Dynamic Life Creations - Taking Action to Develop and Transform

Why knowing your business's CSFs must be a priority

2009-07-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

Some of you might be asking, "what is a 'CSF'"? Second question might be "what are the CSFs for my business"?

CSF stands for 'critical success factor'. Put simply these are factors that are necessary to be in place, to be implemented, in order for your business to have any chance of achieving its goals. It can be difficult for a business to ensure that their CSFs are always in place but it does draw a line in the sand in respect to what they need to aim for, where their priorities should lie. Most of the time we only consider them as being attached to the business operations but what is often overlooked are the CSFs of the business owners themselves. These critical success factors that relate to the person are not characteristics or traits - rather I see them as behavioral tendencies that are relevant during a particular stage of the business.

I give you an example of a recent client of mine. His business had a dominant online presence however in order to continue being in a position to undertake the profitable jobs with corporates he needed to establish a high street presence. This also meant that he would have to give up running the day to day online operation and hire a number of employees which was going to be a challenge as he had grown his business from scratch.

The critical success factors, at the business and personal level, were:

1. Establishing a high street presence in a central location
2. Being able to delegate work and manage a number of employees who could multitask.

Put simply, without the two CSFs listed above my client's business would have no chance of operating in the way he envisioned.

There are long term and short term critical success factors - those that must always be in place and those that only need to be in place to achieve short term goals. A long-term CSF for the client above is that his company must be within the top 5 google searches, a short term CSF was that he had the initial funding for the shop (before it could begin to generate its own cashflow).

What wasn't critical was the size of the store, establishing an office for the employees or putting in place complicated operational processes. Expenses were kept to a minimum and all employees worked remotely. However without the store and the employees then the business would not have been able to develop - no matter how strong his company was online.

So have a think about the critical success factors for your company and whether you are undertaking those tasks that will let you achieve those factors.

Staying focused and motivated for your goals

2009-07-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

How often would you experience the following:

'you have a great goal in mind, something you start off being extremely passionate about. You start with the research and make some good headway. You're still working to keep money coming in but this new idea should be ready to make money within 6 months and you could see it replacing your current full-time job within 12-18 months - that is also an important goal of yours. Some time goes by and you don't see to be making headway and your full-time job starts taking up more of your time. All of a sudden you wake up 6 months later and your great idea is no more. "Oh well", you say, "just wasn't the right time or right idea". Of course you might become disheartened and that's it - no more ideas'.

What I am framing is something that potentially affects many people who have ideas to start off a new project or business. Having an idea is the easy piece, implementing the actions that will progress you past the concept stage requires dedication. It also requires that you focus on the RIGHT PRIORITIES and make the RIGHT DECISIONS (or at least learn from the mistakes you made). It is easy for the brain to ignore pain and disappointment by focusing on something else. This is why if your idea/project is not progressing as expected it is far easier to focus on something else. However we often blame our environment for this 'failure' rather than ourselves. For many of us it is difficult to recognize your own personal biases when it comes to making decisions - whether that be the information you use for input, the experiences and assumptions you make when processing information and the fact that we rarely question our output.

Poor decision making combined with not knowing the tasks that should be prioritized because they offer most value to your project are two key reasons why many people lose focus and motivation. Not everyone is built to continually push past failure after failure and monetary wise many of us could not continue to do so. So what I am suggesting is that you become more efficient when it comes to making decisions and setting tasks. Doing this will result in more small wins and this progress will help you maintain your focus and motivation. So the simple steps to take are;

1. Ensure your idea is accompanied by a vision - supported by internal motivations/values

2. Don't keep your idea in your head. Write down what you need to do and if necessary speak to a business coach who can help you determine which tasks should be prioritized as they will lead to greater progress.

3. Be aware of your decision making biases - always look for independent feedback as well as analyzing why decisions made did not work out the way you expected.

4. Be conscious that you will fail only if you stop. Embrace the fact that setbacks are important but only if you learn from them.

Characteristics of a successful entrepreneur....easy to know, difficult to master

2009-06-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

I came across a new magazine the other day called Ambition, which after reading I presume is focused on entrepreneurs but is relevant for all small business owners, entrepreneurs and freelancers. Let me first start by saying that it was a great magazine to read with a good mix of relevant, interesting and informative articles in a market already crowded with entrepreneur focused material.

Anyhow, back to the reason for this blog. One of the articles was titled "What makes a true entrepreneur"? Now there's been a few of these articles recently with the main focus of the conversation focusing on whether entrepreneurs are born or whether the required competencies can be learnt. I don't agree fully with the author when she says that entrepreneurship cannot be learnt because to be honest the word entrepreneur has morphed from what it once was and thus the competencies required have also changed. An entrepreneur no longer has to be an inventor or innovator in the pure sense of the word so what was required to be labeled an entrepreneur 20 years ago is different in today's business environment. I could go into more detail on this now but will leave for another time. Rather let me focus on some of the characteristics of the entrepreneur that came out of a MIT study, albeit 25 years ago (you would think that there is something a little more recent and thus relevant?). However some of these were;

- drive and energy
- internal locus of control
- low fear of failure
- clear goal setting
- self confidence
- moderate risk taker

These are some of the examples but the point I want to make is this. If you are an entrepreneur how do you go about identifying, developing, measuring and learning these characteristics. Whilst easy to read and talk about it is not so easy to assess and increase your own abilities in these areas. Even if you do, the article fails to mention 'how much' drive and energy, self confidence and internal locus of control you need. What is meant by 'moderate' in respect to risk taking? With so many ambiguities this list of characteristics tells you a lot and nothing at all. However it is important to note that the list did not mention that most successful entrepreneurs were the ones with the best business plans. Whilst implementing an effective business strategy is important the message that entrepreneurial success is people characteristic centric appears time and time again.

