June 9th, 2009
 This is an unusual newsletter, so I hope that you will bear with me.
You might have noticed that it is some time since I last produced a CorporateCoach newsletter. My excuse is that we have been working very hard on several launches associated with the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY), which was last Thursday.
Damien Deighan wins the Entrepreneurial category
First, I must congratulate Damien Deighan, of Altruist Medical, who won the entrepreneur category of BYPY. Damien is the city manager of XL World in Birmingham. He has been responsible for building two monthly mastermind groups here in the city.
I am a director of Birmingham Forward, and it is our sister organisation for under 35s, Birmingham Future, which runs BYPY.
BYPY is one of the main events in the Birmingham professional year. It is held as the International Convention Centre and this year more than 630 leading professionals attended. There are six categories from the various professional sectors such as property, legal, financial etc. And the entrepreneurial category is relatively new, but is nonetheless highly sought after.
I encouraged Damien to enter and coached him through the process, so was particularly delighted when he was selected for the shortlist of three. Altruist and Brefi took a table of 10, so were really excited when the announcement came that Damien was the winner.
Brefi Group sponsored the BYPY supplement for the Birmingham Post, which enabled us to include a couple of advertisements and three articles.
Brefi Group sponsors Birmingham Post
The three articles comprise the articles in this issue of CorporateCoach. That explains that the slightly unusual tone of the content.
May I take this opportunity to remind you of the various initiatives that we have taken recently, including some that you might not yet have come across.
Brefi Group is an integrated management development consultancy providing strategic consultancy, executive coaching, facilitation, and training, directed at the mid-corporate market. We operate internationally. For much of my career I have worked with senior management teams, directors and boards. Last year I launched the Director Development Centre to specialise in this section of the market. As part of the launch, I prepared a 16 page report “Board Performance Evaluation and Director Appraisal”, which is available in both printed and a downloadable form.
We designed and offered special promotional products based upon this at BYPY.
The Director Development Centre offering features two other components. The main focus is on an appraisal of board and director behaviour against standard benchmarks.
Wealth Dynamics web site and descriptions
However, I am also very keen on the Wealth Dynamics profiling system, which we use for career coaching, individual development, and in team building. We have built a brand new website to promote this, called KnowYourProfile.com. Again, we produced special offers on this for the BYPY visitors.
Although we adopted wealth dynamics for use by coaches and consultants, we have found it very effective and popular in the property investment community for which we shall shortly be running the third workshop.
Modelling experience
Another reason for the absence of CorporateCoach is that I have recently been on holiday. I have spent a week trail riding in Portugal. This included at least three active canters each day. I have been learning to ride in a riding school, which is basically a small fenced off field. Even if I succeed in getting my horse to cancer in this restricted area, it can only be for a relatively few strides. As a result I am not very experienced at cantering.
On the first night of our holiday we were taken to see some bullfighting. I don’t know what your views on bullfighting might be, but I found it surprisingly useful. Focusing on the rider and the horse, rather than the bull, I spent about two hours absorbing the style and motion of cantering. There is no question but that the sight of the horse and rider ‘dancing’ around the ring was very impressive.
I am quite convinced that I learned more about how to canter successfully through absorbing what I saw than I ever have in a specific lesson.
This was a great lesson demonstrating that there are different ways to learn and that watching and imagining can be practical ways of absorbing a physical skill.
Next issue
I am currently reading “Niche Marketing for Coaches” by Hannah McNamara. I hope to be able to include a review of this excellent book in the next issue of CorporateCoach.
I am also experimenting with Bob Proctor’s Six Minutes to Success programme, details of which are shown below. So far it has been very impressive.
I look forward to the next, more traditional newsletter. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter.
 Richard Winfield is founder of Brefi Group.
An international facilitator, he coaches and
facilitates directors and boards in transition:
helping them to make progress by
bringing structure and clarity
to their thinking.
USEFUL LINKS
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June 8th, 2009
 I find that I am focusing on a few teachers who have spent many years researching and developing practical programmes.
Whereas in the past I studied under the original developers of NLP and other disciplines - and still do, when relevant - I now favour those who are able to combine and integrate the great learnings that have passed the test of time. The first to state this specifically was Stephen Covey in his introduction to Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Also, people like Jim Collins, whose work is based on thorough research.
This year I am studying with Roger Hamilton, John Demartini and T Harv Ecker.
Repeatedly I am reminded of how much goes back to “Think and grow Rich”.
One of the great proponents of Napoleon Hill’s work is Bob Proctor. I have just received a short video from Bob that has really impressed me.
He is launching a series of daily six minute lessons and exercises.
