Tag: Communication

Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien (Rising Tide Africa) – Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone

active CEO Podcast #10 Ndidi Nnoli Edozien Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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PCB Vol 10- Dr. Ndidi Nnoli
Dr. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien – Founder & President Growing Businesses Foundation

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien, a remarkable lady who has provided direction, hope, inspiration and a gift to thousands of female and youth entrepreneurs, from rural areas in Nigeria and across Africa. Ndidi has worked with many of the world’s largest multinationals such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Unilever. We discuss her journey from lending to leading, why it is important to invest in the poor, the magic of vulnerability, how every moment is enough, connecting with your inner gut, embracing failure, understanding people who are unhappy, and embracing failure.

Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien

Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien is the founder and President of Growing Businesses Foundation, since 1999, and the President of Rising Tide Africa. Born in Karlsruhe, Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother. She found her purpose in life to be a catalyst for social change through focusing on social entrepreneurship, corporate sustainability and responsibility (CSR), and is a leading advocate on Bottom of the Pyramid empowerment.

Her education includes attending the United World College and a PhD from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in the area of “ownership and management structures”. She is an Alumnus of Wharton Business School, and has also completed executive programmes at INSEAD and Cambridge Judge Business School.

She speaks with passion, pride and humility as she delivers powerful, inspiring and emotionally connecting words of wisdom to encourage the next generation to be bold and make a difference in their life and the community around them.

 

Ndidi talks about:

  • The contrast between Germany and Nigeria and how that influenced her upbringing.
  • How one can harness the huge potential in Lagos, and how the world sees the huge potential and economic power.
  • United World College’s focus on transforming the world, transforming the space with which you live, and being an ambassador for your country and your people.
  • Considering the other side and how much richer that makes your perspective
  • What inspired Ndidi to start Growing Businesses Foundation.
  • Building sustainable economies around big businesses.
  • How Growing Businesses Foundation program contributed 4% of Unilever’s revenues.
  • Providing a paradigm shift in the way that big business looks at their social responsibility.
  • The incredible ripple effect of micro-financing women and youth
  • Rural telephone project
  • Less than 20% of the Nigerian population are formally employed.
  • The purpose of Rising Tide Africa.
  • Guiding businesses to succeed and even to exit at the appropriate time.
  • Learning to be satisfied with little victories.
  • Why successful people tend to have a humble and quiet confidence that keeps them going.
  • Embracing failure and what happens when you don’t deal with it.
  • “You must never be willing to die for anything. You must be willing to give it your best shot. If it fails, you must walk away from it like you never even cared.”
  • How she responded to a potential investor saying “I think you have made a bad career move”.
  • How the Wharton Business School Advanced Management Program opened up peoples vulnerabilities so intensely, allowing them to grow from their ability to be humble and honest.
  • The discipline of creating time for you is one of the things we neglect the most and need the most.
  • How she responds to people who are unhappy and not all right.
  • There is no job or anything that is more important than our personal wellbeing.
  • Her love of working with interns.
  • Why her two daughters have had the greatest impact on her career.

Tweets

“It taught me that poverty wasn’t so much the lack of financial capital, but was the lack of dignity and self-confidence”. Listen to Ndidi Nnoli Edozien on the active CEO Podcast

“Don’t give charity to the poor, the poorest people who need ‘help’, look at them as potential, economic potential and socioeconomic potential, and invest.” Listen to the active CEO Podcast as Ndidi Nnoli Edozien explains how she empowers 100,000’s of women.

“Create a movement where everyone decides to do their little bit, that’s where transformation really happens.” Learn more amazing business tips with Ndidi Nnoli Edozien on the active CEO Podcast

“Love what you do. When you are able and willing to do it even when no one is looking or no one will pay you for it, you gain an inner strength and momentum to sustain and it gives you the ability to tap into that inner intuitive knowing. To be great at business its actually not the thinking or the feeling, it is the knowing.” On being an entrepreneur with Ndidi Nnoli Edozien on the active CEO Podcast

 

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Growing Businesses Foundation link

Rising Tide Africa link

Ndidi LinkedIn link

Ndidi Wikipedia link

Ndidi Interview Wharton Business School video

Wharton Business School www.wharton.upenn.edu/

INSEAD link

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University link

Cambridge Judge Business School link

Unilever www.unilever.com

Shell www.shell.com

Exxon Mobil www.exxonmobil.com

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

www.nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#9 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #2 – Creating an Earthquake link
#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link 
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

Have You Ever Misread a Customers Emotional State?

