The days of wondering if you should hire a coach for your small business are over. According to research studies curated by the International Coaching Academy, 86% of companies who’ve hired coaches said they’ve made their investment back. Professional coaching has also shown to improve time management by 57-percent, work performance by 70-percent and business management by 61-percent.

We know that successful business owners seek out support from trusted advisors who can help them achieve their goals. The question is, how do you find a coach who’s a good fit for you?

The catalyst for seeking out a business coach is usually a feeling of dissatisfaction or frustration with your business. It might be that you are working longer hours than you really want to. It might be that you feel unable to delegate things to your team because they regularly let you down with things. It might be that you feel you have reached a plateau and feel unable to get past your current stage of turnover or profit level. Whatever the reason, here are our top 10 tips on finding a business coach that suits you.

1. Understand the purpose – what are you looking for from a business coach? Someone to bounce ideas around with? Someone to challenge you? An ear to call upon for support and advice on how to grow, improve or change things in your business? Someone to help you create a high performing team? Get clear on what you want from hiring a coach before you make the first move.
2. Get clear on what success looks like – what is it you want to achieve in working with a business coach? A good way of doing this is to map out what you want to be different in your business after 3 months, 6 months, a year down the line.
3. Assess the chemistry – before committing to working with a coach make sure you have had chance to make an assessment as to whether you are compatible with one another. Will you feel comfortable enough to discuss your vulnerabilities with this person? A great coach/client relationship is built upon trust.
4. Be prepared to share more than just your business – coaching looks at your business in the context of your whole life. A good coach will explore where your business, and your role within it, might be out of alignment with your natural talents, core values and vision for your life.
5. Be open to challenge – whilst you want a coach who is on your side, you also want to establish the boundaries with them so that they can help you to uncover some of the ways in which you are getting in your own way or holding back your team. A good coach will help you to push beyond your current comfort zone and will recognise your excuses – even if you are unaware of them.
6. Make space and time – there is no point investing in a business coach if you don’t have the time to implement any of the ideas and actions you develop through working with them.
7. Seek out diversity – keep in mind that your coach does not need to be an expert in your field of business and there are often benefits to finding a coach who doesn’t know your industry inside out. A coach is there to help you expand your thinking, so it is good to seek out someone with a diversity of experience.
8. Establish how they operate up-front –having clear expectations between client and coach is crucial to the success of your relationship. How frequently will you meet your coach? How long will the sessions last? Are the sessions held in-person, via video call, phone or a mixture? Can you contact them in between sessions – if so via what communication channel (email, what’s app, etc)? How and when will you review the coaching relationship – is it for a set number of months to begin with, followed by a review?
9. Hire someone with a growth mindset – remember that famous quote – if you think you can or can’t, you’re right. Make sure your coach is someone who is themselves someone with a growth mindset and can help you to see the positives and opportunities in challenging situations.
10. Be prepared for the long haul – change doesn’t happen overnight so plan on at least a 6-month / year long relationship with your coach. Once you’ve achieved your initial goals, it’s wise to continue coaching.

If you are a business owner, we believe you are the expert in your business. You are in that unique position of being responsible both for the vision of where you want to go, as well as the everyday execution to get you there. Hiring a DICE business coach helps you to step back and assess where you are professionally and personally. 

We start with an in-depth look at your goals and vision. We shine a light on what you are doing now and what is working well and what isn’t working for you. We then work with you to create a plan for what you want to achieve – turning vision into action.

To find out more about our coaching services, drop us a line: [email protected]

The phrase ‘I am so busy’ is often bandied about in businesses and it is a pet hate of Co-Founder Kate Cousens. Herself a reformed workaholic who used the ‘busy’ term as something of a badge of honour, Kate is now passionate about helping clients to reform the habit of busy-ness and get more done in their businesses through mastering the art of hyper-focusing. In this blog, Kate shares her top tips on how you can do the same.

I would love to ban the word ‘busy’ when it comes to the working world! When you love your career or your business, like I have and do, it can become all-consuming. I know that there are always more things I want to achieve and that my ‘to-do’ list could be never-ending if I allowed it to be. I call myself a reformed workaholic, but I am still wired to want to work every waking hour I can, making myself ‘busy’, but I have learned that it is better for my mental wellbeing and my family for me to self-impose boundaries that stop me from doing so.