So what does this tell you? If you're an entrepreneur who wants to be successful focus on your personal and professional development; seek advice from those who can assist you in these areas such as business psychologists because in reality no other professional has the experience, training or education to effectively provide you with the tools, frameworks and support needed.

And for all those freelancers out there, take note. The characteristics listed are some of those you'll need to transition to a 21st century freelancer.

The principles behind increasing your income

2009-06-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing entrepreneurs and freelancers should be focusing on this is it - how to increase your income or of more use how to increase your productivity. It amazes me how many startups and self-employed focus on aspects of their business, that whilst important to some degree, fail to concentrate on the drivers of income creation (note I say 'income' not 'revenue').

When consulting to clients there used to be the question of how to charge for work performed. That is, charge per job or charge per hour. Of course you may still charge per hour is required but your preference should be always per job. Why? Because you could (1) complete the job in fewer hours than the budget and therefore increase your per/hour rate of income or (2) give the job to a qualified associate for 80% of what you are receiving. Five such jobs will see you earning 20% more than what you could have as an individual.

But what I really want to communicate is that the wealthy do not sell hours - they sell knowledge. A motivational speaker does not speak to a single person if they can speak to hundreds. A website will not provide information to just one person - rather the same 'valued' information is presented to hundreds, thousands and millions of customers. This is the leverage of knowledge.

This is not an option for everyone but many careers and businesses can utilize the concept. Not only consulting, motivational speaking and certain web-based advice business e.g career and investment advice. However those in a trade can certainly also leverage their knowledge so they are not handicapped to work for only a particular rate per hour.

However just as important is that you have to recognize that you cannot just know something and expect huge success if no one else values that knowledge as much as you. This is the fallacy that many professionals believe to be true - that once you have a professional qualification then you're set. Unfortunately this is not the case. Firstly you have knowledge but probably cannot utilize it effectively within a working environment. Secondly many other people also have the same knowledge. So it appears the secret to business and career success is just not having knowledge and leveraging that knowledge. It's about applying the knowledge in such a way that (1) not many others can copy (2) how the knowledge is applied is valuable and (3) you can leverage across many people.

What demand is your product or service fulfilling?

2009-06-22T02:56:00.000-07:00

If the answer makes you think for too long, you have no answer or you come up with some reasoning including the words 'consulting, strategy, development...etc' then keep reading. What we need to understand is that the level of education and savy is such in the market today amongst the masses that the fancy titles and concepts that were difficult to understand and taught at only the top business schools in the past are no longer impressive. Every fourth rate school teaches the same concepts and with such a high percentage of the western world going to college the coverage of these concepts is extremely wide.

Am I recommending not going to school and to become an inventor, internet entrepreneur, celebrity cook, athlete etc instead? Absolutely not, but actually it doesn't matter what path you take as long as you do two things. One is to work hard and the second is to be very clear (this means have proof) on what you are offering and why. The work hard is the easy bit, even the bit on being clear on what you are offering...the hard bit is to confirm the 'why'. 'Why' are you producing a product, delivering a service, studying something at school etc.

Liking what you do it extremely important (and I will get to the fact that there are different levels of 'liking or loving' your job) but more important you have to recognize a demand for your skill or knowledge. If no one is in the market for what you have to offer then what you have will go to waste. I'm not talking about the challenge of being able to 'brand' or 'market' your offering so people are interested...I am talking about no interest no matter what you do because it doesn't hit the right demographic, is out of sync with social trends etc. Likewise if you're in a flooded market you still need to ensure supply is sufficient.

So what you need to do, to ensure a meaningful career either as an employee or business person is to clarify what you have to offer, how you're going to offer it and why it will be bought. If you cannot do this now take the actions you need to in order to do so. Last word regarding liking your job...it's not always about pure enjoyment, but can be satisfaction gained from making a difference, achieving what only few can...don't confuse liking or loving the job along the same lines as loving your family or liking a gift. Make the meaning of the word whatever you need it to be to suit you.

Why small businesses and entrepreneurs fail

2009-06-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

What is failure and why do so many business startups fail? Failure could be classified as not achieving goals such as working more hours than planned, lack of enjoyment and satisfaction, too much travel - however in vast majority of cases failure of a business is due to financial reasons. That is not making enough money to cover costs.

Why does this occur and so freqently? I have met a lot of entrepreneurs, both who have succeeded and failed in business (some many times over), and the one thing they have in common is intelligence and drive. So if this is what you think you need to have to succeed then think again. The difference between success and failure is decision making. The basis of decision making is information and insight and I believe the two go hand-in-hand in ensuring the most appropriate decision is made.

Thus failure in business is due to poor decision making because there was incorrect, lack of or inappropriate information used and that the insight of the entrepreneur was wrong. Insight itself is a cognitive process and basically a interpretation of external stimuli - so in fact decision making, both directly and indirectly, is correlated to the quality of information received.

Failure is due to making a wrong decision many times over because no effort is made to assess the decision making process. Working with a performance coach or psychologist is useful in understanding the basis for decisions made and making changes in your decision making process. If you fail once and don't assess the process for making decisions then the chances of making the goals or targets you have set are very low. You cannot assume you know how to make a right decision and the warning signs should not be ignored. Thinking you know how to make a right decision is one of those as you will not be open for change.

Small business also fails because the entrepreneur in charge of the business is not made out to work in such as environment. Making a decision to start a business is the first important decision you have to make and one of the most critical. If you get this wrong then your business may already be on the path to failure.

