FLUID BUSINESS THE MAGAZINE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS Autumn 2019
IT'S ALL ABOUT
IN THIS ISSUE
WHY YOU NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME P.24
5 HABITS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS P.6
HOW TO FACE YOUR BIGGEST FEAR P.22
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04
The Individual Issue
05
14
The Fluid Book Club
Literary inspiration from the Fluid Business
How the best leaders train towards being
Coaches
outstanding
Coaches Q&A The coaches share their expert knowledge by
16
07
business
18
Five Habits Of Effective Leaders
How to duplicate yourself
success
How to help your team make better decisions
Be A Better You
20
difference
22
Let Go Of The Baby Growing your business requires learning to
your business?
The Influence Of The Gatekeeper Who's filtering information into your company?
Be A Better You How to change someone's mind
What Is Your Biggest Fear? And how is it stopping you growing
let go
13
Are Your A Positive Or Negative Person? Choosing how you look at life can make a big
How to get more done in less time
10
Be A Better You
Find out which habits lead to greater
How much should you talk about yourself?
08
Why You Need To Prioritise Your Wellbeing Your welfare is paramount to a successful
answering our question of the issue!
06
Are You Working Towards The Best You?
24
Why You Never Have Enough Time
27
Surprising Stats
And how to fix it
A fun look at business related numbers
Welcome from... NATALIE HARIRAM Managing Director, Fluid Business Group
We've dedicated this issue to you! As a business owner you have many roles to play on a daily basis and in order to be the best you can you need to continually work on yourself.
You may have experienced the fear of 'getting found out' - check out Ray's article on P.21 to see if this resonates with you.
Business Owners face many challenges in the course of their enterprise journey but one of the biggest may well be taking care of themselves in addition to everything else. This is why Peter has nominated 'Your Oxygen Mask First' as one of his book recommendations. You can't hope to take care of everyone else in your life (at work and at home) if you're not looking after yourself well.
Remember that that most important progress and success can't often be seen.
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The Fluid Business Book Club Looking for some literary inspiration?
This issues top picks from the coaches
Ray
Zucked! Waking Up To The Facebook Catastrophe Roger McNamee
Andy
The Chimp Paradox Prof. Steve Peters
Peter
Can't Hurt Me David Goggins
The serious damage Facebook is
The idea that our 'Chimp Brain' is a
doing to society and how the author
stronger force than our rational brain
story illuminates a path that
has been trying to stop it.
means that we aren't always in control
anyone can follow to push past
of how we react to a situation.
pain, demolish fear, and reach
Introducing the 40% Rule, his
their full potential.
How Full Is Your Bucket? Tom Rath & Don Clifton
The Barcelona Way: How to Create a High-Performance Culture Damian Hughes
Your Oxygen Mask First Kevin N. Lawrence
This book reveals how even the
Shows how the DNA of a winning
One for the busy, stressed owner, it
briefest interactions affect your
team can be applied in the
gives them the "permission", to look
relationships, productivity, health
workplace with dramatic results.
after themselves first.
and longevity.
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Coaches Q&A How Do You Stay Mentally Healthy? Ray Moore - Founder & Managing Coach Such
a
complicated
question
and
therefore,
there
are
many
answers. Just as exercise will keep the body in tiptop condition, we must
invest
time
to
develop
our
minds,
to
feed
and
protect
our
thoughts. As a business grows, the four drivers, Time, Team, Money and Delivery, are forced out of balance and will put stress on the owner. In the short term, this stress can be exciting and positive but if not corrected this stress, over the long term, will impact both physical and mental wellbeing of the owner. As business owners, we must be able to
differentiate
good
and
bad
stress
and
be
open
to
feedback.
However, I think the important thing is to understand what works for you; we are all unique. As Jim Rohn so succinctly wrote, it is essential to ‘work harder on yourself than you do on your job’.
Peter Boolkah - Business Coach I'm a great believer in 'Fit Body, Fit Mind' so think that we should all try to fit in exercise wherever possible - even if its just parking a bit further away than usual. I like to work with a personal trainer to push me further and hold me accountable for my fitness.
This can feel like a bit of a 'stretch objective' at times but I also like to keep up interests outside of work - find something you feel passionate about and spend time doing that too.
Andy Sleet - Business Coach Three ways actually, Education, Education, Education!
Books, conferences, presentations, podcasts, videos etc. Learning stimulates my brain, stretches me out of my comfort zone and helps me deliver more value to clients, however some may say that it makes me less fun at dinner parties!
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Five Habits of Effective Leaders
Take your business from good to great by applying
Be Visible and Honest, and Keep Promises
the habits of today's most successful leaders.
