What Do You Stand For?

I have had the privilege throughout this year of working with many people starting up a new business. Even in the midst of a pandemic and all the fearful headlines, opportunities for business exist; especially new ones.

Anyone starting a company today fully understands that almost no scenario is now impossible to imagine. Very, very few would have ever predicted national lock downs happening so fast and being so extensive back in 2019. Now they have happened leaders are wiser to the risk, impact and how to cope.

One thing I stress to all new business owners is the importance of clarifying what your company stands for, and that clarity comes in the form of answering two questions:

1. What is the purpose of your business? Describe what you want it to achieve and why.

2. What are the principles of your business? List the key principles (or values / standards) your business will work to and why.

One owner shared that it was simple to answer these questions. Number 1’s answer was to make money, number 2’s answer was to make money effectively and efficiently. It was helpful that he was so clear, however if that is the core to your culture I explained they should not be surprised that if there are times when the money does not appear so easily, their people will quickly desert the business. Money is used a motivator for work but not to create the culture a staff team need to face challenges such as infusing loyalty, encouraging sharing, going the extra mile or enabling co-operation.

Another new owner recently offered the phrase ‘we want to make beautiful things’ as her answer and this quickly led, after a few coaching questions from me, to understanding what was behind this aspiration. They mapped the purpose and the values of the new business and now they use their answers as a guide for the big and the mundane decisions: to assess the quality of their products; to choose suppliers; to create the look and feel of their brand; to form a marketing plan; to style their website; and so on. A lot of thought lay behind the short statement and they now have a culture they are demonstrating that as others join will be followed. This person wants their business to make a profit too but their purpose and values will help hold a team together in good times and tough.

The start up business owner has energy and time to consider these questions. What they state at the conceptual stage becomes the reality as the busy demands of the new company appear and opportunities or challenges must be assessed.

If you are a leader of an existing business you will undoubtedly be, right now, very busy but you will still do well to pause and ponder these two key questions. If you have no space in your day you might have to think about the questions on a walk or when you exercise, maybe as you lay in bed or while you are eating your food; but you can ponder these questions*.

When you’ve started the answers you can then find out who in your business agrees with you, or maybe is even aware of the existence of such statements. It is then that we find the most value appears, as behaviours, attitudes and plans can be shaped by a group working towards a common goal and with agreed standards.

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*We recommend a way to take notes for such times, perhaps keeping a small notebook to hand or app on your smart phone, ready to record the clear thoughts you have in these quieter moments.

Leeds City Region Business Support

Know+Do are delighted to announce we have been chosen as a provider of business mentoring in the Leeds City Region; only a select group of consultancies were chosen by the Higher Performing Workplaces programme. Our support will build your employees’ skills to cope with the current volatile and complex challenges you face.

What does this mean?

Well, if you are a business that meets the following criteria you can access business mentoring from Know+Do at a heavily subsidised rate:

• Be based within the Leeds City Region, that is: Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York; and,

• Employ fewer than 250 full time equivalent staff; and,

• Your annual turnover does not exceed €50 million

The mentoring can be used by the key people in your business to focus on business performance or their own personal development. All work approved under this scheme is eligible for a 40% subsidy, for example:

6 mentor meetings for 2 hours each at £250 per session would normally cost a business £1,500+VAT.

Under this scheme this would be reduced to just £900+VAT; with the remaining £600+VAT being paid by the scheme.

Our expertise can support improvements to leadership, communication or teamwork, increasing staff retention, employee engagement, or, the financial health of the business. We design our support to meet your specific needs. All meetings can be via online technology (e.g. Zoom, Teams).

Funds are limited and allocated on a first apply basis, HPW must approve every contract before we begin; Know+Do keep an audit trail of evidence which we will need the client to confirm.

Application is via Know+Do so if you are interested in discussing options please email info@knowanddo.com or call 0161 2804567.

This mentoring offer through the Higher Performing Workplaces programme is managed by the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges and funded by the European Social Fund

What 'skar' is Covid-19 leaving on your business?

Every person and every business has been changed by the impact of public health measures to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus. One big change in the UK has been the furloughing of staff. With several months of the scheme left more than 8 million people who are normally in work are being asked to stay at home.

In talking to clients and networks we’ve heard the benefits of this scheme and the limitations. One thing our team can see is the potential scar the furlough experience could leave on millions of people and businesses. The loss of productive purpose for several weeks or months and the impact of knowing you are ‘not needed’ will change workforces across the country. If businesses think that all their people will be able to switch from furlough to being immediately productive and highly flexible they need to think again.

Cathey Broderick, Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub noted that when lock down eases companies, “will need staff that are more productive, more flexible, than ever.” The nature of work in many businesses will have drastically altered and the patterns of commuting, behaviours and teams will be changed permanently.

So. it stands to reason that for forward thinking companies the question is not, ‘Should we invest in supporting our furloughed staff?’ but rather, ‘How are we investing to support our people?’

Know+Do’s way of enabling companies to ensure the productivity and performance is not scarred by furlough but rather that they are SKAR-red by it! The acronym SKAR stands for:

• Skills

• Knowledge

• Attitude

• Routine

We’ve pulled our expertise and resources to make a bespoke, 4-week furlough support programme for staff. This is available live online to groups of up to 8 at a time. The training supports their well-being and provides a structure where individuals can be encouraged to keep their edge and be ready to return to work when needed.

The programme is priced at cost to ensure all businesses can make the investment - at just £99+VATpp or £499+VAT for a group of up to 8 people. A video and detailed information leaflet have been produced to explain more.

Whatever your business scale or context, if you have furloughed staff we encourage you to invest in them, ensuring that they and your business are in peak shape after lock down.