Starting a new business

2009-06-19T00:49:00.000-07:00

Our world is a lot different then it was 20 years ago. Well I say different but perhaps it was the same on a larger scale...in particular I want to focus on what it takes to startup a new business these days.

Of course business startups happen all the time but even 20 years ago it was more commonplace to look to an established organisation for work rather than consider starting up your own business. However over the past twenty years it has definitely evened out, with it becoming a cultural norm to start your own business - either from the start of a career or in the middle of an established one.

That being said, when you go to start a new business these days it's like trying to find a domain name that hasn't been taken. It is EXTREMELY difficult to come up with a business idea that hasn't already been thought of or already put in place. New ideas will mostly come from extreme creatives or from people who have been impacted by an extreme event that leads them to an idea - the originality of the event is the driver of this. So where does this lead us?

I would say there are two good paths to contemplate when considering whether to startup your new business. One, can you do something more effectively then what is already being offered out in the market and two, can you operate a business that supports existing businesses? My thought is that if there are more and more businesses being started up, all of varying sizes, industries and substance (online or bricks and mortar) there is greater opportunity to start a business that supports these. One example is Crunch Accounting (www.crunchaccounting.co.uk) which was setup to service freelancers and contractors in the UK. Why was that? Because the market for independent freelancers is continuing to increase because organisations want to reduce their fixed overhead costs. These freelancers need accounting performed and Crunch provides an effective online platform. Now would this business have worked 20 years ago? No way...and probably not even 10 years ago. I'm a little surprised it has taken so long to kick-start but it is one great idea.

So when it comes to starting your new business, don't try to beat them or even join them. Perhaps it makes more sense to support the new businesses being created everyday.

Not so dedicated to your career? Well now's the time to reassess and choose

2009-03-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

This is for everyone but I will focus this for the majority of my friends with whom I have consulted with (as consultants for organisations) over the past eight years. This is for this bunch of people who are extremely talented but for one reason or another fell into a job that though it paid well, gave you some street cred and provided international travel came no where near to fulfilling them personally or professionally. Day after day it was simply a matter of going through the motions and pretending this was the life they wanted.

When I say going through the motions I will state that there were times when we had to work extremely hard. That's a given. However, and this is the consultancy and financial sector world over, there are many people who get paid well to actually do very little. Not only very little but nothing of any importance; not personally fulfilling, not helping society and not changing society. The money was great for the effort but looking back the money wasn't that great...particularly when it meant driving yourself into a career that you didn't really want, all the while making it more difficult to turn back and make that critical change. I speak to many of these people today and not many have moved out of that old way of life and they are hating it or worst still, resigned to their fate.

So in the face of current economic challenges I'm writing this for my friends above encouraging them to change careers - this is the time to make that switch, the easy times in financial services is over and it is time to take control of your life. You may have been made redundant, hoping to be or one of those unfortunates still in that thing you call a job. However regardless of your position you must move....OR commit 100% to your job.

I say that the option of not really trying in a career you don't like is no longer an option. There is no more easy street or automatic promotions and if you don't work hard and achieve you will move backwards. More importantly you will find yourself thinking yourself more and more worthless as time passes you by. If you're not prepared to go for that dream career then at least achieve in your current career - or something. Choose something, but at least put some effort into it. Achieve some good things and perhaps your career won't look so wasted.

But please, either change careers or commit and achieve - these are the only choices.

Be careful when listening to 'personal branding' experts

2009-03-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Personal branding has become a new buzz word of late. There are many 'gurus' out there who proclaim they can re-work your personal brand, to allow you to find your niche in society. However two important things to note; personal branding is not new,it's simply been re-branded to move from the physical to online mediums and secondly your 'brand' will never just be one thing - it will flux continuously as you develop through life.

I'm very interested in personal branding because I think it can add a lot to our lives; allowing us to understand ourselves better and being perceived the way we want to be perceived. However there are no true experts....just those people who have spent more time reading on the subject and spending time online. No one can tell you who you should be, there is no scientific and proven approach to achieving a particular brand. Instead it happens through a series of many actions and is influenced in a major way by one's personality. If, for example, P Diddy or Ashton Kutcher were not extroverts then the brand they are today would be different. But do you really think these guys could teach you to be a 'brand' like them? Not a chance. If anyone of us attempts to be a 'brand' that is incongruent with their values, genetic traits, motivations etc then the brand will fail.

So whilst I advise on personal branding I attempt to recognise that it is still a challenge to assist someone be a particular brand. You can advise someone to reach and achieve goals, leading to a particular perception and 'brand' in the market, but you cannot make someone into a brand without a lot of marketing hype in a short period of time. Branding needs a solid platform to assist people in improving and changing their brand but I do not believe anyone has the ability to transform someone into a certain 'brand' - instruct but not transform. Even the instruction would depend on that expert actually knowing what it took to create a certain 'brand'. I would really want to measure how 'personal branding' experts' improve and create a brand in only a few easy steps. Helping someone tweet or blog are tools but these are only tools....I could show you how to swim but if you don't swim correctly you will drown.

Your actions over a long period of time, similar to how Coca Cola has become such a powerful brand, is the only way to create a real authentic brand.

Change your focus from 'job searching' to 'job creating'

2009-03-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

The hard, cold truth is here...some jobs will disappear and never to return. In some industries this reduction will be greater than in others but nevertheless where we are now is the start of a resource reallocation shift.

