Good afternoon all,

When was the last time you took a really good look at yourself? When was the last time you asked yourself what value do I add to what I do? Am I the best that I can be? Am I the person who people look up to or do they avoid me like the plague?

You may be asking why should you ask these questions of yourself and what is the purpose? Well, my point is that I do not believe many of us receive feedback on a regular basis from our colleagues, peers and managers. Feedback that would allow us to grow and become excellent at what we do and who we are when we interact with people. I believe in the continual growth and without feedback and self-reflection growth is stunted.

Many people believe that they are the "dogs bollocks", and English expression exemplifying brilliance at whatever the subject matter at hand. This type of egotistical thinking can and does lead to lethargy, arrogance and the ultimately failure. Many people are scared to provide feedback even in a constructive way for fear of seen to be critical and hurting someone's feelings. Most of us do not even ask for feedback and in the event that we do get it we become defensive and start arguing with the person providing the feedback. What this does is that the provider of feedback will not be so willing to do so in the future.

Self reflection is another methodology that can be utilized to see where were are compared to where we think we are. To continually grow we must change and to change we must step out of the excessively used cliche of a box and look from without to what is happening within. So when we stand there looking within it may be also beneficial to ask a trusted colleague to look in with you and give you some critical feedback. Questions like, what could I have done differently? What could I have done better? Did I get the result I wanted? If not what could I do differently next time?

Whilst you ask these questions your companion could also interject with thoughts of their own that could add a different perspective. It takes a very big person to be able to do this on a continuous basis, and the bigger a person becomes the more self reflection they need to step up to the next level. Don't get me wrong most people are not up for this challenge, even though they lack no resources to become the best at what they do.

In my opinion everyone has the capacity to draw from within strength, resources, creativity to excel at their vocation and become a true leader, but many fail to do so, and most of them fail because they do not recognize where they go wrong and take corrective action. Corrective action usually comes to late in the form of getting fired or not being hired, losing friends, colleagues and supporters in the process.

Shah Alam

Hey Readers,

What makes you see red? What are the things that really get up your nose and make you lose control? Well I had one of my 'red' moments over the weekend. I had been away for two weeks and I had left my car parked in my private parking space. Let me emphasise 'private', the parking spot is part of the land belonging to my property.

On Friday night I get a taxi in from London City Airport and when I get home I find a car blocking access onto the street for my car. I decide I will stay calm and hopefully the car will be moved. Following morning the car is still there, so I stick a notice on the offenders car windscreen stating "move the car or it will be towed". By 12 noon the car was still there and I really needed to get out and run some errands. I called my brother to see if I could move my car out through a gap between the offending car and another parked car. As my brother arrived in his car I walked over to my parked car and the offending vehicle owner was there. The first thing he said to me was "Did you put this note on my car?" I said yes and explained to him why. He retorted that I should be nice when I speak to him.

I immediately saw red. Firstly, this guy had blocked my parking space on several occassions before and plus he was committing the violation yet asks me to be nice. I continued to explain to him that my space was my property and that the space was marked in white lettering as 'PRIVATE'.

Eventually he moved his car and I drove off.

Upon reflection when I calmed down I realised that I should have stayed calm and made my point more objectively. Even though my incident did not become ugly, how often does it become so?

I then thought how often do we 'lose our rag' in business and professional circumstances where it costs money, hurts people and does long term damage. Upon further reflection I realised that I should be more of a 'peacemaker' and a 'builder of bridges' and relationships. Success comes from who you know, because potentially you can be providing a service or a product to anyone and everyone.

People can open doors or slam them shut, people can make or break your product, people can talk ill of you or praise you.

So when you see red next, what are you going to do? I know what I am going to try and do.

Shah Alam

You know how the saying goes 'out with the old and in with the new'. Well it is a dilemma that is being faced by many organizations as the Baby Boomer generation ages and the Gen X and Gen Y'ers and the Facebook generation enter the workforce. Many a Baby Boomer is uncomfortable with the fast paced, technology driven younger generation snapping at their heels. I see many a clash where the old are being usurped and surpassed by the younger contemporaries.

