The black and white tattered planes land in the black and white field and the exhausted pilots climb down as the propellers slow to a halt. This scene is repeated in a thousand old war films which invariably play on cosy TV Sunday afternoons. And do these gallant chaps rush off to their sweethearts who have been pushing wooden replicas around in the ops room or to the jolly old pub or to take their trusty dog for a walk? No they go to the ‘de-brief’ – a routine which the military have been running after sorties since the beginning of warfare.
It is the same in business or should be, in any meeting with external people present – selling buying negotiating or whatever. It is so easy to all rush back to our desks or to dash for a cab and the essential learning and follow through is diluted or often lost altogether. In my company we would stay where we were, close the door after our guests had left and chat through the meeting we had just experienced. What had worked? What had we learnt? What would we do differently next time? What do we need to do now? In this way everyone was focused on the next steps and someone would be charged with putting the insights and actions in writing within hours not days so we were all up to speed. We did not do this some of the time but every time. Such a simple routine, but then the routines of very effective businesses usually are. It is doing them routinely which makes the difference.

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When we start a business we are often on our own so in full control and usually doing everything ourselves. If what we do is successful we then hire others and the business starts to grow and move on. However owner managers of even small businesses with a few staff quickly lose sight of how effectively they operated when they were on their own. This ‘success recipe’ can very quickly get watered down.
Sometimes when we look together at the way their businesses operate and agree improvements, my clients say ‘I used to do that when I was on my own or when we were smaller.’ They have just drifted a little from the way they applied themselves in the past and how they delivered the basics when they started. Today after congratulating a client on focusing back on the essentials and tightening up on the processes he wrote ‘I think I am getting my mojo back.’’ Wonderful! This describes the adjustment process perfectly. Is your business success recipe still being cooked up with the same care and quality or has it become a little watered down?

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I am usually someone who is full of energy and eager to engage with my clients as I am fascinated by their personalities and love solving their problems. However I have to admit to a real difficulty in getting going after this Christmas break. The snow and ice brought everything to a grinding halt and although we were emailing regularly it was also nice and cosy in front of the log fire with a good book. So last week saw me having my first client meeting in almost a month – quite a shock to the system. Others have told me of similar feelings. How have you found the break? Is your business train now puffing merrily down the line or it is still slowly drawing out of the station?

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Imagine the picture – Mrs K and I sitting having diner discussing the soon to be completed extension to our country cottage. Not just a bedroom but a laundry room and hopefully the end of bulging wardrobes as least before her next visit to the shops. Being a woman of taste – well she picked me – she wanted something nicely fitted out, not a few shelves and a cupboard in the corner.
So after the delicious main course – I won’t bore you with the details – I popped onto to the computer and found a company in Yorkshire which fitted out dressing rooms with lots of stunning draws wardrobes and shelves – the pictures looked wonderful and MRs K’s eyes were shining in anticipation.
‘What’s for pudding?’ I asked. But before she could open the fridge door the phone rang. It was a charming lady from the fitted wardrobe company to make an appointment for their local guy to pop round to measure and quote. The date was fixed there and then and they promised to ring and confirm the day before too. I even asked a technical question which she was able to answer with ease.
This whole event from initial thought and going on the web to having an appointment booked in our diary took less than 15 minutes. The company clearly looked incredibly efficient by having someone on the phone with the fitter’s diaries to hand up to 8.00 at night. However, of even more significance, they struck when our motivation to pay the considerable cost of their service could not have been higher and probably before anyone else could muscle in too.
Well over 50% of the internet enquiries I make never get a response. Others will testify to the same experience. So to get a response so directly and so professionally in minutes was a revelation. In the race for business every minute counts. Do you have the same sense of urgency in your company?

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Of course the current snow falls and freezing conditions are a real problem for many who are seriously cut off from the world and their employment. However these Arctic conditions also offer the perfect excuse for those who want a day off, not a ‘sicky’ but a ‘snowy’
I learnt yesterday of one boss who was so fed up with staff not turning up for work that he got in his car and attempted to drive round from the office to their homes. Surprise surprise he had little difficulty in arriving at their front door. They were greeted with the message ‘if I can get to you then you can get to me’ probably punctuated with a few expletives too. Now there’s a man who believes in taking a practical approach to business problems. Wonderful!

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