I've just read an article on CNBC that mentioned that many financial jobs will not be able to be supported simply because of the reduction in leverage in the market. The same is happening in London and every major financial centre around the world. In property the same is happening where the drying up of bank credit will not only reduce the volume of property transactions but the revenues available to real estate agents. Same for retail, if the focus is consumer discretionary due to credit drying up and the consumer cutting back.

But for all those thinking doom and gloom this is an event that had to occur. This is not only going to re-create a balance in our society but give many of us the opportunity to do things we want to do but never had the courage to start - for one reason/excuse or another.

If your job is gone create one instead

I speak with many recruiters and job seekers these days and am amazed at the fact that many hundreds of CVs are submitted for each job...Presidents going for VP roles and MDs going for Director roles. It's almost desperation to find something or anything. Is this the approach to take? Humans are creative and amazingly resilient in times of adversity and now is the time to see this come through. Rather than send your CV for the one role that is similar to what you used to do, but is competing against 500 others, look at your skills and consider about how to apply them to another area of the economy. This may be in role that already exists or better still, be entrepreneurial and apply your skills to something you think is missing in the market. You may never get this chance again.

The way to look at it is this. If we are going through a huge resource reallocation then jobs will not reappear. Hoping for your job to reappear is not going to help - get in control of your destiny and create demand for your skill instead.

Why you shouldn't call your job a 'job'

2009-03-17T14:01:00.001-07:00

I have to say I am pretty much over hearing the word 'job' these days. New job, job search, redundant job, job, job, job.....if it's not the fact that you have just lost 30% of your wealth in 3 weeks then it's about the fact that life is over because of your job. Maybe you've lost it, maybe you're about to or just maybe you're next to the guy who is about to lose his job....either way morale is down.

But before I go too much deeper into a self-defeating spiral about our pessimism let me focus on something much easier. Stop calling your job a job...call it a career, a life interest, anything but a job. I thought our culture was beginning to move past seeing a job as a job - the word itself instills no motivation and certainly doesn't inspire me in anyway. And inspiration is what we need at the moment, along with hope and belief that we, both as an individual and society and move out of the current economic slump we are in and progress as a species.

Many psychologists have said we are how what and how we speak, that is language forms the basis of many of our core beliefs. The word job is related to something you 'have to do' not 'want to do'. Even the addition of the word 'good' in front of job only insinuates that your job is bearable or perhaps better compared to the vast majority. It still doesn't inspire or encourage you to want to do well.

So even if you only want a 'job' don't use that word, choose something else. That goes for those who both have a job and need a job. Our society needs to take a turn for the positive and that small language shift will, if only very small, make a meaningful contribution.

Be aware of the attraction of short-term goals

2009-03-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

"Now, wait just a minute" you may say, "we all need short-term goals so who is this guy Daryl Close thinking he is when he says to be aware of them?". I will then respond by asking you all to let me explain just what I mean.

I first started thinking about this topic when reading yet another article on the saga of the US financial system. AIG, if you haven't read it, are paying out another couple of hundred million dollars in bonus to the people that supposedly lost billions. Now, whilst interesting on its own, what is more interesting is the approach bank chiefs and regulators are now recommending - that is reward for long-term performance only, not short-term.

That got me thinking about my own decision making and how I differentiate between short-term and long-term goal setting. Obviously, it would seem, I make short-term goals that benefit me now and long-term for the future. But are is goal-setting process aligned? Do I make short-term goals that benefit me in the long-term and long-term goals that benefit me in the short-term? 'I don't know', is the answer to the first and 'I don't know' is the answer to the second. But for the second 'I don't know' may be a acceptable answer...it sure as ain't for the first.

As with the financial markets, if I take a high risk position to make myself a lot of money in the short-term, I carry with that a high risk of losing a lot of money. I've gone through that experience and it isn't pretty. Did that result benefit me long term? No way it did, though the intention was good. Now apply that logic to every other short-term decision you have made; at work, about a career choice, about a business choice, about a relationship choice, about a fitness choice....short-term goals and results do sometimes blind us from making decisions that are best for us in the long-term. Taking a job, for example, for 20% more is something that benefits us in the short-term but not if it takes us on a direction we don't really want to head in. Even settling for a job 85% of what we truly want will come back to bite us in the ass in the long-term...and let's face it, that's not great because at some point the long-term is the present. Everyone hates the word 'hindsight' and that's what that word represents - making a decision that is regretted later on.

So when you're making your next decision or setting your next short-term goal, question yourself as to the real benefit of that decision. Is the benefit in the short-term going to become a long-term benefit, and if not, is the short-term benefit going to out-weigh any negative consequences in the future? Not starting a business and keeping your 'safe' job may benefit you in the short-term, by protecting you from risk but in the long-term?....have a think about that one which is only just one example.

So my message is keeping setting short and long-term goals....but don't think they are independent of each other. If you don't then I think the quality of your short-term decision making will improve dramatically.

What is the best investment you can make? In yourself of course.

2009-03-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

So unless of course you are lucky enough to work for an investment firm that can make money when the financial markets are falling, you've joined the majority of us that have lost money in the past 12 or so months. Maybe a little, maybe a lot, but your faith in the financial markets, your financial advisers, your stockbrokers and investment geniuses must have been shaken. Whilst this could be seen as a 'once in a lifetime' event there have been countless instances of ineptitude, carelessness, greed and simply lack of knowledge and ability to protect your wealth.

For many of us investing in the financial markets is not a full-time job and not even a part-time job. You for most part want to place faith in these investment professionals to get the job done right and to ensure your money works for you and will be available for you in the future. However, and I'm sorry to say, this can no longer be assumed and your money could be at risk.