Should the elders move aside and make way for the energized yeunglings? Well it is and always be a case of debate. Over the last few years I have come across clients whose common phrase has been speed. Speed with quality in all they do and deliver. With instanteous market news and exposure speed is something sought by consumer and supplier alike.

Recently I came across an article where a typical Middle Eastern consulting client wants a project to be delivered in half the usual time taken. I hear constantly here about speed of implementation and integration.

This is an area where there are major clashes between the generations. The wisdom of age and having been through it is denounced in favor of rapid change. The older generation feel that the new generation can do nothing but make mistakes, lose time and re-invent the wheel.

There is great value to be had from people with experience and years under their belt, as mentors, coaches and knowledge bases. yet we must not deny the energy and drive coming from the young stars fo tomorrow.

Shah Alam

Hello Readers,

Are Creativity and Competition two opposing forces or can they work hand-in-hand? I pose this question because I have a read a publication from the early twentieth century that denounces competition in favour of creativity. The author W.D. Wattles suggests that the plutocrats of the time, namely Rockefellers, Carnegie etc were necessary at the time but they are not the future. He goes onto say that the creative genius within people can lead to win-win situations for all without having to compete with one another. He goes onto say through our inherent creative genius, which if we nurture and strengthen through use can allow us to find new solutions, ideas, inventions, businesses etc. that can become future business giants.

The problem is society in general is geared towards competition that if someone else starts something then I will not succeed. In the coporate world the scramble up the ladder is very obvious. Ego's get in the way of doing what's right and best for the organisation, this could be a reason why we see the mess of the global economy over the last few years.

So maybe creativity needs to be taught and started earlier, way back in the schools and colleges. Future citizens of the world need to be inspired to think along creative lines in all disciplines.

However, I also believe in healthy competition, because it allows people to push further the boundaries of abilities, services and what's possible. Competition brings about new innovations and new discoveries.

I believe there is the possibility for the co-existence of the two without compromising the virtues of either.

Shah Alam

Good afternoon everyone, today I want to talk a bit about change and what it entails.

The implementation of any change program within a business is a serious matter. Many experts will spout soundbites to impress their audiences with "change or you will go the way of the dinosaurs" or "change is the only constant" amongst others, without clarifying what they mean.

One of the aspects of change many do not realize is that it is difficult in the best of circumstances let alone when the parties concerned are happy and willing. The level of difficulty increases exponentially when people are involved and where people have been in the same situation doing the same thing for decades.

Change and the following improvement do not come easy. The basic premise of change is that to improve, we must continuously change.

In physics however, for every action (change) there is an equal and opposite reaction. People by nature resist change, i.e. they will look for excuses, wait and see etc. The reason they do this is that change takes them out of their comfort zones.

Therefore, the more change there is the greater the resistance, the greater the resistance the more difficult it is to improve (change).

This is a vicious circle and can have serious consequences for any business or individual or even a country.

People tend to hide behind excuses such as past practices, politics, procedures etc. rather than change. Within any organization there are also a host of barriers that prevent improvement, such as inconsistent direction, poor management, skepticism, lack of trust and not invented here excuse.

I am going to do my own spouting now;

"there is nothing permanent except change and if you do what you always did, you will get what you always got"

So what can make people change?

• Pain - emotional, financial, tragedy
• Despair - over a long period of time
• Discovery - constructive change is possible

Breakthrough comes when theories, concepts and philosophies are passed on as knowledge, then understanding and finally skills lead to breaking down of barriers.

Paradigms are "rules" we apply to certain situations to let us predict how things will be, that is rules of success. The key message is don't let YOUR paradigm become THE paradigm, because paradigms can CHANGE.

When a paradigm changes everyone goes back to zero. Past success is no guarantee. What is impossible today may be the norm tomorrow.

