Why we should never forget

 

 

Last week was a truly humbling experience as the whole nation paid tribute to the millions of men and women who lost their lives in the First World War.

What was so moving about the events that were held across the nation to mark the 100^th anniversary of the start of the Great War was the way the entire nation took part in honouring out fallen heroes.

As well as the major events here in the capital and in our major cities individuals were also given a chance to make their own personal tributes.

It would be hard not to be moved by the moving and truly stunning artwork that has appeared at the Tower of London in recent weeks. The cascade of poppies on the walls of one of London’s most famous buildings is truly beautiful and appears to have captured the public’s attention.

But the simple and moving tributes that took place across the nation on the night of the anniversary were equally as moving. Millions of people turned out the lights and placed a solitary candle in their windows in honour of the fallen.

It was supposed to be the war to end all wars but sadly that turned out to be a forlorn hope and less than two decades after the end of the Great War the world was once again plunged into global conflict.

Both wars are fast becoming something we know about only from the history books rather than from personal experience.

The generation who fought in the trenches at the Somme and Ypres have departed and with each passing year there are fewer and fewer surviving veterans from the Second World War.

Our parents and their parents’ lives were directly affected by both conflicts and very few families escaped without losing a loved one.

We should count ourselves incredibly lucky in this country to have grown up in an era of relative peace and stability. There has been conflict in our lifetime but nothing on the same scale that took place in the first half of the 20^th Century.

The First World War was particularly savage because a whole generation of young men sacrificed their lives to protect our way of life.

It would be all too easy to confine the terrible events of 1914 to 1918 to the history books but last week was a true demonstration that people will never forget the sacrifices made by an entire generation.

And just as importantly we should never become complacent and allow ourselves to forget the devastating effects of war or allow our guard to slip.

 

It really is true that those who turn their backs on the history books are doomed to repeat the terrible mistakes and failures of the past.

It is important to give something back

 

 

Much to the annoyance of my family I have spent most of my spare time over the summer months preparing and training for the London 100 cycle event.

I have always tried to keep myself in reasonable shape but this is the first time have ever tried to cycle such a distance in a single session and it has been something of a challenge.

Although the sudden arrival of the bad weather has meant that the ride was cut short at the last minute it was still a major personal challenge.

And it would have been foolhardy to the point of stupidity not to put in some serious training over the last three months. My participation meant that most weekends over the summer I have had to put in several hours on two wheels away from my friends and family.

But the sacrifice was well worth it for several very good reasons. Of course, keeping fit is vital when you take into account the stressful and busy lives we all lead.

I have long believed that if you want to be fit for work and full of energy then you need to look after yourself and your body.

And the personal satisfaction I have gained from taking on such a daunting challenge has also been worth all the effort.

It is always good to set yourself personal challenges and targets, it is amazing what we can all achieve with a little bit of self-determination and belief.

Setting yourself personal challenges and goals is a great way to learn about yourself as an individual and exactly what you are capable of achieving if you have that all important positive mental attitude.

Just as importantly I took part in the event so I could raise money for charity.  I have always viewed myself as a fortunate individual thanks to the successes I have enjoyed during the course of my career.

Over the years I have been able to provide my family and loved ones with a comfortable and secure lifestyle.

Success can buy you material things in life and there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking time out to enjoy the fruits of your labours but it is also important to give something back to society.

It is true we live in a competitive world and generally speaking the harder your work and the more effort you put in then the greater the rewards.

We have created a consumer society where we are all conditioned to want to have enough money to enjoy the good things in life.

 

But if we all operated as individuals who are not prepared to give something back to society then the world would be a much poorer place for all of us.

People should get their just rewards

If you are lucky enough to have a job that you love doing then you are probably going to be completely committed to your career and to your work.

But the reality is that the majority of people get out of bed in the morning and make the journey into the office each day because they need to pay the bills and keep a roof over their heads.

Owners of businesses and senior managers tend to be completely committed to the cause and it is in their own interest to make sure the company flourishes and prospers.

But it is easy for senior people to forget that employees will usually not have the same level of commitment to furthering the cause of the company.

Of course, when you take staff on you want them to be self-starters and highly motivated but it is important not to take your staff for granted.

The people who work for you will know what the going rate is in their sector and those who are good at what they do will expect to receive decent pay for their skills and experience.

Any company or business which has ambitions to be the very best at what it does has to be prepared to invest to do well and that includes in its people.

I have always believed that everyone that works for a company should bring value to the business. It does not always have to be measured in monetary terms – but every employee should be able to make a difference.

That means that you should always be able to measure your staff’s performance in one way or another. Of course, when it comes to a sales environment the people who are the best at what they do will always stand out from the crowd.

