Labelling people

We love to put people into boxes and categorise things to make them easier to understand but labelling can also have harmful side effects.

So let's start with the positives. We use labels in order to identify people and create a mental file for them. It makes things easier if we have ascribed characteristics or traits we recognise to people because then we can differentiate and identify people. So we describe someone who breaks the law as a criminal or someone as a nurse because that is what they do.

All of us have plenty of labels attached to who we are. Have a think and write them down. Are you a parent, carer, sibling, employed, unemployed, socialist, conservative, atheist, muslim, etc etc?

Looking at your list does this sum up who you are? Of course not but it sometimes provides a useful framework for reference and I guess many of us introduce ourselves by using our labels.

We will walk into a business meeting and start with "I am a business owner and entrepreneur who likes working with teams" and that provides a reference point for the person you are talking to but it is not really your essence or the core of who you are.

Unfortunately labelling can also provide us with stereotypes and can lead to discrimination. So when I use the term criminal to describe someone people will conjure a mental image of a criminal and make associations which they will apply to the person concerned. That person may or may not fit the criteria but they are not a universal criminal.

When someone uses a term to describe someone else they need to be extremely careful to avoid pigeonholing and stereotypes. Labelling people with the same nationality, gender, religion can lead to prejudice and it is that which gives labels a bad name.

If someone says "women drivers" it does paint a picture which may be true of some women but not of others; it can also imply a shared perception between people and therefore be used to include you in a feeling about women groups which you do not necessarily share.  The effects of labelling are not trivial and we sometimes learn to apply labels others have given us in childhood with grave effects. I have known people who thought they were stupid simply because teachers told them so enough times and they were from the wrong area.

How often have you started a new job to be told about people on the first day so that you are not allowed to form your own opinions? Sometimes the labels get attached to managers or staff and it is what I call impression management where people try to get everyone to share their own perceptions.

When we assess our employees, meet new people and go somewhere new a positive thing to practice is to understand our own inner use of labels and to try to avoid using them. People should be allowed to express themselves as individuals and live their own lives free from the negative effect of labels and nurtured to be different and unique in their own inimitable way.

Conrad Murray - make sure you are protected

Seeing Dr Murray being convicted of involuntary manslaughter has bought home to me the point of making sure that every business and business person is protected. I am not saying we would all be in a similar position but how often as a new start up or even in business do we forget to make sure we are properly insured and protected in any situation?

Conrad Murray was working for a client and gave in to that clients demands. He put money above and before professionalism. Jackson was a star and it is easy to be star struck. Going after big deals we can easily forget to protect ourselves or even we can agree to things we wouldn't normally do. The consequences of making the wrong decisions for that star have been grave indeed for Conrad Murray.

1. Ensure you pause and consider before putting your name to something or jumping into business with someone no matter how great the client.

Conrad Murray should have used a professional code of conduct to protect him. As a professional he should have considered himself unqualified to administer the drug as he was not an anaesthesiologist.

2. Dont agree to do things you do not have the skills or training to accomplish.

Conrad Murray faced court and had to hire lawyers and defend himself. He still may face further action from the heirs to Jackson or his family.

3. Ensure your insurance is up to date and you are fully covered for all you do. This includes things like indemnity insurance  and public liability insurance, employers' liability if you employ staff, Property insurance and finally check to see if you need different insurance if you are using your car for business purposes. Get advice and help with the issue of insurance because it will depend on the business you are running and how big your company is. Everyone will need insurance. If your client loses money because of a mistake you have made or because your work is poor or late they can claim. Make sure you are covered.

Dont forget that some of this is a legal requirement for a business and that the consequences of not having it may be severe. Shop around and get the best deal.

Conrad Murray worked alone. It was his decisions alone which got him convicted.

4. Take advice and seek support. Working alone is isolating and can be frightening if you are used to being part of a team. Mentoring schemes can be free or available for a small fee. Having someone to chat things through with is not only good for you but really best practice overall. Business coaches are widely available and can prove extremely useful.

CBPartners works hard to support businesses and to provide excellent mentors and coaches contact us if you would like to know more. 01254 505050.

LEAN Leadership

One of the aspects of my job that I really enjoy is visiting different companies. One of the things that I suspect many organisations underestimate is the importance of the first impression. Whether it's a solicitors office piled high with files, a restaurant with tables full of dirty plates or a shop floor cluttered with stock, I can't help but make a judgement.

One of the main things that I'm asking myself is whether this looks like a business that's in control. Does everyone know what they're supposed to be doing? Would they take care of my business with the care that I would expect? Do they understand the current priorities? And, at the end of the day, does everyone know if they've had a good day or not?

This applies to all levels of an organisation and to all types of businesses. In a truly Lean organisation, that first impression should be one of calm and control, not chaos and clutter. And this is not just about being neat and tidy. This goes to the heart of the culture of an organisation. What is your business telling potential customers about you?


A LEAN leader sets direction and ensures that team goals support the vision for the business. They set expectations and are role models and a technical resource. The benefit of this model is that through this leadership the business becomes more streamlined, customer focussed and places an importance on systems and processes which are measurable and bring real results. 


