The purpose of this paper is to introduce you to state-of-the-art cutting edge global online business practices.  This will provide you with an overview of leading edge practice together with a clear picture of the ingredients that it takes to build a successful online business.

The importance of a clear vision and brand value

When someone is attracted to your business and its products and/or services, essentially what they are attracted to are solutions to their problems and to what is in it for me. Before they do business with you they want to know, like and trust you. This means they want to see if you have shared values.  Who you are?  How you are known?  What do you stand for and how is this reflected in the standards that you deliver?

In short, the person is connecting with the deep-seated “Why?” you are doing what you are doing – the purpose and passion that drives quality and productivity.

Forming a clear vision and brand value is the starting point for any business. Not only does it create the compass for directing strategic decisions; but also provides a framework with which to laser target your niche market.

Your brand statement or tag line should be reducible to about seven words.  For example, “Tribal Coach: Critical Skills For Catapulting Your Coaching Business”.

Virtual online business model: A state of the art global practice

In almost every knowledge-based professional service, virtual business and organization is supplementing bricks-and-mortar organization.  This can have a phenomenal impact on the bottom line.

The independent consultant and coach can use virtual communication tools to work on the move and with colleagues and clients from any time, any place and anywhere in the world. Client meetings usually take place by videoconference or a combination of face-to-face and videoconference.  Work can take place from home, hotel or virtually anywhere.

At the heart of virtual business organization value chains are re-engineered using a combination of converging communication technologies and outsourcing.

Virtual organization: Increasing earning power and the value of your time

There are three key ways in which virtual business organization can be used to optimize earning power and the value of your time:

Firstly, by meeting with your clients online by video conference, former travel time is freed up for premium tasks and additional session time.

Secondly, many companies have less and less company time available for coaching sessions.  Virtual coaching introduces far more flexibility and scope to meet at a time that suits the client.

Thirdly, virtual coaching immediately expands your practice onto a global platform and into a global market.

Online tools, resources and communities for building your online business

A good example of a tool for building an online business is Linkedin.  This is a social and business network that maps and manages how you form relationships within a growing network of potential customers and clients. Through LinkedIn tools you can organize this growing network with different degrees of access and activity depending on how closely related you are.  Developing your Linkedin connections empowers you to strategically use crucial influencers in your network to forge introductions with key players currently outside your immediate network and develop a potentially limitless client and customer base.

Another example of an online tool is a video communications platform.  This includes scope for video capture and production that is fuelling a massive web education market.  Effectively, you can record online sessions and convert them into video courses.

You only have one set of production costs for the production of any number of products with virtually zero on costs; whether accessed on a private website; downloaded or purchased as a CD.

Similarly, you can enter into a win-win-win with a distributor like Amazon.  You can produce a Kindle book at nominal production costs; use Amazon’s massive global distribution channels to market it; plus join their affiliate programme to earn commission on any Kindles sold as a consequence.  Web education products enable you to convert your intellectual capital into revenue; and not only that; but to convert it into 24/7 passive revenue streams to boot.

Overview of a web marketing strategy

Your web marketing strategy pulls together the strength of your vision and brand with the capacity of virtual organisation to get your message across and to leverage online communities and social mass media.

At the heart of your marketing strategy and campaign your “Content is King”.

Next you need a system, operation and organization that provide a suitable vehicle for distributing the message and attracting and capturing interest.  Usually the operation and organization involves a series of interlocking systems that run simultaneously..

Strategy involves leading a client on a journey; with step-by-step navigation. Milestones on this journey include freely available copy; high value copy requiring opt in; and premium value copy that requires purchase.

Virtual Business Organization: Mastering the new terrain

Virtual business organization has opened up exciting new terrain.  To master that terrain will involve learning radically new business and organizational models; together with the new skill sets and mind sets that must accompany these. We are here to support you in this exciting journey of discovery toward building a global business and realizing realizing the goals of financial freedom and contribution to abundance for all.

Virtual organization and automation

Virtual organization involves automation in two capacities:

A) Automating communications
B) Automating organization so the customer does all the work

Automating communications

The main application of automated communications is in the field of web marketing; or more specifically lead generation.  An example of the virtual office and virtual PA will be given in the case study to follow. Automated organization uses automation and converging technologies to place the very best person for the job in front of the customer.