But if you can measure the performance of all your staff that also means that you can have a bonus system in place.

Bonuses and performance-related pay should not replace salaries because if you go down that route then it will be almost impossible to keep and retain the best people in the sector you happen to be operating in.

But there is no doubt that a bonus system can be a very handy tool for a manager to get the very best from employees.

As well as recognising and rewarding the efforts of staff a fair and open system can also be used to create a healthy sense of competition within a business.

The key is to ensure that everyone is treated in the same way and also stands a fair chance of landing a bonus on a regular basis.

But if you set impossible targets or make it extremely difficult to land a bonus then the system can actually impact general morale in the wrong way.

Bonuses can be an extremely effective management tool as long as they handled with care, are equitable and are properly thought through and executed.

 

The competitive spirit is alive and well

 

 

THE Commonwealth Games may not have the glamour and reputation of other major sporting events but this year’s competition was a surprise hit with viewers and sports fans alike.

And perhaps the main reason for the unexpected popularity of the games, which in the past has played second fiddle to bigger and more prestigious competitions, was the spirit in which the event was held.

The athletes taking part and competing against one another appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the whole tournament was surrounded by a sense of fun and enjoyment.

With the stakes so high in professional sport that sense of fun can often disappear altogether with the desire to win the main objective for those taking part.

And when it comes to the world of business it is essential to have ambition and drive if you are looking to be successful and there is no denying that it is also important to have a competitive streak.

The sales environment can be particularly competitive and you have to be tough and strong willed to survive and prosper.  And it does not matter what sector you are working in, if you want to get to the very top then you have to have that competitive streak.

But I have always believed that if you are going to be competitive then it is important to do it in the right spirit and in the correct manner.

In other words having the will to win is important but not if you want to win at all costs and with little regard to the people around you.

I believe it is perfectly possible to be competitive and ambitious without being ruthless and cut-throat.

There are plenty of cliches and misapprehensions when it comes to world of business which often paint a false picture of the way really successful people go about their business.

Of course, there are people who will stop at nothing to come out on top but the reality is that the really successful people are the ones who are tough negotiators and single minded but are also fair and straight-forward.

Sometimes it can be tough to tell people something that they do not want to hear but it is always the best policy to say exactly what you mean. You can be tough and stick to your guns but you also need to honest and fair when it comes to deals and negotiations.

The harsh reality is that in business not everyone is going to get what they want and as a leader or manager some people will be left feeling disappointed or let down as a result of the decisions you take.

It can be a tough balancing act to make sure you got your own way in negotiations or meetings but you can still be fair and honest in your dealings.The key is to treat everyone the way you would want to be treated and to be direct without being discourteous or aggressive.

How to move on when the time is right

Taking up a new job is a big decision to take and a major life choice so if you are moving on you want to make sure that you are doing so for all the right reasons.

 

In my experience too many people make the really big decisions about their careers without thinking through the consequences fully.

 

After family and friends work is probably the most important thing in our lives so it makes perfect sense to take a rational and properly thought through approach before making any career moves.

 

It makes no sense to move to a new job unless you are going to be moving your career forward and you are moving on to bigger and better things.

 

Not everyone can get a promotion when one comes along or be the boss’s favourite and the grass is not always going to be greener at a new company or organisation.

 

I would suggest that if you are moving to a new post on a whim or out of a fit of pique then you will probably regret the decision further down the line.

 

But if you have decided to move on to pastures new then it is important to handle the situation in as professional manner as possible.

 

As well as dealing with the exit from your current role you also need to prepare for the new challenges ahead.

 

It is worth bearing in mind that you will have to work through your notice period and I would always encourage people to behave as professionally as you possibly can.

 

There is no point in burning any bridges so you should try and stay as committed as you possibly can until the very end but this needs to be balanced with preparing properly for your new role.

 

First impressions always count and you want to make sure that you hit the ground running when you start your new job.

 

The most important thing is to do as much research as you can about your new employers so you can know what to expect and what will be expected of you. You will want to try and find out about working practices and the ethos of your new company.

 

If possible talk to people who have first-hand experience of your new business or organisation so you can get a real feel of what it is you will be walking into.

 

Take a look at your work wardrobe and if necessary freshen it up, as well as creating a better impression it will also make you feel more confident as an individual.

 

Finally if you get the chance try and pop into the place where you will be working. I would suggest ringing ahead and making sure you are welcome, it could be a big mistake to turn up unannounced.

 

There is no harm in saying hello to your new colleagues and you will want to appear keen and eager to start in your new role as soon as possible.

 

Like anything in life if you want something to be a success and get the most from the experience then doing the necessary groundwork really can make all the difference. 

