Q+A…

We’ve all seen that expression at the bottom of the agenda for a business event of one type or another. Two innocuous looking letters that allow your guests to pose their favourite questions or allow the organisers another chance to reinforce their message.

What on earth could be wrong with that, you might wonder? It all sounds very fair and democratic and should surely lead to a more balanced event with no-one feeling left out. All well and good but the danger is of course that the whole issue of Q&A is treated exactly how it appears on that agenda – an afterthought, tagged on at the end!

Questioning is a vital part of life. As we’ll all know if we’ve witnessed the incessant questions fired relentlessly at a tired mother or father by a single-minded and demanding toddler. It’s also a very deep-seated and instinctive phenomenon capable of arousing strong feelings! As the harassed parent will no doubt testify, questions are in themselves an issue and one which literally demands a strategy if it is not all to go horribly wrong.

So, just as no parent would deny the offspring the right to pose questions, equally there will always be guidelines and rules of engagement. Pointless or repetitive questions will be discouraged and questions with a purpose, aim or direction encouraged.

In business, some of the same rules should probably apply. Despite, or maybe because of the imbalance of knowledge levels that may well still exist between the person asking and the person answering, care needs to be taken over the questioning.

Whether in a Q&A session, or as part of a relaxed catch up over a cup of coffee, why not concentrate a little more on the question rather than the answer, for a change? Obsessed as we often are, indeed trained as we are in certain professions, to extricate an answer from someone – just ask yourself occasionally, is my question the right question?

If you get the “right” answer to your question but the person you are talking to refuses to agree to a second meeting to carry the business relationship forward, then you have failed. As the harassed parent with the excessively inquisitive toddler knows all too well, we can say one thing and then do the exact opposite – think before you question, even if it seems like low-priority stuff at the end of the agenda!

Brazil Nuts!

You won’t be surprised to see a world cup link in the column this week. Like many other millions of people, I saw Brazil crash out of the tournament courtesy of a rampant German side who may go on to be eventual winners.

Like many other millions of people also, I felt sorry for the fans who were reduced to floods of bitter tears. It’s tricky to hide your emotions when streams of salty water are coursing down your cheeks in a way that’s hard for observers to miss! This was obviously extremely painful and you couldn’t help but think what had they done to be pushed out in such a humiliating and excruciating manner?

In some ways you could argue that they hadn’t done anything at all – they weren’t even playing, just watching. And yet, as we all know from the subsequent coverage and prior knowledge, this hurt Brazil as a nation, not just as a bunch of footballers. Failure, shared or otherwise, is a recurring theme in sport and no less so in the world of business. How we deal with it is a matter of some importance for Brazilians and business people alike.

In business you may not share your failure with millions of other like-minded and passionate fans – you are more than likely to be sharing with just one person – the little guy who lives inside your head.

By sheer coincidence, I’ve suffered a few setbacks in my business in recent weeks which at the time they occurred I was definitely describing as failures. Arguing with the voice in my head, which sometimes is prone to gabble a little too much, I assigned these problems an imaginary status and moved on. Over the years in business I’ve come to recognise that as a skill I’m fortunate to have been able to develop.

“Failures” happen to everyone and it’s vital in business to realise that and deal with it quickly. In my case, there were three “failures” in rapid succession – two have subsequently turned into business and the third is already moving in a positive direction. What you perceive in your head as a failure may be seen entirely differently by others. In the last analysis, the view of others is usually the only one that matters so it’s not a bad idea to try and focus on that as soon as ever you can.

I hesitate to hand advice to a nation, especially a powerful, dynamic world force such as Brazil. I’m fortunate enough to have visited Brazil some years back when I did business there. Of course football defines the nation, as does the Copacabana, Rio carnivals and a feisty spirit but in hindsight it is lunacy to suggest this is going to damage Brazil in the long term. Coming back stronger is what it’s all about and that football team may well be surprised what a cathartic effect a defeat can have – even one on that scale!

Another Place

Nearly three years ago I took my first diffident steps into the world of blogging. Inspired by a trip to Crosby to see the famous cast-iron figures standing boldly in the sea, I typed up my first blog about the connection between art and business. Rereading the blog now simply reinforces for me the value of such work for anyone who has the will to do it. I’ve reproduced it in full below because I think the points are as valid now as they were then.

There’s an additional note of optimism around the reading this time as the turmoil hinted at in this piece seems to be receding as the economy gathers pace. Anything that stands the test of a revisit in this way and reveals more not less is a valuable thing to my way of thinking.