I have spent a lot of time in various types of therapy exploring where the drive to be busy comes from, and I can share that it is deep-rooted in that I like to be needed. I like to make myself indispensable, and ultimately, I am prone to attributing my self-worth with it. Put simply, if I am busy, I am important, I am needed, therefore I am worthy. Thankfully I am self-aware enough to know when this is a useful driver for me and when it starts to go into over-drive, tipping into overwhelm.

Personal disclosure over, but this is a pattern I recognise in others straight away whenever clients say to me they are ‘so busy’ and that they don’t have enough time in the day to do everything that needs doing. My solution, and something that I have learned to master the art of, is hyper-focusing.

Traditionally, hyperfocus was described as an experience of deep and intense concentration in some people with ADHD. In this case, I’m talking about hyperfocus as a theoretical state of being where you obtain an intense focus on an action to the point that it results in extreme productivity.

Hyper-focusing on important work tasks throughout the day is what I attribute to getting so much done in my business. I am a perpetual do-er and creator. Over the last few years, I have created a huge amount of material that supports clients in all areas of running their business. From business strategy and marketing templates to a full CPD accredited 15 month leadership development programme – you name it, I have created it to support DICE clients (and if I haven’t yet, then I will!).

It is this hyper-focus that has enabled us to franchise the DICE offer, teaching other passionate business professionals to use the breadth of training materials we have covering every aspect of business strategy development, people leadership, workplace culture, employee engagement and communications. It is what enabled me to write a complete business operation manual, outlining every single process we do with clients so that we can teach our methodologies and practices to franchisees.

My business partner and Co-Founder, Steve Lloyd, will tell you that this hyper-focus of mine does come at a price – in that I will block out chunks of a week to get specific tasks done – often leaving Steve to pick up the mantle with any arising issues with clients during that time! But that is how we roll – we are a great team and Steve supports me when I need to get into this mode.

So, what is the secret to mastering the art of hyper-focusing? It starts with stopping the bad habits of multi-tasking, or multi-failing as I like to say! You can’t focus on everything – you need to prioritise what is important and then create space to get it done. It starts with the decision that you are going to run your day, rather than letting your day run you.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Stop the alerts!

We all get distracted and lose focus at times but with the average internet user getting distracted every 40 seconds, it is time to close down your email inbox, switch off any and all notifications on your computer, and put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ (better yet, switch it off and hide it!).

• Be realistic on your time

I am someone who always under-estimates how long something will take, often thinking I can achieve more than I realistically can in a single day. Get honest with yourself and do your best to limit your list to one or two things at a time. Use your diary to plan out your day, and if you don’t get everything done in the time frame, block out your next available day and repeat until the task is complete.

• Impose boundaries with yourself

You need to be strict with yourself when you are hyper-focusing. That means no procrastinating – this isn’t the time to clear out the kitchen cabinets or that messy drawer – you need to get that thing on your to-do list done. Eat the frog, stop putting it off!

• Impose boundaries with others

Make yourself un-contactable. Put on your email ‘out of office’ message, chat to colleagues, clients, and family members about what you are planning to do and ensure you have their support. Give them a time when you will be available if they need you for anything, but other than that pretend you are on a desert island and let them fend for themselves (yes, that means you kids!).

• Avoid distractions

Stay away from the things that distract you. It might be that you are used to scrolling through your social media feeds, watching lunchtime ‘Bargain Hunt’ or making a brew every 30 minutes. Whatever it is that you are prone to being distracted by, stop it! These things might seem fun and give you some relief in your day, but they do nothing for your productivity. I mean it – step away from the kettle! Get yourself a flask if you need to – this is time to knuckle down!

• Choose what is important and stick to it

If you are committed to getting something important done, stick to your guns and do it. This means staying true to what you choose to focus on for that day and not falling into the trap of running on autopilot. By that I mean that when you switch on your computer when you’re on autopilot you automatically open your email inbox and the Internet tab. Don’t fall into that trap – be very deliberate in how you set yourself up for your day and escape autopilot mode!