Make the time to manage by walking around. Be visible to your employees. Find the pulse of your
Provide a Safe Place for Employees to Speak
organisation by observing your employees at work
As
the
and asking them for their views on how they think
your
things are going-at their level, management's level,
leaders,
the
conversation
starter
employees
to
thoughts
a
in
anonymous
solution
to
preservation.
starts and
that’s
provide When
you
their
discrete
that
us.
Be
encourage
communicate way
with
extra
present
ideas and
and
accepting
ideas
after
throughout
the
organisation.
Be
frank
and
perhaps
honest with them, and never make a promise you
layer
of
self-
can't keep. Listen to their concerns and regularly
ideas
or
new
schedule meetings to strategise and problem-solve
projects to teams and departments, express that you’re
and
the
meeting
with your employees.
or
privately via email. This opens the conversation up
Communicate Expectations Effectively
to those who want to contribute without making
Great
anyone feel on the spot.
wondering
leaders
don’t
what
leave
is
their
expected
employees
of
them
or
questioning if the direction they’re headed is right
Set the Bar High The
best
to
keep
every
bar
or
back to the company mission and vision; tie these
exceed your expectations. Delegate some of your
to every initiative. When your employees have a
problems to your employees. Set realistic goals for
target to meet, they can confidently carry out their
them, treat each employee as a valuable member
projects knowing what is expected.
them
to
team
there
assignments or tracking progress, pull your teams
challenge
your
are
consistently give their best on the job is to set the then
encourage
Leaders
employee and project on track. When handing out
and
to
wrong.
to
high
way
or
meet
of your team, and give them the autonomy to make decisions and do their work as they see fit, so long
Celebrate Your Team's Successes
as
Take
they
meet
their
performance
your expectations.
standards
and
some
team's
time
each
successes and
week to
to celebrate
thank
them
your
for
their
continued efforts. A sincere thank you for a job well
done
people them
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can
be
personally
doing
a
powerful
and
something
motivator.
promptly right
email or tell them in person.
by
Thank
when
you
writing
a
find quick
Be a Better You How Much Should You Talk About Yourself? In 'Building a Storybrand' Donald Miller introduces
If you are, then you can put your face on the
the idea that we should never play the hero but to
cover of a book, you can talk about yourself and
aspire to be a guide when talking about ourselves
build your personal brand but associate yourself
and our business.
only with helping others.
On this basis the question becomes,
can I
talk
about myself without playing the hero? The answer is yes - you can talk about yourself all day long
Make sure you do the two things that a guide does.
Express empathy and express authority.
and not be a hero. It just depends how you do it. That is, say, "I care about you and I know what You don't want to talk about your story and you all
I'm doing to get you out of your problem". Talk
the time. When talking about yourself adopt the
about yourself all you want, but make sure you
position 'how can I help you?' 'How will what I say
are always helping the customer win by playing
benefit the listener?' 'Am I thinking about other
the guide.
people and helping them win?'
How To Get More Done In Less Time We'd all like more time wouldn't we? But as it isn't
Sometimes it may feel like you just don't have
possible how can you use the time you have more
the
effectively?
challenges but often the reason isn't actually a
energy
to
accomplish
things
or
solve
lack of energy - it's that your energy is being It's actually not so much about managing time. It's
channelled in the wrong direction.
about managing energy. Instead of using energy worrying
or
thinking
about
things
you
can't
So my simple tip for you is two parts.
influence think about what you want to accomplish
1) Define what your goals are
this week. Focus on your goals and use this energy
2) Don't waste energy on anything else.
to work towards them. Ensure you're not caring about things that they can't do anything about or
Think
trying
specifically not wasting energy even more than
to
change
people
change.
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FBM Summer 2018
that
don't
want
to
about
managing
your
energy
and
how you think about managing your time.
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Let GoByOfRay Moore The Baby Taken from 'Can You Step Up To The Growth Challenge'
There is a major outcome of growing your business
You will have to face up to some ego issues
which many people struggle to contend with.
(accepting
that
others
know
more
about
certain aspects of the business than you do). In the early stages of growth, the owner will very often be the most experienced in their field in the
You will have to step up to take on the leader
company.
role and delegate responsibility to others.
They
take
fresh
challenges
in
their
stride, especially when they fall within their past experience.
You will have to ‘let go of the baby!’ Let me explain exactly what I mean by that last
This situation cannot go on forever. There will
phrase.
come a point when the owner’s skills, knowledge and experience will not be enough to keep up with the growth of the business. This
is
where
you
face
A common complaint I hear from business owners is that they can’t get their staff to step
those
difficult
consequences: You cannot keep direct control of every aspect
up and take responsibility – they just don’t seem to want to be involved. In most cases, however, this is a symptom of the owner’s behaviour.
of your business (it will all go quickly out of balance if you try for too long).
