You could argue that only Walter Mitty and colleagues could find any positives to draw from the nightmarish Coronavirus Pandemic, however, I can't help thinking that there will be numerous mind shifts that will emerge from this episode, many positive and even life changing.

Lockdown has opened up new opportunities for many that would simply not exist.  Opportunities, not in the revenue generating type, but ones that allow us to reassess what is important to us.  The fatal implications for too many of COVID-19, also helps create a useful filter for issues that we might have in the past, fretted over - issues that now we can firmly assign to the "not important" box.

I'm so lucky.  I live in a lovely part of Devon and am confined here with my grown up family in a house which is large enough that we can be close or far away from each other - certainly not the case for all - and we even have the luxury of escaping to the nearby (30 large steps away) Devon Business & Education Centre if we want decent internet or need a variety of business space.  However, many of the positives could apply to all - here are my top 5 - what are yours?
​

1. Time to notice the little things.  Frenetic lifestyles have evaporated into thin air and we now have the time to reengage with the world around us, connecting with people, our surroundings, new ideas and our own thoughts.  Using this opportunity will help us prosper over this period of lockdown.
   
   
2. Health, happiness and calm.  Faced with the remote but palpable possibility of meeting our maker, not surprisingly many are starting to take their health seriously, taking more exercise, eating better and valuing relaxation.  Creating more balance in one's life, working in a way that suits  your own preferred styles and learning to be not do are  key skills that will equip you for a healthier future.
   
   
3. Rejoining your Community.   Recognising the importance of the people around you, people who are equally threatened by the current circumstances and who we now have a responsibility for.  Virtual or physical, the community can help you feel connected in a time when physical travel isn't possible.
   
   
4. All work, no play.   When work was our purpose, we were ruled by our calendars and our targets.  We now have the potential to  recalibrate, making as much effort to fit in the "non-work".  Virtual connection has helped us realise how much of our time was non-productive. 
   
   
5. Thankfulness.  Being grateful to the people who care for us, the people who deliver goods to us, the people who look out for us - is a good thing. We are not the centre of the world, we are just part of it.

So the question is.  When the world returns to a post-lockdown reality, will we have adopted these new insights or will we revert?  I hope we realise that the new world could be our opportunity to be better people and better colleagues.

​What are your 5?

​

If your clients, suppliers and staff are telling you that “your business is difficult to engage with” – you have a real problem. 
 
Even more in the Digital Age, instant responses are the norm, and a sluggish or bureaucratic reaction will reduce the likelihood of customers returning to your business.  Staff, also, hate papering up the cracks and you will find staff turnover is greatest where the operations do not hit the spot.
 
Processes, poorly thought through or having evolved over time, can be the barrier not the solution to improved visibility of the customer experience.  In these circumstances, you might not even notice that the client has been relegated from being king to working in the kitchens.
 
Recognition and acceptance that this gloomy situation needs improving is the first step. The next requires the development of, what we call, a “lean mindset” across the business.
 
So what is a lean mindset?
 
A lean mindset is based on creating flowing processes that help the customer achieve their requirements, profitably. 
 
Clients sometimes forget that last word - “profitably”, but your job is not to do everything the customer wants but only those things that help them admire you, pay you and want to come back.
 
Once you understand what the your customers want you need to surface what is happening at the moment.  We use a basket of tools and techniques to do this and are, in particular looking for signs of non-productive tasks, wasted effort and moments of customer misery.
 
Lean thinking will the help you strip out those tasks and create moments that the customer value and want to pay for.
 

As we enter the season of overconsumption, we also know this will soon follow with the consequent feelings of regret and requisite intent to put things right.  We also know full well that New Years’ resolutions rarely last, unless they are properly planned with sufficient focus placed on creating supporting structures to aid success.
 
At South West Growth Service, We also find that business owners also emerge from the seasonal miasma with the best intentions to put right those issues that have irritated them for so long, issues that, they perceive, have held them and their business back. Typically the most common New Year enquiries we receive are based on the following reactions:
 

• Our marketing isn’t working
• I want to expand but don’t know how
• We can’t get our orders out in time
• We can’t get the right staff
• I don’t know how long I want to do this
• I’ve invested my life into this business, I want to get some return

 
The clarity created by the seasonal break, can then lead to action – often frenetic activity based on the initial impulse – we see it all the time:  a new PR campaign, social media training, a new staff role, a new commitment to do more, less or different….
 
