5 questions to ask yourself when creating content

Posted on May 22, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

Creating content on a regular basis can be difficult, and losing momentum can mean you produce content which isn’t up to scratch. Sometimes, inspiration dries up, or we’re not sure that we can create something people really will want to read.

Your outlet for content must be regularly updated, but more than that, it must constantly provide value and engaging content to keep readers coming back.

Here are some questions which will help keep you on the straight and narrow of content creation, and help you provide content which will keep readers coming back for more.

1) Is this relevant to my clients?

Your content needs to be written with someone in mind, and it’s likely that the person you want to be reading your content is a potential client. Don’t start with what you find interesting, but what they’ll feel compelled to read.

2) Have they read this before?

It’s tempting with so much content surrounding us to recycle material. Sometimes, it can seem impossible to create original content, but even if you are taking inspiration from an existing article, allow your own experience and voice to add originality. Don’t be afraid to develop your own voice and put a piece of yourself into your writing.

3) Will it give them value?

It’s important to give your reader something which will be of benefit to them. While doing this, you get to demonstrate your expertise and begin building a relationship. Think about what they will take away from the content; are you giving advice, or perhaps the benefit of your experience? What do you hope they’ll get out of reading your content?

4) Is there an opportunity to engage?

Content without engagement is like bouncing a tennis ball off a wall. There needs to be an opportunity somewhere within your content to create a dialogue. A typical example is to ask a question at the end of the article, but this also goes for the posts you put out on social media to invite people to read what you’ve written. Ask for the views of individuals who you think might be particularly interested, and try to create a conversation.

5) What do I want them to do at the end?

Some content lends itself well to a call to action. Perhaps you have been giving a case study or listing the benefits of your service or point of view. At this point, it seems natural to ask the reader to get in touch with their view, connect with you on social media or simply give you a call if they think you can help. Or, perhaps you want them to pass it on to their colleagues or others who will find it interesting. Whatever it is, ask it in as clear terms as possible, and remind them why it will benefit them.

Lessons we can learn from Roberto Mancini

Posted on May 16, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

For the last few days, the internet’s sports news sites have been full of pictures of Roberto Mancini clutching his forehead in despair, seemingly in reaction to the news of his dismissal from Manchester City.

We are great believers in the idea that there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between sports and business (not least the importance of coaching in both), so we took a quick look at Mancini’s predicament and had a think about what we could learn as business people.

Here are some choice lessons we’ve drawn from Mancini’s unfortunate story.

Relationships really matter

Mancini’s refusal to build relationships and acknowledge younger players has been widely cited in headlines announcing his dismissal. In business, just as in sport, good relationships and understanding between team members is vital. That goes for people inside and outside of your business – Mancini often clashed with other managers as well as his own players. Nobody wants to work with someone who is difficult, rude and aggressive, and it seems this was one of the main reasons for Mancini’s dismissal.

Nobody is ‘the special one’

In a way comparable to Jose Mourinho, Mancini’s team was all about him – a contradiction in terms, as no team can be all about an individual. Mancini reportedly told Joe Hart that he was “the only judge” of the team’s success, something which demonstrates Mancini’s lack of understanding about what it meant to be part of the Manchester City team as a whole. It was eventually those who were judging his own performance, the board, who told him it wasn’t good enough.

Seeing yourself as the top dog in any profession is a recipe for disaster, especially for anyone tasked with leading others. Listening, willingness to collaborate and the ability to empower your team are all attributes which are highly valued in today’s leaders.

Reviewing goals and targets leads to better performance

Mancini was given targets to complete, and his lack of delivery meant that when it came to review, he was out. Okay, you might argue that these insufficiencies were partly used to justify Manchester City wanting to get rid of a difficult employee, but the business lesson we can take from them is that they started the season with a timed strategy and goals whose success or failure would be clear.

When they came to review the plan at the end of the season, they agreed that their objectives had not been completed.

So – make sure you have timed objectives, and act accordingly if they aren’t completed. This shouldn’t always mean firings; instead, you might re-assess what is realistic, what could have been done differently, and how future long-term goals should be adapted in accordance with your results.

