Category: Uncategorised

Many advocates of good service in the public sector are vehemently opposed to using the term “customer” to refer to patients, clients, residents and other recipients of public service. Ask them why and many would say that a customer has choice to walk away. Others would say the customer has purchasing power and pays for what they want. A particularly interesting view-point shared with me is that using the term allows public service providers to provide a “commoditised” service which is not tailored to the needs of the poor person who just wants a basic service to meet a basic need. That these organisations copy models of service that are glitzy and look good but do not meet the basic needs of the individual.

This viewpoint made me reflect on what public service providers see when they look to learn lessons from large retail companies. Perhaps, they see the service but miss the commercial ethos. Private sector companies are certainly aware that the paying customer and will exercise the power of choice to buy elsewhere, if unhappy with the service. Yes, many customers are put off exercising this choice by the high cost of changing – from energy service providers for example. But some choose to change and the company does not know for sure how many would do so. This therefore keeps them more willing to adapt to individual need. The resulting product or service offering may be dressed up and presented in a glitzy way to add a perception of value, justifying a higher price or loyalty to the brand. In order to sell, however, it must meet a basic need and being clear what they are after, these companies go directly for it.

If I worked for a public service organisation that wants to effectively serve citizens, I would look beyond my statutory remit to thoroughly understand the need first. It will then be simpler to see how much of that need my statutory remit allows me to meet and how much added value I can include to “buy” good will.

It is about being your best at things that are within your control.

We all spot and respond to opportunities differently, often reflecting our expectations of reward and our levels for tolerating risk. It can also reflect what resources we know are available to us.

Having recently completed a tender which I did not win, I know many would not have bothered with that tender but I did because I saw it as a business development opportunity. Knowing what I know now, would I tender again based on the level of information I had at the time? I would, because of a few reasons: my assessment of chances of winning, knowledge of the client organisation, the potential for building a network of collaborating trainers who could support one another in reaching for higher volumes of work, my confidence for delivering the amount of work required and how much I enjoyed the creative thinking and practice of tendering.

I also saw the opportunity for skill development. We gain and lose many skills in our life’s journey, depending on the opportunities we see but also on choices we make. When we gain a skill and do not use it, we are likely to lose it, just like a top-range car left unused in a garage, or a designer dress locked away in a cupboard, past its season. The opportunity for creating a skill was there for a purpose and if not utilised when it is needed, someone or something else will fill the gap.

In addition to the lost opportunity to provide a service to another perhaps for profit, we also lose the opportunity to grow in our selves. When we make a conscious decision to use a newly acquired skill,  we would begin to seek and become aware of opportunities to use it.

Effectiveness in daily life will come from choosing which skills to retain and which to leave dormant. Relevant questions may include, How important is this skill anyway? Where does it fit into the overall picture of our lives and what we are called to do? The challenge is that except if we give it attention, we often do not know where any one skill will fit in that overall picture. If on the other hand, we know what is really important to us and what we want for ourselves, we can make choices about where to use our time, efforts and other resources.

I am constantly amazed by the wonder of who we are, how we, humans can stretch to achieve. Training for and running my 1st marathon a few years ago was probably the best lesson for me in findiing out that my body is capable of more than I immediately think possible. It was mostly mental with my body stretching to do what the brain asked. Provided it was gently exposed to it. In a similar Do you know anyone who consistently wakes up 5 minutes before the waking alarm rings? Or anyone who looks up to find another staring at them? Or consistently asks for a person just before that person knocks on the door? I had a spine-tingling experience yesterday when I changed the music I was listening to from Afro to Japanese flutes , just before I met a Japanese man. Was this mere coincidence or was my brain picking up information from the environment long before my conscious mind became aware? What is your experience and your take on it?

I now know that the success of selling rests on the psychology of the sales person. Whilst certain people have this ready-made psychology, for others, belief that it is possible to choose one’s attitude and behaviour is necessary. The psychology I am referring to is the desire to make a sale and behaviour aimed at making this desire happen. When I have observed it, the sales person acts like they have authority to be the centre of attention and filled up the space. Once in the centre, she occupied that space until ready to vacate. This surprised the would-be customer and so grabbed their attention. This applies equally to a marketing presentation to a group and a 1to1 transaction. The good sales person then seeks to understand the emotional reasons why a would-be customer would buy. Not just the desire but the positive or negative feelings that are driving the desire. Successfully exposing these feelings cause discomfort which can be eased by taking action to retain or to get rid of the feeling. Such as making a purchase..

Let’s face it, selling, however packaged, is about asking customers to part with money in exchange for goods and/or services. However politely it is done, the sales person acts like they have a right to close the sale once the need is established and commitment is established that the would-be customer desires the goods or service. The majority of customers would want to make the decision in their own space and time but the “hungry” sales person wants certainty and a commitment on the spot. An immediate commitment requires that the potential customer has all the information they require to make a decision and access to the resources for the purchase. The sales person, then just pushes for action, sometimes ignoring hesistancy. It helps if the sales person offers an incentive to reward an immediate decision.

We have had a ‘global’ economy for a few years now but one wonders whether the concept is only now becoming ‘real’ when we feel the impact of China as an economic power – the sign of a fundamentally changing world paradigm. Up until recently ‘global’ has in reality been about major corporations reaching a world market and structuring themselves to do this more profitably. After listening to on- and off-line debates about how China should conform and what should be done to retain US dominance of the world economy, I am wondering if there is more to this than just economics.

