This question was asked at a recent conference for new entrepreneurs and sole traders. It struck a chord; not just with those in the audience, but also those on the panel, and with others who have been asked for their thoughts.

A client of mine actually describes themselves on their website as “self-effacing”, and see this quality as helping make them attractive to potential customers, by being seen as not pushy. Others I have spoken to, talk about how they struggle with collecting money due from clients, and how they are worried about being rude. On the other hand, we can probably all think of someone who succeeds through relentless salesmanship.

As usual, I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I would suggest that you can be incredibly persistent without being annoying; by being polite, or by pointing out the (potentially mutual) benefits of getting what you want, for example. In theory, with humour and good grace, it may be possible to be rude, without becoming annoying.

In business, and to an extent in our personal lives, persistence is a key skill to getting what we want.

The point of being persistent is to keep asking for something you want, until you get it. Becoming annoying suggests that the person you want it from has reached a point where they don’t want you to have it.

How do you get the best out of your staff? I was talking this through with a client recently, and stumbled across something that I called the Martin Johnson Syndrome.

My client was without doubt employing some of the brightest, most knowledgeable, people in their field. But he was frustrated by their unwillingness to demonstrate through actions that they had bought into his vision, to take risks, or to stop “playing it safe”.

He acknowledged that the organisation’s culture was changing, from being fairly autocratic, to one of empowerment and delegation of responsibility, but he couldn’t get his team to take the initiative.

After talking with some of his managers, I had one of those “light-bulb” moments. I knew that my client was well respected, in his field, as well as by his colleagues, but I hadn’t realised just how well he was respected. His managers were afraid of failing, and in particular, of failing in the eyes of their boss – my client.

I had read recently about the poor results of the England rugby team. There was little debate about the quality of the players, and how their collective ability was, on paper, excellent. But they were lacking that something special, that bit of magic, which turned them into a winning team. The writer surmised that they were in complete awe of their manager, Martin Johnson. Johnson is an inspirational leader, who has achieved the ultimate goals in the game (including captaining the England team that won the World Cup). The players, so the theory went, were afraid of taking risks, of trying something adventurous, in case they failed.

My suggestion to my client was simple. He needed to convince his team that he had trust and confidence in their abilities. Telling them was not enough. He needed to demonstrate through examples what his reaction would be when they failed. I even suggested that he create a situation in which one of his staff was “set up to fail”, so that he could show them how supportive he was.

Empowering people who are not used, or willing, to fail is not easy. Demonstrating your trust and confidence in them requires a special kind of management. I hope for England’s sake that Johnson has cracked it. Have you?

There are statistics and lies. Can a single number ever tell the whole story?

I appeared on BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire this morning, to give my views.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0062shx/Annie_Othen_28_01_2010/

I start to talk about an hour and 20 minuites into the programme…

None of us knows what is going to happen in the future. And yet we are constantly making decisions that are based on what we think is going to happen in the future.

I was talking to a client today about how they should structure their companies (they operate a charity and a trading company). The answer lies in what they want to achieve, and to work backwards from there. The answer may be wrong, but the premise they base the decision on will be right.

When faced with a difficult decision, I learnt a long time ago that the best way of deciding was to toss a coin, having decided what to do if the coin lands heads up (it works best if there are only two possible solutions!). The hard bit is to listen to the little voice in your head that tells you whether you are glad, or sorry, with the result. Rather than go with the coin, always trust your gut reaction to the result.

This would suggest that we know what to do all along; it’s just that too often other factors crowd our thinking, making decisions harder to reach.

Even in business, unless there are compelling reasons to take one course of action over another, there seems to be a lot of sense in going back to the reasons why you are in business, remembering what you want to achieve, and start from there.

If there is one radio show guaranteed to make me change channels, it’s the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2. Not because I have anything against Jeremy, it’s because, generally, the views of the public aired in response to the issues raised infuriate me. A couple of days ago, Jeremy conducted an excellent interview with a BBC correspondent about the Afghanistan non-election – a well informed, concise, detailed explanation of the issues. This was then ruined (for me) by uninformed points of view that added little or nothing.

Much has been written about the “demise” of the Birmingham Post, and the genuine concern at what will happen to the journalists who are losing their jobs. I sincerely hope that those skilled at writing will find new employment, albeit in a different market. I would far rather read, or listen, to someone who knows their subject and can present it well, than someone who writes and broadcasts just because they can.

The proliferation of Blogs, and the ability for anyone to write when, and on whatever subject they choose, has been cited as the end of quality reporting. I would disagree. I have more faith in readers and listeners exercising their choice to read and listen to what they like, and to switch off what they don’t like.

