Blog | Paul Henshall

Different Level of Thinking

Posted on: July 11th, 2011 by Paul Henshall

Solving challenges requires a different level of thinking
What does it mean when we say, ‘a different level of thinking’? It’s a relatively common term but have you ever really considered what it means? Does thinking actually have levels?
To understand this concept, let’s take a problem; say – a staff member continuously late for work. Now let’s try to solve that problem at the SAME level of thinking. The employee is constantly late so the boss confronts the employee and reiterates the employee’s contractual working hours and points out that policy dictates that if it continues an official warning will be given and reminds the employee that it’s ‘three strikes and you’re out’. Don’t continue the late issue or there will be no job!
That’s an example of solution addressed at the SAME level of the problem.
Now let’s address the same problem by going up a level in thinking. Rather than simply consider THAT ‘Bob’ is late, the employer considers WHY ‘Bob’ is constantly late. The employer calls the employee aside and says: “Bob, I notice that you’re having challenges getting to work on time. That sends a message of inconsistency to everyone else but more importantly makes it difficult for the team to be able to action anything first thing where it may depends on you. Tell me what the challenge is in getting to work on time”. Perhaps it’s that children can’t be dropped off at school until a certain time, maybe the traffic at that time is unpredictable. There could be a range of issues contributing to the behaviour and most probably NOT an attitudinal one.
Whatever the contributing issue is, it can be considered and a solution to THAT issue sought, which provides a solution that works for both parties without sacrificing the effectiveness of the team.
So to solve the problem, the employer had to move up from simply looking at behaviour to the reasons behind that behaviour. That’s a thinking level change!
It’s difficult if not impossible to truly solve challenges at the same level as the problem. Better solutions always come from thinking at a level that is different from the problem.

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A question of BALANCE

Posted on: July 5th, 2011 by Paul Henshall

The planet is full of examples of perfect balance. The poles, the hemispheres, the tides, the seasons. The economy is driven by supply and demand, price being the balancing agent. Investment is about degrees of risk, return being the balancing agent. They could all be considered to be perfectly opposed or perfectly aligned to each other, whichever way you prefer to consider it. Unable to be unravelled or disconnected, they are perfectly entwined and dependent on each other for survival. They are the Ying and Yang.
So if that’s the way it’s ‘supposed’ to be, what’s happened to us as business people. Our work/play/rest balance. I’m having trouble finding the same perfect balance in the corporate and business environment. It seems that expectation (people’s own predominantly) has tipped the balance off the scale. Too much to do in the time frame and too many clients wanting too much for too little. Interesting how such a small unobtrusive word like too can define a situation or status ..
Listen for where you’re using the word in your language, it’s a sign of imbalance. What’s your ‘too’, and what are you doing to eliminate it, to regain balance?

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It’s interesting to know your revenue, it’s imperative to know your profit

Posted on: June 1st, 2011 by Paul Henshall

Measuring your overall revenue is interesting, but fails to inform amd mainly fuels only ego.

Breaking that revenue down into logical income streams and measuring each, starts to add a level of understanding about demand and markets.

Measuring the COSTS associated with each of those income streams means you can add real knowledge around where your PROFITS (or losses) are coming from to determine the most profitable product mix.

Using that knowledge to build up the most profitable lines, tweak others to test their opportunity and phase out the duds from the pack….now that’s starting to look more like business wisdom.

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If only there wasn’t a BUT…

Posted on: May 30th, 2011 by Paul Henshall

At a recent dinner with friends I experienced one of the tastiest and best presented meals that I’d had for a very long time. In fact, the whole menu read so well it was difficult to make the choice in the first place, and I certainly was pleased with the one I eventually made. And I know that to be the case with everyone else on the table also from the comments made and lack of conversation once the food hit the table…….BUT would I recommend the restaurant to others?. Well no because the ambience and service were as under par as the meals were over. And pretty basic stuff too….attention to lighting, pleasant music, a little more training by the waiting staff and it would have been great.
Sure, food in a restaurant is pretty important – probably THE most imortant aspect, BUT it’s the total experience that will get return business and importantly get customer’s talking and referring. And that total is made up of the sum of each part. To create a total experience, find a way to understand ALL the important aspects that make up the client experience and exactly HOW important those aspects are. Then ask yourself the question: How do I get a score of 9 or 10 in the MOST important areas?

Frightened by the numbers

Posted on: May 24th, 2011 by Paul Henshall

I’ve discovered an interesting ‘phobia’ amongst business owners – arithmophobia or numerophobia. It’s the fear of numbers and it’s seems to be in epidemic proportions. According to a ‘phobia’ site I recently found it’s generally accepted that phobias arise from “a combination of external events (i.e. traumatic events) and internal predispositions (i.e. heredity or genetics). Many specific phobias can be traced back to a specific triggering event, usually a traumatic experience at an early age” (http://common-phobias.com/Numero/phobia.htm). Maybe that’s entirely valid for some business owners, but then as a business coach I don’t really dwell on the cause, more the effect.

And the effect of course of this prevalent business phobia is a total blind spot around the financial status and performance of the business, a business that owners often spend most waking hours concerned about. Without the numbers (financial, marketing, client and team related) there is no meaningful basis on which to make business decisions.

And those numbers I do see are produced by Accountants for annual returns. Data that’s historical and very often 18 moths old. Come on, no small/medium size business can make meaningful decisions on change based on data that is outdated. The reality is that cashflow is the lifeblood of business and in small/medium ones, that can run out way before the annual returns are even thought of.

How do you measure your numbers, what are you measuring and how are you using them?

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Is anyone thrilled by the chase?

Posted on: May 23rd, 2011 by Paul Henshall

Motivation theory says that pursuing goals is inspiring, gives us energy and provides us with purpose….I agree with the thrill of the chase under these circumstances. Goals achieved are no longer motivators and therefore they need to be re-set once they are achieved. So it is actually the ‘chase’ not necessarily the attainment that gives us power to act and overcome obstacles. BUT…what about the act of chasing people, to do something that is in line with those goals. Motivating or frustrating? I guess if the goal’s important enough to you then it’s just another step to achieving it. Happy hunting!

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The Power of Confidence

Posted on: May 20th, 2011 by Paul Henshall

The ability to change, to move from where we are, to implement new strategies and to take new actions is enabled by that inner feeling called confidence. We’ve seen it on the face of successful sports and business people, we know what it looks like in others and hopefully we know what it feels like ourselves. (I think most of us have experienced it at SOMEtime in SOMEthing). The more sure we are of success, the more committment, energy, time and money we’re able to put behind that new direction, idea or action.

So if the question; “What would you do if you KNEW it wouldn’t fail?” opens us up to a massive range of possibility then conversely “What would you do if you THINK it would fail?” must pretty much shut the door.

Which way do YOU think when change (aka ‘opportunity’) is staring you in the face? What opportunites have you missed by starting with the FAIL mentality and what’s missing to create that confidence?

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