Plan Your Perfect Christmas Now

As the shops begin to display their full ranges of seasonal gift ideas, they are putting plans into action that were formulated almost a year ago. For many of us, Christmas is a last minute rush and an expensive time of rampant consumerism and materialism.

So at the Enfys Acumen, we believe this is a good time to start planning your own perfect Christmas. Not in a materialistic sense, but in a sense that is measured by contentment and satisfaction.

In a few one-hour telephone conversations, at weekly intervals, I invite you to review where you are now and where you want to be in the future. Together we can create a strategy for getting to where you want to be and define the actions that will produce the desired results.

I’m always keen to point out however that a coach is simply the catalyst. It is the you, the client who makes the decisions and the commitment. For a great many of my clients, the weekly reporting back of progress is the spur that keeps them on target.

A lot of Christmas stress results from people trusting to luck that ‘everything will be alright’ rather than taking control and ensuring that they actually make everything as they want it to be.

I frequently ask my clients,

“What would you choose to do in your life if you could do absolutely anything with no limitations, no prospect of failure and no accountability to anyone?”

I am no longer surprised when clients answer this innocent question with a long list of what they don’t want to do. It seems to be a natural reaction. I don’t let them off the hook that easily. I listen and keep returning to the positive side of the question. Eventually I will get them to admit to themselves, and often this is for the first time, what it is that they really want to do. This awareness can be the best Christmas present that you can give to yourself.

It is nowhere near as selfish as it sounds either. My clients discover that, once they have a plan for their life and achievements and are working towards its fulfilment, all the other areas of their lives improve as well. Partners, relatives and colleagues alike notice a new sense of purpose, a new enthusiasm and a contagious happiness.

You may not be able to wrap all this up in pretty paper but even so, its value is beyond measure.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of my approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can contact me during usual office hours on 01633 769657 or by email anytime.

Doesn't time fly

I've just realised that it is over a month since I lasted posted to my blog. No excuses, just busy I'm very glad to say. Serious bloggers will note that this is not really good enough and you should contibute something to you blog on a regular basis.


Earlier on today I came across this quote from the mountaineer, WH Murray and really think it is worth repeating its entirety

"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.

A whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.'"

I'm off on a family holiday for a couple of weeks. In the meantime why not visit our website www.enfysacumen.com. I'd love to hear from you when I return.

Retreat for Summer Miracles

Indians, we are told, do it more than any other nation. People with religious beliefs often do it once a year. Captains of industry do it less often. You can do it whenever you like.

For centuries, the practise of taking time out to do something different has been recognised as a sure-fire way of recharging your batteries, igniting your enthusiasm and solving problems. In commerce it is sometimes called a sabbatical, others may call it going on retreat, I’ve often called it an away-day.

We could all benefit from this simple procedure, couldn’t we? I’ll even go a step further. You don’t have to spend a week as a hermit on a mountain top. Just one day will release amazing benefits and the best part is that it doesn’t cost anything.

As a coach, I see that many of my clients benefit from this simple change to their routine. When you put a little distance between yourself and your routine challenges or issues, you see them in a different light and from a different perspective. You may even create a few miracles for yourself as a result. These will come as flashes of intuition that can lead you to take the action needed to resolve a problem.

Look at it this way, If you look at something, say an apple, and hold it close to your face so that it is touching your nose, you will see a very small part of it. Hold it at arms length and you will see the whole apple and its texture and colours. Look at it from the other end of the room and you won’t see the detail but you will see it in the perspective of its surroundings and in true proportion. It is the same with issues or problems. You add distance and see them from a new angle.

I know the weather out there this week might not seem like summer, but this is a great time of the year to do this. Simply set a weekday date in your diary right now, when you will take off to the countryside, the hills or the beach. Go by car, bike, train or on foot but go to somewhere that you have never been before and where you can be sure of some space alone. Set off early and plan to be out all day. Leave your mobile phone at home and travel light. Then just wander around for the day, thinking of nothing, focusing on the ‘now’ experience.

Many coaching clients are amazed how easy this is. They are ‘off the leash’ and just by being in a different place they find that their thoughts turn to solutions and answers rather than problems and challenges. You create in life what you think about.

So, make that date in your diary now. Look forward to it, keep it without guilt, enjoy it and return refreshed.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of my approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can contact during usual office hours on 01633 769657 or by email.

If you do the same thing, in the same way, you will get the same results. Your away- day summer retreat may be the one enjoyable change that you need to create those spectacular ‘miracle’ results that you know you deserve.

Spring Clean Your Life

Spring cleaning has its origins in ancient history. Back then, with no labour saving devices and no electricity, spring marked the start of the season when the weather allowed a complete cleaning of the cave or house.