Consider few trends. The internet has made wider access to information possible and we now know much more about other parts of the world. The environmental consequences of our industrial actions have become more apparent. Our young people have become quite bored with most of what is happening around them, partly resulting from being constantly fed information at high speed in a variety of formats. The younger generation also appear to see more value in difference and so are increasingly willing to cooperate across borders on an equal footing than their forebears. Taking all these trends together, there is hint of a change in what works for the world of tomorrow. The concept of a single focal point for the ‘global’ economy may be changing. Perhaps China is simply filling part of a void that is emerging as the US and Europe struggle with financial and social challenges.

I see China’s way of doing things as different in three main ways – it subscribes to a philosophy that sees good and bad at opposite ends of a spectrum, with a mix of good/bad populating the ground in between. Secondly, China operates a system of balance in most matters, from voting at the United Nations Security Council to enforcing a ‘no-smoking’ sign on a Bejing-Xian overnight train. A chinese acquaintance said that in China, one can operate quite freely around rules and regulations, provided you are mindful of balance and avoid excesses. The third point is that as a country ruled by technocrats and engineers, public opinion and political debate is of lower priority when moving towards a national goal.

Perhaps the world is at a stage in its development where China’s unique capabilities can satisfy a need that the US economic leadership alone no longer can. Will the Chinese philosophies and models become more dominant in the world? But then, that question comes from the old way of thinking, the single focal point and either/or thinking. What if a multi-focal point global economy were to exist? Consider that India, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa are all evolving economies and politics in their own unique ways, neither in the image of the US or of China. Is it inconceivable that these countries establish economies that are separate, co-dependent and exercising choice about currencies, trade, political systems for example.

No-one knows how it will work but the existing paradigm is certainly not working and the younger generation are as wired for change as any generation has ever been. The negotiations around United Nations security council and trade agreements may be about to become more interesting.

Here are some tough questions to get one’s head around—continually: http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/79811/Be-Captain-Of-Your-Destiny-Not-Prisoner-Of-Wishful-Thinking.aspx

Many are worried, really worried about China’s impending geo-political domination of the world. Reading articles and discussion on the web, one can tell that many intelligentia in the West want to do something about it but that vested interest – perhaps governments and big business – have sold out, to let this happen.

So if the real challenge is within, in the vested interests – how does one understand these vested interests and address them. Who are these ‘vested interests’ that are more powerful than the majority in our ‘democracies’? What have they to gain and could they get that in any other form? What would need to happen for these ‘interests’ to want something different from what they are getting? Could the aim of these ‘interests’ be an economically & politically dominant China and is it possible that this could be beneficial for the global economy and individual well being? Does the global economy have to operate in an ‘either or’ mode? Suppose China is not interested in ‘world domination’? Could a Western DemocraCapitalist system exist in parallel with an Eastern CommunoCapitalist system? Businesses could then choose which system is beneficial at different points in their development.. Perhaps the global economy would benefit from such choice and balance.

‘Colleagues’ for me captures, the work as well as the non-work context and is appropriate in a discussion of creativity. It creates a picture of “side-by-side”.

As I participated in a discussion about creativity, I realised how the same word with a clear dictionary meaning could evoke different pictures and emotions in a range of people. For many, creativity is about coming up with the idea and for others, it is about putting the idea to use. For some creativity is only linked to ‘creatives’ like artists and musicians who are inspired, whilst for others, creativity is about creative thinking. Still for others, creativity has to be new and original but for others, there is nothing like ‘completely new’. I have my views and am sure you have yours.

Creativity for me is about coming up with the idea. The source could be a dream, an insight, divine revelation, a conversation overheard, building on a colleagues work and many others. This idea could be about a painting, a scientific discovery, improvement of a process. Putting the idea to work is the next stage and it is possible to be creative about putting the idea to work.

So when you say you want your colleagues to be more creative, do you really want them to be more creative? Creativity thrives in certain environments and requires considerable nurturing. It could be slow and is likely to surprise, could even upset you. Yes, you cannot turn it on and off but you can make it more likely to happen by creating an environment in which it thrives and is shared. What do your colleagues believe happened to the last 10 ideas they came up with? The answer to that question would affect the likelihood of you hearing of the next 10 ideas. •

Here is another thought. Does high creativity mean low productivity? Not when there is clear focus, meaningful urgency and some space to think.

“When one is mentally involved in a project and gets intrinsic rewards from it, they can be both creative and productive”—J. Benjamin Forbes & Donald R Domm, 2004

It is that time again. Where do our New Year resolutions come from anyway? Perhaps from previous years’ un-achieved resolutions; from past challenges & conflicts. Or from pressures in our environment (including our neighbours’ new car, gadgets, …)? From dreams as yet un-realised; from incremental long terms goals previously set; anticipated work challenges;  feedback received from friends & family? How much does it matter, provided we keep the resolution?

Do we choose with an intention of keeping them or of trying? Experience shows that we are more motivated to easily remember and achieve what is really important to us (values). This is because the fuel/energy comes from within us and we do not unconsciously sabotage and apply the breaks.

So perhaps the 1st step is to take a quiet moment or 2 to confirm those 4 or 5 things that are really important to us, that when we have them we feel fulfilled & complete; without which we feel uneasy. Knowing these values enables us to test whether a new year resolution will run counter to anything that is really important to us. After all we want to succeed, do we not?