Hyperfocus goes deeper than time management – it is about managing your attention so that you waste less time. It really does maximise your productivity and helps you to do more purposeful work. We can all make ourselves busy if we want to, equally we can all get things that are important to us done if we want to through a hyper-focused approach. Give it a try and see how you find it. I’d love to hear how you get on, so please get in touch via social media with your experiences!

Kate shares her thoughts on failure in business and what it means to fail fast.

As someone who loves reading business books, I have come across the concept of failing fast, but it was only recently that I found myself having to put it into practise.

It was whilst completing my final assignment for the CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management that I found myself having to approach it with a ‘fail fast’ mindset.

Whilst completing the assignment, I had to send different sections of it off to be marked and critiqued. It was a 7,000-word assignment but was split into five smaller assignments and the problem was that I literally repeatedly kept failing each one! Now I should say I am someone who doesn’t like to fail (does anyone?), and I have always pushed myself to be an achiever academically, so it was seriously disheartening. To the point that one evening when I received yet another fail on a section that I was convinced I had done well in, I burst into tears in the middle of a performance of Shakespeare at Stratford-Upon-Avon. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but I was on the front row! My poor 14-year-old daughter was mortified, and it was a big lesson why not to open emails up during an interval of a show!

It was after this incident that I decided I really needed to stop being so emotional about it and reminded myself of the fail fast concept. In a nutshell, the definition of failing fast means to start working on something, immediately gather feedback and then use that to determine your next steps. It is closely linked with the Lean Start-Up methodology as written about by author Eric Ries.

The thing is that that failure isn’t something us humans generally relish or seek out. It goes against everything we are taught from a young age, especially those of us who didn’t grow up in the era when everyone was given a medal on Sport’s Day, regardless of where you came in the race!

But if failure is a part of the process of success, as American businessman and author of ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, Robert Toru Kiyosaki says, then why do we dislike it? Why aren’t we embracing ways to fail fast?

If, like me, you run your own business, then there is an argument to be had that creating a culture where people aren’t afraid of failing will lead to greater innovation. Failure is an essential ingredient when you are experimenting and trying out new things – as anyone who has ever watched amateur cooking shows will know (Celebrity Masterchef springs to mind!).

My business is called ‘DICE’ and we talk about the concept of business being a game which you might not always win but there is always the opportunity to roll the dice again. In other words, when you fail, do it quickly and try again.

If we can encourage people to fail fast – if it is safe to do so, of course – then we can learn lessons from what went wrong and make changes to improve things in the future. And this shouldn’t be behind closed doors – the crucial element in cultivating this approach as the way your business does things is to communicate the lessons learned widely amongst the team as soon as possible. This succeeds in reinforcing that failure is something that is ok to do around here, and ensures the same mistakes aren’t made twice.

So, how can you encourage a culture where failure is supported and not feared in your business? My advice is for leaders to consider the following…

• Develop the boundaries around failure – what is acceptable and what will be tolerated as a means to innovate? Often people hide or cover up things that they have done wrong because they are fearful of the consequences of something ‘bad’ happening to them. What is ok? This has to be set by the leaders and then clearly communicated so that everyone is clear and people don’t have a concern that they will be punished or blamed for something in the future. That is the fastest way to undermine the fail fast concept and erode trust amongst your employees.

• Create an environment where employees are given time to experiment and be creative to come up with their own solutions to things. At Google they have the 20%-time rule which is that employees are encouraged to spend 20% of their time, in addition to their day jobs, working on what they think will most benefit the company. This might sound radical, particularly to a small or medium sized business owner, but the concept can be adopted on a smaller scale to suit your desire to innovate and make changes.

• Embrace failure when it happens and communicate it internally to your people. Let your employees see that it is ok to make mistakes, that we are an organisation that learns from things that haven’t gone to plan and that we aren’t afraid to show humility – no matter who it is who has made the error. It is super powerful if even the CEO can admit they got something wrong. Rather than be afraid of it, use it as an opportunity to show true leadership.

• Create fun competitions or challenges for your employees to come up with solutions to things you are considering, or that have you head-scratching around the board table. The best ideas can come from anywhere – again, it is all about the culture and tone you are setting in your business.

