Stagnating in your career? What to know how to propel yourself up the career ladder? Join our CEO, Gareth John, as he shares what he wishes he knew 20 year’s ago as he breaks down his top tips in his career I.C.E.B.U.R.G
First Intuition began in 2007 with a single thought – to put the learner at the centre of everything. Since then we have won awards, opened a national network of study centres and now deliver to over 7,000 students per year.
We offer courses for the following Qualifications:
AAT
ACCA
CIMA
ICAEW
CMI
We believe that every learner is different, and one-size doesn’t always fit all. We are happy to spend time with our learners to build a programme that fits in with their busy lifestyles.
With 15 study centres across the UK and online study options we can create a blend of programmes to fit in with the most demanding of lives.
In this week’s episode, I am joined by Monika Radclyffe, Head of Business Incubation & Growth for the University of Bristol & SETsquared Bristol Centre Director.
Monika came on to the podcast to share all the reasons why she does the job she does every single day!
Monika has worked closely with entrepreneurs across the globe for the last 5yrs and came on to shed some insight into what drives & inspires these entrepreneurs to bring positive change to the world.
She has also been heavily involved with addressing diversity issues across the tech sector and has launched multiple initiatives to help increase the percentage of women founders.
Like others who have been on the podcast, Monika has experienced many challenges in her life, both in business & personally, touching on some of these stories throughout the podcast.
In these stories, Monika shared valuable pieces of advice which have helped her in these moments, sharing her most valuable piece of advice; never stop learning.
The Purpose of this Podcast is to help individuals who have really struggled to find their way through this pandemic. We draw on our personal stories and accounts to help people understand and realise that they are not alone and that we are all in this together.
If you would like to find out more about Monika and the work she does, check her out below:
Small, medium or micro-businesses with less than 250 employees
Self-employed individuals
Norfolk postcodes
Certain Sectors
Visitor Economy – Tourism/Leisure/Hospitality
Visitor Economy – Culture/Entertainment
Independent retailers
Food & Drink businesses
Agricultural business / Agritech
Digital Technology businesses
Businesses that can demonstrate that their work supports those above
The only requirement is that training must be used to enhance productivity, efficiency or effectiveness, and be proven to assist with employee retention.
This is a fantastic opportunity to get our people skilled and our businesses up and running – we would love to hear from you
For more information or a chat about eligibility, how to apply or what we can offer, please contact us… we are always happy to help
Turning Factor are taking a leading role in shaping the future of the local business community. Turning Factor, Strategic Partners of the Norfolk Chambers, demonstrate their position as exceptional leaders with a commitment to supporting growth for the Norfolk business community. See more about Patron & Partners here >
I have just re-visited an article by Saul McLeod on Stanley Milgram’s experiment studying authority on obedience. This sprung out of some other work I had been doing on leadership and management, and a particular passage in Simon Sineks latest book ‘leaders eat last’.
65% of participants gave a possibly lethal electric shock to the recipient
Part of the findings of this incredibly controversial experiment was that 65% of participants, when instructed by an authority figure, gave a possibly lethal electric shock to the recipient, and all gave a substantial electric charge to the innocent person at the other end! But for me, the most horrifying part of the findings was that not one volunteer pressing the voltage button asked about the well-being of the shock recipient, even with the belief that they may just have killed another human being. In fact, their first thought was passing off the blame to the authority figure, to save themselves from any retribution.
Sinek linked this experiment to company culture, and how weak cultures allow the business figures to outway the importance of the people. As companies grow, they can become physically divorced from the human aspect of the business. Figures on sheets become the driving force, this then transfers to those who supply those figures, forcing them into decisions which may harm colleagues, customers, the business and themselves.
I have witnessed this myself, not so long ago in another company I was told to “stop worrying about the big picture, those who get paid more worry about that”. This was all because I questioned the wisdom of what we, as a company were doing. The figures ruled the roost, every day they were updated, you were judged not on the quality of what you delivered, and the human cost of that delivery, but by the numbers you produced, however you produced them! My context of the situation was this was turning employees inward, protecting themselves, forcing them to make decisions not based on the best interest of the client, or the company, but on behalf of protecting themselves.
