Press & News

If we always do, what we’ve always done in business and life…

1st April 2016 By Jay Allen

If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always have, what you’ve already got

We know the quote, yet so many people in business and in life continue to do the same thing time after time after time expecting a different result.

I remember vividly joining the army. I was a couple of years older than the majority of other lads joining into my platoon that September morning, as I’d already completed 2 years at college rather than joining straight from school.

I’d lived in my own flat, earned and managed my own money; I’d be independent for a few years already and thought I had a ‘head start’.

However there is a specific way to do everything in the army, from folding blankets to brushing your teeth, from ironing, shaving, polishing boots and walking EVERYTHING had to be taught to us as a ‘body of men’.

There is also the phrase “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” but the Army were adamant they would try anyway, and so rather than teaching ‘kids’ straight from school what an iron was, I had to unlearn everything I’d previously done, to then learn the ‘right’ way of doing things.

It’s funny that when we learn something, or often teach something to ourselves, we find A way of doing it that works for us, but then become so entrenched in that being the ‘right’ way that we defend it to the hilt whenever challenged without considering whether a different way might actually be easier, less time consuming, less costly and simply BETTER!

I’ve learnt over time to subscribe to another well know quote:

Before you have an opinion, walk a mile in the other persons shoes

At least your then a mile away, AND you have their shoes!!!

Never be fearful of change, its actually the new constant!

Management Vs Leadership

21st December 2015 By Jay Allen

Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

Still, much ink has been spent delineating the differences. The manager’s job is to plan, organise and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate. The Author Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences:

The manager administers; the leader innovates.
The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
The manager maintains; the leader develops.
The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.
The manager imitates; the leader originates.
The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.
The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

Perhaps there was a time when the calling of the manager and that of the leader could be separated. A foreman in an industrial-era factory probably didn’t have to give much thought to what he was producing or to the people who were producing it. His or her job was to follow orders, organise the work, assign the right people to the necessary tasks, coordinate the results, and ensure the job got done as ordered. The focus was on efficiency.

But in the new economy, where the value comes increasingly from the knowledge of people, and where workers are no longer undifferentiated cogs in an industrial machine, management and leadership are not easily separated. People look to their managers, not just to assign them a task, but to define for them a purpose. And managers must organise workers, not just to maximise efficiency, but to nurture skills, develop talent and inspire results.

The late management guru Peter Drucker was one of the first to recognise this truth, as he was to recognise so many other management truths. He identified the emergence of the “knowledge worker,” and the profound differences that would cause in the way business was organised.

With the rise of the knowledge worker, “one does not ‘manage’ people,” Mr. Drucker wrote. “The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of every individual.”

Outside of my role as international speaker and author of both Battlefield2Boardroom, The Road to Utopia and #ADDAZERO. I am also the founder of My TrueNORTH the Ethical Coaching Consultancy. We work with business owners to significantly and sustainably grow them and their businesses. For a complimentary success strategy call, just email Enquiries@Mytruenorth.biz

7 Steps to Effective Communication

14th December 2015 By Jay Allen

Effective communication is an important part of business success. To establish good business communication, it helps to have a blueprint of the 7 C’s of effective communication. You can use your list of communication “C” words to create efficient communication at all levels of your company, and to help make interactions with customers more effective as well.

In business it pays to get to the point quickly. Effective business communication uses concise and straightforward language that gets the point across completely and in a manner that encourages efficient action.

Complete

Plan your business communication carefully so you get all of the information to your recipient the first time. If you leave out important information in your initial correspondence, that will cause a series of problems that will take time to repair

Conversational

It is important to present your information in a conversational tone that invites interaction, rather than a confrontational tone that can cause an argument. Effective communication presents the information in a manner that is not emotional but instead professional.

Clear

With a business communication, you sometimes get only one chance to make your point. If your information is misunderstood, you may not have the opportunity to correct it before it escalates into a problem. When you present your information, be sure to do so in a clear voice that allows every word to be understood.

Considerate

When speaking to business associates or customers, always open the conversation to questions and clarifications. When you finish a statement, allow a moment for the other person to ask a question before you go on to your next part. When you answer a question, be sure the answer is understood before moving on in the conversation.

Confidence

An air of confidence in your conversation helps add credibility to your information. Present your data with a clear and commanding tone that indicates that you know the subject you are speaking about and that the information being presented is valuable.

Check

Always check your data and facts before giving a business presentation of any kind. You may have useful ideas, but if they are accompanied by incorrect information, the power of your ideas is lost.

Outside of my role as an International Keynote speaker and author of this book, I’m also founder of the Ethical Coaching Consultancy, My TrueNORTH. We work with business owners to help them overcome the hurdles they are currently facing to enable the significant and sustainable growth of both them and their businesses.

