Applied Learning – Use It or Lose It!

Posted on | February 24, 2015 | No Comments

‘If you would thoroughly know something, teach it to others’ – Tryon Edwards (1809 – 1894).

I can remember reading something like this in one of the personal development books that I read a few years ago. Don’t worry about achieving mastery, teach it anyway and your own learning will grow. I was reminded of this on Sunday in a very stark way.

Last Thursday and Friday I was part of a small group learning Practical Appreciative Inquiry (AI) in London with Andy Smith of Coaching Leaders as our trainer. The course was part teaching, part experiential as we applied the learning to each other using the techniques of AI. The feelings that the approach was generating – once I had crossed the threshold and taken part in the first exercise (always a difficult one with a group of strangers) – were good. Ideas were beginning to crop up and were added as marginal notes. Changes were suggesting themselves that were very definitely building on the AI theme – that in every situation there are things that are working. Rather than seeing the problems, AI suggests that we buld upon that which is good and working and eventually overcome any problems simply by staying grounded and positive. Don’t get me wrong here, AI is not a sunny smiles positive thinking approach. At an appropriate part of the process, solutions need to be checked against reality and they always need to be within the power of the person ore group developing them.

I’m not here to sell you on AI, there are books and courses that do that. I’m here to talk about the experiences that followed the course.

On Saturday, I returned home to Cornwall from London by train. The journey is 4 hours and 45 mins and the standard class seats can become a little uncomfortable over that length of journey. I arrived home tired to find that we had problems with the newly installed wifi from BT Home Hub and that the Digital TV Recorder wasn’t working. First world problems both and not ones I could resolve that night.

On Sunday my plan was to resolve these minor technical issues and get on with the changes I needed to make, along with the work I needed to do to begin the week with a chance of winning the race between days and tasks. Those technical issues turned out to be, whilst minor, very persistent and frustrating. In the end, with some timely support from Chris O’Brien of CoBIT SW on a remote connection, we were able to disable the 5 GHz band and adjust the settings to allow Windows 7 and Chromecast to connect. By which time it was late and the day was very much lost in terms of getting any planing or writing done.

My optimistic, enthusiastic state from Friday afternoon had taken a huge dive South. I could no longer see how the ideas I was developing could ever work. I admit I despaired.

Monday was a day of catching up, of important conversations and a gradual return to a resourceful state. I’m back to being able to see how the changes can happen, though they may be a little slower in coming. The rest of this week will be an interesting balance.

I’m a fan of The Hero’s Journey as set out by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The Hero’s Journey begins in the familiar world but where something is not quite right (or very badly wrong). Taking a step into the unfamiliar means that the ‘Hero’ steps over a one way threshold and things can never be the same again. The journey through the unfamiliar develops from one of difficulty and unfamiliarity to one where resources and learning can happen. We’ve all been on courses where the insights begin to flow after a period of confusion and uncertainty as new and unfamiliar material is explored. The final stage of the journey is about the return to the familiar with a changed view and additional resources. Of course, the familiar world still has the same people, issues and pressures. That first Monday morning after a course can result in the notes of the course, and with them the ideas and development, being swamped under the volume of the mundane. Familiar (pun intended)?

This week I’m taking one element of the AI process, the Appreciative Interview, to the Falmouth Business Club where I will attempt to use it and see what the effect of that can be. The members of that network are used to my fads and fancies and will tolerate them. What I’m hoping for is some honest feedback. Can asking questions about what is working in a situation, how that feels and what resources can be used to spread that further into areas that may not be working so well.

I’m hoping that by teaching it, I’ll learn more and become more adept at making that approach my natural one. Maybe I can begin to live appreciatively and manage the number an intensity of the downturns in my state.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

Leadership, Export and Managing Capacity on the Source Business Breakfast Friday 16th March

Posted on | March 19, 2012 | No Comments

The Source Business Breakfast went out on Source 96.1Fm in Falmouth and Penryn between 8am and 9am on Friday 16th March, 2012.

LISTEN –
Source Business Breakfast 16th March 2012 by Andy Coote

Features –
An absorbing two-part interview with Tracie Seebold (@leaders_forum) of Leaders Forum about culture, leadership styles and positive leadership. She advocates a move from a negative, deficits based model to a positive strengths based model of leadership. Part 2 explores Tracie’s business – Leaders’ Forum.

