Category: Blog

Everyone enjoys a sports metaphor.   The Boat Race is a good one.  Rowing is often used in corporate literature as a metaphor for teamwork – we’ve used it ourselves in corporate films.  The visual evidence is compelling; watching 8 oars in perfect time is dynamic, aesthetically pleasing and an obvious demonstration of the importance of working together.  Winning the Boat Race is, for many, one of the pinnacles of rowing and of the great British tradition of amateur sportsmanship.

Yesterday, in the 156th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, we saw an extraordinary race and a perfect demonstration of the importance of belief, preparation and execution. In rowing, you race without being able to look your crewmates in the face, without being able to communicate.  You have to know what they will be thinking and, more importantly, know how they will react, in any given situation, without being able to see or talk to them.  So, hours are spent in preparing, testing and finally visualising every possible scenario.

Both crews will envision their success.  They will think about how they will respond if they get ahead, and how they will respond if they are down.  Cambridge spent the first two-thirds of the race yesterday chasing the Oxford crew, but they held on, they increased the number of strokes they took per minute, and crucially when Oxford should have taken advantage of their bend, it was Cambridge that actually made ground.  Afterwards, we heard from the crew that they had spent a lot of time thinking about the second half of their race – and it showed.  There is no harder way to win a rowing race than to spend most of it behind – it means that some members of the crew can’t see the opposition or how far away they are, so you are racing blind.

Everyone in the crew needs to believe in what they are trying to achieve, and believe that no one in their boat will give up… that even when it is hurting and they have doubts about whether they can make up the gap, that they will keep going.  Cambridge won the race yesterday because they won the psychological battle.  They trusted their own strategy, their training and their crewmates to execute their own raceplan and not panic when Oxford took the lead off the start.

Visualising success, and envisioning what winning will look and feel like, are tools used in all sports at the highest levels and notably in our world-class British rowing squad.  It is easy in sport to define what success means – it is getting the most points, scoring the most goals or crossing the line first – in business it can be harder to articulate… and there is no finish line, commercial races are never-ending.  But if we take the time to define what success within a business or organisation will mean and to communicate with our people about what it will take to achieve it, it becomes immensely powerful.  Visualise what your world will look like when you have met the goals that you have set.  Make it worth achieving.  Be honest about the risks and the challenges, and then plan for them.  When everyone knows what you are aiming for, they will be able to make decisions themselves that help the business to achieve them.

As a rower myself, in 2009 my crew from Thames Rowing club qualified for Henley Royal Regatta in the women’s eight event.  There are only 8 crews to qualify for that event.  Among the others, were the GB women’s eight, Yale University, a German crew with Beijing Olympians, and the GB women’s under-23 crew.

In our race, we were drawn against the German crew.  If we won this race we would get to race on Saturday at Henley. That is a rare experience; suddenly thousands of people are lining the banks, the noise is awesome and we would be the only club crew left in the competition.  We had trained hard for 10 months and this was the last regatta of our season.  We were racing against a German crew at Henley and we knew the crowds would be on our side… That was what success in this race would look like.  It was something worth fighting for.

The only data we had on the opposition crew was in much shorter races – just a quarter of the distance of the 2km+ Henley course.  So, we expected them to be fast off the start, and hoped that they would not have the fitness to hold their speed for the distance.  We discussed our fitness and previous race practice.

The morning of the race, we were sitting in one of the tents talking about our strategy.  We reminisced about a race a year previously when we had been losing for the first 1500m of a 2000m course, but miraculously had made a big push and managed to claw back the distance in the final 500m to win with clear water between us and the second crew.  We had gone from being 30m behind to 30m in front in under 90 seconds.  The point we focused on was that we knew we didn’t have to be ahead for the whole race to win.

We lined up on the start of the Henley course…

Attention. Go!

We were off.  Water splashing, oars flying and the sound of a German cox shouting into her microphone.  And they disappeared.

I was sitting in the bows of the boat – I was the last person that they had to go past.  And within just 100m they had gone past me.  I could no longer see the opposition.  We thought they would be fast, but this was unbelieveable.  Our cox kept telling us how far ahead they were.  I was thinking about that other race, and knew we had to keep working hard.  I knew that was what everyone else was thinking about too.  We kept our striking rate up (the number of strokes taken per minute) and stuck to our race plan.