As you might appreciate, I study with many people. But, as a result, I have a huge backlog of personal follow-up work to do. Bob’s approach means that you do a short exercise every weekday.
Just click here to find out how Six Minutes Can Change Your Life! and receive the first five videos completely free on approval. And if you are as inspired as I am, and tell your friends, you can get the rest of the programme paid for.
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June 8th, 2009
 The current economic crisis has highlighted a vacuum of mistrust that affects all business and will ensure the behaviour of Boards and their directors remain in the spotlight for some time to come. Richard Winfield, managing director at Brefi Group and head of the recently launched Director Development Centre looks at the importance of corporate governance and the role good practice can play to help weather the storm.
“The Combined Code on Corporate Governance is a set of principles surrounding good corporate governance and provides a code of best practice for all companies listed on the London Stock Exchange; it is overseen by the Financial Reporting Council and requires all quoted companies carry out an annual performance evaluation of their board.
It can be understood, why in times of pressure, companies may feel that the code is yet another time-consuming duty detracting from the day to day running of the business. However, good corporate governance is more critical than ever as companies must focus efforts to capitalise on ways in which shareholder value can be increased, other than the bottom-line.
An effective board must be able to react quickly to changing and challenging environments. In order to make decisions effectively the business needs proper procedures and a thorough understanding by all the directors of the role they play.
Right now boards should be planning for the upturn and will be taking tough strategic decisions. Those companies that have enjoyed regular, well conducted evaluations will be reaping the rewards and witnessing first hand how powerful a truly effective board can be. Individual directors that have been nurtured through evaluation along with their board will be performing to their maximum capabilities. Other companies that have in the past paid lip service to the code may well be suffering under the weight of the challenges and are likely to take longer to recover.
The tools for such evaluations are readily available, and Brefi Group has published a free 16-page report ‘Board Performance Evaluation and Director Appraisal’, which describes how the introduction of simple processes at board level can radically improve the corporate performance of organisations of any size.
The report includes a review of corporate governance and performance evaluation. It includes quick checklists for board and director performance. It then addresses how to improve board performance, and discusses corporate retreats and the use of profiling to build a truly effective board of directors.
Copies are available from Brefi Group on 0845 0678 222, or can be downloaded at www.corporatedirector.co.uk.
USEFUL LINKS
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June 8th, 2009
 With redundancies at an all time high jobs are not as safe as we would like them to be. What once seemed like a safe and secure career path suddenly appears more competitive than ever. With this in mind, Brefi Group has launched a new Director Development Centre.
The centre provides a variety of services for professionals and can help ensure they stay ahead of the game in the toughest of economic climates. It aims to support and guide aspiring directors and partners as well as helping newly appointed directors and partners achieve their true potential.
The centre offers access to a unique psychometric testing system that defines eight distinct paths to success assessed by an individual’s personality. The system assesses personality, strengths, productivity, values and group behaviour to determine the most natural path to success.
Unlike other profiling systems, Wealth Dynamics relates directly to business roles and the stages of business. Organisations are using it to balance teams whilst individuals are using to unlock their true potential and give themselves an edge.
Richard Winfield, managing director at Brefi Group and Head of the Director Development Centre says, “Success is not something you learn; it is something you accomplish. Some may be destined to succeed but most do so because they are determined. At the Director Development Centre we offer a range of services that can help an individual achieve their full potential. In the current market sensible people and sensible businesses will be prepared to invest in themselves, so as to ensure they are positioned as strongly as they can be to weather the storm.”
The Wealth Dynamics profiling system was created by serial entrepreneur Roger Hamilton. Roger studied a wide range of successful people and discovered the eight distinct paths to success. He then developed the unique system for understanding a personal profile and how to leverage it to realise full potential.
Richard Winfield, head of Brefi Group’s Director Development Centre, has studied extensively under Roger Hamilton in Bali and his team now provides training and personal coaching in Wealth Dynamics.
You can obtain your own profile on-line at www.knowyourprofile.com
USEFUL LINKS
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June 8th, 2009
 A promotion to a senior level such as director or partner brings with it new legal responsibilities, and the importance of understanding these should not be ignored. However, there are other, more subtle, things to consider.
If you are appointed from within, there needs to be a change of identity as well as of role. It is better if this is managed, rather than gradually evolving. If you are appointed from outside (a non-executive directorship is an important stage of many successful people’s career development) there are additional issues of relationship building and access to information.
Richard Winfield, managing director of Brefi Group and head of the new Director Development Centre, recommends a formal induction process for all new appointments. This process should follow a similar structure to the induction for any new role, but pay particular attention to managing the change in relationships.