When running a business, especially if you have built it up from scratch, it is very easy to become
You will have to bring in new members of the
the overprotective ‘parent’, trying to nurture and
team that have the talent, skills and expertise
control every aspect of your baby’s development.
you may lack.
FBM Autumn 2019
08
The biggest leap of faith we have to make as
However, as the sapling strives to grow, the
business owners is the same as that of any
deep shadow cast from above limits access to
parent.
light and rain, restricting any further growth.
The
early
cannot
nurturing
go
on
for
phase so
is
long
important
that
it
but
Compare this to your business. Is your shadow
becomes
restricting the growth of your team? The good
smothering. There comes a time when we have
news is you are not fixed to the spot like the
to put our trust in our children and let them
tree.
take on the responsibilities they need in order to function in the adult world.
You have a choice – stay where you are and inhibit growth or move aside and encourage it.
In
business,
employing
if
the
you
have
talent
taken
required
the to
step
grow
of
your
I won’t lie to you. This change of mindset is
company, you have to allow them get on with
going to be hard and I’m sure there will be
the job. Treat them as adults who are capable
many times when you feel the urge to regain
of making a worthwhile contribution to your
‘control’.
business.
Ask
for
their
opinions,
share
information and cultivate their buy-in to the Resist the urge to jump in and take over and
priorities you set.
give your team ‘support’ instead. Involve them
Don’t just delegate tasks. Delegate ownership of those tasks. To use a different metaphor, imagine a large mature
tree
with
a
sapling
provides
the
protection
the
and
that
of
your
business.
Hand
over
some
trust and they will repay you by putting their heart and soul into the job.
growing
underneath its canopy. In the early days, the canopy
in your ‘future history’, their own ‘future history’
sapling
needs, sheltering it from the harshest weather.
Achieve
this
and
you
will
quickly
see
the
benefits in increased profits, alongside more personal time and less stress for yourself.
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How Much Influence Does Your Gatekeeper Have? By Andy Sleet
This
is
a subject
one
And more and more what I see when working
which comes up through living my everyday life,
with businesses is that the owner becomes very
and talking with clients. How much influence
insular as they have no exposure to different
does
ideas
your
dear
gatekeeper
to
my
have
heart
on
and
your
overall
business?
or
opportunities.
The
gatekeeper
has
chosen to filter all these out under the guise of 'not important enough'.
It's
become
increasingly
obvious
to
me
that
when interacting with companies, most business owners have a filter that they put in front of their
business
-
their
gatekeeper.
And
it
depends how you have set up your gatekeeper, (they might be there to protect you, to enlighten
As a successful business owner you need the outside influences of many other businesses and business people around to help you so that both you and your business can grow in a positive way.
you or to preserve your time for the things that matter) that affects how much influence they
In most businesses there are a number of cold
have on your business.
calls coming in, and there's people who are phoning up or visiting companies saying "Look,
What I find a concerning trend these days is
I'd like to help you with, that and the other."
that more and more gatekeepers have been set
And
up to be the filter that says "I don't want to talk
gatekeeper.
the
first
person
they
contact
is
the
to anybody", "I don't want any cold callers, "I don't want any information coming to me". The
What's becoming obvious to me, and this is that
gatekeeper is given the message "Just let me
the
hear
business
about
the
important
through the door."
things
that
come
gatekeeper owner
then
denies
effectively
access
telling
to
the
the cold
caller "Well actually, do you know what, I don't think my business owner needs to talk to you. I don't think they need help with that."
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The result of this is that the gatekeeper is blocking all the incoming offers of help and new ways of doing things. I've
even
experienced
a
scenario
where
someone spoke to the business owner, had a positive first conversation and then when they
So, something for you to consider. How have you set your gatekeeper up?
Is your gatekeeper positively helping you or, unwittingly, are they actually being a terrorist in your organisation and stopping the right information getting to you?
tried to follow up and talk to them a second time
the
gatekeeper
has
given
them
such
a
hard time that they were unable to speak to the
Think about it, perhaps review the systems of how you operate your gatekeeper service.
owner! Most importantly, don't be afraid to take those This is because the gatekeeper feels their role is
incoming
to
just turn out to be the source of the help you
protect
the
business
'interference' at all costs.
owner
from
calls
because
some
of
them
might
need and boost your business tremendously.
