HR with attitude! Jaluch offer a straightforward and business focussed approach to HR consultancy and training. We pride ourselves on our friendly, professional but down to earth approach and our ability to speak in plain English. http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog.html Sun, 27 May 2012 07:53:38 +0100 Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Management en-gb Lessons from the Olympics http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/1024-lessons-from-the-olympics.html Lessons from the OlympicsSo what have we learnt in recent months about managing and motivating people? Here are a few of my observations.....

1. That London bus drivers need a bonus if they are to agree to turn up to do their shifts during these most momentous weeks for Britain, but that other workers will just carry on as normal. British workers often like to feel they are being treated fairly, so how on earth have we got to this point where bribery and threats work for the vocal few? That aside, how does this make other workers feel?

Does this apply to any specific groups or individuals in your workplace who seem to get more rather than less of what they want?

2. That the demotivational aspects of not getting the tickets you actually wanted seem to detract from the fact that you did actually get some tickets for the rowing or ping pong. This just demonstrates the enormous challenges around motivation when staff/people find it easier to get cross about what we haven't got, than value what we have got...

3. That what at first might appear to be just an honour, in the hands of someone who has a good commercial head on them, might in fact be something that then acquires a cash value. Did you read that sales of Olympic torches carried by the runners have achieved a staggering a £153k on eBay? But just how many of your staff are able to maximise any commercial opportunities that come their way?

4. That behind the facade of endless talk, Britain does seem to have just got on and done the job of building and preparing for the Olympics. Shame though that sometimes there has been more talk about budgets and spending and what’s not right, than saying what great successes there have been. Did you know that the velodrome is one of the most sustainable venues in the Olympic Park? The lightweight roof weighs roughly half that of any other covered velodrome!! That is just an enormous achievement.

Perhaps your staff sometimes do more talking than working? Or perhaps you find there is a tendency to dwell on the negative rather than on the positive? It would be great if you had just one idea about how to change their focus. Perhaps though we could all make more effort to point it out when someone is only focussing on the negatives.

5. That Olympic stadium builders are not like the models in the coca cola ad with toned abs (remember those?).... no, in fact they are more like many of the rest of us and, as a result of their poor eating habits, these stadium construction workers were served porridge each day in order to try to cut down on workplace accidents that were happening in the run up to the lunch break as a result of not eating breakfast. How many of your staff skip breakfast or lunch too and, if so, what impact on their productivity and mental alertness?

6. That people apply for jobs in their droves, when the job seems to have the right package/image attached to it. If you have been struggling to recruit just two decent people to your admin team or call centre recently, you might put your head in your hands when you hear that there were 200,000 applications for unpaid jobs for volunteers for Olympics jobs. From those 100,000 were interviewed and 70,000 were offered positions!

What lessons here for the rest of us who struggle to recruit? Is a fantastic image and exciting opportunity all it takes? Or perhaps on reading these statistics, your view is that it’s easier to recruit volunteers than paid staff? Well... now refer back to my comment about seizing commercial opportunities in point 3 above!!!

So much learning and no one has yet stepped onto that running track...

For those of you who do have tickets... enjoy and smile…

 

]]> J-Blog Wed, 23 May 2012 10:59:09 +0100 Networking and relationship building skills - seriously undervalued competencies? http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/1013-networking-and-relationship-building-skills-seriously-undervalued-competencies.html Good working relations with your boss - crucial for career success?In a recent survey of workers from 1500 firms across 5 continents, researchers found that the number one hindrance in a person's career is a poor relationship with superiors. So should we conclude then that career progression is not about intelligence, experience, skills, potential, technical know how, charisma, sales technique, client relationships etc as it is in fact all about who you know and who you get on with?
 
However, in the UK, we are brought up to believe in fair play and equality - a level playing field. And fair play in my mind, means that if you are competent and capable then you should probably have just as equal an opportunity to achieve the next rung on the ladder as any other person you work with. But clearly that is not the case... as ultimately, it all boils down to who likes you.
 
But for me that makes life tough. It’s been a long time since I had a boss, but I do remember in my last ever appraisal as an employee my manager's final comment on the review form was “doesn't suffer fools gladly”. You might think this was a positive statement, as in reality it could be viewed either way, but if I remember correctly, in this case the context of the statement suggested that it wasn't a positive comment at all! Of course what he meant was he was the fool and he knew that I knew it, but would prefer if I showed it less!!  Just as well I left that Company then as clearly my progression would have been, and in fact was, seriously stalled due to a lack of good relationship with my boss. But perhaps my older wiser self would just have smiled sweetly every time he showed his lack of competence, thus ensuring my career progression was not hindered? Who knows. At the time though I do remember my blood boiling about how a successful company had allowed so many who were so lacking to progress so high! You have to smile at the naivety of youth!!
 