So with a lead generation system the same principle applies and technically one is talking about a “semi-automated” system.  The best-known example of automated communications is an auto responder campaign.  This can either take place via an email or video communications platform. For the purposes of this example, a state-of-the-art video auto responder campaign will be given.

A semi-automated lead generation system brings together the following key elements:

1) Content / the primary message of the campaign in the form of video clips structured to build the campaign in bite-sized chunks.

2) Automated broadcasting software via:

a)    Websites
b)    Hundreds of social media sites (including Youtube, Myspace, Linkedin
and Facebook)
c)    Video blogs
d)    Video mail
e)    Video webinars

3) Subscription form – to collect opt in information from the splash pages relating to each of the above broadcasting outlets; and which result in building the lead generation lists.

4) Video auto responder campaign that is structured according to a sequence of bite-sized chunks. The auto responder then drip feeds these bite-sized chunks at pre-determined times; with the lead generation lists feeding the machine.  Also, the auto responder campaign provides a means whereby the lead self-qualifies (i.e. the customer automatically qualifies themselves as the ideal customer as a consequence of the way the sequence of the campaign is structured.

5) Interface between machine and human.  This takes place via a two tier opt in system:

a)    the automated opt in on the broadcasted spash pages
b)    the manual opt in in response to the auto responder series. Here the
prospect receives a personal invite to meet via video conference.  An
online automated appointments system leaves the prospect doing all
the work of booking the conference time and confirming it with both
the prospect and the company.
c)    The individual conducting the video conference sends a “personal
video” in place of the “generic videos” that comprise the “automated
system”.

6) The first “face-to-face” communication takes place in video conference between a fully self-qualified lead and a professional practitioner or top sales person.

Automating organization so the customer does all the work

A good example of fully automated virtual organisation is the online purchase of a cinema ticket:

1) The customer enters financial and credit card details on line.
2) The information is automatically processed and fed to the cinema’s ticket
dispensing machine.
3) The customer feeds the necessary information into the cinema’s ticket dispensing
machine to complete the purchase and release the ticket.

Whilst this is a fully automated process which ultimately has the capacity to replace / transform the role of existing booking clerks; for human relations purposes these two systems are likely to run in parallel for a transitional period.

As I write this, I also happen to be watching the evening news.  Serendipity strikes with a highly relevant news item.  Plans are stated by London Transport to replace 90% of manned booking offices by 2013.

This will represent major change that will not only have a phenomenal impact on the bottom line running into millions and millions of pounds; but also beckons the complete embedding of a new technological era and context for key political and strategic decisions right across the board involving business; financial; human resources; customer relations; and service delivery.

Case Study: A 24/7 virtual consulting firm

With each breakthrough in converging technologies the scope and sophistication of virtual organization grows.

In this particular example the technological break through is the virtual hub and switchboard. The virtual switchboard performs the following functions:

1) It can seamlessly patch a call across any combination of networks – landline / mobile.  The consequence of this is that when a call comes into “the office” (the virtual switchboard), the call can be patched to you … any time, any place, anywhere.  You could be sitting by the pool and the caller would be none the wiser.
2) A single virtual hub and switchboard can host an unlimited number of “virtual offices”, whilst to the caller the experience is that of calling you at “the office”.
3) The virtual switchboard plugs directly into your company knowledge base, which it continuously updates:

a)    The incoming call triggers the company database
b)    The call handler enters a brief history with each individual call to build the
knowledge base
c)    The call handler also has the capacity to drill deeper into the call history

On the one hand this presents the call handler as a phenomenally well-informed person. On the other hand, a highly powerful knowledge base is continuously being developed.

Case Study

The following case study shows how this infrastructure enabled small groups of sole practitioner consultants, operating in the United Kingdom; United States and Australia to team up; and combine and collaborate to create a 24/7 boutique global practice operating across the three time zones.

The virtual office in question combined the state of the art technology with top-flight call handlers.  In place of telephonists, highly skilled Virtual PAs handled calls with the skills to; field calls; organize diaries; respond to sales enquiries; record and respond to high quality call histories; together with the skills to data mine a knowledge base.

As such, the consultants were able to outsource the bulk of the operation and administration to the virtual office freeing up time for solely premium activities; and work to full capacity on available client time.  This had a phenomenal impact on the bottom line, when compared to the millions of rental costs for prestigious city offices hitting the bottom line with a bricks-and-mortar blue-chip consulting firm.

The professionalism of the Virtual PAs and their handling of the marketing front-end resulted in highly effective brand management; and customers receiving the same quality of contact as they would from a blue-chip consulting firm.

