CorporateCoach eNewsletter
Issue No. 54, 12th April 2004
CONTENTS
- Editorial: Who do you know who could help?
- Coaching notes: Joe Sails: A Story in Progress, Dick
Olenych
1. Editorial:
Who do you know who could help?
 This
weekend has been Easter, in which it is traditional in Britain for people
to give chocolate Easter eggs. Last weekend I was on a hypnosis course
with Richard Bandler at which some people were treated for chocolate addictions.
Overheard on the last day ".. and she gave me an Easter egg. Of course,
I can't eat chocolate now!". Changes of life can be dramatic!
Also overheard, a couple talking about getting work. The one said to
the other "The trouble with this industry is that it is not what
you know that matters, but who you know." "I quite agree."
said the other, "That is why I make it part of my job to get to meet
the people who matter."
Networking is a skill, and an important part of generating work –
as well as being a source of new experiences and learning. There was a
song in the 1920s which went "I danced with a man who danced with
a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales". It is surprising how
few links there are between ourselves and the people we want to meet.
This is the basis of the BNI breakfast network. Although many members
of BNI chapters obtain work from other members, the theory is that they
should be able to arrange introductions through their wider networks –
a neighbour, a customer, a relative's boss, a golfing partner etc.
The theory of Small World Networks proposes that you are only ever six
degrees of separation from anybody else on the planet. It was proposed
by Professor Steven H Strogatz and his student, Duncan J Watts, in the
June 4, 1998, issue of Nature. There had been a game based on
Kevin Bacon in which actors were connected to one another through their
appearances in films with actor Kevin Bacon. This is how it went:
- Think of an actor or actress.
- If they have ever been in a film with Kevin Bacon, then they have
a "Bacon Number" of one.
- If they have never been in a film with Kevin Bacon but have been in
a film with somebody else who has, then they have a Bacon Number of
two, and so on. It was discovered that no one who has been in an American
film ever has a Bacon Number of greater than four.
The film industry is a network of small worlds – each film community
representing a world. It only takes one actor to have been in another
film (small world) and there is a link into another network, with lots
of actors – who have also been in other films.
The basis of Small World Networks is that we all have large local networks
of contacts. But if only one friend has a contact with another local network
then we are connected to all the members of that network by a second degree
of separation.
When I explained this to someone once, she scoffed "Well then, how
many degrees of separation do you have to President Bush?" She chose
the wrong target because I have worked with the US Department of Defense
with people who would know Donald Rumsfeld, who knows President Bush!
The test that I use as an extreme example is a bushman in the Kalahari.
But even this is easy. I know people who have met President Mandela, and
I am sure he has met representatives of Kalahari bushmen who would have
a connection, direct or indirect, with every individual bushman.
It is surprising how easy it is to imagine links that lead to who you
want to meet – people who will introduce you to the next person
along the chain.
The secret to networking success at BNI is to be very specific about
who you want to meet and what you require. So I thought we might do an
experiment with the community that reads CorporateCoach.
I would like to contact someone who would like to take over responsibility
for the Brefi Group customer relationship management programme. As you
might imagine, we have several thousand warm contacts who, at some time,
will have need of our services. Who do you know who would enjoy managing
this process and ensuring that we consult relevant leads on a quarterly
basis? They should be based in the UK, ideally within easy reach of the
West Midlands.
Second test. A friend of mine is looking to sell his house in Bewdley,
which is about 25 miles south of Birmingham. He has challenged us to find
a buyer before his estate agent. So if you think you know anyone who would
be interested in a unique country house point them to http://www.thelindens.co.uk.
You might like to visit his web site anyway. The house has a fascinating
history.
The house is valued at £675,000 (GBPounds) and if any of your contacts
buys it, my friend will pay you £750 commission.
You will be able to learn more about Small World Networks and networking
at our forthcoming practice building workshop – see below.
USEFUL LINKS:
PRACTICE BUILDING WORKSHOPS: Are
you earning enough yet?
Would you like to increase your earnings?
