Uncategorised – Adapt Consulting Company

Has life get any better for Solopreneurs, Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups since 2015?

I met a former colleague today and we got chatting and it caused me to reflect upon the ciChange “think-tank” and a workshop for Solopreneurs done with the Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

Remember the economy was different in 2015, but I wonder how different the issues are in 2018?

THE ORIGINAL IDEA AND INVITATION IN 2015

With businesses, banks and government downsizing we can expect more people to become “reluctant entrepreneurs”. Indeed we anticipate the current financial black hole will see a significant amount of job shed and a number of people seeking new self-employment.

Moreover digital and global changes with decentralisation and mobility is bringing a shift back to “cottage industries”, working from home, or small shared hubs, like Digital Jersey.

ciChange are interested in independent consultants, solopreneurs and start-ups in Jersey. We’d like to discuss the challenges, pros and cons of setting up and running as an independent, and identify what experiences we can share, where might be able to collaborate and what would make the business of being an independent much easier, better and more rewarding.

Would you be prepared to complete a short survey and contribute to a 2 hour workshop?

We are looking for between 8 and 16 people to offer a spread of ideas, experience and industries. If more people are interested we may, with Chamber of Commerce and Jersey Business run further, future workshops and feedback sessions for the outcomes and progress.

The aim is to conclude with a report to be shared with Chamber of Commerce, Digital Jersey, and Jersey Business in an effort to help startups and solo independent consultants in Jersey.

THE FINDINGS IN 2015

There were 32 respondents to the questionnaire and workshop audience (12) invited to “score” their top 3 issues, and those with the highest score got discussed first.

Score Theme

9 Coaching / mentoring (Fear?)

7 What government can (and cannot) do (incl tax, socsec, gst etc)

3 Charge rates

3 Legal Start-Up Pack (insurance, accounting, employment law etc.)

3 Startup funding (including incubators)

3 Growth strategy and growth implementation

2 Ability to work with the States

2 Skills level

1 Structured guidance

1 Understanding finance, funding IT

1 Light industry opportunities

0 Market prices / market information

0 Directors responsibilities

We then explored the top 2 in the greatest detail and identified the following broad themes and 20 ideas for improvement (not listed here in the interests of brevity!).

1. There was a feeling that social, economic and technology changes combined with increases in bureaucracy mean that more people will be independent and work in loose affiliations and groups in preference to building larger organisations.

2. There was criticism of some agencies for not being joined-up and at times being critical without being constructive with advice. Guidance in some cases is inconsistent and not coherent resulting in stop-start and dead alleys as people move from one agency to another.

3. There was concern about guidance and support on issues relating to redundancy and startups, noting that redundancy often produces “reluctant entrepreurs” who need guidance and support.

4. There was discussion of some form or barter system or credits whereby independents might collaborate, cooperate and help each other, perhaps through forums or sponsored networking events.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN 2018

I wonder how much has changed? Is there a need for a joined-up forum, focus-group or support network for Solopreneurs, Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups.

Or are these issues now addressed by the positive steps and supportive services provided by Digital Jersey, Jersey Business, Chamber of Commerce, Barclay’s Digital Eagle and IoD?

I would be interested in comments and feedback.

SOME USEFUL LINKS IF YOU ARE A SOLOPRENEURS, ENTREPRENEURS OR START-UPS

https://www.jerseybusiness.je/

https://www.digital.je/

http://www.jerseychamber.com/

https://www.barclays.co.uk/digital-confidence/eagles/

http://www.iod.je/#sthash.yS5wWWhJ.dpbs

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is a Qualified Change Practitioner and PRINCE2 Project Manager, with an MBA in Management Consultancy. Past projects have included the incorporation of Ports of Jersey and Operations Change and Sales Support for RBSI and NatWest. He is a tutor/lecturer for the Chartered Management Institute.

CONTACT

TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingCompany.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com

Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

8 Essential Qualities That Define Great Leadership, and one problem.

The article below puts together a good argument for all the points listed, but then uses an image of three men. Where is the diversity?

1. Sincere enthusiasm

2. Integrity

3. Great communication skills

4. Loyalty

5. Decisiveness

6. Managerial competence

7. Empowerment

8. Charisma

Please read the article, because it does make some good points

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimberlyfries/2018/02/08/8-essential-qualities-that-define-great-leadership/#60f7e99b3b63

I have to say I am a fan of the Goleman Model which identifies 6 leadership styles. Mostly because in my CMI tutor/mentor I adopt a Coaching-style and as a project manager asked to get things done quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively I generally adopt a Pacesetting-style.