It’s a slight digression here, but who would you actually like as a subordinate? The employee sychophant or the employee who says it as they see it? Interestingly I have heard quite a few people recently say that they prefer someone who can give it to them straight, but from my observations of their behaviour over time, they are in fact far more loyal to and supportive of those in the team who do play far more of a relationship or 'political' game. It’s a comfort zone thing though I am sure and just natural human behaviour to want to work with someone who makes us feel good, rather than someone who continually challenges us. Not necessarily so great for the organisation though?
 
But returning to my initial thoughts about whether networking, and by default, relationship building skills, are a key competence… perhaps, right at the start of people's careers, we need to be giving them the skills to network, i.e. to know how to build the network, develop and expand the network, then maintain and use it. Perhaps we should assume less that these skills are natural traits that staff and leaders are either born with or not born with, and instead make more effort to develop them in everyone.
 
I remember someone telling me just four weeks into my first ever role after graduating that people issues at work are seldom black and white, but instead many shades of gray, but no one ever explored that thought further with me. No one suggested that for those of us who are not the natural diplomats and politicians of the world that some essential training in how to develop a network and how to be appropriately 'political' in the workplace would be beneficial.

In hindsight I can see some of the 'car crashes' that were waiting to happen over the years with those who continually struggled with workplace relationships and appeared to endlessly butt their heads against the corporate brick wall. But in over 15 years of delivering training, neither I nor anyone in Jaluch has been asked for support on preparing either a training course, toolbox talk, seminar, guidance booklet or similar on how to network, for both business and personal benefit. It would be great though if businesses better understood and accepted how the lack of such skills can so dramatically hold back some of those who have enormous talent and potential.
 
Byrne Mulrooney, the chief executive of Futurestep, the international recruitment company which commissioned this research, said "In the world of work, you are hired for what you know and fired for who you are”. So my big question of the day is... who did you last hire and who did you last fire? And is Bryne Mulrooney right?

]]> J-Blog Tue, 01 May 2012 11:16:06 +0100 Business etiquette training for the young http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/1011-business-etiquette-training-for-the-young.html Young graduatesI met a woman recently who had just finished delivering a leadership training programme for some graduate entrants. I was intrigued to hear about some of the unusual or unexpected content of her programme, but after hearing recently about Virgin Atlantic giving whispering skills training to their cabin stewards, perhaps nothing should surprise me!

But returning to her graduate programme, she told me how she met them at the start of each day throughout the course in small groups in a nearby coffee shop and her discussions there included talking about coffee shop business etiquette. Who buys the drinks, what drinks give what impression, do you keep your mobile phone on the table while you meet, how do you make an informal environment into a formal meeting venue, how not to eat and talk etc!

But not content with having her client pay for numerous Starbucks across her training programme (!), she also organised a meal for the graduates at a top notch restaurant. A five star meal that aimed to educate staff about how to use cutlery, how to choose a wine, which glass to use, ordering from menus in foreign languages, drinking whilst entertaining, talking whilst eating, business etiquette with female business leaders such as should I or should I not hold that door open or wait for her to sit before I sit!

I find it interesting that when training budgets are notoriously tight that this business should prioritise spend on inducting young graduates by developing their life skills and polishing their etiquette. Such stark contrast to the approach to training of so many other organisations which prompts me to ask.....

  • How confident are you that the social skills of your staff when entertaining/meeting with clients reflect your corporate image?
  • Do you deliver training in your organisation that has the potential to set you head and shoulders above your competitors?
  • If you took a fresh look at your training spend today what should you really scrub from the list of training being provided to staff? And conversely, what could you add that would really address a key need in the business?
  • Who in your business stifles discussions relating to training innovations?
  • Can you identify one training course that, if offered, would better assist your recruitment and/or retention of great staff?
  • What do the graduates entering your business really want to learn during the early stages of their career?

And finally... if you gave each member of your professional staff £1000 each year to spend on training for themselves, would they choose the training you will be offering this year?

For support with training needs analysis, innovation in training practices or identifying training providers for real niche areas, please do ask.