The case study in question, relates to a firm founded in the late 1990’s and with this being prior to videocommunications networks, the main form of communication was by audio conference.  With the videocommunications era, comes a big leap in the communications environment open to the firm and to customer relations.

The principle of this case study is to put together teams that focus on premium time; where everybody is doing what they love doing best (including the Virtual PAs); consulting time is optimised to full capacity; and everything else is outsourced via virtual organisation.

© The Networking Firm – By Denis Roberts, Doreen Milano and Steven Gans

Turning one’s organisation into a cause with a compelling vision can differentiate an organisation and energise its people according to transformation specialist, Colin Coulson-Thomas. Speaking in Lisbon to the 5^th Global Conference on Social Responsibility he showed how new lifestyle options can further green, healthcare and commercial agendas and help achieve both organisational and personal objectives.

According to Coulson-Thomas, “Many enterprises find it difficult to motivate their people, stand out and justify premium prices. They lack a compelling rationale and distinctive purpose. Their offerings and messages to the marketplace are largely indistinguishable from those of other suppliers. In short, they are bland, faceless or boring.”

The Professor believes there is little excuse for this sorry state of affairs: “There are countless possibilities for differentiation, and also endless opportunities for consumer, social and knowledge entrepreneurship. ‘Me-too’ approaches, copying and imitation lead to squeezed margins and consumer indifference. Increasingly, market leadership goes to those who create, pioneer and discover.”

Coulson-Thomas is convinced that “There is little limit to what people will achieve if they believe in a cause. Organizations can massively increase their impact if their strategic goals are turned into a cause. People can be energized by a compelling and demanding vision, and motivated by a purpose they can identify with and which they feel is beneficial to their customers, users, a local community or mankind generally. ”

He finds: “There are many ways of differentiating from the skills and understanding of people to brand image and reputation. Processes and ways of working and learning can differentiate, as can approaches, methodologies, tools and techniques. Relationships and risk sharing can differentiate. Many companies seek to differentiate by product, service or price, but overlook differentiation on the basis of purpose.”

Speaking on how to energise organisations, Coulson-Thomas suggests “Vision, goals and values can be important differentiators. People like to feel they are making a useful and significant contribution, so visioning and engagement are particularly relevant to corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.”

The author of “Winning Companies, Winning People” emphasises the importance of visioning: “The right vision can ignite a cause. A stretching, distinctive and compelling vision that paints a picture of a future, desired and attainable state of affairs can focus effort and provide people with a sense of common purpose.”

Communication is critical according to Coulson-Thomas: “An exciting vision will remain as words unless it is communicated and shared. Other people need to understand the vision and what they can do to help make it happen. Successful communicators share information, knowledge and understanding with people whose cooperation is needed to achieve corporate aspirations. They do not wait to be approached. They go out and meet people. They engage in two-way communication and encourage, welcome and react to feedback.”

He adds: “Good communicators are not pre-occupied with themselves. They focus on the people they would like to establish, build and sustain relationships with. They try to understand, empathise with and reflect their aspirations, hopes and fears. They make direct and personal contact. They feel. They may stumble over the words, but they demonstrate they care. They consciously build mutually beneficial relationships.”

Coulson-Thomas feels: “Corporate leaders can do likewise with the right vision and purpose. Changes to lifestyle can enhance sustainability and benefit individual and corporate health. For example, new ways of working that reduce traffic flows can cut congestion costs and lead to fewer people with stress and respiratory complaints.”

“There are many viable alternatives to current patterns of working and living, based upon what we know and can already do using available and tried technologies. People living today have more options in terms of where, when, how and with whom to work, learn, earn and consume than any generation in history. For example, teleconferencing can be less disruptive and harmful than travel to a physical meeting.”

Coulson-Thomas considers “There is enormous scope for business and social entrepreneurs to introduce new possibilities for living healthier, and less stressful and more sustainable lives. Living more simply and slowly could be less costly and more fulfilling. It might benefit health and be good for businesses and the planet.”