Why it is so important to switch off from time to time

All of us deal with stress in different ways and have different coping mechanisms and techniques when it comes to tackling the pressures of modern life.

The reality is that human beings are incredibly complex creatures and we all react differently to the pressures of the modern workplace. For some lucky people stress is not even a major issue.

I have spoken before of the importance of getting the balance right between work and pleasure. Personally I enjoy my work immensely but the time I spend with my family and loved ones is equally as important.

Taking time out from the office can help to refresh the batteries and will also give you a better perspective on live.

Being totally focussed on work and nothing else in life can warp your worldview and ultimately have a negative effect not only the individual but also on the people around them.

It is simply not a healthy approach to focus solely on work and the best managers are the ones who encourage their team members to take a balanced approach to work and play.

But it is not just about taking time away from the workplace the quality of your leisure is just as important.

The advances in technology and the advent of social media mean we are constantly connected to the outside world. Pretty much all of us now carry a tablet or a smart phone with us at all times which means we are now in a state of constant communication.

You only have to pop into a bar or a café to see that people are constantly talking to one another via their handheld electronic devices.

In fact people below the age of 30 have grown up with the internet and are more likely to talk to one another through social media than more traditional forms of communication.

I have long felt that the new form of constant communication can be as much a curse as a blessing if it is used or handled in the wrong way.

We are all guilty of spending too much time on the internet or reading emails rather than actually talking to one another.

That is why that sometimes when you are away from the workplace and enjoying time with people who are the most important in life it is important to get away from it all.

If you really do want to spend some real quality time with loved ones then sometimes a complete break from technology can make all the difference.

If you really do want to switch off and relax then actually switching off you phone of tablet for a few hours really can make all the difference.

After all the world will not come to an end or the business come to a crashing halt if you are out of contact for a couple of hours.

Tesco should be a lesson to us all

 

THIS week Tesco announced it is parting company with its chief executive Philip Clarke – who has spent four decades working for the supermarket.

The announcement came at the same time as Tesco bosses revealed that its sales figures for the last year are far worse than were originally predicted.

If you turned the clock back a decade no one could have predicted that the chain would find itself in such a difficult position. After all this was the company that dominated the retail sector for years and came up with concepts and ideas that its rivals were forced to follow.

Tesco were the first to make a success of the loyalty card and also helped change the way the nation bought its groceries with the introduction of internet shopping linked to home deliveries.

At the height of its success the company followed what can only be described as an aggressive expansion policy and famously £1 in every £7 spent by British consumers went straight into Tesco’s tills.

The company was smart enough to keep an eye on changing spending habits and led the way in stocking new products in supermarket aisles such as clothes, consumer goods and DVDs.

But the reality is in business that if you want to stay on top of the pile you have to be constantly developing and evolving to suit the needs and demands of your customers.

Tesco has failed to grasp fully the impact of the recession and the subsequent squeeze on consumer spending.

The economy maybe in recovery mode but the reality is that people are still struggling when it comes to personal finances. That means the old snobberies and preconceptions about budget supermarkets are fast disappearing.

The budget chains have also upped their game and as a result are now claiming a large part of the retail sector as their own.

Of course, it should not be forgotten in all of this that Tesco is still one of the biggest companies in the world. The firm might be going through some hard times but it still has plenty of time and opportunity to turn things around.

As I said the key to all of this is staying in touch with your customers and making sure that you continue to give them what they want.

Success can be a double edged sword when it comes to business. There is nothing wrong with being a market leader who leads the way and sets industry standards.

The key is not to become too pleased with yourself and to let complacency creep in and blind you to the fact that you are no longer delivering the kinds of goods and services that your customers want. 

 If you allow yourself to become complacent then you really could be asking for trouble.

The stories of human tragedy bring home the true toll of flight disaster

I am sure that many people across the world had the same reaction as me when the news of the disaster which befell the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 started to filter through.

The initial reaction was shock and disbelief that a commercial plane carrying almost 300 people could be blown out of the sky by people who obviously had access to sophisticated weaponry.

Somehow this attack felt very different to the kind of terrorist incidents that have blighted the world in recent years.

 We have all become used to travelling to distant lands and flying is still one of the safest forms of transport. That is why this particular incident has been so shocking and has caused so much interest across the globe.

But when the human stories started to emerge in the days following the attack the true depth of the horror of what took place in the skies above The Ukraine really started to sink in.

No doubt the arguments about exactly what happened and who was to blame will carry on for months and may never be fully resolved but the reality is that 300 innocent souls lost their lives over a conflict that had absolutely nothing to do with them.

The flight, which headed for Malaysia, was filled with people heading off to adventures, holidays, conferences and work. They were all human beings with the rest of their lives to look forward to and all of them have had that ripped from them.