]]> J-Blog Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:14:43 +0100 "I am who I am" http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/1009-i-am-who-i-am.html Psychometric profilingI have been delivering a lot of psychometric profiling training sessions recently in organisations seeking to improve self awareness amongst the senior team and elsewhere across the organisation (using either DISC from Thomas International and or to some the more familiar colours - red, yellow, green or blue – from Success Insights). 

I love working within this area and have seen time and again how people can change their view of themselves and also understand how to improve some of their working relationships after just a few hours training. It can be eye opening for some of the attendees and to witness one of these ‘light bulb’ moments can be quite special for a trainer.

But as a result of working with so many individual profiles and delivering so much training over the years, today I wanted to draw attention not to the ‘successes’, but to the three comments, regularly repeated, that really wind me up…

“I am who I am”
Say this and watch the steam come out of my ears!! This is a phrase that I have heard used by those who believe their profile is better than others’ and who do not believe they need to go out of their way to modify to accommodate the natural styles of others. But if team work is important in the business then ‘I am who I am’, along with its accompanying inflexibility of attitude, is just not an option.  

“This isn’t me”
A phrase sometimes used by those who take less than 6 seconds to glance at their profile and then decide they are going to argue black is white and white is black just to ensure everyone in the training knows that they don’t take anything lying down! Profiles are not about criticism or about me (or anyone else) judging them, they are simply one of many tools to support our learning and as such have to be approached with an open mind and a genuine interest in self development.

“My profile is boring”
Often said by someone who does not understand the value they bring to the organisation and who chooses to see the negative rather than the positive and, if repeated up to 10 times during a session, clearly said by someone who does not understand how repeated negativity can significantly drain the energy of the team.

These trigger phrases aside, profiling is a very interesting exercise and can be used in so many different ways to raise awareness or address issues. Particularly in recent years at Jaluch we have used profiling combined with one or two coaching sessions to address/resolve disciplinary issues, performance issues, team working issues, self awareness issues, management issues, leadership issues and cultural fit issues. A more flexible and useful tool you would be hard to find!

On which note I shall leave you with just a few quotes from Aristotle to ponder as you go through the day…….

“We are what we repeatedly do”

“It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it”

“Education is the best provision for the journey to old age”

And finally…

“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind” (please refer to the second quote above if you are currently at work!!)

Enjoy! Smile!

]]> J-Blog Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:30:00 +0100 Unemployable in all conventional businesses! http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/1005-unemployable-in-all-conventional-businesses.html Thanks to Sherry at Tribeca Knowledge* (a fantastic business if you are into innovation and forward thinking) who gave it high praise, I am now reading - or rather listening to - the biography of Steve Jobs. Many things in the book are fascinating, but when I hear about what he got up to prior to the age of 25, one thing strikes me above all others - he is so unconventional, difficult, immature and unweilding that I know of very very few companies (if any at all) who is in this day and age who would even consider an interview, let alone offering him a job. Yet he had so many traits that enable him and others to achieve so much. 
 
The young Steve JobsAs well as being difficult and immature in his approach, he smells so much they force him to work the night shift, he goes around bare foot, puts his dirty feet on client's desks, bursts into tears and has temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way, he is rude, discourteous, he shouts, he insults, he misleads, is seemingly dishonest with friends, he appears to know no social etiquette and does it always...his way!
 
Luckily though, Steve Jobs in his early career came across enough people who could see his potential and talent that he was not barred from work. But would this be the case in today's work environment? And if so, what talent might be lost as a result?
 
I personally get frustrated with the lack of vision I encounter, with the closed minds I encounter, with those who want to stick to what they know and what is safe and secure. At times I feel the prevailing culture in the UK is one of 'safe and secure', with companies only entering into a new venture if guarantees are effectively given of future success, if track record is proven, if protocol is being followed etc. But of course this sits at odds with the government's call for an army of entrepreneurs to set up in business and with the ever increasing numbers of workers who choose to head into self employment where life and work can be anything but conventional and where work is most definitely not guaranteed.
 
So my challenge of the day is for you to look at your Board of Directors, or look around your senior management team. Who in those teams has the independence of mind/thinking to stand up and challenge conventional thinking and conventional behaviours? Who brings in the vision, the exciting ideas and the energy that comes around new opportunities? And if you do have such a person, are they cherished for the strengths they have and supported and encouraged by others, or are they instead vilified for being different, challenging and awkward? 
 