The LEAN leader is an information conduit not a controller and monitors and audits meaningful metrics of performance. The LEAN leader does not blame but conducts root cause analysis  to know why something happened in order to learn from events and make sure that it does not happen again. Everything in a LEAN organisation is geared towards flow and getting product to market in an orderly and systematic way. 


Places are going fast so come and find out more at my masterclass on the 22nd November and we can carry on the discussion over a fabulous meal and networking with other business leaders  keen to learn about the LEAN model of leadership. 


When: Tuesday November 22nd, 6-8pm
Where: The Oyster and Otter, Feniscowles, Blackburn, BB2 5DQ
 
Contact Jo on 01254 505050 or jo@cbpartners.org for further details and to book a place. 

Towards Sales Excellence

The topic of our next get fit for business is Sales Excellence and it seems a good thing to prepare people for it by raising a few questions about sales and setting the scene.

I suspect that driving sales is key to most business people at any time but it becomes even more important in a recession and when markets seem to be dwindling in some sectors. For many businesses who have relied on the public sector this is a time to take stock and go after sales in new markets.

Farming is a really good example of this where farmers in the 90's in particular were struggling and converted barns into bunk barns and cottages into rentals. There was a growth in farming scarce breeds and organic farming and anything which managed to bring in new markets and diversify was tried. Many of those farmers were extremely successful.

Another interesting area is the growth of coffee franchises in this country. There was a time when coffee was not our drink of choice and ordering a skinny latte, extra shot, extra hot with hazelnut would have been unthinkable. I know several people who said that coffee bars similar  to those in the US would not work in tea drinking Britain; yes they were wrong and probably missed a trick. Those who decided to go for it have been extremely successful.

Moving on to sales I am particularly uncomfortable with cold calling and would welcome any tips or help with it. I have read articles that say it is dead in any case but now there is something called warm calling where you research the area you are calling and the market and make sure you have done your homework first. This appeals to me because it means you are not following a script per se but you do know what you are talking about and who you are talking to. Understand your clients need for change and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Get people to buy something they really need.

The goal of all marketing is sales and one of the key thing in sales is to be hungry and confident. Confidence comes from excellent knowledge of your product or service. I dont like impatience in a sales person and certainly that is one of the things that puts many off. Sometimes customers just dont get it and patience is needed. A great example of this recently was when a friend of mine took her 80 year old mother to buy a computer in an apple shop. Although it took ages and a number of products were explored eventually she came out with something she could use and which was ready for her to plug in and go.

Ultimately we are all sales people and whenever we think there is a mystique around sales it is good to remember that. Every day we sell something to someone in terms of influencing them, getting change to happen or even creating understanding of goals and strategy in a company. Yet sales can still seem difficult and worrying and if you are like me then there are areas where you need help or can do with some more inspiration.

John Finlay of Onward Consultancy will be running a whole day for us on Sales Excellence at CBPartners on the 10th November and there are only two spaces left. He will introduce you to a 6 step sales process than can be adopted by any customer facing business to build value into long term client relationships. The day will cover all the key elements of sales, including  how to  convert telephone calls into appointments and appointments into sales opportunities, turning those  objections into orders  and negotiating to get the best deal for your business and the customer.


Contact us on 01254 505050 

National Stress Awareness Day

Tomorrow is National Stress Awareness day and it seems a good time to reflect on what causes people in business stress.

Obviously starting a business is stressful, indeed being an entrepreneur is stressful but we often put a really brave face on things because we are aware that success is important.

There are times though in any business where changing economic factors, downsizing or even growth need to be addressed and these can all cause stress. It is stressful to manage the expectations of employees and staff can create numerous problems not least for those who have never managed a team before.

Business mentoring and coaching can be the key to having someone support you through some of these challenges. Having someone who can unlock your potential and work through problems in a confidential setting makes every problem in business a little less stressful.

Tackling work related stress is essential for both your own well being and that of friends and family and in order to ensure the performance of your business.

Think about some key factors which may be causing you stress and how to factor in some support or make a small change to decrease the stress in your workplace.

Here are two frequent examples which come up in mentoring our businesses at CBPartners.

Overwork - Consider your hours and whether they are reasonable or even necessary. Have you had a holiday this year? This may be a chance to review your time management and prioritisation of work, it may mean cutting out unnecessary tasks or delegating appropriately. Keeping a time diary for a week can often be helpful in seeing where we waste time unnecessarily during a day. Looking at our colleagues, direct reports or partners in business with fresh eyes can also help us see where they could help and do something which we have always done making the workload a little lighter. Ask yourself what will happen if overwork contributes to you becoming ill and start to think of ways to prevent this happening.

Poor performance - Improve recruitment and selection processes in order to make sure staff are well matched to their jobs and that performance is good from the start. Manage poor performance and look at the reasons why people may not be doing as well as you had hoped. Ensure they have the right resources and skills to get the job done and identify any further training needed. Encourage employees to discuss issues with you and give you ideas for improvement. Review performance regularly and keep staff informed about the direction of the business and any changes. Make sure you have good disciplinary policies and procedures and follow them, dont take short cuts. Consistent behaviour in managers is really important.