Posted on by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

IMG_7857Exceptional customer service has a profound affect on retaining customers and increasing your customer base.

  • Does your staff treat customers, colleagues and stakeholders with respect?
  • How effective is your staff at following up on feedback?
  • Are your complaints and returns handled gracefully?
  • What do exceeding customer expectations look like in your company?
  • Is going out of your way to help customers, colleagues and stakeholders part of your culture?
  • Have you checked whether all your staff understands your customers’ needs and wants?

This is the first article of a four-part series focusing on how the fundamentals of customer service are crucial to staff interaction, stakeholder management and the growth of every staff member, including yourself. Each article will cover six core components of customer service, that are pivotal to the success of your company or organisation.

1. Patience is the Virtue

Patience is not just about waiting for something; it is about your attitude and the way you wait. You don’t want to waste the customers time, but you need to take the time to allow them to express their concerns and for you to listen carefully so you can figure out what they are looking for. People want you to understand their needs and wants, and don’t like to be rushed out the door. It is important to remember that great service beats fast service every single time!

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we are waiting.”

JOYCE MEYER

2. Cool as a Cucumber

Have you got what it takes to stay cool, calm and collected, when it all gets a bit hairy and out of control? Having the ability to hold your nerve and remain composed when the conversation or situation gets a bit hectic is an invaluable skill. If you can take it up a notch and be able to influence, as well as stay calm, when the heat is on, you are in a powerful position when servicing customers. Whatever happens, you need to take it upon yourself to do whatever it takes to keep the peace and ensure the world doesn’t fall down around the customer.

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” 

DEEPAK CHOPRA

3. Power of Positivity

The language you use when speaking with customers, has a major effect on how they perceive and hear your response. Using words such as can’t, won’t or unavailable are likely to have a negative on the customer’s views of the staff and the company or organization. Creating happy customers should be your number one goal. Be in control of your conversational patterns so the language you use creates positive perceptions. The tone of your language can have a noticeable effect on your ability to persuade and influence your customers.

“Life is all about perception. Positive versus negative. Whichever you choose will affect and more than likely reflect your outcomes.”

UNKNOWN

4. Ability to Read Customers

Being able to create a personal experience for your customers is an important part of making a long-term connection. With communication extending from visual, to listening and now even more common, written, you have to be effective in reading their current emotional state. You need to ask yourself, how well do I know the customer? If you misread a customer’s emotional state, your response, or lack-of, may lead to confusion and miscommunication. This essential skill requires you to look, listen and quickly comprehend subtle cues and clues about their current mood, personality, patience, and desired outcome.

“I never teach until I have spoken to the student. I have to first determine their emotional state, understand their background, find out what I have to do, how many layers I have to keep peeling off so that I get to the core of the person so that they can recognise, as well as I, what is there.” 

ADOPTED – CUS D’AMATO

5. Attention

You have to be on your toes, as customers may not necessarily spell out what they are looking for, right from the start. Your ability to listen carefully and effectively is pivotal to providing exceptional service. Being mindful and attentive to what they are saying, the way they are saying it, when they are saying it and how they are saying it provides valuable information for deciding how to respond. You may need to ask questions that clarify what you think they have said or written, as you pay attention to customer interactions.

“When I think about great service, it’s about how you take every interaction you have with the customer and use that as a way to improve their perception of your organisation.” 

JON HERSTEIN

6. Be Empathetic

Do you have the ability to understand and share the feelings of your customer? Empathy is an important character trait, which can be learned and developed over time. Your ability to emphathise with your customers and develop a message that leads to a positive outcome is an invaluable craft. Sometimes you wont be in a position to provide the news they are looking for, so you need to show compassion, understanding, care and concern when you speak with them.

“Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.”

DANIEL PINK

Customer service wont develop on its own. It is constantly evolving as your company or organisation grows and develops. You need to be constantly enhancing both your customer service as well as the company or organisation you work with. What customer service improvement strategies are you employing?

Customer Service part 2 is now available with the Going the Extra Mile article. This article covers clear communication, using your acting skills, knowing your products, managing time, being ready for surprises and the tenacity to go above and beyond for your customers.

Looking for More?

Keep up-to-date on the latest membership information, research and ideas by signing up the the NRGizer Newsletter. SIGN UP NOW

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles and podcasts:

active CEO Podcast Suzie Hoitink Clear Complexions

active CEO Podcast #5 Suzie Hoitink Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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PCB Vol 5- Suzie Hoitink
Suzie Hoitink – Founder Clear Complexions

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Suzie Hoitink, enjoying an insightful and thought-provoking discussion about leading an active and healthy lifestyle by example, successfully taking a new idea to market, the impact Rob de Castella has recently had on her life, finding the confidence to step out of a comfortable life, managing a successful partnership with her husband and how she leads an active CEO lifestyle.

Suzie Hoitink

Suzie Hoitink is a wonderful mother, leader, business owner and someone who really cares about people. She founded Clear Complexions, the undisputed leader in the skin rejuvenation industry, in 2005 and has gone on to build it into a multimillion-dollar business. Suzie was recognised as the 2012 Telstra Business Women of the Year. As a teenager she was shy and had low self-esteem. You wouldn’t recognise that now, as she is alive with charisma, belief, authenticity and the desire to positively change people’s lives.

Suzie talks about:

  • Exercise being crucial to keeping the balance
  • Needing something to terrify her to get out of bed in the morning
  • How her family brought out a competitive spirit in her
  • Why she adores triathlon and loves the structure of having a coach
  • Exercise being a non-negotiable in the mornings
  • Her role being an emotionally giving role to her staff and especially the clients
  • Being a corporate runner for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation and running the New York Marathon being one of the most significant events of her life
  • How leading an active and healthy lifestyle, by example, has had a positive impact on her staff
  • To bring an active CEO lifestyle into an organisation you need to be an inspirational leader sharing the achievements and most importantly the journey
  • Correlation between exercise, and self-esteem and confidence
  • “The enemy of a great life is a good one.”
  • A problem that I had that wasn’t being solved
  • Why nurses have the advantage in the skin care industry
  • Finding confidence in herself and leaving a comfortable life
  • The challenges of being acquired by a publicly listed company in 2017
  • Building something like a sculpture
  • Taking on a new CEO
  • Standing outside the square rather than in it
  • The importance of a mentor
  • Leading by example, being inclusive, setting high standards and sharing the vision
  • Dealing with travelling on a weekly basis
  • Why her mum and dad have had such a major influence on her life

Tweets

The enemy of a great life is a good one with Suzie Hoitink. You can listen here

When you start a new business, you only see forward, you see no barriers, so focused on your great idea. Listen to Suzie Hoitink and gain an insight into leading by example on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Suzie Hoitink LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/suziehoitink/

Suzie Hoitink Website www.suziehoitink.com/

Clear Complexions www.clearcomplexions.com

Indigenous Marathon Foundation http://www.imf.org.au/

Robert de Castella https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Castella

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book https://nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link 
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

4 Healthy Break Habits in the Workplace

Posted on by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

In the previous article “Undisputed Benefits of Taking a Smoko Break” we looked at the benefits of taking regular, short and frequent breaks, and the importance of detachment from something we are focused on. This article bring you some useful strategies and habits you can form to improve your performance and productivity in the workplace.

Don’t tell your boss, but taking a power nap has a major impact on your alertness and cognitive function. It can alleviate sleep deficits; improve creative problem solving, verbal memory, perceptual, object and statistical learning, logical reasoning, reaction times and symbol recognition; and improve our mood, fatigue and feeling of sleepiness. They should last between 10 to 30minutes long. If you nap any longer you risk developing ‘sleep inertia’, which is the unpleasant groggy feeling that can take some time to shake off.

