Just over one year ago I started blogging regularly. Since then, one topic has run through everything, that of effectiveness. Not productivity and not efficiency. Effectiveness goes well beyond both of those. the time has now come to write a series of blogs on actually becoming effective. Welcome to How…
As part of my job I do a great deal of training. One thing I am increasingly noticing is that often so called “leaders” send their teams on courses but say that they are too busy (important). They forget that effective leaders need to learn. Anyone who says they are…
Most of us are hopefully good at something. Nobody is good at everything. That’s why effective people know how to delegate. Spoiler alert – it’s a skill with which I really struggle. When you first set up in business you are the one who has to do everything. The problem…
It might seem like a very weird concept but let me explain why the most effective people and businesses are made of Lego. We find ourselves in a world where things are constantly changing. Businesses need to adapt if they are to thrive, or even survive. The same applies to…
The trouble with the environment in which we live is that everyone needs to change, all the time. We keep hearing about the “next big idea” electric cars, alternative power, the four day week, remote working etc etc. but if you really want major change then forget big ideas. Small,…
As an accountant I like nothing better than a good set of numbers to consider. The problem is that numbers are only meaningful if they are used for the purpose for which they were prepared. That’s why we must remember that accounts are not designed for effective decision making. The…
You know the feeling. You get to the end of the day and suddenly realise you have been really busy but achieved little or nothing. There is no way you can define your day as effective. So, where does all the time go? A recent article in the Harvard Business…
In the first part of these blogs An SME Is Not A Small Version Of A Large Company Part 1 we looked at many of the differences between and SME and a large business. Now, in An SME Is Not A Small Version Of A Large Company Part 2 we need to…
A while ago we discussed why Effective Organisations Respect Their Competitors and why getting better is the most effective way of competing. Don’t look on your competition so much as competitors and more as rivals. There will be some things they do better than you (not necessarily cheaper) and so learn…
If you spend any time looking at economics you will come across the concept of price makers and price takers. This is all good stuff in theory but in practice competing on price is a very dangerous thing to do. So, how to effectively avoid competing on price. Economics identifies…