However there is a bright spot in all of this, an opportunity you may say. That opportunity is to stop focusing on gaining financial stability and wealth through investing in something that is actually not built on anything more than some people guessing company values. Instead focus on yourself, building yourself as an investment that can increase in value as you improve your skills, knowledge, cognitive abilities, emotional and social intelligence. If you become a stronger and better performer because of this improvement then you are more likely to create more wealth simply because you will earn more money - either as an employee or business owner.

I have a good friend who does not invest in the stock market - rather he invests in his business? Why? Because he knows his business and can trust himself to make it work. He also works extremely hard at his business and improving his knowledge in order to make himself more valuable. He is someone I respect in a big way and you know what, he himself can only lose his money. Not the person 1000 miles away who can cause you to lose your savings in an instant.

What business can you startup in a world where startups are commonplace?

2009-03-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Our world is a lot different then it was 20 years ago. Well I say different but perhaps it was the same on a larger scale...in particular I want to focus on what it takes to startup a new business these days.

Of course business startups happen all the time but even 20 years ago it was more commonplace to look to an established organisation for work rather than consider starting up your own business. However over the past twenty years it has definitely evened out, with it becoming a cultural norm to start your own business - either from the start of a career or in the middle of an established one.

That being said, when you go to start a new business these days it's like trying to find a domain name that hasn't been taken. It is EXTREMELY difficult to come up with a business idea that hasn't already been thought of or already put in place. New ideas will mostly come from extreme creatives or from people who have been impacted by an extreme event that leads them to an idea - the originality of the event is the driver of this. So where does this lead us?

I would say there are two good paths to contemplate when considering whether to startup your new business. One, can you do something more effectively then what is already being offered out in the market and two, can you operate a business that supports existing businesses? My thought is that if there are more and more businesses being started up, all of varying sizes, industries and substance (online or bricks and mortar) there is greater opportunity to start a business that supports these. One example is Crunch Accounting (www.crouchaccounting.co.uk) which was setup to service freelancers and contractors in the UK. Why was that? Because the market for independent freelancers is continuing to increase because organisations want to reduce their fixed overhead costs. These freelancers need accounting performed and Crunch provides an effective online platform. Now would this business have worked 20 years ago? No way...and probably not even 10 years ago. I'm a little surprised it has taken so long to kick-start but it is one great idea.

So when it comes to starting your new business, don't try to beat them or even join them. Perhaps it makes more sense to support the new businesses being created everyday.

How can I optimize my employees’ strengths to increase sales?

2009-02-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

If you're thinking this when it comes to improving an organisation's performance then I'm happy to say you are on the right track. Performance improvement, whether that be at the organisation or individual level, is better served through utilizing strengths rather than reinforcing weaknesses. That is not to say that areas for improvement shouldn't be given attention, just that the focus should be on the strengths.

Now, when it comes to optimizing strengths you first have to be able to assess your employee's strengths. If you haven't already done this it is better to assess the components underlying a certain role and then assess the employee against these. For example, if you're looking at a sales role, you might consider; communication, determination, product/technical knowledge, relationship building and networking as key categories.

After you have done this then you will have a fair idea of where your employees are strong. Some employees may have stronger technical knowledge whilst others are stronger communicators, whilst others are better at establishing new relationships. To increase sales you will then need to align your sales channels with your employees' competencies. For example, telephone sales might be undertaken by the employees with stronger technical knowledge and communication skills, whilst new business through meeting clients could be undertaken by employees stronger in relationship building and networking.

What is crucial is that you understand the sales performance drivers in respect to the required skill competencies and then aligning the competencies to the strengths of your sales team.

When do you make your best or most 'life changing' decisions?

2009-02-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

The focus of this question, is in part, due to the fact that many of us are facing some difficult decisions over the next few months because of the challenges presented by the current economic state. I got to thinking the other day what drove a lot of my decision making and came up with the fact that making decisions are meant to benefit yourself - the challenge being whether that benefit is in the short, medium or long term. Short term gain for long term gain is something I do believe in if a decision is made with only the short term being the main focus.

Decision making is a cognitive process that the brain manages and the final decision is based on a variety of underlying factors. Personal values, motivations, your sense of expected rewards (and your valuation of them), emotions, past experiences, consideration of what your friends and family would expect....the underlying components are many. Many of these decisions are not 'life changing' simply because the human being is a creature of habit. It can be difficult to make decisions when you don't 'have to', even if you know making a change would be the best medium to long term decision.

Take for example the situation that many professionals are facing today. You may have been made redundant or there is a good chance of redundancy - what do you do? If you've always wanted to change jobs or get out and start a business then perhaps there is no better time. Sure things are dire now but when is there a 'best time' to make this change. The decision to make this change is more easy for the person who is out of a job then for the person who still has a job. They might have the same goals to start a business but for the person with a job, they might most probably think they are one of the 'lucky ones' to still have employment. They will think it is better to keep their job and plan to leave in a few years when they are more financially secure. On the other hand those who have been made redundant either have the choice to follow their dreams or look for new work.

What I want to emphasize is that when 'forced' to make a decision, there is perhaps a better chance of making it a life changing one. In the example above being forced to choose between job and new business does not mean you have a choice to remain with the status quo - you need a new job or need to start a business. There is no going back. Either path is new. So consider your own situation now and consider what decisions you can make today that might most impact your life...in a positive way and whether your current situation is holding you back. Might be worthwhile to consider what decision you would take if you were forced to change what you were currently were doing - would you try and revert to what you were doing or start out new.

Why are you underperforming in your chosen career?