He says, “It is surprising how many directors are still thinking like managers, even after two years on the board.”
Here are five questions that he recommends you should ask yourself, even if there is no formal induction process.
- Have you discussed your new role with your chairman? Are you both clear about your role and responsibilities? Do you understand the culture and operating procedures of the board?
- What does it mean to you to be a director? How do you perceive other directors? Are you comfortable with your new identity?
- Have you discussed your new role with your staff and colleagues? What are their expectations of you now?
- How should you change the way that you trawl for information? What radio, television, newspapers and magazines should you access? What sorts of things should you notice?
- How and where should you network and how should you represent your organisation? Have you defined your new public identity and are you comfortable with it?
USEFUL LINKS
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March 20th, 2009
Hello!
I am very excited to share this special announcement with you.
In my last newsletter, I mentioned that I am collaborating on a book about wealth dynamics. It is to be called “The Wealth Garden” and is being published in conjunction with two others, “The Law of Business Attraction” and “How did You Do That!”. All three books are being published by Alive! Networks, and we are collaborating to get all three Amazon top ten best seller status.
I am hoping that my readers will help us in this.
The first book is published on Saturday 21 March, and we are asking you to purchase it on Saturday USA time. As an encouragement, we have packaged a fantastic collection of special offers from the authors of all three books, and I have provided a report on corporate governance.
The full details about this new book are below, along with some very exciting offers, worth thousands of dollars. The offer is good for one day – Saturday, March 21st — so I encourage you to read the details and act quickly.
This book is about how doing business in a new, cooperative model yields tremendous success and happiness. And that is something we all want!
Please read on …
Best wishes
Richard
 Cooperation is the NEW secret in business and life
Success in business today requires a new ethic and a new perspective. The old competitive model is outdated. Cooperative Business is your new model to soar in today’s new economy.
Introducing …
The Law of Business Attraction: Secrets of Cooperative Success.
Releasing Soon! It’s an innovative book that you will proclaim to be a “must-read.” Presented by the publisher of Alive! Networks, The Law of Business Attraction answers this powerful question:
What would happen if you stopped worrying about your competitors – real and imagined – and focused your energy on your own vision and your passion?
When you buy just one copy on Saturday 21 March, we have a special bonus gift package for you, worth thousands of dollars. In addition to this bonus package with over 20 gifts, you will receive – at absolutely no cost – one free chapter of the multi-media version of this fantastic book when it is released. If you have never experienced this remarkable multi-media format, prepare to be delighted!
CLICK Here to See the Exciting Bonuses.
Are you burnt out from the old competitive business model? Looking for a different method that truly works? You will love this book! It’s dedicated to enlighten each of us about this new ethic, this new business style. The result? Accelerated manifestation for your business and your life.
Berny Dohrmann, Founder of CEO Space and Best Selling Author, writes in the foreword to explain his view of this new model. “Working cooperatively allows people to bring in master manifestations: realizing truly remarkable visions and creating astounding successes that others would surely deem impossible.”
You will be moved and inspired as the authors reveal how this new business ethic leads to impressive results and joyous success. It will work for you also.
Click Here to see the Great Bonuses.
In her chapter, “The Miracle of Co-Creating,” Lisa Nichols teaches that when you finally get that there really is enough in the Universe – and stop competing from a belief in scarcity — you will experience the miracle of co-creating for yourself.
Harv Eker reveals that the Law of Attraction is actually the Law of Energy, in his chapter “How Big is Your Playground?” Read with fascination about how collaborative energy allows you to move energy toward a specific focus more powerfully. You need massive amounts of energy to play in the world in a big way!
In his chapter, “Unite and Take Flight,” Dave Austin guides you to a fuller understanding of the exponential power of collaborating, which creates momentum that is awe-inspiring.
And there are many, many more authors whom you will identify with and whose stories you will embrace. Written by a range of entrepreneurs and CEOs in various stages of success—some just beginning their company, some on their way up, and some at the top already.
Are you someone who wants to get ahead by getting along? You will see yourself in their examples, and be freshly inspired to create your own success story.
PLUS - We have an enticing collection of bonus gifts for you – at no cost. You will immediately receive our special bonus gift package – at no cost to you – when you buy just one copy of Law of Business Attraction. HURRY – this offer expires fast!