Having won a Global ‘Big Impact to Business’ Award as a keynote speaker specialising in the Clarity of your communication. I’m often billed as the speaker thats combats your conversion communication. To learn more simply email Enquiries@MyTrueNORTH.Biz and ask about our complimentary coaching call offer.

4 Step Business improvement process

7th December 2015 By Jay Allen

The demand to improve your business continues to increase as expectations change, new technologies emerge and competition grows. An effective way to establish continual improvement within your organisation is to conduct regular Business process improvements (BPI)

Business processes can be informal or formal and touch a variety of company functions: information technology, employee development and training, customer service satisfaction, etc. Regardless of the process you are trying to enhance, the improvement procedure follows a similar path. Today we will cover the four steps in the business process improvement cycle.

1) Identify the Need for Change: The first step in the BPI process is to identify the need for change. A useful way to discover improvement opportunities is by conducting a process audit. The audit will identify current issues or potential risks for your company. From the audit report you will be able to prioritize your areas for business improvement. At this stage, you should also review how each process impacts your organization, resources and stakeholders (employees, customers, students, partners, suppliers, etc.).

2) Analyze Current Process: Once you have decided which process you are going to improve you need analyze the current procedure. This way you can fully understand the process from A-Z and set realistic improvement objectives. Regardless of the tool you choose for analysis (process mapping, operational surveys, cause/effect analysis, etc.) you should consider the following questions:

What in the process is broken?
Which steps in the process create roadblocks?
Which step requires the most time to complete?
Which step causes the most delays?
Are there any steps that cause costs/resources to go up?
Are there any steps that cause quality to go down?

3) Obtain Commitment and Support: The third step in the process is to solicit senior management commitment. This is possibly the single-most important element in the process as the success of the project hinges on managerial support. At this stage you need to clearly present the necessity for change and how it impacts the organization. It is crucial that management understands the need for change to ensure they will support recommendations. As process improvement can be time and resource intensive upper-management support is a must.

4) Create Improvement Strategy: With the process analysis phase completed you need to develop your strategy. It is recommended that you include what steps in the process are broken, why and how they should be improved and any financial and resource implications. Answering how the process can be improved is a springboard to create your improvement objectives. It is recommended that you set realistic and measurable objectives that align with your overall strategic goals.

So how robust is your current system? You need to have the assurance that if ANYONE or EVERYONE didn’t show up tomorrow, a brand-new team could follow a series of instructions and the wheels of commerce would keep on turning!

We use an online based system named Touchstone to facilitate all our systems and processes, you can visit them to see more by clicking here: Touchstone

The Secret Art of Hiring Super Heroes!

30th November 2015 By Jay Allen

Did a valuable employee just leave and you need to replace them quickly? Or perhaps you just signed a large client and need to increase resources or add a new skill set quickly? Most hiring decisions aren’t part of a master plan, they are often immediate, unplanned hiring scenarios where new employees are added because of short term pains rather than long-term stability.

Yet, the catch is that, when growing a creative team, a long-term vision to staffing is paramount. Through evaluating different successful creative cultures, as well as the not-so-successful ones, there are several important attributes (or superpowers) that seem to make a great team even greater. These attributes can exist regardless of role or seniority. Combined together, they make for a powerful, well-balanced, and effective culture that is:

drama free and enjoyable
easily able to avoid or mitigate speed bumps
free of unhealthy attitudes that often position the client and other departments as the enemy rather than partner and advocate

Miss any one of the following attributes and you’ll see the difference between a team that simply does their job and one that is passionate about their job:

1. The Cheerleader

Is your team a cohesive unit, one that is energetic and an enjoyable place to work? If not, then you need the cheerleader.

The cheerleader is the driving energy in the room, engaging the team, keeping everyone creative and excited about their jobs while simultaneously increasing morale. As a social butterfly, the cheerleader has the innate ability to bring a team together in conversation and collaboration. They provoke a level of interaction that other personality types might feel awkward or uncomfortable initiating.

The challenge, however, is in hiring the right cheerleader, as many can be too perky or too much of a “class clown” type. The ideal cheerleader is someone with an authentic passion and love for both life and their work; they are also often the extroverted talker within your team.

2. The Industry Activist

Does your team work in isolation with little knowledge of what is going on culturally and in the creative industry overall? If so, then you need the industry activist.

The industry activist enjoys staying up-to-date with all the latest industry news through social media and subscriptions to industry publications. It is their priority to keep track and inform their team of industry events, popular creative trends, and up-and-coming creatives and creative firms. The industry activist understands the importance of ensuring that their team’s work is relevant in the ever-changing environment of the industry.

Without the industry activist, a team sacrifices a significant source of inspiration and their work can appear dated. The ideal industry activist is someone that is well-read, and curious.