2009-02-21T05:42:00.001-08:00

FACT: what you thought were the key performance drivers underlying your career are probably out of date.

FACT: what you think you need to do to ensure your career is successful is probably not nearly enough.

A career is a fluid creature - it may look like it retains the same shape but in reality it is continually evolving and demanding different things from those involved. Why is this? Because our society is evolving and as such what was needed 50, 20 or even 5 years ago is no longer applicable/not applicable to the same degree.

Take the job of a lawyer, accountant, investment adviser, IT programmer, marketer, recruiter and even a teacher - the career requirements have developed and changed from what they were to something else today. The skills and knowledge required for each has progressed because of the different demands facing each of these jobs.

So what does this mean for you?

Well, if you commenced your career over 5 years and particularly if more than 10 years you should be sitting down and researching the competencies (skills and knowledge) that are now required for your career. Start by looking at what your career is and what your key performance drivers are. Some of the skills might be the same but you may have to change your focus. For example, accountants are just not about financial reports and regulations but business advising and company restructuring and strategy. Teachers have to adapt to the generations coming through in respect to personal branding, networking and IT knowledge. Recruiters are not just about finding you a job but career advisers and personal branding experts (if they are any good of course).

So it's just not about assuming you're on the right career path - you have to assume that as society changes, demand for your skills change and thus you need to adapt to that demand. What our society is going through at the moment is this on a very wide scale; our society is changing what is wanted and what is not and thus the allocation of resources is being turned on its head. We are finding that we are not able to provide the correct resources and there will be therefore a period of exploration and consolidation whilst our society gains the required skills and knowledge to move forward.

For you, take a look at yourself and if in doubt as to how to manage your professional career, feel free to email me.

What are the key things entrepreneurs need assistance in?

2009-02-17T07:09:00.001-08:00

Entrepreneurs are a strange bunch.....I say this tongue in cheek as I have a lot of respect for this group of people who often risk everything in the belief that their service or product will be a success. I am not talking about business owners here per se but those who start a venture from nothing, create the possibility to bring something new or improved to our society. The best entrepreneurs have loads of confidence and self belief, have a great vision, focused and lots of determination and perseverance. Ideas may be sensible, slightly crazy or completely off the wall but in all cases they often have a reason for pursuing their particular venture. The vast majority of us would not be successful as entrepreneurs - even though some of the competencies of an entrepreneur can be taught a lot has to do with personality traits. This is not something that can be taught.

However taking into account all of this I have seen many entrepreneurs fail and some of my clients are entrepreneurs - thus I have seen the same patterns over and over again. Entrepreneurs are great at kick-starting a project but they do run the risk of expending lots of energy with little return even though they may have a high degree of focus. Entrepreneurs are often not able to operate as a business, rather they often operate in the 'new product development' or R&D sphere, which is great to begin with but is not sustainable. What entrepreneurs need to be aware they need assistance in is business strategy, financial management and funding and most important, self health and well-being.

So why have I selected these particular areas? Entrepreneurs are all for pushing a product or service to market, but often they have no concept of how to move past the creation and innovation stage. Do they have experience in market entry, competitor analysis, market analysis? Maybe, maybe not but I am a believer that you cannot do everything well. Even if you think you can do everything your performance will suffer at some point due to your inherent limitations (due to genetics, your experiences and knowledge). Many entrepreneurs are not experts in finance or fund raising and this is one reason that many entrepreneurs go to venture capitalists for assistance and guidance. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, entrepreneurs are not experts in mental strength and well-being. No entrepreneur will experience success if they are continually stressed, distracted and mentally fatigued. Entrepreneurs, more then most, will face problems that need to be addressed and these cannot always be solved by one's self. There is a need for external guidance and support.

So my advice for entrepreneurs is two things. Firstly recognise what competencies it will take to be a success - not just in the creation of whatever you are involved in but getting it to market. Secondly, assess your own competency gaps and don't be too proud to ask for assistance. Know your strengths and recognize it is a strength to know when to do it yourself and when to delegate.

Manage your professional development effectively by understanding how and why the value of skills and knowledge changes

2009-02-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

So you're a professional worker or business owner and you are currently providing the market place with one or more services. These services are based on your current skills and knowledge and the services are supplied because there is some demand for them. Not so hard to understand. At any point in time your services (the drivers of which are your skills and knowledge) are attributed a certain value based on market demand. So how do you base your career or business development knowing that the value of your services may increase or decrease simply because the wider market values them more or less? Do you assume as a professional that your skills will always be useful and if you decide to re-train/study etc how do you know whether that will add value to you or just cost you time and money?

The point I want to make is that you shouldn't assume any professional development is actually going to be beneficial even it is does improve your professional performance. Economic forces of demand and supply are what determines our value and so even if you study to become a lawyer, a web developer, a consultant, a banker or psychologist (to name but a few) your value may not increase because (1) you are not the best at what you do (2) there are too many others with the same skills for a level of demand in the market (3) whilst there is a need for many with your skills the value-adding benefit perception of your skills is not so high.

This is why I am personally against training and development programs just for the sake of providing people with new skills. Whilst there are skills and knowledge that we should all aim to improve for the sake of developing in line with our society (such as in the area of the internet and general understanding of IT) a lot of skills that are taught in training and vocation programs are simply going to provide knowledge that (1) might not be effectively utilized and (2) not going to be in demand when it comes to ensuring a strong career path or business venture.

Professional development has to be taken in context of what is needed by our society. Learning for the sake of it is commendable but it will not enhance your professional development. You have to consider what benefit your professional development activities are providing and how they are taking into account demand and supply shifts for certain skills and knowledge in our society. You have to consider trends in society around the way we live, how we see ourselves (who ever considered personal branding consultant to be as big a hit as it is), the influence of technology and global mobility. What is in demand one day might easily not be in demand the next.