Quite often we get caught up in ‘the grind’ or the finer details of what we are doing. Having a break allows you to step back and taking a birds-eye-view of the task or work you are focused on. It allows to you see the big picture and stay mindful of your objectives.

Enjoyment is the number one retention tool in the world. Completing a fun activity by yourself or with your friends and colleagues produces positive emotions. These emotions reverse negative effects of work tasks and increase blood flow to the areas in the brain that we use to focus.

Daydreaming allows us to release and switch on our creative modes. Our brains have a focused mode (learning, writing, working) and a diffuse mode (relaxed, day-dreaming). Our brain activity increases when our mind wanders. We sometimes solve some of our toughest puzzles or problems while daydreaming.

“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets…It is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.”

TIM KREIDER

Productivity-Boosting Activities for your Break

Lets take a look at some more activities that you can use to boost your productivity:

  • Take a walk – 20min walk can increase blood-flow to the brain, which can boost creative thought, enhance the connectivity of important brain circuits, combat age-related declines in brain function, and improve memory and cognitive performance
  • Daydreaming – leads to creativity. Creative activities teach us agency, the ability to change the world, mould it to our liking and to have a positive effect on our environment
  • Eat – replenish the brain with productivity nourishing foods
  • Read – a non-work book. Reading fiction books can lead to better understanding other people, emphasize with them and see the world from their perspective
  • Coffee – morning and afternoon break time is the perfect time for coffee
  • Aesthetically pleasing photos – photos that spark positive emotions like babies, baby animals and funny cartoons
  • Listen to music – can significantly improve our motor and reasoning skills
  • Nap it out – 10-30min naps can improve cognitive function, decreases sleepiness and fatigue, improves reaction time.
  • Exercise – makes you happier, increase energy and helps gain focus. Less than 10minutes is all you need.
  • Have a chat – with co-workers or friends
  • Meditate – your brain’s beta waves can be dramatically reduced during meditation. It lowers stress levels, improves overall health and enhances creativity
  • Make it fun – plan a future trip or vacation. The anticipation of a trip can make people happier that the actual trip itself
  • See the nature – Spending time in nature is good for your immune system, improve focus and relieve stress
  • 20min Eye Exercise Rule – 20-20-20 rule – Every 20min, take at least a 20sec break, looking at objects 20 feet away.
  • Goofing Around online – the distractive nature of checking text messages and surfing social media can assist with refreshing the brain

“To maximize gains from long-term practice,” Dr. Ericsson concluded, “individuals must avoid exhaustion and must limit practice to an amount from which they can completely recover on a daily or weekly basis.”

Professor K. ANDERS ERICSSON

Break Methods

Here are a few methods that can help you implement a successful break strategy in your day.

  1. Pomodoro Method – alternate 25mins on, 5mins off. After 4 cycles take a 30min break. Helps you get rid of distractions and focus more intently. Finite beginning and end of small chunks increases urgency in finishing tasks quickly and making decisions faster
  2. 90minute work blocks – works with our body’s natural rhythm (ultradian rhythm) of 90minutes of activity and 20minutes of rest. We do this during sleep and during the day. When Professor K. Anders Ericsson studied elite performers like violinists, athletes, actors and chess players, he found that the best performers practiced in focused sessions of no more than 90 minutes.
  3. 52-17 method – split between the Pomodoro Method and 90min Blocks. Research suggests that it could be the most productive schedule. Working with purpose.
  4. 2x 15min breaks per day – a good starting point for those who have less flexibility in their work day or mentally cant get their heads around taking breaks.

“The reason the most productive 10% of our users are able to get the most done during the comparatively short periods of working time is that their working times are treated as sprints. They make the most of those 52 minutes by working with intense purpose, but then rest up to be ready for the next burst. In other words, they work with purpose.”

COURTNEY SEITER

What are strategy are you going to choose?

Looking for More?

Keep up-to-date on the latest membership information, research and ideas by signing up the the NRGizer Newsletter. SIGN UP NOW

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles and podcasts:

active CEO Podcast #2 Introduction Part 2

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Ben Gathercole and Craig Johns expand on the active CEO Podcast, and take the active and healthy lifestyle to another level.