Whilst you could argue that something is better than nothing, often the chances of success are as good as my recent attempts to shed a few pounds, run a marathon and… well, you get the picture.  The only way to achieve sustained change is to have a more considered assessment, reviewing your and your businesses’ aims and understanding precisely why you are not being successful.  More often than not the answers are complex and fall across multiple areas – perhaps there has been a shift in the market resulting in your previously successful strategy now being ineffectual, maybe resulting in the wrong marketing and sales activity.  Rarely is there a one-dimensional solution.
 
At South West Growth Service, we have developed a “Business Detox” process that will enable you and your key staff to spend a day with some of the best consultants in the SW reviewing the business performance along a range of parameters:
 

• Business strategy.  How the current business is positioned in current market conditions for future growth and success.
  
• Sales and Marketing.  An opportunity to review how the business is building its brand and attracting new sales.
  
• Finance and funding. Understanding current fundamentals of how the business is performing, identifying critical success measures and potential funding options.
  
• Exit planning.  An initial discussion about exit plans and the key areas that the business needs to address to achieve a satisfactory exit.
  
• Operations and organisational development.  Understanding how the business processes are working and what skills may be needed to help the business succeed.

 
“Business detox” events are limited to only 6 businesses with a maximum of 3 staff per business.  Early bird prices have been reserved for the first 2 businesses to register.  The day is hosted at Devon Business & Education Centre and will last from 0900 to 1700.  Lunch is provided.
 
To find out more, please contact chris@southwestgrowthservice.co.uk
 
To book, please go to
https://www.dbec.co.uk/business?event=19#.WiqHnz8Yu-U.twitter
 

Most of us stumble into self-employment - unexpectedly waking up to find we have to consider customers, cashflow, and marketing.  Before long we realise we have staff and wider commitments - all too quickly what started as fun has turned into a chore.


However, whether your business has just started up, is a year old or, even, you are wanting the confidence to launch it - then a little time out can be essential to make sure your progress is swift, efficient and enjoyable.


The Start-Up Success Seminar is designed to help all businesses of all shapes and ambitions get off to the right start. At the day long event, held in the sanctuary of the picturesque Devon Business & Education Centre, delegates will enjoy an uninterrupted and focused assessment of their business, helping them to achieve their ambitions.  The seminar is led by Chris Lorimer of Lorimer Consulting with input from a range of experts.


Attendees will gain insights on:

• Developing your business strategy - getting a plan in place.
• Getting the basics in place - finance and operations can not be ignored!
• The right approach for marketing and sales - unique to your business.
• Keeping the business performance on track - but not through sacrificing your lifestyle or sanity!

​To find out more contact Chris at chris@lorimerconsulting.co.uk or book now at any of the scheduled dates (September 2017, November 2017  and January 2018).

​Stress does funny things to people.   The shock of the previous 24 hours was visibly etched in the very demeanour of Theresa May, after her surprise reverse in fortune in the General Election.  No confident steps, only glancing eye contact, a faltering voice – the impact of a hard few days at the office was obvious to all.
​
The world of politics is not unusual, prolonged or intense episodes of highly stressful instances are par for the course in business.  Business leaders, owners and managers are often expected to “lead from the front”, showing an insouciant disregard for the occasional “slings and arrows”.
Business leaders who fail to respond “as expected” can create a vortex of negative emotions within the organisation – “it’s worse than we thought” comments filling the air around the proverbial water coolers.  Prolonged, this will affect staff morale and engagement, potentially seriously impacting business performance.

“Operations” are often wrongly viewed as the unglamorous part of a business – not strategic, not lucrative, no real intellect required, and, let’s be honest, a bit….grubby.  This view is not just totally wrong but ignores the fact that companies that successfully build lean processes will be more successful, more valuable and much, much more profitable.
 
