Sunday Times - Gadgets of the Week

Hubert Dias put together what is now the Orbitsound T12 last year. It is now on sale in Harrods, John Lewis, and Amazon. Reviews have been very positive, including the following from the Sunday Times."WHAT IS IT? This British-designed speaker system provides stereo sound from a single speaker housed in a smart bar-shaped cabinet. Many rival television sound bars employ digital trickery to provide the illusion of surround sound from a single cabinet that contains multiple speakers, but the Orbitsound does not take this approach. Instead, it reengineers the principles of stereo reproduction to provide a true stereo sound field from a single compact enclosure that is uniform throughout the room rather than having one sweet spot. This, of course, sounds like nonsense, but InGear has tested one and it worked well, whether connected to a television source or using the built-in iPod dock. SHOULD I BUY ONE? If you opt for a sound bar to sit under your TV, it’s academic exactly how many speakers are housed within it. Even so, this innovative, well-made kit is powerful yet easy on the ear.

"http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article5252031.ece

They do identify the key problem about new technology - when you explain Airsound to someone you can get:

Its not possible (and I know my stuff)
or
I don't care (I dont listen to sound, and I am not that interested)

As the article above says - it worked well - but if you need to hear a demonstration and you don't live near to Harrods, we would happily arrange one for you if you live in the Wiltshire/M4 corridor.We do have an offer on the T12 at the moment. To find out more visit

Recession - What Next?

Many companies will be experiencing negative growth over the next 2 quarters. If not us, then we will know someone else. The recession seems to be global, with many countries experiencing reporting a downturn and AC-DC returned to the top of our charts in October. ("People crave something uncomplicated and dependable in a time of uncertainty, and rock music has never produced a band so uncomplicated and dependable as AC/DC." The Guardian)

Creative Destruction is the idea that innovation of processes or products or services will destroy the traditional way of doing things. This process can be wealth generating, but depending on where the innovation is, can also have a negative impact.

For many people the advent of the PC was wealth generating. Both in terms of something new to make, it also allowed us to do things differently. Work smarter, do things differently, and therefore earn more income. GSM and the mobile phone was also “life changing”, with the industries springing up around improved communication. The result was more jobs directly and indirectly.

Whilst the advent of the Internet has changed our lives, it is also a destroying influence. You can buy anything you want online. Traditional retail is losing jobs and this will change the makeup of our cities, towns, and retail parks in the future. Has the advent of the Internet meant more jobs or more wealth in the UK?

Its all Free!!!! One game that is being played out is the software that runs our PC's and phones, and can be so easily distributed over the Internet. For instance http://portableapps.com/ provides much of the software that you need to run a professional small business. It will all work from your memory stick. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/portable-software-usb/ gives a list of 15 different types of software that will work from your memory stick, and by default will also work on many phones, and of course your PC. Whilst you can work smarter, its all free, and not wealth generating in a production or service sense. The apps are so well productized you don't even need a tame geek to make them work. So you can get a PC and memory stick on ebay for less than £100. You can put up a website with ecommerce using OS Commerce without paying huge amounts for webdevelopment – after all the logical end for software is that it will be free, and also useful, and therefore easily customizable.

Phones are also starting to become “open” so not only will you be able to put on lots of applications, but with wireless the potential for communication to be “free” also exists on a wide scale. http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Main_Page explains how you can get an “unlocked” phone with free software, that can tap into wireless for free. Whilst this may improve our lives as consumers, it doesn't create production jobs. From a helicopter view, jobs will be lost. Google maps will work on my phone “its not GPS, but its pretty close”, places me 15 miles from my front door, not so good if I am lost on foot! So perhaps we have a way to go.
Protection debates will rage on. There are those that do not want to earn money from copyright, patent or trademark, but most talented businesses and people do. AC/DC refused to release their recent album on digital down load, and very quickly 400,000 downloads through torrents followed. This represented about a third of their sales. Mama Mia has grossed between $5-600k in the cinema. Distribution of DVD's for purchase and rental have been worth between 3-5 times as a multiple. My family were excited and I pre-purchased on Amazon for £11.99 back in the summer. It is £8 in Tesco, and freely available to download for free on hundreds of torrent sites. There are albums that I had on vinyl, tape, cd, and now digitally due to wear, misplacing, and digital remastering. How many times should we pay for copyright in the future? How do you achieve a balance?