Here is the blog in question – I hope you enjoy it:

A few years ago Antony Gormley persuaded Sefton Council to let him place 100 cast-iron figures along the foreshore at Crosby. I’m sure he wasn’t thinking about providing inspiration for business people when he did that. But that’s certainly what he did for me when I took my family to visit Another Place this Christmas. What’s more, I think his statues give us a brilliant example of what value visiting “another place” can give. Indeed if you are someone battling to succeed in business then simply being in “another place” can be the key that unlocks your creativity, reveals a new angle or allows you to put an old problem into perspective…

As I see it there are at least 5 major benefits you can enjoy if you take the trouble to visit any major sculpture in such a natural and often dramatic setting. You’ll probably have different ones and maybe even more but see what you think of mine. I hope my experience can help you to find your “other place”.

Here are my top 5 points:

•         Inspiration comes from just seeing things done very differently and in a remarkably bold way

•         Sculptures like these often provide more questions than answers and thus encourage you to keep faith in a business process which often does the same and where answers are similarly hard to find

•         Personal interpretation is challenging and fosters original thought, steering you well away from the familiar patterns and ruts of everyday business thinking

•         Community and family values are enjoyed and reinforced in a shared experience which is novel, memorable and therefore of lasting value

•         A vigorous walk along a wind and rain swept coastline provides an excellent chance to live by the motto “a healthy mind in a healthy body”

I just hope when you visit Another Place that the wind is blowing a little less vigorously since we managed to visit on the windiest day of the year and consequently enjoyed a sand-blasting experience too which will also not be forgotten easily!”

Plus ça change…

That’s a pretty ridiculous expression!

How can something that keeps changing stay the same? What does it apply to? Who does it apply to? Who uses the expression and is the expression itself in need of an update?

Well, in the business world it’s not very difficult to think of examples of change. When I first began working internationally, the trips were referred to as safaris and receiving a telegram from an overseas agent was not uncommon! This of course was quickly replaced by the telex. The telex was overtaken by the fax and the fax was killed off by email – and all that over a period of only 40 years or so.

Over roughly the same period I can remember clunky desk phones giving way to mobiles like house bricks. Car phones that filled the glove box gave way to the luxury of in-car hands-free communication.

When I made by first business flight to Durban with the very exclusive and business-like British Airways, little did I suspect how budget airlines would come along and totally transform air travel for all.

So, massive change and, as we all know, the pace of that change is now break-neck as we rush into strange concepts like internet specs and driverless cars and so on.

And yet, in the context of business I hear a lot of people saying lately that the old methods are still the best. I suppose the problem is, as with most fundamentals in business, old stuff looks exactly what it is and value is a difficult concept to sell. We all love the idea of something new and that little expression might just be useful in reminding us that the underlying values need never change.

People still buy people, as another popular expression goes, and for my money they always will.

Yes, it’s important to keep up in the race for “new” – how many consumer products get a new lease of life simply by the addition of the word “new” in bright letters on the top right-hand corner of the pack? But for long-lasting business success it might be a good idea to think deeper and work out what’s going on beneath the surface.

Clearly it would be Luddite to deny that the instinct for change, which we all have, is anything but a force for good. Optimism and inventiveness are all bound up with change and what business will not profit from having those qualities in the mix? We need to constantly renew and refashion as we search for better ways of doing things and more efficient ways of living our lives.

On the other side of the coin, it’s also good to remember that a vital sense of stability and security can spring naturally from simply not changing at all.

So it would seem that plus ça change may not be a tired old expression that’s outlived its usefulness – perhaps that’s why we keep using it?

It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it…

Reading about the kerfuffle caused recently by a footballer getting upset over a forgotten birthday cake, I started to think about special events in the workplace.

Whether or not that particular player was genuinely aggrieved is of course hard to say, given the hype that often abounds in the world of football. It could have been a gambit to presage a move from the club or a negotiating tactic to increase the weekly wage packet. On the other hand it may have been entirely genuine and symptomatic of how he was treated behind the scenes when not scoring goals on the pitch.

Just because he is a famous footballer and very high profile does not mean we can waive the rules of engagement. On both sides of the fence, whether managed or a manager, it’s generally a good idea to treat everyone in the workplace with respect. I think probably everyone will acknowledge that fact if questioned in isolation but how many of us actually behave like that consistently and unerringly?

Yet, by failing to keep up high standards of relationship building in our daily business lives we run the risk of failing to motivate or, worse, giving cause for disaffection. A recent study by Accenture - and reported in the Times - revealed that 43 percent of those surveyed cited “lack of recognition” as a reason for unhappiness at work.

Trained as we are from a very early age in almost every walk of life to look for faults that need correcting, we sometimes forget to look for the positive. By instinct we strive to solve the problems that are blocking our path to the holy grail of sustainable business growth. We spend hours trying to fix what’s broke whereas in reality there may be a lot more to be gained by polishing up the assets under our noses!