The conversations you need to be having

Posted on May 9, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

It’s impossible to be in business without being in conversation. One person, alone in a room, talking to nobody simply isn’t a business (or at least, it’s not a business yet!)

There are a number of conversations you need to be having on a regular basis to ensure that your business runs as effectively as possible.

Outside of your business:

The most important conversations you need to be having outside of your business are with customers. Whether these are existing customers or potential customers, you need to be talking.

The essential thing here is to be engaged in conversation. Writing a blog or delivering a monthly newsletter isn’t effective if there is no engagement. Encourage discussion about the topics you’re talking about and be a vocal part of the business community.

Make sure you are having new conversations as well as maintaining old ones; it’s important to both maintain and strengthen relationships, and create new ones where there is potential waiting to be discovered.

Within your business:

Inside your business, it’s important that the stakeholders are talking regularly. No matter the size of your business, all parties have to know what they are aiming for and what success looks like for the business. Having regular monthly meetings to catch up on all targets and strategies is an essential part of this. Even if you are a sole trader, you will most likely have suppliers, and making your needs known to them and feeding back how you find their service adds value to the relationship.

Around your business:

It is always useful to find out about the experiences of others, so talking to people in the same industry as you can be valuable. Perhaps there is a shared interest which you can combine forces on, or a relationship which might be useful in the future. Don’t be too focussed on personal gain, and at the very least, you will have reached out to another person who now knows about your skills and can judge when they might be needed.

A blog about conversations wouldn’t be complete without starting one. Do you need to have these conversations more often? Or are there other discussions you feel are more important? Leave us a comment below or email alexh@businesscopilot.co.uk with your views!

Get motivated: find your purpose

Posted on May 2, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

One of our clients sent us a video about workplace motivation (see the bottom of this page) last week. It got us thinking about what motivates us and those around us to do their best work, and how we can ensure we’re all working towards the ultimate goals of happiness and fulfilment.

The video is an illustrated version of Dan Pink’s talk at RSA which takes us on a quick spin around the subject of one of his pet topics, motivation. Studies have shown that being offered more money to do a better job makes no difference when we are dealing with any tasks which require anything other than manual/physical work. So, motivation for cognitive tasks can’t be linked to more money, and in fact, being offered more money actually leads to poorer performance.

What it is it that we need to do our best work? The video concludes that it’s autonomy, mastery and above all, purpose. But what exactly does ‘purpose’ mean? We (like Dan) think it means doing something which you have a natural talent for, and not always for monetary reward, but also for satisfaction and enjoyment, and the feeling of doing something to help the wider community.

So how do we go about achieving these things? Some choose to do community work, or work for free which advances their field. The digital and tech sectors are particularly well known for their commitment to developing things simply for the love of it rather than commercial gain.

The one thing you need for all of this is a passion for what you are doing, enough to go out there and do it not just when you’re getting paid, but the rest of the time too. Perhaps you could volunteer your services to those who need it, through charities or community initiatives. Perhaps you could work on developing those ideas that pop up during the working day in your spare time. Whatever form your purpose takes, do as much of it as you can.

So here comes the big question; do you love what you do enough to spend your free time on it? And if not, what do you love that much?

This is a talk for RSA given by Dan Pink, author of bestselling books Drive and A Whole New Mind.

Hiring candidates of the highest calibre

Posted on April 11, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

Growing businesses will inevitably come up against the need to employ a new member of staff. Whether you are employing your first team member apart from yourself, or are expanding a larger team, there are a few fundamental things you need to decide on if you’re going to get the best person for the job.

We have created this brief checklist to make sure you secure the very best employees for continuing your growth.

What’s the role?
First, you need to know what role your new employee will play. Will it be part time or full time? Are you hiring an employee for their skills which you don’t have, or are you employing another ‘you’ to share workload? Perhaps what you really need is someone who can bring both (if they exist!)

Create a full, clear job description explaining honestly the qualities the candidate needs, all experience the position requires and an overview of the day-to-day tasks they will need to complete. Here is a useful job description template to draw inspiration from.

What’s the salary?
One particularly tough point is deciding how much to pay an employee. Asking what their salary expectations are is one way of setting an appropriate benchmark, and you must take into account what you can afford. Read our blog from the archives about what to pay your staff.