1. Coercive.

2. Authoritative.

3. Affiliative.

4. Democratic.

5. Coaching.

6. Pacesetting.

The skill is to apply these in the right measures and context to fit the individual, culture, and circumstance.

Flexible Leadership Calls for Both Leadership and Management

It is said that “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” ― Peter F. Drucker, The Essential Drucker

Today there is a lot of focus on leadership and I fear that the value of management (doing things right) is being undervalued. Mission, Vision and Values are important. But Execution – actually doing the things that need to be done – is also important.

I like the idea of Fusing Leadership and Management

Although these are both defensible points of view, research on flexible adaptive leadership finds the distinctions to not be particularly helpful for either leaders/managers themselves or the HR professionals who are charged with developing leaders/managers

6 Questions to determine successful leadership

I know what is expected of me at work
I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job right
I have the opportunity to do what I do best every-day
In the last 7 days I have received recognition or praise for doing good work
Someone at work encourages my development
At work, my opinions count

TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingGroup.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com
Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

Coupled with stress, ethical leadership can lead to employee deviance and turnover

Key points

“If someone is an ethical leader but induces stress, our research shows that his or her employees will feel less support,” said lead author Matthew Quade, Ph.D., assistant professor of management. “Thus, employees who do not feel supported are more likely to consider leaving their jobs or engage in workplace deviance – things like coming in late to work, daydreaming, not following instructions or failing to be as productive as they could be.”

The researchers wrote: “Ethical leadership can be an exacting process of sustaining high ethical standards, ensuring careful practice and enforcement of all rules and meeting leaders’ lofty expectations, all of which can consume time and energy and be perceived by employees as overly demanding or an obstacle to job performance.”

As part of the study, those surveyed were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the following statements:

My supervisor makes it so that I have to go through a lot of red tape to get my job done.
Working with my supervisor makes it hard to understand what is expected of me.
I receive conflicting requests from my supervisor.
My supervisor creates many hassles to go through to get projects/assignments done.
Working with him/her thwarts my personal growth and well-being.
In general, I feel that my supervisor hinders my personal accomplishment.
I feel that my supervisor constrains my achievement of personal goals and development.

See more at
https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=194125

TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingGroup.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com
Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion

Key points

“Management is doing things right, leadership is about doing the right things.” Peter Drucker defines the differential aspects of management (doing things right) versus leadership (doing the right things). All leaders must manage others, but not all managers are leaders. Understand the difference and equip your direct reports to manage the process and simultaneously do the right things for the organization.

I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” Alexander the Great employs the concept of “Moira” a term used by ancient Greeks regarding a person’s fate or destiny.

Nations are not fearful of lions being led by a sheep, but rather an army of sheep led by lions. It is the personification of leadership, the strong lead and the weak follow. Strong leadership can turn sheep into lions.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” Lao Tzu implores us to lead by example and being present but empowering others to achieve the goals and mission of the organization. Good leaders give credit to the team and take the blame when things go wrong.

“Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?” Ray Kroc took an underdeveloped hamburger restaurant to a global empire. The adage of green and growing compared to ripe and rotting carries a significant metaphor for leaders. Leaders must engage, grow, evolve, adapt and apply to be successful leaders.

It is when leaders quit learning and think they have evolved to their highest capacity in the organization that they begin to become ripe and rotten. If plants need to be nurtured, so do employees. Nurture others and evolve to be of service to others and watch your leadership domain prosper.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs argues that innovators are leaders and not followers. Jobs takes this to the next leadership level in that innovators are ones that continually explore, seek new adventures, and have foresight for the next iteration of the organization. As thought leaders continue to innovate and explore new opportunities to make your organization soar to new heights.

See more at
http://www.daily-journal.com/business/main-street-how-to-overcome-poor-leadership/article_5fc76399-e74e-5789-9f55-055f1949f737.html
TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingGroup.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com
Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

Study examines best leadership styles for entrepreneurial startups

Key points

Transactional leaders focus on supervision, extrinsic rewards and performance in employees. They are concerned with day-to-day progress toward mutual and company goals. In contrast, transformational leaders cultivate motivation and engagement of employees by directing overall behavior toward a shared vision.

“A transformational leader transcends managing day-to-day operations to design strategies for taking the company or work team to the next level of performance and success. Transformational leadership styles focus on team building, motivation and collaboration with employees at different levels to accomplish change for the better,” he explains.

