Welcome to Get Shirty

Tennis the game of champions

I was invited to play tennis for the local builders merchants today - an honor - I now understand. I was the only woman and the only one without a beer belly. The tennis was of a surprisingly good standard. It's a league, amongst the inner circle.

It made me think back, and to the secret talents many people have that they keep well hidden. My father, a New Zealand farmer plays the piano, a mystro no less, which when I was growing up, people found it very hard to belive. He actually used to win money, in bets that he wouldn't be able to play let alone belt out some brilliant classics that Elton John would be proud of!

My Nana - charming lady - worked hard to ensure he had all the right elements to be a young man, yes he can dance well too. So I shouldn't be surprised at the talent of tennis that comes out of the local builders merchant - I now know there will be no challenges to darts or pool.

Off the the rainforest

I got an email today from a work friend - it was really quite strange - he's done what we all only dream of - he's jumped from the corporate ship and is sailing to Costa Rica to work in a wildlife reserve, I've got it on good authority he is also going to surf a lot. After that he's off to a Rainforest or the pacific .... Bless.

The really poiniant part of the email is: 'On the rare occasions that I venture back into civilisation, it would always be a pleasure to hear from any of you'.

Is corporate life so bad? Given that he was a high flyer at Apple, I think you should worry for Steve and the rest of the team if they are driven to this!

Outsourcing call centres

I had a business catchup lunch yesterday with some friends that I met during the heady internet boom days. It was interesting in just hearing others views of their experience - a fly on the wall view, through anothers eyes.

The upshot is that we all thought it was a great time and really enjoyed the journey. Two of the four of us now run software companies - so we can't have been that effected from the experience.

Discussion started over lunch about brands, consumer empathy and developed into an interesting class on corporate efficiency and the drive for reduced costs v's consumer empathy with Brands. It all boils down to the consumer expereince, the case study we all referred to was the outsourcing of call centres to India and the damaging effect on the brand and the consumer ecpereince. Having been on the recieving end of an indian call centre experience I can comfortably say it was crap as a consumer experience but I'm not sure that I blamed the brand - I saw it for what it was - an attempt at lowering costs and winning in business. I didn't blame the brand - or the business - or the man on the phone - he was doing his job too.

I don't believe in outsourcing call centres but then I haven't seen the bottom line figures. The issue is that of shareholder value, more profits at the threat to the consumer expereince - who wins - always the shareholder, it's only when the expereince effects the shareholder that the return of call centres back home will be in droves.

'Making the olympic games more interesting'

Selling something without a website

Having been a large part of the new media age - or web media age as it's now known - it's no longer new you know!!

I just believe that your website needs to say something about you - if you are selling something its critically important, if you're not its still critically important. It's the first place people go to reseach you - find out who you are, what you've done, and who else is talking about you.

I had lunch with a business contact on Friday - one of those lunches that was really enjoyable - was business, but it could have been lunch with a friend - anyway - he runs two design agencies - great ones - with fantastic fabulous clients. But today in following up from my promise to get him some business, I checked out his website - it was just one page - perhaps they are so creative that I just don't get it - then again maybe they are not!

You see content is king - websites are about cudios, credibility, information, and most of all they let you identify with the business. Next lunch I need to tell him he needs to work on his website - the joy of being honest!

Mantra v's Mission statement

I was sent the Art of the Start, by Guy Kawasaki from Grarage ventures. I was told that it was an inspiring easy read that got you all reved up to go and do great things. Yep, I was up for that.

Check it out at www.garage.com
Guy had some very inspirational things to say, he doesn't think that mission statements are worth the paper they are written on, it's Mantra's for Guy baby!

The really key thing here is vision and focus - a mantra in Guy's words is really about saying what it is you do - a say what it is on the tin approach. And I believe it works. Mission statements are for big companies and for big shareholders. He also thinks that anything that slows you down in a business or takes you away from the core objective - selling stuff - developing product - is a waste of time, energy and scarce resourses. It's not rocket science and its not even new - it's just reminding new businesses (and old alike) about priorities.

He also said some poininat things that I'm going to have a go at:

A CEO can never have a bad day: are we talking bad hair, hangover, food poisioning - Guy we are human too - the secret is to have as few as possible - I'll keep trying!

No one ever achieved success by planning for gold: I believe that plans are key to success, its a fine line between plan and action. A common thing I ask myself is - do I have the 'whatever it takes appraoch' that the true way for success. Another key for me is asking myself, out of 10 to score my vision, action, and passion, as those are the real drivers for success - getting an even balance and running them home.

It's not how great you start its how great you end up: Oh how true. My Dad have a variation on this theme - he always used to say of falling from a building a plane, a moving car, it's not the 2o stories that kill you - it's the last six inches - the same alas is true in business - save some energy for the sprint!

Don't wait to develop the perfect product or service, good enough is good enough: Just don't admit this to the first customer - product development cycles will never be the same again.

So mission statements v's Mantra's, well if Guy had cut to the chase, he would in synopsis, have had just had one thing to say - Nike's mantra 'Just do it'

Blasts from the past

I had a friend send me a picture of me in the Egyption desert on a camel - it was a funny, happy time and I have to confess I was surprised that someone could access at their fingertips good shock value pics - So I've decided to share it - no laughting!

It of course got me thnking - On the radio yesterday there was a rerun of classic songs and 'wear sunscreen' just happenend to be one of them - I never even knew it was made into a song - I always thought it was one of those really clever profound viral emails that I saved somewhere safe in my inbox to never be seen again. Anyway, to cut a long or getting longer story short - one of the key things I remembered from the song, speech or email - was - wear sunscreen - look after your knees, they are the only set you've got and you are never as fat or as unattractive as you think - Hurrrmmpphhh!

I guess Baz Leurman never had his pitcture taken on a camel and sent back to him five years on!

Ever thought of coaching?

One of my bestest friends in the world has found, in my view, her vocation. She has become a personal and business coach, and not being one to miss out - I decided to give her a whirl - of course!

The things that really hit strings for me were the key wisdoms that she came up with - the things that up untill now only your grandmother could say ....

"If its possible in the world, it's possible for me, it's just a matter of how."
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline."
"We are what we repeatedly do."
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing."
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

Great stuff right!? Even better, is that the sessions were backed up with support, feedback and some challenges too. The really key thing was that I she asked me some key questions on a challenging problem I had been dealing with for sometime. She asked me:

What will happen if I do?
What Won't happen if I do?
What will happen if I don't?
What won't happen if I dont?

It's the answer of every dilemma you could ever imagine. Try it - or even better - try her - jacqui@jacquithomas.com drop her a line to say hi - she will help you to grow into a big tree.