My partner is involved in motorsport and everytime he gets ready to go off to a race he has to move his racecar into the trailer.   I am sometimes around to help him do this, and I always notice that he has a few pieces of wood that are used for various tasks.  From stopping the car sliding back when its stopped on the ramp, to ensuring a smooth line for the wheels to take whilst putting the car in....and many more. Then at the race circuit, I noticed the same with all the other drivers, that handy piece of wood that is always lurking about ready to be used for an important job.

Now whilst there are many pieces of important equipment that are required to participate in motorsport, and many of them cost of a lot of money, the trusty pieces of wood are always there when you need them, and are probably the least expensive item in the trailer.

It got me thinking.  Sometimes when you are feeling demotivated, or there is not a huge pipeline of business ahead, its easy to take your skills and talents for granted, and think that anyone can do what you do.  But the uniqueness that you bring to your work, is just that - unique.  No one else will view the world the way you do, and the combination of knowledge, experience and skills that you have developed over the years is what makes each one of us valuable in our role.  For people in the consulting line of business, that's what clients are paying for.  For your ability to bring together the sum of your experience to help add value to their business in some way or other.

So if you are feeling like that piece of wood in the corner of the garage, thinking that no-one notices you there and that you are not as valuable as all the shiny other things that are around, remember this. 

YOU are the most useful tool in your kitbag - write down all the reasons why you add value and how you have helped others in the past. You dont need fancy packaging or a snazzy business card - just know what you are good at and be able to tell others in a succinct manner. 

I was listening to a radio programme last night where a river pilot was talking about the way he knows if the economy is in recession.   His indicator was the number of steps he has to climb to get onboard ship.  If the ship is laden with goods on its way out of UK waters with exports to the Far East, the ship will be lower in the water, hence fewer steps to climb.  More recently he had more steps to climb on ships leaving than ships arriving from the Far East.

A simple indicator that gives him an impression of the world's economy.

It reminded me of the wonderful time I have when staying with my cousins in Astoria, Oregon.  As their house faces the river, we can sit at breakfast and watch the tankers and bulk carriers going up and down the Columbia River.   You can also find out where the ships are going to and coming from, courtesy of Joanne Rideout's daily Ship Report.  It makes it much more interesting when each ship has a story to tell of its journey.   Her photo below (thanks Joanne) shows a carrier sitting fairly high in the water.

So what are your indicators of change?   Whilst financial ones may seen obvious i.e. not enough money to have meals out, or an evening at the cinema,  there are other indicators that are around us all the time.

I notice the changing seasons whilst walking the dogs.  Trees with the leaves changing colour, and horses wearing rugs in the fields indicate that its autumn and the temperatures are dropping.

One skill is being able to observe change and another, perhaps more important, is being ready to adapt to the changes.

So today, as you go about your business, be extra observant to notice what might be different from yesterday and work out what it means and then what you need to do in order to adapt to the change. This helps to build resilience and flexibility.  

Imagine the scenario.  Your desk is so full of work that it looks like the leaning tower of Pisa, it’s 5.00pm and your boss asks you to photocopy a long report to be sent in the post today.  You then find the photocopier has run out of toner, and no-one else knows where the refills are!  This situation is not unfamiliar to people these days as we work with greater pressure and shorter deadlines.  So how do you keep focused and motivated when things begin to get tough in the workplace?

There are no simple answers, but there are five rules that have helped me to survive in extremely tough situations in the Arctic that can equally apply to the world of work.  

1. Flexibility is the key to survival.  The ability to adapt is one thing that enables people to survive in an ever-changing world.  During our expedition to cross the Greenland Ice Cap, we encountered two major problems on day one of the journey!  Firstly one of our fuel containers leaked and we were faced with the prospect of having to ration it from day one.  Then un-seasonally warm temperatures meant that a lake we had planned to ski across had melted and we had to make a detour over mountainous terrain instead, taking much longer than planned.  Plans are fine as long as you are happy to change them as rigidity can pile un-necessary pressures on us.

2. Attention to detail is critical.  In the Arctic it can take just one silly error to jeopardise your life.  If you put down your gloves instead of inside your jacket, they can blow away if a sudden gust of wind appears.  Lack of gloves could result in frostbite.  It’s the same in the workplace, its not good enough to let a letter go out with the incorrect spelling of a name, as that’s probably what the customer will notice and remember.  In a competitive world, the biggest factor that differentiates good from average service is attention to detail.

3. Become of aware of what you focus on.  Having the ability to focus on the short-term and the long term simultaneously is a valuable skill to have in a rapidly changing environment. Immediate problems can threaten our motivation and it’s important to remember to focus on what you can control, rather than what you cannot.  All too often we spend too much time and energy focusing on the things that frustrate us rather than the things that give us pleasure.  In the Arctic, it’s the choice between thinking about how cold and tired you are, or focusing on the stunning landscape and marvelling at how lucky you are to be able to appreciate this remote place. 

4. Manage your emotions.  When pressures get to us, we all behave in different ways.  Some people may get angry and look for other people to blame, whilst others may feel out of control and helpless.  But whatever we do, our emotions will impact on our motivation, and if we want to perform to the best of our ability, we need to learn to acknowledge and manage our emotions.  On our Greenland expedition, I began to realise that I couldn’t keep up with the others in the team.  The guy in front got frustrated with me and I felt inadequate and worthless.  The pressure began to build and could have exploded if we both had not managed our emotions effectively.  In the end I realised that crying was no good (my tears just froze) so I just had to change my mindset and think of the qualities I had that were valued in the team such as my sense of humour and organisational skills. 