I am pleased to share that I finally passed the assignment and was given a Merit (when all I set out for was a pass), so clearly all of the feedback from the tutor and the various iterations, made it much better. This is ultimately what failing fast does. So next time you fail at something, don’t be disheartened, do it fast and try again – you are one step closer to success.

If you want help creating a culture of innovation, where failing fast becomes part of your DNA, get in touch. We can help.

Everyone has their own thoughts and feelings on what makes a great leader. Often, we find that leadership can be a difficult thing to describe and understand but there are often common qualities that we can recognise in leaders we admire or have had the pleasure of working with.

Being a great leader does not mean you have demonstrate all these qualities, however making small yet incremental improvements in certain areas can make a big difference. Over time these can turn into behaviours and habits which impact on your own leadership qualities. So, what are some of the common qualities of great leaders? Here are just a few to get you started…

Courage people need leaders who have the courage to make the difficult decisions and the ability to say no when it might be difficult to do so. A leader who will stay the course, follow the right path even in tough times. People are far more likely to show courage if they see their leader demonstrating it.

Communication isarguably one of the most important leadership qualities. Being able to forge a connection through communications which is real and personal and being able to adapt your communications style to suit the different needs of an audience is truly inspiring.

Generosity leaders don’t take all the credit! They are quick to celebrate other’s successes and offer enthusiastic praise when it is due. They want their people to be successful and achieve their best. It is not all about them!

Humility being able to say they don’t know something, getting their hands dirty and jumping on the tools when the need arises, is the skill of a great leader. They don’t let their position of authority make them feel that they are better than anyone else.  

Self-awareness great leaders have a clear view of their strengths and weaknesses and aren’t afraid to own them. They know where their zone of genius is and have effective strategies to compensate for their weaknesses.

Approachability great leaders are hungry for different viewpoints and opinions, they welcome feedback and challenge. An environment where people are afraid to speak up, offer insight and ask questions leads to a culture of fear and over time this reduces innovation and stifles growth.

Accountability leaders know that it is important to hold themselves and others to account to achieve results. They set targets, they measure results, and they communicate what needs to be done. This builds strength, understanding and a committed team.

Our leadership development programme is accredited for Continuous Professional Development. We help leaders improve their abilities in the above areas, and many more. If you are looking for any support with your leadership skills, or those of your team, get in touch. We would love to help.

Anyone else fed up of hearing and seeing the constant doom and gloom in the media? The rising cost of living. The energy crisis. Rising inflation and interest rates. Incessant speculation of a looming recession. All on the back of almost three years of disruption from COVID-19.

Running a business against this backdrop isn’t easy. We are still experiencing the ripple effects of changes in working practices. Even those office leaders who were previously anti-homeworking, wanting people to be at their desks Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm, are seeing that this isn’t conducive to a happy, dynamic, and productive workforce.

Whatever you say about the pandemic, it did something positive in terms of making everyone reconsider how they live and work. The balance of power shifted from employer to employee – with greater demand for flexibility and work/life balance. Hybrid working has become the norm in most offices. But these changes have not been without challenge to the average SME business owner. They are struggling with retention and motivation of employees, and even those who might have previously disregarded the importance of employee engagement, are waking up to the fact that they need to embrace it for their survival.

This is unchartered territory for many leaders, and they are seeking the mentorship and guidance of experienced professionals to help them navigate the new business landscape. Where a few years ago the bulk of our work at DICE was focused on business strategy, we are being increasingly called upon for support with developing workplace cultures which help to retain and attract talented employees.

It is well known that those who seek professional business advice will prosper beyond the current climate. So if you are a business owner and would welcome some advice on transforming your company in response to the increasingly challenging environment – we can help. Don’t leave running your business to chance!

DICE stands for DEVELOP, INSPIRE, CREATE, EMBED and this is exactly what we do with business leaders.

• We help you to DEVELOP a game plan – getting clear on your vision and strategy for the future
• We INSPIRE your team spirit – embedding the values, behaviours and culture that will stand you apart from the competition
• We CREATE your team players and arm them with the leadership skills they need to play their best game
• We EMBED a winning mindset and ensure there is a lasting legacy in your business long after our work together ends

Get in touch to find out more.

