Measuring Up

Creating Entrepreneurs talk - part 1

I've been asked to speak at the Institute of Directors Annual Conference in Suffolk. The topic is Entrepreneurship and I guess my opinion is considered relevant as East of England Business Woman of the Year Enterprise Award recipient. Public speaking isn't an area where I have much experience. Those of you who know me may well raise an eyebrow at that statement and think ironically about the fact that I talk up a storm - all the time. But speaking in public is quite different to just having a big mouth!

I decided for a number of reasons that if I was going to accept this request I would need to make an investment in getting the final product to the state where it was absolutely the best I could do. Firstly, I know how valuable time is to people who run businesses. I owe it to the audience to make it worth their while to sit and listen to me for half an hour. I also owe it to myself to use this opportunity to develop a killer presentation and the skills to deliver it really well - because then I can do it again in June when I have a second speaking engagement.

Over the past 6 months, I've been working with two great people to get my output to a professional enough level. More about them in a later blog.

For the current presentation I've been researching companies that behave in exceptional ways. And I found it fascinating. I just had to share one of the best stories I've come across:
Southwest Airlines took part in an event which became called 'Malice in Dallas' in 1992. At 61, with a smoking and drinking training regime, Herb Kelleher took on 37 year-old weight lifting head of rival company, Stevens Aviation in an arm wrestling match. And all because they didn't want to involve the lawyers in a dispute over the use of a slogan. If only all corporate disputes could be settled so brilliantly - its worth reading the story.

Its easy to see why Southwest Airlines is one of the USA's top companies to work for when you understand just how far they go to make work fun.

Getting help with the 'What next? question

Great to see MSA gets a mention in Personnel Today's article on training for before and after 360 feedback.

The expertise that wraps around 360 reviews is a key component in the ultimate result. Making sure the 'What next?' question (or even the 'So What?' question) is properly explored makes the difference between it being a box-ticking exercise, and something that delivers powerful results.

Welcome Aboard

Earlier this month a new "free" 360 review service was launched. Its a DIY, no service, no support, one size fits all product which comes with no advice on how get any value out of the reports. This scenario is a classic case of 'You get what you pay for.'

How many people would be willing to fly on an airplane that had not been safety checked, had an unqualified pilot in the cockpit, no cabin crew and no baggage handling staff - even if it was absolutely free?

Yet somehow, there are still those who would rather save a few pounds than make a solid investment in their people.

Hard to understand.

What's really at the core?

I just took the leap and converted from Windows to Apple. In between the groans, the gulps and the pained sighs, I do hear the voices of reason that remind me of why I made this decision. I needed something really portable - portable enough for someone with a dodgy back and shoulders who needs to be more productive and takes a fair number of train trips.

I could have stuck with Windows and just bought a more portable laptop. But, my iPhone has been such a good experience, I thought I would look at the new MacBook Air. The sight of the Apple Store in London and the smaller but newer Apple Store in Cambridge was amazing. Its not a shop - its an experience. Apple have very cleverly made enough cool pieces of kit freely available that there are throngs of fans all lined up to play games, check emails and surf the web - and its a continuous stream.

When it comes to the actual buying experience - they have the slickest operation I have seen for a very long time. Its quick, its easy, its packaged to perfection and once you have parted with a pretty hefty chunk of your hard-earned wage, you'll have charming salesmen and women offering to help carry your new kit to your car for you.

Sadly, despite the absolute assurances of solid support 24/7 online and on the help line, and failing that, the services of one of the in-store 'geniuses' - the support I received did not live up to the same standard. Not by a long chalk. These assurances had been delivered when I specifically asked about any potential issues with converting from Windows to Mac.

Imagine my concern when I discovered that Outlook 2003 does not create mbox files, but Apple's mail programme only takes file imports in mbox format. Imagine my annoyance the first time I called the support line only to be told that this was a 'microsoft problem' and that I should therefore call Microsoft. Annoyance increased to irritation when I got exactly the same answer to a second call when the first 'Tucows' free download suggested didn't work. Then imagine the escalation to complete disdain for their assurances when I managed (after 3 hours) to get hold of one of their much talked-about instore Geniuses. Only to be told that he was busy and could not help me. And that all he could do was to wish me luck with my chosen solution. By this stage I had worked out a fairly torturous route to getting my mails across via Thunderbird.