Since then, the tradition has been maintained but now there is a new angle. It is called coaching and it is, in effect, spring cleaning for your life.

In my view and the view of the thousands of people who receive regular coaching sessions, coaching is one of the most effective ways of staying green and growing instead of becoming ripe and rotten. It is simply a way of looking at where you are now, where you want to be in the future and how you are going to get there.

As a trained, professional coach I help my clients to do just that in a series of one hour telephone conversations at weekly intervals. A few people are able to do this for themselves, but the vast majority find that having an outsider like me to keep them on course is a vital ingredient in their life spring cleaning.

Frankly, I am not interested in how they got to where they are now. The only place that they can start to change their life is here and now. So we focus totally on the future and the actions that will lead to the positive results that they desire.

In the same way that our homes can become musty during the winter months and often look in need of a new lick of paint, so our lives can become a bit tattered and full of mental junk that no longer serves us well.

We all, without exception, carry a load of excess baggage in the form of worry, guilt, fears and false beliefs or expectations. I am a great believer in the power of a positive mental attitude and very few of us ever achieve anything approaching our full potential.

In coaching, clients are shown how they can easily let go of all this baggage to create room in their lives for new and exciting challenges. Many of my clients are amazed at the positive impact that even a small change or shift in attitude can produce. This really is spring cleaning for the mind.

In the same way that the onset of spring is often the catalyst that triggers a burst of domestic action, so a coach can be the catalyst that allows amazing and positive changes to happen.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of his approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can the Enfys Acumen at any time or by telephone during usual office hours on 01633 769352.

I am still surprised at how often my clients tell me that their emotional and mental spring cleaning is like a weight being lifted from their shoulders. The joy is that they do it all themselves, I am just there to show them how.

19 Ways to improve your fundraising

Despite your desperate hopes and prayers, donors are unlikely to just wander into your organisation. You need to get out there and look sharp, and the Enfys Acumen has the tips to help you do it.

Why don't you print this out, post it up and integrate it into your fundraising plan—and get ready for tons of new donations.

First the basics...

1. Create quality (well-written!) fundraising materials

2. Greet potential donors (that’s everyone!) with style

3. Focus as narrowly as possible – narrow your target audience to highly qualified prospects

4. Make the most of meetings – go along for a purpose, not just because you are expected to be there

5. Find out what other fundraisers are doing and learn from them

Then get friendly...

6. Offer your help

7. Offer case studies of what your organisation does

8. Network

9. Cross-promote with other charities in your area

You must get online...

10. Offer an e-brief

11. Don’t wait for donors to find you online, use blogs, submit PR, get links to your website

Spread the word...

12. Go to places where your best prospect donors are to be found

13. Become an expert in your field

14. Host a seminar

15. Get local news coverage

Remember customer service...

16. Thank you, Diolch, Merci, Gracias

17. Offer commitment – a guarantee

18. Get them talking about you

Spreading the word again...

19. When in doubt, pick up the phone

If you need help with any of the above, why not contact us, we would be pleased to help. Click here

Teamwork and bicycles

My daughter Elinor came home the other day saying that her primary school would be starting an after-school cycling proficiency club in a few weeks and she wanted to join. This got me thinking as always and I remembered an article I wrote some time ago about teams and thought it was worth resurrecting it in the Enfys Blog.

Now teams are one of those areas that some people assume look after themselves - put a few individuals together, call them a team and off we go, but a team is just like a human being though, isn't it?. It is born, grows up and hopefully reaches maturity. It has its own personality, its own needs and characteristics and its own pattern of development.

Just putting half a dozen people together in the same place to work does not make them a team. It makes them half a dozen individuals in the same place. If teams develop well, everybody wins. If they don't, well who knows what might happen, but it is unlikely to be as positive or successful as it could be.

Why not take a few minutes to think about a team that you belong to.

• Does everyone know exactly what the team's purpose and objectives are?
• Is the leadership style and approach participatory, not autocratic?
• Do the team members between them have all the skills and attributes the team needs?
• Is the climate one where people are always open and honest and don't hold back?
• Do team meetings and discussions help you to operate as a real team?
• Do you regularly ask the question, "how are we doing as a team?"

Let’s get back to that bicycle…

Think about a bike and you see that it works because there is a whole range of different components: wheels; pedals; a frame; handlebars and so on. Some components look shiny and some, like the saddle, should make you feel comfortable. The chain on the other hand is probably greasy, and you don't really like getting your hands on it, but you can't operate effectively without a chain.

The makeup of a team is much the same, isn’t it? There will be some people who play a part you are very comfortable with and others you find difficult to handle, who make you feel uncomfortable.

