I can't really believe that it's been so long since I posted some news here. It has been a hectic few months - there is usually a lull around the festive season when it comes to business advice and helping people figure out their business plans, but this year is different.
Even when we were snowed in I had a pile of business plans on the desk for reading and marking and delivering feedback. The great thing about my job is that I can read, think and make phonecalls from just about anywhere.
The great thing I can say about all the people I have helped is that they are focussed, dedicated and like sponges are absorbing all of the advice I can give them, going away and doing something about the hurdles they face. I'm so proud of the businesses that are fighting back and rising out of the flames of this recession. So proud.
Businesses are getting cleverer - those that will survive are having to. Cutting out costs wherever they can, delivering extra services for their clients, remembering to - and enjoying - the strengthening of relationships they have with loyal customers. Remembering to reward that loyalty - back to Fergal Quinn's days of "crowning" the customer. It all sounds so simple.
It can be. Just take a moment to look at your business and put yourself in the shoes of your customer - what would they want? What are they really interested in? Stop thinking about what you can do (in terms of fantastical capabilities) and start thinking about what you can do for them.
It is that simple. Good luck!
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Saturday, August 8, 2009
On being Interviewed in the Bath by Terry Wogan. A lá Committments.
It has arrived at last. Fame. Oh, and Terry Wogan interviewing me in the bath.
Terry: So MJ, you've come to the end of your dissertation, come away from the Thesis Centre in Camden St with a few scars. Tell us about it.
Me: Well Terry, for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to do some research into the manufacturing industry. What with it being in trouble 'n' all, I hoped to help it along by finding some success routes for those that have stayed the course thusfar.
Terry: And what did you find out MJ?
Me: That it was not a good idea. My life has had to go pretty much on hold for the past year, and I'm not sure it was worth it.
Terry: Why so?
Me: Because I'm not sure anyone is actually going to read the damn thing.
Terry: You've lost faith in your findings already, so soon after publication?
Me: Not at all Terry, I've lost faith in other people's interest. My findings are fcuking amazing, I'm a fricking genius.
Terry: Well of course, of course...
Me: I found out that some fellas have the balls to go for it, and others are just ok ticking along.
Terry: Right, well, that's hardly scientific, is it?
Me: It was fricking case study based research Terry, it doesn't have to be scientific, that's the beauty of it. It's all down to interpretation. Gleaning from it whateverthefrick you want. Know what I mean?
Terry: How long did it take you to conduct the research?
Me: Well you know Terry, there had to be a few months of procrastinating in there, no good academic research is worked on consistently. Any PhD-person will tell you that. It needs a bit of...panic, drive, you know what I mean?
Terry: I think I do...
Me: So after p*ssing about for three months, I did a bit of a Literature Review. Picked a few holes in what others had done in the area.
Terry: That sounds good -
Me: Yep, that made me feel great so I p*ssed around for another few months doing sweet FA, then decided to get my finger out and conduct a few interviews.
Terry: Remarkable.
Me: Indeed Terry, indeed. I asked a few questions, prodded a few sore points and tried to get to the bottom of a few questions my research supervisor had mentioned. Transcribed the whole thing and eh, well...
Terry: What?
Me: Honestly? I stared at it for another while. Couldn't figure out how the hell to get from 40-pages of notes to a graph or barchart of any kind.
Terry: So what did you do?
Me: I looked in a few books, asked the supervisor a few questions that caused his eyes to roll heavenward.
Terry: And?
Me: I decided to ignore him completely and went off on a tangeant that got me to my 20-odd-thousand word limit.
Terry: Incredible.
Me: I know, I'm a fricking genius, like I said. An academic marvel, if you will.
Terry: That's one way of looking at it.
Me: I'm looking forward to results day and graduation. Should be a hell of a bender.
Terry: Is there anyone you want to thank now?
Me: Well of course! The makers of coffee, for one... My supervisor for not openly judging me. My friends, family and random strangers on Twitter who have kept me entertained when I was meant to be working. My better half for turning a blind eye when I scoffed ALL the chocolate in the house and then yelled at him for no apparent reason. Often.
Terry: And what is to come of your findings now, now that the class has disbanded. What will happen to your research findings?