If we walked into your business and asked your employees to describe your company values, how confident are you that they could? The usual response (from companies we don’t work with!) is, “umm, let me just check the website” or if we are lucky the vision and values might be somewhere displayed on a wall – at worst the company doesn’t even have a set of values. What does this tell us about a business? Most likely that the leaders don’t see company culture as an important driver for commercial success.

Culture is an umbrella term which is often described simply in the world of business as ‘the things we do around here’. Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says “Culture does not make people. People make culture.” So, can you really systemise your approach to changing the culture in your business? The answer is yes.

Business owners with foresight understand that their working environment is a strategic asset linked to growth and not something extra. Businesses operating in this way build trust and confidence with employees, their customers, and other stakeholders.

Most likely you will have at some point in your business sat with a Marketing expert who has asked you what you liken your business brand to be if it were a person. Whilst creating your external brand is undoubtedly important, at DICE we believe that it is looking under the bonnet inside your business to see what makes it tick when the magic can really happen.

How do you want people to feel, act and behave in your business? Have you ever stopped and thought about that? How do people behave when you or other members of the leadership team are not in the room?

When we are working with a business owner who wants to proactively change their culture, this is where we start. Quite often we start compiling a list of behaviours we don’t want to see, or things that are frustrating the owner about the way people do their work (lack of accountability and ownership being number one almost always!).

We aren’t really into buzzwords here at DICE, but the phrase ‘Human Capital’ is one that is widely referred to in the HR world – recognising your employees as an asset in your business. Growing your business successfully relies on developing your human capital. The saying ‘The way you treat your staff today is the way they will treat your customers tomorrow’ brings this to life.

We work with business owners to help them develop values which outline the behaviours and ways of working they want to encourage. We go as deep as that business owner wants to, including outlining the mindset they want employees to express and sustain daily. We then work with that business owner to embed these behaviours by building them systematically into the way things get done. It is an approach that worked for Netflix (check out their famous Culture Deck to see how) and it will work for you too.

This is most successful when involving the whole leadership team and there is a collective responsibility to making it a success. Investing in the collective capability of the top team can impact the whole business as they support the development of others. You know when you are succeeding when the values expressed internally reaches your customers – that is when you have truly systemised your business culture.

If you would like help with systemising your culture and the way your people do things in your business – get in touch.

Employee retention and talent attraction is a major challenge we are helping clients address this year. Post pandemic, people want different things from their jobs, and life more generally. They got used to a different pace and far more flexibility and employees can, and are, voting with their feet. Whilst we would always say it is healthy to have a degree of attrition in your business, there is a balance to be had.

So, what can you do to stay ahead of the game when it comes to attracting and retaining people?

Seek feedback

We bet you regularly ask for feedback from your customers about how you’re doing and what they want, so why not do the same with your people? Knowing what your customer wants helps you to adapt and meet their expectations. The perception, which tends to drive a fear about asking employees what they want, is that it all becomes about money or demands that cannot be met. This isn’t true. Having the conversation isn’t about taking requests- it’s about understanding things from your employee’s perspective, getting under the skin of what motivates them as an individual, what they hope to achieve in their career and how the business might be able to support that. Very often there are win/wins to be had simply by getting to know your people better.

Make it safe for people to be honest

The concept of psychological safety in the workplace has become mainstream post-pandemic. People want to be able to feel safe to share their thoughts, feelings and what is going on for them in work and where they can see potential improvements. Managers and leaders need to encourage this within their teams, but we know they themselves might not always feel comfortable doing so. Ensure there are channels for employees to be able to share ideas and speak up about concerns. Have different mechanisms for this, including something where people can share their views anonymously if they need to. The key to this is in the swift acknowledgement of any ideas or concerns from leaders in the style of a ‘you said, we did’ approach. Creating a culture where people are comfortable being honest and are confident that their ideas get progressed and concerns get addressed will go a long way in helping you motivate and retain your people.