How will you promote the position?
When you’ve crafted a clear and precise job description, you must decide where to publish it. If you know you get a lot of website hits, it may be worth hosting a ‘careers’ page on your site.

Linking to the job description using social media is a great way to spread the word, as is posting it on free listing sites such as Gumtree and Indeed. Maximise your network and send the position out to all contacts, asking if they know anyone who may be suitable. It may also be worth considering specialist sites and messageboards for your industry, especially if you are looking for graduates or specifically qualified candidates.

The Interview
Choosing an interview format can be tough, and asking the right questions is key.
One particularly good question I was once asked at interview was “If I was at the pub with you and your friends and you left the room, if I asked them what one thing they’d change about you, what would they say?”

It took me by surprise and forced honesty. It forced me to see my negative traits through the eyes of people who liked me despite them, and it’s not often that you’re asked to think in that way. It was certainly much better than “tell me about your weaknesses”, a notoriously overplayed and much-anticipated interview question.

It’s a good idea to ask candidates, perhaps those who reach a second level of interview, to complete a short piece of work to demonstrate their ability. This will give an invaluable insight into how they work and the quality of work they produce.

Choosing the right candidate
check Once you have narrowed down the selection, choosing the right candidate can be difficult. Do you pick skills, experience or personality, if all three aren’t present in one candidate? Decide which of these is most important to you, and make any deficiencies which may need training clear to the candidate.

Best of luck in your search, and we hope you find the very best there is!

Note: New changes have come into effect from the start of April 2013, regarding how small businesses report their employees’ earnings to HMRC. Click here to read about the changes and what they mean for you.

Useful further reading: How to hire your first employee.

Consultancy is cheap when done early

Posted on March 21, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

While browsing the website of a contact we met this week, we saw one quote which really stood out.

“Consultancy is cheap when done early.”

The saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is one that most are familiar with, and consultancy is often seen as a ‘cure’. We choose to see it differently. Enlisting the help of a coach at the beginning of your business can mean avoiding potential pitfalls later on. The key is not to wait for these pitfalls, but to anticipate and circumnavigate them.

While we might wish that we had the benefit of hindsight before a mistake happens, this is usually impossible. But as experienced business coaches, we can give you the benefit of expertise and past experience, which can prove invaluable when faced with a new venture, idea or problem that you’re not sure how to deal with.

We encourage you to think differently about consultancy. To refer to our flight metaphor, when you are ‘in the hangar’, about to take your first flight, it’s important to do the appropriate checks to ensure that all the components fit for purpose. Having a business coach on board at this stage can ensure that robust foundations are laid (see one example of a business we helped take off).

If you are in flight, but want to gain altitude, consultancy can also help. By assessing all aspects of your business, we can find pinch points and areas which are stopping you from breaking through the clouds. The important thing is that you don’t wait until the engines fail to call in an engineer.

Those kinds of repairs can be extremely costly, but with a little work beforehand, many of them could be avoided. One particularly extreme example of advice not followed was the Challenger disaster. Two of NASA’s engineering consultants from Morton Thiokol had spotted a defect in one of the parts of the shuttle, meaning that launching at a low temperature could cause a catastrophe.

Despite their whistleblowing, they were ignored and NASA chose to launch regardless. The result was catastrophe. Had they taken the advice which was readily available, they could have avoided this disastrous outcome.

We are not suggesting that your business will fall foul of such disaster if you don’t enlist a consultant; but the advice and information is available, and it could be the difference between a good business and a great one.

So, consultancy can be cheap – will you choose to spend less now, or more in the long run?

To book a one-to-one with us to find out how your business can gain altitude, call 0117 317 8147 or email us.

View from the Cockpit: Transformation Leaders

Posted on March 19, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

Transformation Leaders is a a unique managed community of independent board level transformation leaders. David Pinchard, MD, answers questions about the company’s past and future in this month’s View from the Cockpit.

What is the vision for Transformation Leaders? Where would you love to see your business go?

We are an independent company based in Bristol and London and we have already been operating for 12 years. We are unique, as we believe in running a carefully selected and managed community with a ceiling of no more than 150 very good senior board level independents, available for great transformation projects in all board disciplines. We have won over £2.5 million of successful projects so far for our members, some being as far away as with Tata HQ in India, and last November I joined a mission of 15 SW MD’s on the largest trade mission to China for many years.