Whilst the Internet is a wonderful tool, it may not directly lead to jobs. We will see further reduction in barriers to entry, increases in efficiency, but less jobs.

So whats ahead?

Genuinely talented individuals will always earn a good living. From entertainers to “clever” people in most walks of life, we will want to see the best or use the best available. The problem with the “best” is that it implies a few or not many people. “Public” goods and services are safe, but not life changing. At least “public” makes up over 40% (42.9% and rising) of this countries wealth at the moment. The bets on new beneficial areas of technology that “need” help are:
Intelligent Transport Systems ServicesLow Impact BuildingsAssisted LivingNetwork SecurityLow Carbon Vehicles

You can see why each has been chosen. There is a social benefit, economic benefits, and may well help the government in their programmes (and not freely available on the internet). If genuine progress is made in these areas then there is a chance of wealth generation. Ie more jobs.What is certain is that for all the government intervention, growth will built on progress that generates wealth ie employs people. Governments are notorious in not predicting markets very well, and so it is equally likely that progress will come from somewhere else.
During a recession there is a temptation to cut costs, and if you are wasteful, then it may be a good idea to take stock. Cutting the marketing that gets you sales is possibly a bad thing to do, but M&S have done it. Training budgets are being cut all over the country at a time when individuals need to be more competitive. Holding your nerve is difficult for even the largest and most successful.

A phone call from a broker last week saying it was the best time to invest if I was liquid. The stock market has never been lower. My “no” came back quite quickly – an indication that I don't see the opportunities out there at the moment (although a railway company developing Intelligent transport systems might be undervalued at the moment.........). It is difficult to pick winners - who would have bet on AC-DC over the Kaiser chiefs or Mama Mia (Costing $52m) over the Dark Knight.

Somewhere there are companies considering new products and services and whether this is the best time to invest. Creative destruction suggests that innovation is not easy, and it takes a special sort of person or team to be able to innovate and then educate the market when everyone is blasting AC-DC out loud.

Notes:
Britain's Highway to Hell1973 - AC/DC form
Economy: Start of the oil crisis, which saw the price quadruple
1980 - AC/DC release breakthrough album Back In Black
Economy: Inflation in UK reaches 20% and unemployment nears 2 million
1990 - AC/DC score comeback with The Razor's Edge
Economy: Recession in UK imminent
2008: AC/DC top UK album chartsEconomy: Biggest world recession in decades looms

10 ways to ensure company failure before Christmas

Focus on cutting costs
Marks & Spencer announced it's slashing its marketing spend by 20 per cent (7 Nov 2008)
Cut your marketing budget so there is less chance of people finding you or understanding your offer. With any luck your customers will completely forget who you are and what you do. In the present unstable environment they may be asking “are they still in business?” or “I haven't heard from XXX for a while”. Falling sales are inevitable
You may as well cut training as well as it wont matter if you are capable of doing the job. Why develop your people if you are going to let them go?


Develop a healthy paranoia about your competitors
“Shooting is too good for my enemies”.
Spend your time plotting a masterful end for the company that pinched a contract (or market share) from under your nose.
“The artifact which is the source of your power is kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity.”
All your time is spent making sure you fully protect your computer systems, your intellectual property, and you scan the papers looking for other companies passing off your product as theirs. Now you have stopped marketing you find you have more time for these activities

Carry on believing you are an expert in your business
"I AM INVINCIBLE!!!"
You are a superior being – therefore you prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or gloat to your weaker enemies to show they pose no threat.
“You are seen flying into a rage and killing an advisor who brings you bad news just to illustrate how evil you really are.”
Employ advisors that you like and ensure that their opinions will be the same as yours.
“Porsche expected to take control of VW” (23rd October Daily Telegraph)
Never believe what you read in the newspapers. Never look for new information. Just keep taking advice from your advisors. They in turn are too petrified to give you anything other than good news, or news that you are right and everyone else is wrong.