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GROW AT YOUR OWN PACE USING A PROVEN FRAMEWORK ONLINE COURSES FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
Guidance for every stage of your journey. fluidbusiness.co.uk 12 |
FBMÂ Autumn 2019
Be a Better YOU How To Change Someones Mind
the
words
'you are right'
As a business owner you're always dealing with
Just
are
almost
people and trying to get your agenda across. At
magical in getting somebody to actually listen to
some point we've all made the mistake of trying to
you. Then you want to explain your view. You're
railroad someone into our way of thinking and it
not saying the view that you should subscribe to
never really works. So how do you actually change
is this, or the truth is this, or reality is this.
somebody's mind? And then the last thing you want to do is to The first thing you want to do is resist the desire to
affirm them as a person, something like "I really
control. You don't have the right to control them
respect
so you need to resist that desire.
conversation".
The
second
thing
is
going
to
be
you
&
this
has
been
a
great
very
The reality is you can't change somebody's mind,
counterintuitive. You actually want to affirm their
but they can decide that your position has merit
position. There's probably a part of their position
on their own and the best way to do it is to
where they are right so you might say "you're right
appeal to their heart, appeal to their sense of
about the fact that we have got to deal with this
respect and appeal to their identity. While you
issue. And I just want to say I, I respect the way
are also standing your ground on this position
that you're thinking about this and the reason that
and saying, my view is this, you will have much
you're thinking about this. We agree on that".
more success changing minds.
One simple tip: Always respect the person that you're talking to while you are stating your position.
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Are You Working Towards Being The Best YOU? Outstanding leaders don't just happen. They train for it. by Andy Sleet
How are you working on yourself to become the best
'You'
you
can
be? Let's
explore
this
What should I be educating myself in?
idea
through a series of questions.
This
depends
very
much
on
the
tend
to
individual
and
their goals.
Is working on myself necessary? I
love
business
so
growing
Fluid, Peter Boolkah, has a saying written on the
The
pace
of
change
and
development in the world is increasing faster and
My
colleague
towards
education
dying.
this.
lean
My belief is that we are like trees, we're either or
around
I
here
at
wall of his office which reads;
faster, and to survive we need to keep up with that change.
'The more you learn, the more you earn'
Many people I talk to seem to think that after
I
school / university the academic learning phase is
anyone in a job/ career I would always advise
over and from there it's just a case of learning
them to learn things around their chosen subject
from the University of 'hard knocks'. I don't see it
so they don't lose pace with others around them.
like
that,
for
me,
academic
education
is
also
subscribe
to
this
way
of
thinking.
For
an
ongoing process that needs to gather pace and
However, all work and no play can lead to a one
intensity
dimensional life so I like to study autobiographies
in
line
with
yourself in.
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the
environment
you
find
of people to see what made them tick.
How should I go about getting this education?
How much time should I invest in my learning?
This depends on how each of us learns. I find that
Once again, this is personal choice, however if
I spend a fair amount of time in my car which I
we
can
find
ways
use to consume all sorts of audiobooks. Half an
driving,
whilst
hour each way to work and back generally results
running
machine)
in a book being completed every two weeks or
considerably.
to
walking this
use
the
the
dead
dog,
time
can
time,
whilst be
on
(i.e. the
increased
26 per year. Not a bad return for investment of time when I'd probably only be listening to the
With everyone around us though putting effort to
radio instead.
get better themselves, let's not be surprised if we fall behind if we put no effort in ourselves.
Other forms of education can take the form of;
Attending presentations / conferences Listen to experts who have been there, done
There
on this topic is 'Be Obsessed or Be Average' by Grant Cordone.
that and got the T-Shirt.
Online courses.
Although not everyone's cup of tea, a great book
are
plenty
of
these
around and depending on what you're looking for they can be found on sites like Udemy.
Listening to Podcasts / Watching Video Blogs. Although finding the right stuff can be a bit of a lottery, it can be fruitful if you find a rich vein of material.
Peer to peer coaching.
When should I start this learning?
Here in the practice
we are always bouncing ideas off each other
I think you know the answer to this one, or at
and increasing our knowledge base.
least you know how I'd answer it.
Keeping fit.
I subscribe to the concept of
healthy body - healthy mind.
After playing
NOW!
sport for most of my younger years I was left with very bad knees which put an end to that, so about 11 years ago I signed up to a gym and a
Personal
Trainer
to
keep
myself
in
shape
(Well, round is a shape!). All joking apart, I feel that being relatively fit in body helps me keep mind fit too.
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Why You Need To Prioritise Your Wellbeing Although it may not be talked about very often
With
the
success
we regularly hear of business owners who are
shoulders,
struggling with overwhelm.
looking after themselves in a negative light as it
often
of
they
the will
business
see
any
on
time
their spent
takes away from work and may appear to others Although they take great pride in their company
as self indulgent.
and love the autonomy they have, many find themselves
overburdened
responsibility
–
which
with
can
a
sense
lead
to
of
them
neglecting their own welfare.
