Friday, November 30, 2007

The talent within

It is extraordinary how much fabulous talent is lying dormant in organisations that are desperately tying to develop and sustain competitive advantage in a hugely congested marketplace.

Take a motor component supplier on the south coast. They have a lady driver who gets rave reviews from customers. She is bright, full of ideas and has great attitude. She could be PA to the Managing Director. They have a storeman in a depot. When he was asked about his ideas for the future of the business, he produced a seven point marketing strategy that if implemented, would transform the fortunes of the organisation. They have someone on the bought ledger who was never put on this earth to ever set foot in an accounts department. Last night she gave a presentation, her first, to the management team that was faultless. This lady has an intuitive ability to relate to and engage with her audience. She will make a brilliant ambassador for the company.

I drive back to Hereford tonight feeling privileged to work with these people; but the really big message for leaders is that they must look for, find and develop talent wherever and whenever they can.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Namaste

“What does it mean?” I asked.

Cafe Spice Namaste, the home of true Indian food, is in Prescot Street, London. As soon as you walk through the door, Ijaath, Thomas or Salem and the staff do the rest. You don’t even have to look at the menu if you don’t want to.
Unusual certainly, but what does ‘Namaste’ mean? In Hindi, the word literally means ‘bowing to you’, in practise it means “I honour the sacred that is within you”.

We may not have an equivalent word in English but I guess that it would be about respecting and valuing people. If we are in business, this could mean respecting and valuing our colleagues, our staff, our stakeholders and our customers.

And Christmas may not be a bad time to do it.