Develop uncharacteristic new strategies
Employ your girlfriend (or boyfriend) to develop your new products or services rather than the experts you have carefully trained for the last few years.
“Microsoft Bob was designed for Windows 3.1x and Windows 95 and intended to be a user-friendly interface for Microsoft Windows, supplanting the Program Manager. At one point, the project was managed by Melinda French, who at the time was Bill Gates' girlfriend (the two later married).” Wikepedia
“I have a cunning plan” Baldrick
Put your energies into a plan for “the big one” that will solve all your problems. When that doesn't work you look for an “even bigger one”.You normally have some typical work that comes your way. It doesn't pay that well, or sort all your problems out. Why continue paying attention to it. Its hard work. So dump it.
And lastly never take your own medicine. If you advise people and always say the same things to them, don't actually do it yourself!
“On camera, a man was demonstrating the proper forklift safety techniques. Unfortunately, he did not practice proper forklift safety precautions. He was thrown from the forklift while exceeding the proper forklift speed and of course, not wearing a seatbelt.” Darwin awards 2000
If your business is still running after taking this advice, please tell us.

The future's bright - what does it look like?

The best way to ensure that your business not only survives, but thrives, is to know what the future holds. Many people profess to do this already but what is it exactly that they are doing? From your existing management information you might be able to predict the amount of resources required (both human and material) as well as the features of your competitive environment. How far in the future can you do this without resorting to sticking a wet finger into the air? The answer is probably less than 12 months.

The question is, how far can we look into the future and with what certainty? The answer is anything from 5 to 30 years is possible, and that would certainly help with crafting strategy and changing the direction of even the largest multi national business if this is required. But how?

Most people are familiar with the passage of a ship on the ocean that leaves a wake behind. By examining the wake and knowing how much time has passed, one or more experts could tell you something about the ship, its speed and course. Now imagine that you are at the tail end of the wake but you are in the present, the ship is in the future and not visible to you. If you could pick up all of the bits of information that are present, look at the patterns, and have access to experts then it is possible to gain sufficient information to predict the future for your company.

Predicting the future has developed into a whole new topic known as … Futures. Most gurus will use prediction, based on facts, certainty and giving you answers. It sounds safe but its usefulness over time is limited and it does not deal with the uncertainty of the future. Futures uses a degree of imagination, stories (or scenarios) and a whole lot of questions to rigorously examine the future and it can look decades ahead.

Businesses might wish to use futures to quantify risks and opportunities, craft strategies, inform investment decisions and fuel their innovation programmes. Government and other public sector bodies have broadly similar aims – creating policies, identifying areas for intervention, investment and education needs.

To find out exactly how this can be achieved you will need to wait for the next article in this series. If you cannot wait then get in touch now.

Technology patented by telecoms giant Vodafone

The mobiu is gaining more interest in the media and why not!

With the SIM assured technology patented by Vodafone the Mobiu is the only access key that provides two-factor authentication that leaves no footprint on a PC. In the same way that mobile phones are connected to each other during a call, users can create an unbreakable private network where they can share data.

Posted earlier today on Sky News

Gadget Lets You Take The Office Anywhere
Updated:00:46, Wednesday June 25, 2008

The ability to access your work from anywhere has taken another step with the launch of a new device.

Mobiu's USB deviceThe Mobiu is a USB storage device which uses technology patented by telecoms giant Vodafone.

Plugging the device into a computer brings up a simple interface which allows people to access files on a remote server using pre-installed software.

This means that when the device is removed from a computer, no trace of that activity is left.



The Mobiu has a SIM card inside it, and if it is lost or stolen, it can be deactived straight away.

Adrian Burholt, CEO of the Key Revolution, which is behind Mobiu, said that the device responded to customer need.

He told Sky News Online: "What worries people is concerns over their data.

"We found that people like the idea of something in their pocket that reassures them that their data is safe and no-one else can get their hands on it."

He said that ease of use was also very important for people, adding: "We've designed it so anyone can pick it up and use it."

Mobiu enters an increasingly crowded marketplace for remote working, and with services such as Microsoft's Live Mesh on the horizon, which allows computers to synchronise and share information across the internet.

Stuart Miles of Pocket Lint said that the Mobiu launch was similar to U3 sticks, which came on the market last year.

These USB devices also carry data and software, though do not have the same SIM-card style security.

He told Sky News Online: "A U3 drive is like your desktop being carried around."

If you are in the education sector in the UK and you would like to find out out more about how the Mobiu could benefit you, please contact us

Coaching is for wimps!

At a marketing seminar aimed at coaches, the marketing expert’s opening gambit was, "It’s tough marketing coaching … no-one wants to admit they’ve got a problem and that they need help.”