But
this
is
counter-productive,
and
it’s
only
a
matter of time before neglecting your wellbeing will have a detrimental effect on your physical, mental or general sense of wellbeing.
The common problem is they are trying to juggle both
the
needs
employees feel
they
relentless,
of
are and
the
business
responsible they
can
for.
find
and
the
This
can
themselves
It’s
important
directly time
to
remember
correlated
and
time
with
again
that
wellbeing
performance.
shows
is
Research
engaged,
healthy
questioning whether they’re doing enough for
employers (and employees) can focus longer, be
anyone.
more
dedicated,
and
achieve
more
than
those
who push themselves and don’t take care of their One of the key challenges for business owners is that
it
often
falls
on
them
to
look
out
personal needs.
for
themselves, as there are often no processes or
Poor mental health is said to cost the UK economy
functions in place where they can discuss or
between
feedback on their wellbeing.
according to a government report,
£74
billion
and
£99
billion
a
year
a
with a direct cost to employers estimated at between £33 billion and £42 billion. As a business owner it's
back seat and it’s likely that business owners will
vital you look after yourself so that you're able to
fall into the habit of prioritising the practical
drive your business forward and look after those in
aspects of work, such as making sure customers
your
are happy and the accounts are in order.
business critical.
Because
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FBM Autumn 2019
wellbeing
may
take
team.
Your
wellbeing
is
not
a
luxury,
it's
Five Top Tips For Improved Wellbeing 1. Find a wellbeing advocate
4. See the light
Our first piece of advice would be to establish your
Bring the great outdoors inside. People working in
own process for looking after yourself and the most
environments that offer outside views are likely to
effective way of doing this is to have an advocate.
be up to 25% more productive and process calls 12%
This
is
someone
who
you
trust
to
give
honest
faster,
according
to
World
Green
Building
Council research.
feedback when they think you need it, and you can then do what’s necessary to help yourself.
Exposure to natural light increases productivity by 18% and better lighting in general pushes up work
We suggest a peer group, colleague, coach or even
rates by 23%.
family member. But the responsibility is then on you
5. Breathe easy
to accept the advice given and seek the help.
The Council estimates that improved air quality and
2. Take an honest look at the way you work
ventilation increase productivity by up to 11% and
Consider the type of work you do and the rules you
thermal comfort by 3% - which doesn’t necessarily
set for yourself. The reason many struggle so much
require
is they become overly task-focused and can forget
heating systems, although these will help too.
fancy
ventilation,
air
conditioning
and
to be people-focused. Humble indoor plants don’t just look nice; they also Whether
task
or
people
focused
we
produce
work quietly behind the scenes to absorb carbon
different ‘happy’ hormones, so too much dopamine
dioxide
and
from task-focused work can be offset by spending
dotted around the place and clean air circulating in
time focusing on people. Even a drink on Friday
your
evening with colleagues can help you to rebalance
health of your employees. Clean air will help keep
and find a happy medium.
those headaches, eye, nose or throat irritations, dry
building,
release
you’ll
oxygen.
be
By
contributing
having
to
the
plants
good
coughs, itchy skin and fatigue at bay.
3. Rewrite your internal rule book Finally, each of us has an internal rule book; ‘laws’ that keep us safe, which we all hope people will abide
by.
But
sometimes
these
rules
can
be
counter-productive in everyday life and can hinder our well-being.
Start to pay attention at work when you say or think “I should, I must, I have to”. This is where we know rules
are
active
and
influencing
our
behaviour.
Some will be helpful, others not so much, such as “I must skip lunch to get this done”. As a business owner, you have the privilege of writing your own rulebook. I know from my work with hundreds of SMEs happy
that
the
business
happiest owner,
businesses so
take
start
steps
with
today
a to
becoming one.
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Be a Better YOU How To Duplicate Yourself & Scale Your Business Hire
a
General
to
What you're then doing is you're duplicating your
to
ability to make wise decisions on your team. And
meetings on your behalf and then you need to
when you hire a M.D., you're creating processes
meet with them regularly so that they 'think like
where any competent person can come in and
you'. This person will then be able to make good
execute those processes. These are two different
decisions
things.
duplicate
Manager.
yourself.
and
This
Hire
person
understand
how
somebody will
to
to
go
make
those
decisions and who can represent you in a room when you're not there.
When the G.M. is spent, you hire a Managing Director
and
they
begin
creating
processes
Your General Manager is going to last a little
around the decisions that you and the chief of
while, but it is probably not a permanent decision
staff make. The M.D. does not look like you. They
for
do not think like you. They think in processes.
most
of
us
who
are
trying
to
scale
up
companies. Les McKeown in his book 'Do Scale' talks about replacing the chief of staff eventually with a Managing Director. This is because you can't scale the General Manager. A Managing Director actually creates processes. So when you hire
a
General
Manager,
you're
duplicating
yourself.