Ben Gathercole and Craig Johns have a more the 50 years combined experience working in performance coaching and leadership roles. They understand the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle, and are now sharing their insights and enlightening people how to become better leaders through a brand new concept, corporate periodisation.

Ben and Craig also speak about:

  • The secret to switching off from work when at home.
  • Why it is important to be diligent and being on in home environment.
  • How experiencing different cultures matures your leadership ability.
  • Engage with your people more often.
  • What allowed Craig to make the decisive move to change his lifestyle when he moved to Taiwan?
  • How do you break the vicious cycle of all work and no play?
  • The importance of planning, goals and writing them down.
  • Trust, accountability and sharing are crucial to achieving your goals.
  • Your “circle of trust” in a leadership role.
  • Why is having friends in the workplace is invaluable?
  • Let’s put the kid back in us!
  • Approximately 85% of people don’t like their job.
  • The 6-8 week tipping point.
  • You have to practice happiness.
  • You have to be willing to improve yourself to be an active CEO.
  • There is no choice but to live an active and healthy activeCEO lifestyle.
  • What was the last thing you did for the first time?
  • Get out of the comfort zone.
  • Learn who Craig and Ben’s noted had the biggest impact on their lives.
  • What were Ben and Craig’s biggest mistakes that they learnt from?
  • active CEO Wellness Tip – Stairway to Heaven

Tweets

active CEO’s Ben Gathercole and Craig Johns use the Stairway to Heaven in living an active and healthy lifestyle. You can listen here

Being humble as a leader with Ben Gathercole and Craig Johns providing powerful insights into being an active CEO

Resources Mentioned in this show:

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform/

Keynote Speaking link

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

https://nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book/

Pitching a Winner

Posted on by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

By Craig Johns

This week, while discussing why Triathlon ACT has achieved record participation and membership this season, I was curiously asked how I pitch triathlon to an adult who isn’t already involved the sport. I was excited to be asked that question (You ask why?), because I love being able to sell an emotional connection.

What you will read below showcases the basic fundamentals of selling in a way that is non-threatening, captivates through an emotional connection and builds a memorable relationship.

I will provide you with the four key basic selling fundamentals at the end of this article, but for now, here is how the conversation went:

Curious George: You have achieved record membership this season, how do you sell triathlon, a sport that we see for the fitness freaks, to people not involved in the sport?

Me: Do you have children?

Curious George: Yes, two

Me: How old are they?

Curious George: 7 & 10

Me: What was it like, for you as a parent, the first time your children were awarded their first certificate at school?

Curious George: My wife and I were so excited. I felt like the world’s coolest dad. I was so proud and couldn’t stop smiling. 

Me: That was a very special moment for you, wasn’t it?

Curious George: Yes, I have never felt so proud in my life, it sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.

Me: What did you notice about your children as they received the certificate?

Curious George: My child was the happiest child in the world. He couldn’t stop smiling, was so energetic and couldn’t come and wait to show me his certificate. 

Me: You can’t stop smiling and is that a tear I see in your eye?

Curious George: Seeing your children achieve something is a an amazing feeling as a parent. It is quite hard to fully explain the emotions you experience. It brings back great memories when I was a child

Me: When you first take the step to sign up for a triathlon, you feel the same apprehension, excitement and nervousness as you did when you getting ready to start your first day of school. The first few weeks of training are like the first few weeks of school where you are trying to establish a routine, make new friends and understand all the new information. This is mixed with lots of fun, smiles and praise that makes you feel like you are on top of the world. But, it all also seems a bit daunting, overwhelming and there maybe a couple of tears at time. When you cross the line it is that same feeling of accomplishment and rush of adrenaline when you hear your name called in assembly, you walk to the stage in front of all your school mates, you get a handshake, receive the certificate from the Principal and a “well done George, we are so proud of you”.

Curious George: I remember that feeling as it was just yesterday.

Me: When you cross the finish line in a triathlon, hear your name over the loud speaker, then someone hands you a finishers medal and your children and wife give you a big hug, that same feeling of emotion you had as a school kid comes flooding back and it is the most amazing feeling.

