Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible

I particularly love this quote.  Not only am I a total Audrey Hepburn fan, but this is a quote that can potentially stop you in your tracks and negate any chatter that could be buzzing around your mind which is not best serving you.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, in the corporate world, just starting off in your career or thinking of transitioning into something new, step inside of you, think about what art of the possible lies inside of you.  Ponder it, reflect on it, visualise it and keep moulding and evolving it in your mind’s eye.

Ask yourself….

• What makes me buzz?
• Who and what inspires me and makes my heart sing?
• What do I enjoy doing and what strengths can I call upon to bring about possibility?
• What is my art of the possible and how am I going to apply it to my world?

And when things are feeling particularly tough and you're struggling to wade through what appears to be thick treacle, what are your possibilities?  What can you do differently to find a way through?

And keep remembering

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, THE WORD ITSELF SAYS

I’M POSSIBLE….

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

I was at a session recently at which the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2017 statistics were discussed – it was pretty depressing hearing the numbers.

·        Only 11% of UK workers are fully engaged at work

·        68% of UK workers are not engaged

·        21% of workers are actively disengaged

These stats make worrying reading as they translate to 1 in 5 employees working against your business and only 1 in 11 working for it.

Leaders are fundamental to making a shift in team member’s feelings and actions.  I’ve been pondering the stats and have been reflecting on my 20+ years of experience in various countries, workplaces and sectors and have come up with my thoughts around the fundamental steps that need to be taken to shift colleague mindsets and motivate them to become real advocates of the company in which they work:

A clear and compelling vision (the why), strategy (the what) and values (the how) that are integrated into everything a company does.  There’s no point in having a vision, strategy and values that are articulated once a year at a leadership event or a town hall by the CEO or the Exec team.  It’s about consistency and recognition for achievements aligned to them.  It’s also about hard-wiring them into all people processes and initiatives, whilst also giving employees the freedom to make the vision, strategy and values their own. 

How do the vision and values translate into the recruitment approach, induction process, strategic objectives and priorities, performance management and reward and recognition to name but a few?  Only by consistent integration and joining the dots can a culture with the right behaviours and focus start to evolve and move the company in the right direction to realise its vision and strategic objectives.

Once the vision, strategy and values narrative have been shared with colleagues in the right way – and a lot of thought and consideration needs to be given to this – it’s important to carry out team sessions in which colleagues can figure out for themselves, supported by their leaders, how to make the vision meaningful to them and their role.  Colleagues come to work wanting to contribute, but sometimes along the way disillusion can set in.  Empowering colleagues to consider and then take control of the way they work and perform is important.  When colleagues can clearly see how they are personally contributing to the vision and strategic priorities, it's all powerful and incredibly motivating.  'Making it meaningful' team sessions are a must!

Role modelling from the top is self-explanatory but it’s worrying how often this isn’t done. If the top team aren’t going to ‘walk the talk’, why would they think that colleagues will take it and them seriously.

The top team should also stay in direct touch with different levels of the organisation. Hearing it from the horse's mouth is insightful and keeps the CEO and his team in the ‘real world’ and enables them to be balanced in their decision making.  I’ve often thought how challenging for CEOs not to be swayed by the colleagues they deal with on a day-to-day basis, who may be biased, out of touch or have political agendas.  Regular, relatively intimate sessions with colleagues from across the business at different levels can help the top team stay in tune with what's going on throughout the business.

The right leaders who champion the vision, strategy and values and have the right skillset, attitude and collaborative and inclusive approach, help bring their teams on a united journey with them.  Leaders who support rather than alienate are critical to organisational success.  I’ve talked to a lot of Senior Leaders who have said that they wish they’d upskilled the full Leader population sooner rather than later.  As we’re all aware from the stats, most employees leave an organisation because of their Line Manager – just think how many more talented colleagues you could retain by developing great Leaders with the right skills, strategic approach and emotional intelligence.

Communication is the cornerstone of an engaged workforce.  A culture of high engagement requires a consistent flow of communication from top to bottom and back up again.  Connecting colleagues to the organisation, leaders to colleagues and colleagues to each other, makes for a productive, informed and valued workforce. 

In a recent published State of the Sector report from Gatehouse, 56% cited poor communication skills in their Line Managers as the biggest barrier to their success.  It’s a Line Managers role to have meaningful conversations with their teams; provide context for corporate decision making; help colleagues to see how they play a part in delivering the bigger picture and inspiring, motivating and  recognising them for their actions.

