Just got off Skype with Peter Hunter of Breaking the Mould. Firstly, Peter is always keen to talk, and secondly, when he does - it is valid. Such openess is typical of Peter’s approach. Breaking the Mould is all about openess, and how to create companies and organizations that show committment to each person and goal, AND show more profit because of it. Peter is generating a real buzz in the UK and elsewhere now - the approach is proven, and authentic. I invited Peter to Sweden a fortnight ago and we had an interesting day together - great talks and a great supper! I set up a presentationfor a group from the Nordic Coaching Federation, and others. It generated real interest from those who understood directly why BtM is well worth a look.

FACE to FACE

How to succesfully introduce ourselves is a really interesting debate…

Some like the formal:
“How do you do? I’m Mrs Humphreys, Head of Finance”
Others the informal:
“Hi, I’m Jane”

Both fail to make that crucial first impression…

The middle path would seem appropriate:

“Good to finally meet you; Jane Humphreys, Head of Finance”

(NOTE: This assumes they have had contact with the company at some point before, but does not necessarily mean they have had any contact with Jane Humphreys before.)

Other intelegant approaches

“Good [morning / afternoon] Jane Humphreys, Head of Finance”
“Hello; Jane Humphreys, Head of Finance”
or the simplest using effective body language:
Make eye contact, a quick nod of the head, extend hand, closed mouth smile:
“Jane Humphreys, Head of Finance.”

AVOID “My name is” at all costs: it sounds old-fashioned, and as though you are on a call to some airline or other to try to find out why your luggage is in another country from the one you’re stranded in without a change of socks…

A good tip: to remember a person’s name, use that name four times in the first four sentences. It really works:

“So Derek how was your journey?” “Right Derek, we have re-evaluated both the sales strategy and the goodwill.” “Derek, do you think we should take a seperate meeting for the amortization?” “Well Derek, coffee?” If handled correctly it does not sound strange and you really will remember the name…

As you lead so will they follow; so be followable…

Some thoughts gathered on the way to intelegance…

Know yourself. This is more than Myers-Briggs or SLOAN tests, (Nothing wrong with personality testing per se; they are really useful if you want to understand, for example, why personality clashes happen - it is generally as simple that we are opposites types in our personality make-up: I’m analytical / you’re ideas - we don’t agree on approaches etc;). As a footnote there is much debate about how personality may be genetic.

So what does it mean to know ourselves? Business Intelegant starts with a personal audit based on the SWOT model. Could you produce a really honest list of your Strengths, and Weaknesses, and what skills represent Opportunities for you, and what skills represent Weaknesses? That’s tough: shining the torch in the dark places requires candour, and an authentic approach.

Me? Aha, mmm.

Well, yes I have a pretty good idea; but that doesn’t mean I’m sharing them!

I am always working on turning potential threats and weaknesses into opportunities and strengths; sometimes successfully, and sometimes not.

Be skilled: knowing what you can do and knowing what you can’t is one of the keys to good leadership - right?

That’s why we work in teams: one person understands financial ratios, another logistics, another encourages, another analyzes etc; but whatever our approach a good skill set is a real asset.

The four major areas that traditionally made up an organization: strategy, leadership, finance, and organization, each requires real skills to succeed. All four are required if real CEO status is desired or to be recognized.

To this end I love Katherine Benziger’s work; and would warmly recommend reading and researching her approach to identifying all-round personal skills.

Make Good and Timely Decisions: A good methodology for decison making is a must. James Reason is a great starting point. He is professor of psychology at Manchester University working in ergonomics, and stress, particularly for flight crews - where good decisions kind of matter - a lot.

Communicate Well: clear communicaton is simply where both parties understand each other. Consider this though, Deborah Tannen, who is certainly one of the leading writers on personal communication states that she divorced her first husband due to bad communication so it isn’t ever easy… One of the best tricks for managers is to ask questions instead of giving instructions - “Will you have the report ready by Friday?”, “Are you sure?”, “Is there any help you need?” “So, it will be ready by Friday?” If handled well the report will be there in time, on Friday…

And of course, keep it intelegant: simple, intelligent, elegant… always

pt 2 soon.

If you´d like to GURU your world check out the Work Encyclopedia page at the sister site at Business Intelegant - the Work Encyclopdia is a quick guide to the great thinkers about work - 125 gurus in a simple, intelligent, elegant, downloadable PDF.

Business Intelegant is about simple, intelligent, and elegant solutions and ideas that make work better.

It is about business theory, and the practicalities of making work better. It is also about language - most training and coaching by Business Intelegant is done in the Nordic Region in English - so you’ll find tips and links to speeding up your Business English.

It is about living in Sweden too, and what it is like to have a consultancy run by an Englishman in another country. I love Sweden. I am raising three very young children here. I have a wonderful wife, and they have given me a very happy life.

In the blog wherever unusual words are used you might even see a Swedish word / explanation.