Boards should ask whether people are equipped to understand compelling visions and turn aspiration into achievement. In his book “Winning Companies; Winning People” Coulson-Thomas shows how pioneers use a new generation of tools to communicate with and engage those whose help is required for the implementation of their visions. Such tools are used in over 100 countries. They can engage cynics and win them over by making it easy for people to understand complex issues and do demanding tasks. They can enable average practitioners to emulate the approaches of high performers. Large returns on investment have been obtained. Benefits also include improved performance, reduced costs, quicker responses, less stress, higher standards, and enforced and evidenced compliance

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas, an active consultant and member of the business school team at the University of Greenwich, has helped over 100 organisations to improve director, board and corporate performance, and been the process vision holder of large and complex transformation projects. He was the world’s first Professor of Corporate Transformation and has spoken at over 200 national and international events in 40 countries.

’Developing Directors, a guidebook for building an effective boardroom team’, by Colin Coulson-Thomas, is published by Policy Publications. Click here to order

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas is an active international consultant who has helped over 100 boards to develop directors and to improve board and/or corporate performance. He is an experienced director and board chairman.

There are four key criteria that any new web site will need to satisfy:

1) Is the appearance of the web site likely to be instantly attractive to the specific client to whom it is aimed?
2) Is the purpose of the web site clear; and are all-subsequent functions individually identified as part of a larger and coherent purpose and whole?
3) Are appearance and function seamlessly wedded; so the site looks brilliant and does what it says on the box?
4) Are both client and web site developer sufficiently clear from the outset on what is being sought; what this will involve; and on how this can be achieved when working on a bespoke site within a fixed rate budget?

Purpose. The purpose of this guide is to chart the communication and learning journey of client and web developer – necessary to delivering on all four above criteria.

Much of the meat of the article will chronicle the development of communications between web developer and client as they educate one another on what is being sought; and on the ramifications of what is involved when translated into technical terms.

As a part of this; the critical importance of a clear and overarching professional customer relationship management process really comes into its own; essential to laying the foundations for negotiating the uncharted territory that is the domain of the bespoke.

Background. The function of the web site is to create a branded corporate infrastructure for a new private membership club for independent and sole professional practitioners; who are seeking to team up with fellow practitioners to work on one another’s businesses; to build a network of fully independent virtual firms offering a fully individualised and premium service. This means working to full capacity on solely premium activities (tasks which only you and you alone can deliver) and automating and organising all non-essential tasks elsewhere; and offering a unique and completely individual service to each and every client. And for practitioners interested in moving to the next level an opportunity to also build their own associate networks via strategic partnerships.

As part of their membership, each individual and their firm will obtain their own web site and virtual shop front; carrying its own individual branding; and identified as part of the wider The Networking Firm Network Corporation. With different levels of membership, this would also require the scope to accommodate and build a range of different sized firms and shop windows. As a piece of virtual architecture what was being sought was something akin to a franchise structure, with scope for firms of different status and size.

Strategic partnership. The Networking Firm Network specialises in strategic partnership and virtual organisation. The firm was founded in 1996, when I teamed up with strategic partners Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas and Prof. Barry Curnow to bring our three niche practices under the same virtual roof. The Networking Firm Network represents an extension of this whereby corporate action learning infrastructure will be provided to enable the development of a network of virtual firms supported by a Business Action Learning Organisation and Community.

Context. This means that we were not merely seeking a web developer; but also a web developer with whom we could combine and collaborate on a business level (by promoting their design as designers of The Networking Firm Network site): as well as on an educational level; by jointly producing material on the delivery of precisely the web site development you are seeking. The agreement of a fixed rate budget for a bespoke web site took place within the wider context of a reciprocal arrangement that could form the first steps towards a strategic partnership:

a) On the business side, Cotswold Web Services (The Networking Firm’s Web Developer) would participate in a two-way finders fee on the completion of any business that we generated for one another.
b) On the educational side, I would produce this article from the client perspective; and enable Cotswold Web Services to publish much-wanted educational and marketing content from their highly SEO optimised marketing front-end. A win win arrangement for both parties!

The Project. To create uniform branding and corporate infrastructure for The Networking Firm Network private membership club for independent and private practitioners. “The purpose of the web design will be to brand a uniform and hierarchical network of virtual offices organised according to level (colour-code)”.

Choosing a method. The method selected was to build a theme. This would need to be capable of functioning as networked organisation. In the first instance, my plan was to create a custom theme that could be bolted straight on to the front-end of Ning – infrastructure that I was already familiar with.

