What Can The Military Teach Us?

I have been fortunate enough to have worked alongside the finest soldiers in the world. Only in training mind you, I could never hope to even pass the first stage of their recruitment let alone the tough selection process. 

Here's what they taught me which I find valuable in business;

1. Be ready - Always be ready for anything and everything. Know your product/service well and if you are asked to do something that is outside of your scope try to accommodate the request. 
2. Be reliable - This flows from the first point, be consistent in your delivery and always say yes. Be the first person that others turn to when they need something.
3. Be relevant - There is always a solution to every problem and it is about finding the solution without going off on a tangent. 'Stay the course'.
4. Train - You can't do any of the first three points if you aren't competent at what you do. You must train yourself and your staff to strengthen weak areas so that the service you provide is exceptional.
5. Equipment - The first thing a soldier does when he finishes work is to ensure his equipment is serviceable, ready to use immediately if necessary. Ensure that yours is the same.
6. Appearance - Be professional in appearance and demeanour at all times. This includes physically and mentally. 
7. Collegiality - Look to your colleagues for help and support when you need it and be prepared to go the extra distance to help others. 
8. Truthful - A soldier will be truthful. They aren't afraid of what others might think of them because they believe in what they are doing.
9. Be humble - Humility is a powerful thing. Don't say something unless it needs to be said and then say it tactfully when you have to say it.
10. Fear - Soldiers are human and have the same emotions as you and I but they learn to manage their emotions so that they continue on when times get tough. They push through the hard times knowing that if they fight hard enough they will always win.

As Sir Winston Churchill once said - "If you are going through hell, keep going." (As someone who suffered from depression, who better to listen to than him).

Are You A Sitter?

Recent research has highlighted the risks of sitting still for too long. Some say that sitting is the new 'smoking' for our health - it is very bad for you. If you are someone who has to sit for long periods of time, or you watch a lot of television, here are four things to do that will lessen the risk of health problems from sitting;

1.     Water - Drink lots of it. Not tea, coffee, juice, or soda, just water. Water will hydrate you and help to flush out the plumbing and filters in your body. And of course you will have to get up out of your chair often to go to the bathroom.

2.     Breathe - When we sit we shallow-breath, we don't breath into our stomach. Once every 30 minutes, breathe deeply into your lower rib cage by pushing out your stomach to ensure you are getting the maximum amount of air into your lungs as possible. Be careful not to induce a panic attack by taking more than 4 deep breaths in a row.

3.     Stand - If you can, you should try and stand for 10 minutes every hour. More is better but 10 minutes is a start. Standing gets the blood flowing through your recently cleaned plumbing that water flushed out from point 1. If you are watching TV, stand up in the adverts.

4.     Exercise - While sitting, tense your muscles tight for about one minute and then relax them. Work your way up from your feet squeezing each muscle group up to your head and then work your way back down again. 

 Here are some other things that you can do if you are someone who sits a lot at work;

·        Get an adjustable desk that allows you to work while standing up.

·        Hold meetings standing up.

·        Hold 'walking' meetings where you get outside and walk around the block during the meeting.

·        Use the stairs not the lift.

·        Do exercises at your desk - there's plenty to choose from online.

·        Shrug your shoulders to loosen the neck and shoulder muscles.

·        Sit up straight, this strengthens your back muscles.

·        Stretch as much as you can to release tension in your muscles.

·        Exercise after work

What Have I Learned In Business So Far?

It is twelve months today since I decided to 'give it a go' and leave a secure position to start my own business. Here’s what have I learned (learnt) in this time of working for myself and running a business;

1.     Business Plan - Everyone says that you need one, 75% of businesses that fail did not have one. I have one but it is only half completed. In my rush to get the business going (and to get some money coming in) I haven't set aside time to finish it. That changes today, I am going to finish it because you need a document that expresses what you want to achieve, to indicate where you want to go, and to show you how you will get there. Without a business plan you will wander without direction.

2.     Free stuff - The more you give the more you get back. It's a funny thing and I can't explain it. When I run a free event or offer pro-bono services the work comes back to me. And it is not just because I am out there displaying my services. If I am helping someone I will check my emails afterwards and there will be an inquiry for my services from an unexpected source. 

3.     Be different - I am very different, ask anyone who knows me. I consult and coach in a way that isn't traditional. I do so in a way that I would like to be the recipient of and I make it about them. I was a practitioner first and then I studied therefore I wasn't swayed by what others taught me. I didn't take the traditional route, I came along a winding road that was unconventional and that is what made me unconventional.

4.     Relax - Sometimes I panic. I panic because I don't have enough work, I panic because I have too much work, and I panic simply because I can. It is natural to panic, the brain is wired that way. I now have learned to relax, and the more relaxed I become the easier it is for everyone, including myself.