We all know that the people are the most important asset in a business but how many of us forget to give the metaphorical birthday cake once in a while? And it doesn’t have to be lavish of course – far more important that the feeling behind the gesture is authentic. Wishing someone “congrats” on Linkedin may be a step in the right direction but is a formulaic statement like that really going to do the job?

And why not give a compliment in the other direction too – even managers or directors need encouragement and support. It’s not a one-way street and of course the benefits of the gesture can flow in both directions.

Perhaps giving a cake is the best way to ensure that you receive one in return?

Surrounded by growth…

I see growth has been in the headlines a lot lately. Earnest and learned think tanks have confirmed the end on the “Great Recession “is nigh. NIESR has revised up its estimate for GDP growth for 2014 from 2.5% to 2.9%. The economy is or will be shortly bigger than it was in 2008. I could go on…

However, I thought it might be interesting to take a different tack and see what other growth indicators might be of relevance to us all. Are there other signs that might give us confidence of being able to battle our way out of the deepest and longest recession we have ever known? Do stats alone do it or do we each need something more tangible and more powerful?

I got to thinking about this as I was walking my faithful dog over the green hills of Cheshire. Musing on what might put these encouraging but essentially dry economic facts into context I tried to look at the big picture. Is there a logical narrative that flows through all the twists and turns we’ve all experienced in business since 2008? Is there anything that ties it all together and makes more sense than just stark headlines or lifeless statistics on a printed or digital page?

At the risk of being laughed out of court I’m going to suggest that the unifying theme could be nature. I know it’s a tenuous link but does that matter if it does the job?

When I first started work for a multinational chemical producer my manager often used to talk about seeing “the green shoots of recovery”. Long before the media got hold of such expressions and used them to excess he used to talk about tending delicate seedlings from which a strong and mature business would grow. Gardening and natural metaphors abounded of which Percy Thrower himself would have been proud.

So I think my old boss might approve of my stance today. Toiling over the hills in all kinds of weather I see at first hand the results of nature’s work. I can frequently see storm damaged trees on one side followed immediately on the other by the most resplendent wisteria blooms imaginable.

For me this is a fantastic reminder of where we have been and where we are now. I’m reminded of what harsh treatment has been doled out as the sights of destruction are still visible. Equally though, I’m now able to feast my eyes on bluebells in record-breaking abundance, cow parsley that shimmers at almost shoulder height and wisteria so heavy and dense it hides the wall its hanging almost entirely from view.

Which will inspire me and drive me more – reading the Economist or walking in the Bickerton Hills? I think you can guess! What will you draw on for inspiration?

Is motivation worth the sweat?

“He failed to motivate them! They were bereft of motivation!”

So ran some of the headlines when one of the North West’s most famous football clubs recently sacked its manager. The fact that motivation had gone missing seemed to be vastly more important than purchasing the right players, choosing the appropriate tactics or putting in the effort on the training pitch.

And this is a serious matter – whether you follow football or not you probably can’t have failed to see this story. How often do you see the word “bereft” in your daily newspaper? For me it brought to mind the famous Monty Python sketch in which a certain parrot was dead, no more and ultimately bereft of life!

In some ways, this felt like someone had died. So it certainly provides a good backdrop for considering if motivation is a skill worth talking about. The context is wide-reaching and it was no accident that one of the commentators brought in by the BBC to discuss this topic was a Harvard professor of business. The skills needed to lead a football team are exactly the same ones needed to lead a team in the world of business.

David Moyes, in my humble opinion, did indeed fail to motivate. I personally felt sorry for him as his tragedy was played out in the full glare of the cameras but then again he was well remunerated for taking those risks. However, I felt he must take responsibility for failing to motivate – any seasoned business person will tell you how vital a “soft skill” motivation is.

Perhaps calling it a soft skill is partially where the problem stems from. For Moyes, there was nothing remotely soft about the nature of this skill which eluded him so teasingly and painfully. So called soft skills are vital in the world of business. The fact that they are linked so closely to emotional behaviour often makes them less accessible to people not prepared or able to change hardened attitudes and take them on board.

It’s not for me to decide whether Moyes was guilty or just unfortunate but insofar as he’s demonstrating a lack of motivational skills which are undeniably vital to successful business I ‘m going to put in my two penn’orth!

Why use the word “hope” when talking publicly about how his players will perform in the future? To my mind this subtly reveals you are hoping and praying which suggest strongly that you haven’t motivated yourself, let alone the players! Hope is not a strategy and even soft things like motivation need planning. Perhaps, like some business people, he underestimated the value of a seemingly optional concept like motivation.

One thing’s for sure, motivation is hard to build up but it can disappear in a second as you fall off the cliff – better not to fall in the first place as it’s an awfully hard climb back up to the top!