3. The Emotional Quarterback

Do the personalities of specific individuals on your team or the latest internal drama easily influence your team’s culture? If so, then you need an emotional quarterback.

The emotional quarterback diffuses and manages the drama often associated with managing creative personalities. They help to minimize internal politics and conflicts within a team by serving as mediators and therapists for right-brained creatives whose actions are sometimes driven heavily by passion for their vision.

Without the emotional quarterback, internal dramas can overwhelm and deeply hurt a team’s overall ability to function cohesively. Often, diffusing this drama is the responsibility of the team leader who may be without the necessary patience and skill set to manage the drama appropriately. The emotional quarterback is the staff member that is truly genuine, patient, approachable, rational, and empathetic and is comfortable with providing emotional support and feedback.

4. The Enforcer

Is your team full of people-pleasers who often take on more than they can chew or allow clients to take advantage of them? Then you need an enforcer.

The enforcer serves as the backbone of a team and keeps everyone in check. They are comfortable making tough decisions and enforcing policies and processes to the benefit of the entire team, even if it’s a challenging conversation, the end result is more painless and honest relationships. They play the role of the “bad guy” without being divisive or abrasive. The enforcer is critical to both upholding standard operating procedures and maintaining successful employee and client relationships.

Without someone that is comfortable being an enforcer, clients and other departments or staff may take advantage of others on the team. Depending on the size of a creative team, the enforcer may be a dedicated role (typically in the producer, studio, or project management role) or simply a superpower that is required of those that interface with clients or manage staff members.

5. The Political Navigator

Do you work within a highly political, hierarchical, or siloed environment? Do you have trouble avoiding decisions by committee? If so, then you need a political navigator.

The political navigator bridges the gap between corporate or clients and creative. The political navigator understands, is accepting of, and can handle company or client politics and hierarchy. They possess the unique ability to balance the goals of the team with those of the client. They build strong internal advocacy for their team at the highest level because they are not intimidated by interacting with more complex organizational structures and love the challenge it poses.

Teams without a political navigator often blame the client for all their challenges. But, adding someone onto your team that has a political navigator superpower will enable your team to better manage and mitigate corporate/client politics in a way that is much healthier and far less adversarial.

Outside of my role as international keynote speaker and author, I a also the founder of the Ethical Coaching Consultancy, My TrueNORTH. If your a business owner dedicated to the significant and sustainable growth of you and your business, why not email Enquiries@MyTrueNORTH.Biz and have a chat about how we help business owners recruit rockstars!

The Importance of Clear Business Objectives

23rd November 2015 By Jay Allen

Setting effective objectives to guide your team and organisation is very important for a leader to get right. Badly formulated objectives will steer an organisation in the wrong direction.

Sort out the difference between objectives and aims, goals and/or targets before you start. Aims and goals relate to your aspirations, objectives are your battle-plan. Set as many objectives as you need for success.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.
Don’t try to use that order M-A/R-S-T is often the best way to write objectives.
Measurable is the most important consideration. You will know that you’ve achieved your objective, because here is the evidence. I will know too! Make sure you state how you will record your success.
Achievable is linked to measurable. Usually, there’s no point in starting a job you know you can’t finish, or one where you can’t tell if or when you’ve finished it. How can I decide if it’s achievable?
- You know it is measurable.
- Others have done it successfully (before you, or somewhere else.)
- It’s theoretically possible (i.e. clearly not ‘not achievable’.)
- You have the necessary resources, or at least a realistic chance of getting them.
- You’ve assessed the limitations.
If it’s achievable, it may not be realistic. If it isn’t realistic, it’s not achievable. You need to know:
- Who’s going to do it?
- Do they have (or can they get) the skills to do a good job?
- Where’s the money coming from?
- Who carries the can?
Realistic is about human resources, time, money, opportunity.
The main reason it’s achievable, but not realistic is that it’s not a high priority. Often something else needs to be done first, before you’ll succeed. If so, set up two (or more) objectives in priority order.
The devil is in the specific detail. You will know your objective is specific enough if:
- Everyone who’s involved knows that it includes them specifically.
- Everyone involved can understand it.
- Your objective is free from jargon.
- You’ve defined all your terms.
- You’ve used only appropriate language.
Timely means setting deadlines. You must include one, otherwise your objective isn’t measurable. But your deadlines must be realistic, or the task isn’t achievable. T must be M, and R, and S without these your objective can’t be top-priority.
It is worth this effort! You’ll know you’ve done your job well, and so will others

Within my current Ethical Coaching Consultancy, My TrueNORTH we help business owners to set their business objectives in such a manner that they achieve more than they otherwise thought possible! Want to know more?

Email Enquiries@MyTrueNORTH.Biz and ask about our Success Strategy Coaching

Press & News

Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

Testimonials