The weak culture had allowed creativity to be stifled, departments to become siloed, blame to become more important than solutions, and ultimately decisions made blamed on those above them to protect themselves, sound familiar? Now I am not saying that figures should be ignored, far from it, however, it is only an overview of the situation. Doesn’t it make more sense for the figures to be led by the people rather than the other way around?
The business environment we live in is so fast moving, so uncertain that we cannot hope to cope with it alone. We often here the terms enterprising and entrepreneurial, and we will all have our own thoughts on what theses mean. For me enterprise is about making the most of the resources available to you, to create something different or new. Entrepreneurs are those with the vision to identify those resources, no matter where they may come from and then connect them together for those new or differentiated items.
This means collaboration, trust, the vision of a bigger picture, and in the case of enterprise within companies, or intrapreneurship, the freedom and safety to explore possibilities without the fear of being cut off at the knees for mistakes. As Sinek explores further, the story behind 3M’s post it note is a classic example of a strong culture allowing one persons ‘not quite right’ not to be hidden through fear of retribution, but to be picked up by somebody else and explored further as a collaboration between those who created something as simple, but spectacular as the post it note. And for those who are unaware, the post it note came from a failed glue product, and another employees search for a book mark which didn’t fall out of his church bible, that is the beauty of allowing something out into the world without fear, you never know where inspiration strikes.
So, as an organisation which would you prefer, a mercenary workforce prepared to throw their colleagues and clients to the wolves for profit Or human beings who are empowered to create the next post it note and drive the numbers?
Over to you!
You can find this article and more from Harry Harris here
You will often hear “don’t sweat the small stuff”. When it’s about getting things done, small is the way to go! So, let’s look at nine, simple methods you can implement in 2022 to be more productive.
1. Notifications Are Not Your Friend
Notifications. The biggest ‘time thief, of all.
How many times have you found yourself distracted by the ‘ping’ from Facebook, Instagram, WhatApp or email?
Notifications stop you from being more productive by interrupting your thought process and concentration. And, importantly, it will take you at least 15-miuntes to get your brain back to where it was before the interruption.
The worst impact is when you get distracted by a post or an email and, somehow, emerge 20-minutes or a half-hour later with no understanding of where the time has gone.
There is a very simple solution.
Turn them off!
I turned the sound off on my phone three years ago. I have had no distracting sounds and in that time and I haven’t missed out on anything important or lost business.
It may not be the solution for everyone; you may have children or other caring responsibilities, which mean you can’t do a blanket ‘switch off’. However, you can switch off when you need to get your head down and concentrate.
2. Do a Time and Motion Study
What do you REALLY do every day?
When it comes to assessing what we do each day and how much we have achieved. we are our own worst enemy.
We ‘think’ we have been working really hard, concentrating, getting on with things but …
Do a time and motion study.
For the next two weeks – with no edits or judgements made – note down what you are doing in 15-minute intervals. At the end of the two weeks, take a look.
How did you spend your time?
Did that five-minute task actually take 30-minutes?
How much time did you spend searching for files and documents you ‘know’ are somewhere, but you’re not sure where (more later)
How often did you get side-tracked by a WhatsApp or Messenger massage?
Did you spend far too much time creating social media content because you’re really not sure what you should be saying / doing?
This process will provide clarity. It will show you exactly what you do with your time, what you ‘time thieves’ are and, probably, highlight the things you should be outsourcing!
Once you know exactly how much time tasks really take, and how much time you really have, you can create a much more realistic To-Do list.
More below.
3. Have a Daily, ACHIEVEABLE To-Do List
Following on from getting to grips with how we really spend our time, comes the need to use that knowledge to our best advantage.
What do I mean by that?
Don’t be over ambitious
Once you have completed your Time and Motion study you will have a much clearer picture of how much time things really take to achieve. You should also have learned to break tasks down into smaller, bit-sized, achievable chunks.