Curious George: Wow, I never thought of it like that.

Me: Do you know what is even better than the feeling the emotion of getting the certificate?

Curious George: No

Me: You can be a part of an amazing community who are there to support, teach and coach you to achieve something you first thought wasn’t possible. Let me show you how easy it is to sign up for your first event and join one of our amazing triathlon clubs.

………. (The deal is now being closed)

 

What many people don’t understand is that being successful in any organisation is all about being an outstanding salesperson, entertainer and positive influencer. You need to be able to tell a story and create an engaging and emotional connection with a wonderful feeling that people have experienced before. You need to be able to paint an authentic picture and sell the real thing. Taking a used-car-salesman approach, selling something that people don’t want or need, will leave you stranded in the long-term.

So what are the four key basic selling fundamentals to help you secure more participants, members and consumers:

  1. Find the CONNECTION (gather)
    • “finding out whether they have experienced a similar feeling to the journey when preparing for, doing and crossing the finish line”
  2. Create an EMOTION (respond)
    • “emphasise the euphoria experienced when crossing the finish line and achieving something”
  3. Paint the PICTURE (deliver) 
    • “the picture you paint and how it connects emotionally” 
  4. Seal of APPROVAL – (complete)
    • “take them through the first step of signing up for the triathlon”

I always focus on building an emotional connection, painting a picture of enjoyment, reaffirming the positive emotions, reducing any perceived barriers and showing them that you care.

Remember to “never ask a question, you don’t wont an answer to”. This will leave you with your back up against the wall as you have placed a mental barrier in front of the person you are speaking with.

An example is asking an unfit person who doesn’t lead a healthy lifestyle, “Do you think triathlon is difficult and for the super fit person?”. The answer is 99 times out of 100 going to be “Yes”. You have already painted a negative image in their mind and you will find it very difficult to delete that image and replace it with a positive triathlon experience that entices them to want to sign up for a triathlon and complete a race.

How are you going to approach your next conversation to ensure that you increase your chances of making that important sale?

 

Keep up-to-date on the latest membership information, research and ideas by signing up the the NRGizer Newsletter. SIGN UP NOW

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles by Craig Johns:

Unleash the Niche

Posted on by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

By Craig Johns

What can your members not do without?

No organisation can be everything to everyone, no matter how big or small. Being able to narrow the focus of your target market, known as creating a ‘niche’, is key to success. By understanding what your consumers can’t do without and servicing that requirement, you will be a step ahead of the competition.

What is your place in the industry?

Niches do not exist, but are created by identifying needs, wants and requirements that are limited in the marketplace, and can be satisfied by developing, delivering and implementing products, programs and services that satisfy them. Having a strong identity and a clear understanding of who you are to the consumers, is very important.

What is your market?

Knowing what market you providing for allows you to specifically tailor content and services that connect with your consumers. People like to have exclusivity and know they are receiving special service. They want to feel cared about and being able to specifically make a connection with them should be a priority. If you don’t know whom you want to do business with, you can’t make contact.

What makes it different?

Do you know why your market stands out from the rest and what are the behavioural characteristics of your consumers? Understanding what makes it different allows you to create a stronger brand and identity to ensure you recruit and retain your consumers effectively.

Steps to success

  1. Create a list of who you want to attract and work with.
  2. Focus on what products, programs and services you are going to provide, based on your skill-sets, achievements, lessons learnt and style.
  3. Determine how your consumers see, understand and interact with their world.
  4. Synthesize your niche through ensuring it fits your long-term vision, it is desirable to your consumers, it is carefully planned, it’s one of a kind and has evolutionary elements
  5. Look at whether you niche meets the criteria of all aspects in step four and evaluate its viability.
  6. The one step that is most often forgotten or misunderstood is testing the niche with the market.
  7. Unleash the niche, into the market place.

 The Pressure Test

Once you have effectively implemented your niche and established your identity it’s important to regularly check its relevance in the marketplace. By asking key questions, you will be able to do a temperature test on whether it’s still ‘hot property’ or not.

