SCBA's Annual Team Conference

A couple of weeks ago the whole SCBA team went away on our Annual Team Conference to Renmark. We were very fortunate to have Ron Jungalwalla facilitate the two days which was centred around a theme of 'Being World Class'.


The two days were a great time to get away with our team and 'straighten ourselves up'. It was also the ideal opportunity to ingrain some of our newer team members with the philosphies of our company.


From an owners point of view there were times of challenge where it was clear to us that we had not always committed or communicated as much as was required by our team. Although confronting it is important to accept these as areas to improve and set in place some plans to make change.


Whether a team of 1 or a 100 we should all make the effort and investment to have an extended timeout from our businesses. We get so close and intertwined in the day to day operations that we lose the clear view of what we should be doing. Leaving the office and even your town allows the attention to be on the conference and not still the stuff you normally do.


So overall for the Southern Cross family it was a fantastic two days that gave us a wonderful base and focus to build on.


Cheers


Peter O'Donnell
Business Architect and Motivator

PLAN, IMPLEMENT AND MAINTAIN YOUR COURAGE

No matter how well planned or organised you are, making change in business by its nature requires a 'leap of faith' to some level.


The decision to adjust your business model is a challenge but maintaining the plan even when others don't understand or agree with your direction takes great courage. The problem is, for those outside looking in, things may look different, chaotic, disorganised, etc.


Any change takes time to develop a rhythm. I have read that a new habit takes 21 days to become ingrained in your daily routine. Ignore the verbal clutter and negative Nellies that may make you second guess your plan.


So if your are looking for rapid change and you know you are on the right path, grab a handful of courage pills and get on with it!


Cheers


Peter O'Donnell


Business Architect and Motivator

The Great Question

Recently I was at a conference where one of the presenters was Verne Harnish. He gave a lot of pearls of wisdom over the day but the one point that stuck with me most was what I call The Great Question!


'Why Do We Do What We Do?'


There is a great explanation of the concept by a gentleman called Simon Sinek on TED http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html


If we focus on the Why rather than the What or the How things will change very dramatically very quickly.


Cheers


POD
Business Motivator and Architect

The Tough Mudder Lesson

In a moment of insanity before Christmas I agreed to compete in the Tough Mudder Challenge (http://www.toughmudder.com/) with one of my great mates. The good news is that I survived it and completed successfully although definitely not gracefully.


As I reflected on the Challenge there are a couple of clear learnings for me.

• Clearly understand what the challenge is.
• Start your preparation early.
• Set out a plan but don't be scared to change and update if it is not working.
• Share the journey and it will be a hell of a lot more fun.
• Break up a challenge in to 'chewable' bits. We had 28 obstacles but we just tried to focus on the next one.
• If you do the above you will get a successful outcome that was never as bad as imagined in your mind.

I can definitely apply the above lessons to any challenge that is front of me. The challenge might be different but the process should be similar.


Cheers


POD
Business Architect & Motivator

FACE to FACE is still the best way to go

Our ability to communicate to our clients/customers is so easy now with technology advances. We can connect through twitter/email/Facebook/SMS/telephone, etc. They are great tools and have an important place in the communication strategy of any business.


However, to build the best rapport and have the greatest understanding nothing beats a face to face meeting. In fact, 93% of how we communicate is not conveyed by the words we use. The message is delivered by tone and body language. So by only communicating through technology the message can be lost or even worse, misunderstood!!


I recently went to a meeting where the relationship had been fractured by some past dealings by others. More recent communication was at a different level and largely by mail and email. So really the relationships had not improved over 4 years. The meeting of all parties in the one room meant that there was clear and concise conversations, relationships were rebuilt and intentions are understood by all.


Now there is greater respect and rapport. This would not have been achieved without this meeting.


So if not sure, get in front of your clients or customers. Don't hide behind your computer and take the easy and mostly less effective way out. If the conversation is important do your best to make it face to face.


Peter O'Donnell
Business Architect and Motivator

WHAT IF......?

• What if your business was flooded tomorrow?
• What if you were injured and could not work for two months?
• What if you picked up a new customer today that would double your revenue overnight?
• What if you suddenly had a new competitor in your market that slashed prices by 25%?
• What if your major supplier or customer went into liquidation?

Having a Business Continuity Plan is a good and sensible practice for any enterprise. Consider what could happen and have a plan.

Cheers

Peter O'Donnell
Business Architect & Motivator
　

CHANGE THE PEOPLE or CHANGE THE PEOPLE

Are you having problems with your team. Sometimes it is a simple scenario to solve.

You can either CHANGE THE PEOPLE who work for you to operate/act in the way that you want as a business owner or manager;

OR

CHANGE THE PEOPLE to those that will operate/act in the way that you want as a business owner or manager.

You already know the right decision. You just have to act!

Cheers

Peter O'Donnell
Business Architect & Motivator