But… teams are people aren’t they? They are not parts of a bicycle. And because teams are people, they are emotional and have feelings.

A key hallmark of an excellent team is its members’ ability to say what they think or feel, without putting other people down or being put down themselves. For individuals to make a worthwhile contribution they have to feel valued and listened to, even if they don’t always get their own way. They have to feel other people want to hear from them.

What kind of team member are you?

• Do you listen to other people’s contributions? Remember - listening is an active process. It isn’t the same as waiting your turn to speak

• Do you accept that you aren’t the only one with feelings who get hurt? Everyone does, so put yourself in their shoes and don’t take it personally or make it personal

• Do you recognise the importance of all the other team members and the roles they play? Accept that someone is trying to make a positive contribution and accept that a quiet individual may need encouragement to speak their mind

• Do you deal with the facts, not the individual? If you disagree with a point of view say “I disagree with the point of view”, not “That’s stupid”

• Do you respond or do you react? Think for a couple of seconds before you launch in with a personal counter-attack, especially when it is someone whose team role is very different to yours

Is it time to give your team some TLC?

There is no need to struggle with trying to make the group of people you work with or sit on the same committee with you into a team. The Enfys Acumen would be delighted to give you the help you need. Why not get in touch today?

Performance management won't happen over night

Regular readers of my articles will know that I am a strong advocate for supporting businesses and organisations to develop a positive culture of accountability to ensure everyone concerned sees what needs to be done, owns it for themselves, has a role in solving the issue and goes off to do whatever is necessary to achieve the needed results.

In his own recent article Dan Martin expounds similar sentiments and asks:

“Is performance management simply about managing the way employees perform?”

“If you answered yes, you'd be wrong” writes Dan. “The process is actually more complex than the phrase suggests and as a result many organisations struggle to successfully embrace it.”

The Enfys Acumen model of organisational development has been addressing this for some time, but why is this approach so relevant?

In simple terms, performance management is the holistic approach to managing performance across an organisation. However, the term does require slightly more description. Angela Baron and Michael Armstrong, from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and two of the UK's leading experts on the subject, define it as:

"A process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved."

Monica Franco, research fellow at the Centre for Business Performance, Cranfield School of Management, says a key element is that the process should be linked to the direction an organisation is taking. "Performance management could be defined as the set of processes by which organisations manage their performance in line with their corporate strategy," she claims.

The experts agree then that where organisations fail on their definition of performance management is when they only focus on the practical processes used. While things such as employee appraisals, talent development and rewards are of course vitally important they are simply the tools which are used to help manage performance. Just having these tools in place is not enough. Effort above and beyond them is required.

As we have been saying, success in a business or organisation is very much about achieving a culture of accountability and this sort of thing just can’t happen over night that’s why a staged approach like ours is so valuable. We suggest that effective performance management needs a four stage process and a strong programme of coaching to ensure people stay on target and receive the kind of support they need and deserve.

Organisational development must be seen as a living process and not something written on a tablet of stone, organisations are after all organic, evolving, growing bodies.

To find out more about the Enfys Acumen organisational development click here or please get in touch we’d love to talk to you about it.

How can you be innovative?

A couple of months ago I went along to something called an Innovation Partnership. I was quite excited about it - I'm a great believer in trying new ways of doing things, opportunities for thinking outside the box and a chance to discuss ideas with new people. This had all the ingredients of a useful and stimulating few hours. In reality, it was simply a networking opportunity for mostly statutory funded enterprise agencies. Not very innovative at all. Such groupings just seem to be called partnerships, in the same way that in the 20th Century they were called committees. I can't help but remember that a camel is a horse designed by a committee! I think that is a topic for a future posting however.

One good thing that came from it was meeting up with Suzy Rogers of the Women in Education Network - she is someone I met many years ago when I helped her organisation to successfully apply for Lottery funding. Suzy invited me to speak to her organisation at one of their dinners and this I did a couple of weeks ago.

Back to innovation...

I recently read about renowned entrepreneur, Guy Kawasaki who outlines 10 Tips for Successful Innovation. I've given them a bit of a spin to suit the UK culture and where I'm coming from with the Enfys Acumen.

Tip No1 Make Meaning

One of the most important keys to innovation is to make meaning - to develop meaningful products, projects and services for long term success. Innovation is about improving people's lives and making them more productive.

The secret here is to plan where you want to be in the long term not just about looking for ways to make money fast. You need to think about why you want to do something, consider the starting point, what you are good at and what might get in the way of your success.