- Catapult your business with Kimber Lim and her Transformational Team of Experts
- Develop superb networking skills from Best Selling Author & PR Expert Jill Lublin
- Become a visual energizer using Law of Attraction taught by Dr. Melissa Andersson
- Review of corporate governance for Boards of Directors with Richard Winfield
- Cultivate the skill of easy online products from the Queen of Online Products, Maritza Parra
- Learn how to be truly yourself in business by David Tyreman, Brand Identity Specialist
- Polish your business etiquette by using Syndi Seid’s expert tips for the new media
- Design your life legacy with Wealth Dynamics and Deb Taman
- Support a positive lifestyle for Seniors based on the wisdom of Ken Ng
- Access and focus your whole mind for a life of affluence in a webinar by Kathie Bobbitt
- Discover the secret methods of lead generation with Gil Ortega
- Learn how to earn money online from Greg Writer
- Help loved ones recover from home loss using Lorie Nicholas’ expert advice
- AND many more!
Join the Law of Business Attraction authors in their quest for a better business, a better life, and a better planet.
Click here to see bonuses and to buy your copy now.
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March 10th, 2009
I shall be writing to you in a couple of weeks about a three book marketing campaign to establish me as an Amazon top ten business author. I am sure that you will be pleased to participate when you hear of the fantastic package of goodies that will support the promotion.
As part of the campaign, each author involved is receiving some marketing coaching. One of the examples that we been given of a successful campaign in the past relates to a book called “Happy For No Reason” by Marci Shimoff.
I have noticed quite a lot of talk about happiness in the last few weeks. It occurs to me, that there is a hierarchy in happiness.
It is one thing to be generally happy. Another, is a sense of joy. It seems to me that perhaps the highest form is to experience bliss.
So I have been thinking, what is bliss?
When I recall specific examples, I note that they are all peaceful. Does that mean that it is a quality of bliss? Can we only experience bliss during a peaceful moment - or can we experience bliss when we recall a special time?
I have a subscription to all the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s performances this year. Last week I attended an evening with three short ballets. Two were enjoyable, but the third was on a different level – I was transported. Just like I feel when I am designing a management game or solving a problem for a proposal. Is this ecstasy? Perhaps ecstacy is the active form of bliss.
I wonder about these forms of personal fulfilment because I have a client who has retired. Or, rather, he hasn’t retired. After 50 years in his family business, he cannot break away. So, the question is: “How can he fulfil his personal needs without continuing to visit the office?” This is something he has never experienced, or had to think about.
Many people have a similar problem adjusting to retirement. And, if they fail to solve it, they tend to die young.
A lot of my current life is devoted to work related activities. However, I do not consider myself a workaholic. My work is an expression of who I am. I love the creativity, the problem solving, the involvement with current affairs, the interaction with other people, the travel.
Because I know what I need for personal fulfilment, I know different ways in which I can find it. Indeed, my varied career has involved many different ways already – and launching the Director Development Centre has been a case in point.
Maslow has a well known hierarchy of needs; the highest of which is “self actualisation”, which means realising one’s potential.
Learning how to achieve this is clearly relevant for people facing retirement, but it is also the role of a coach to help people address this at any stage of their life.
We use Wealth Dynamics profiling to help us with this. My profile is high in ‘dynamo’ energy. This means that I am creative and active, but, since I am low in ‘tempo’ energy, I might well neglect the nourishment I need.
For me, it is the quiet ‘blissful’ things that nourish. Fortunately, they mostly tend to be free!
Richard Winfield is founder of Brefi Group.
An international facilitator, he coaches and
facilitates directors and boards in transition:
helping them to make progress by
bringing structure and clarity
to their thinking.
USEFUL LINKS
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March 9th, 2009
Last chance to book for Dr Demartini’s Breakthrough Strategy.
London, 28-29 March
Will you come and breakthrough with me?
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March 9th, 2009
 It is a long time since I wrote a book review, and they have been piling up.
Last October I drove down to Newport to hear Roger Hamilton and a new speaker, Mike Harris. Mike Harris is a very successful entrepreneur; he, personally, has created two one-billion pound businesses and has been credited with transforming the financial services landscape worldwide.
These two businesses were the telephone bank FirstDirect and the Internet bank Egg. In between these major activities, he was chief executive of Mercury Communications, then the main competitor to BT, where he created an iconic brand and built a multi-billion pound consumer business. He was also chairman of mobile phone company Mercury One-2-One during its early years. One-2-One was bought by T-Mobile for $10 billion in 1999.
Harris is currently chairman and co-founder of the digital identity experts Garlik - a company which was created in 2005 in order to give individuals and their families more power over the way their information is used in the digital world.
The theme of his new book, “Find Your Lightbulb”, is creativity and innovation. Since he has spent 20 years creating successful businesses from apparently impossible ideas, Mike Harris is well qualified to set out a strategy.