5. Be yourself.    One of the most important abilities you need to have if you want to maintain your motivation is to just be yourself.  It’s important to think about what you value, such as fairness, or honesty and then try to live up to those beliefs.  Sometimes in business, people behave in a way that they think other people expect, rather than just being themselves.  Authentic people stand out because what you see is what you get.

If you would like to maintain your motivation then sign up now to attend my Kickstart your Motivation workshop on Wednesday 16th November, in London from 6 - 9pm.

It always great to learn from other successful people and to be able to do it over a weekend is even better.   In a few weeks time, one of my friends Stephanie Hale is hosting The Millionaire Bootcamp for Women in London on 28th, 29th and 30th October.

Get your earlybird ticket now.

The 12 expert women will show you how simple making money can be... how to get out of 'stuck' and move on to the next level quickly.  They're on a mission to show you the shortcuts... and help you avoid the costly and time-consuming mistakes they had to make.

Two of their strategies are to learn how to create multiple streams of income (which I did by getting some books published) and how to grow your business using simple Youtube videos.

I'd book a place now if you want to keep learning and developing.

Just took part in a Twitterview with 1230KISS which was lots of fun. How to summarise your responses in 140 characters or less!  

Women’s enterprise: the ‘secret weapon’ for recovery of UK economy?

Already female-led businesses contribute more than £75 billion to the economy - and their role in growing the economy, and creating and sustaining new jobs, is crucial to recovery and growth. But despite this level of activity, women are too often invisible within the business arena, and at a time when many businesses are struggling to survive and grow, there is a danger that the progress made to date will falter.

The ‘multi-billion £ opportunity’ which growth from women-owned enterprises can bring to the economy may not be realised. In a government survey published in June 2011 , two-thirds of female employers want to grow their businesses over the next two to three years. If even half that number achieved modest growth, and created a new job, the economy would receive a £5bn boost and the creation of more than 240,000 extra jobs.

The Women’s Enterprise Policy Group is calling for more support and advocacy from Government to make this happen.

In a briefing paper going out in advance of the Labour and Conservative Party conferences, the Group is asking for:

1. More business growth support for existing entrepreneurs
2. A women’s enterprise Government champion within BIS or the Treasury
3. A charter to ensure more women-led businesses are included in public and private sector procurement
4. Support from Local Enterprise Partnerships to promote women’s enterprise in their economic development strategies

As long as women remain under-represented in enterprise through lack of practical support, the government is wasting a multi-billion pound opportunity to grow the economy.

Less is more. Yesterday I reviewed my notes after a coaching session with a client and I had written down only 12 words. And yet those words were able to remind me of the entire session and the important points.

We get so much information communicated to us all the time, that its worthwhile stopping to think about how you communicate. Does your message get lost or is it clear, concise and easy to remember?

So if you could describe your business in 12 words or less, what would they be?

Earlier this year I wrote in my blog about a woman with great perserverance, who had been really keen for me to speak in her organisation and whilst she got no support internally, we eventually made it happen as I was impressed by her determination and commitment.

Well this morning I received a very welcome email from her in which she has begun work in her own time on a project that will be of significant benefit to my business.  She felt I had been so kind by speaking to her colleagues that she wanted to do something in return.  This was such a lovely surprise that it made me think about the theme of today's blog posting.

What do we need to do, or think, so that what we do for others may come back to us in some other way in the future?

Look at the definitions of the words below and a theme emerges....

1.  Generosity

is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. It can involve offering time,money or talents to aid someone in need.

2.  Acceptance

is a person's agreement to experience a situation, to follow a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it, protest, or exit.

3. Delight

means happiness and may refer to someone or something that brings such a state.

For me the theme that comes from these words is about the degree of force or energy that is used in the activity.  Nothing in these definitions speaks to me about forcing, or pushing or driving.  Rather the opposite, it seems that when you are in a state of flow, effortlessness and with no defined expectation, there can be a greater sense of happiness.

This links into my philosophy which is "slowing down is the new speeding up".  So if you want to develop your business and make greater impact, then slow down, reflect, notice where you could add value and be generous to others.  

Yesterday I attended the Hot Coaching Topics conference in Bristol and really enjoyed it.  Around 30 or so coaches, from quite diverse specialisms, debated the issues that they perceived to be the hot topics of the moment.

One of the subjects debated was "Powerful Questions".  What is a powerful question?  How do we define them?  What causes them to be powerful?   One definition was a question that changes the level and direction of the conversation.

We had an opportunity to practice asking powerful questions even before we realised as the first exercise (partly icedbreaker) was a great twist on Marshall Goldsmith's Feedforward process. 

Each person was invited to think up a question that they would like to ask of others in the room.  And then you got a chance to go and ask that question to as many people as possible.   They would answer it and then ask you their question.  It was a really effective and quick way to get talking and listening, and of course, asking a potentially powerful question.

Some of the ones I was asked and answered were:

• What are you trying to overcome?
• What is your passion?
• And so, tell me more?
• What is your favourite kind of underwear? (some were a bit diverse!!)
• What are you currently learning?

I asked others what had caused them to attend the event.  Definitely received some interesting and very honest answers, and would recommend this activity as a good icebreaker.  Thanks to Halina Jaroszewska for arranging the event.