Posted on November 22, 2019

One of the most effective tools for time management is the simple to do list. Particularly when the list is made daily and the sequence allocated best matches the need and time available. But even with the best of intentions, this sometimes fails or becomes blocked by an item. The longer that the item isn’t […]

Posted on October 29, 2019

The old aphorism fail to plan, plan to fail is true in all walks of life. It is particularly true for business plans if you wish to survive and thrive long term. Plans provide structure and enable action towards common goals. By identifying key performance indicators, they permit measurement towards those aims and through understanding […]

Posted on October 22, 2019

We have all been in teams where we think that an agreement has been made to act in a certain way; but then someone thinks of a ‘clever’ way to wriggle out of it on a technicality. This usually happens at the key no-going-back point, which is then used as the justification because I had […]

Posted on June 25, 2019

The How Fast? How Good? project running in the Forest of Dean has got me thinking about how much of what I do in my business relates to perception. Marketing, innovation and coaching are all about perceptions. Business planning also has a healthy dose of perception about what the business actually is and what it […]

Posted on May 31, 2019

While in business most of us politely avoid Brexit discussions, it does throw up some interesting reflections on how we now approach difference. Business is a social activity based on organisations, which come in many different formats from the sole trader through to the mega-national. But what ties them all together is how they cope […]

Posted on April 29, 2019

For politicians the local elections on the second are a key May date. But for businesses in the Forest of Dean the most important date is May 8th for making connections that matter. This is when three key elements of running small and medium sized businesses come together for the morning at Vantage Point in […]

Posted on April 08, 2019

This time last year businesses were beginning to panic about GDPR compliance and the effect that 25th May might have on contact relationship management, if the deadline was missed. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been so concerned? Apart from Google’s 50M euro fine by the French in February, there have been no major cases or breaches […]

Posted on April 02, 2019

April is the cruellest month according to TS Eliot’s The Wasteland. It may also be the cruellest month in the digital world with big changes happening at Facebook and Google around assumptions of intent and behaviour. The Facebook Why Being British, when I read the news on April 1st that Facebook was going to share […]

Posted on March 12, 2019

In these times of great political and economic uncertainty why would any sane Briton wish to grow their business? The answers are opportunity and discipline. Track back the biggest brands or successful companies and you’ll found that they were started at times of recession when the old assumptions on growth were being shaken. The most […]

Posted on March 08, 2019

If a lack of personal responsibility is an increasing problem, then the claiming of responsibility can also be an issue. Particularly when two people claim to be responsible for the same thing. Happy Days: Winning the Bid This case study goes back to 1997 and the dawn of the web. In 1996 I successfully won […]