Simple tip: When considering hiring a General Manager write down a job description for that role. What would they do? This is beyond your executive assistant. What would they do and how do they need to be wired in order to duplicate your abilities?
How To Help Your Team Make Better Decisions Why
it
is
that
your
team
don't
make
good
decisions? The reality is they probably don't make
What you're then doing is you're duplicating your ability to make wise decisions on your team.
bad decisions, but sometimes they don't make the kind of decisions that you would have them make.
As a leader you need to take responsibility for your team not making good decisions as you may
How
do
primary
not have taught them how to. And how do you
decision maker, next time you go to somebody
teach them? You always answer why. Why am I
and
you've
making this decision? And that teaches people
you're
to think at least the way you think and the way
give
made
you
them
that
intuitive,
fix
if
a
that?
you
decision,
decision. you're
If
a
A
are
explain
lot
visionary
of
the
why
times
leader,
if you
don't
you approach the business today.
even know why you made that decision.You just have a really good instinct.
This exercise isn't just good to teach your team how to make good decisions. It's also really good to help you understand why and how you make those decisions in the first place. You need to understand that.
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FBM Autumn 2019
Simple tip. Never just tell somebody what to do, tell them what to do and tell them why it's important to do it. That way you'll be teaching good decision making all through your company.
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FBMÂ Autumn 2019
Are you a positive or a negative person? By Peter Boolkah
In this article, we are going to be covering a
Blame
topic
One of my favourite examples which demonstrates
that
is
close
to
my
heart:
above
and
below the line.
the
prevalence
of
this
type
of
behaviour
in
business, happened back in 2008/2009 when the Above
and
attitude,
below
and
how
the we
line turn
is
really
up
in
about
life.
Our
attitude, outlook and mood are what we choose
economic disaster hit. The banks crashed, people were losing their homes and businesses were being closed down.
them to be, so when I talk to people, it really saddens me when their attitude and outlook is
I used to speak to people who were losing their
negative; it’s horrible. Here, I will be using an
businesses, and do you know what they said? They
incredibly
how
blamed it on the banks. There were people who
simple it is to flip your perspective on life and
had worked up huge credit card debt, resulting in
hopefully, it will resonate with you as much as it
their possessions being repossessed and when they
does me. Firstly, we start with a line:
couldn’t repay it, they too blamed it on the banks.
simple
tool
to
demonstrate
The reality is, that if this has happened to you, it The
line
choice
is
a
separation
whether
we
point
choose
and
to
live
it
is
our
our lives
above or below it.
was nobody else fault but your own because YOU were ill prepared. The banks closed the businesses down that weren’t properly geared. Banks are in
What happens if you choose to live your life below the line?
the business of making money and the way they do that is by lending money. If you borrow too much and
your
business
shrinks
because
the
economy
has – it’s your fault for borrowing too much. In the Do you know people in life that are habitual blamers?
It’s
always
somebody
else’s
fault,
there’s always somebody or something else to blame. Blame lives below the line:
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FBM Autumn 2019
old day's people used to save, but today, credit is so readily available that we just accept it.
Excuses
If you’ve got a team made up of these people,
An excuse is another word for a reason. Do you
you might as well take your hard-earned cash and
know people that always have a reason as to why
burn it, because you’ll be getting no return on your
they didn’t do something? Or a reason as to why
investment.
something cannot be done?
That’s enough negativity… Denial Contrary to popular belief, denial is not a river in
True
leaders
know
how
to
be
‘response-able’,
Egypt – it’s a problem that’s alive and prevalent in
meaning they choose their responses to situations
the world of business. These are the people who
and don’t automatically slip below the line.
kid themselves by pretending that there isn’t a problem.
People
below
negatively Business owners do this all the time; especially
to
the a
line
will
situation,
always
whereas
respond
the
people
above the line choose to respond positively.
when it comes to cash flow. When cash starts to run out, often a business owner’s first instinct is to
There’s
a
saying
I
love,
which
I
feel
perfectly
put their head in the sand and hope that it will be
describes the thought process behind choosing to
okay. It won’t. You need to be proactive.
react positively to a potentially adverse situation:
Those who live below the line, you make your own
“Where there is s**t, there is fertiliser.”
bed and you lie in it. Where do you sit? People that live life below the line tend to have a negative
outlook
on
life.
These
are
the
people
that when asked ‘how they are’ will always answer
For those of you that are already above the line, that’s fantastic, keep going!