This single comment raised two issues:

Firstly, how come we don’t want to admit we have problems and “need help” at work? It’s as if every morning there are armies of workers donning their business suits and simultaneously hopping into psychological “superhero” suits.

Who hasn’t heard a colleague proudly declare themselves “too busy to eat lunch”. Once, I was interviewed by someone who bragged about his 2 hour commute to work (each way). ”…that’s what we men do..”, he ended with pride. It’s as if these colleagues were wearing their discomfort and tribulation as a kind of badge of honour, a sign of their strength and their commitment to the job. “Not only do I not need help, I can put up with all this discomfort!”, cries the superhero.

In contrast, one of the most effective technicians who ever worked for me had a great talent for spending his lunch time so completely engrossed in his novel that he would giggle out loud at the comical parts. He was a great asset to the team and would return to his work with a focus and energy I admired and sometimes envied. I knew I’d get clearer thinking from David with his full tummy and sense of humour, than a hypoglycaemic workaholic bragging about missing lunch.

And the second issue? The old chestnut that coaching is problem-focused and remedial. Coaching is a service used by effective people to help them become even more effective. Feel free to repeat the last sentence over a few times.

Sports coaching offers a really useful metaphor. For the last 6 months I’ve been getting some coaching on my running. It doesn’t feel like I am getting “help with my running.” I can’t remember Liam ever physically pushing or pulling any of us up that last hill – much less offering to drive us up! We get up those darn hills ourselves. He challenges us, he reflects what he sees, he asks us what we notice and how we feel, he encourages us and helps us set realistic targets. He also supports us; in a given session, if anyone needs to walk he’ll stay with them…. And every so often he tells us to “back off, slow down, and have a rest week.” The coaching both challenges and supports me to work harder, try new things and take a break. It’s often hard work, uncomfortable, and it takes a lot of my energy. And it works. I’m fitter and stronger and my running times have improved.

My conclusion is: We are not super-heroes, it’s good to have a break to take care of ourselves, and coaching is definitely not for wimps.

More about The Key Revolution and Mobiu

The Key Revolution Ltd have developed and produce the Mobiu. PRD Partnership Ltd are working with them to get some trails in the education sector. Here is a little bit about them and their recent history:
Source: http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/548/art/10922&print=1

Vodafone spin out wins GBP 1.25 M backing

Science|Business

The UK venture capital trust, Octopus Ventures Ltd is investing GBP1.25 million into The Key Revolution Ltd. a spin out set up to commercialise technology developed by the mobile phone network operator Vodafone.

Key Revolution’s provides nomadic computer users with secure and cost effective computing, through the use of the Mobiu USB port plug in. The device has an embedded SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card, that enables users to access standard applications available on any Windows Operating System, browse the internet, secure access to documents held in their MobiVault remote storage, and collaborate with other Mobiu users in secure MobiRoom, from any location, and without leaving any trace on the PC’s hard drive or the operating network residing on it.

To activate the Mobiu key, users insert it into a computer’s USB port and enter a PIN number, which is authenticated against a central database, thus providing the user with the same chip and pin functionality associated with the use of a bank card at an ATM or store checkout.

Once the SIM card has been validated, users are able to create or edit their documents and then store these securely online through the MobiVault, Key Revolution’s secure and remotely hosted server. After the Mobiu key has been removed from the PC no user footprint remains and all data is saved on the device and backed up through the server.

Like mobile phones, lost or stolen Mobiu keys can be deactivated as soon as access is next attempted.

Key Revolution was spun out by Vodafone employees to licence and commercialise the technology, with Vodafone retaining a major share in the business. The company started beta testing in February 2008 and will launch the service this summer.

Alex Macpherson, Chief Executive, Octopus Ventures said, “The Mobiu key is the only product on the market that enables completely secure remote working through the use of a single device, without the costly infrastructure requirements that have traditionally been associated with this process.”

“The uniqueness of Mobiu, combined with the quality of the management team in place and a growing trend towards more flexible working, means that The Key Revolution has the potential to become a major global technology player.”

Do you need the extra security of a Mobiu?

Maybe your computer, your extranet, and your laptop is already protected by the need to type in a username and password. What are the added benefits of a Mobiu?

The chances are your present username and password do not offer very robust protection. When you turn your computer on, the log-in screen already shows your username - all a hacker needs to do is guess your password and they can access your computer. How guess-proof is your password?

