daydreamed during meetings, 73 percent did other work during meetings, and 39 percent slept during meetings.
The estimated salary cost of unnecessary meetings for U.S. businesses is $37 billion. Attentiv estimates the average salary cost of a meeting to be $338, which does not include high-paid CEOs and other business leaders. Those meetings can cost upwards of $20,000 each.

How to Save Time and Money

Avoid Unnecessary Meetings

If half of all meetings are unnecessary, then a natural first step is to eliminate pointless meetings. Harvard Business Review offers a few questions that can help determine how to react to meeting requests:
  • Is this meeting a team priority? If no, decline.
  • Is this my priority? If no, delegate.
  • Is a meeting the best solution? If no, block time in your calendar to do the task.
  • If yes for all questions, determine how to make the meeting as efficient as possible.


David Hassell recommends only using meeting time for decision-making. “Information-gathering should always be performed prior to meetings,” says the 15Five CEO. “When everyone is already informed, the team can debate important issues and create a clear plan of action instead of wasting precious time bringing everyone up to speed.”
Stop automatically accepting meetings. Meetings are often unnecessary or replaceable.

Explore Other Methods of Collaboration

“Don’t schedule a meeting for something that can be addressed in a phone call, and don’t make a phone call for something that can be communicated via e-mail,” says Harvard Business Review. Other methods of collaboration are often much quicker than a typical meeting.
Remember that cumulative time is what matters. If an informational email takes an hour for one person to prepare, it is better than the two cumulative hours required for four people in a half-hour meeting. In this case, avoiding a meeting cuts the time and salary cost in half.
Explore other collaboration methods when meetings are unnecessary. Alternative methods of collaboration often will be much more effective and efficient than meetings.

Improve Necessary Meetings

If meetings are needed, take conscious steps to prevent wasting time and money.
  • Write an actionable agenda (in advance). Prior to a meeting, send out an agenda including the length of the meeting and what topic(s) it will cover. A more productive meeting can take place when attendees are aware of what will be discussed.
  • Prepare for the meeting. Plan what you will cover in the meeting. Or, if you’re an attendee, note any ideas or questions you have that add value to the discussion.
  • Limit attendees. Aim for no more than six or seven people. A larger group turns attendees into spectators.
  • Begin on time. A 10-minute delay for six people costs an hour of combined productivity. Begin the meeting without the latecomer(s) if possible, and explore strategies to ensure everyone arrives on time.
  • Keep the meeting short. Calendars default to half-hour increments, but if 15 or 45 minutes will suffice, schedule the meeting for that length instead of 30 or 60 minutes. Unfortunately, Parkinson’s law — when work expands to fill the time available — often applies to meetings.
  • Stay on track. It’s easy to go off on a tangent. Interject when necessary to save these types of conversations for the end of the meeting. Attendees who need to get back to work can leave at that point.
  • Define next steps. No meeting is complete without covering decisions and next steps. Ensure that attendees understand their responsibilities and deadlines.
“Meetings are one of the biggest disruptors of at-work productivity and have come to dominate the workday, when in reality creative work should be the core focus of every day,” according to Moz. By eliminating meetings, replacing meetings with other forms of collaboration and improving the efficiency of meetings, businesses can reclaim the vast amounts of time and money lost in meeting rooms.

Enhancing Efficiency in the Workplace

Improving workplace productivity is central to leading any type of organization. In your career, this will be crucial for pursuing new job opportunities and succeeding in these roles. At Alvernia University, our online MBA helps you discover your potential as a leader. In a completely online learning environment, you can gain the knowledge and skills to move into management-level positions, start your own business or reach other professional goals.

Be remarkable.
Ian