The book tells you how to do the following:-
- get started in the most powerful way possible
- discover how to deal constructively with the inevitable criticisms
- learn how to find hundreds of successful ideas
- get your business funded
- create the most powerful yet often neglected assets possible for your new business
- discover the one fundamental principle which characterises all successful leaders
- uncover the best kept secret in business
- put all of this together in a step-by-step approach to success
Here are some excerpts that I highlighted when I read the book:-
Business coaching:
At its most powerful, coaching provides a deep existential insight into what drives us and how we make choices. Discovering this is very empowering for most people and it allows them to step beyond various limitations to new levels of accomplishment.
Harris was very keen on criticism. If people will tell you why your idea will not work, what they actually do is to set your agenda for developing the idea. As he says, “the list of reasons why an idea won’t work often turns out to be incredibly useful as a design resource. Rather than seeing these as reasons why something will never work, rather look at them as a set of intelligent insights about things that are needed but not currently unavailable.”
“Some of the reasons you are given will appear wrong or irrelevant to you. Pick the intelligent insights that seem particularly valid and important to you, and produce statements of intent that say what you are going to do to deal with the issues raised.”
Making million pound ideas:
Produce a description or demonstration of a solution and try it out one-to-one with a relatively small number of people (no more than 16). Modify your design according to the feedback or throw it away and start again.
Convene a focus group of 8-10 people to find out what they think about the prototype and why.
Business plans:
Harris suggests that you come up with a theory of how you are going to beat actual and potential competitors, and a theory of how you are going to make money — many people call this a business model. He says ‘theory’, because almost everyone will tell you they ended up making money in a very different way than they had originally envisaged.
Finding funding:
Harris gives some indication of the characteristics of more valuable companies.
- Businesses with annual profits above £50 million or serving more than 5 million consumers are more valuable than small ones.
- International businesses are more valuable than domestic ones.
- Businesses with profits that are based on recurring subscription revenues or predictable advertising revenues are more valuable than those based on non-recurring product sales.
- Companies serving consumers tend to be more valuable than business to business companies.
Know your ends from your means:
He advises against over planning. “First set the goals you are committed to (the ends), working out how you get there (the means) as you go along. You have to approach the ultimate goal one step at a time. In order to do this you need to set an interim goal — the ends you are seeking to achieve in the first 12 months of the business. Then you can devise a plan to get there — the means.
The basic principle is to hold the ends steady while you flex everything else. Everything you do is your means to an end.
Designing a powerful culture:
Culture is a mixture of the following:-
- What is important in this organisation?
- Who is important?
- How are things done around here?
- What does it take to get on here?
- What are the unwritten rules that seem to be in operation here?
Telling people what the company is about and how things are done is the most critical aspect of establishing a culture that meets the brand promise.
Few new businesses give brand and culture enough attention and that, together with over optimism about cash flow, is the main reason so many fail, in his opinion.
Leadership:
There are six things that only the leader can do. The key leadership accountabilities:-
- Regularly recreating an empowering culture
- creating the power gap
- preparing for competition
- watching the cash
- choosing the risks you take and those you don’t
- creating a hot leadership team
“A leader is someone who shows others the way by going first.”
These are just a smattering of excerpts from the book to give you a flavour of its content. In addition, there are examples from many well-known companies such as Selfridges, Innocent Drinks, Dyson, Virgin, Apple, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, as well as creative and advertising companies I had not heard of.
If you’re interested in coaching or consultancy where innovation and creativity are required, then you should obtain and read this excellent book.
USEFUL LINKS
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March 4th, 2009
The Institute of Directors asks: What are the competitive advantages for those companies who do not cut training spend in a recession?
- To ensure that your business is well-positioned when the economy starts to recover. Those businesses that do not survive will open up market share to those who do.
- To remain competitive. If your employees are knowledgeable and motivated, they will find new ways of generating revenue.
- To understand your customers’ buying habits and how to build on their loyalty. You need to maintain repeat business in a recession.
- To enable your employees to stand back from the day-to-day operations and understand the strategic implications of their work.
- It sends one of the most powerful messages to your employees - that they are valued. When your employees are anxious about job security, it is more important than ever to demonstrate a commitment to them.
- To avoid a long term skills shortage among your employees. UK businesses are still recovering from skills lost during the 1990s recession due to poor investment.
- Training increases productivity in the short term, as well as the long term. The sooner you engage your staff, the earlier you can address and deal with the impact of the recession.
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March 4th, 2009
According to the Institute of Directors, a report published by Cranfield School of Management claims that investing in training not only saves money, but is more effective than external recruitment. Three quarters of the 1,189 companies involved in the study felt that training their own staff was more beneficial to their business. Almost half actually saved money, with one-third of the companies benefiting from increased staff motivation. It also found that half the companies enjoyed improved staff retention.
