“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to
share your riches but to reveal to him his own.”
~ Benjamin Disraeli
Blog
Stop talking! The power of silence
I was reminded the other day of a lesson I learned back in my corporate days about the power of silence. One of my colleagues was an incredibly clever man, but whenever I asked him a question, he just sat and looked at me - in silence. I’d ask one question,...
What’s your AQ?
Most of us know about IQ - our intelligence quotient. And most of us have at least some sense of how we would measure up. Increasingly, people have learned about EQ - our emotional quotient. This is a measure of how we understand and manage our own emotions. If...
What kind of intelligence do you use?
Did you know that you can be intelligent in three different ways? You can use your head - this makes you more clear, logical and forward thinking You can use your heart - this leads you to be more empathetic, and in tune with your emotions and feelings, or You...
Business interruption – get a spidergram!
You may have heard me talk before about using a spidergram to map the activity in our business. Today I’m back on the subject of spidergrams, but in the context of the importance of agreements in managing business interruption. I attended a very useful talk recently...
Build structure into your day
Most of us thrive on some degree of structure. We’re used to having regular commitments - whether that’s client interaction, networking, or family activities. When the world shifts, that structure may shift too, and fall away. This can make our world even more...
What’s your Linked In score?
Do you need a Linked In profile? Yes you do! And it needs to look good. If Linked In isn’t your social media platform of choice, then you don’t need to be a whizz on it. However, it's rather like an online business directory. When someone hears about you, these...
We ALL need to sell a product!
If you sell a service, it may sound strange to hear me tell you to sell a product. But it’s you I’m talking to. Last week I went to a very good talk by a marketing expert. She talked us through how to develop your marketing strategy. And, at the end, she invited us...
Don’t be shy!
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard business owners say: “I don’t like chasing people.” Does this sound familiar? Is it something that resonates with you? Usually it means you are reluctant to follow up with someone who has expressed interest in your...
Why approach networking strategically?
Last week I talked to someone about the importance of networking strategically. She is doing lots of networking, but there's no evidence that it's giving her any benefits, so I asked her how she prepared for each networking event. Truth is, she didn’t! And...
Know your hidden strengths
I recently coached a woman who was changing direction. She had been running it for a couple of years, but had decided that she wanted to do things slightly differently. To help my client identify where she should focus, I asked her about her strengths. She said she...
Sometimes it’s OK to resist!
From time to time one of my clients will resist doing their homework! When this happens, I get curious. Because resistance can come from many different places. Sometimes it's a shift of priorities - a new client, ill-health, a family issue. Often it denotes an...
Are you stalking your work?
Are you stalking your work? If you’ve been with me for while, you’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of follow up. And I make no apologies for raising the subject again. Because I know from experience that we small business owners often don’t do it! The...