Halfway down the course we started catching them.  They reappeared in my peripheral vision.  Did we have enough race left to go past them?  No one else could see them yet, they didn’t know how close we were.  But we kept moving up on them, inch by inch.  We kept making ground until, with barely 100 metres to go we were level… and we kept going past.  Muscles burning and lungs bursting we won!

Envisioning and visualising success are techniques that are well used and recognised in sport.  Sharing stories of experience and best practice can be powerful in reaching those goals. This kind of evidence builds confidence in strategy and makes sure everyone knows what is expected of them. Sharing stories of where your tactics have worked before is a way to make it real for people.

Yesterday, Cambridge executed their raceplan perfectly.  Today, they are celebrating the success that they had envisioned for themselves.  Tomorrow, they can use that story to help them achieve new goals.

Businesses may be feeling optimistic about the impending economic recovery, but need to ask themselves just what effect the recession has had on their employees.  Another black cloud looms.

Employees may well have ridden the storm so far without jumping ship in order to maintain job security and stability.  Yet after the storm has passed, employers will need to take stock of the mood in the workplace.  Trust in leadership has been reported at an all-time low; redundancies and often unexpected change has created low morale, while pay has been frozen, benefits cut and the direction of many organisations unclear.  Change and uncertainty has resulted in inadequate communication within many large organisations which just exacerbates the problem, and investment in training and development and engagement initiatives have been cut.   It doesn’t look pretty.

The implications are scary.  As job opportunities resurface many employees who have clung on will now seek new opportunities and a brighter future elsewhere.  The cost of recruitment and training is huge, so the very resources that have been cut to make savings will be challenged again for all the wrong reasons.  Yet not all organisations are in the same boat (forgive all these maritime puns) … those which have committed to regular and honest communication, made great efforts to keep their staff engaged and informed are far more likely to come out of recession in relatively good shape.  Industries such as civil engineering, where past contracts are about to expire and new contracts on the cards, are about to hit the buffers – and they need to prepare now to tell a good Story to keep people focused, aligned and committed.

For those who may not have spent time and effort keeping their employees on board?  While the proportion of cynics may have increased, and there may be a hard slog ahead, it’s never too late to tell your Story…

Washington and San Francisco.  Barack Obama and Steve Jobs.

In America on 27th January 2010, two men gave two very different speeches.  Both President Obama and Steve Jobs took to the stage last night to command the world’s attention.  President Obama’s first State of Union came in the wake of a media storm following last week’s Massachusett’s election, while Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, having managed to generate a whirl of popular speculation around Apple’s latest launch without saying a word.

In his State of the Union, President Obama set out his agenda for the next year, re-prioritising job creation over his healthcare reform plans and with a mandate to reassure the American population of his intentions.  The White House has recently been criticised for being too insular and for losing touch with the people – some of whom had the opportunity to demonstrate their dissatisfaction in last week’s Massachusetts election and the surrounding Republican campaign.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, Steve Jobs and Apple were maintaining a highly staged, portentous silence (if such a thing is possible) while the media and blogosphere did all the PR for them.  Last night, Jobs unveiled the latest product in Apple’s arsenal.  Hailed as the ‘Jesus’ tablet because the publishing industry’s hopes for salvation are said to rest on its success – putting their trust in Apple’s ability to fundamentally alter the way we interact with different media, in the same way they did with the iPod and iPhone.  Jobs is notorious for doing no market research and for his personal involvement in product development – he is very much the leader of the business and indeed the face of Apple: share values plummet in his absence and his compelling presentation style is legendary.

So.  On the one hand you have criticism for someone getting on with the job without due consultation with his audience, but on the other hand you have someone heralded as a marketing genius for doing exactly the same thing.

Communication, media and social media have played critical roles in the different paths of these two men and you can really see both the good and bad sides of holding the weight of so much responsibility under such scrutiny.  The future of America and western democracy lie in the persuasive powers of Barack Obama, while the next step for human communication await the reception of the iPad.  Barack Obama was pre-emptively awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 seemingly for what he represented, as much as for any action he had taken, and his inauguration was celebrated as a step-change in American culture.  But, just one year in and the critics are questioning his ability to deliver.  Steve Jobs seems integral to Apple’s future to provide the vision of possibility and innovation, but what does this reliance mean for the company’s future?  Where does Apple go in the, ultimately inevitable, Jobs’-less future (an unfortunate pun?) and what happens to the hope that Obama brought to a nation (and the Nobel committee) if he cannot deliver what he promised for an acceptable price?