There are more elements that contribute to having an engaged workforce, but these are the ones that stick out for me. The Burke-Litwin Model of organisational performance and change, cites 12 factors.  The research states that external factors, vision and strategy, leadership and culture must be central to achieving transformational change.  Only tweaking and restructuring the other 8 areas is not directional enough to bring about large-scale change.

Food for thought....

GDPR - will it make a difference?

GDPR - will it make a difference?

We live in a world that has been driven in the last 20 years by globalism and more recently a world that seems to be getting taken over by an exploding social media scene (although could this be coming to an end with the negatives that come with it such as the Facebook/Cambridge Analyticagate, cyber bullying and the black web?) 

One of the main things that makes me feel uncomfortable about this side of things is the way that we have the potential to be so manipulated.  The personal data companies hold on us - because we’ve entered into agreements with them, whether it’s our bank, insurance company, retailer or a social media platform – means that we’re not only prone to being bombarded by nuisance phone calls and advertisements, but we’re also unsure where our personal details are turning up and how they are being used.

I’ve just finished a stint at Royal Sun Alliance (RSA), leading on their comms and awareness campaign for the incoming (25th May) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to help colleagues, customers and third parties understand what is means at RSA, how the company is getting GDPR ready and what it means for them.

GDPR is a stronger regulation that takes over from the existing Data Protection Act and means that companies will potentially face larger fines if they don’t comply. There is also a reputational risk at stake.  Simply put, under GDPR companies need to know where the personal data they hold and process is stored; how long they keep it for; who they share it with and ensure that company is GDPR compliant as well; and the personal information must be kept secure and any data breaches reported in a timely manner and where appropriate the regulator and customer informed.

GDPR can only help us all as customers and consumers.  The companies that hold our personal data will now be held more accountable and must be more transparent.  For the customer/consumer, we have enhanced rights which we can exercise with any business that holds our personal data, and which they must comply with or face the wrath of the regulator, the ICO.

This new regulation will enable us as customers and consumers to take more control of our personal data, but I wonder what else would really change.   When I spoke to a colleague working on the GDPR programme at RSA and asked if he thought this would make a difference to the nuisance phones calls that we all frustratingly get, he felt there wouldn’t be too much difference.  Let’s see what happens from 25th May onwards….watch this space……

I've added some useful links if you're interested in finding out more:

For customers and consumers: Your rights.

For organisations:  GDPR resources + 12 step guide to get business ready

For small businesses: GDPR small business support

connecting and capitalising

Connecting and capitalising...

It’s been an interesting few months, as I’ve basically thrown caution to the wind and thrown my life up in the air!  Not only have I given up my job but I’ve made the big move out of the London area to Essex and started Capitalise to follow a passion and dream.

Two months ago I took myself through phase one of my Capitalise Brand Builder programme to help shape my authentic brand story.  It was such a phenomenal experience as it made me dig deep and answer some powerful questions, in order to begin to craft and hone my heartfelt story that would become my guiding beacon in everything I do.  I've taken some reflection time and I feel I've managed to capture it which is now allowing me to be consistent in what I say and write .....it's official, I'm at the start of building my recognisable and memorable story....exciting!

As this had been so powerful and not knowing many people locally, I was keen to meet like-minded entrepreneurs, hear what they are up to and give them a flavour of what I’ve done in the corporate world, but with an entrepreneurial twist to help them with their businesses.

There were eight of us in total, all from different backgrounds and businesses, but all taking that big step and being brave and courageous.  What a great evening, full of positive energy, productive results and collaborative inspiration.

It’s so motivating to work with talented people from such varied backgrounds.  The recurring theme was how important it is to collaborate and connect to people who are facing the same challenges. 

Feedback has been great and the ladies are already using the tools and work they developed… “huge value and something I will now refer to forever to keep me on track”.

 If you’re struggling with your story or starting off on your entrepreneurial journey and would like to take part in the Capitalise Brand Builder, do get in touch.

Next steps for me is setting my strategic objectives and priorities which align to my brand story...connecting, aligning, capitalising....