‘not bad’, instead of ‘good’ or ‘great’. Have you ever
heard
the
terms
“moodhoover”
or
Even
better,
be
responsible
for
lifting
other
“funsponge”? These are the people that drain your
people to join you above the line. For those of you
energy.
s**t-magnet
that now realise you are living life below the line,
with a loser mentality; they attract everything bad
do you really want to be the ‘fun-sponge’, the
into their lives.
‘mood -hoover’, the ‘s**t-magnet’ that everybody
They
are
the
archetypical
is trying to avoid? Warning: negative people run in packs! They don’t want to be negative by themselves,
Or
do
you
want
they go and find negative friends or colleagues to
something
have a pity party with; a competition over whose
happiness and the fulfilment you desire?
with
to
your
make life
a
that
change will
give
and you
do the
life is worse. Do you enjoy hanging around with these people? Do they fill you with confidence?
Are
they
the
people
that
you
want
to
build
It is a choice.
a
business with? Absolutely not.
The worst thing is that most people don’t realise that they are living below that line until somebody else points it out to them. I implore you, if you know
people
like
this,
please
send
them
this
article – you’ll be doing them a massive service.
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FBM Autumn 2019
What's Your Biggest Fear? by Ray Moore
Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday, and all is well.
A
person
something
may
be
terrible
afraid
will
because
happen.
they
Indeed,
it
worry is
not
uncommon to hear that someone is worrying that Dale Carnegie wrote these words over eighty years
they have nothing to worry about! We all have so
ago in his seminal book ‘How to Win Friends and
much to worry about, but it’s our most deep-rooted
Influence People’.
fears that wake us in the middle of the night only to disappear in the bright light of day.
It is so true, but it’s so easy to ignore in the day to day
running
of
a
company.
As
humans,
we
There is an acronym that covers fear:
are
programmed to worry, and it can become the norm.
False Evidence Appearing Real
Worrying
Mind you; I have heard another:
and
consumes
a
impact
our
can
massive
amount
performance,
of
energy
health
and
F*** Everything And Run!!
physical appearance. Lets’s go with the first. Let’s
have
a
look
at
worry,
and
its
bed
mate
False Evidence Appearing Real.
fear. Worry is the thought that something terrible might happen and to worry is to think that it will
Our
happen.
when given a set of circumstances and information,
Fear
is
the
unpleasant
emotion
that
is
caused by current or impending danger.
Worry
and
fear
are
both
thoughts.
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FBM Autumn 2019
related
to
brain
is
wired
to
protect
us,
and
therefore
it creates its version of reality, which is often false.
negative
Fear is such a small word, but our response is one
I’m regularly frustrated when I see business owners
of four ways; we can stand and fight our corner;
frozen into a familiar course of action.
we can run away from the issue or end up like the proverbial
rabbit
frozen
in
the
glare
of
a
car’s
Failing to bring in fresh talent or ignore offers to
headlights – rooted to the spot and unable to move
help
or we can just worry!
wanting.
To
stop
worrying,
we
may
need
to
identify
and
address the underlying fear. Worrying hijacks our
because
they
worry
they
will
be
found
Better to put on an ‘everything is rosy show’ for the outside world rather than face difficult questions.
thoughts and there is no space left to see the world as it is.
Our
mind
is
looking
and
finds
that
evidence
to
reinforce that false reality and continues to worry. It gets caught in a feedback loop. The list of fears is quite
extensive,
common
but
underlying
here fears
are
three
quoted
of by
the
Perhaps it's time to worry about the things that are important to your business.
most
business
owners. Time to free up some of that worry space to check
Fear of Failure
your version of reality and maybe recalibrate our worries. Worry about those things that we can do
Fear of Success
something
about
and
focus
on
making
the
necessary changes.
Fear of Change
The business environment that we all operate in is in
However, the most unspoken and insidious fear is that of being found out!
This worry is the successful business owners worst There
long term. It’s a fundamental law of nature that holds throughout the universe. It’s time to hold up
Let me explain.
enemy.
a state of flux. Nothing stays the same over the
is
a
natural
knee
jerk
reaction
to
claim that everything is fine when there are some fundamental challenges that need to be faced. It is
the mirror on yourselves and your business.
What is your biggest fear about your business, and is it worth the worry?
a knee jerk response to protect the ego.
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FBM Autumn 2019
Explained: The Reason You Never Have Enough Time And how to fix it
by Peter Boolkah
I
this
article
we
are
going
to
be
covering
the
Being In-Flow
default diary. This article follows on from Stephen Covey's Time Matrix, so if you haven’t read it yet,
The world we work in today is full of interruptions.
please
Whether it's your team interrupting you, a phone
follow
this
link
and
familiarise
yourself
before continuing.
call or your own e-mail inbox, the reality is, your completion of tasks will often be very ‘stop, start’,
https://www.fluidbusiness.co.uk/TimeManagementMatrix
which makes it hard to get any traction or to build up momentum.
