Keeping it short and sweet

Last week was Business Week in Donegal and as usual Donegal Local Enterprise Office put together a programme of impressive workshops and events to get those in business in the county to think about their enterprise.

It all kicked off with a wonderful talk from Geoff Ramm and while I didn’t get to very many more events during the week, from what I can gather he was the big name attraction, the man who grabbed most of the attention.

To be honest I wasn’t that surprised. I attended his talk on Monday last and was blown away by his energy and flawless delivery – but most of all by the fact that what he was saying all made perfect sense.

I have been to plenty of talks like that before that have been all smoke and mirrors, plenty of entertainment and no real substance, nothing for anyone really to take away from it at the end.

Geoff Ramm’s wasn’t like that and the Milk Tray Man wannabe gave some real gems of simple wisdom and left me with plenty of food for thought ahead of my own presentation on Thursday afternoon.

I gave everyone who came to the talk a Hershey’s chocolate kiss
attached to my business card just before they left.
One of my key messages on the day was KISS – Keep It Short and Sweet.

In contrast to the Tynesider who flies all over the world sharing his expertise, Thursday was the first time that I’d be on my feet in front of local business owners for such a long time, offering some advice.

Was I nervous? You can bet your life I was and that wasn’t helped any when my presentation got stuck on the very first slide.

But I got around that without too much of a panic and set about my presentation on helping businesses improve how they can tell their story.

With that in mind, I had a few short tips that I wanted them to take away and I tried to keep things as interesting and interactive as possible.

For me, it was very much a learning experience. I recorded the workshop and I know that when I am brave enough to look back at it later this week, that there will be many lessons to learn and ways to improve.

Getting on my feet to give the two-hour presentation pushed me to a new place and in many ways, to a place outside my comfort zone.

But it was an opportunity too good to miss and one I have gained a lot from.

Indeed I could wax lyrical about some of the things I had to say that afternoon, but I won’t.

If there’s one thing I hope those who came last week will remember, it’s when they are telling their story, they should keep it short and sweet!

Once upon a time….

 

In recent weeks two things that came up in conversation struck a chord with me. On one occasion someone wondered about my upcoming talk at Donegal Business Week on how to help businesses tell their story.

“But if you go in and tell them how to do it, will that not mean you are giving away all the information and then you’ll lose out on work for yourself?

The second conversation had a friend ask me how he could write about himself without ‘sounding like a pompous git.’

Let’s take that second one first.

A lot of people struggle to write about themselves.

It seems unnatural to some – not everybody – to be so self promotional.

And yet, we are told time and time again that we should “tell our story.”

Now, take that back to the talk on March 10th when I’ll speak to, what I hear, may well be a packed house – and will share some of my ‘secrets.’

The thing is, these secrets are not really all that secret. I have been telling stories in one form or another for years upon years now. From that experience I have packaged up some things that I hope will make sense to these business owners and will make them want to stop and think.

When you open up like this, when you invite people to listen, to join in, to collaborate, it becomes a shared learning experience that benefits everyone. And everyone loves it anyway when you share some of your secrets with them, even if they are not all that secret.

Think on someone like Jamie Oliver or any of the now famous television chefs. They regularly share their ‘secrets’ for millions of viewers. It doesn’t suddenly mean that everyone rushes out to cook all the time for themselves.

On another post on this blog you’ll find that I did write about the benefits of hiring an expert, but that’s not to say that you can’t or shouldn’t have the knowledge to be able to speak to that expert about what it is you actually want from them.

I’m hoping that those who attend on March 10 will take away lots to ponder and work on when it comes to telling their story.

There’s a few weeks yet until that happens, giving me just enough time to get busy cooking up some super content.

Not to mention trying to find a way to let everyone know how good it’s going to be…without sounding like a pompous git 😉

Every day’s a school day

I was in Glasgow last week with the Donegal Schoolboys U12s team and even though it was essentially a full-on sports activity trip for the boys, with games and training sessions over a three day period, as I reflected on what I had learned over the few days, I realised the lessons learned could be applied in a much wider context.

The first of those lessons came when our boys played a game against the Celtic Academy team. While I was impressed by their superb touch, quick passing and brilliant movement, one of the first things the boys in the Donegal U12s squad noticed about their opponents in the Celtic Academy last week was that they all wore black boots.

I asked the Head of the Academy Willie McNabb about that afterwards and he said they wanted the boys to remain grounded and modest. I wasn’t recording him or anything so below is not a direct quote, more a paraphrase of what he told me in reply:

“Having the flashiest pair of boots won’t make them a better player – paying attention to their coaches, working hard at their game, perfecting their control, their passing, all the game skills – that will. We teach the players about the club’s history, of its humble beginnings and remind them they are just boys, they are not superstars. By asking everyone on the team to wear black boots it helps them realise that they are all still learning – not just as individuals – but as a squad. It helps keep them grounded and modest.”