Indeed, maybe they don't even need that. Do you have a 'Guest' account on your computer? Maybe there is a default guest account that allows anyone to access your computer without a password. Or maybe the Administrator account also has a vulnerable password. Or perhaps there is another user account on the system which has no password. Or perhaps you have shared drives that could be accessed by connecting your computer to a second computer.

Even if none of these very basic vulnerabilities are present, a motivated hacker can probably break through the default Windows security and access the data on your hard drive. There are even various 'hacker' utilities that can reset the Administrator password on a computer, giving the person who used the utility complete access to the computer's contents. A skilled hacker can get into your password protected computer in less than 15 seconds.

If your computer is fixed in place, in your office or at home, your vulnerability to data or identity theft from a stranger is low, because a thief first must break in to your home or office. If you connect to the internet via a broadband connection you will probably be protected by a firewall. Whilst you are connected you are vunerable. If you use hosted space such as BT Workspace, your access is only protected by a username and password. If you travel with a laptop, your vulnerability goes sky-high, because your laptop is much more vulnerable to being stolen.
In the USA Laptop thefts are sharply increasing. 53% more laptops were stolen in 2001 than in 2000. In 2002, this number is believed to have increased by at least a further 15%, up to a staggering 620,000 (more than one every minute). In the Uk some 68 MoD laptops had been stolen in 2007, 66 in 2006, 40 in 2005 and 173 in 2004.

http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39166970,00.htm
“Total number of UK laptop thefts reported in 2006**

The top five regions by police force:

1. Metropolitan Police (6,576)
2. West Yorkshire (2,402)
3. Thames Valley (2,149)
4. Leicestershire (1,219)
5. Bedfordshire (938)
** In our enquiry we deliberately discounted laptops stolen from homes or offices to get a clearer picture of threat posed specifically by the greater mobility of laptops compared to desktop computers.”

In the UK the Nationwide were fined £1m in 2007 for the data that was exposed on a laptop that was stolen.

In one test case, 70 of 100 lost laptops proved to have vulnerable data. In another, one in three password protected computers were quickly defeated.

Plainly, it is prudent to secure your laptop as robustly as possible.

SIM assured protection - what you get

When you buy a Mobiu, you get a USB Mobiu device. The device is protected by SIM assured technology, you might recognise this as “chip and pin”. If you take out the “chip”, you cannot use the key and your data is safe. You can disable the key remotely by ringing the helpline. Your data is safe.

You can order a replacement key and you can access your data.

Originally the concept was developed within Vodafone, and now by the Key Revolution Ltd. In addition to the security benefits each Mobiu comes with:

Softmaker office suite, a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation package that will work with your Microsoft or Open Office files. This loads from the stick, and will not leave any imprint of the file on the PC. It is as though you were never there. This means that you can load sensitive documents onto other companies, or other people's PC's and they wont get a copy. For further details see http://www.softmaker.com/english/ofp_en.htm

A browser, the Firefox browser works from the stick, so again, your browsing is secure and hidden from others. Ideal for visiting consultants.

Shared space, you can share files with trusted users who also have a Mobiu. This is ideal for organisations that collaborate over a wide geographic area, or make good use of home working. This gives you added document control. You will only need one version of the same file, essential when working on projects .There is no need for sending documents via e-mail. Indeed some larger documents such as graphics, photographs, databases etc can be difficult and time consuming to send. E-mail is not the most secure way to send sensitive data, using the Mobiu is an attractive alternative.

Mobiu will be launched in mid July 2008 and has a programme of developments planned out.
The Mobiu is compatible with all PC systems that have a USB and either Windows 2000/2003, Windows XP. News on Vista, Mac and Linux is expected in the next few weeks.

Installation – The good news is that there is no installation. Everything will work straight from the stick. On your first use you will probably want to back up your desktop and key files. This may take a few minutes. Once completed each update is done on a file by file basis.
Use on Multiple Computers – your files will be accessible to you on any computer, and safely. The Mobiu is portable, felxible and easy to use.

For multi-user, multi-computer, network environments, Mobiu can be configured to be a safe alternative to memory keys, home access portals, or extranets. The Network Administrator can be given a 'master key' and the ability to create keys set up for specific user groups or a user who has lost/broken his key. Because these duplicate keys can be instantly created on site, the downtime from a lost/damaged key is reduced to almost zero.

Where to Buy

Mobiu will be widely available from mid July 2008 onwards. You might even like to buy from us!