Manage your professional development through personal development

2009-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Many of us spend a lot of time focusing on our professional careers, whether that is working for a large organisation, a small-medium enterprise, freelancing or running your own business. So many things to do, so little time...developing skills, knowledge, networks, managing finances, building a sales pipeline, passing exams etc etc....the list goes on. However what is it you need to do to ensure that you can do all of these professional development tasks???

The answer......PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT!

What do I mean by personal development? I mean you have to ensure on a number of personal levels that you are in good health in able to sustain the pressure and rigours of developing that professional career of yours. You have to attempt to ensure that your mind is clear and focused, that your stress (of course there will be some) can be managed and is actually a positive, that you are happy and committed to the course of action you are undertaking and that your motives are positive and tied to your personal values.

There are many cases where personal lives get in the way of promising professional careers and it is almost the case that your personal life has to be managed before you can ensure you have a solid foundation on which to build your professional career. Some of you might say that personal and professional cannot work together - but I'm not saying your personal life has to incorporate marriage and kids. Of course if this is the route you take then your professional route will have to adapt. What I refer to is that you cannot develop a long professional career (in the vast majority of cases) if you hate yourself, hate your life, have no meaning for what you do and because of that do not enjoy your life and your work. Professional development cannot occur over a long period of time if you operate in a negative environment personnally.

So my message is to look at yourself and your life as a whole and ask yourself the questions "do I like who I am", "do I know why my life is as it is", "do I know where my life is heading". These are only a few questions but they will get you thinking about what many of us don't - that is thinking about yourself and your well-being. Of course you have to spend time developing your career and business but don't do so in isolation of your personal health and stability. Remember that your career or business only goes on for as long as you go on and you are more likely to succeed professionally if you are able to focus less on fixing your personal issues. Work on building a strong personal foundation that you can rely on when the demands of your professional life come calling.

Make sure you are in control of your career, don't let it control you

2009-02-06T03:03:00.001-08:00

So we all know there are hundreds of articles in the paper and online about the economic disaster and job losses and I'm going to give you yet another one http://www.cnbc.com/id/29034624.

I only wanted to put this in today to show the extent of job losses across the economy, no company is not impacted and no job is safe. However right now I wanted to make three points about the situation - one is that the jobs are disappearing because there is no demand for them, two is that there is no guarantee the same jobs will return and three who is making the decision as to what you do next - you or your situation?

When it comes to an organisation making a position redundant because there is lack of demand that is not something within your control. What is in your control is what you choose to do about it and how to plan on moving forward, updating your skills and knowledge to make yourself in demand again.

What our society is becoming to understand is that an organisation will no longer provide a job for life and whilst many of us realize this and prefer this when times are good when times are challenging many of us look to the organisation for security. Going forward this is not going to be a solution but will simply cause more issues. Why? Because you will have no control over your career because you have no plan. You will scramble to take 'a job' and this leads to a situation where you will reduce the quality of your life because you do not identify with or value the job you were forced to take. Organisations are also on a trend where they are looking to continually reduce their costs and this will result in lower permanent staff. Where does this leave you if you have no career plan and no job security?

So what to do? Well no matter if you need to find a new career or are thinking about a new career, start now by looking at what you need to do and who you want to be. Define your path, define each action in detail and ensure you are the one in control of where you are heading. Do not wait for the tap on the shoulder from the organisation - the bottom line is they do not care about you when it comes to creating shareholder value. Respect yourself and do not let yourself get in a situation where you are forced to take a job for the sake of survival. I do realize there are times when this will happen but in this case still make sure you have a plan to hold this job only temporarily with a clear vision as to what you want to do and why.

Competence in looking for a job and career

2009-02-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

Looking for a job and career transitioning is a pretty hot topic today for obvious reasons so I wanted to spend a little time today addressing it. Everyone's situation is unique; you may be out of work and looking for a job, be in a job and looking to move to another, or you may simply be considering whether you should look to change careers. All of these mean that you fall in the category of needing to be effective at researching, planning and taking action towards getting a new job or transitioning to a new career.

I read an article today on CNBC http://www.cnbc.com/id/28938016 that talks about some of the secrets of finding a job. The thing about finding a job is that it can be quite simple to find A JOB, but not so simple to find A CAREER. For me a job is something you do to satisfy basic needs e.g. financial security, food, shelter etc. A career is more than that in that it is one representation of your mission in life, a reflection of your interests and values and something you wish to develop. That being said defining the career that is right for you at any point in time is not an easy task.

There are lots of ways to get a job, but not so many components are key. You can speak to friends, family, recruiters and look for advertisements in the paper. You can go online, network and knock door-to-door until you get something. A career on the other hand requires a lot up front work that is not so much about looking for a job but about defining the principles of the job you want to do and why. This is one of the key differences I think between a career and a job.

So when it comes to defining your career where do you start and what guarantees are there that you will get it right? How do you know what you're doing will get you the result you want, how do you help guarantee that you will not look back in a few years thinking you made a huge mistake? Now I want to quickly say one things about mistakes. Everyone will make one and it's how you learn and develop from mistakes that are more important in making the mistake itself. But what I'm talking about is limiting mistakes compared to successful actions and being confident that your actions will more likely than not get you to your goals.