* TRiBECA® Knowledge is a unique eLearning provider specialising in delivering tailor-made, innovative and award winning eLearning/eWorking solutions for global clients.

]]> J-Blog Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:44:17 +0100 Challenging the norm... http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/1002-challenging-the-norm.html Challenging the normAs Honda announces the launch of a car with no steering wheel, my wayward brain automatically asks "what if...?"

When you rethink technology options, or seek to innovate, or otherwise apply common sense to what you already have or do in your business, what might your workplace of the future look like?

Its all about challenging accepted thinking and practices… and here are just a few ideas from me to kick-start thoughts about your own organisation…

  • What if you rejigged everyone’s salary according to their perceived value in the business rather than what your recruitment agency tells you is their market value?
  • What if you listed out 5 competitors and then thought out ways to partner with them instead of compete with them?
  • What if you shut down any part of the business that has a less than 10% profit margin and instead open up a new business opportunity selected on the basis that it has a 25% + profit margin and staff that business with your great performers from your less than 10% business.
  • What if you banned Powerpoint for presentations and limited emails to just 10 per day per person?
  • What if you tested/examined all your senior managers and directors on commercial awareness and strategic thinking and then dismissed any who aren’t commercial or strategic enough?
  • What might happen if you appointed 1 in every 5 of your staff as an innovation ambassador in your business, tasked with identifying possible innovations in the area that they work in?
  • What if you identified 5 pieces of technology in your business that are currently underutilised and trained staff up to understand and use all available functionality?
  • What if you informed your board and senior team that any one of them found to not be actively seeking to develop their technology skills, or learning how to use social media for the benefit of the organisation, will be sacked?
  • What if you outsourced every single business support function leaving you with employed staff only in your core business area?
  • What if you reduced your office space by 50%. What if you reduced your employed head count by 50%?
  • What if you stop servicing 80% of your clients but build up what you offer to and how you service the remaining 20%?
  • What if you assume no one you currently employ will retire before they hit 85 years!

So would anyone else like to suggest some ‘what ifs…’ for their business? Honda clearly had some innovation and creativity thinking sessions before developing the car they now have, but when did you in your business last take a few days out to really throw everything up in the air with a view to seeing how things could be managed differently?

Fancy a creativity and innovation training session for your staff, why not ask me to facilitate one for you – rattle those brain cells, get staff really thinking about the business, build up confidence in coming up with workable creative ideas. A great session, fun and interactive and totally focussed on encouraging creativity and innovation in business. Call me!

]]> J-Blog Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:50:28 +0000 Four inhibitors to strategic awareness http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/999-four-inhibitors-to-strategic-awareness.html Seeing the bigger pictureA regular theme of my past few weeks has been encounters with senior individuals who really do not appear to understand the very essence of their own business i.e. what is required (or might be required in the future) to ensure continuity and growth. 

Do you have anyone on your team like this? Someone who sees only what goes on in their own department, who doesn’t see the bigger picture or understand the value of strategy, who believes there is a ready supply of cash whatever the sales or investment in recent months, who has a black and white view of decision making and who refuses to consider the context or implications of their decision making. Its about who looks like a director (or senior manager) but who doesn’t yet think like one!

There are various reasons in my experience why we encounter directors who fail to demonstrate, or otherwise grasp the importance of strategic awareness:

Belligerence. No way to dress it up. It’s a case of I know what’s best and no one can tell me anything. What a disaster unless of course you can draw attention to their attitude and demonstrate a need for them to adopt a more mature approach to work. Perhaps some one-to-one coaching is the best way forward here?

Lack of experience. Concepts of cash flow, employment law disasters, the challenges of multi site operations, balancing commercial and legal needs in a business etc are all things that are best experienced for real rather than being learnt in a theoretical environment. But without wide ranging experience, it is inevitable that individuals will not always see the implications of a decision or understand the bigger picture. The opportunity here of course is to identify those in senior positions who are great in their chosen discipline, but who lack a breadth of experience, and then find opportunities to help them fill those experience gaps (e.g. perhaps by cross discipline working or secondment to a different business or unit) before they impact too greatly on your business. 

Lack of cohesion in the senior management team. Never putting time aside for team building/communication and developing a unified approach, can all impact on individuals’ ability to see, understand and contribute to the bigger picture. If there is never really a good opportunity for general chat around the table then you might miss opportunities for some really productive discussions on a whole range of cross business issues what would never otherwise have hit the agenda. So perhaps you just don’t talk enough and learn from each other enough for good commercial understanding across the entire senior management team?