Care more about them as people, not just employees

Like it or not, as leaders the old British ‘stiff upper lip’ is a thing of the past and gone are the days when work and home life were separate. Many of us have embraced the flexibility that hybrid working has given us but that in turn has led to more blurring of the boundaries between the two. Like it or not, life is messy – as humans we have emotions and things happen to us and people around us that we will always have to deal with. From bereavements to relationship breakdowns, sick children or ageing relatives. If you are a people manager you need to be comfortable talking to people about how they feel and what is going on for them, both in and out of work. If you, or any of your people managers, shy away from having real conversations over time it will have an impact on your bottom line. It might start with the odd day of absence; it might be an employee going off for several months with stress – it all costs you time and money in your business. We aren’t suggesting you run counselling sessions with employees (although many businesses are seeing the benefits of offering this), we are simply saying that it is vital to have a degree of emotional intelligence amongst your people managers so that people don’t bottle things up and they know that they are cared about as a person, not simply as an employee.

Encourage everyone to be a recruitment consultant!

Your people provide you with the biggest opportunity to promote your company to the outside world. If you are a great place to work, your employees are your best brand ambassadors to help attract and retain talent. When you have vacancies, encourage your employees to share them on their social media accounts. We have heard of employees finding potential colleagues from supermarket checkouts! When people love where they work, they feel valued and empowered and will talk about their job to family and friends. Incentivise them to recommend suitable people for vacancies – you never know where your next star employee might be hanging out – get your people on the case!

Whilst these might not be the ‘golden bullet’ you are looking for in terms of an immediate fix to stopping people leaving or joining your business, they are proven ways you can help to reverse the tide. Get in touch if you are struggling with recruitment and retention of your people.

Starting your own business can be a daunting prospect – especially in the current climate where there is constant doom and gloom in the media, with incessant speculation of a looming recession. But in fact, if there was ever a time to make your dream of becoming a business advisor a reality, it is now.

The global COVID-19 crisis made everyone reconsider how they live and work. Businesses initially had to make dramatic changes to their working practices, and previously anti-homeworking leaders have now embraced the benefits that this offers, both to their employee satisfaction and to productivity.

The balance of power has shifted from employer to employee – with greater demand for flexibility and work/life balance. Hybrid working has become the norm in most offices. But these changes have not been without challenge to the average SME business owner. They are struggling with retention and motivation of employees, and even those who might have previously disregarded the importance of employee engagement, are waking up to the fact that they need to embrace it for their survival.

This is unchartered territory for many leaders and they are seeking the mentorship and guidance of experienced professionals to help them navigate the new business landscape. Where a few years ago the bulk of our work at DICE was focused on business strategy, we are being increasingly called upon for support with developing workplace cultures which help to retain and attract talented employees. It is well known that those who seek professional business advice will prosper beyond the current climate.

Business advising and coaching is regarded as a crisis and recession-resistant profession. The demand for business advice tends to rise as business owners seek expert advice on transforming their companies in response to increasingly challenging environments.

We are optimistic that now is the best time for DICE to expand our network of Area Directors. We have all the tools and methodologies that businesses need right now to be able to thrive, not just survive. So if you are contemplating your next move and considering starting your own business – this could be the sign you’ve been looking for.

As a DICE franchisee you will be trained and given access to a huge suite of tried and trusted methodologies, strategies, and templates, including a CPD accredited leadership development programme. The key is to get you up and running so that you can help clients to improve their businesses as soon as possible.

Investing in a DICE franchise will give you all of the tools and support you need, so you don’t have to go it alone. We support you every step of the way with assistance in marketing, sales and building your personal brand, which means you can get going growing your own profitable business. Simply put, we have done all of the hard work, so you don’t have to!

A DICE franchise offers:

• an exciting, yet affordable opportunity to run your own business
• flexible working hours to fit around your other life commitments
• low start-up costs and a good return on investment
• In-depth training and detailed operations manual
• Ongoing access to programme materials and access to resources
• Initial marketing and promotional materials and ongoing business development support
• Microsoft Teams licence, personalised DICE business email address and access to IT support
• Your own DICE territory in which you can service unlimited clients

Get in touch to find out more.

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Sound familiar? Basically, no-one took responsibility, so nothing got done. It’s a story that plays out time and time again in businesses where there is a culture lacking accountability.