Change must be driven throughout the whole organization, that is: people, process, product

Managing complex change requires

Vision > Skills > Incentives > Resources > Action Plan > Change

However, many corporate leaders today want change to have happened yesterday. Well, it's a little bit late but not too late. I like the story of the ant and grasshopper, the grasshopper fiddled away the summer months and when winter came starved. Whereas the industrious ant worked throughout the summer and was able to store enough supplies to survive the winter.

We are still in a global recession and many more companies will continue to fall by the wayside, and those that are surviving are implementing cost cutting initiatives, change programs, six sigma etc to counter the effects of the recession. However, just like the grasshopper when good times were had they did nothing to prepare or protect themselves when the economy were to head south.

Now that companies are taking the lead to make a change, they want it to take effect instantaneously. Well, effective long-term sustainable change does not happen overnight. It requires thought, it requires planning, it requires expertise, it requires the inclusion of all within the company and last of all it takes time. Most large scale financial benefits of any improvement may not be realized for six to nine months after the action has been taken.

So my question to businesses is, do you have the patient to ensure long term successful change to take place within you organizations?

A Band-Aid ain't gonna work in todays business environment

Till the next time, I say adieu.

Shah Alam

Can politics be harmful to a company?

Yes I definitely think so. In the last decade as a consultant I have seen political games being played across all levels of an organisation. I've seen individuals who are the "yes" man or woman to their bosses. These "yes" people will tag along regardless of whether decisions will benefit the organization in any way.

I've seen examples of where senior management have commenced an initiative to improve or change the business for the better, then as is normal in business a new CEO comes in and those initiatives are dropped. This is not because the new CEO has proposed an alternative but rather to please the newcomer and ensure the individuals are on his good books, because he/she said not to proceed.

Of course certain amount of politicking does oil the machinery that are the behemoths of business world. Funnily, the larger the company the more political wrangling is prevalent. However excessive politics can freeze a business and make it immobile.

Decisions are stymied action is not taken and competitive edge is lost.

Internal politics can cause ill-feeling amongst colleagues, it can cause undue stress and a myriad of other symptoms which ultimately lead to lower productivity, a greater number of sick days and ultimately a huge cost to the business.

Unfortunately, as is human nature certain individuals encourage such behaviour within their departments, divisions and teams. This is part of ensuring their empire survives (see my previous article Empires Strike Back). Others resign and take the attitude of if you can't beat them then join them.

I don't think politics within any business can be eradicated, purely because we are all humans and it is nigh on impossible to say what an individual brings to a job apart from their academic and business experience.

However, I think it is crucial that management see this as a disease and weed out such behaviour where it is identifiable. In the business world there is only one model that should be supported above all others and that is meritocracy.

That ends today's musing, till the next time.

Shah Alam

Good morning from the battered shores of the British Isles.

The country is countinuing to take a hammering from the financial crisis and we have yet the April showers to arrive as the clocks go forward tonight to GMT (UTC).

With all that has been going on in the world of commerce and the corrective action that the British government has been trying to implement through Quantitative Easing (QE) or printing money, the general outlook is not very rosy. We in London are also looking at the possibility of 100,000 good for nothings descending on our streets to bemoan about capitalism and bankers as the G20 summit kicks off this week.

Funny how when things go bad it is the fault of businessmen and entrepreneurs who had the gumption to get up and create wealth and value for a nation or these days for the world. As in the past and as has been the case for millenia it is the creativity and ingenuity of entrepreneurs that has made the world a better place for all of us.

Swan Edison gave us the light bulb, Ford made the car available to the masses and today we have the likes of Apple tantalizing our senses with superb media technology.

And it is this creative ability of brave individuals that will get the world out of this mess. The world is in desperate need of people who can come up with solutions to the problems we are facing in light of the recent financial and economic meltdown. With everything that has happened people need to eat, they need a place to live, they need clothing on their back and some luxury and leisure to enjoy in their spare time. OK I concede that people may not spend as much as they did pre 2007, but they will spend albeit on a smaller scale.

