Why is a raven like a writing desk…?

Rediscover & Use Your Childlike Curiosity Children have the capacity to dream… What did you want to be when you were a child?  I have listened to childish lisped wishes to be an astronaut, ballerina, a dragon slayer (my favourite), fireman…. Adults tend to smile indulgently and think they’ll grow out of it when real […]

Could Your Next Great Idea come from Daydreaming?

What children could teach businesses and entrepreneurs about daydreaming I’ve never wanted to have children and remember declaring to my grandfather at the age of 10 that I wasn’t having them. He always said ‘wait and see, you’ll change your mind’ but I never did. That is not to say I haven’t enjoyed many childhood […]

Taking a stand – or just being bloody minded?

When faced with a challenge our response can be quite primitive- the adrenaline kicks in and biology dictates we have a fight or flight response. Well, we’ve evolved a little since caveman days and often we have a third response, that of freezing. A difficult situation can leave us feeling overwhelmed and we freeze into […]

Stop trying to be a hero…

.. take off the rose coloured spectacles and walk way   Part 3 Facing and Managing Challenge Sometimes you have to walk away from a challenge and be realistic and this can be just as difficult as facing the challenge in the first place. Our culture celebrates heroes and urges us not to give up. […]

When The Mountain Seems Too Big To Climb

Part 2 of Facing and Managing Challenge Sometimes you are facing challenges that seem so enormous, you just want to take a duvet day and hide. We’ve all faced a challenge that is so large in our lives that we have no idea how to tackle it.  Human reaction understandably is to shy away from […]

The Monster in the Cupboard – Overcoming Fear of Challenges

Don’t underestimate the fear factor Overcoming fear of challenge is the first step in managing challenges successfully- without it we are paralysed into inaction. Most things we do in life are a challenge. From standing up to walk for the first time, learning how to speak to sitting exams to starting out on a career […]

Systems for Transition

Last week I looked at the importance of managing transition for business and one of the ways to do this is to have effective systems in place. Solo entrepreneurs and start-ups often make the mistake of thinking they are not big enough or established enough to worry about systems. They also often hate this aspect […]

Managing Transition with a Human Touch

Why managing transition is important for business A formal business transition plan is usually put into place when the original owner has decided they want to sell all or part of the business and leave. However, businesses go through many transitions from sole proprietor, to partnership, to limited liability company perhaps as far as floating […]

What is Your ROI; What Are You Worth?

Do you understand the concept of your ROI when applied to you as a speaker? Well, you can bet the company booking you does. I recently attended a conference in the USA and interestingly, one of the delegates there, who specialises in marketing speakers, wrote a LinkedIn post I found to be very pertinent. Many […]

How to Choose Your Battles Wisely at Work

The secret of success is before attempting anything, be very clear about why you are doing it. Guan Yin Tzu Conflict is a human condition, but one we can choose to engage in or not. In the business world there are times when you have to stand up and be heard even when those around […]