Lack of self awareness. It is truly stunning how so many senior executives do not understand what strengths and value they bring to the group, and more importantly, what their ‘weaknesses’ are, and why they think, communicate, and manage the way they do etc. Equally important of course is also an understanding of how they are perceived by others.  But this lack of self awareness can be easily solved. Psychometric profiling has been described by many I have profiled and trained over the years as truly eye opening and the insights gained can lead to quicker and easier resolution of so much in the workplace as well as helping to develop really effective workplace relationships. 

If there are people in your business who absorb rather than give energy into your senior management team, who pull left when you are going right and who fail to grasp what they need to do to develop the necessary skills to be able to operate strategically, then the time for developing a plan of action to tackle this issue is right now. No excuses, no debate and no procrastination!!

]]> J-Blog Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:10:02 +0000 Are women on boards a liability? http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/995-are-women-on-boards-a-liability.html The following blog is intended to give pause for thought rather than being an in depth analysis of a situation! Consider it an ice breaker to a topic many choose to shy away from and as always, Helen Jamieson, writer of this blog, will be interested to hear all your opinions and thoughts
 
Just recently a report suggested that 12% of male board directors are of the opinion that more women on the board will result in a decrease in business performance. When I tweeted this, two male directors immediately replied suggesting that, to them, 12% seemed rather low and perhaps a lot of men were keeping their heads down rather than expressing their views. Who knows!
 
In the same report, it states that 45% of female directors believe that quotas should be used to increase female participation but only 4% of male directors do. A more marked difference it would be hard to find! But clearly the issue of quotas is one that is not going to go away any time soon, so those of your competitors who have already set their own quotas may just pip you to the post in the PR game.
 
What I find remarkable is that many men pride themselves on their male logic and good business sense, but seemingly, if this survey is right, 12% or more of men are refusing to read report, after report, after report that suggests that both a significant increase in equity return and business growth can result from having two or more female directors on each board. Having more women on boards of directors is therefore about intelligent business decision making and growth focussed business management in a really tough global environment. Its not about ticking a few boxes or giving ‘poor, hard done by women’ a leg up to a job she wouldn't otherwise qualify for!
 
This month we are one year on from the Lord Davies report that set in place aspirational targets of 25% of women on the board by 2015. That's just 3 years away for those businesses just starting to think about it! However, progress has been made by many companies in both increasing numbers of executive and non executive female directors (far more in the latter though), but still much more progress is needed. And Lord Davies, given his comments last week, is clearly still on the case!  (Lord Davies: "My attitude is that eventually those who don't bother will be found out & they won’t be chairmen anymore" ow.ly/99UJK )
 
But if 12% of men in some of the most responsible positions in the UK still haven't worked out that balance in the boardroom that reflects staffing diversity, customer diversity and even supplier diversity can benefit the organisation as well as bringing in valuable alternative views and opinions, then will aspirational targets ever achieve what is needed?
 
Could it be that to achieve balance, the priority for development budgets needs to focus more on intelligent diversity strategy and management skills for those directors who still act and think like modern day dinosaurs and who somehow convince each other around the board table that this is all perfectly acceptable? It would certainly be an interesting development programme to put together - the sort of challenge I would love!
 
Or am I coming at this from the wrong angle? Perhaps what is needed is to tiptoe around the issues as we have done for the last 20+ years and hope that when Lord Davies produces his 10 year summary of progress in 2021 that somehow, somewhere, some careful, controlled, manageable progress has been achieved in such a way that not one man has at any point felt threatened?
 
Now over to you!! All comments will be received with great interest!]]> J-Blog Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:40:17 +0000 Adaptability and resilience http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/994-adaptability-and-resilience.html SnowmobilingThis weekend I am sure many of us will have seen the story of the Swedish man who was discovered by snowmobilers after having been trapped in his car in a snow drift since 19th December. Two months, with no food to eat, just melted snow to drink and a sleeping bag to keep him warm(ish) whilst temperatures around him hovered at the -30°C mark. How did he survive?
 
Coming from a modern 'soft' environment, how did this man adapt to his new environment under tonnes of snow and how was he so resilient that he managed to keep going for so long with such cold temperatures, no food and in total isolation? Truly astounding.
 