Finally, what does it say for democracy when more people tune into Jobs’ speech about another product that aims to achieve the iPod’s ubiquity, than to hear the leader of the free world deliver his plans for conquering the worst economic crisis in living memory.  It is Steve’s iPad on the front page of today’s (British) Financial Times and number one on the Google search list (US) – with the State of the Union coming in second.  It will be interesting to see who gets the most youtube hits… and to see who’s still standing when the next election comes around.  Either way, the weight of responsibility and the scrutiny of the world rests on these two, very 21st-century, leaders.

Burns Night, Monday 25th January, saw many of our team, clients and associates participate in a very special whisky-tasting event at Century Club in Shaftesbury Avenue.  This wasn’t just about an excuse to indulge in the amber nectar, nor simply an opportunity for a social; it was a superb, seamless piece of storytelling, delivered by the Ambassador of one of the UK’s most celebrated single malt scotch whiskies – The Balvenie – Dr Andy Forrester.

 

As we lounged by candlelight in comfortable leather chairs – an atmosphere more akin to a cosy country residence than a club in Soho – Andy energetically took us through the five expressions of The Balvenie – Signature, Single Barrel, Doublewood, Portwood and the no-longer-available-limited-edition Rum Cask (which made a handsome version of the most delicious mojito!).  We studied and experienced the colours, aromas, flavours, different characters and personalities of each expression ( a ‘conversation’, as Andy called it), and learnt about the unique method of ageing and flavouring the whisky from different types of oak cask.   We heard the story of the Speyside distillery, the traditional methodology used, the people whose lives are dedicated to the handcrafting of this delicious single malt and the different roles each person has to play in its unique creation.  Homage was paid to the malt master, David Stewart , whose experience and talent is key to the success of the range, but recognising – like so many success stories – that it is true teamwork that makes it happen.

And then there was Nigel Barden.  Our friend and entertaining BBC food critic did us proud in rounding off the evening by revisiting the story of Robbie Burns, the celebration of Burns Night and the tradition of that ‘chieftain o’ the puddin’ race’, the haggis, which made an appearance complete with neeps and tatties for all to sample (the whisky sauce, of course, made with The Balvenie’s smooth Doublewood).

Tradition and heritage is often clouded by the mechanical processes, large-scale production and focus on the bottom line which characterises today’s commercial world.  It’s during evenings like these that we often realise just how much we take our oldest traditions for granted, without appreciating the rich seam of stories that sit behind the creation of the food and drink we enjoy so much.  But aside from the wonderful educational experience (or conversation) of last night, what struck me was the extraordinary bonding of the human race in creating things for others to enjoy, and the bonding that comes from that collective enjoyment and celebration itself.

Is anyone else as besotted as I am with meerkats? I just love them. They’re so cute, confident and cool. Not just the real animals of course – I mean the pretend ones on Compare the market’s fabulous TV ads.

Have you seen the latest one? A seasoned old-timer reading from a story book tells us how his ancestors left their homeland to brave oceans and snowstorms before ending up in … Russia. There’s courage.

It just goes to show that stories don’t only work beautifully for humans. And although I’m not that fussed about cheaper car insurance, I definitely want a meerkat for Christmas.

ps My wife loves them too. Her name is Kat. Coincidence? I think not.

Each Christmas as the fire begins to burn low and the full impact of culinary over-indulgence takes its effect, I find myself perusing the presents of others. This is not to say that there is any dissatisfaction with my shiny stockpile of gifts – far from it. It is more a combination of curiosity, downright nosiness and the lack of physical ability to move further than the length of the sofa by the end of the day.This year, as I explored a nearby tower of goodies, I came across a book called ‘Never Fly Solo’ in which the author – Rob ‘’Waldo’’ Waldman – takes the reader on a journey through the lessons he learned in his military career as a fighter pilot.

Essentially, two key themes emerge from the book. The benefits of a ‘check-six’ culture (check-six referring to the six o’clock position where the jet is at it’s most vulnerable – the pilot’s blind spot) and the pivotal role of ‘the wingman’.

