Karen Hands
Principal Consultant
“The edge is a good place to sharpen
your wits”
So says Tom Ripley in Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley Under Ground and while I’d never advocate Ripley’s style of doing business, it’s true that you have to keep on finding your edge if you’re going to grow and develop and improve your performance in business.
When you push yourself to network or speak in public for example, you’re putting yourself on that edge and your performance will benefit in all kinds of ways.
Explaining what you do to others will make you clarify your story and your message and you’ll find fresh motivation across your business activities when this happens.
So don’t be content with staying in your comfort zone -
Learning is fun and it makes you think!
This page was last updated on 17/02/12
Thought into Action for Smaller Companies is a trading name of Thought into Action Ltd
Company registered in England & Wales No. 4760015. VAT Registration No. 998 1744 55. Registered Office: 64 Bridge Street, Manchester M3 3BN
Copyright Thought into Action Ltd 2003 -
@BlushDanceUK:Thanks to @ThoughtActionK for helping me take big action on a BIG decision this week
via Twitter
Delegate more to staff or out-
Be more strategic / less involved day-
Stop new ideas that aren’t working and generate fresh ideas to survive and grow
“I enjoyed being stretched and taken out of my business comfort zone -
Gill Millington, Director,
Biz in a Box
“Karen delivered a presentation
that had everyone enthralled as it had absolute relevance and appeal to each of us at 4N Warrington.”
Caroline Woodall, Director,
Bridge Marketing Solutions
Spend less time in meetings
Make sure you follow through on your New Year's resolution in 2012 and waste less time in meetings so you can put your energy where your talents lie:
- make the meetings you run more effective
- and please don't attend meetings you don't need to attend.
You’ve missed our first seminar in the FREE UP TIME series, but please register your interest and we’ll let you know when we’re running this topic again.
Stop new ideas that aren’t working...
...and generate fresh ideas to survive and grow
Like any business process, idea generation and development need managing or you’ll end up somewhere you didn’t intend:
- Too many ideas to develop or too few ideas to make a difference;
- Vanity projects with no likelihood of commercial success;
- Time and money wasted, causing aggravation and stress.
We’re all living in a tough economic climate and yes, I guess you already know that you need to adapt to survive. How you make that happen could be the difference between success and failure for you and your business.
I always score as a creative type in psychometric tests and I apply my own technology, the Thought into Action SystemTM, to put structure around the flow of ideas. It can work for you too.
We run a full-
Be more strategic / less involved day-
Good at the day-
And don’t just ask for their input, make it obvious how their aims align with yours. When people find meaning in their work, life becomes purposeful and the job turns into a source of inspiration. That’s the kind of company where we’d all like to work.
We run a full-
Delegate more to staff or outsource work
“I employ several people in my company, but nothing happens until I make the decision”
Is that what you wanted?
Why employ skilled people if you’re going to stop them from using their initiative? It’s probably why they joined a small company in the first place.
Flexibility and creativity are cited as advantages of small companies over their bigger rivals, yet the opposite is so often true. Business owners say:
“It’s really hard to let go”
“I’ve worked so hard to get the business to this point”
“The product design*/service delivery*/ manufacturing process* is all I know”
* delete as appropriate.
The big news is -
Our FREE UP TIME series of seminars covers this topic in February, SEMINAR 2: Delegate with confidence. Book your place now! The Early Bird offer has finished but we hope to see you on 22 February.
Go straight to the right people at networking events
Hate public speaking? You’re not alone. Yet networking is a great way of doing business if you have the confidence to put yourself in the spotlight and give a brief introduction to the audience.
Nowadays, in this world of unsurpassed choice, one of the only ways to stand out
from the crowd is to go back to forming sound relationships based on trust with people
you like -
If you’re new to networking or if you want to update the way you introduce yourself, please download my FREE guide,
The Task of Introducing Yourself at Networking Events
aka The Collected Wisdom of 4Networkers in North West England
The March seminar in our FREE UP TIME series covers this topic in SEMINAR 3: Get noticed by the right people at networking events. Book your place now! Early bird tickets are still available.
We also run full-
Exclusively for women in business, Karen runs the Phenomenal Woman Speaking Club
in Clitheroe, Lancashire. A monthly meeting where you can learn how to deliver 5-
Come along as a guest for £20 + VAT payable on the night, before you commit to 6 months’ membership.
You will find more details on the Speaking page of the main Thought into Action site or please register your interest here.
Leadership & Management Grants are available for SMEs employing 2 -