Competence in finding a career is like a job in itself. You should first of all recognise that it can take skill and knowledge to define and find the career that is right for you at this particular time. You need to spend time with a professional understanding yourself, your strengths, your passions, your interests. You should also consult with someone or undertake research yourself on the trends of our society, industries in demand and industries in decline. You need to be effective at networking, your 'elevator speech' and communication. There are many more things, but the message I want to leave you with is that the process of finding a job and definitely a career is not a task to be taken lightly. Respect yourself and put the time in to do it properly.

Motivation and motivating others at work

2009-01-31T08:12:00.000-08:00

So what does it take to motivate you at work? The thought of money, the feeling of accomplishment from achievement, the respect of your peers or the fact that you are working at something you are passionate about? Apart from the last point it can be difficult to motivate yourself at work or motivate others simply due to the fact that work is not something we enjoy or choose to do in many cases. It is something we have to do as part of our life journey and for that reason not being motivated is not wrong, it is a circumstance of life. Even someone with passion, such as Barack Obama, would have days when he is not fully motivated to perform and his energy is low.

However there are some solutions to this challenge. The one I wanted to look at was motivation through relating work to an activity one might enjoy, for example sport or music. A lot of people like and watch sport and respect the dedication, perseverance and technical ability of athletes. Likewise many of us appreciate the same for musicians and performers. Now if we look at what it takes to be a top athletics star for example, we can break down the activities and personality traits into the following;

1. Dedication and perseverance
2. Technical ability
3. Need to stick to a plan and plan a course of action
4. Definite short term and long term goals
5. Attention to detail and long term vision

Same could be for musicians but the fact is success in these areas takes a lot of hard work, planning and dedication. Though you might not be required to do the same at work, you might find that your motivation (or your ability to motivate) will improve if you use examples that you and the people you are looking to motivate can relate to and believe in.

Does our society need employees or freelancers?

2009-01-30T02:36:00.000-08:00

Historically our society was all about employing people with the intention that they would be with the organisation for pretty much life. Organisations had the upper hand, employees would be forced due to demand and supply imbalances to be satisfied for most part with what the organisation offered. That trend has changed and gained a lot of traction, in my opinion, from the beginning of the 1990s with the introduction of the internet and associated online businesses and with the global recession causing downsizing which led to many professionals becoming freelancers and contractors.

There is no doubt that society sees the rules and cultural norms surrounding employment to be greatly different than they were even 30 years ago. There is no fixed assumption that a job is for life and neither do employees or employers want this. Employee loyalty and performance is still demanded by the organisation but the rewards expected by the employee is not the job tenure, but rather the benefits attached in the form of motivation, enjoyment, professional development and financial reward.

So we come to our current economic climate where many organisations are finding it difficult to adapt and many employees are also finding the time very challenging. I know many professionals who five years or even a couple of years ago would with no second thought market themselves to different organisations whilst employed if it meant they could benefit in some way. Now that is definitely not the case and many of these professionals are willing to take any relevant job in order to gain some kind of job security.

But what is best for our society, for economic growth and benefit of both organisations and employees? Is the concept of an employee something that we should start to move away from and instead look at developing our society as a flexible group of individuals who can fulfull a number of roles and who are flexible and adaptable to develop new skills in order to easily fulfill future role demand? Organisations do not want employees who can only perform a fixed role set because the nature of their business may find this skill set obselete within a short period of time. The employees should not want to work in this environment as it creates a false sense of security that they are more valuable to the organisation than what they truly are. That we have seen in this current environment where many professional employees are finding their so-called skills and knowledge is just not required. This is because the role requirements for a professional employee are on an expotentially increasing trend - if you don't think this is the case just think back to the start of this century and how the demand for skills and knowledge have changed.

This change is not going to happen overnight but it has been communicated that organisations want a more flexible labour force and as such employees are going to have to adapt. Society is also demanding a more flexible work-life balance and if you look at these demands, then it makes sense to focus on a contractor or freelance driven environment than than of a permanent employee driven environment. My advice is for all professional employees to start to reassess their knowledge and skills and to make plans to adapt to an environment that is ever increasingly hiring on value alone.

"Yes we can" starts with YOU

2009-01-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

Great day for America and perhaps the world with Barack Obama starting off his presidency. Crazy crowds, a lot of hype and excitement and some would say the start of a new era. But wait a second...this is just one man we are talking about here. Once the hype dies down (don't forget everyone was excited that George Bush was leaving as well) it will be back to the daily living of life. Nothing has changed yet in anyone's life except for the perception that change will happen. However Obama is not a god, he is one human person who is shouldering a lot of responsibility given to him by the public. Talk about pressure and the chance for letdown.

Let me say that I went to a talk tonight that looked at a methodology that uncovered drivers of individuals' behaviours which was different to the personality assessments that usually look at the prediction of behaviours themselves. I will go into this in more detail when I have undertaken some research. But the bottom line is that Obama is regarded as a 'Peacemaker', one that is a visionary, does not want conflict and looks to bring people together. Whether by himself he is a strong leader or achiever is yet to be seen. But this is the thing...he cannot be strong at everything. The Peacemaker brings people together to perform and that is the nature of Obama's message, that everyone has to help themselves in order to help each other. That means many YOU's make a WE.

Obama's been incredible at breaking down all kinds of barriers in the USA and across the world. Again part of his personality profile. However he needs a contribution from everyone, needs everyone to be emotionally intelligent in order to work together and be self-aware of the contribution they can make to society. No act is too small. So I would encourage everyone, me included, to think of just one thing (to start) that we can do to improve our society. We may not all be great leaders or visionaries but we can surely manage one small act, thought or behaviour that when combined will go a very long way. This is what Obama is looking for, nothing more, nothing less.