Nicholas Bate

TheSentencesYouLoveSeven

2012-02-15T05:43:29+00:00

"The marketing guys have just sent out another template". Of course it's sweet that they have come out with something else; helvetica in aubergine is cool for the spring. But in the end, marketing is not about PowerPoint templates. It's thinking out how to shrink the competition as quickly and as profitably as possible.
"We're going to forgo profitability this year in order to gain market share". Sounds good. Sounds reasonable. Just will there be enough money around to invest once that market share has been captured? And is market share for a reason? Or just for ego?
"There is a cap on the nightly rate you can pay for your hotel unless there are special circumstances". You can bet there will be special circumstances. Always.
"Reception is now more welcoming with its real coffee machine". True. Shame the rest rooms are still an awkward question beyond the security gate.
"We never said it would be easy." Absolutely. And I never realised my own company would make it so hard for me.
"The team-building session is next week". Sigh.
"Would all staff please wear their security badges at all times". Sigh Squared. That's another cashmere jumper ruined.

Mmmm

2012-02-14T04:04:33+00:00

Nicholas Bate

The Seven Greatest Barriers To Your Greatest Work (4) Not Being Bold Enough

2012-02-14T04:04:19+00:00

The Executive Summary of The Greatest Barriers:

(1) Worrying about what other people think (2) The distraction of trivia and melodrama (3) The desire for perfection (4) Simply not being bold enough (5) Not having a pen (6) Believing things should be fair (7) Copying rather than innovating.

back story with barriers (1) and (2) here. Back story to (3) here.

Not Being Bold Enough

Yep, you had that idea, too. Mmm, you were going to make that very call. Jeez, what on Earth is she doing dating him when there is you available?

People cannot mind read. There is a time and a place for everything. And when your gut or heart. Or gut and heart tell you it is that time, grab the opportunity by being bold. Then you will launch a best-selling album, an award winning design and win the fair hand of the girl-next-door.

Yes, be bold.

Bonus: Bold 101, the book

There's Open Plan

2012-02-14T04:04:07+00:00

and this.

InstantBusinessSpeak: ThirtyFive: HotDesking

2012-02-14T04:03:47+00:00

Organisations love hot-desking. It's what cool and virtual and edgey organisations do. 'People should be out selling' snaps the sales director. 'Avoid stress and work from home' adds the nice lady in HR. These are good points. But ask anyone who has hot-desked and is hot-desking what it has done to their stress levels and to their ability to sell effectively.

In the end, get data not hearsay.

Your Very Own

2012-02-14T04:03:34+00:00

Lego Moleskine notebook.

The Lies of Entrepreneurs and Investors

2012-02-14T04:03:05+00:00

according to Guy Kawasaki.

StrategiesForSuccessFifty: FortyThree: One More Time

2012-02-13T05:39:49+00:00

Persistence is a winner. There is a dark side of course (there always is...): addiction, fanaticism, an inability to let it go. But simple persistence: one more call, one more mail, one more strategy. It works. Ask any successful person.

The Seven Greatest Barriers To Your Greatest Work (3) Desire For Perfection

2012-02-12T06:33:56+00:00

The Executive Summary of The Greatest Barriers:

back story with barriers (1) and (2) here.

Of course we would all like to be a great presenter, writer, innovator straight away. But the greatest, truly the greatest were not. They had to learn. Steve Jobs became amazing via a tortuous route of previous experience and previous companies. Sir Richard Branson had his bank knocking on his door one Christmas Eve saying "no more cheques, Mr Branson". To desire perfection is to stymie our growth, to slow down our learning and to eliminate the likelihood of our greatest work. To have high standards, to aim high and believe there is great work within each and everyone of us is different. And enlivening. And human.

Tanmay Vora

2012-02-12T06:22:58+00:00

breaks it to a colleague that process improvement never stops.