Some companies tackle stress head on and some wait until it is too late and there is a rise in sickness and absence. This will cost the business money. A stress audit can be very enlightening if you think there is little around and can be done through informal chats in groups or with individuals to find out if there are any concerns about stress.

For sole traders and small businesses stress can be internalised due to isolation and so getting to meetings with others in similar situations is really helpful. There are a number of free forums run by CBPartners where networking and meeting others goes hand in hand with a masterclass or information for business.

Please contact us on 01254 505050 if you would like any mentoring or coaching in these areas or wish to come to one of our forums for employers or our HR forum.

Systems thinking

Many of us in business wonder why we cannot make a change embed itself or even work at all. One of the ways of thinking about change and understanding it is to look at organisational culture and how that affects what we are trying to do.

For many people in business we want to get it right particularly today when finance is critical and businesses are failing at spectacular rates. Is getting right though the same as doing the right thing?

Perhaps we fail because we are trying to get it right rather than doing the right thing.

W. Edwards Deming invented systems thinking a way of thinking about how each part of a system affects the way other parts work. Determining how the whole system works is key to understanding what is the right thing to do. All tasks and functions of a business then are interdependent.

Deming used  14 points for the basis of the transformation of industry and many of them are key to improving sales and performance.

1. Constancy of purpose - create constancy working towards continual improvement of a product or service in order to become competitive and stay in business.

2. A new philosophy. We must embrace leadership for change. Continuous improvement means that we are flexible to changes in the market and customer demands. Change never stops which is why we need to be flexible.

3. Cease dependence on mass inspection. Routine inspection is like planning for defects, you cant inspect quality but you can require that there is statistical evidence that quality is built in. Improve processes so that defects arent produced in the first place.

4. End lowest tender contracts. Dont award business on the price tag alone but minimise total cost by moving towards a single supplier on a long term relationship of loyalty and trust.

5. Improve every process; this will decrease the cost of production. Accept that nothing is ever good enough.

6. Institute training on the job. When training people need to understand what the job is and why it is being done. Seems simple but how often do we train for things which are not really about the job?

7. Institute leadership of people. The aim of management is to help people do a better job. Coach staff to improve the system.

8. Drive out fear so that everyone may work effectively for the company. Build trust, collaboration  and cooperation.

9. Break down barriers between departments. People in every department shoudl work as a team not parts which dont interconnect.

10. Eliminate exhortations. Slogans asking for productivity are not helpful. management by numbers and objectives are not helpful. If the system is built around quality it will be done right the first time.

11. Eliminate arbitrary numerical targets. Work standards which prescribe quotas and numerical goals are not helpful the focus shoudl be on quality.

12. Remove barriers to pride of workmanship. Let people take a pride in a job well done.

13. Encourage education and learning. Institute a system of self improvement.

14. Transformation is everybody's job.

Learn more about LEAN Leadership which came from Demings work at our masterclass at the Oyster and Otter on Tuesday 22nd November at 18.00. Find out more here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Business-Partners/225187080841375

How to get the best out of networking

For many entrepreneurs and business people networking is a potential source of building the kinds of relationships which will translate into great business or provide support and the ability to share ideas and learning.

Do we always make best use of the opportunities we are presented with though?

Here are our top tips for networking.

1.  This is not about selling but how many times have you met someone only to feel that you dont really know what they do or what their business does? Prepare a quick and easy way of introducing yourself and practice it. People want to know who you are and what you do make sure they get a key message about you and understand your area of business and what you believe in. It only takes 10 seconds to for a first impression.

2. Think about what you want to achieve from the event you attend, dont go without prepping. Find out as much as possible about who will be going and what sort of things are going to be on the agenda or being talked about.

3. Meet people as people first and foremost. Show an interest in them and talk about other things not just business. You are building a relationship not selling. Listen to the person and hear what they are saying try not to dominate a conversation.

4. You are not collecting business cards. Network with a purpose and follow up. This is about the quality of a conversation and creating a depth rather than simply filling your drawers full of cards. Follow people up. Email them and say how nice it was to meet them. Dont leave the conversation there. This is about reciprocity and trust letting them know that you really wanted to connect. Try twitter or linkedin as well to connect in more spheres and remember they may well be involved in online groups as well.

5. Leave your troubles at home. No one wants you to be gloomy when they first meet you so put on a smile. It may sound trite but really people dont want to connect with someone who looks forbidding or hostile they will look for people who are looking happy and smile at them. Be energetic, positive and outgoing dont start talking about how awful things are at home or the worst thing which happened on your journey. Look glad to be there and use your time well.

CBPartners run plenty of networking events and some of them are free.

1. Oyster and Otter events with a masterclass and then networking over a great meal - next one on November 22nd on Lean Leadership

2. Employers Forums - supported by Blackburn College -  next one on Tuesday 6th December Blackburn Enterprise Centre

3. HR employers forums - supported by Forbes Solicitors - next one on Wednesday 9th November Clayton Park Conference Centre

4. Get fit for business - whole day event next one on sales excellence 10th November 9-4.30pm Blackburn Enterprise Centre

Get in touch with our business support on 01254 505050 for more information on any of these.