Tip No2 Make a Mantra

A business or organisation's mantra shouldn't consist of a superfluous mission statement, as these are often too long or not memorable or indicative of where the focus lies. Instead you should come up with a few words that simply explain why you exist. I'm blowing my own trumpet I know, but "Moving from dreaming to action", really does sum up what the Enfys Acumen is about.

For stodgy mission statements you may as well use the Dilbert Mission Statement Generator - it's free, it's quick and it requires no meetings or awaydays to create. Kawasaki's philosophy is:

"Mantras not mission statements. Mission statements are bull!"

Tip No3 Jump to the next curve

Don't limit your innovations to incremental changes of what you already do, look ahead and think about what kinds of problems could be solved or needs met by new ways of doing things. Think outside the box. As an old Scout, I stress the need to Be Prepared.

Tip No4 Roll the DICEE

Kawasaki has come with this acronym:

Depth: Great products and services are deep and will grow with you along the way. He gives the example of the Reef Fanning Sandal which has a bottle opener built into the sole - it serves more than one purpose: it covers your feet and opens your drinks. "That's what" Kawasaki says "makes a deep product."

Intelligent: You have to actively anticipate the products and services people will need. Panasonic invented a torch that will work with three different kinds of batteries. They recognised a common problem - people routinely have batteries and torches, but not the right batteries for the torches. So Panasonic developed a torch that accepts different battery sizes in anticipation of the dilemma.

Completeness: Look at some of the brands that give you a quality service or product. What makes them so good? It is not just the item is it? It is all the other things that come with it - customer service, ancillaries, add-ons, the little things that add value to the purchase.

Always remember that it is the little extras: making people feel special, the willingness to go the extra mile, the follow-up call that are huge.

Elegance: Look no further than the iPod Nano! MP3 players have been around for years, loaded with buttons, but Apple designed one wheel to serve the same functions - making the iPod far more elegant.

Elegance can come in all kinds of packages however - think about what your appearance says about your business or organisation or clients, how you communicate, how you live your life, the list is endless.

Emotive: Innovation is about creating brand loyalty - people need to develop an emotional attachment with what you do. Remember people are more likely to do business, with people they know, like and trust.

Tip No5 Don't worry, be crappy!

Kawasaki says that "Realistically we live in a marketplace where you never have to say your sorry. It's a fact of life that you ship first and test later".

I'm not so sure if I totally agree with this, but I think I understand where he is coming from. If we wait until our product or service is absolutely perfect, we will probably never get it off the ground.

Life is a journey full of learning experiences. It doesn't matter what road we are on, if we just sit in the middle of it, sooner or later we will get knocked down.

Tip No6 Polarise people

Don't be afraid to polarise the consumer base. You need to be clear about the market your in. Just think of the most successful business out there, they frequently generate polarity. If you were to stand on a street corner and look at all the different makes and sizes of cars that go past - they are all generally quality vehicles, but BMW has a different market to the Ford Ka.

Tip No7 Let a hundred flowers blossom

Even if the wrong people are currently your customers in large numbers, you still don't have a problem, according to Kawasaki. You have to plant flowers everywhere, because you don't necessarily know who your next or best customers will be.

Innovation is about going to the people that are buying your product or paying for your service and find out why. Ask them what they like and follow those leads. Just because your product is popular with people you did not expect it to be popular with doesn't mean failure. You might just have to shift your ideas a little.

Tip No8 Churn Baby Churn

Part of being an innovator is constantly living in denial. You can't listen to people that say "you can't do this" or "you shouldn't do that" or "you can't launch until you have such and such". When you have been delivering your service or selling your product for a while, then you can identify shortcomings or recognise future features or aspects that would be desirable to the consumer.

Tip No9 Niche Thyself

When you aren't unique, but offer a valuable product or service, you have to compete on price. If you have a unique product or service, you have a corner on the market, but nobody wants what you offer. So obviously you want to offer a unique product that also has high value.

Kawasaki gives an interesting approach to maximising this when you make a presentation to a funder or investor about your service or product. He suggests the 10/20/30 Rule:

• 10 - the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation
• 20 - the number of minutes to present 10 slides as getting set up will normally take 40 minutes
• 30 - often the optimal size font for presentation slides: find the oldest person in the audience and divide his/her age by 2 to find the optimal font size

Tip No10 Don't let the Bozos Drive You Down

You have to ignore the Naysayers when bringing you innovation to fruition. Kawasaki says there are usually two types of bozo: the loser an the well-to-do, slickster rich guy, the latter being the most dangerous.You can't assume someone is smart just because they are rich.

As an innovator, the words "can't" and "shouldn't" have to be expunged from you vocabulary.

If the Enfys Acumen can help you become more innovative, why not get in touch today?