Blog

Over years of observing what the “top people” do and don’t do (and never did) to get to the top, I created a checklist. And when I first thought about it, I was quite shocked. In fact, when you read it your first reaction might be, “No way! Phil, I completely disagree...

One of the biggest bugbears many managers and leaders struggle with is the stream of constant interruptions, and in particular the tendency these interruptions have is that they are problems, not options for solutions. Notwithstanding the desire to be always available...

Many of you will be familiar with “The Balanced Scorecard” as a means of measuring and improving the performance of a business by looking at four key areas, and not solely at the financial aspects. I’ll not go into it here, but I would certainly recommend you look...

A personal client got in touch saying that he needed to get “Re-set”. He is a successful person who simply felt that of late he had gone off the boil, lost focus, lost energy. Could I put together a plan for getting him up and at it again? This was a fantastic...

One of our readers contacted me to say they had had a real setback in their life’s goal. They were upset, deflated, feeling generally “yuk” about it. This is a message for them, and for you if you have ever suffered a setback: 1.  Rebuild yourself. Take time out to do...

You will have heard the phrase “Success is Chosen” many times, I am sure. In fact, if you haven’t heard it before, give it some thought for a moment. It’s what so many of the people who rise to the top in their professional arena say. That’s great news, isn’t it? I...

From Distraction to Action The problem of procrastination is something which most people suffer from, to a greater or lesser extent: Last week, I came across a situation where someone was just not doing what they knew they could be doing to achieve their major 2016...

1st September is one of my favourite days of the year... and for me has always held a particular significance. Isn’t it something deep in our psyche about this time of year that makes us ready for a “new start”, a new term, perhaps a new harvest? There's a keen sense...

I hear lots of people say things like, “well, I’ll get onto doing something about that goal once I’ve got myself organised, once the children are older, once the weather gets better, once the football season finishes…” and so on. Something’s always not quite right…...

I was once coaching a business owner who said that even though he wrote out a plan every day, he never got near the most important actions on his list. There was a mix of procrastination, but also frequent interruptions, and a lack of focus at play here. He felt that...

Over the past few days I have been working with a business person (let’s call him Jim) who was made redundant from a large corporation 3 years ago and hasn’t really found his feet since then. He is a very capable person, intelligent and seemingly confident. He is...

Alfred Wainwright, famed for his guidebooks to walking the Fells of the Lake District had a complete obsession - walking, and documenting these walks through his unique sketches, maps and writings. He set out a 13-year plan to cover all 214 walks. Yep. Thirteen years....

Spring represents renewal, rebirth, and the start of new life, and spring cleaning your business means injecting this fresh feeling to your own operation. 1.    Have a Self Upgrade a) Upgrade your appearance. This is your shop window. Is your suit up to scratch? Are...

I was recently interviewed about what people should do when overcoming setbacks in life, and in particular how to bounce back from setbacks such as losing a job. Here are the 7 steps I use for breaking through such adversity… 1.  Take Personal Responsibility: you...

In every project, in every goal, in every challenge and in every opportunity, there is a critical element. The hook on which everything else hangs. The Action which will unlock the results needed to achieve the goal … everything else depends on this one element… THE...

I am sure you will have seen a Grand Prix motor race on TV. It always fascinates me what happens at a pit stop. 22 people are involved in a flurry of instant activity. Each one specialising in a very clearly defined role, a clear task, utilising their talents… all to...

Like me, you will be aware that one of the most important resources in modern business is Energy. The scientific definition of “Energy” is “the capacity for doing work”. And as the world of business speeds up and the demands become ever greater, we also feel the...

This day in 1979, Bob Geldoff released the song "I don’t like Mondays". A modern classic which has stood the test of time (we all love that piano intro don’t we! Younger readers may wish to ask parents to explain at this point). How do I know this? Well, 25 years and...

It begins, of course, with taking the time to sit down and do it. No need for me to spell that lesson out, is there? 1. Remember this simple rule: begin with the long term, and go from macro to micro, general to specific. So only set goals for the next 90 days when...

Possibly the biggest lesson, on reflection, is that some of these are the same, or similar, to the lessons of a year ago. Life is one big lesson… Possibly the biggest lesson, on reflection, is that some of these are the same, or similar, to the lessons of a year ago....