I succeeded in the end, but not before feeling really disappointed in Apple. This is the iconic brand that promises the ultimate experience. What I got was extreme irritation. I was prepared to love their brand. In fact., I already loved my phone and was quite eager to have the same sort of relationship with the MacBook. The trouble with setting high expectations during the sales cycle, is that we expect the same level of service to be present in the support team. Somehow, the disillusionment is all the more intense for the positive build up beforehand.

It strikes me as a real lost opportunity - not only with me, but with thousands of Windows users who might dearly like to swap over to a Mac, but who won't take that step specifically because they dread the prospect of conversion nightmares. When the store Genius said that an Apple employee shouldn't have more than a very limited knowledge of the competitor's product, he was so wrong on so many levels. Competitor knowledge is a real asset to any organisation. In this case, it made all the difference between having a satisfied customer, and having a customer who is writing this blog entry. Worlds apart.
If Apple had Windows experts on tap to help customers make a smooth transition - how many more opportunities would they have to sell their very well designed products? Its impossible to quantify, but I'd stick my neck out and said that its probably many thousands.

Knowledge is the ultimate advantage in today's world of business. Know your market. Know your customers. Know your competitors. Without that, you can't possibly offer a world-class support service. Pity that beyond the shiny outside, I found a pretty rotten core.

PS. to be fair, I have tried their support 4 times in one shape or form. Today (number 4) I had the first positive result sine I bought my laptop. Perhaps people and things are looking up in the world of Mac.

A Positively Inspiring Presentation

For once I remembered to check the programme for the Cambridge Science Festival in time to select at least one event to attend.  In the past I’ve heard some fascinating talks and taken my children to take part in some excellent hands-on demonstrations at the annual festival. I’m always annoyed with myself in the years when I miss out because I’ve not checked the programme early enough.

This year was an exception. Chris and I went to listen to a lecture by Nick Baylis on Tuesday night. Not only is Nick’s approach to positive psychology refreshingly pragmatic and useful – his style of presenting is relaxed and easy. I left wanting more information so have bought his latest book, Learning from Wonderful Lives, and so far have had to resist the temptation to start dipping into it before I finish the ones I already have on the go.

That’s pretty tough so I’m off to catch up on my reading now…

Trust your intuition

At the recent Cambridge HR Summit we treated the delegates to a couple of sessions of glorious song from Collegium Regale – the choral scholars of King’s College. It was a slightly ‘out there’ decision to take, given that there wasn’t any obvious link between the choir and the conference theme (aside from the fact that both live in Cambridge).

Some people had expected to hear classical choral music and feared it would be rather dry. Most people couldn’t work out why the choir was on the programme – that was until they heard the first piece. And then they ‘got it’!

The choir picked just the right pieces from their repertoire. The post-lunch session ended with an uplifting rendition of ‘New York, New York’ which sent delegates back into the afternoon’s learning sessions with energy and bounce.

Absolutely the best comment I had was, “…the choir is fantastic! It’s like a palate cleanser for the brain”. Perfect. That’s just what we wanted from them.

Do something completely different next time you’re planning an event, meeting or away day. Our instincts told us that the choir would make the event memorable and would provide delegates with something completely different from the workshops they were attending.Go with your gut reaction.

See what I found ...

I was in the lobby of The Perse School in Cambridge and saw this poem. This school has a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence. There are situations where focus on academics alone can sometimes imply a lack of balance. How good it was to see something that clearly focuses on the all-important softer skills of human interaction.

Although the text is particularly applicable to young people, it struck me that, simple as the message is - its relevant to all of us.

See what I found

Some new corners of myself

Hiding away, tucked out of sight,

Untapped, untried, I found them

While reaching out to others.

I wonder how much more of me

There is to discover

- Anon