Time Management
Imagine you're completing a task. It’s taken you a The first question I will ask you as business owners and entrepreneurs is this:
little while to really become in-flow with the task and suddenly, something interrupts you. You, of
Do you have a robust diary in place?
course,
stop
doing
said
task
to
deal
with
the
interruption, however when you attempt to go i.e.
do
you
have
set
times
for
set
things? The
back to it, you’ve lost your flow.
chances are, the answer to that question is a no. In
fact,
you
most
probably
operate
a
very
inefficient diary without even realising it.
Did
you
speed
an inefficient structure to their day. People often don’t make the best use of the hours available to and
then
they
never
find
have
themselves
enough
wondering
time
to
that
it
can
take
us
anything
between 10 and 15 minutes to get back up to
Guess what? You’re not alone; most people have
them
know
why
complete
everything they want in a day.
Stephen Covey’s Time Matrix looks at eliminating all the time-wasting things that you, as a business owner, shouldn't be doing. In this article, we are going to look at all the tasks that you should be
and
find
flow
again?
(It
will
take
you
slightly less time if you’re a woman, because most women are natural multitaskers.) If you suffer 10 or 15 interruptions a day and it takes you 10 to 15 minutes to get back into flow, then you're losing several hours a day - which is a couple of days a week.
Is
that
efficient
working?
Absolutely
not.
Ultimately, if you wish to be more efficient, you have got to change the way you work - which is where the default diary comes in.
doing and organising them to ensure you are as efficient as possible.
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FBM Autumn 2019
The Default Diary
I
How is your working week usually structured? Do you plan where you’ll be for the whole week or
would
be
grouping
all
much my
less
efficient
coaching
at
sessions
my
job.
By
together
I
optimise my efficiency and effectiveness.
usually just go with the flow? Maybe have a few scheduled
meetings? Fig.
1
(below)
shows
an
This rule applies across my week, whether I’m in the studio recording videos, in the field visiting clients
example of my working week, my Default Diary.
or running workshops; I zone my activities so that I You
will
zones.
notice
Every
that
my
morning,
I
week
is
check
structured
my
e-mails
into
am as efficient as possible.
and I've
prepare myself for my day ahead.
got
immense
structure
to
my
diary.
I
don't
expect you to go from having no diary to having a From 7am, I am ‘on stage’ coaching and must be on my game. How often do you have important tasks which you would prefer were set in stone, that start to
drift
because
of
‘distractions’
coming
in
fully structured week like me overnight, however you have
got
to
start
thinking
about
how
you
can
become more efficient.
and As business owners, we often have the belief that
disrupting your plans?
we must do everything that comes up ‘now’, but Between the hours of 9–11 on a Monday, we always have our team meetings and I never change that. It’s important that we have regular meetings as a
that is not the case. You need to get out of the mindset
of
being
reactive
and
start
being
proactive.
team and for that reason, this time slot is set in stone. If I get a phone call whilst attending a team meeting,
I
will
deal
with
it
later;
I
do
not
allow
Start by populating your diary with important tasks for you as a business owner and then set them in stone. Zone your diary and make sure you have the
myself to be distracted.
time during the week for your important tasks such You will see then, that for the rest of the day, I
as marketing, admin and your team.
coach clients back to back. The reason for this is simple:
by
grouping
all
my
coaching
sessions
together, I remain ‘in the zone’. If I were to coach for an hour, then switch to marketing, then go back to coaching later in the day, I would lose flow.
Fig. 1
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FBM Autumn 2019
If you don’t schedule these things in, other rubbish will take its place. If that continues to happen, you will never be in control or see your company reach its full potential.
Your Free 21 Page Personalised Business Report Uncover your hidden profit opportunity Discover the one area of your business that you need to focus on next quarter Only takes 10 minutes! FREE for a limited time!
www.fluidbusiness.co.uk 26|
FBM Autumn 2019
Surprising Stats
A fun look at numbers in business Minimum estimated cost to the UK economy from poor mental health
Recognition
The number one thing employees say their manager could give them to inspire them to produce great work
55%
Of people will search online for reviews and recommendations before making a purchase, with 47% visiting the company website, 26% checking out the physical store, and 23% of people talking with friends and family.
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FBM Autumn 2019
79%
Number of people who quit their jobs citing ‘lack of appreciation’ as their reason for leaving.
1.95 billon The total number of websites on the internet.
Only one third of emails are actually opened.
26 percent of people feel pressured to respond to work communication outside of work hours.
Source: Department of Work & Pensions 2017 / Internet Live Stats / KPMG / BlueSource
£74bn
Google averages 40,000 searches every second, which equates to 1.2 trillion searches worldwide per year.
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