Unusually, we are not an interim agent (and don’t charge like one either), so we have saved our wide range of clients, from the very big like Panasonic and HMG, to the smaller, fast growing companies in the private sector, over £1M through the way that interim agents charge to find the right independent transformation-leader for a project.

The goal is thus: ‘More successful projects year on year’ for clients at board level. We just love what we do, making a real difference to our clients and members.

What might prevent you from achieving this?

Nothing, really. We know how we have got to where we are, and being high quality and unique in the market helps enormously. Referral gets us there. The internet, websites and so on are excellent methods to check people out, but they are not usually what get you through the front door.

We are independent ‘thought leaders ‘in our segment, so we run a lot of good development events in three centres around the country to share our knowledge with clients and members and keep on learning.

How do you plan to resolve these issues?

Although we don’t anticipate any issues, we do have our own five year plan. As a wider picture I think we all have to understand that 50% of our GDP in the state is already a recipe for disaster. Too much debt is lethal once interest rates rise. Printing money in the short term may be vital, but strategically it is inflationary. For our country, which is 1% of the world’s population, not earning our way in the world in innovative ways that add value to what we produce, means we’ll end up starving, with a danger of accompanying civil disturbance; and our currency? It will end up on the floor.

This means constant change, constant improvement and delivery of ‘measurably better for less cost’, or we will not be able to afford the very considerable benefits our people currently enjoy. If you ‘add value’, you’ll need to add even more. If you rely on the state (as around 25% of UK adults do), you’ll need to take a lot less. We have been bankrupt before, from 1940 and onwards to 1952 or so. We got out of that one and also a number of very sticky periods in between. We need to do so again. And we can thank another great British inventor, Tim Berners Lee, only 20 years ago, enabling computers to talk to each other to significantly increase the ability of small businesses to compete and export at much lower set up and running costs and to export their added value easily.

Visit the Transformation Leaders website or connect with David on LinkedIn.

Take the lead in your business

Posted on March 13, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

Small business owners often find themselves, seemingly by accident, in the role of leader. Having the responsibility for training, motivating, and getting results from a team can seem like an overwhelming task, but leadership is another aspect of business which, although it may not be your natural strength, must be considered and can definitely be improved upon.

So, here’s our brief guide to leadership in business. What is it, who does it, and how can you be better at it?

What is leadership?
It’s leading a group of people, and having the responsibility of getting the best out of them. Merriam Webster describes it as “the office or position of a leader; capacity to lead”. The word which will ring alarm bells there is most likely ‘capacity.’

It implies that leaders have an innate, natural ‘capacity’ or aptitude for leadership. While it may be the case that some people possess a better foundation of skills for leadership than others, there are still plenty of ways that you can learn to be the best possible leader you can be.

What makes a great leader?
It is important to recognise that there is no one specific leadership style which is universally accepted as the best or most effective. But there are some leadership traits which have been singled out as being helpful.

One desirable leadership quality is emotional intelligence. Being able to identify with team members through empathy, motivation, self-awareness, self-regulation and social skill are important.

Communication is also key. This article, a very useful one about how previously bad leaders have gone about improving, suggests that effective communication is one of the skills which has the biggest payoff for leadership improvement. It is rarely the case that anybody feels that they or their leaders communicate too much.

Can you become a great leader?
Some might believe that leaders are born, not made. Well, that’s simply untrue. There are plenty of articles online offering advice on leadership (see below), and many more leadership training courses which will equip you with the tools and information you need to feel confident as a leader.

How can you learn leadership?
The Growth Accelerator programme not only provides funding towards coaching, but also funding towards leadership and management training. Having formal training sessions dedicated to honing the skill of leadership will help identify what you are already doing right and what needs improvement. Contact us to find out more.

Leadership articles: further reading

Harvard Business Review – How Poor Leaders Became Good Leaders

Business Zone – 4 Common Myths About Leadership

The Fresh Air Learning Company – Forget the Potholes, Lengthen the Road

Harvard Business Review – Management is (Still) Not Leadership

When to speak – and when to listen

Posted on March 6, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

There are plenty of tales out there of sales pitches which for one reason or another, completely bombed. This one from the Harvard Business Review is one such example.

