Making our Mission Possible

Opera singers and coaches

I was listening to Radio 4 earlier this week and heard a feature where Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was criticising so called "opera fakes" - people who are popular classical singers and who sing with a microphone. The debate then went on to suggest that it was the media who labelled such people as opera singers whilst this was not necessarily the case according to Dame Kiri, who has undertaken years of opera training.

It made me think about the coaching profession. I notice that it has also gained this sort of snobbery value according to how much training you have had.  Those who have undergone years of professional training and hold qualifications from learned organisations or institutions can be heard to sneer about those so-called coaches who do a weekend course and call themselves a coach.  The difference being of course in the fee rates!

I believe that there is room in the marketplace for all types of coaches - from those who have limited experience and knowledge and those at the other end of the spectrum - because the proof will be in the eating (clients will either gain some benefit or they will not and they will also have different budgets).   

What the overall coaching profession overall needs to do is educate companies that purchase coaching services and the general public who may  work with a coach as to what the professional standards are so that they can be more savvy when it comes to deciding who to work with.

I would hope that those just starting out on the coaching journey having done a weekend course and identifying themselves as a coach will continue to learn and develop their skills over time so that the bar is raised for coaches at either end of the experience and skills spectrum.

Feel the fear and do it anyway

Tomorrow I am going to a local nursery school to talk to the children about "cold places".  As they won't want to listen for too long I am also taking along some of my expedition clothing to show them what you wear in the Arctic - and of course they will get to try it on!  This came about because the children wrote me a letter inviting me to speak to them and the teacher was quite surprised when I responded - because she believed I would be too busy.

I regularly speak to business people who wish for all sort of things e.g. getting a mentor, making the introduction to a contact in a particular company, or finding an ideal business partner and yet don't do anything about turning their wishes into reality.  Now whilst the result in the end may not be the ideal outcome, I always encourage people to take the risk and ask for the help, referral or contact they want.  After all, what is the worst that can happen?

If you can accept the response, then go for it and you might get a pleasant surprise....

Building customer loyalty and growing your team

Last night I was speaking at an event for business owners in the hairdressing sector.  It was a fascinating evening.  There was another speaker before me Colina Currell from Synergy who was great and provided loads of inspiration, enthusiasm and wise words for the salon owners. She reinforced the point that training, training, training is the mantra for getting and keeping good people which of course was music to my ears.

I found myself thinking about how a hairdresser builds and maintains customer loyalty.  It seems that  good old customer service and making people feel special is paramount.  Salons should recognise that clients do not belong to individual stylists but to the salon and therefore clients should be encouraged to try a different stylist in order to gain from other's creative ideas - but most importantly overall keep that person coming back.   This is very similar to the problem that many consulting and training companies experience - how to wean a client away from their first initial contact person and to work with someone else?

Too often, a senior consultant goes into an organisation, builds the relationship and wins the business and then the client only wants that person to work with them.  Its often about how the consultancy is positioned right from the start and this is what the team at Synergy clearly try to do - show that they are a team and every stylist is great. 

This issue is so important for business owners looking to grow their businesses - as they need to learn to delegate work to colleagues and free themselves up to look for new business.  This means learning to trust your associates, team-mates or colleagues and finding ways to introduce them to your clients and let them build relationships too.

Entering the world of podcasts

I have recently entered the mystical world of podcasts having known about them for ages but not worked out how to get them to appear on my iphone.  Anyway, as there was lots of travelling involved in getting to and from South America for my recent cruise, I had decided to work out how to register for podcasts and download a few that I would watch and listen to during the journey. 

One particularly interested me - an interview with Vivienne Cox who created the Alternative Energy group within BP and is Executive Vice President.  I have heard Vivienne speak before and this interview was very inspiring in that it is refreshing to hear someone at the very top of a major corporation talking about working with competitors, being open to new ways of thinking and values based leadership. 
Download the interview here  INSEAD Leadercast - VIvienne Cox

I have also come across another really useful blog which will help you create your own podcasts too.

Launch of Women President's Organisation

Today I am excited. It is launch day.  We have been arranging the UK launch of Women President's Organisation for months and now it's here.  I will be the facilitator of the first chapter to be based in London and  we have an interesting selection of women business owners attending the event from both USA and UK.  These women are all successful in their own right - running businesses that have annual turnovers in excess of £1million and what they have in common is that they all recognise the benefit of supporting one another to help them grow their businesses.

My role is also exciting - to facilitate the meetings and ensure that each woman gets the most out of being a member. I am motivator, supporter, mediator and lots more.... Confidentiality is key to the success of each chapter as who wants to share their innermost worries amongst people they don't trust?

It's almost like going on a polar expedition together - you have to know that the others are there to support you during the tough times as well as the successes.   On expedition, you have to ski, eat and live together 24 hours a day for at least a month.  No icebergs to hide behind when going out for a pee, so you leave your modesty at the door.  Our meetings won't be quite as extreme, but the careful process of building up trust will be just the same.

Keeping in touch

It's funny how much I take for granted the ability to communicate via email or telephone and its not until you are on the high seas, or trekking to the North Pole do you realise that sometimes its not available.

Over the last few days we have been at sea sailing up the coast of Chile and during quite a bit of the time, there has been no satellite communications so hence no internet or telephone.  At first its frustrating when there are messages to send and issues to deal with, but then after a while, I got quite used to being uncontactable.

So as I disembark the ship and head back to civilisation, I have a new insight into keeping the perspective between when it is important to be contactable and when its fine to switch my phone off and get away from the outside world.  There is something to be said for this and all of a sudden you realise what "urgent" really means, and let's face it - most things are normally not urgent, its just that in business we have become used to getting instant responses!

Adapting to changing environments

Having been on the Artemis for over two weeks now, its interesting how quickly I have adapted to the environment I find myself in.  Quickly a routine sets in with food being the constant and available 24 hours a day  (I do not eat it for that many hours though!!). 

It's only by logging in for emails or onto the internet that I really have contact with the outside world and then realise how cocooned one can become on a cruise ship - quite nice really at times to just step off the conveyer belt of life and slow down....

We have been wowed by the glaciers outside and I hope the audiences have been wowed by my presentations too!

Seeking inspiration from old places

I am currently on the high seas sailing round South America and lecturing on a cruise ship about my various adventures over the years to the North Pole etc.  We have just arrived in Southern Chile after spending a few days sailing round Antarctica.  Wow!  It was the second time I have been there and it was just as inspiring this time as the last time..... huge icebergs over 100m high, whales, penguins, albatrosses and all in an environment that remains pristine and is one of the last remaining wildernesses on this planet.

It reminded me about how small each of us really is in the world when we look at nature like this in all its glory.  Yet we can still make some huge impacts both positively and sometimes negatively.  I suggest that you visit a place you have been before and look at it with new eyes and see how inspiring it can be.....