What does success mean to you?
We are all in some form of competition– with each other, with ourselves, with other’s expectations, with other businesses. So, if we are competing, then, naturally, the idea is to win. Or is it? Winning in a race means crossing the line first doesn’t it? Or throwing a javelin the farthest, breaking records if you […]
Progress not Perfectionism
These last few weeks I have been writing about competition. How does business make itself competitive, is it really a dog-eat-dog world and why are people a vital ingredient? Sometimes we are our own worst enemy – and business owners are no different. When you find yourself competing against others, whether in business or personal […]
Humans are the best resource for competitive advantage
Last week I looked at what gives a company its competitive edge, but often overlooked as a competitive advantage is the people inside the company. In fact, sadly in some businesses, their people are treated as simply a cost that needs cutting. In times of recession staffing costs are obviously a target for cost savings […]
Sharpen Your Competitive Edge
Last week I looked at the changing face of competitiveness and how a 21st century business may not succeed by simply being cutthroat. There are still many businesses that are aggressively competitive but I would suggest this is not a viable tactic for long term growth. So how does a business, especially a small medium […]
Compete or Connect? Crush or Collaborate?
The changing art of competitiveness Which is the odd one out? Wimbledon, BREXIT, The Olympics or Sports Direct? OK, so it’s a trick question…they all demonstrate an aspect of competition, allegedly the lifeblood of every business. Wimbledon and The Olympics may seem obvious- sports people all trying to win. However, for those of you old […]
To speak or not to speak: that is the question
When was the last time you used a telephone to communicate? I mean, actually picked up your phone to make a call. Not a text, not a check of your email and send a quick reply, but an actual real life call, where you were required to communicate verbally with another person. Telephone Calls are […]
Think Before You Press Send – Email Etiquette
If you are communicating something important in an email you must stop and think before hitting the send button. Too often I receive misspelt messages that can sometimes be totally incoherent or unclear as to what is needed from me in return. Emails are written communication Many emails I receive I assume are written as […]
Can you hear me or are you just too rude to answer?
The art of communication seems more like finger painting than Picasso in the 21st century. Have we lost the use of our polite genes in this technological age? We have a zillion ways to communicate and yet so much of it is just noise that I wonder whether the art of communication will burn on […]
Curiosity is the lust of the mind
A quick note about the title of this post, it is a quote by Thomas Hobbes a 17th century philosopher best known for his book Leviathan which is a foundational work on political and social thought and structure. Curiosity as a notion is often thought of as a dangerous state- after all it killed the […]
It’s good to giggle… the power of laughter
Childhood joy and why it’s good to giggle Such simple things give children such enormous joy. They look at washing up bottles and see a rocket and when they are given the empty container their joy knows no bounds. Or when they find something incredibly funny (often for no reason or when it involves an […]