The power of storytelling in business and organisations

The power of storytelling in business and organisations

Stories are traced back to prehistoric times when cave dwellers would capture their stories as pictures on cave walls. There’s a long, long history of storytelling which remains as strong as ever, with most parents continuing the tradition of telling bedside stories to the children, and fairy tales remaining popular, even if now appearing in a myriad of different guises.  Stories are what we know and connect to from a very early age. 

The truly great storytellers speak from and to the heart and they can inspire positive feelings and action.

In business, we sometimes forget the power of a story and how it can connect to colleagues within an organisation and also to the external world....to existing and potential clients and customers.  It’s a fantastic way of creating trust, meaning, camaraderie and also inspiring desired action.

Telling your own story from the heart as a leader in business or an owner of a company and telling this regularly and consistently is hugely important if you are to create a loyal following.  What are the words that you want to weave into your narrative that resonate at a deeper level and help connect and inspire? These are the questions you should be asking yourself and will stand you in good stead if you ponder long enough and get it right.

Capturing and sharing your stories that connect to your purpose, your vision and values, enveloping your readers in the passion that drives you to be who you are and do what you do, will help you create a following....a fan base.

I recently had some great feedback from various associates and friends about the content of my refreshed website which made my heart soar. It was the ultimate compliment - they fed back that they could tell I was completely passionate about what I do.  It had taken some time to craft and hone the words, but it seems I've managed to create my authentic 'brand' story, the unique story of Joss and the ‘why’ behind Capitalise!

There are so many fantastic story tellers out there and I love watching Ted Talks as they are incredibly inspiring, interesting and thought provoking.  One of my favourites is Bryan Stevenson’s talk about the importance of identity. I’d recommend finding the 22.09 minutes to watch it, as it’s incredibly compelling and it certainly got me thinking.  Once you’ve done this, ask yourself …. ‘What parts do I connect to and why?’ and think how you can bring that similar feeling into your story telling so you can make the same connection to your audience…. 

My second challenge to you is to make sure that your story captures your passion, your ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ so that through your authentic story and unique take on the world, your potential clients and customers can see who you truly are and what you stand for…..

WHY 'the why' IS SO IMPORTANT?

THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘THE WHY’

Kicking off after the CAPITALISE website refresh, I contemplated long and hard about what to blog about. Quite quickly I came to the conclusion that I had to talk about the all-important WHY!

As part of the work that went into the refresh of our website, I’ve been thinking about our story and why I set up CAPITALISE, why we exist, what’s our purpose and the aspiration I have for the company.  

Don’t get me wrong the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ are also important but their role is to unpin the ‘why’.  If you can envision your ‘why’ first, then the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ follow, connecting and feeding up into the delivery of the bigger picture aspiration - your purpose.

When we know our ‘why’, our reason of being, our bigger picture aim, we can then be clearer on our direction of travel, what to focus on, what really matters and it's the purpose that will keep us strong if the going gets tough, because it's bigger than who we are as an individual.

The ‘why’ is the most important question that all businesses should ask themselves and locking this answer down is probably one of the hardest, but most important things you can do as a business and an entrepreneur.  Let’s take a brilliant business example in Bupa, a company I used to work for.  Bupa’s reason of being, its purpose is LONGER, HEALTHIER, HAPPIER and we all lived and breathed this from the CEO down. There was this overwhelming belief that we were all playing a meaningful role, collaborating to achieve a world where everyone lived longer, healthier and happier lives.   

For businesses, it’s articulating that bigger picture story that connects and resonates with people that work within it, that gives them a meaningful reason to step up, going that discretionary extra because they believe in what the company is striving to achieve.

For entrepreneurs and their businesses, defining their ‘why’, their reason for being is usually a feeling from the inside, it’s a whisper that you keep hearing, it’s a feeling that tugs at your heart and keeps pushing you in a certain direction. It’s what ultimately will encourage you to think and dream big and will also help you to stay on course. If you haven’t heard Steven Spielberg’s short video on this, then I’d recommend taking five minutes to hear it as he is a man truly 'on purpose'.

Driven by ‘the why’, your interconnected brand story becomes your essence and the bedrock of everything you do.  It's the story that connects and converts clients and customers; and it's also a very useful and practical tool, your DMA – ‘decision making aid’, which guides you to make the right decisions.

I hope this has given you food for thought. As an entrepreneur or business, if you want to find out a little more how we can help work with you to create your story and embed it into everything you do, please go to our ‘working with you’ section or get in touch.