I was reading an article in the Moneyweek publication and a journalist had been to Thailand recently, he asked a taxi driver what people would do if there was mass unemployment. The taxi driver replied "Well people would just go back to their family farms and grow crops". So you see this crisis is not the end of the world and we in the West are too hung up trying to over analyze what happened and then doom-mongering about the future.

What happened has happened, it's water under the bridge and we must move on. Yes there were lessons to be learned, the FSA, SEC, the central banks and the Chancellors all failed in their job as regulators of the financial system and measures should be put in place to avoid such a catastrophe in the future. But instead of trying to divert the media and public attention away from their failures what they should be doing is providing support to small and medium sized businesses as well as start-ups to kick the economy both nationally and gobally into motion. By helping these enterprises governments would be preparing the ground for them to grow exponentially when the recovery starts in earnest in 6 to 12 months time.

The UK government is pumping money left, right and centre into idiotic public schemes to have people occupied, trained, destressed etc during this downturn. We see public sector pay in the UK rise year on year while the private sector rises only marginally. We also see that the government is hiring an ever increasing number of individuals into local and central government to fill 'non-jobs' yet in the private sector jobs are contracting at a rapid rate.

What we do not hear or see is any talk up businesses or entrepreneurs being helped or aided with any free training, support, finance. The only hope young business people have is The Apprentice show with Alan Sugar which kicked off this week or Dragon's Den, a show where entrepreneurs pitch to get financing for their ideas.

Alas, most people have been hoodwinked by the media and their governments into a mob frenzy hence we have thousands descending onto London to demonstrate against capitalsimg which is exactly what those in power want. Keep the masses occupied whilst we fiddle with the books of the country.

The best thing these demonstrators could do is avoid going to the demonstration and sit down and think of a new product or service to develop or improve upon an existing idea, to increase the wealth and welfare of the people of this world.

Shah Alam

Hello All,

Yesterday I had a request from a colleague and friend who works for Beximco, a Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals company. He was asking me about how to write a business plan for a case he was working on and also he wanted to know about productivity, especially operational, human and marketing.

This question highlights two factors:

1. The level of knowledge within the management population of growing economies is lacking with many gaps.
2. The desire to learn about productivity in operations and the human side of it is quite strong.

Point 1 is not only restricted to less developed economies and the businesses coming out of there. In a recent assignment I completed the management populaton I worked with indicated that I was the first to provide any management training in several years, for which they were very appreciative.

Point 2 is an area where my colleagues counterparts in the West are very much in the dark about too. Over the last decade of working in the field of operational productivity improvement I have seen very little evidence of commercial acumen within a vast majority of client management. Most management I found were so 'busy' trying to get the job done that productivity and the implications of costs were nowhere on their radar.

So the education and training of management above and beyond what is taught at business school still lies within the development plans set out by companies for their management. The question is what is included in those development plans for people? It is not just about getting the job done, but  a demonstrable knowledge of a whole host of skills. Here are some which I think are valuable in todays corporate world:

1. The strategy and goals of the business
2. Personal goals and deliverables
3. Key Performance Indicators
4. Bottom-line results
5. Project management skills
6. People management skills
7. Presentation skills
8. Report / business plan writing skills
9. Communication skills
10. Leadership skills

These are only a handful of items to be considered in terms of moulding management into super-managers and should be evaluated annually to track progress and ability.

Management trainng is a crucial driver of business success and it should not be left to chance, it should planned and executed effectively. By doing this not only super-managers can be primed for succession but also weaker and less able individuals can be weeded out.

The request from my colleague and friend raised an interesting scenario for the future.

If the managers of companies in developing economies are seeking out knowlede and training, then where does that leave the managers of companies in Europe and America who have highly sophisticated HR and training divisions within their businesses?

I feel that the next generation of Lee Iaccocas and Jack Welch and the likes will come from  the East

Shah Alam

Good morning again from London. My good friend and colleague Ramsi talked about numbers recently and how important they are in business, they are the lifeblood. Look at the world financial crisis today, it is all about numbers.