But even more than that all of them have left families and loved ones behind who will no doubt spend the rest of their lives grieving.

It is impossible to imagine what the people who lost their friends, partners and families must be going through at this moment in time.

What this terrible incident did bring home to me as an individual is just how important the people are who are closest to you in life.

The pace of modern life has become unrelenting and if you want success in your career then you have to be prepared to put in the hard graft and the hard hours. We all have to make sacrifices but it is always important to get the balance right.

There is no doubt that if you are successful in life then the rewards will come your way. But it is always worth remembering that good things in life such as the big houses, expensive cars and holidays in beautiful places are worth nothing at all if you have no one to share them with.

That is why having a strong, supportive and loving family around you is so important.

Soaring house prices can be a double-edged sword

There is no doubt that as a nation we are obsessed with house prices. It has become a cliché but sooner or later the cost of property is likely to rear its head at most dinner parties.

And the reason that newspaper editors and broadcasters return to the issue time and time again is because they know it is likely to stir interest and create debate.

The reason that the subject is so close to our heart is that here in the UK we are a nation of homeowners, more so than most other countries in the world.

The Englishman home is not just his castle it is also his investment for the future and many of us view bricks and mortar as a nest egg for our retirement and for our children.

But there are real reasons to be concerned about the housing bubble in the South East and in the capital leading to a severely unbalanced economy where all the nation’s wealth is concentrated in just one region.

Each week there are new stories emerging of property in the capital selling for incredible sums and there is evidence that homeowners are taking advantage of the current situation.

The fact that property costs so much in the capital is testament to the fact London is still an economic powerhouse and has the ability to attract investors from every corner of the globe.

Property is still one of the safest and most profitable investments, there may be occasional blips in the market but the long-term trend in the right locations is always going to be positive.

The soaring cost of property is a great bonus for those who are lucky enough to own a home in London and the South East but there is also a real downside.

Those in low-paid and unskilled work have always struggled to get a foot on the property ladder but the issue is now spreading out into other sections of the population.

Key workers new to London are highly unlikely to be in a position to buy a house or a flat and the same can also be said for white-collar workers. The reality of the current situation is that young professionals now stand very little or no chance of buying their own home in the capital.

Any organisation is reliant on the quality of the people who come to work for it and the same can be said for the capital.

If the large organisations and businesses are unable to recruit the right quality and calibre of staff then they will simply move on to new locations. Cities have to be an attractive proposition in every sense if they are to continue to thrive and prosper.

The key to solving the issue has to be the Government and our financial institutions. What we need is some imaginative thinking and new approaches and solutions to help people become homeowners and enjoy all the benefits that come with it by doing so.

If we are going to prosper we have got to have the right attitude

 

Last week hundreds of thousands of public sector works went on strike across the country in protest over their pay and conditions.

The industrial action closed hundreds of schools and many public services ceased to function for a whole 24 hours.

Some commentators have claimed that the action was politically motivated and the aim was to make a statement about the Coalition Government and its policies.

However, there is no doubt that people in public sector jobs such as teaching and local government have seen a real cut in wages and tougher working conditions. But the reality is that we have all had to endure some tough times as a result of the financial crisis and the downturn.

Redundancies have been kept to a minimum and that is largely as a result of depressed wages over the last six years.

We have all been forced to tighten our belts and hopefully we will start to enjoy the rewards as the economy starts to recover and get back to the position we enjoyed in the immediate years before 2008.

The reality is that we were spending far too much on our public sector and something had to be done to redress the balance. Private wealth and capital create wealth not Government investment, that has been proved time and time again.

In fact you do not have to look far to see the full effect of failing to keep control on Government spending. Many of our neighbours on the Continent are still struggling to recover from the downturn because they have still to get the balance right between public and private.

Here in the UK we are looking at an economy that is growing faster than many other countries in Europe. There is still a long way to go but we are looking in a stronger position than many of our traditional rivals to take full advantage of the economic recovery.

But getting the conditions right for a strong and sustainable economy is not just about Government policies and fiscal strategies it is also about individuals taking personal responsibility.

If we are going to retain our position as an economic power house we all need to play a part in the process.

Hopefully, we have all learned some lessons from what has taken place over the last five years. Government, business and our financial institutions all have a role to play and need to make sure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

It is important when the boom returns not to slip back into the complacency and bad habits which were at the root of the financial crash of 2008.

But it is also important that all of us adopt the right attitude, we can no longer afford to live in a country where people are not prepared to play an active part in creating a stronger economy.

We all need to be asking ourselves what we can bring to the table as individuals rather than asking what the country should be doing for us.