How do you feel when you receive a present which is of absolutely no interest to you? Annoyed? Frustrated? Disappointed? You certainly wouldn’t think positively about the giver. You wouldn’t have much trust in the relationship. You probably would think less of them as a person. So why is… Read more
New year plans: to be successful start with successes
Eureka! Eight years ago I coined the term The S-Factor. I even wrote a book with that as the title*. And now it’s more relevant and front-of-mind than ever. What is The S-Factor The S stands for successes and strengths and the S-Factor credo is that we need to spend time focusing on our strengths… Read more
Want a more effective team? Learn coaching skills in Oxford this Spring
Would you like to motivate your team to be more productive? Is it your job to develop their skills? And do effective one-to-ones? If you lead or manage people, or develop others as a trainer, I’ve got great ideas you could use to make your team more productive. I’ve spent my career helping others develop their… Read more
What’s up in Latin America’s booming markets?
Is Columbia best for UK pharma? Where’s the biggest market for UK business? Is Brazil better than Mexico? What other options are there? These are questions that came up at the lively event I hosted recently on “Latin America – Booming Markets” in Oxford. Because of my personal passion and experience for the region, I was delighted… Read more
Export advice unwisely omits a key point
This recent business article about exporting makes a huge omission. It says: “Exporting in many respects is an extension of the normal way of doing business. The additional challenges arise from unfamiliarity, different customs, practices, language and legal frameworks. Where greater distance is involved it may mean an extended time before payment is received. http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/28302-what-are-the-risks-of-exporting-smes-need-to-be-considering… Read more
Do you hire people like you?
Finally the staffing penny dropped Recently I realised two obvious things: I keep hiring people who are like me when I need people who are the opposite, the ones who do well what I do badly. I need to develop completely different thinking styles for specific contexts. The penny dropped when I realised I wasn’t… Read more
Do you zone in and out when listening?
Listening is always relevant. And it’s a natural human ability. We hear and listen before we learn to speak after all. But, as I heard someone say on the BBC, although listening is NATURAL for humans, it is not NORMAL. 7 reasons to listen better Because people share more when they are listened to, so you learn… Read more
Will poor pronunciation hold you back in your career?
A foreign accent won’t always hold you back. However, if people can’t understand you easily, it will. But perhaps the biggest problem of all is that people won’t tell you the truth. However fluent and correct your English, poor pronunciation can prevent you progressing in your career. And you might never know it until someone gives… Read more
Is your English foreigner-UNfriendly?
Did you know that some business people abroad don’t want to do business with Brits because we don’t speak clearly? And this isn’t the football hooligan Brit, it’s the nicely spoken professional. I’ve heard this before but today it cropped up again in a comment on one of my recent blogs about accents. It came… Read more