Plan for want needs to be done and put it in your diary
Not a To-Do list; a diary. Preferably a diary that has sections broken down hour by hour. If your one doesn’t, write them in. This way you will see how the tasks you have to complete each day will actually fit in and around other commitments.
For example, if I know Friday is all about writing and publishing my blog and preparing my weekly email for the following week, these would be the tasks:
Write the content
Create a SEO-friendly title
Assign a keyword / key-phrase
Find an image
Write the metadata
Proof read
Publish
Prepare and schedule the weekly email
But Friday isn’t just about blog writing, that’s just one task. I also have my one-to-one business coaching and mentoring sessions with my clients.
So, my diary will look something like this:
08.30 – 09.00 : Deal with email inbox
09.00 – 09.45 : Rough draft blog content including keyword / keyphrase, headings and main content ideas
09.45 – 10.00 : Prep for client (tea)
10.00 – 11.00 : Client session
11.00 – 11.15 : Notes from client session (tea)
11.15 – 11.45 : Tidy up rough draft into first draft
11.45 – 12.00 : Prep for client (tea)
12.00 – 13.00 : Client session
13.00 – 13.15 : Notes from client session
13.15 – 13.45 : Lunch
13.45 – 15.00 Prep for client session (tea)
14.00 – 15.00 : Client Session
15.00 – 15.15 : Notes from client session (tea)
15.15 – 15.30 : Source blog image
15.30 – 15.45 : Write the blog metadata
15.45 – 16.00 : Create the SEO-friendly blog title (tea)
16.00 – 16.30 : Final draft, proof read and publish
16.00 – 17.00 : Create my weekly email and schedule
17.00 – 17.30 : Plan my diary for following week (tea)
17.30 – 18.00 : Deal with email inbox
I would not get this clarity from a To-Do list!
Yes, and my day would include all those cups of tea (herbal, of course). Why? They keep my hydrated (along with a litre of water each day too) and they aid my concentration.
Final point. Look at the last item on my planner and remember this mantra
Congrats! You’ve managed to get your side- hustle on the go, and business is looking good. You’re delighted your business is growing, but you’re finding it increasingly difficult to balance your 9 to 5 with your side-hustle.
Add to that life, travel, family, cleaning, shopping, caring responsibilities etc…. It can feel so overwhelming; like something’s got to give!
But, don’t worry, I have a few tips to help you on your way.
First things first…
Focus on Getting Your Systems in Order
With a finite amount of time in the day, you must use tools and processes to bring organisation to what can feel like utter chaos!
Whether it’s an upcoming event you’re organising, keeping tabs on orders or multiple clients – project management tools can help you stay ahead of the game.
Online world not yet your forté? Then you can’t go wrong with a tried-and-tested diary. Just make sure to stick to one diary to avoid overcomplicating things and losing track of key dates.
Whichever way you prefer, you’ll be able to have all your tasks and projects in one place and make sure you stay on top of everything. After all, better organisation means higher productivity, saving you crucial time in the long run.
Ask for HELP
That’s right; you don’t have to manage everything on your own!
Yes, you started a successful side-hustle on your own, but you certainly don’t get any points for running yourself into the ground.
As your business continues to grow, the amount of work needed to maintain that growth will also unavoidably go up.
Help could look like hiring a virtual assistant to deal with the necessary but time-consuming administrative tasks.
Or, if you struggle with navigating the online world and growing your presence, you could think about outsourcing your social media management.
Doing so will allow you to conserve finite time by capitalising on what makes your business unique – you and your strengths.
Talk to Your Employer
The global pandemic saw many people switch to working from home, saving valuable time by eliminating previously long commutes.
Working from home is now a norm, but did you know your employer might have other flexible working policies? For example, many employers are open to working with employees to make adaptations and make sure they can perform their best.
Flexible working could mean starting work earlier or later, depending on your preferences. Or you could even work compressed hours and get an extra day off! [That was my route out of the 9 to 5!]
It can be challenging to have to switch between employee and entrepreneur mode. However, by taking advantage of your employer’s flexible working policy, it’ll be easier for you to block out time to focus solely on your growing business! I’m also here to help!