Cotswold Web Services were not familiar with Ning and so as a first-step briefly investigated the infrastructure. This resulted in their encountering limitations that would not be encountered in WordPress; a particular programming language in which they were expert. Richard Jaques, the web developer explained that WordPress was an open source language; where content could be produced in MS Word and required no programming skills; and where literally thousands of web developers had produced literally thousands of plug ins and widgets to deliver highly versatile and highly flexible functionality.

Clarifying boundaries and coming to a clear arrangement. Cotswold Web Services would create a bespoke theme to deliver the necessary infrastructure. The Networking Firm would be responsible for all content. However, Cotswold Web Services would also include a basic advisory service i.e. where their might be a choice over options in respect of different plug ins or widgets; should they have any direct experiences / preferences; and any broad tips concerning how easy or difficult it might be for the layman to install a particular item then they could be consulted on this?

Cotswold Web Services customer relationship management process. A key factor in choosing Cotswold Web Services was that one would be choosing process consultants; with a very clearly structured process for leading the client through the different operational steps involved. A process that would enable both parties to know what stage they had reached; and a process that would provide a framework for reviewing contractual arrangements. This involved four clear stages:

a) Initial Stages. “Once you have responded to this quotation and all details have been finalised, we will begin to discuss your specific design requirements. Any suggestions you might have regarding: colour schemes, graphics, video, animation, database structure, reports or other websites you like, will be taken into account at this stage. From these discussions a design brief will be created to bring together all aspects of the appearance of your site.”

b) Design. “Your project will then be designed using the latest design software, with detailed diagrams of the database structure, input screens and reports. It will take into account your target audience, company image and your design preferences. After evaluating your opinions this design will be refined until you are completely satisfied. Once you have approved, the design can be transformed into a fully functional website.”

c) Development. “At this stage, dedicated programming professionals will assess the design and establish the precise development needs. Your website will then be created and extensively tested. Once it is completed and meets our high design and development standards you will be able to see the site. At this stage your business development manager will take you through the site page by page, and you will receive full training on how to operate all elements.”

d) Completion. “With your full approval, your website will then be set live and become fully accessible to all Internet users. However, the process does not end here. Although your design and development are completed, Cotswold Web Services will remain on hand into the future, so if you have any questions at any stage, or in the unlikely event of any problems, we’re always here to help.”

The four key criteria that any new web site will need to satisfy:

1) Is the appearance of the web site likely to be instantly attractive to the specific client to
whom it is aimed?
2) Is the purposes of the web site clear; and are all-subsequent functions individually
identified as part of a larger and coherent purpose and whole?
3) Are appearance and function seamlessly wedded; so the site looks brilliant and does what
it says on the box?
4) Are both client and web site developer sufficiently clear from the outset on what is being
sought; what this will involve; and on how this can be achieved when working on a
bespoke site within a fixed rate budget?

Is the appearance of the web site likely to be instantly attractive to the specific client to whom it is aimed?

A very good first draft was made. As a bespoke theme, there was then scope to experiment with and fine tune subtle variations to arrive at precisely what was being sought.

Is the purpose of the web site clear; and are all-subsequent functions individually identified as part of a larger and coherent purpose and whole?

It is here where the really fine calibration took place; and a balancing of perspectives. As a strong proponent of function over form, however attractive and impactful the design, function always needed to be the top priority and take precedence over form. This meant that at almost every key stage we went through refinements; where we would seek win wins where a function was maintained with the greatest visual impact. This resulted in the development of an interesting communication; whereby detailed functional issues were raised with the web site developer, who then acted as an intermediary with the web design team,

Are appearance and function seamlessly wedded; so the site looks brilliant and does what it says on the box?

The main way in which this was achieved was in the relationship described above; with function and design elements split between developer and designer; and with developer acting as intermediator.

Are both client and web site developer sufficiently clear from the outset on what is being sought; what this will involve; and on how this can be achieved when working on a bespoke site within a fixed rate budget?

In the case of a bespoke service and under ordinary circumstances, I think the answer to all three parts is no. By it’s very nature a bespoke service is client-led and evolves and clarifies via the ongoing development of the consultant / client relationship. This involves not only the client becoming increasingly clearer on what they want, but also becoming increasingly educated on available options; the extent of their ramifications; and which will ultimately will provide most value.

Conclusion. As such, this is something of an open-ended relationship where, under ordinary circumstances a fixed rate budget is inappropriate and far too constraining on both parties. Fixed-budgets are probably only suited to mass-produced web sites. As part of the bespoke process involves pioneering and venturing into the unknown; what is involved may not necessarily be completely evident from the outset; and some sort of flexibility needs to be built into the arrangement. The fact that we were working in the context of some form of joint venture provided the some of the necessary flexibility for each of us to generate additional value that would enable us to maintain the fixed budget.