However today I am going to discuss one of the softer sides of business, namely coaching. Coaching in business and in the general populace has seen a huge explosion over the last decade. With the likes of Tony Robbins and other motivational coaches bringing the subject into the mainstream. Having worked and travelled in the US it seems that people of that nation tend to embrace personal development far more openly than other corners of the globe.

Coaching uses a lot of sporting analogy, whether it be American Football, Basketball, Tennis or some of the marathon running superstars of this world. One of the great examples is Lance Armstrong who has overcome great personal hardship to win the Tour De France again and again. Take Andre Agassi in his heyday, when he walked onto Centre Court at Wimbledon he had a certain air about him that said he was going to win the match.

Now in business everyday life may not be the one chance to shine and win the gold medal or first prize, but it is the accumulation of all those little successes that make good achievers into great achievers and great achievers into superstar achievers.

Alas, many great people are overlooked or are not given the opportunity because of many reasons. It could be company culture, it could be there are no opportunities in the department, maybe the management isn't right. Whatever it is there could be a whole host of reason why a talented indvidual is missed.

Now! It is upto organizations and the senior management wirthin them to foster a culture of coaching for success, to bring out the best, to enable creativity and create people who will make a company succeed exponentially. Coaching does not have to be a formal sit-down session with someone and it does not have to be a subordinate being coached by their superior, in a matrix environment anyone can coach anyone.

I would go so far as to say an individual can coach themselves. To look at yourself and then review the issue, concern or goal at hand and then think and I mean think to come up with solutions. Sometimes there may not be a solution, but it's this ability to take a step back and see the wood for the trees that really does help.

What we must not also forget is once someone clocks out of the office and goes home, realistically how much time do you think they will spend on personal development and growth? There will be some people who do look at themselves and question how to become better both personally and professionally. When a person returns back to the office the next day we as companies and management do not know what happened at home? did that person have a good weekend or bad weekend? what frame of mind are they coming to work with? are they feeling positive saying as Jim Carey does '..somebody stop me...' in The Mask or something else.

It is incumbent on organizations, management, HR and colleagues alike to work together to get the best out of each other.

I have listed below a set of tasks that individuals and teams can perform to achieve a greater level of awareness and success whether it be personally or in our chosen vocation.

1. Think Positive - always expect the best as one thought leads to another, ensure those thoughts that run through your head are the ones that you want
2. Clear Goals - have clear goals of what you want, whether it's to run 5 marathons in 2 years or to become the CEO of your company in 15 years
3. Be Curious - ask questions, there never is a stupid question, you can only learn and grow by being inquisitive
4. Stimulate Your Mind - even if this mean playing those brain training games on the Nintendo DS or playing Sudoku
5. Creative Visualization - try to see the solution in your minds eye. See what a future scenario might look like to get some ideas on solutions
6. Laugh - In India they have laughter clubs that help people de-stress, as the old saying goes laughter is the best medicine. So book that Saturday night comedy show
7. Physically Active - this is one of my favorites,  for me nothing beats a good 10 mile run or a 30 minute workout on a punchbag
8. Intense Concentraion - here don't just concentrate on a something you are doing or trying to find a solution to, concentrate so hard that you may only fall short of Einstein's genius. In this day and age of speed no one likes to sit and think. Try it you will be amazed
9. 100% Responsibility - you are wholly responsible for your life, your career, your success, your failures and everything else in between, so be careful how you go about your day-to-day activities
10. Burning Desire - This will be a tough one for many people. You must have a burning desire to succeed in anything. Another term I use is Monomaniac, to not stop unless success is achieved. You look at some of the great achievements made by the likes of Edison, Bannister, Einstein, Alexander the Great all of these individuals and others did not stop until they achieved their dreams, even if it meant loved ones got hurt. So ask yourself how badly do you want that goal?

One that note I will bid farewell and I look forward to sharing a few more anecdotes in the coming week

Shah Alam

Welcome to Storm International's blog discussing how to improve manufacturing efficiency and other types of change management.