Donegal 2003 Squad members pictured during a training session in Glasgow with Celtic coach Willie McNabb

Over the past few days I thought on how often people can get caught up in having all the ‘bells and whistles’ for their business while ignoring core values like customer service, appreciation, integrity, trust, passion, creativity etc.

More often than not, that is never a good thing and for many who find themselves doing that, sometimes the only way to get back on track is to apply their very own form of the black boots rule – a ‘back to basics’ approach.

More lessons came when Jim McGuinness called in to speak to the boys, answering their questions in a fascinating Q&A session that almost certainly would have run on for much longer had we not had a ferry to catch.

Pictured in Glasgow with Jim McGuinness.

What was immediately noticeable was how the former Donegal GAA boss made a connection with the boys. Before he answered any question he’d ask the boys for their name and where they were from. Although he was speaking to a room of almost 40 people, he’d make eye contact with and use the name of the boy who had asked the question when he replied.

Now Jim is no stranger to public speaking at this stage, he’s hosted more than his fair share of press gatherings too, but when it was evident that those boys who’d asked questions, felt the connection with his reply, there were lessons in there for networking and public speaking for sure. Those are skills that Jim McGuinness now has in abundance and the idea of honing skills came up more than once in his replies.

There are different skill sets in soccer and GAA, he told the boys when asked a question about comparing players. He went on to explain that while people can have more than one skill set, that there is a huge amount of effort needed to bring any of those particular skills to the really highest level.

I recalled a previous press night I had attended before the 2012 All-Ireland Final (and before he had joined Celtic) when Jim McGuinness spoke then about how he had also worked with people from other sports because he loved to work with people who ‘wanted to be the very best they could be.’

Then I wondered how much time any of us really put in to sharpening any of our own skills, never mind working hard enough to bring any of them to an elite level.

We had gone to play football, to train and have fun, but I came away with so much more than an analysis of an U12’s squad’s performances to ponder and to work on.

As Jim McGuinness himself would say: “Every day’s a school day…”

Ultimate Survivor

“You have extraordinary power within you to overcome life’s difficult challenges.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

As I look at the rain battering against the window today, there is part of me wondering why I’ve signed up for this? By this, I mean the 5k Mud Run called ‘Ultimate Survivor’ that is just my latest challenge. It is one I need to get myself ready to take part in tomorrow morning.

I was thinking about the whole survivor thing recently when, following my last blog post I saw a tweet that had the hash tag ‘survivor’ (#survivor) after my name.

To be honest, I had never really thought of myself as a survivor, but I suppose when I sat down to think about it, I am in many ways.

By the same token, I’d hasten to add then, so is everyone else.

We’re pretty much all survivors in one way or another, it’s just that we don’t always realise that we are. If you are here today you are a survivor, it’s just that, well we’re somehow conditioned not to think that way.

Dealing with businesses in Donegal over the past couple of years I have heard stories time and again of how hard it is for them to survive.

And yet, many of them have done that, week after week, month after month, year after year, some doing more than just surviving. Some really thriving and growing too.

Sadly some of the businesses haven’t and yet it doesn’t mean the people involved should in any way be classed as failures.

That’s a mindset that we really need to get away from because the reality is, more often than not these are the very people who will get up and go again.

People who will not just sit around waiting, but who are willing to embrace the fear, try something new and just keep on going.

These are the people who truly understand that we learn more from our mistakes than our triumphs, people who continually take up the gauntlet and set about their very next challenge.

They know that being a survivor is difficult, that there will be obstacles and mishaps and stumbles along the way. But as long as they can get up again and inch forward then they are always going the right way.

Sometimes, all that’s needed to get someone moving again is a few words of encouragement. Sometimes they need a hand. Sometimes they just need to change their mindset and then drag themselves onwards.

That change of mindset can come in all sorts of ways and I’ve found that setting challenges for myself in personal life including my 365 poetry challenge, fitness challenge, volunteer work and even learning to dance, has all helped my confidence and determination to keep going forward, one step at a time, in business.

And that all means of course that even if I’m stuck in the mud tomorrow there just can’t be time allowed even for a few seconds of wallowing self-pity.

I am an ultimate survivor after all…

Dancing past my fears

To be honest I never thought I’d be starting a blog post by stating that in recent weeks I’ve been learning to dance, but I am, because I have been and believe me it’s almost as big a shock to me as it is to everyone else who has heard it.

Of course my initial reaction when I was asked to take part in a Strictly Come Dancing fundraiser for my local school was an outright and flat – no.

There really was no hope of me doing something like that. Putting myself out there in front of everyone was the last thing I’d ever do. It just wasn’t me.