In fairness, I think I have received the bulk of that added value an am exceptionally pleased with the result. Firstly, I am a perfectionist and extremely exacting client; and at every fence Richard and Cotswold Web Services went the extra mile and did so in the most patient and professional manner. My wish is that this paper will contribute to a return of that value; and when you see the site you will see for yourself what a superb job they have done; and how they have delivered on all four key counts to produce precisely what I was seeking.

Thank you Richard and Cotswold Web Services

© Denis Roberts, The Networking Firm

The dilemma. Do I continue to seek employment in a receding job market or pursue the sometimes rocky and longer road to building a secure and independent business?

Any of us who have faced; are facing; or have been through redundancy will know that resolving this key dilemma will be one of your first major challenges; and for the older employee the choice will be likely to be heavily weighted to moving into self-employment and making building a successful independent business work.

To be stuck on the horns of this particular dilemma is an especially unpleasant one … hopping between competing for extremely scarce jobs … and nervous about plunging into the uncertain world of self-employment with the not knowing of whether or not you will succeed as an independent … not knowing which way to turn … really feeling the financial pressures growing day-by-day and … going round in ever decreasing circles … and beginning to fear you have hit a dead-end … lost without hope.

You are not alone and anyone who has made a successful transition into self-employment and building an independent business will have found a way of addressing this particular challenge.

The context. This is a challenge that more and more people will be facing as employment per se becomes increasingly redundant.  The current Internet revolution is fuelling the eventual redundancy of employment itself via a pincer process:

1)       One the one hand, the infrastructure now exists that enables the self-employed individual to become the fundamental business unit and build a global business from home.

2)       On the other hand, virtual organisation and automation will strip out whole swathes of middle management and staff by:

a)      Replacing staff with top flight and interactive information and training videos

b)      Globally outsourcing other functions to independent contractors operating from within the cheapest labour markets (call centres being a good example).

c)      Automation – i.e. purchasing your cinema ticket online and paying a premium for the privilege.

The Purpose – To share support and advice. The above dilemma represents a critical milestone for anyone on the journey from a job you can no longer depend on to becoming self-employed and independent.  The purpose of this article is to share support and advice surrounding this particular dilemma; and, more important, open a discussion in which you can seek and share mutual support and advice from your own experience.

I hope you will find the following support and advice useful:

1) Firstly, I would like to send a gift of good will and hope that you will be able to find whatever strength and support it takes to hang on in there; and not be afraid to ask for support and advice.

2) Next, I would like to introduce you to an ancient Chinese saying that roughly translates “Crisis is Opportunity”.

3) Then, invite you to create a suitable space and quality of attention to dig deep and reflect and contemplate on the following questions:

a) What do I most want to do with my life?
b) Where can I be of most service?
c) What is it that I do best that enables me to be of most value?
d) Who would I most like to work with?
e) What is my goal in work and what would I most like to achieve?

Answering these questions will enable you to form a vision of what you want to do – a vision that will be there to constantly draw upon and illuminate the path towards your goals.

4) Write your vision statement and start your day by reading / refining it

Remember, success is merely a state-of-mind and one that is achieved by building and maintaining an increasingly sustainable positive outlook.

5) Success is achieved through the twin-discipline of only focusing on the positive track and being decisive. This means solely focusing on your vision, goals and what you want to achieve and not wasting a single ounce of energy on something you do not want; as this is only likely to open the door to undermining negative thoughts and prevarication.

If you have opted for the job-hunting market, then the same independent and positive approach is still required.  You will still be seeking the job that most closely matches your vision and passion.  There is a very simple exercise you can carry out to build your positivity. When you first pick up that job advert what is the first piece of information you head for … Is it what you can do or what you can’t do? If it is what you can’t do then you are approaching job hunting from a negative viewpoint and quite possibly are eliminating viable opportunities before you even get started.

6) Through this simple yet difficult exercise reverse your behaviour and habit. Start with what most appeals about the job and then, feature-by-feature and requirement-by-requirement; work your way through listing each feature and requirement in an order that reflects what you most like about the job; and what fits most closely with your goals and what you want to achieve. (At this stage in the process suspend judgement on what you think you can and cannot do.)

