Share this:

It is almost impossible to walk down any shopping street without being accosted by the ubiquitous ‘charity mugger’ (chugger).

Now, I have a strict policy on giving to charities – I choose who to give to and when and I do so in a considered and, hopefully, meaningful way.  One thing I DO NOT do is give money to people on the street…whoever they are and whatever cause they profess to espouse – their habit or their employment as a collector!

More recently these ‘chuggers’ have begun appearing inside stores – having paid the store for a patch on which to set up their pitch!  I’ve stopped going to these stores, giving my custom elsewhere…not, I think, what the store would like to hear in the current economic climate…

When I spy a chugger (or, more likely, a collective of chuggers) working the street I endeavour to avoid eye contact altogether – hopefully discouraging them from attempting to speak to me.  Mostly this works.

Occassionally a persistent chugger will speak – seeming to think that I am somehow obliged to respond…which I am not…in my belief people, unknown to you, who are rude enough to make unsolicited advances for money on the street do not warrant a response.

I try to ignore them – or say no, thank you…both of which are likely to result in an abusive remark about myself and how rude I am, uttered under the breath.

My question to you concerns what you think of these, somehow legitimised beggars and how the menace they create is best addressed?

Gen

Share this:

In the UK at the moment it is hard to open a newspaper, watch a TV news bulletin or access an online news site without coming across at least one story concerning the way in which our elected (and, in some cases, appointed) representatives have their proverbial ‘snouts’ in the public money trough!

Almost all the reports – both news and opinion pieces – profess to be aghast at the standards of behaviour exhibited by people who, supposedly, should be setting an example for all of us. It seems to me however, that a root cause analysis might reveal a few uncomfortable home truths, the first of which is evident in an even broader context than our politicians:

• for a long, long time we – as a society – have fostered and rewarded a culture of short-termism…get what you can NOW and **** the consequences;
• considering what we expect them to do for us, it seems to me that we pay our politicians a pittance – would most of us take a job that requires us to be away from home at least 1/2 year, act on the issues of our constituents, play a part in governing the country appropriately…PLUS open ourselves and our families up to public scrutiny 24/7…for a base of £65K?  I think NOT!

We complain endlessly about the calibre – and the behaviour – of many of those who choose to take this path – when perhaps it would be more constructive to consider what can be done to encourage more able people to take up the challenge.  A few ideas:

• increase pay dramatically -
• centralise control of major expenses – i.e. all electorate offices to be leased by the government, not the MP; London housing for out-of-town MPs to be centrally managed; all MP travel to be centrally booked and paid for (doing these things would actually dramatically reduce the current administrative costs)

I think the real issue at stake here is the quality of our government – we need the best people to want to take this on…some of those we have fit this bill, but many (or even most) do not…

What do you think?

Share this:

The current bout of fear surrounding Swine Flu brings to mind the experiences I have had with designing and delivering business continuity (AKA Disaster Recovery) projects for clients.

Over the years the business has conducted a number of projects where a client has requested a Disaster Recovery Plan.

When asking for this the client is typically talking about—and thinking about—all those things that happen external to the business that are out of their control…fire, flood, labour unrest, storm damage, flu pandemics and the like.

Without exception however an objective risk analysis typically shows that, while the impact of these types of events can threaten the existence of the business, the probability of them happening is relatively remote.  Sometimes there are particular environmental circumstances that indicate more planning and preparedness needs to be in place to deal with such externally-generated eventualities, but—mostly—a standard response plan will do the trick.

The big risks identified usually fall into a few key areas:

Commercial & Strategic

Typically this addresses the organisation’s position in their market.  How much power do they have and how do they negotiate their positions with suppliers and customers as well as place themselves against their competitors.  The ability to balance demand and capacity are also core areas of high risk—especially for organisations in growth phases.

The issue here is sometimes a lack of understanding or analysis of their situation and opportunities but, most frequently, it is a lack of forward-thinking plans that link into everyday delivery.

Internal Structure, Process & Systems

Risks to continuity we find in this area generally result from the natural way in which  organisations grow.  Ad hoc development of structure, process, new product and service creation often leads to gaps in competency, communication and function.  Where there are no gaps there is often replication—just as bad in terms of generating positive cash flow and maintaining high levels of productivity.

Processes work across functional—and, today, organisational—boundaries.  In many markets it is value chains that compete with value chains to gain share.  Organisations that cannot seamlessly operate internally stand little hope of participating in a sustainable way in these types of markets.

We find that systems frequently are poorly suited to the people and processes they are meant to support—again threatening continuity of the business!

Pathways

Most businesses don’t see the internal threats—because they live with them every day, they seem normal.  The problem with such threats is that, when they hit, there is no preparedness.

My business has worked with clients facing these type of issues to address and overcome them in a measured and timely fashion.  This often means significant change within the business—but, whether you undertake such a project internally or with assistance it is critical you ensure that the pathways are clear, the plan is known and the end result is always measurable.

Love to hear about your own experiences – please comment below…

Share this:

Have you ever stopped to consider the amount of waste that goes on in your business—and I’m not talking about what goes into the rubbish bin or out in the trash?

What does it cost your business in lost profit every time a letter is written or a transaction entered into that is not needed (or, worse still, is wrong!)?

How many people in your business replicate each other’s work to a greater or lesser degree because of poor communication, poor processes, procedures and policies?

What percentage of the products you stock become obsolete before you can sell them?

My observation, from over 20 years of helping businesses get rid of waste and start getting better results with fewer resources, is that most businesses can reduce their total resource input by between 25% and 50% – while delivering better service faster!

Cash flow and competitiveness are the two things most adversely impacted by these types of waste.  So what can be done about eliminating this insidious problem?

First, many businesses are not aware of the ease and cheap cost associated with automating basic processes—of course the right processes need to be in place first otherwise, as Bill Gates says, you simply get bad outcomes delivered faster!

Beyond that there are organisation-wide planning and communication processes, such as Sales & Operations Planning, where you can ensure an improved vision of customer demand and be better able to respond accordingly.

Finally, getting the operation under control—through simple, focused performance indicators and management that can be applied to people, divisions, suppliers and organisations to ensure optimal results are achieved.

Share this:

“When you set out on the journey to Ithaca,

pray that the road is long…”

So wrote Constantine Cavafy in 1911

This is the first post to my new blog – as an idealist, amateur philosopher and romantic as well as a troubleshooter and business fixer, I can’t restrict myself to just one topic…hence I’ve chosen to have a broad-based blog that covers People, Business & Politics in the widest possible sense.

In essence it is a brain dump of my observations along the road to my own personal destination – hopefully you will find it interesting also and feel the urge to contribute to the discussions and debates I hope to generate – WELCOME!