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February 25th, 2009
We have been advised of a five-minute, five question survey that has been created for members of the International Coach Federation (ICF) to assess the value of features and services of the ICF.
The survey was created by a group of senior coaches who are not members of the ICF, and the survey is not associated with (or sponsored by) the ICF. Participation is voluntary and anonymous.
Please credit “CorporateCoach” in the referral box at the end so that we can pass on the results.
You can also then opt to receive a complimentary copy of the final results when tabulated.
To complete the survey go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=OyfOnUEOhLUm9X6Zk3lR8Q_3d_3d
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February 24th, 2009
 Are you a case study?
We are living through a challenging, possibly unique, historical period. For years to come, historians, economists and business writers will be looking back at the period 2008-2010, trying to discover what happened and why.
They will be wanting to compare organisations that succeeded with those that failed. Which one will you be?
Isn’t it interesting that this should coincide with the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth. What did he conclude about evolution? Not the survival of the biggest or the the strongest; the survival of the fittest - those with the best fit to their environment. And when the environment changed, the fittest were those most able to adapt, the most agile.
So it is with organisations in 2009. Some will start with advantages and disadvantages, especially funds or debt.
But, within these constraints, those who come out stronger will be those who adapt.
This is where coaching comes in. Coaching provides a discipline to clients, helping them to confront issues and increase their awareness. An effective coaching programme will identify goals, explore reality, consider options and agree an action plan. This is a continuing cycle - and the faster things change, the more frequently you should go through the cycle.
Now is a time for long term visions - but very short term planning. It is not how long you can plan but how quickly you can respond that will matter.
At a time of such uncertainty, when governments can’t forecast their own future, scenario planning is particularly relevant. A very good question to ask after every statement is some form of “what if …”
So, if you are a coach, what are you doing and how are you supporting your clients? If you work within an organisation, what are you doing to increase your own and your organisation’s agility? Are you using coaching?
Whether by good judgement or good luck, we are taking some significant steps that are directly in line with the way things are developing.
- We have launched a new division specifically directed at helping organisations review and develop their performance at the top
- We are collaborating on the launch of a new business in India
- We are putting one of our other initiatives on hold
Richard Winfield is founder of Brefi Group.
An international facilitator, he coaches and
facilitates directors and boards in transition:
helping them to make progress by
bringing structure and clarity
to their thinking.
USEFUL LINKS
Posted in Editorial | No Comments »
February 24th, 2009
Last month I attended this workshop, “Wealth and Synergy in Your Business”, in London. It was a trial event with specially invited guests, and was very successful.
The event is now being promoted to the general public and I am pleased to be able to recommend it to you.
You are probably aware that I am an enthusiast for wealth dynamics profiling and that I use it within my executive coaching programmes. These profiles provide a very good basis for understanding the most appropriate role for you to take within a business. The originator, Roger Hamilton, has further developed his model to include 64 relationships between the eight profiles.
Roger Hamilton is not expected to teach these profiles in the UK until October this year.
However, you do not need to wait until then. This powerful practical business workshop will bring you profound distinctions in the world of relationships between different wealth profiles. It will present the 64 Wealth vectors - 64 relational combinations among the 8 wealth profiles - and apply them to the critical relationships in your business to boost both your performance and enjoyment in business.
If you have ever wondered:
- how a Star profile can get along with a Lord without them killing each other? or …
- why a Supporter, Mechanic and Accumulator profiles can create an ideal team…if they know how to see and build on each others strengths? or …
- if you have been asking yourself: What is the best way to involve other profiles in the new project that I just created? (frequent for Creators)
then that this workshop is for you.
It will be held in London on Tuesday, 10 March.
Find out more.
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February 24th, 2009
Well, I turned up for the Demartini Breakthrough at 7.30 on Saturday morning, but Dr Demartini did not - nor did anybody else 
Not only had I got the wrong week, but I had got the wrong month!
But the good news is, that there are four more weeks in which you, too, can register for this breakthrough event.
The correct dates are Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th March.
Find out more.
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February 24th, 2009
Michael Bungay Stanier has produced another great promotion. Have a look at it in its own right - and also as an example of viral marketing.
In the finest tradition of The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun and The 5.75 Questions You’ve Been Avoiding
he would like to introduce you to …
==> The Great Work Movie
As a bonus, at the end of the movie you’re invited to download for free the first three chapters of his new book, Find Your Great Work
(Find Your Great Work has been praised by such folks as David Allen, Marshall Goldsmith, 7 Past Presidents of the International Coach Federation, Michael Port and a bunch of other cool and smart people.)