Opportunity to undertake a trial

We are keen to undertake user trials, particularly in the Education sector. So if you are part of a University, College or School, do get in touch. We can pass on some price benefits for being a test site. Your feedback will help develop the software, and therefore you will have the chance to shape the Mobiu to your needs.

Why do new products wear you out?

Leibson's Law: It takes 10 years for any disruptive technology to become pervasive in the design community. (http://www.edn.com/blog/980000298/post/710019871.html)

With Airsound and the Sonic Soundscape we have found that many people like listening, we get some rave reviews, but there is a lot of resistance. From the "Hi Fi buff" that doesn't believe its possible (and has their own listening chair so they can be the only one in the room that can hear the stereo properly), to the manufacturer that hopes that there wont be a disruptive change in the market.

As humans we don't like being wrong. If you consider yourself an expert and have invested with thought and your pocket you buy in emotionally to a solution. It is then difficult to change your mind. A reviewer turned up to a Soundscape presentations with the intention to write “it doesn't work”. At the end of the presentation he suggested that he wouldn't write the review – all well and good, but he was not prepared to be positive.

We work to identify the “innovators”, the people who will buy. They are not often located where you think they will be. In the last couple of weeks we have been preparing to take on a new product called Mobiu, a PC on a stick. One of its key benefits is that it has a SIM card (Chip and pin). This is the only way of accessing online hosted space. The first thing we do is to get feedback from different people. Its always a bit of fun finding out “who wants one.” Innovators change with each project as buying habits and emotions are different for each product you purchase. Doing this helps identify potential barriers.

In today's IT security market there are many types of encryption that are used to make online security safe but accessible. I don't for instance have online bank access as I can't remember the long passwords and don't want to put them on a pin board. The ultimate safety is not to have access. With the Mobiu there is no access, unless you have the SIM card. In asking the first few IT specialists the first feedback was “.... and what encryption is being used?.... if it hasn't got XYZ encryption it wont work”. This may help us identify the “special Hi Fi buff” who is locked into the solution of their choice.

Peter Gabriel and B&W have recently launched a high quality download club. One of the major papers reviewed saying that they have never paid more than £250 for speakers and couldn't tell if it was high quality or not – complete disinterest!

Online bloggers are saying that they want this service – but from a larger company. Clearly Peter Gabriel and B&W, despite being well respected are not large companies.

New products can wear you out if you approach everyone in the market all at once. You will meet a lot of Hi Fi buffs or complete disinterest when searching for your innovators.

Coaching: To be…or not to be.. coached, that is the question

A friend of mine (let’s call him Peter) is “acting up” at a senior level in an organisation so he has just employed a coach.. Good idea – so how come it took Peter 6 months to get around to it?

Maybe he was new to the concept of coaching?
No – Peter had used a coach in a previous post and found it a useful space to reflect and focus on his own agenda.

Was the funding an issue?
No - he’s in an organisational position where he can access and authorise large amounts.

Then it must have been organisational policy?
No – his HR department seemed supportive when he finally got around to asking them to do some research on options.

Obviously, there may well be some factors that are internal to Peter and contributing to “the block”… and that could be an interesting dynamic for Peter to explore in a coaching session!

What other factors might have contributed to the block?
The two organisations were very different. The previous organisation was a “start up” and coaching was arranged for the whole team of directors, and their coaches were allocated so there was no need to choose. In contrast, coaching was not visible in the current organisation and seemed not to be “on the agenda”.

So there are two important organisational factors:

Firstly, the potentially remedial view of coaching; Peter may well have had concerns about his colleagues’ perceptions of the use of a coach? Would they perceive it as “remedial” – signifying a need for support in a bigger job?

And secondly, how to choose a coach?
Peter had many demands on his time. There was enormous choice and real difficulty in differentiating between the companies, let alone individual coaches. Add to this the sense of embarking on a fairly personal relationship based on only paper or electronic information - a bit like an internet date?

The solution was that Peter used a company I recommended and let the company chose the coach.

The experience of seeing a very rational and decisive person get blocked like this has stimulated my curiosity on the dynamics of choosing a coach. I’m starting to gather and analyse descriptions and I’d be really interested to hear about your experience – especially on any factors that supported or impeded your choices.

Leadership - Ahead of your class?