‘’A good wingman will give you mission-critical feedback, catch your errors, ask questions and propose challenging scenarios to push you forward’’

The best environments, he argues, are those where the different backgrounds, skills, strengths and experiences of those involved are combined in pursuit of a single shared objective. The worst (and sometimes fatal) are where a maverick pilot, team leader, or member of the crew operates in isolation.

Waldman argues that in today’s environment mutual support networks, the harnessing of combined strengths and clear communication are critical to success – not least because we’re only human. We make mistakes, we have limited perspectives and we have to work in volatile stressful environments that lead to tunnel vision, emotional decision-making and task saturation. This ultimately dilutes our ability to function at our best. Effective ‘check-six’ environments enabled by trusted ‘wingmen’ encourage discipline, allow us to take calculated risks, free up communication, and help us to focus our collective capabilities.

How much more decisive would we be if we knew that our strengths were being used to their greatest effect and that our own blind spots were being covered?

This takes nothing away from the individual strength leaders (from any level in the organisation) need to inspire others towards a common purpose. Nor does the theory lend itself to purist committee or consensus styles of operation, which can lead to a reduction in pace and decisive action. It simply demonstrates that more informed decision-making and direction setting can be achieved by a business that is able to harness it’s strengths and capabilities effectively – whatever the challenge or opportunity.

I admit, Christmas day is not usually the moment to get all excited about the prospect of some personal time with a business management book – regardless of the strength of the message. What hooked me into this one was the writer’s use of real-life stories to communicate his experiences of a life continually challenged by change, fear, volatility and tough decision-making, and how he applied these to his business and personal life.  His ability to tell a good story is powerful. Firstly, the very personal reflections of true experiences draw the reader inside the narrative so that we understand and connect to the challenge faced, the heroes involved, the drama, the action and the resolution. Secondly, the stories and anecdotes are a memorable mix of fact and emotion that any reader can relate to, apply the learning from or pass on to others. Finally, each story serves to build on the ‘why, what and how?’ that sits behind the overarching message of the book. They connect us back to the importance of us being, and having wingmen, and to the potential benefits that developing a ‘check-six’ culture could mean in today’s environment.

Within organisations and the community people look to their leaders for guidance. Their messages are often powerful, inspirational and influential. So what happens when your leader communicates a controversial issue? Recently a Parish Priest openly supported and encouraged desperate people in need to steal. However, to ensure his guidance still had moral standings, he suggested these people should only steal from large stores (perhaps those who could afford the loss?). On the news this morning the Priest defended himself by saying that stealing a can of soup was far better than robbery or prostitution and to my surprise, many people wrote in and supported this. Although large businesses can be quite wasteful and perhaps struggle less than their smaller competitors, they are still businesses fighting for growth and their share in the market. Are we right to punish these businesses by encouraging people to steal from them, even if they are desperate? Or is this a bigger issue? Perhaps the Priest’s intention was to get on national television to share the message that we are not doing enough to help the needy people in this country and that large supermarkets have a social responsibility to help them out? Whether he is right or wrong, his message was certainly powerful and provocative and will hopefully encourage more positive rather than negative actions.

Found this great, two-part article on the BBC News site. Commissioned by BBC2’s ‘Working Lunch’ programme, executives and entrepreneurs are asked about the literature that has inspired them in business. Some of the responses are somewhat predictable (Freakonomics, Good To Great, Marketing Strategy & Management) but some are more unexpected. If you want to find out where Of Mice And Men, Wind In The Willows and even the Bible come into things, then read on!

Part One – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8357012.stm

Part Two – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8416136.stm

I went to a Christmas carol service on Saturday in Lichfield cathedral. Not through any great sense of religious conviction, but just because it’s a nice thing to do at this time of year. And the carols – sung by bright young things with hopeful faces – were great.

Unfortunately the trendy canon (I think that’s the right term) didn’t quite hit the mark. He gave a short talk about the pressures of shopping, inappropriate presents, the Copenhagen summit and even Greek Gods. But he didn’t once mention what I sort of assumed Christmas is actually supposed to be about, which is … well, the Christmas story.

I came away humming Silent Night happily enough, but amazed at how easy it is to miss the really obvious big story, even when it’s right under your nose.