Category Archives: How to…

Doing the hard things

Some things in life are just really hard.

Sometimes decisions have to be made that do not feel good and can cause a great deal of stress and strain for all those involved. These decisions can also have far-reaching implications and can change the whole course of your life and those you love and care for.

They might be decisions around work and careers. They might be decisions about where you live, who your friends are or how close to your friends you will be. They might also be around money, such as making a decision to make a life-changing purchase or commit to buying a property or a similarly huge spend.

Whatever the predicament that you find yourself in, you just have to do something about moving forwards from it and getting away from the darkness of the place you feel today. However bad today feels for you, whatever it is that you have to decide or deliver upon, you must remember a couple of things:

The sun will come up tomorrow, whatever decision you make today
There are many, many people in the world who have a lot more to deal with every day than you do and some reflection on this will do much more good than harm
The sooner you take some kind of positive action, however difficult it may seem, the sooner you can move on with your new plan and begin to execute it. Execution is what it’s all about.

The basics of any business

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Running a business of any kind is very difficult. Around every corner are potential banana skins and you need to be keeping an eye on everything at all times. Sales, finances, new business development, marketing, the lot. But there are three things that you have to remember at all times:

1 – The purpose of being in business is to make a profit. Nothing else really matters.

2 – Making sales is what business is all about. However good you are at the other elements, if you can’t sell you need to find a way to change that and fast.

3 – Sales is the foundation of any business but cash management keeps you in business. Manage your money in the right way and you’ll never have any problems.

Be ready for the call

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With a bit of luck in your life, at some point in time you will get the call to the big leagues. And when that call comes, you need to be ready for it.

The work will be hard and it will feel like it is never going to be done but it will be the thing that makes you. When this kind of lucky break appears you have got to do something with it and, if you have discipline and focus, you will be prepared.

Manage yourself the right way through preparation and repetition of lots of things in your life, such as your health and diet, getting enough exercise and sleep, etc. and you will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Repeat the simple things to the point that they become automatic and the call will not be a surprise – you’ll be ready and waiting.

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[If you need any help with your resume/CV, please check out my other site https://realjobsearchinsider.wordpress.com/]

Your CV – check, check and check again

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My latest post from LinkedIn:

Many CVs are full of errors and this is something that is easy to fix. Check your document, get others to proofread it, then recheck it to make sure there are no mistakes. If it’s a straight choice between two applications for a role and one of the CVs has no spelling errors, who do you think gets the invitation to interview? It can really be that simple.

Make sure your address details, telephone number (mobile only) and email address are clear and correct at the top of each page. If you’re in the process of relocating to a new area, it can also help to add to any covering letter or email what your plans are, otherwise it can cause real confusion and lead your application to the trash.

Check all of your spelling, grammar, punctuation and layout on the document. Think of the reader and what they are going to think of the way your document has been prepared – it really does make a difference when you are looking at lots of these every day.

And be sure to check your facts, statistics and data. Don’t be caught out by an employer doing their standard due diligence on you as a candidate and identifying a glaring exaggeration of sales figures or project details. If they decide to interview you, which would be unlikely if you make this kind of mistake, they are sure to ask you to justify your version of the facts so avoid this potential banana skin.

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[If you need any help with your resume/CV, please check out my other site https://realjobsearchinsider.wordpress.com/]

Get over your fears in 2016

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It doesn’t matter what it is that you’re afraid of and it doesn’t matter how you do it, but if you can make 2016 the year that you get past your fears, you’ll have a fantastic year.

So, what’s holding you back? Ask yourself this question when you’re facing something tough and listen hard to your answers. I’m sure when you do this you’ll realise that your answers are nothing much beyond excuses, really and sound quite hollow in the open air.

Keep doing this whenever you feel anxious or are struggling to overcome something you find hard or difficult. You’ll see things much more clearly and start to break through these self-imposed barriers.

Try it and see what it can do for you.

Cash matters

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Some thoughts about saving and investments that have crossed my mind over the last couple of weeks after doing quite a bit of reading on the subject:

Be cautious: Think through any kind of decision that will have an effect on your everyday life and cash balance as if your whole life depended on it. Do all of your research and read up on the basic facts as you can find them, then get further truly independent and impartial advice, and then make your decision. Yes, at some point you just have to pull the trigger and many of us can really struggle in this area, too, but research can truly pay off when making big decisions and spending money. The consequences of not researching are there for all to see – ‘great’ investments oversold and the life savings of many returning much less than they should and fees swallowing up huge percentages over the years.

Timing: What is a sensible period of time holding off on making a decision – researching – and how much research should you do? You could be reducing the time it takes to reach your targets and increasing the value of your earnings via compounding of interest if you delay too long, so get your research done to a point where you feel comfortable and then make a start. If you haven’t got a system for saving money weekly or monthly where cash is automatically transferred to a savings account, however small, you must start that without further delay. Stop what you’re doing now and get this done – it will literally take 15 minutes and will be the beginning of your investment journey.

Regular reviews, but not too regular: The days where you could leave an investment and just wait for it to mature with that huge cheque landing on your doormat are over. Investments need regular review and if you need to take profits or alter your strategy to reflect activity in the economy, get it done to keep yourself on course.

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Ian Mountford is a global recruitment expert and strategy coach providing motivation and guidance to entrepreneurs, wannabe or fully-fledged. He draws from his own experience of building businesses from the ground up and spending many years helping clients to consistently achieve their goals and aspirations. Ian works with clients face-to-face and internationally.

Find your groove

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The need for a groove – a regular routine – is very strong with me. I feel like I’m floating along with very little control, like a balloon let loose into the air, when I don’t have this structure and this doesn’t make me feel good.

It’s also very easy to lose basic skills through not using or practising techniques that you have learned. Golf is a great example of this – take a lesson and everything feels good for a while but once you stop working on your game everything you have heard slowly floats out of your mind.

I’m on the road a lot at the moment and finding structure and routine very hard to find but I have to find it. This time is important time for me to feel good and if I need to make changes in order for this groove to be rediscovered, I need to do it as quickly as I can. Like, today!

Keep it simple and focus on the goals. This will help to realise the importance of the routine and the practice and the peace and quiet or whatever it is that gets you in your groove. If you don’t, you’ll end up with lower patience and tolerance levels, a restless and busy mind, a lack of regularity in lots of areas in your life and you’ll not feel happy. Not good and definitely not a place where you can be your best.

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Checklist – things to ask and consider when you’re looking for a new job

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Here’s a list of things that are worth finding out and thinking about as you go through the decision making process of deciding to take a new job or stay where you are. Got any additional ones? Please add them in the comments.

What’s the travel time and is it a decent commute.
Are there good facilities for staff in the office, eg kitchens, rest areas, car parking.
Is the salary competitive with similar roles at other local/national companies.
Is there a good benefits package – health care cover, pension provision, day off for your birthday, free snacks, etc.
Is there a solid training and development programme in place or a culture of learning in the company.
Do you get to work on any special projects outside of your role, or can you volunteer for additional work on projects that interest you.
Is there a glass ceiling or is there room to grow.
What are the skill levels and the experience of others in the team.
Is there a matrix management structure or is it a bureaucratic framework.
What’s the culture like – fun, whacky, structured, quiet, formal, etc.
What was the interview process like – really good reflection of the company in most cases.
How did the company communicate with you through the offer process – again, another great indicator to take note of.

4 time management tips to implement into your daily life

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The internet is choc-a-bloc full of tips on time management but the key to getting the best results is to find solutions that work for you. My list below is based upon the ones that I use and recommend to my clients and friends who need some help in this area and they are simple but very, very effective.

Have a read, try them out and if they work for you, stick with them – they will be the foundations upon which you deliver everything in your life, important or otherwise.

If you need help with what you do, consider taking a time management course. It’s one of the quickest and easiest ways to learn how be more productive and stay in control of your working day and some training providers, like Activia, will even help you build a personal action plan at the end of your course.

Use lists but keep them manageable:

Lots of us like lists but they can get out of control. At one time last year I caught myself with five different lists – three on separate sheets of paper and two in separate notebooks. Totally not cool.

There is also a big problem with having a list that’s so long that you never actually come to the end of it. This can be psychologically very damaging and leave you feeling like your list owns you. Again, not at all cool.

I use one long master list that contains my ongoing to-do items and then break this one down into smaller lists – one for the morning that I have to finish before I eat and another fresh one for the afternoon that is again full of tasks that must be done by the end of the day. This way, the smaller lists are way more manageable and don’t leave me with cold sweats at the size of the number of outstanding things I have to get done.

Generally a much better way to avoid panicking and leaves my mind much clearer and focussed on the tasks at hand.

Use an online calendar and set reminders:

If you’re not using your phone, even if it’s not a smartphone, to send you reminders and keep you on time for everything that’s going on in your life, you’re really missing a trick. And if you have a smartphone and are not using the calendar app that comes with all of them, work out how to use it and watch it change your life.

They are very simple to set up and you can also see the calendars of family, friends and co-workers if they give you permission so there are no excuses for missing those appointments.

You can also set alarms and reminders that will give you a heads-up at a variety of time intervals before the appointment is due and these can be in the form of an email or a special tone so that you don’t miss it. Add in colour-coding, public holidays and all of your friend’s birthday details from other apps like Facebook and you can see why they are a must-have.

Use a countdown timer:

A really good method that I learned a couple of years ago was to stick to the chucks of time you have allocated by using a countdown timer.

Mine is in the picture above and is extremely loud when it runs out of time – enough to be heard whatever I’m doing, however loud my music might be blaring out or if I’m wearing headphones, for example.

It is super-easy to drift off and forget how long you are spending on a task, especially if it’s one you really enjoy. It can also be very, very easy to watch an hour or more of your life disappear while catching up on your social media channels, so set yourself a time limit and use a timer to make sure you stick to it.

Automate or delegate wherever you can:

These options are also worth considering and are especially relevant if you charge for your services by the hour.

If you can earn more money by working for one hour than it costs for you to pay someone to do a task such as your cleaning or basic bookkeeping, for example, it makes sense to use their services.

It’s also very easy to automate regular payments and this is something that many people simply overlook. What about using tools such as MailChimp for sending email to your contacts or using online tools like Buffer or HootSuite to send your posts on Twitter and Facebook at the times you select?

Think laterally and you will find there are lots of ways to take the automation route.

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Ian Mountford is a Strategy Coach providing motivation and guidance to entrepreneurs, wannabe or fully-fledged. He draws from his own experience of building businesses from the ground up and spending many years helping clients to consistently achieve their goals and aspirations. Ian works with clients face-to-face and internationally.

Big10 and what it can do for your business

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(This is a blog post written for my new business and I wanted to share it here, too, in case there is any interest.)

For many businesses, recruitment is something that is seen as a necessary evil and also an expensive one. If you do it yourself or have an in-house team, there is the time it takes to make your new hires and the cost of running the team and all of its own associated costs. If you use an agency, you are also going to be looking at a bill and its size will depend on the deal you have made with your agent. You’ve also got to make sure your candidates get a great experience when they interact with you and your team and that all of your team are ready for the interview process and know the part they are supposed to play. Add to this the need to hire a new team in a couple of weeks or a decision to hit the graduate market and things can get rather busy!

This is where Big10 comes in. It is a strategic analysis tool that has been designed to assess the relative strength of your company’s recruitment process and practice and help you to find your optimum solution with a focus on cost, quality, efficiency and effectiveness. It has been designed by someone who has been in the position of using budgets both large and small to get the best recruitment results and who has experienced the range of issues faced when looking at recruitment as a strategic tool. Clients who have used Big10 have saved huge amounts of time and money with some refinement of their own strategy while still making great hires.

As the name suggests, Big 10 has ten areas of focus that have a direct effect on the results of your hiring activity. They range from attraction methodologies and assessment and selection to supplier management and the source of candidates, whatever that may be. Every element is included in the analysis and we take the time to understand how and why you do what you do. At St John, we are driven by the need to make your recruitment capability truly deliver and our success becomes your strength in the war for talent. Big10 is a great way to ensure you are doing everything you can to be successful in all of your recruitment activities so put us to the test today and see where we can take you.

http://www.sjrec.com

How do you respond to discomfort and hardship?

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Discomfort and hardship are a state of mind in the society we live in today. We generally lead very protected lives in the western world – comfortable, secure and with a full stomach most of the time – and don’t have much of a sense of what going without things is really like. There are many in the world that do suffer from extremes of poverty and very poor living conditions, lacking basics of food and shelter, but this is not about them. This is about people who get angry and annoyed if their wifi isn’t 100% efficient or complain at the length of the queue in their favourite coffee shop.

How you respond to any discomfort or hardship in your life can be definitive as you develop. If you learn your craft, whatever that might be, in a tough school, the chances are you’re going to have paid attention and worked hard to master whatever the craft you were learning as the consequences of not doing so would be unbearable. The best examples of this tend to be the armed forces colleges around the world producing elite fighters but there are also examples in all areas, such as musicians, businessmen and women and engineers and so on. The overriding factor is that high percentages of these people at the top of their game had to overcome some obstacles that would have put off many people much earlier in the learning process and it was this ability to overcome challenges, whether physical, mental or both, that got them to the top.

When there were no cars and public transport was minimal and inconsistent at best, people thought nothing of walking for miles and miles to do everyday things. And in the years before this, people ate what they killed and if they didn’t kill, they didn’t eat. I heard a story about someone the other day who sleeps outdoors at least one night a month to ensure they don’t lose their ability to handle cold weather. The mental fortitude that this kind of thing breeds has a habit of spreading into other areas of your life and I would recommend thinking about your own life and looking for ways to encourage some discomfort or hardship and see what gains you can achieve as a result.

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Keep it simple

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I was looking at few of my old notes for a bit of writing inspiration and I found some very good stuff on keeping it simple:

Talk less, think more
Learn to say ‘no’ and mean it
Buy what we want, instead of what others say we want
Live in a way that is self-determined and original
Fulfil the demands of work without being controlled by it
Recognise there are many things more important than money
Know what you want
Not cost, but value
Buy one, chuck one
Avoid debt and the stress of overspending

I bought a very short book on this subject when I was a lot younger and it has since been lost or misplaced in various house moves, but that book was where some of this stuff came from and it was a really important thing for me. Following a few of these basic rules has helped me to keep my life relatively uncluttered and allowed me to sleep well at night when things have been tough.

In the world we live in today, the pressure to conform and live up to other people’s standards can be an expensive and tiresome task but still so many of us make the effort when it really isn’t required. Vanity has become of greater importance than sanity for many and this trend isn’t going to help to develop the great leaders and philanthropists of the future. Keep it simple and your chances of living a life that is full and authentic will be much greater.

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Personal branding – make the most of what you’ve got

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Everybody’s specialist subject is talking about themselves. We know more about ourselves than anyone else and it’s a subject we have endless experience and knowledge of. How we use that information, especially when it comes to social platforms and our identity on the web, is massively important in relation to our own personal brand. With some thought on what we are trying to achieve we can be sure to make the right kind of impact in the right places.

Each social platform has its own reason for existing as defined by its user base and it is very important that you make sure you are using the appropriate approach for each platform. A bio that talks about how much you love acid house music and playing Sunday football is not going to hold much weight with people looking at you on LinkedIn, for example, so be sure you’ve worked this out first.

Make sure you’ve also got a really strong profile picture. A shot that captures your head and shoulders is ideal and you can get a friend to take one with your phone if that’s the best camera you can get your hands on – camera phone lens quality is excellent and a good shot will be fine for this job.

Now think hard about your strengths and make sure they are front and centre in everything you say about yourself. The majority of articles and other content you share or comment on should make it easy to see what you’re all about and your profiles should list these strengths. Search engines are also picking up keywords within profiles and it’s imperative that you get these things working in your favour.

And finally, be authentic and keep your target audience in mind with everything you do and say. Your passion for a particular topic will stand out for all to see and your highly likely to get the results you want – a strong and solid personal brand with new followers, new clients or new connections of any kind – if you use your authenticity to stand out from the crowd.

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How hard is hard enough?

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There isn’t an answer to this question in most cases and you need to get used to this.

There is always something else to be done and there is always more that you can do in order to be the success that you want to be. Hard work pays off and if you work hard and push yourself to achieve the goals you have set for yourself, you can then be happy with whatever you will achieve and you will have earned it. The point here is that if you have to ask this question you are not working hard enough. Dig deep and keep your head down. The results will come in time.

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Start sweating your own assets

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If you want to make progress and hit goals in life or business, you’ve got to work hard. This post is about being more focussed than just doing more of the same and expecting better results and it is geared towards making more of ourselves and operating more effectively within the rapidly changing world we live in today. Under each of the headings – points I see as important on any journey where you are looking to improve – I’ve listed a few points of relevance that should be helpful to consider.

Make more money –

Get performance related pay and then perform
Improve your skills
Stop adding and start multiplying
Change company for a big rise

Manage people –

Know what you need to achieve yourself
Set expectations from the start
Listen hard and proactively – get all of the facts
Acknowledge people’s feelings – they play a big part in daily work
Get solutions from those with problems
Stay calm and keep a sense of humour

Communicate effectively –

Tell it like it is
Listen before you think before you speak
Keep your message consistent
If it really matters, do it face to face.
Encourage feedback and act on it

Be relaxed about stress –

Stick to your own agenda
Don’t do it if it’s not necessary
Simplify everything you do
Be happy to say no thank you

Lead from the front –

Work harder than anyone else
Set the example
Keep your problems to yourself
Tell the team what you expect from them
Listen to the team and respect their skills
Explain clearly what you expect and ensure it happens

Be more efficient –

Start work earlier
Work in small chucks
Put time for you to think in your diary
Write the agenda and stick to it
Plan today and act tomorrow

Motivate your team –

Incentivise everyone
Be tough when necessary
Train people properly
Listen to the team and get to know them
Give them space and let them get on with it

Impress your boss –

Help them meet their key objectives
Give them solutions not problems
Listen to them and ask for the benefit of their experience
Get promoted above them

Stay a decent person –

Listen
Be generous with your time and talents
Don’t hurt other people
Say thank you
Give as much as you take
Keep your conscience clear

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Hiring advice from Ogilvy

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A quick list for you from the King of Madison Avenue:

“The qualifications I look for in our leaders are these:

1 – High standards of personal ethics.

2 – Big people, without prettiness.

3 – Guts under pressure, resilience in defeat.

4 – Brilliant brains – not safe plodders.

5 – A capacity for hard work and midnight oil.

6 – Charisma – charm and persuasiveness.

7 – A streak of unorthodoxy – creative innovators.

8 – The courage to make tough decisions.

9 – Inspiring enthusiasts – with thrust and guts.

10 – A sense of humour.”

All of these are highly prized commodities in the workplace and something I spend a lot of time looking for in people. Sadly the package is not found in all that many but those that do possess it are rare birds who fly very, very high.

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How to get the most out of your 24 hours

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There are many times when I hear myself and others say that they wish they had more time. I said just this morning that if you could buy an extra day a week I would definitely be interested. But we should all really have a look at how we spend the time we have and work out where the gaps are to ensure we are as productive as we can be, especially if we like to use the ‘lack of time’ excuse for not getting things done or started.

Have you ever made a note of the way you spend your 24 hours? Even a simple breakdown of your daily activities can be truly enlightening. Go ahead and do it – make a list of every hour in a 24 hour period and note down how much time is spent sleeping, how much at work, how much travel time you have, and so on. Add in the time it takes you for meals, any exercise time, and how long you watch tv in the mornings or evenings. Be as detailed and precise as you can and also be honest with your assessments – ‘was it four episodes of Mad Men I just watched there or three?’. Then take a step back and see what you have left.

It may only be small blocks of time – 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there – But I am sure you can squeeze at least two hours from every day to focus on the things that you ‘don’t really have time for at the moment’. There is a whole world of experiences and learning out there ready and waiting for you if you can make the time for it. You could use the time to start a new fitness regime, practise a new way of cooking, learn a musical instrument or just go for a short walk to clear your head and give yourself a boost at any particular time of the day. Give this method a try and see what it can it do for you.

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Do great work when you’re on the clock

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There can often be a temptation to dial back your efforts on a project you don’t enjoy. Something or someone is annoying you and you don’t really feel it’s worth it to deliver the best you can. I had an instance today where I had this choice and it can be very easy to go for the soft option and sit back, shrugging your shoulders as you think to yourself, “no-one’s going to notice…”.

Do great work when you’re on the clock and someone else is paying your wages, whether it’s a client or your employer. Settling for mediocrity has no value and all it does is put you in the same bracket as everyone else who is looking at life the same way as you. Stand out, make a difference and get some satisfaction from knowing you did your best. It takes effort, determination and drive to get to where you want to be and achieve your goals, but it is truly worth it. Be known as the one who always delivers their best, no matter what the circumstances and I can assure you that you’ll always be busy.

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Take on some pain to get real gains

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The life we live today is very different to that of our elders. The lives they are able to lead is also very different to that of their elders, and so on. But there are a substantial number of factors in this generational change which are eroding our natural ability to overcome difficulties and endure a little bit of ‘pain’ in order to achieve some kind of gain in the future.

I’m not talking about overcoming illnesses or mental issues that can have a serious effect on how we live our daily lives here. This is different, very serious in many cases and can have a fundamental effect on every aspect of someone’s life. I’m talking about some basic things that you can do to avoid the ‘quick fix’ route and improve your life in a number of ways.

We have become hooked on quick fixes. We are more sedentary than ever before, stuck at desks sitting for long periods. The ready meal category has grown up around our desire to feed ourselves quickly, whatever long term damage the meal itself can do to us based on its ingredients. We get ‘stressed’ very quickly and see this as a negative thing that is purely destructive. We drive everywhere and rarely take a healthier option. We spend money, sometimes borrowed at crazy interest rates, on ‘looking good’ and everything that that entails. And we are online so much that we can have stronger online relationships than real ‘face-to-face’ ones. Today, we put more value on ‘chillin’ out’ than we do on achieving anything, learning something new or improving ourselves and the lives of those around us.

So, what else can we do? How else can we approach life in order to improve it?

Take on some stress and use it to fuel your drive to achieve more. Get out of your comfort zone and look for opportunities to push yourself – really, push yourself hard – into places where the good stuff happens. I think we quite often feel we are really doing everything we can to make changes or improve ourselves, but we haven’t tried as hard as we can if we are being honest with ourselves. We would have done those exercises every morning, or we would have made those calls or joined that group. We would have fully committed.

Nothing comes easy and it all requires hours and hours of effort. Don’t give up – be persistent and make a simple choice in every decision: stick where you are now or improve. Good things will happen as long as you stick at it and change can take a long time but it is definitely worth it.

I have a couple of examples that spur me on and maybe they can also help you. One is my friend Richard who runs marathons – check out the photo on his Twitter bio here and you will see why he is an inspiration to me and many. It can never be said that he has taken the easy route in life and his successes will always stand out. The Spartan way of life and the way they trained and educated their young is also worthy of some further research and their mentality has been adopted into everything from feature films to adventure races. But whatever you do or whatever you research, be sure to then act on it and make the changes in your own life that will have the biggest and best effect. You won’t regret it.

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Consciously Positive

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So what does ‘Consciously Positive’ as a way of being mean to me?

Choosing the right attitude to get things done
Focussing on the goal and being single-minded and determined enough to achieve it
Executing on good ideas
Delivering the best results you can in any given situation
Showing up, checking in, doing the work with no excuses
Making things happen
Helping others to learn and develop
Being proactive
Being prepared to fail
Never stopping learning

All of these things bundled up together make a very powerful mix. I get a lot of satisfaction when I’m working this way and things are happening for me and those around me and, conversely, lose a lot of energy and find it very hard to deliver when some of these things are difficult or require some change within me or in my immediate environment.

I believe this is a state of being that we can all aim for in order to be the best we can be. Sure, we might not be 100% in everything immediately but we can use this as a template to constantly improve ourselves. The effects on our lives, our businesses, our relationships and every aspect of our life will be significant and is definitely something worth working towards.