David Bone joined me in the studio, talking about the Export Cafe being run by Export Cornwall (which he chairs) this week in Kingsley Village Conference Centre. It is the biggest export event ever run in Cornwall and has speakers from many countries along with experts in exporting to consult. If you are thinking about exporting listen to this and then go to the cafe on Thursday 22nd March.

We also talked about Managing Capacity, a subject that David coaches for business leaders in Cornwall and across the UK. We explored the questions you need to be asking yourself about how your business currently performs and what options you may have to make it better and avoid it ‘turning into a monster’ that you need to feed.

I will be blogging some more of the Business Breakfast podcasts here so that they are in one place. Meantime, they are collected at My Soundcloud Page.

Do please put comments on to Soundcloud or here and I’ll respond where appropriate.

What Do You Stand For?

Posted on | March 19, 2012 | No Comments

There is a lot of debate – not just in the press – about ethics and morality in business. Most of the debate centres on the mega businesses in banking, retail, service provision – and, of course, big media itself. That is an important debate but I’m more interested in smaller businesses, the type that we have most of in this country, and the learning they can offer to bigger business.

For smaller businesses – and I include those that employ tens of people as well as one-man bands – the question is not how to maximise huge profits or to avoid tax. For a large proportion it is about making any sort of profit and keeping up with the administration of their tax affairs. Small business has always been precarious. It is even more so now. It is, for so many, a survival game.

As I write this, there will be businesses examining their trading position and deciding whether they can safely continue to trade or whether to call it a day and do something else. That decision will be made more difficult by the reality that, for many, there probably isn’t anything else that they could consider doing.

Having spoken to hundreds of business people in this sector, many of them got into their business because they saw something that they could do better or because they wanted to use their talents more effectively than they were being used by a current employer. They ‘stand for’ something that they want to achieve. Often, these days, their intention is to do something positive for people or the community in which they live and work.

While the debate rages about ‘morally bankrupt’ businesses at one end of the spectrum, at the other end of that same spectrum ethics and morals are much more explicit in business development and growth. In my view, the real debate is not whether making a profit is ethical. A profit is essential for most types of business – even charities – to be sustainable and to continue to live and promote their values.

Bigger businesses need to reconnect with their values and think about how those values should translate into behaviour. If you don’t ‘walk your talk’ where is your business credibility to come from?

Add your comment. State your position. Join the debate.
What do you stand for?

This article first appeared on the Falmouth Packet business page a few weeks ago.

(Podcast) The Source Business Breakfast 28th October

Posted on | November 2, 2011 | No Comments

The Source Business Breakfast went out on Source 96.1Fm in Falmouth and Penryn between 8am and 9am on Friday 28th October, 2011.

LISTEN –
Source Business Breakfast 281011 by Andy Coote

Features –
Update on Fal River Visitor Information Centre
When Falmouth Tourist Information Centre closed in May this year there was a period of three months when the centre remained closed.
Then on 1st August, the Fal River Visitor Information Centre opened under new ownership as a public/private partnership, with Tim Light of King Harry Ferries at the helm. Nicola Kneebone, who had managed the Tourist Information Centre, became the manager of the new Visitor Centre. Now almost three months into the new format of operation, Nicola talks about how the new Visitor Centre has performed, her learning curve in the new business and on developing a new relationship on a more commercial basis with the accommodation providers, retailers and attractions in the area.

Cornwall Sustainability Awards
A recent study suggests that nearly half of company bosses believe their company is NOT eco-friendly and, despite the majority of business owners trying to take steps to reduce their carbon output, millions still reckon it’s too costly, time consuming and impractical. Here in Cornwall, the Cornwall Sustainability Awards are organised with the intention of highlighting issues faced by business and promoting good practice in sustainability. Whilst entries for the awards themselves are closed this year, there is still an opportunity for businesses to find out more about embracing a more sustainable approach and maybe planning for next year’s awards. I spoke to Mark Picken of MPAD at the eco-friendly Jubilee Wharf building in Penryn about the awards. Judging will be on Friday 4th November and the shortlist will emerge around that time, too and the awards event is on 9th December at the Royal Cornwall Showground. Book now if you want to be there.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time in Falmouth.
This week BBC Cornwall ran an article on Christmas arrangements around Cornwall. Traders in Penryn said they are fundraising and looking for sponsors.
Falmouth is in good shape with plenty planned to be going on in the run up to the Christmas period. Richard Gates told me about how Christmas in Falmouth was already shaping up. More about Christmas in Falmouth is at the Falmouth BID website.
The Falmouth Christmas Festival planned for 15th – 18th December in Discovery Quay (or Events Square) is new and ambitious with plenty of activity happening. Ruth Huxley of Cornwall Ford and Drink took a few minutes out from arranging the schedule of the event to explain to me where the idea had come from and how the event would look. As Ruth said there are some opportunities still for the Food Hall and the Craft Fair but you need to be quick. Talk to Cornwall Food and Drink about the Food Hall – info [at] cornwallfoodanddrink [dot] co [dot] uk or call 01872 865101 and Sadie Phillips at Rick Stein about the Craft Fair – Sadiephillips [at] rickstein [dot] com.

