Change Requires Change

Albert Einstein said that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

He had, and still has, a very good point!

More and more I speak to people who aren't happy with where they are professionally, and occasionally personally. Few of us are lucky enough to live a utopian existence so this shouldn't come as a huge surprise. What has struck me though, and has been further reinforced in various conversations recently, is that even if the issues are realised and a better option is placed for the taking, people often ignore it.

Would many people rather perpetually moan rather than seek a better way? It would seem so.

Just yesterday I spoke with a good friend of mine whom we shall call 'Bob'. Bob is in an unenviable position professionally. He works for a US supplier of IT, although not a major player. And neither is it niche. Therein lies the rub. Without a niche claim and no tangible marketing to drive leads, Bob is reduced to cold calling to drive his leads. Subsequently he can't build a pipeline which means he can't close enough business to earn more than his base salary.

This situation is ongoing even though his boss, who runs Europe, Middle East and Africa for the company acknowledges the issues as a global concern for the organisation. From this we can deduce that Bob's situation isn't going to change any time soon.

Now it just so happens that I can utilise Bob's skills to our mutual benefit. I am a partner in a training company which is ramping up it's UK operations. Due to this increase in activity I am looking to take on sales people and freelance trainers.

Bob's selling skills are exactly what I need. And whilst I'm not in a position to throw huge sums of money at him, I can afford to be very generous in a profit-share. The best bit of all? Bob can work for me a few hours per week without impacting his existing job, thereby maintaining the security of a handsome base salary and corporate perks, whilst having the ability to earn a significant income from other sources.

Bob has seen the literature and collateral and read the case studies. He understands the differentiators and USP's in a crowded market. He sees the value. He knows that this would be a clear case of win/win.


And guess what?

Bob's given me a variety of reasons why he might not be able to do it, whilst continuing to whine about his current situation. This is just one in a long line of examples but the same thing comes up again and again.

If you are locked in a repeating cycle you must CHANGE SOMETHING to get a better outcome!

In Bob's case, the issue is now one of confidence, which is lacking having strived and failed to gain results over an extended period of time. I'm working with Bob to overcome this issue.

What's your reason? What's your excuse?

PS - I am not immune to these things. None of us are. But once we understand that something needs to change in order to improve a situation, we can analyse what needs to be done and plan accordingly. I'm not advocating knee-jerk responses as I'm not a fan of frying pan to fire experiences either :)

Break, Fix, Improve - Part 2

OK so we knew this one was coming!

In the previous post we were talking about something being broken, fixed and improved, in order to be stronger. In that post the subject was me. And a dodgy knee caused by my stubborn stupidity amongst other things.

But you have to admit that the parallels to businesses with issues are striking. Think of this. There's a business problem, albeit small, and so you ignore it. It's gets a little worse but you can still work through or around it. Eventually the issue can no longer be ignored. It's got to the point where the business can no longer function normally anymore.

So what should one do? Limp along with a fundamentally broken business, whilst losing valuable customers and staff? Or maybe look to address the issues? And in doing so work to ensure that the problems are dealt with and unlikely to return. And of course finally, to not only fix the immediate issue but to become stronger for the experience.

All sounds very obvious so far right? But you'd be amazed by how often issues are just left to fester. Things either slowly fall apart or people learn to live with them.

One of the many things a business coach can do is help organisations to deal with exactly this kind of scenario. Sometimes it takes an 'outsider' to be the bad guy, to call it as it is and suggest appropriate responses and changes. The keys are objectivity and independence. A coach has a brief to help the business. Whilst it's important, in my opinion, to have an understanding of the broader scenario, a good coach will work to the brief for the benefit of the business, without being swayed by politics or other influences.

We evaluate a problem, propose remedies, assist in implementation if required and help you and your business emerge stronger than ever.

In fact, we help with this scenario more than any other. If the above is familiar to you or there's another issue or question that springs to mind and you'd like to talk it through with me, please do get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.