Author: admin

Don’t we just love technology! In the old days (as my kids love to call them) before smart phones and the internet, business was conducted using the telephone, face to face, or via the magic that was the fax machine.

Obviously that was long before the electric light was invented, according to my children, who have a skewed sense of history, in the way that kids do.

Luckily we now have electric lights and so all is good!

I can remember in the 2008/9 recession wondering how to rebuild my business and hitting on the idea of using Skype. Instead of being constrained by geography, suddenly my market place was the world. I don’t mean that to sound grand, it’s just a statement of fact.

My network is dispersed and it’s always easier to sell to people who know you, than stay local and spend weeks slogging about and getting to know new people. I meet new people all the time and that’s great, but when you’re in a hurry it’s easier to find a shortcut. Skype was mine.

I know there are other video systems and I like Skype because it’s ubiquitous and free. Zoom is good too and if you want to explore that, then go for it.

Skype has been good for business and I’ve coached all over the world from the comfort of my house, although time zone differences can make for early starts and late finishes.

The reaction from colleagues has been mixed, with a good percentage of them suggesting that Skype coaching isn’t real coaching. It is. Clients are real people at all times and Skype bridges a gap, saves a lot of driving and is a gateway to good work.

I use Skype for my own supervision and for counselling work too. We contract for safety and the work done is professional and purposeful.

So I love Skype. It’s good to use technology in ways that benefit clients and business. My bet is that in 10 years time we will all be using video conferencing for home use as a standard feature, and not just for the occasional FaceTime.

My frustration is that the technology doesn’t always work so well and that Microsoft, in their wisdom, like to muck about with the ability to invite new contacts.

In the old days you could invite a new contact with one button push. Thanks to ‘improvements’ I now have to remember where the sub menu is, scroll down a long way, past Lands End, click on a button, pause to make a cup of tea, send an invitation email and then turn to face the setting sun in a precise alignment that ancient druids would have approved of.

And if you think I’m exaggerating, then please feel free to write in with the exact sequence needed to invite a new contact. (If you have the patience to work it out first).

Technology is there to enable business and we can use it safely and ethically. Lots of counsellors (I’m the therapeutic variety, which makes for a great addition to my coaching work) may say that the work isn’t the same if you’re not physically co-located. That may be true for certain types of client and yet I do wonder, that if there was a law passed insisting all counsellors had to use video conferencing, then those same people would adapt to the technology pretty quickly. Or go out of business.

I’m happy to debate the point. This piece is about encouraging us all to see technology as a force for good. Personally I’d rather use Skype and see the supervisor I want, than have to use someone local that isn’t my first choice.

The world is there for us all to explore and if you’re thinking that online work isn’t for you, I’d invite you to be brave and give it a go. It may bring more clients to you, reduce overhead costs and be an easy way to tap into new markets.

Love it, hate it, or feel frustrated by it, Skype is, in my opinion, a force for good in business.

This week, have fun with Skype and its cousins.

Next week: A Business Book Review (Which One Will It Be?)

One of the mysteries of business is how people, who have reached a senior position in their organisation, often deem themselves to be good leaders on the strength of being promoted.

It’s as if promotion confers leadership ability, with the logic being that if they weren’t a competent leader they wouldn’t have been promoted.

As a result, they don’t feel a need to undertake formal training, or at least have some personal coaching.

Even though coaching is now mainstream I’m still surprised when an organisation will buy a new machine and insist on a full maintenance and support package, and yet spend nothing to do the same for the people who are running the business and impacting daily on the lives of their subordinates.

I love sharing leadership skills with senior managers and if you know someone who could do with a top-up then please get in touch. At least I can recommend a couple of good books …or you can download the free pdfs from my website. I take the view that anything is better than nothing.

For fun and to get us all thinking, here are some quiz questions to ponder over…

1. What’s the difference between a directive and a delegating style of leadership?

2. When setting tasks, how often do you think of competency? In terms of us being competent to accurately define a task and our colleague being competent to fully deliver the work?

3. When would a collaborative style of leadership not be as useful as a directive style?

4. How often do our colleagues need time with us, to check out their issues and feel attended to?

5. In terms of colleague engagement do you know how to use Working Styles, to offer support and to challenge unhelpful behaviour?

6. When do you get stressed?

7. What’s your worst leadership trait?

In terms of providing answers there are a few pointers to ponder over.

If we are being directive we set a clear task and retain responsibility for the delivery. If we delegate then our colleague becomes responsible. Lots of managers confuse the two, in my experience.

We have to consider the issue of competency to know if we are using the correct leadership style. It’s too easy to delegate to someone who lacks competence and then get cross when they fail to deliver.

Working Styles are a good way to tailor our language to get the best from people. You can find out more by downloading the Time Management pdf from my website. Of course you can use Mr Google as well!

Knowing ourselves is vital. If we know what sends our stress levels up up up then we can take care of ourselves.

And as for time, colleagues benefit from monthly, or weekly, 1-to-1 time with us and even a telephone call is better than nothing. Leadership is about giving, not about setting tasks and retreating into our office.

If we know our worst trait then we can get support for ourselves and can smile and laugh and change our ways.

Leadership is a learned skill and we all have the potential to be great leaders. We spent years at school learning to read and write and so it make sense to put in the effort to learn the language and behaviour of leadership.

If you’d like to know more about useful leadership concepts from Transactional Analysis then please get in touch. Your colleagues could perhaps benefit from my TA Skills for Leaders course.

This week, have fun being a leader!

Next week: Skype Love (And Frustration)