My cunning plan instead was to try to decline gracefully but offer to help by getting someone else to take part. I could rest easy then thinking I hadn’t really let anyone down.

The plan was all going great too when the person I had in mind said she’d love to take part, but then suddenly backfired when she suggested that I join in as her dance partner.

So, before the dancing had even started I was back to square one and with no plan b springing to mind I thought, well sure, I might as well say – yes.

When I did that, I had a twofold outcome in mind. Firstly it would help me continue with an ongoing challenge for 2014 to try and help as many groups as I possibly can, but secondly I knew that in doing this I would be facing yet another of my fears head on – or feet on as this case may be.

I know that for many, taking part in something like this is hardly much of a fear to be facing – but believe me, for me it is.

A few times during the year I had listened to Everest conqueror Jason Black speak of the personal Everests each of us have to conquer and having set out on an upward climb of my own over the past few years, decided that this would be the year for me to try to triumph over a few more.

That upward journey started in earnest a few years ago, one small step at a time starting with time on a programme called Discovery Zone. This was organised by what is now the Local Enterprise Office in Donegal, an office of people dedicated to helping businesses in Donegal at every level and for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration.

I am under no doubt whatsoever that the confidence-drained me who turned up for the interview to get on that programme would have run a mile from any suggestion of taking part in a Strictly contest.

Indeed, it even took a re-scheduled meeting to get me to the interview at all in the first place, but I have always been glad that it did.

Quite simply the programme and the people I met on it and through it, set me on a path towards restoring some semblance of self-confidence, and now, self-employed in my own business it is a path that I slowly try to keep moving forward on.

And yes, I know that in many respects I still have a long way to go. That there is still climbing to be done on another Everest that dismisses my own talents and abilities – the one that will get me to put my head down when somebody says I’m great at something in a aw shucks kind of way, because I can’t really believe they’d actually think that.

There is that, and many more besides yet to conquer, but here’s the thing – I am climbing now, every day working towards new goals and challenges.

Like the dancing, that sometimes means two steps forward and one step back, but it’s all about keeping going.

By the way, there is no question that, had I run away in fright, my fantastic dance partner would have had no problem getting somebody else to dance with, but you know, right now I’m glad she backfired my, well as it turns out now, not so cunning plan.

As the deadline for the contest comes even closer, that well might change, but having committed now I know the best thing to do is to keep going and drag myself over another personal Everest before the year is out.

If you’d like to come along for a great night’s entertainment, the Strictly Come Dancing in aid of Deele College will take place in Mount Errigal Hotel (it’s still a mountain!), Letterkenny on Saturday 6^th December. Tickets will go on sale in early November, contact me on liam@liamportermedia.com if you’d like to purchase some. If any business would like to sponsor my dance partner and myself on the night you can also contact me on the e.mail listed.

 

P.S. – Aw shucks – We’re going to be great I promise!

Donegal businesses could learn from its football team!

Struggling businesses in Donegal could turn their fortunes around by following the example of the Donegal Football team and learning from how it has been transformed over the past two seasons according to a Donegal businessman based in Hong Kong.

Ray Porter from Raphoe who has held senior positions multi-national giants Intel and Dell and spent a number of years providing consulting services to a wide range of industries, is currently based in Hong Kong where he is Director of operations for Irish company PCH International.

In this article he discusses how the approach Jim McGuinness has taken to transform Donegal football bears similarities to the approach a business could take on its own transformation journey.

Engage an expert

If you looked in business terms at the Donegal team in 2010 after that defeat against Armagh, they were like a going concern. If you considered the supporters as shareholders you’d be saying they were pretty unhappy – and yet look how things have changed in a short time.  

In business if you want to drive any significant change it is import to appoint a leader that understands the type and depth of change required and has the desire to drive the change to its end state.

For Donegal, Jim McGuinness fitted the leadership requirements at many levels. As a player he’s pretty much won it all and his background as a fitness coach and in sports psychology was and added advantage. It is often said in business “you can’t improve something if you don’t understand it.” Jim McGuinness certainly understands Gaelic football – every successful business needs a Jim McGuinness in their ranks – or access to one.

Have the “End in mind”

Many people enter in to business with a “good idea” but fall into a trap of just working away from day to day or week to week making some progress and trying to getting over each bump on the road as it appears.

This approach may work in the short term but inevitably there will a bump on the road that might too hard to get over.  If you start off with the “End in Mind,” bumps on the road are seen as minor setbacks and can be navigated  without making major route changes when each bump appears.

Again, look at what Jim McGuinness has done with Donegal. When appointed, McGuinness was quoted as saying “I want our fans to love us again.” In business terms it’s like saying I want our customers and/or shareholders to love us again – and there is generally only one way for this to happen – deliver results.