“Operational excellence” is not well understood but generally combines three aspects where the business operations:
 

• Are designed, connected and flow
• Have a planned and outstanding customer experience
• Underpin the strategic priorities, usually either quality, cost or speed

 
The most successful companies have mastered the operational processes making it easier for the customer to do business with them.  It’s no accident that Amazon’s “1 click” button is helping the cash flow in – customers are over 20 times more likely to repurchase where it is low effort to do so.  Equally when businesses get it wrong, it can jeopardise performance – consider the brand impact of United Airline’s recent disastrous removal of a passenger from an overbooked airline. 

Anticipating a few days break, a number of business owners have asked me what they should be doing ”usefully” during their time-off. The obvious answer is “nothing at all” – really they should be putting their laptops away and learn to relax, however, this answer is seldom sufficient.
 
“Well, if you have to do something, why not consider what your business’ purpose is?  Why does it exist?”
 
The standard retort is “to make money, pay the bills….”, or something similar.  However, in my view, these are outputs of their purpose not the purpose itself and the better they are at defining it, the better they will perform in achieving their financial goals.
 
The underpinning rationale for defining the business purpose is compelling.  Without a defined purpose, every business risks drifting - being swept along in the flow.  Research by PWC, suggests that for millennials, one of their key considerations is their connectedness with the organisational purpose. Separately, team motivation is shown to be much stronger when there is a cause that unites.  Simon Sinek famously referenced the importance of “The Why” in how great leaders inspire action – have a look at his TED talk.

When I meet business owners for the first time, they usually tell me that their business is suffering from difficulties with “marketing”, “process issues” or sometimes even “our staff”.  However, when I spend time with them, it is usually abundantly clear to all that what they thought was the major issue was not the entire answer. 
 
”For every complex problem there is a simple solution. And it's always wrong” - H.L. Mencken
 
As humans, it comforts us to simplify complexity but in business this can lead you down the wrong track, creating unnecessary change, costing valuable cash and, even worse, not resolving the underlying issues.  I find the answer usually lies in a number of areas and, particularly, their relationship with the overarching business strategy.
 
The best businesses, regardless of size, have a clear business strategy, which sets out a direction and focus of the company – ideally described in words of one syllable.  Critically, this strategy needs then to be aligned and in sync with all the supporting organisational structures and processes, including sales, marketing, IT, operations, procurement, finance, HR, customer service, staff training, everything….

Even the most partial observer cannot fail to have been impressed by the inexorable rise of the South West rugby team, the Exeter Chiefs. 
​Over a decade that I have supported them, the club has risen from relative obscurity to being Premiership finalists, an achievement that has baffled the rugby cognoscenti, expecting a more predictable “boom and bust” result.
 
The fact is that business has much to learn from the Chiefs, who despite another highly successful season, will be continuing to plot and plan improved performance for the next season and, indeed, the ones after.

Often I meet highly competent professionals who are between jobs and “in the perfect world” would start their own business as consultants, passing on their invaluable knowledge. 

They tell me that they are clear that’s what they want to do but they are reluctant to fully commit as they are the main breadwinner, they have a big mortgage, or “want to see how it goes”. 

​Typically, they start off with best intentions, by taking on a part-time employed role and aim to develop their business in the remaining available time.
 
They are embarking upon, what I call, the “I can have it all strategy”.   Which, by the way, is doomed to failure.  

“There is only one boss. The customer.  And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”  Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart

Too often I hear organisations saying how the customer is everything to them but then find that the real experience is several light years away from what any discerning customer would value. 

​These same organisations don’t seem to appreciate that most of us, even when the service is low cost, would not choose to:

• Wait to be served for minutes on end
• Provide all our personal information to them
• Pay for extras that you might reasonably assume were part of the service
• Be treated as a number not an individual

Having  a clear description of what "a good job" looks like is critical - it can underpin induction, training and performance management. 

The thing is, although measuring the final outcome is important (after all you need to understand the progress is being made) only through measuring the "how" can sustained and consistent performance occur.  Called organisational behaviours, together they combine to create powerful levers of change, and standards by which staff, suppliers and, of course, customers measure the organisation. Arguably, they can be the standard through which reputations are made or lost.  

