RWC Blog

Sometimes I’m asked what the relationship of a Gap Analysis is to strategic and business planning. This is the explanation that I provide… A Gap Analysis is used to uncover the “truth” of what is going-on inside a business, to then see where improvements (significant positive changes) can be made. Under no circumstances should a Gap Analysis be performed by the business owner themselves. Why ? Because this would be likely to taint objectivity and cause the analysis to be…

When was the last time that you had a really “deep” (meaningful) conversation with someone about anything ? When was the last time that you really opened yourself up and shared some truthful (non sugar-coated) thoughts with another person ? On this note, when you last performed a GAP Analysis on your business, did you answer the questions/ prompts truthfully, or did you “blur the truth” in relation to certain questions/ prompts (e.g. when identifying what the weaknesses of your…

Be aware of companies that look to appoint “yes I will CEO’s/ GM’s” to deliver agreed strategy. Why ? I have found that directors will tend to appoint such highly agreeable senior managers when directors don’t wish to have their views/ ideas challenged. And it is often these organisations that have the most toxic cultures of all – pretty much dictatorships. Directors who avoid appointing strong-minded senior managers, often show themselves to be people who think that they have all…

Much debate continues to revolve around whether face-to-face meetings are a waste of productive time or not. I am 100 % NOT on the side of the debate which says that digital technology communication platforms (e.g. Skype) are an effective substitute for face-to-face meetings. Why do I take this position ?  Because increasingly these digital platforms are being used by particularly younger business people to hide behind – and not get in the faces of those who they really should…

I think the term “team player” has developed a wide range of meanings. There are some who consider that being a “great team player” is about agreeing with – and doing everything in strict accordance with – your peers’ or leader’s expectations. I don’t concur/ agree with this definition, and think it is fatally-flawed for it reflects a “control” mentality rather than a “management” mentality. For me a “great team player” is a person who is: a) Willing to contribute…

The expression “Brickbats and Bouquets” translates into “criticism and praise”. In other words it means conveying “the bad with the good”.  In teaching circles, teachers (particularly at a tertiary level) use an extension to this expression which enables teachers to constructively feedback to students – pointing out the good/ correct elements of their work alongside the not-so-good/ incorrect elements. This extension is called “The Praise Sandwich“; and in its delivery looks like this: Step One – teacher communicates deserved praise…

When was the last time that you struck-up a conversation with a complete stranger – simply because you wanted to know something that you thought they may have some idea of ? I do it every chance I get ! Why ? Because I believe in the principle of learning from every experience that I have, every day of my life. What I’m starting to see is a reducing curiosity in many people. People have stopped asking questions – people…

I continue to find it surprising how people impose boundaries on their own lives/ thinking. I think a lot of the explanation for this tendency comes from “compliance conditioning”. Increasingly, I’m seeing people not being willing to apply imaginative thought to their situation in order to find alternative ways of doing things, to generate new product/ service design…and the list goes on. The reason why the world is now full of mind-bending marvelous technology and other weird and wonderful products…

I continue to watch in frustration as some business people procrastinate making a call (decision) – any sort of call. When I ask why are you taking so long to decide, sometimes the answer is “we’re not sure how xyz person is going to react to our decision”. At this point I’ve got my hand across my forehead and my “inner voice” is saying “oh my God, here we go again”. Here’s some age old truth that decision-makers need to…

During the weekend just gone I had reason to visit a local seafood retail outlet. It was there that I had the most engaging customer service experience that I had had for a long time.  I was actually talked to in a polite and courteous/ respectful manner as I made my way around the shop – not in a pressing/ pressurizing way. I chose a couple of seafood products, but not wanting this fresh produce to deteriorate before I reached…