When McGuinness came in he spoke about a five-year plan, about goals they had set and he has not wavered from that. He’ll constantly talk about the fact that this team is on a journey – and that journey is taking them towards their final destination – the fulfillment of the plan.

Building the team

Having the right people on board is crucial if you want to have any realistic chance of getting to your end-state. Some of the people that you may want to engage may have already experienced past failed attempts to change. To get these people and others on board, the end state will need to be to articulated in a way that it is easy to understand, provides direction and is actionable.

People who understand why will be better motivated and more successful than people who are only informed of what will be done. With all people aligned on the end-state and common goals shared, an energy will be created that ensures the focus is on team success rather than any individual agenda.     

When picking the people for your team it is important to remember that people with 100% capability but only 50% commitment may have a negative impact to achieving your overall goal

In the case of McGuiness it is clear that he had the ability to bring a backroom team, selectors and his players together in a fashion that kept them focused on the end state. Like many successful teams in business or in sport having a strong emphasis on responsibility, accountability and loyalty is key.

McGuinness was clear on these requirements and his commitment to these values were tested when one of Donegal’s top players was deemed to have breached this loyalty. His leadership was tested but he stood firm and made a decision based on what he thought was in best interest of the team. At the same time he sent a message that no one individual was above the greater good of the team.

It is clear from Donegal’s performance on the pitch that they have developed an extraordinary cohesiveness, supporting each other in pursuit of a shared objective. This bond can only be achieved by engaging the right people at all levels

Play to your strengths

Knowing your core capabilities and strengths are key to success in any business and using these to build the foundation of your business is key. Many times business failures can be traced back to a time when the business deviated too far too quickly from its core strengths in attempt to grow faster or reach an end goal sooner. It is important to recognise that change is inevitable and innovation is important, but success generally comes when this is done through considered adjustments to the core business plan and not wholesale departure from it.

In the Donegal situation, it is clear that McGuinness knew the strengths and capabilities of his players. He built his plan based on a foundation of building from defence and used each individual component to the best advantage by tailoring his approach to fit the abilities of the team members. 

Outside Donegal there was nothing but criticism for the style of play that Donegal adopted. The team was being slaughtered in the media and yet it didn’t distract them from their plan. They didn’t go out the next game completely changed. That’s because they had understood and believed in the long-term plan. In the same way if a business has belief in their product and a proper plan to follow, they shouldn’t be distracted from their end game – their long term goals.

That’s not to say that things were not be measured and tweaked where required, Donegal’s performance against Cork showed that adjustments were made to suit the circumstance on the day.

Excel at the basics

No matter what type of business you are in, it is only with a consistent standard of excellence in quality and service that will allow you to survive and grow. Getting to the required standard of excellence requires hard work, discipline and personal sacrifice. Once you have mastered the basics they will come as second nature and part of the sub conscious and in stressful situations they will become the corner stone of success.  

In the Donegal set-up, there can be no denial that this team has worked extremely hard on and off the field on mastering the basics. They have made many personal sacrifices, from training hard in the winter months, sticking rigidly to diet plans and developing self-control and focus which were key ingredients for success on match day. What Donegal has done in such a short space of time has been done with a colossal amount of hard work and ensuring they excel at the basics. The style of play has been evolving but the core principles have remained the same.

Build Confidence

One trait that is evident in all successful business is confidence. When a leader is confident in his team and each team player is confident in themselves and their team-mates then results will be delivered. Confidence does not come overnight. It takes weeks and months of preparation, persistence and patience but to continue on the path of personal sacrifice and hard work people must see that their efforts are producing results. Good leaders will find ways to identify and celebrate small victories.

In Donegal’s case it was clear that confidence has been growing throughout its two-year journey to its first All-Ireland final in twenty years. The winning of a national league title in 2010 may not mean a lot to the major counties but it was an important win for Donegal in the early stage of its journey. Winning the Ulster title in 2011 was the next big confidence builder and repeating this feat in 2012 instilled a greater belief in the team. The championship draw of 2012 could not have been much tougher but the process of continued learning is evident within the Donegal set-up and has allowed the team, the management and support to grow in confidence.

In summary

Donegal’s transformation cannot be put down to any one factor but like business if you install the correct leadership, have a clear vision and plan that everyone understands and is committed too, if you build a team that is complimentary in skills and are willing to work hard towards a shared objectives… then anything is possible.

Businesses in Donegal who take a step back and examine where they are going long term, could enjoy similar success to the Donegal team.

Even if they were to follow just a few of the examples – look to see if you have the right people, focus on the strengths of the people you have, concentrate on the fundamentals and believe in your product – businesses in the county could reap excellent rewards.

** Thanks to Evan Logan for the photos.