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February 24th, 2009
Why do I write this newsletter? This article forms part of the 190th CorporateCoach newsletter. You will have noticed that I no longer succeed in publishing a newsletter every week. However, this record does represent something like 500 articles. So why do I do it?
Although I do enjoy passing on my knowledge, the real reason is two-fold. One, obviously, is to promote Brefi Group activities and to increase our attraction to search engines. The other, is to promote our personality so that we will attract clients who already fit our vision and values.
Since we started publishing a newsletter many years ago, the Internet world and technology have moved on, and blogging has become a simple, straightforward and effective form of publishing.
I have been reading a book by a coach on how to use a WordPress blog site to make money, attract clients and gain expert celebrity status. The author, Sandra De Freitas, calls herself the “super tech coach for the blogosphere”.
This book is just over 100 pages of large type and open spacing; it is easy to read and informative. Although we transferred our newsletter from Dreamweaver to WordPress some years ago, I have learned quite a lot from “Does this blogsite make my wallet look fat?” about what I could also do using this open source program.
Coaching is about relationships. In my experience, the biggest problem that coaches face is finding clients. So why not put your effort into helping clients find you? This is what we have done for many years with great success.
I strongly recommend this book and encourage those of you who have not already started a blog to do so.
Typically, blogging involves frequent shorter articles about what you’re doing. In many cases they can be very superficial and self-centred.
However, the technology can be used to write about serious subjects. Using WordPress makes building a website easy. In addition, it is designed to feed the search engines, so that as your website grows your attraction increases.
Let me tell you what I do. Our blog is integrated into the Brefi Group website. However, in most cases, WordPress is used to build free-standing websites, and we could have easily done this for CorporateCoach using our domain name corporatecoach.co.uk.
I used to write newsletters using Dreamweaver and then copy the individual articles into the blog in order to build the content of the website. This required a certain amount of HTML expertise and caused some formatting problems because of the way in which WordPress interprets new lines. What I do now, is to write the articles in WordPress and then copy the entry paragraphs into the newsletter program. This is very much easier.
Another innovation that I have introduced recently has really transformed the way in which I operate. I have purchased the Dictate software dictation package for Mac. Although I have been typing for several decades, the act of composition is very different if I can just dictate out loud.
The combination of using WordPress first and creating the content with Dictate has halved the time that it takes for me to produce a newsletter.
Dictate is a version of Dragon, which has been developed for Windows. It is a fantastic program; not only is the latest version very successful at interpreting my words, but it is able to learn - artificial intelligence in practice!
Of course, blogging is only one method of building a profile and you will remember from my last issue that I have also succumbed to Twitter. In addition, there is also Facebook, and many others. The challenge is to develop a marketing strategy that is focused and time effective.
Much as I enjoy writing, I am not a natural social networker. Time or will tell what works best for me.
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February 18th, 2009
 About ten years ago, my son was touring South East Asia and I was working for a client in London where I spent a lot of time waiting for meetings and had access to the Internet.
I started sending him short e-mails. These were commentaries on things going on at that time. I remember writing a short story about the Beckhams.
I suppose, therefore, I must be a natural twitter.
Having read repeatedly about the business benefits of joining Twitter.com, I have done so. I am fascinated, already, by people joining my readership, although I have no idea how this happens.
The benefit of twitting, for me, is that I can write my thoughts at any time, rather than having to wait until I prepare a formal newsletter. Also, I am no longer constrained to put my thoughts into a coaching context.
The lesson I have to learn, though, is how to write in such short statements. Perhaps, this very constraint will defeat my object.
If you have any experience of using Twitter, then please add your comments, either as a comment on this blog, or on my Twitter page.
Throughout my career as a management development consultant I have worked at senior management level and have particularly enjoyed helping organisations develop or revise their vision, mission and values. People at the top have the greatest leverage on the success or otherwise of their organisation, and my belief and experience is that if they really jointly understand and commit to a vision and strategy this is one of the most powerful areas in which I can help.
In addition, the transition from manager to director is a major change in identity, role and relationship, and is an area where I have assisted clients over recent years.
It is my belief that the introduction of well-managed processes at board level, particularly in the management of board meetings, can have a major impact on the effectiveness and success of organisations.
As a result, I have decided to make my involvement in board and director development more specific. In August last year, I started to build dedicated pages for a new director tab on the Brefi Group website. As they say, one thing led to another. On the advice of a colleague, I employed a copywriter to help me in this process. He advised me that one of the most successful ways of promoting an activity these days is a traditional postal mailshot. So we discussed a campaign. As part of the campaign we decided that it would be useful for me to prepare an authoritative free giveaway report. This I have done. In fact, research and analysis, writing and editing are all long-term interests of mine.