Next, review your capabilities and identify essential and desirable requirements. Let’s imagine you have a perfect match, bar one particular essential requirement – experience / qualification in a specific piece of software – and then ask yourself the question how am I going to address this? Where there is a will there is a way and most likely there is a training programme you can commit to and perhaps even complete prior to the start date?

7) Create a team support and development mechanism for yourself such as building a peer-mentoring relationship. Isolation can be a real killer resulting in loss of motivation, confidence and direction; and be aware that the degree to which you feel you might of hit a dead-end is predominantly a measure of your isolation and a signal to make contact. Teaming up, having a sounding board and someone to encourage you and share the load; someone to make public your commitments to; a witness to hold you accountable to the pledges you make to yourselves in your journey to success … can all contribute to reinforcing commitment and galvanising crucial decisions and actions.  A relationship that will provide structure as you pass the various milestones in your transition and transformation from a job you can no longer depend on to achieving independence (or to asserting and negotiating the criteria of a job you really want to do).

For further information please contact me at enquiries@peermenta.me.uk

If you think I can be of service, please let me know in what way you would like me to be of use?

Please contact me at enquiries@menta.me.uk.   As part of my practice, I have set aside a limited number of 30 min Vocational Mentoring Sessions at no charge and subject to availability. Please email me to apply and let me know in what way you would like me to be of use?

Wishing You Every Success!

Denis Roberts

HR leaders are told HR heads should not necessarily sit at the boardroom table

Whether or not the head of a function should serve on a board depends upon the individual and the corporate context according to Prof Colin Coulson-Thomas. He told members of the HR Leaders Club that “The general consensus among chairmen is that an individual without directorial qualities should not be put upon a board just to ‘fill a particular slot’. A board can obtain specialist advice as and when required from advisers and consultants, or by inviting a specialist along for a particular agenda item.”

The author of “Developing Directors, a handbook for building an effective boardroom team”, claimed “People should only go onto a board if they have directorial qualities and a directorial perspective, they complement and add to the existing capabilities of the board, and they can make a useful contribution to the general work of the board. It is also a question of horses for courses, some people who would be useful board members in one situation might not be appropriate in another.”

Coulson-Thomas pointed out that “Good managers do not always become effective directors, while individuals with limited management experience can sometimes make a significant contribution to a board as a result of their personal qualities. Many specialist professionals lack a balanced and holistic perspective, and have a ‘departmental’ view of corporate reality.”

The Professor’s own surveys reveal “Strategic awareness and personal qualities usually dominate the criteria for boardroom appointments. Formulating a distinctive and compelling vision and a realistic strategy requires business acumen and the abilities to look ahead, see a company as a whole and understand the context within which it operates.”

He reported: “Personal qualities sought include integrity, determination, independence, objectivity, balance, commitment, individuality, sensitivity, strategic and ethical awareness, and a sense of accountability and responsibility. Loyalty, team spirit and ‘fitting in’ are valued more highly by some chairmen than originality and creativity.”

In addition to internal monitoring and reporting past performance Coulson-Thomas believes “a board should be externally focused and looking ahead. Directors need energy and drive to move an organisation forward, certain legal and financial knowledge, and an awareness of boardroom issues and practice and relevant governance requirements.”

He added: “Skills such as planning, delegating and appraising are especially relevant. Communication skills are important both within the boardroom and when building mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders. HR professionals with the right qualities who can also engage with employees, unions and other groups might gain an edge when it comes to board appointments. However, many HR directors with a directorial perspective come from outside the HR team.”

Finally a sense of perspective is required. Coulson-Thomas reminded HR Leaders Club members that “becoming a director brings its rewards, but board members also take on onerous legal duties and responsibilities. Some senior practitioners consider the risks too high. They turn down board appointments in favour of advisory or consultancy roles.”

He understood being a director and sitting around the boardroom table is an issue for some HR professionals, but commented: “In other arenas senior practitioners are not similarly obsessed. Thus ambitious members of the marketing team might be more concerned with securing larger budgets, being responsible for better known brands or winning creative awards. While having an end goal can motivate, people can also derive great satisfaction from contributing during their journey through life.”

’Developing Directors, a guidebook for building an effective boardroom team’, by Colin Coulson-Thomas, is published by Policy Publications. Click here to order

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas is an active international consultant who has helped over 100 boards to develop directors and to improve board and/or corporate performance. He is an experienced director and board chairman.