To contact me about the show or to suggest features or interviews, please email source(dot)business(dot)breakfast(at)gmail.com or comment on the Source Business Breakfast page on Facebook.

(Podcast) The Source Business Breakfast 21st October

Posted on | October 24, 2011 | No Comments

The Source Business Breakfast went out on Source 96.1Fm in Falmouth and Penryn between 8am and 9am on Friday 21st October, 2011.

LISTEN –
Source Business Breakfast 211011 by Andy Coote

Features –
Falmouth BID goes to Westminster
On Tuesday this week, Richard Gates, Town Manager and Richard Wilcox, BID Manager were in London to attend an open meeting of a parliamentary group looking at the future of Town Centres. I asked Richard Wilcox if he would explain more about their visit and the event.
So will we see Mary Portas in Falmouth? Time will tell, meantime, there’s plenty of effort going into making sure that Falmouth retains its positive feeling despite the well reported economic problems we face.

Update on Tax and Financial Matters
Colin Truscott is a partner in Lang Bennetts, Truro and Falmouth based Chartered Acountants and he joined me in the studio for our regular update on matters relating to tax, finance and to running your business effectively. We started with Self Assessment tax deadlines (paper 31 October, online 31st January), changes to late payment rules and other penalty issues, current trading conditions and legislation.

Local Press Campaigns
Packet Publisher Jonathan Perkins joined me to talk about two campaigns being run through the Packet Series of newspapers. First Local Business Accelerators, a national campaign which the Packet will be featuring strongly and Council Tax Defaulters – a campaign to identify Cornwall Councillors whose Council Tax was not paid in time and resulted in court proceedings.

To contact me about the show or to suggest features or interviews, please email source(dot)business(dot)breakfast(at)gmail.com

NLP at Work 30th September – audio clips

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | No Comments

Martin Crump of Evolution Development organised NLP at Work at the Eden Project, Cornwall on 30th September. Speakers ranged from a GP who coaches students studying for medical qualifications, an outdoor acitivity coach, the Head of Procurement for a major Hospital Trust, a project leader with a new slant on managing projects and a specialist in use of language in emails. You can hear from them all in the audio clips below.

Martin’s review of the day, with pictures and video, is on the Evolution Website
Presentation slide sets are now at Slideshare.
The liveblog of the day is available on the Evolution website here

NLP at Work by Andy Coote

(Podcast) The Source Business Breakfast 26th August

Posted on | August 27, 2011 | No Comments

The Source Business Breakfast went out on Source 96.1Fm in Falmouth and Penryn between 8am and 9am on Friday 26th August, 2011.

LISTEN – Source Business Breakfast 26th August 2011 presented by Andy Coote

Features –
It’s My Business
Tash Berks presents a show on Source and admits to having opinions that can be lively and honest. When it comes to her day job – buying and selling second hand books through her shop Bookmark in Arwenack Street, she also has opinions – and they are worth listening to. So I asked her to tell me more about her business for It’s My Business. I came away with three books when I visited the shop. If you love books, do pay Tash a visit. The shop is on the corner of Arwenack Street and Quay Hill and you will be welcomed.

Studio Guests
In a few weeks the marquees will be going up in Lemon Quay in Truro for the annual Cornwall Food and Drink Festival organized by Cornwall Food and Drink Ltd – Ruth Huxley is their Managing Director. Sean Williams joined us from main festival sponsor is Cornishfoodmarket, the online arm of West Country Fruit Sales based near Budock. As Ruth and Sean explained, this year’s Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever in a relaxed atmosphere.

Cornwall Food and Drink Festival in Lemon Quay from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September organised by Cornwall Food and Drink and sponsored by Cornish Foodmarket.