The next stage has been to move the director pages into a new dedicated website.
I am delighted to be able to launch this today. Do have a look at the website, which can be found at www.corporatedirector.co.uk – where you can download my free report, which is entitled “Board Performance Evaluation and Director Appraisal”. I would like to give credit to my designer, Chris Walker of Expressive Design.
There has been much discussion in the United Kingdom for several years now about the importance of corporate governance and rules and restrictions for company directors. The Combined Code now requires that companies quoted on the London Stock Exchange carry out an annual evaluation of the performance of their board. This is the theme of my newly promoted specialism.
The evaluation process is a mechanism to improve board effectiveness, maximise strengths and tackle weaknesses, leading to an immediate improvement of performance throughout the organisation.
It takes account of my skills of analysis, and involves the application of the Institute of Directors benchmarks defined in their publication “Standards for the Board”.
Of course, the probable outcome will be opportunities for me to facilitate corporate retreats, board development and executive coaching for individual directors 
This weekend I am attending Dr John Demartini’s Breakthrough Experience in London. I have been resisting this for some years because, if it is possible, I tend to do too much personal development. However the feedback from people who have attended this event has been so great that I have finally succumbed.
I shall be interested to discover what discoveries lie ahead!
Richard Winfield is founder of Brefi Group.
An international facilitator, he coaches and
facilitates directors and boards in transition:
helping them to make progress by
bringing structure and clarity
to their thinking.
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February 17th, 2009
It is not surprising that many people at the top have dominant personalities. Maybe you are one of those yourself. Dominant people, who like to talk, can be difficult for other people with quieter less dominant personalities.
The good news is that ‘Type A’ people like to learn; they just need good quality feedback.
Here are three examples of where I have been able to help teams with dominant bosses.
In the first case I was facilitating a corporate retreat in a remote management centre in northern England. When we started to discuss how the team operated, several members complained that the managing director was too dominant and that they had difficulty ”getting a word in edgeways”. His response was that he was aware of this, but still found it difficult to make space for others.
What we suggested was making a set of flags, so that when somebody else wanted to speak they could raise the flag and wave it. This was happily accepted.
The team accepted it as their little game.
In fact, now that it was out in the open, it would be enough just for people to raise their arms, and if still unsuccessful to shout “I am waving my flag”.
My second example is of a boss who had a real need to micromanage. Whenever I met one of his managers, he or she told me the same story: “Whenever he comes into my office, if he thinks my mug is in the wrong position, he moves it.”
My client was really motivated to improve his management performance. The mug story represented a general situation in which people were reduced to going to him with problems, knowing that whatever else they did he would always change it. In order to help him train his staff to bring him solutions instead, I provided him with a laminated double sided flashcard to keep in his drawer.
On one side, which he would flash in front of his visitor, it said “Do you really need me to make this decision?” “Do I need to be involved in this decision?” “What help do you need to make this decision?”
On the other side, which would be facing him, it said “Do I really need to make this decision?” “Do I need me to be involved in this decision?” “What help do they need for them to make this decision?”
Interestingly, when I was conducting a group workshop three months later, the managers made the same complaint about their mugs. I asked them if they could give me specific instances of when it had happened recently. They could not.
Something to remember; when you change your behaviour there is a legacy of perception and it can take a long time for people to notice your change unless you draw attention to it. In fact, it is often a good idea, like in my first example, for you to commit to the change in public – and make yourself accountable.
My last example is also of a micro-manager. I was due to conduct a two day coaching workshop for a chief executive and regional managers from across America. There was a long list of items to clear.
Just as we were about to begin, there was a summons from the president of the company and the chief executive had to fly north. The managers’ immediate response was that, if he wasn’t there, there was no point in discussing anything because he would only overrule them on his return.
I knew that the he really wanted his staff to take responsibility. So I asked him in front of the others whether he would agree in advance that any decisions we made would be carried through. This he did.
Nonetheless, whenever we made a decision I had to reassure the managers that he had given them authority and that we should take him at his word.
When he returned two days later, we had cleared seven major issues that had been hanging around for several months. He stuck to his word and approved them all.
So, in each case, confronting the vision and discussing it between the parties resolved the problem.
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January 27th, 2009
Are you doing Great Work? Or just Good Work?
My colleague Michael, the “Coach of the Year from Canada”, is visiting London for a workshop on Great Work
How to Find, Start and Sustain Your Great Work
with Michael Bungay Stanier
Saturday, February 21, 2009, 9:30 am – 4:30pm, Central London
Find out about the “Find Your Great Work - UK Workshop“.
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