On the adaptability side, initial thoughts are that his body must have gone into some sort of hibernation. So a natural physical adaptation to survive perhaps helped.
 
In terms of resilience though, this man has done something that many of us probably feel we could not. Likewise I am sure many of us wonder how the homeless manage to get through yet another night on the streets when temperatures fall below zero. I feel I am fairly resilient, but I can't imagine being able to cope with endless cold and discomfort.
 
Resilience is an interesting trait. And its badly needed in current times given economic turbulence and the endless change so many of us are constantly going through. But how do you develop it? And do some have it more than others?
 
Resilience to me is about having an inner strength to draw on when you need it. To keep going when others might stop. And this isn't about being able to sprint the extra 100 metres when you are being chased down an alley, as that is a very short lived inner strength which disappears totally either seconds or minutes later. 

I actually know a trainer who specialises in developing mental stamina. Its an interesting niche in the business world....developing a tough mind to operate successfully in a tough world. Perhaps you know of someone who might benefit from finding out how to toughen up a bit?
 
Or perhaps you are of the view that mentally toughening staff up is too 'dinosaurish' an approach to take in the modern business culture? Kid gloves more the thing of today perhaps? And if you toughen staff up, might that then backfire with staff who don't like the new 'mentally tough' approach, then claiming that the new culture is one of bullying and harassment?
 
But if kid gloves are the order of the day in most businesses, how can you be sure that when times are tough, your most valuable team players are going to have the resilience to keep going and keep trying until tough times are behind you?
 
So look around you today. Who brings resilience into your team and your world? And, in contrast, who are those around you who fold at the slightest tremor? Do you value the first group and have you assessed the dangers of having too many in the second?
 
Your thoughts on this as always are welcomed - please add your comments in the box below. And for a better understanding of your own work style, to have a chance to win a FREE Success Insights psychometric profile for either yourself or a member of your team (normal price of £130) please email me. Closing date for entries is 14th March 2012.

]]> J-Blog Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:03:02 +0000 Company confidentiality? Who cares? We’re on a train!! http://www.jaluch.co.uk/blog/105-blog/990-company-confidentiality-who-cares-were-on-a-train.html Company confidentiality? Who cares? We’re on a train!!Bookbinders unravelled…

I do like it when I’m pondering what to blog about and then the very topic rears up and slaps me across the face!!

It happened that way last week. I got on a train to London. The trip was to take 90 minutes. So I could work I sat at a table. At the table opposite were two guys who were already talking. One older guy did the talking. The younger one did most of the listening, but posed a few questions along the way.

Was it me or did the voice of the older guy go up a notch as I sat down? I think it might have done. Perhaps he wanted to impress me with his knowledge and status in life. Who knows! The younger guy was far more discreet though, at least the whole carriage didn’t hear what he had to say….

I got the impression the younger one had just joined the company into a sales role and that the trip that day was part of his induction.

It’s not a great idea though is it to actually do an induction on the train. Particularly if you are in sales!! What was he thinking? Have you any idea how much company information can be discussed in 90 minutes when essentially one person is doing a brain dump of everything in his head!

They clearly worked for a key player in the book binding industry, and whilst trying to crack on with my own work what I inadvertently overheard was:

  • Annual sales last year in the Eurozone
  • Annual sales last year in the UK plus year on year change
  • Annual sales UK last year from their two major customers plus names of those customers
  • Profit margins
  • Negotiating margins on proposals
  • Internal process for initiating pricing for proposals
  • Challenges in different sectors – including international challenges
  • Key competitors
  • What some competitors do better or more cost efficiently than them
  • Recent projects carried out for clients and comments on the pricing/profitability of those
  • Credit terms for international companies and how those weren’t conducive to good customer relations given that they were at times far too harsh and mistrusting
  • Key clients
  • Add on sales opportunities
  • Clients they would like to have but don’t yet have
  • Key decision makers in those clients they would like to have and what they are like and why they are blocking entry to them
  • Format of internal sales meetings
  • Different individuals within their own business and what they add (or don’t add)

I could go on!

My question to you today of course is:

If you could identify one person in your business who would so carelessly spill your company information, who would it be?

Oh… and if you want to send me your best guess as to which global book binding business last week revealed all, please do so.

And finally, why not take this opportunity just to remind your staff of their obligations in respect of confidentiality? Just a quick resend to staff of your policy and a covering email won’t take long. But it could save you a whole heap of hassle!

]]> J-Blog Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:34:42 +0000