I also believe that there is a duty for those who know what is going on to share their knowledge and expertise.

A client of mine was thinking about starting a business, and asked me how big an overdraft she needed to ask her bank for. After talking through her plans, we agreed that the overdraft was a safety net, not a requirement and that, ideally, she ought not to make arrangements to borrow money she didn’t need.

I have been very lucky to work with a number of entrepreneurs and business owners. If I had to identify a common characteristic, it is a simple determination to succeed. Not necessarily financially, but in getting their product, service, or message, out there. It never seems to matter how much they have in the bank, their passion to succeed leads them to find innovative and often unusual ways to achieve their goals.

Passion really is a form of currency. To illustrate this, I can remember presenting to a bank for a significant loan to support a business. On paper, the business was in trouble. It was losing money, it was losing good staff, and it had issues with its governance. What it did have was a charismatic leader who conveyed a tangible sense of passion to succeed. Failure simply wasn’t an option. The bank was convinced, and the loan was granted.

If passion is a form of currency, then starting with little cash is no bar to success. The ideal combination is a sound business plan, presented with passion.

Over the last few days, a new theme has emerged during my discussions with clients. What motivates them?

Some are facing choices between two or more potentially lucrative opportunities, some are having a tough time, some are sitting back and questioning what it is that inspires them to keep running their own business.

There are easier ways to earn a living than by running your own business. But are they as satisfying?

The answer is very personal and, in my experience, changes over time. A whole host of factors continually change and influence the kind of people we are.

In my work, I try to understand what it is that motivates a business leader. From this, I try to ensure that business goals link into personal goals.

Running a business is not for everyone, the stress alone can ruin your personal life… But the rewards for those who are willing and able to put the time and effort in can be great.

Even if you are not running a business, what you do for work is a key part of you.

Life is like a three legged stool. Each leg represents work, home and friends. If they are not balanced, you will end up slipping off the stool.

Thinking you have a good balance is not the same as knowing you have a good balance. If they are not in balance, what are you going to do about it?

I’m willing to bet that your business has only got 3 problems:

1. Not enough money
2. Not enough time
3. Not enough good staff

I’m also willing to bet that no business has ever solved these problems. Like it or not, we only have the resources that we have. And it’s rare that we consider them enough. And yet every day businesses succeed and grow.

Not enough money
I once bought a one way ticket to Los Angeles, and landed there with just $50 in my pocket. I was young and naive enough to believe that I’d be ok. You don’t need lots of money to achieve your ambition, just pure bloody mindedness, and self belief.

Not enough time
Demands on our time have never been greater; everyone wants to grab our attention. Achieving a perfect work-life balance is a goal that always seems just out of reach. Life is, and always has been difficult. Have you worked out what’s important to you? Do you give your time to the things that matter most?

Not enough good staff
It’s tempting to believe that no-one does it as well as you do. No-one may do it quite like you do, but isn’t quality a judgement made by the customer, not the salesman?

All this sounds like a case of tough love, but in business (as in most walks of life) we need to make the most of what we actually have, not what we would like to have.

If you would like some help looking at what you have, and checking that you are making the most of your resources (money, time and staff!), let me know.

Blogging as a way of communicating is being debated. Is it a good thing, is it just plain self-indulgent? Is it right to give the general public the ability to speak, well, so publically? http://journalismleadersforum.blogspot.com/2009/05/12th-forum-itv-news-chief-times-web.html

As with all forms of media, from the first printing press to twitter, there are those who just don’t get it, and those who do. There are those who use it well, and those who don’t.

Blogging is a relatively new medium that might yet have its place in history, but that place has to be fought for and proven. Twas ever thus.

I believe it can be a force for good, and Jo Geary’s eloquent support is key to its survival.
http://www.joannageary.com/2009/05/13/qit8-im-sick-and-tired-of-this-infernal-blog-debate/

I found myself despairing today, about the lack of interest in the Balance Sheet by some businesses. I believe it is the single most important piece of information every business needs. Why?

Look at it this way, as an individual, we tend to know how much we owe other people, how much we own, even how much we are owed. It’s nice to have sense of how much we are earning, but the bit that gives us the warm fuzzy feeling of stability – or the cold shivers of concern – is the detail of where we are financially right now.

That’s what the Balance Sheet is. It’s a snapshot of who owes you, who you owe, and what you own.

As a barometer of your organisation’s health, check out the Balance Sheet. And if you want an idea of what shape you are going to be in, then ask to see the Balance Sheet’s forecast position. It’s not rocket science, and could save you from some very unpleasant surprises.