Business News
On the front page of the Packet this week and headlined ‘Shock at plans to build on golf site’ were details of a “Town Frameworks” document produced by Cornwall Council, which looks at development plans for Falmouth and Penryn over the next 20 years. It suggests that 1,300 new homes should be built on existing urban sites, while up to 2,700 properties could be built on greenfield urban extensions.

Land earmarked for development includes large swathes between Falmouth and Budock Water, off Bickland Water Road – as well as at the Falmouth Pitch and Putt golf course. Land at Lower Treluswell and between the Penryn bypass and railway line has also been suggested as available for development.
The article was written by the Packet’s News Editor, David Thomas and I spoke to him about it this week. I’m sure there’s much more to come on that story in the weeks and months to come. What do you think? Sensible planning or a ‘developers charter’?

The Cornwall council website (and local news outlets) reported this week that Chris Ridgers, Cornwall Council cabinet member for Economy and Regeneration, Sarah Newton, MP for Falmouth, Peter Childs and Mike Reynolds from A&P and Mark Sansom of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners “seized the opportunity of Mr Osborne’s visit to Cornwall to bring the massive economic importance of the dredging of Falmouth Docks to the Chancellor’s attention.”

The Chancellor, who was in Cornwall to mark Newquay Cornwall Airport being awarded Enterprise Zone status (as we reported last week), is said to have welcomed the approach.

Sarah Newton, MP for Truro and Falmouth, said: “I’m delighted that we were able to put our case to the Chancellor yesterday morning.”

Mark Sansom, Falmouth Harbour Commissioner, said: “I’m very grateful to the Chancellor for the time he gave us to listen to our case.”

Revised plans for the dredging are currently with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) which has expressed concern over the effects of dredging on algae in the harbour. Dredging is seen as key to the delivery of the Masterplan.

Tremough will be the venue for an IT conference called ‘Agile on the Beach’ next month. Toby Parkins of UK NetWeb, one of the organisers explains what it will cover, what Agile is all about and who should attend. Agile on the Beach takes place at Tremough on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th September.

To contact me about the show or to suggest features or interviews, please email source(dot)business(dot)breakfast(at)gmail.com

This podcast has been edited to remove commercial music and leave original content only. It runs at 52mins 51secs.

(Podcast) The Source Business Breakfast 19th August

Posted on | August 19, 2011 | No Comments

The Source Business Breakfast went out on Source 96.1Fm in Falmouth and Penryn between 8am and 9am on Friday 19th August, 2011.

LISTEN – Source Business Breakfast 19th August 2011 presented by Andy Coote

Features –
Henri Lloyd Falmouth Week ended last Sunday. Subjectively, it seems to have been a successful week with a packed programme of events on and off the water. Even the weather stayed (mostly) kind thought the fireworks were deferred by a night due to conditions. I talked to Richard Gates, Falmouth Town Manager about how he felt it had gone, whether businesses had felt benefit from the visitor numbers, standards in the Town and Fal350 (celebration of 350 years of charter) which will be on October 5th – more information at the Fal350 website .

Studio Guest
Marie Curie nurses are part of the essential care network that surrounds Cancer in all its forms. They are not part of the health service provision but no less essential a service for that. As a charity, every penny they spend providing services where and when they are most needed comes from donations and much of the fund raising is done locally to raise money for use locally. Lynda Thomas is Community Fundraising Manager for Marie Curie in Cornwall with a target of raising £250,00 this year and probably more in future years. To do this, she gets involved in a wide variety of events – from driving challenges, and cycle rides to formal Balls and fundraisers. We spoke about how fundraising is organised, about managing teams of volunteers and how businesses can get involved. There are still places for the Driving Challenge at Portreath on 4th September. Go to the events pages to register online.

Business News
On Wednesday this week the Government announced a further 11 Enterprise Zones to add to the initial 11. One of those zones will be based around Newquay airport. The Newquay Aero Hub as it is being called is being hailed as the first major success for the Cornwall and IOS Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). In this report we began with Lord Robin Teverson who is a Cornwall Councillor and a member of the LEP Board. Matthew Clarke spoke to him on Wednesday for the Business Cornwall Podcast.
So how are local business leaders responding to the announcement. Well, mostly positively with some concerns for the detail. Jeremy Edwards, Chair of the Port of Falmouth Chamber of Commerce gave a typically missed reaction. For Richard Gates, Falmouth Town Manager, the move makes sense if it strengthens the economic case for the airport. Jonathan Griffin is Director of the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall and Chair of the Falmouth Town Forum. He reacts positively to the plans and suggests that Falmouth Docks, the Marine Industry on the Fal and Penryn rivers and the Industrial Estates would benefit from the same benefits as Enterprise Zones are getting. As it happens, the Western Morning News on Thursday ran an article suggesting that councils could decide to create their own ‘informal’ Enterprise Zones with all of the incentives should they choose. Mike Reynolds, Port Operations Director at A&P Falmouth and a major player in the Port of Falmouth Master Plan, sees the plan as improving the chances for a viable Newquay Airport. He sees lower taxation and, importantly, relaxation of planning laws as benefits that Falmouth could also use to create a vibrant economy locally.