Of course you would. I know that many individual consultants, coaches
and trainers are earning less than they should. Recent research in the
USA and Europe suggests that in their first year 73% of coaches make less
than $10,000 and that only 9% of all coaches are making more than $100,000
a year.
This is clearly unsatisfactory. So what stops talented people from achieving
financial success? In our experience their greatest challenge is often
self promotion and finding clients. It is all very well expecting work
to come to you through referrals. But that will only happen after
you are successful. How do you get there from start-up? How do you speed
up the process?
Brefi Group has modelled beliefs and practices that work and will deliver
two workshops in central London to address this issue and help consultants,
coaches and trainers to build more successful practices for themselves
– faster.
Practice Building workshop, 10-11 May (£375 + VAT)
This two-day practical workshop is an opportunity for you to learn beliefs
and practical strategies that work for us and to develop your own personal
sales & marketing plan. You will have a chance to experience coaching
from Brefi Group associates and find out about our associates
scheme.
Lessons from CoachVille, 21 June (£175 + VAT)
This year's CoachVille
conference, "The Coaching Business: Create Your Own Magic",
is also dedicated to helping coaches expand their business and achieve
financial success. Brefi Group is attending the conference and will present
a follow-up, free standing event reporting all the best practice building
tips collected over the four days of the workshops and conference in Orlando.
Be sure to attend and get these hot tips only two weeks after the international
conference.
Book for both workshops together and you will save £55! For full
details click
here.
2. Coaching notes: Joe Sails:
A Story in Progress, Dick Olenych
I have recently re-read Who
moved my cheese? and got a lot out of it the second time round.
But, watch out Ken Blanchard. There is a new author about. I enjoy metaphorical
stories and believe they can form an important part of management development.
Joe
Sails by Dick Olenych is a Socratic style book written to help
organisations identify and change their employees' core competencies.
It is the story of a struggling sales person and a manager that is genuinely
trying to modify his behaviour by focusing less on tasks and more on positive
actions. By exposing poor habits and characteristics in Joe, the book
elicits the reader to inspect their own positive business behaviours.
The story follows the trials of Joe Sails, a salesman at Acme Office
Products Company who has gone from being the lynchpin to being a less
than stellar employee. His business behaviour is no longer at the desired
level. Joe Sails is guided, coached and prodded into realising that his
basic core competencies have waned and he must change. Soon, Joe is on
his way back to the top of his game.
The story follows the challenges and progress of both Joe, being coached,
and Bobbi, his coach manager. It is a pleasant and enjoyable read and,
with the two perspectives, is an excellent introduction to line manager
coaching within an organisation. The message is to focus less on managing
activities and more on generating behaviours. By concentrating only on
results we can actually damage the long term health of the business.
As coaches know, good processes lead to favourable outcomes. I enjoyed
this book and welcome a new author on the scene. Challenge: who else could
write a book like this? Buy and read it and wonder what you could produce
too.
USEFUL LINKS:
We aim to make the Brefi Group web site the premier developmental site
for teams and individuals in organisations, so do please send us your
suggestions and requests for further development. And let us know what you think
of this newsletter, and comment on the content.
THIS IS A FREE PUBLICATION! Please SHARE it willingly with a friend or colleague
who could benefit from knowing more about corporate coaching.
Copyright © 2004 all rights reserved.
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE to this Newsletter: /newsletter.html
To unsubscribe, go to the address above and enter your e-mail address. If
you use more than one e-mail address, be sure to enter the same one that you
used when you subscribed. If you want to change your e-mail address, then
subscribe with the new address and unsubscribe with the old one.
Brefi Group is a change management organisation that provides corporate coaching,
consultancy, facilitation and training. Be sure to visit the Brefi Group web
site at http://www.brefigroup.co.uk
We hope you enjoyed this issue of CorporateCoach. If you would like
to learn more about how we can work together, then please contact me, Richard
Winfield:
Telephone: 08450 678 222, or +44 (0) 121 704 2006 (international)
E-mail: editor@brefigroup.co.uk
|