So, what can we learn from it? A quick summary of the situation: a consultant was referred to a potential client. The referrer gave him plenty of background – he felt prepared. The meeting was unexpectedly reduced to 20 minutes. The potential client complimented the consultant on a recent book, boosting his confidence and encouraging him to cut to the chase. The consultant explained what his approach would be and presented his view of the situation.

At first glance, it might not be clear whether this meeting went well or not. However, the consultant didn’t win the work, and the potential client was not impressed. But why?

Knowing when to speak and when to listen is key.

The consultant felt that he had a good grasp on the situation and could appropriately treat the problem. The potential client was not looking for an approximation of possible treatment, but to be listened to and understood, fully. The pitch was centred around “here’s what I can do for you”, rather than “what do you need?”

“I was listening to gather enough information so I could make a case to Dan that I could solve his problem. In other words, I was listening simply to empower my speaking.”

At Business CoPilot, we live by the mantra “treatment without diagnosis is malpractice”. It’s a saying which, had the consultant known it, might have prevented him from failing in the meeting. His was a botched diagnosis, coloured by what he wanted to gain from the meeting, and how he wanted to be perceived. He made no attempts to listen and react to the potential client, or to see things from his point of view.

“What would I do differently next time? I would sit in the chair I was offered and listen to Dan tell his story. Then I would ask him a number of questions to make sure I could see the situation with his eyes, analyze it from his point of view, and feel his emotions.”

And that is exactly what you get from a 1-to-1 with Business CoPilot.

Contact us now if you would like to start the diagnostic process. Call 0117 317 8147 or email alexh@businesscopilot.co.uk.

7 benefits of business coaching

Posted on February 27, 2013 by BusinessCopilot

Here on the Business CoPilot blog, we can sometimes get caught up telling you so much about pertinent business issues that we forget to tell you about what we do and why it works so well. Well, no more!

We know that there are proven benefits to having a business coach (and if you don’t believe us, let these people tell you).

Here’s a list of some of the most cited benefits of our service:

1) You’re the Technician

Some people can find themselves in business without feeling that they are a natural business person. Many of our clients are what Michael Gerber would call ‘the Technician’.

In Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited, the Technician is someone who has skill and expertise in an area, such as an architect or lawyer, and are great at what they do, but might not know how best to build a business around that skill. We use our business experience and knowledge to help you craft a strong business around your talents.

2) We provide an impartial view

It can be difficult to take an objective view of your business when you are a vital part of it. We naturally approach your business with an outsider’s view meaning we can give you impartial advice and opinions. We won’t be critical, only constructive, offering advice on how to grow.

3) “On” rather than “in” the business

This impartiality means that we can help you to work on rather than in your business. We work with you to find the focus and direction necessary to grow, to see your business objectively in all of its component parts, and to assess your vision for the business as a whole.

4) Your confidential sounding board

We provide you with a confidential sounding board and ask you to throw as many ideas at it as you can. We understand that the things which affect you personally also affect the business and your performance, and sometimes talking to someone who can see both the personal and business side can open up sticky points that you weren’t even aware of.

5) Trust

Part of our role as confidential sounding boards means that a trusting relationship is essential, and we are proud of the strong relationships we build with our clients. Opening your books to an outsider can be daunting, but we will always approach them positively and with your interests at the centre of our work.

6) Flexibility

We understand that when you are busy developing your business, time can be an all-too-scarce commodity. We can flex the frequency of meetings and provide the level of support you need, whether it is more or less. Advice is always available at the end of a telephone or via email, if time is not on your side.

7) Vision, plan, focus

Above all, we aim to provide clarity and confidence, through inspecting your vision, helping you create and enact a plan and helping you focus on the business and your goals. We provide support via regular coaching meetings and email and phone contact throughout the process.

Together we think, we plan, we make it happen.

If you’d like to find out what it’s like to have a business coach, we provide a free initial 1-to-1 consultation. Call us now on 0117 317 8147 or email alexh@businesscopilot.co.uk to book a session with us.

Business CoPilot – 0117 317 8147

Business Coaching in Bristol, Bath and the South West

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