If developing leadership is important to you, then we recommend ordering yourself the film "Ahead of the Class". It's great drama, it's based on a true story (try also the book of the same name) and it's full of rich pickings about leadership. It's set in a school in London and, of course, it's therefore a different context from your own, whether you are in another school, a large corporate organisation, a small business, the public sector or a charity. The challenge of leading people however remains the same across each of these organisations.

So what is at the heart of good leadership? We call it Functional Fluency and we think it's about being able to channel energy between three fundamental categories of human functioning in a way that is most appropriate to the given situation.

The first category is social responsibility which is about using energy on behalf of others and involves being in charge and carrying authority. It seems obvious that this would be a critical component of good leadership but there are, of course, helpful and less helpful ways of being in charge and carrying authority! For example a helpful mode of behaviour would be structuring. A less helpful mode of behaviour would be dominating.

The second category is using energy to assess the reality of a situation, moment by moment. Take the metaphor of driving your car. It is a blessing to be able to get into one's car, get onto the motorway, put on the music, put one's mind into 'auto-pilot' and relax. We unconciously take this energy saving approach to much of our journey through our day and through our life - very useful too. But there are times when the journey we make is more risky or takes us and others we are responsible for into unchartered or uncertain territory (and this is what leaders do) and as leaders we then need to be able to weigh up what is going on around us and respond to the stimuli instant by instant in the most realistic and appropriate way possible. At the heart of this category of behaviour is fundamentally an issue of our survival. Our survival may be affected by hazardous weather on the motorway or by a toxic envrionment in which we live or work.

Finally, good leadership also relies on the third category of human functioning which we describe as 'self actualisation'. Are leaders more open to learning? Possibly! Learning certainly pushes our boundaries and is often richest when we are out of our comfort zone. And leaders are the ones most likely to be pushing the boundaries. Rather than comply or resist, we think good leaders invest energy in learning how to relate to and get along with other people. They also put energy into expressing who they are and into doing their own unique thing in a way that is appropriate to their age (take Mandela for example)...which tends to make them conspicuous in a crowd.

Marc Braddock runs a workshop with a colleague using the film "Ahead of the Class" to explore Functionally Fluent Leadership. He is a licensed provider of the TIFF psychometric tool which supports the developent of Functional Fluency and offers one-to-one coaching and action learning set facilitation. Contact marc.braddock@prdpartnership.com. For more information on Functional Fluency visit http://www.functionalfluency.com/

Creativity At Work - Breaking Mindsets

Often we think of having to change the mindsets of others, but what about our own? Shouldn’t we be challenging our own ideas as well as the ways of having ideas? The following list applies to both solo and group working:

• Develop a wide range of experiences and interests. The richer the experience the wider the range of possibilities. Why not take a different route home or try a different bus?
• Become aware of your own blind spots i.e. things that you do not think about consciously or sub-consciously.
• Step into the shoes of all your stakeholders, even those with extreme views.
• Try different techniques, mix up your ways of holding meetings, generating ideas etc. Keep the same ones and you will build up systematic blind spots or gaps in your thinking.
• Try different modes of thinking. If you are naturally intuitive then try to be rational. If you are working in groups then change the balance of the group. If you are familiar with NLP representational systems then work with a different one.
• Challenge of all of the ‘givens’. Many organisations do things because they have always been done like that. There are not always as many regulatory constraints as there might at first appear!

Creativity and Humour

Consider the following (depending on which country you are from you may miss the point in one or two):

"If you see someone doing the impossible, don't interrupt them"
Amar Bose (Bose Corporation )

"Space is not remote, you can get there in an hour if you can make your car travel vertically"
Fred Hoyle (Astronomer)

"A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree"
Spike Milligan (Comedian)

"I took a speed reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. Its about Russia"
Woody Allen (Comedian)

"Those who say it can't be done are being passed by those who are doing it"
Anonymous

"I said 'nearest the bull starts'. He said 'baa', I said 'moo'. He said 'you start'"
Peter Kaye (Comedian)

"'Hallo Rabbit', he said, 'Is that you?'. 'Lets pretend it isn't' said Rabbit, 'and see what happens'"
Winnie-the-pooh (bear, philosopher and explorer)

Now you may chuckle at one or more of the above, but did you wonder why? It is the juxtaposition of (strange) ideas that does it. It is exactly this mode of thinking that we need in the business world to be able to see things from a new perspective, generate ideas and spot new opportunities.