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Welcome to Issue 12
We've reached February already and it seems to me that this year is already starting to move ahead at speed.
Talking of speed our friend, MC, collaborator, and most connected man in Britain, Oil Barrett, brought Speed Networking to the UK. He has now produced a course on "How to Build A Better Network". It's full of hints and tips on expanding your reach and the different ways of staying in touch with people. Something that has become crucially important during the enforced periods of lockdown that we've all had to experience recently.
We've been working hard behind the scenes curating the next few weeks guests on BBTV so do check them out and book your ticket.
We're also starting to see a surge in demand for the Great British Business Festival on March 31st. We only have a few workshop places left already so if you'd like to run one please get in touch before they sell out.
We also have a number of Expo Booths available for you to showcase your business to the several thousand attendees we have coming along, so don't leave it too late!
We also selected a couple of interesting articles that caught our eye this week.
Hindsight Bias: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices.
In the latest article in the series on cognitive biases, you'll learn how hindsight bias can lead to a terrible decision and what you can do to avoid falling for this common trap.
Feb 10th: Business Breakfast with Quentin Millington
Our Guest on Episode 27 of Business Breakfast TV is Quentin Millington on “How to thrive in a future that will always be uncertain”
For over 20 years we have been obsessed with technology as a source of disruption. Household brands that failed to peer into the future have now vanished.
New businesses leaped on to chances that others missed and today are the most valuable companies in the world. But computers are less changeable than public opinion, and artificial intelligence is now outpaced by hashtag politics and global warming. Disruption is complex, and everywhere – it has the power to damage a reputation, capsize a strategy, and end a career.
In this episode of Breakfast TV, Quentin Millington separates the challenge of non-stop disruption into elements that the senior team can talk about and actively manage. Businesses do not have to fall prey to external forces: with a conscious approach to adaptation, companies can lessen their risks and increase the value they create.
After the talk, Quentin will answer questions on strategy and leadership, organisational capability, and having an effective dialogue with stakeholders – which all matter if a company is to thrive in our disrupted world.
A former Chief Operating Officer in investment banking, Quentin has worked with the senior teams of FTSE-100 and other multinationals to advance strategy, enhance culture, and strengthen leadership. His past clients include Apple, Deutsche Bank, Informa, and UBS. You can find more about Quentin’s work and that of his consultancy on the Marble Brook website.
How are different firms going to work out how they will eventually return to work?
As companies make their decisions about what they will go back to I chatted to a group of leaders who explained their thinking and how they will decide what comes next. Lots of different answers of companies trying to second guess what productive working looks like.
Feb 17th: Business Breakfast With Chris Harding
Our Guest on Episode 28 of Business Breakfast TV is Chris Harding, Chief Momentum Engineer.
There are 5 types of building-block that make up the puzzle which is your company – and one of them is you.
The creative challenge of real entrepreneurship is that they all need to be aligned if you want to create impact and generate momentum in your life and work – rather than just more of the same.
We so easily fall into the trap of hunting for the-one-thing we can add on that will make everything work. It’s not that simple, and it would be a sad day if this game were just about doing something clever to get something that doesn’t last. It’s much more interesting than that but you can’t have the whole cake if you’re only working with half the ingredients.
In this session, we begin to map out what the 5 building blocks are, why they matter, how they relate and how having a visual map of what you are creating and building is much more powerful than working from a list of things you should
Developing this ability to think conceptually is absolutely essential for being able to think strategically and with this mental map in mind we can begin to recognise the things that are holding us back and why some things seem to be a constant struggle – whether that relates to sales, customers, team, money or even our own sense of purpose.
About Chris
Mapping what’s really going on is what Chris does in his drive to simplify the complexity that holds us back from achieving our true potential.
He honed his strengths as a problem solver en-route to becoming the Global COO for FX & Money Markets at Credit Suisse and ABN Amro Asset Management – successfully building and evolving businesses through highly disruptive circumstances – not much different to today.
Chris has invested the last 12 years working closely with more than 100 SME leaders & teams to help them overcome the challenges that were hindering their success.
He’s been called “a new breed of business advisor” because he’s not afraid to challenge the status quo, take the puzzle apart, discover what’s really going on, and help people make sense of their reality in a powerful new way. The real momentum begins to kick in when whole teams see what’s really possible for them and how to put the pieces together in the most effective way. They become unstoppable.