What was it like, the last time you had to complain?  Were you treated like a nuisance or were you listened to and treated with respect?  All organisations make mistakes, but how they deal with them reflects their focus on the "hows" - their staff's attitude, demeanour and behaviour.

 “I don’t do politics”
 
In my previous careers, I genuinely believed that I wasn’t a political animal, just a straight talking chap, making his way in the world. However, in retrospect, I now realise that I was highly political, even Machiavellian.
 
It could be said that working in contrasting but highly structured environments (commercial banking and public sector education), office politics were essential skills, if you wanted to advance your career.  Accordingly, armed with an insatiable desire to progress, I could schmooze, intimidate or manoeuvre around any barrier I perceived was blocking my path. 
 
But is this a problem? Aren’t these the essential tools that knit together the organisational fabric? 
 
With the luxury of now viewing organisations from the outside, it becomes crystal clear just how much time is wasted through office politics.  In a world where we all have too little time, too much information, too little energy – this component can often be the straw that breaks the camels back, causing good people to leave and creating a culture where trust and collaboration are left outside the front door.

British Telecom, a great British Institution, market capitalisation of £50bn+, providing telephone lines to over £28m of the UK population, helping us to be connected, be complete..... 

Love them or hate them, BT has to deal with some significant issues, massive volumes, an ageing and stretched infrastructure, and, worst of all, rising customer expectations that demand immediate, fast and reliable connectivity.  BT is also facing significant competition from multiple global players, all trying to access the profitable parts of their marketplace.
 
So when things do go wrong, against this backdrop, you would have thought that even this leviathan would be interested in addressing it effectively, after all customers do pay the bills…?
 
No.  Unfortunately, judging by my experiences, you’d be wrong.

Picture the scene.  You are in charge of managing the relationship with one of the highest profile customers your business has and you have just received the phone call in which they tell you that the relationship is finished. Ended. No more.

Tragically for the Met Office, the world's most famous weather forecasting agency, this scene wasn't imagined, but became an unwelcome reality last week. A relationship held since 1922 with the BBC appears to be, notwithstanding some last ditch attempts to resuscitate it, all but dead.  True, the Met Office will continue to provide some services (including, severe weather warnings) but the bulk of services, representing £3m of annual income, will be put out to tender, opening the door to global competitors.

Logic would suggest that the closer you are to knowing the contact personally the more helpful it would be.  However, emerging research suggests that when it comes to influencing others, it is not your contact that matters, or, indeed, their contact but the conversation that happens one stage further on.

So if, for example, you were looking to encourage someone to buy your product or service, then your immediate sales discussion will apparently have less influence than the advocacy of your customer’s contact. Or put it another way, the conversation might go like this:

“I’m looking to get some financial advice – do you know anyone?”

“ A chap I know always raves about a company called XYZ Ltd – you might want to give them a try?”

Those of you who thought that scanning the future was the preserve of psychics, PHDs and futurists will be surprised to know that the future of work is already here and if your business fails to prepare and adapt, it will suffer.

Suffer? Yes, “suffer” in the very real sense that you run the risk of:

• Being unable to recruit and train the staff you need, or, indeed, staff you can trust.
  
• Being outflanked by agile competitors who have adapted more quickly. 
  
• Failing to anticipate significant market shifts which will undermine your market position.
  
• Being unable to produce your product or service at the price customers demand.

 Yes, it’s that significant. So “suffer” is probably the right word.

Many of the owners of the businesses I work with recognise that they do not have all the skills they need to support continued growth.  They often have specialist advisers working independently but do not benefit from having differently skilled expertise working together to deliver a coherent strategy.  In these circumstances, I suggest that they consider building an advisory board that will help them to achieve their aims. 

I emphasis that this is an important step as by involving others you need to be open to others' ideas and be willing to trust them - often up until this point they have been successful following their own intuition - dogged determination underpinning their success so far.

Unlike a formal board of Directors, an advisory board is assembled and brings together the skills that the owners requires.  The advisers have no formal accountability but will need some incentive to be involved and usually have some empathy and insight into the sector of the business.  Their role is not to be a replacement MD but to provide wise counsel, supporting the owners/managers to make the best decisions to achieve their business goals.