Getting people to take responsibility for their work is one of the most effective ways you can accelerate growth and achieve more results. But how do you go about doing that?

One of the things we do when we start working with a client who has this issue is to review the main business areas and tasks to find out ‘whose job is it anyway?’.

We explore all ‘back-office’ functions such as HR, IT, Finance, Compliance. Then there is the day-to-day business of operations management, sales, marketing, and customer feedback – everything that is generating today’s revenue. We then explore everything that is helping your business to grow in the future such as your strategy, vision, senior team skills, etc.

We typically sit with the senior team and ask them to put the name of the person in the organisation who is ultimately responsible for that function. It can only come back to one person – not a team or an individual. This is such an eye-opening exercise, particularly in an SME, because inevitably what happens is that the business owner’s name will be assigned to most of the tasks and there will be a difficulty assigning just one name to most of the areas and tasks because they are shared by more than one person. 

Doing this exercise creates what we call an ‘a-ha’ moment where it becomes clear where people are doubling up on tasks and where there are obvious gaps. It also opens the business owner eyes to where they are spending most of their time and why they might be feeling like they are the proverbial busy fool!

Doing this exercise with a senior team can help them to realise why things have been stagnating or how they can unblock certain areas of frustration. Letting go of responsibility can feel scary for some and this is where the culture of the organisation has a big part to play. Creating a culture of accountability and ownership doesn’t happen overnight but there are some steps that we have proven to be effective with our clients, which are:

• Set targets – make each task measurable and give people a clear target and timeline to achieve it.
• Clear communication – don’t assume people know what to do or when to do it. Before people can take responsibility, they need to understand exactly what they need to do.
• Provide support – make sure everyone has the resources they need to be successful in what needs to be done – particularly when they are faced with something they haven’t done before.
• Follow-up – help people stay focused by providing regular check-in points. One of the main reasons why targets get missed is because there is a lack of follow-up. When people know there are regular check-ins they’re less likely to procrastinate and miss their targets.
• Encourage openness – if people are falling behind then they need to be comfortable to share why. Create a culture of honesty so that people can share their challenges and support one another to come up with solutions.

Remember, as business leaders you ultimately cast a shadow and are a role model to the rest of the business.  So, to avoid having your team become Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody, it starts with you committing to becoming the kind of leader who takes responsibility for your own life and leadership.

If this resonates with you and you’d like some help with driving greater accountability in your business, we can help!

Steve shares his thoughts on motivating your people as a leader.

As people leaders, the ability to motivate and inspire action is a crucial but what do we think about when we realise our people need motivation?

“I’m not really a speaker”

“I can’t really explain what I mean”

“Others can do it better than me”

We may lack confidence in certain areas but if we stop and think about the best way to motivate, it is none of the above. Motivating people is not always about rallying the troops or leaving a legacy as someone who delivered a compelling speech remembered by all for the rest of time. To some this may well engage but to others, well it simply won’t.

Behind a desire to motivate there is a reason to do so, it’s basically a strategy to get people from we are to where we need to be, it’s an exaggerated push or a glorified act of encouragement. Well, we need to know where we are right now and then set where we want to be in the future so if we simply motivate our people along the way then we’ll get there, right?

In principle yes, but in reality, categorically not!

There is one key element to motivation for every individual and every group at any given level and that is simply clarity.

Get back to basics on our strategy. Understand where we are now, where we aspire to get to, and then through a milestone mentality plot our pathway toward success. This clarification arms people with the direction we need to head in but importantly, the true sense of clarity comes from the three factors that epitomise the very word:

1. What is it we need to do?
2. How are we going to deliver it?
3. Why are we doing it?

To motivate people, you need to arm them with this clarity. If our people are clear in all the above, then they will be motivated to get the job done. The trick in landing these ingredients is to present the message in the way that you as a leader are comfortable with whilst considering what your audience needs and wants from you. If you want the best from your people then know yourself, know audience and align the two together.

Motivation within its own right is such a powerful quality in any given leader but to get to a position of motivating people you must strip the message back and give both meaning & direction. Clarity delivers motivation!