“Essentially, great leaders have a strong passion for challenging goals, and they inspire that in others,” he says. “But if the leader does not work with the follower to achieve this goal, they will not be successful. Leaders, no matter how skilled, cannot achieve their goals alone.”

See more at
https://www.oakland.edu/business/news/2018/winter/study-examines-best-leadership-styles-for-entrepreneurial-startups

TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingGroup.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com
Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

Five Elements of Collective Leadership

Key points

Research has shown that self-managed teams are more successful and effective than “boss”-driven teams. Daniel Pink has popularized the social science research showing that the internal motivators of purpose, mastery, and autonomy are much more powerful than external motivators (carrot-and-stick approaches).

Collective leadership is a process. It is dependent on the relationships among the parts in the system, whether that system is two people working together; a classroom, team, board, or organization; or a system initiative. In collective leadership, the way the group works together makes it different from a more traditional model of leadership.

This is a shift from thinking of a leader as a “hero” to thinking of a leader as a “host.”

Benefits
Better decisions and increased effectiveness.
Increased self-direction and motivation.
Removing barriers to internal motivation is needed for growth and development.
Shared responsibility.
Realizing potential.
Increased engagement and investment.
Sustainability.

See more at
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2018/02/01/five-elements-collective-leadership/

TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingGroup.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com
Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

Two excellent ideas that for Jersey: Data Protection Award + CharityIndex Rankings

DATA PROTECTION EXCELLENCE AWARD CREATED BY INFORMATION COMMISSIONER

The ICO Practitioner Award for Excellence in Data Protection recognises those practitioners who go above and beyond when it comes to data protection.

Contenders for the award will likely be those who have shown inspiring data protection practice and leadership, particularly in the areas of accountability and privacy by design, and have made good use of the resources available from the ICO to help organisations live up to their obligations and inspire public trust and confidence in how they handle personal information.

More detail here
https://tinyurl.com/y8gqzg8r

MACMILLAN TOPS YOUGOV CHARITYINDEX RANKINGS ONCE MORE

CharityIndex measures the public’s perception of charities on a daily basis across a range of measures.

The annual list shows the organisation retains its position at the head of the list while Cancer Research UK stays in second. The British Heart Foundation is in third, up from seventh next year. Guide Dogs rises to fourth (from ninth), ahead of Dogs Trust and RNLI in joint fifth.

More detail here
https://tinyurl.com/y9dtv5kc

CONTACT
TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingCompany.Com
+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com

Source: Adapt Consulting Blog

How achievable is your portfolio of projects in 2018?

In his excellent blog Paul Every, Solitaire Consulting outlines some of the challenges of managing projects.

Key points

1. By January you will have agreed delivery strategy supported by business cases

2. You have budget and plans, but not necessary resources

3. You have non-strategic projects that are demanding attention

He then offered some simple but useful self-assessment questions about how realistic your ambition is and the offers a list of benefits of using a PMO (Project Management Office) to help co-ordinate and manage and external project delivery resources to help deliver.

I won’t offer the detail because I’d like to encourage people to have a read of the article, which you can find here.

https://www.solitaireconsulting.com/2018/01/achievable-portfolio-projects-2018/

SOME REFLECTIONS

My experience is that surprisingly few organisations have an agreed delivery strategy supported by business cases. At best they have a vague idea of what they want to achieve but less about how. Today’s businesses are more agile and responsive, which impairs the ability to design, communicate and deliver a consistent and coherent plan.

In a world of mission, vision, sound-bites and style, business cases, budgets and plans are generally a tool of persuasion than a blue-print for delivery. Often they contain more rhetoric than understanding.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

A Project Manager is someone who can deliver exactly what is required, on-time, on-budget, to-specification with low-risk and high-communications

A Project Leader is someone who can help the client develop clarity on exactly what they need. This may be by workshop, facilitation or prototyping. Once that clarity is there developing and delivering is much more straight-forward.

There is no doubt that businesses can benefit from a PMO and external project delivery resources to help deliver. But first and foremost what is needed is the ability to understand the aim and context and then manage the necessary coalition of compromise in order to do a few things well rather than many things badly.

IMPACT OF FAILURE

The failure to co-ordinate and manage is less about the non-delivery of projects but the impact it has on the people who become cynical, suffer change fatigue, and ultimately loose trust in the vision and leadership of the organisation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CONTACT

TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingCompany.Com

+447797762051 Skype: timhjrogers TimHJRogers@gmail.com

Source: Adapt Consulting Blog