Conor Kenny & Associates

I just competed in my first Cross Country race of the season.

It was 4 boggy miles through tortuous muck.

It’s a battle of will and wits

And it’s a battle against other athletes.

In my age group I have 6 fellow club athletes who share the same ability.

In a recent Half Marathon, after 13.1 miles, 2 minutes separated all 6.

It pushes you, makes you run harder but there is a danger too.

A week ago, one arch rival beat me by 25 seconds in a 5K

Not much you might argue, but at that pace, it’s a long way.

2 of my rivals were 50 seconds and 58 seconds further back.

That gave me perspective.

To the start of the Cross Country test.

All 4 of us were warming up and getting ready.

My heart was set on beating my arch rival.

I decided to change tactics, track him (rather than front run) and surge half way.

The other 2 were already in the bag, the last race proved that.

Or so I thought.

I tracked my Foe, I surged and I came in almost a minute ahead.

I was intensely focused and concentrated hard.

I beat him.

I also learnt a precious lesson.

You see, the other 2 guys took off.

I never saw them.

When I did, it was too late.

Though I beat my Foe, I lost to the other 2.

The moral?

If you want to stay in control.

Run your own race.

Lesson learnt.

You have an idea, it’s eventually born.

It delivers or fails.

It changes things.

Next time an idea is delivered into the world of your business have a meeting.

Ask yourself this;

If that idea was ‘Level 1’

What or where is ‘Level 2’?

I write every day.

I’m not saying I’m good, I just write every day.

People often say “you write well”

Or, “you express clearly what you want to say”

If I do it is only because I write every day

We talk every day which means we have thoughts.

We talk every day which means we have an opinion.

Every day we talk we learn more about talking.

Words that work, words that don’t.

Writing shouldn’t be different.

The more you write, the better you will get.

It’s no mystery, its practice.

Start writing.

I was in the heart of Dublin one day last month and it was a calm almost Spring like day.

I like January.

It’s the beginning of a new year.

It’s the beginning of the end of Winter.

It’s heading towards Spring, long evenings and thoughts of Summer.

TV is full of adverts for sunny holidays and the grass looks greener and the sky bigger.

Christmas is over.

When something is done its done.

When Christmas is over its over.

Move with it, move on.

The sad wilting deflated and defeated Christmas tree clinging for life in a city corner looked awful.

What was the first thing I did?

See who’s business it was.

I was surprised.

Their marketing says they are alert, always ahead and progressive.

In mid January, do you think their Christmas tree said that to me?

Over Christmas I went to a marvelous party.

The house was chaotic, the fire roared and there were people and things everywhere.

It was cheerful, fun, warm and yes …. Chaotic.

Most of all it was happy.

Many years ago when I lived in London my Boss asked me to his house for dinner.

It was impeccable, immaculate and pristine.

We thought it looked better than the best show house.

It reflected my Boss. Immaculate, impeccable and pristine.

It was also intimidating.

It was too perfect.

I was scared of my manners, my crumbs and using the heavenly white napkin.

I worried about my clothes, my responses and my etiquette.

I was thrilled when it was time to go home.

You see, perfection can create chaos and chaos can be relaxing.

Now apply these 2 stories to your workplace and then….

Which are you?

Which do you want to be?

Which serves you best?

Perfect is not always best

I’m a creature of habit, I go to the same Barber shop.

It’s a lottery who cuts your hair but I like observing anyone anyway.

This time, I got the very quiet foreign girl.

I like when I get her. Why?

Because she is a perfectionist, takes her time and has huge powers of concentration.

She focuses on doing a good job.

She delivers.

The cost is €20

A good deal for me, a bad deal for her.

Why?

If it were €18 or even €22 then it would be easier to give change as a tip.

But some Barbers are on to that.

How?

They make sure your change always has coins.

Time to pay the bill.

It was €20. I handed over €50

Hard to give coins when it was a neat €30 change.

But some Barbers are on to that too.

They will give you a €20 and then two €5’s

Not my friend.

Quickly, she dispensed a €20 followed by a €10.

What did that all tell me?

Lots.

She cares about her work.

She won’t be rushed.

She cares about doing it right.

She does it that way because it’s the right way.

Most of all, she is not driven by money.

Finally, I can trust her.

Isn’t it amazing how simple things reveal much?

Isn’t also amazing that we don’t realise how we are being watched?

And, how much we give away?

The old man told Christopher Columbus he was mad.

“Stick with our way and stop talking nonsense about faraway lands”

Mr. Sinatra encouraged independent thought.

He just put it in a song.

Steve Jobs challenged ‘their way’

Ryanair did the same.

So too did Sony, Vodafone, Virgin and The big drug companies.

Bad Bosses tell you to do it ‘my way’

Good bosses encourage you to do it yours.

If all of the above had been meek, subservient and safe, none of these brands would exist.

New brands must challenge ‘my way’

Great brands encourage ‘your way’

Never, ever let your Boss extinguish a good idea.

If he does, go your way happily singing my way

We recruit every so often.

We seek a multitude of things, don’t we?

Skill, experience, knowledge, learning and on it goes.

That’s all fine but it hides a few things.

It’s hard to recruit values, attitude, sunny sides and so on.

When you do, it works.

Better still, it sustains.

I had the pleasure of speaking to a very large group this week.

We also have the pleasure of working with them.

They are good people, really good.

I got talking to the Chief Executive.

He is understated and been to the very top more than once.

I told him he has really good people working in his company.

How he replied struck a chord.

“We recruit nice people Conor and then make something of them”

Now you see why they have good people.

Now you see why he is a good leader.

In sales, there aren’t that many good listeners.

It’s why they don’t succeed.

In business, there aren’t that many good listeners either

It’s why they stay ‘average’

Too many people are really preparing what they are about to say

Rather than really listening to you.

Here’s a fun way to make the point with your team.

Try it.

When you finish talking to them about whatever it is you need to talk about ask them this;

“What was the last letter of the last word I just said?”

Get the point?

Dublin is overflowing with Taxis and it drives me mad.

Can you imagine how many redundancy packages were sunk into the hands of used car salesmen?

Can you imagine the cheerful optimistic future?

The dream of working hard, independence and a steady income?

All fine until they realised that thousands of others had the same idea.

It’s more of following the crowd and blending in rather than stepping away from the masses.

If you want to succeed you need to create something new.

If you want to go bust then throw your hard earned cash at more of the same.

People who challenge the norm succeed.

People who follow it fade into the crowd.

Don’t believe me? Think of these young companies and brands;

Ryanair

iPhone and everything Apple

Virgin

Malmaison

Need I go on?