Do Category
Jan 212010
Do
Management not Administration.
Leadership not Management.
Transformative not Transactional Leadership.
All are familiar polarities.
Replace the “not” with “and” – and we are starting to get there.
And what is leadership? Our definition: “Leadership comes from anyone who wants to make a difference to the thinking and actions of others.”
Influence more than instruct. Encourage rather than demand.
This is relevant for executive and line managers. For workers ‘at the bottom’. As customers. As consultants.
Tags: behaviour, choices, leadership, management, organisation
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Jan 192010
Do
If you believe Paul McKenna, learning to eat differently is more important than dieting or avoiding certain foods in losing weight.
Nigella Lawson says that shopping is more important than cooking in entertaining well.
In business, how we talk about things is probably more important than what we write. What we ask, more important than what we say. What we notice, more important than what we make.
http://www.idenk.co.uk/boardassessment/
Tags: choice, leadership, management, thinking
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Jan 72010
Do
Are you planning on gathering together a large group of colleagues or collaborators? Maybe to work on a critical issue or develop your plans for the coming year?
Here are three things we think go towards making successful ‘mass meetings’:
1. Mix them up – make sure that people sit with and get to know those they haven’t met before or don’t spend much time with. Do this right from the start to create an atmosphere that encourages new conversations.
2. Move them around – always create space (both in terms of time and room layout) to get people out of their seats. This increases energy and gets people thinking differently. Try having them stand up to talk or work together.
3. Motivate them to do something different afterwards – focus people in on one thing they can change themselves that will help achieve your shared aims. Show them (or create together) a vision for what they can personally contribute and then help them work out the simple first steps to achieve this.
These 3Ms can work for smaller meetings too if you’d like to put some life back into tired gatherings.
Tags: energy, meetings, organisation
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Dec 142009
Do
A cold winter morning. Queue for coffee at the AMT concession in the railway station. In front the person asks for “a small cappuccino to take away” . They only do one size and only takeaway. The person after me says “a cappuccino with sweeteners”. “We only do one size, and do you have your own sweetener for us to add?”. Me: “A cappuccino, no sugar, with chocolate sprinkles”. “OK, coming up.”
Not clever. Just, I have been trained. I know the ritual. Familiarity breeds easy. But ingrained rituals can hinder innovation. Keeping the familiarly/freshness balance alive is key.
Tags: behaviour, change, innovation, leadership, organisation
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Dec 72009
Do
The designer clothes marketplace is interesting. Over the last decade we have seen the growth of cheaper ways to access designer brands (beyond the Asian counterfeit goods so prevalent in the ’80s):
- the growth of factory outlets and Designer Villages
- the rise of shops like TK Maxx and HomeSense (taking the idea of the seconds/last season’s sale to a new level)
- E-bay reselling of unwanted items.
Has this mass marketing damaged the boutiques on Bond Street? No, not at all. It has increased the allure of the pinnacle. It has popularised the offer and communicated the potential. There is a clearer pecking order – and the value of the top rung remains.
It is not a zero sum game.
In your business, where may service innovation at the cheaper or more accessible end harness your value?
Tags: brand, fashion, innovation, service
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Nov 272009
Do
Fans of Strictly Come Dancing will know how important it is for the celebrity contestants to put on a performance. It’s not just about getting the steps right. You need to get into character. Tell the story with the dance. Remember to smile.
Leadership in business is the same. You need to perform – to act the part. It’s not just about doing or saying the right things technically. Get into the play. Look confident, work on how you come across, even remember to smile!
Tags: act, confidence, leadership, story telling, strictly come dancing
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Nov 252009
Do
3 modes of organisation – for conscious choices in organisational life:
a) The sort of conversation – creative and opening up, yes/and plus appreciative OR debate and critique, yes/but and challenge
b) The approach to personal responsibility – taking charge or making a request; give or get
c) The nature of line management – direct or devolve
There is not a good and bad, rather the need to signal and agree which moment by moment.
Tags: conversation, management, organisation, responsibility
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Nov 232009
Do
Nature or nurture. That is it. That’s the choice. As well as being a cliché it misses something really important. In explaining something, the other option is “no, it is me”. Looking back for explanations leads so easily to excuses. Living in the now, in the present, the moment, demands personal responsibility. Stopping and reflecting on personal choices is hard, but helpful.
So when you next hear that little phrase to do with biology or socialisation, think “Now, how might deciding to see the issues as about personal choice change things?”
Tags: choice, nature, nurture, responsibility
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