5.     Keep going - I nearly went and found a real job once. I sat back, dropped the ball, I thought that work would come to me. It doesn't and you have to work to get work. Within a few days of applying for a job (and failing to secure one) I was back in the game. A couple of people called me after reading my posts and encouraged me to keep going so I did. Within a week I had work coming in and I am so grateful that it continues to be this way (hence I haven't posted for a few days!).

6.     Be open to new opportunities - Always look for new opportunities to add to your business and for new people to partner with. Together Everyone Achieves More. A bit of a lame saying but in business it is an important one these days.

7.     Be honest - Honesty is the most important thing that you can do for yourself and for others. If you are dishonest or lack integrity you will quickly fail. Honesty is being truthful, if you can’t do something then say so. Always under-promise and over-deliver.

8.     Change - The world is changing fast and if you don't change with it you will get left behind. Look at ways to change, to be different, to add to your strengths and weaknesses.

9.     People - You need to meet people, lots of them, as many as you can. It is those people you meet who will help you to get started, to guide you in your business, to support you, and to listen to you when it doesn't go that well. I have been very lucky, I have some good people to do this for me. People are wonderful.

10.  Family - Most importantly for me, I have a supportive family. They provide not only encouragement and physical support, they provide emotional support. When I am down, they lift me up. When I am excited, they keep me grounded. When I am lonely, they are there to talk. They are my real business partner.

Change - The 12 Stages

It used to be that I thought there were only five stages that we all went through when faced with change. These stages were similar to the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

John Fisher conducted research on the early 2000s and discovered that there can be up to 12 stages in the change process;

1.     Anxiety - We feel a lack of control, of uncertainty, and a bit of fear. This is because the change is new and our brain dislikes the unknown.

2.     Happiness - Believe it or not, for some of us our brain likes change. Change can be exciting, a relief that someone is doing something, an opportunity for progression.

3.     Denial - Those who dislike change will ignore what is going on around them. "I've seen it before, it works in cycles" they will say.

4.     Fear - A sudden realisation that things will be different and we don't know what it is or how it will impact on us.

5.     Threat - Our choices have suddenly become limited, old ways are no longer available so “How will I cope?”

6.     Anger - Not anger at the change but anger at themselves for not doing more in their work so that change wouldn't be required.

7.     Guilt - Linked to anger, people may feel a sense of blame as they believe the change arose because of them.

8.     Disillusionment - Some will feel this if they the change conflicts with their personal practices and beliefs.

9.     Depression - Confusion, a lack of drive, and a reluctance to change leads to negative thoughts.

10. Hostility - Some will dig their toes in with the hope that the change won't go ahead if they keep resisting it.

11. Gradual acceptance - It is not immediate, eventually people will accept change once they know that it is inevitable.

12. Moving forward - Things seem more positive as people get to understand the change.

So how does this help you in managing change? Three things to remember;

1.     Each of us reacts differently so you will need to take a holistic approach when introducing change. Try different things at different times (As Mr Google how).

2.      Communicate to staff early using the four Ws & the H - what, when, where, why & how.

3.      Get everyone involved. You know where you are and where you want to be, get your staff to show you how to get there. Change comes from the bottom up, not the top down.

To Maslow or Not to Maslow

Like everything to do with academia, there are supporters of theories and there are detractors. I like to listen to the supporters. What I have found in my 30 years of academic studies is that the main drive of detractors is to disprove a theory. Not for academic purposes mind you, they do it so that they can say 'look at me, look at how I found that this was wrong". Conspiracy theorists.

Maslow’s theory of our hierarchy of needs is one such theory that comes and goes. People either like it or rubbish it. Why do some dislike it, because his theory was based on observation and not on research? Sorry, isn't observation a type of research?

Maslow proposed that we have a hierarchy of needs in the shape of a pyramid. At the base of the pyramid (the widest part therefore the most important) is our physiological needs; air, water, food, shelter, sleep. That makes sense. I would add to that these days - money. Most of us need money for food and shelter.

The next layer on the pyramid is safety; family, health, employment, etc. Again it makes sense to me. The third level of the pyramid is belonging; socialisation, family, community, friendship. We need to feel loved, to feel wanted, to be listened to and heard. By the way, so much of this layer is missing these days because of urban sprawl and electronic communication. We don't talk enough! I digress.

Then Maslow suggests that our next need is esteem; self-confidence, achievement, the respect of others. This is the 'look at me' stuff that I was talking about earlier, the detractors. I bet the detractors wouldn't spend as much time as a detractor if they didn't have a home, food, or a job.

Lastly is self-actualization; problem solving, accepting of facts, lack of prejudice, getting ahead if life. Isn't this the last thing on most of our minds? We just want to have nice things, live a good life, and look after our health and wellbeing. 

So, what do you think? Where do you sit on this? Doesn't this pyramid make common sense to you? Didn't it 'feel' right when you read it? Is there some other way of arranging the pyramid? For me, it makes sense and Maslow’s theory is still relevant today.