As several speakers said, this announcement cannot really be judged at this stage. The outcomes of the Enterpise Zone are medium to long term and they are only part of a wider strategy for growth that is needed to move Cornwall (and the UK) out of recession and back into prosperity. Economic growth in Cornwall and in the towns of Falmouth and Penryn will be a regular topic of conversation here on the Business Breakfast. I’d like to hear your views on this. Email source(dot)business(dot)breakfast(at)gmail.com
or go onto Facebook and find ‘The Source Business Breakfast’ page on Facebook.

To contact me about the show or to suggest features or interviews, please email source(dot)business(dot)breakfast(at)gmail.com

This podcast has been edited to remove commercial music and leave original content only. It runs at 52mins 51secs.

Changing ‘the bit of the world around us’

Posted on | August 16, 2011 | 2 Comments

I’m reading ‘The Hungry Spirit’ by Charles Handy at present. Not a new book by any means – published in 1998 in fact – but one that I’m finding reinforces and widens my view of the world, especially in the matter of personal responsibility.

After establishing in Part one of the book that

‘capitalism, efficiency and markets have their flaws but also their uses.’

Handy goes on to look at what we, as individuals and groups, can do to make change happen. In his introduction he says –

Forced to be free to shape our lives. we can, by example and initiative, slowly change the bit of the world around us.

Whilst I’m talking mostly in the context of business and creating growth from the ground upwards rather than by sitting, open beaked, waiting for Government and quasi Government to force feed it to us, it also has interesting connotations for the change that’s needed socially. In amongst the backlash to the riots that took place around England just over a week ago, most of it political and blaming, there are voices suggesting that if we want to change the current social map, we could, if we wanted, follow Gandhi and ‘be the change we want to see in the world’.

To suggest that only Government and the Police can change what is clearly a problem for many, maybe most, of us, may be abdication. What if we were not powerless? What if we all “slowly changed the bit of the world around us”?

What could we achieve?
What would we achieve?

What do you think?

(Podcast) The Source Business Breakfast 12th August

Posted on | August 13, 2011 | No Comments

The Source Business Breakfast went out on Source 96.1Fm in Falmouth and Penryn between 8am and 9am on Friday 12th August, 2011. This podcast has been edited to remove commercial music and leave original content only. It runs at 47mins 25secs.

LISTEN – Source Business Breakfast 12th August 2011 presented by Andy Coote

Features –
It’s My Business –
Courtyard Deli is ‘one of the hidden gems of Falmouth’ according to a review online. It’s true. As well as a deli, there is a cafe and a space for cultural activity upstairs where the Arts Café runs every Wednesday night. I began by asking Rae Pollard when she took over the business. Bells Court is opposite Marks And Spencer and the Courtyard Deli is well worth a visit to shop, relax with a coffee or food or to listen to one of the performances on a Wednesday Night – or to do all three.

Studio Guests
David Hughes is a partner in Truro based IFA Anderson Lloyd. David lives and does a lot of his work with clients in the Falmouth area. Pension provision in this country is not as good as it will need to be – many people according to figures out last week will need to work on past retirement age in order to earn enough to live on. There may be time to rectify that for some people in work now. We will be talking about what you need to consider in putting together a pension provision and what the Government is doing to put the onus on employers to provide a pension plan for their employees.

Alchemy Bartenders is the brain child of Ro Santus; bar consultant, international flair competitor and world class bartender. Before we addressed the connection between cocktails and business team building, I asked him to give me a bit of background on himself and how he comes to be based in Constantine. Team building with a twist (of lime, maybe) with Ro Santus of Alchemy Bartenders. And the event – St Michaels Hotel & spa Falmouth from 6.30 – 9pm – http://thecocktailcabinet.org.uk

To contact me about the show or to suggest features or interviews, please email source(dot)business(dot)breakfast(at)gmail.com

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