  • Are your target consumers who you thought they were?
  • Do you stand up to the pressure test with your consumers?
  • Is it constantly evolving and moving ahead of the competition?
  • Are you offering what the consumers really want?
  • Do you have a connection, passion and focused energy with regards your niche?

Be one step ahead!

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles by Craig Johns:

Ask a Question!

Posted on by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

Question

By Craig Johns

Are you asking the right questions and how are you interpreting the answers?

Asking the right questions provides a powerful tool for a leader, manager or coach. The following piece provides an insight into how questioning impacts both the person asking and those answering the question, through a coach/athlete relationship. It is applicable to all industries and aspects of life.

“There is more learning in the question itself, than the answer.” 

Andrew Weremy

Utilizing questioning as a coach can provide a greater insight into the athlete in how they learn, understand and perform. Questioning encourages athletes to think for themselves and increases their involvement, responsibility, creativity, motivation and interest in learning.

A positive benefit of questioning is that it promotes increased levels of communication (2-way communication) between athlete and coach. Enhanced communication then leads to developing mutual respect and trust between athlete and coach. This “helps the coach understand the athlete better through enhanced communication, which could lead to recognizing the athletes emotional, social and life variables that are/were affecting performance.” [ITU2]

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than 5 minutes.” 

Albert Einstein

Questioning “helps athletes become more autonomous and continue to learn and explore when the coach isn’t there.” [ITU2] The athlete will learn to problem solve more effectively, have “confidence in their ability to analyze situations” [ITU2] and improve their decision making ability under pressure in a competition.

There are various types of questioning including closed (‘Yes’ or ‘No’, provides limited information), open (requires explaining in-depth) and leading (contains information the person asking wants to hear in the question) questions. Open questioning provides greater opportunities for understanding and learning due to the more detailed response. Questioning can also be classified further into [ITU2]

• Knowledge (attending to and remembering facts)
• Understanding (Interpreting meaning, translating into the athletes own words)
• Application (using information and solving problems by applying information in new and different ways)
• Analysis (Breaking things into parts: examining relationships; asking why)
• Synthesis (Create something new; construct; design)
• Evaluation (judging, assigning value, justifying opinions)

It has been found that “using bandwidth feedback with questioning maintains communication with athlete, allows the coach to gain a greater understanding of what the athlete is concentrating on and encourages athlete autonomy for their learning.” Bandwidth feedback sets an acceptable zone of performance and only provides feedback when the athlete falls below or excels above. Another way to create more effective results from questioning involves the use of a pause or waiting time to allow them to think before answering.

“Sometimes quiet people really do have a lot to say. They’re just being careful about who they open up to.”

Susan Gale

Reference – [ITU2] ITU Competitive Coaching Level II Coaches Manual pg 170, 171, 172

 

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles by Craig Johns:

Complexity is Your Enemy

Posted on by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

Complexity Coach

By Craig Johns

Why do we fall down the trap of thinking and making things more complex than they should be?

KISS – Keep it simple stupid is a great acronym too seldom used. We often make everything very complex, leaving both ourselves and those we are talking to confused and unsure.

As Albert Einstein once said:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”.

A common trap people fall into is thinking that it is the people were are talking too’s fault for why they don’t understand, rather than placing the emphasis back on ourselves, as the one (s) presenting the concept or information.

Being able to deliver a compelling message to our employees, investors or athletes comes down to your ability to make it understandable to the audience you are speaking or writing to. It is common for a CEO, manager or coach to send their employees or athletes off with a task and for them to return as a failure, in the their eyes. This is not because the employee or athlete wasn’t capable of doing it, but because they didn’t understand what was being asked or provided to them.

It is important that the CEO, manager or coach are able to analyze a situation and determine whether the message they are presenting is actually being understood.  If you can’t explain it in less than 20% of the words you used, then it is probably too complex and you don’t understand your subject matter well enough. The ability of an employee or athlete to understand what the CEO, manager or coach message is, can have a major affect on the trust and support they will provide.

Richard Branson summed complexity up with the following:

“Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to make something simpler.”

How do you check if your message is being understood and whether you understand your message well enough?

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles by Craig Johns: