The sign was wrong on so many levels. Firstly, it was in a hairdressers window – the colour didn’t exactly fill me with confidence about the quality of service inside. And more importantly, what does it say about the existing loyal customer if they are going to charge new customers 10% less? We need to think about the unintended consequences of our actions.

Too many companies (see banks, insurance companies etc) don’t value their existing customers. Instead, they give all of the incentives to the new customer.

It’s much harder to find a new customer or client than it is to keep an existing one.

The book we are working on at the moment is ‘Do More Great Work’ by Michael Bungay Stanier. I wrote to Michael a few weeks ago to see if he would be interested in working with us. He lives in Canada so there were some practical difficulties to overcome. However, thanks to the wonder of Skype we managed to plan and deliver a 1 hour workshop at the end of last week. The technology worked beautifully thanks to a team with plenty of bright ideas. In the end 12 of us worked with Michael and we had a small camera crew in the
space with us to capture the event. This will be online soon on the work website along with a few small clips on YouTube.

One of the interesting things about the workshop was that we invited in some of the freelancers who work with us on various projects. It was a great opportunity to recruit the wider team to work together – and the
feedback from the freelancers was incredibly positive. “The first time in years I have had the chance for any personal development” said one of them.

All in all, it was an incredibly positive experience. Michael’s input was really helpful and very focused, and as a team it was a really productive experience. One of the team commented that it was as though Michael was in the room with us.

The Development Academy will continue over the next few months.  I will post further feedback on its progress.

At the last team meeting before the summer break, I introduced 6 books which have had a particular impact on the way in which I work:

• Michael Bungay Stanier – Do more great work
• William Bridges – Managing Transitions
• Tom Peters – Re-imagining
• David Allen – Getting Things Done
• Robin Sharma – The monk who sold his ferrari
• Stephen Covey – The seven habits of highly effective people

In the meeting we discussed the best way to work with these as a group. We decided that a form of ‘book club’ would be the best idea. So, we will each read one of these books over the period of a month and then have a discussion about it at the next meeting, looking at implications for the way we work as a team.

I guess you could call it a learning academy. I intend to further develop this academy idea as the months go by. I am also keen to look at ways in which we can use videos and other materials to build the learning. Hopefully this will help us as a team to build in a strong value base to our work.

Watch this space….

I always hear new things when I listen to these mixes, and the choices are always achingly beautiful. Just the thing for focusing the brain waves to a bit of serious writing, or complete relaxation. Sign up and enjoy.

A walk in the Wirral, near Parkgate, on one of those days when the sky is as beautiful as the landscape.

And a captured memory, because those are the ones that open up the block and create a safe haven to unlock the ideas.

Cloud formations like moments in the head, like the sense of an imagined landscape, long before it all.

Butterflies in the long grass, and a scent of buttercups and daisies. Remember childhood, and the days that stretched like timeless and endless moments imprinted now like something we thought we had forgotten long ago…

One podcast I have been listening to for over a year now which shrinks journeys and has me laughing out loud is a podcast from Absolute Radio. It’s produced twice a week – the Saturday download is the spoken pieces from the radio show featuring Frank Skinner with Emily Dean and Gareth Richards. It’s about an hour long. Then, mid-week the same team produce a download only 30 minute show. Both of them are incredibly funny. It’s difficult to tell to what extent they are improvising. The whole thing sounds incredibly spontaneous.

The itunes feed is here.

I love it!

Finding a reason for walking on a beach, and then realising that the feeling of sand between the toes will powerfully evoke memories:

trying

I have looked up into the stars at night
That are so scattered
Across the infinitely deep sky

I have seen into great vacuums of awesome space
And been left standing
Not understanding
But trying.

He’s an interesting guy. He used to be a Trust Chair and has worked as a consultant for a number of years. He has also written a number of really useful books for managers. All interesting stuff – but the thing that is really worth connecting with is his regular email that he sends out with perceptive insights into the ongoing changes in the NHS. You can subscribe to it by going to www.nhsmanagers.net .

He also has a book available for free download which I particularly like – it is full of tips and ideas gleaned from a lot of the writers who I admire. I also like the format – and it has inspired me to get back to ‘The Coaching 30’ book which I have been writing for the last year. I’m motivated now to get on and finish the book – so, thank you Roy for giving that final push.