If you would like ideas about staff support please contact Andrew or Bernard on info@knowanddo.com or call 0161 2804567; and please stay safe!

Cheshire & Warrington Consultancy Grant

Know+Do are delighted to announce we can once again work with the Cheshire and Warrington business grants programme managed by Blue Orchid.

This opportunity provides micro, small and medium sized businesses with access to a grant that reduces the investment they need to make in our consultancy support by 33%. It means any work Know+Do undertakes for you through this scheme - which you commission and control - is more accessible than ever before. Such, extra resource is crucial in the current circumstances all business find themselves in with the challenge of the coronavirus lockdown.

Our support can cover a range of business needs such as:

• Sales and marketing plans

• Leadership and management development

• Business change or new processes

• Planning and business development

Examples of recent Know+Do projects include:

• A strategic review of a manufacturing company’s sales plans which included analysis of current and new markets, development of staff skills and knowledge and an 18 month action plan for growth.

• A in-depth process of support to the founders of a small design business wanting to review their plans and expectations for their company, including a competitor analysis, skills mapping of their team and a series of 3 month sprint plans to set and sustain the changes.

Know+Do’s approach to consultancy is to work WITH a client, ensuring we build the capabilities and knowledge within the company’s team to leave a sustainable plan. All our models and resources are shared without restriction so they can be re-used and adopted by the client during and after our support. We appoint experienced consultants to each contract and agree timelines, outcomes and fees in advance.

To be eligible* for this grant companies must:

• Be based in the East Cheshire, Cheshire West and Chester, or Warrington areas of England

• Employ less than 250 people

• Be wanting to see business growth in the next 24 months

• Need to claim a grant between £2k and £15k

Know+Do can support a business to check full eligibility and apply for the grant, so you can choose the right support for your business at a significantly reduced cost. Contact bernard@knowanddo.com or call 0161 2804567 to discuss your options.

*Please note the grant is funded through resources from the European Regional Development Fund and the appointed agency (Blue Orchid Ltd) retain final control over awarding grants.

Managing Remotely

Over the past few months organisations across the world have had to adjust to working remotely. It does not matter about the size of company, industry or sector; everyone has been impacted. However, one particular role will feel this pressure more acutely - managers.

If you lead a team that until mid-March worked together, maybe sat together in the same room, your team dynamic and culture has radically changed. Not only do you now all know more about each other’s taste in home decor but all ‘normal’ modes of communication have been altered.

From our interactions with business during the coronavirus crisis we’ve compiled 5 pieces of advice for managers to help with the adjustment:

1.Understand the different Pressures

Pressure still exists, such as the demands to get things done faster or take on more work. After the initial shock, usual service in organisational needs have begun to resume. This time you are feeling pressure whilst working remotely which means your colleagues are feeling work pressure inside their home space. Home is now not the sanctuary from work it once was for your team. So, ask your team individually how they are managing the pressures of work and what is working well or not for them. Concern is a powerful communication tool, and even when you cannot change the forces pressuring your team they will understand more about the respect you have for them.

2. Screen fatigue is rising

Screens are tiring to look at for hours on end. In our rush to embrace remote working people are starting to get video call fatigue. So ask yourself, does every contact need to be by video? Could some online calls be planned as audio only so you can still share screens or documents but give each other privacy? Maybe even plan ‘old fashioned’ phone calls; as the participants can move on the phone (pace about, make a drink) rather than sit still staring at a screen. So, ask your team what type of contact works for them and when; this gives them control and a stake in supporting good communication.

3. Work is invading homes

There is a home all around your colleagues webcam. What you see on the screen may look calm and nice but behind the camera childcare, schooling, pet feeding, family squabbling, washing up chaos and much more may be happening. A colleague working from home with 3 children will have a very different experience than a person living in a flat alone. Both have positives and negatives, both are managing lock down restrictions, but one of those colleagues may find it much easier to get a calm and quiet place to work than another. So, make sure you understand the home-life your business is entering; practical ways about timing contact or adjusting working hours could drastically increase your colleagues performance and improve their well-being.

4. Leading online meetings is a new skill

Online meetings are not the same as being in the same room. You may have been great at engaging people when they are sat 4 feet from you but now you are reduced to the size of a small toy on their computer screen your presence has changed! Online meetings should involve communication not just information sharing, otherwise you could send an email. Remember, your team can also now mute you if they want to, a magic power many an employee has dreamed about when actually in a meeting room! Therefore, what strategies are you planning to get feedback from your colleagues throughout a meeting, or to ensure they are participating and that they are comfortable? You need to re-learn the art of leading meetings for the online world, so read about other people’s approaches, watch the online ‘how to’ videos and ask your team what they need. This is a new skill you will need to learn it quickly.

5. Explain the impact of change

Uncertainty is now a constant. When your team is allowed to come back to the workplace (which may still be many months away) the working world will not be the same. How we get to work, where we work, when we work and who we have contact with will alter radically. However, one thing as managers we do know is how resistant to change colleagues can be, yet change will be thrust upon us all as we adjust. What do you know about how someone processes change (indeed how you deal with it) and what tools can you give them to understand how to embrace and move with change? We’ve written several articles on this (as have many others) and you could share this understanding with your colleagues so they are better skilled to manage their own response to change. When we notice how people respond to change we can then anticipate as managers practical actions that mitigate the disruption and ease the process.

This is a subject that deserves more than 5 tips but the list above is a start to helping you as a manager lead your team in a new way, in new patterns and with new skills.

and if you want to share feedback on this topic or ask more questions, the Know+Do team would welcome a call (online or by phone!) to share ideas.