Me: I'm fcuked if I know Terry. Have you any chocolate?
Terry: So MJ, you've come to the end of your dissertation, come away from the Thesis Centre in Camden St with a few scars. Tell us about it.
Me: Well Terry, for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to do some research into the manufacturing industry. What with it being in trouble 'n' all, I hoped to help it along by finding some success routes for those that have stayed the course thusfar.
Terry: And what did you find out MJ?
Me: That it was not a good idea. My life has had to go pretty much on hold for the past year, and I'm not sure it was worth it.
Terry: Why so?
Me: Because I'm not sure anyone is actually going to read the damn thing.
Terry: You've lost faith in your findings already, so soon after publication?
Me: Not at all Terry, I've lost faith in other people's interest. My findings are fcuking amazing, I'm a fricking genius.
Terry: Well of course, of course...
Me: I found out that some fellas have the balls to go for it, and others are just ok ticking along.
Terry: Right, well, that's hardly scientific, is it?
Me: It was fricking case study based research Terry, it doesn't have to be scientific, that's the beauty of it. It's all down to interpretation. Gleaning from it whateverthefrick you want. Know what I mean?
Terry: How long did it take you to conduct the research?
Me: Well you know Terry, there had to be a few months of procrastinating in there, no good academic research is worked on consistently. Any PhD-person will tell you that. It needs a bit of...panic, drive, you know what I mean?
Terry: I think I do...
Me: So after p*ssing about for three months, I did a bit of a Literature Review. Picked a few holes in what others had done in the area.
Terry: That sounds good -
Me: Yep, that made me feel great so I p*ssed around for another few months doing sweet FA, then decided to get my finger out and conduct a few interviews.
Terry: Remarkable.
Me: Indeed Terry, indeed. I asked a few questions, prodded a few sore points and tried to get to the bottom of a few questions my research supervisor had mentioned. Transcribed the whole thing and eh, well...
Terry: What?
Me: Honestly? I stared at it for another while. Couldn't figure out how the hell to get from 40-pages of notes to a graph or barchart of any kind.
Terry: So what did you do?
Me: I looked in a few books, asked the supervisor a few questions that caused his eyes to roll heavenward.
Terry: And?
Me: I decided to ignore him completely and went off on a tangeant that got me to my 20-odd-thousand word limit.
Terry: Incredible.
Me: I know, I'm a fricking genius, like I said. An academic marvel, if you will.
Terry: That's one way of looking at it.
Me: I'm looking forward to results day and graduation. Should be a hell of a bender.
Terry: Is there anyone you want to thank now?
Me: Well of course! The makers of coffee, for one... My supervisor for not openly judging me. My friends, family and random strangers on Twitter who have kept me entertained when I was meant to be working. My better half for turning a blind eye when I scoffed ALL the chocolate in the house and then yelled at him for no apparent reason. Often.
Terry: And what is to come of your findings now, now that the class has disbanded. What will happen to your research findings?
Me: I'm fcuked if I know Terry. Have you any chocolate?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Is that a flicker of light I see before me?
Has anyone else noticed that the moaning and groaning has quietened to a gentle hum, of late?
It's quite nice, isn't it? I much prefer the general feeling of "ah well, let's just get on with it," rather than everyone from the lady at the supermarket to the man behind the radio mic giving out about anything they can think of. At least we'll get on with it avec sonrise and sure why not.
Why not indeed! It's a bad time for banks but it's a great time for loads of other people. For Sale signs have been replaced outside homes with skips and builders' bums. Honest hardworking tradespeople are out-the-door busy. No this is not second hand, I've spoken to many of them myself! They're flipping delighted that people have stopped just throwing away broken items or moving when the house gets too small. Instead, we're all fixing things and extending or redecorating. And when we balls it up we call in the proper chaps and they're only delighted to help.
Woodie's, B&Q, Homebase - they're all raking it in! I would say the owners of Aldi and Lidl are rolling around their boardroom floors with glee. And sure why not, someone may as well give us what we want - value for money - and get something in return. Custom.
There's an article in today's Irish Times about whose sales are up at the moment. Apparently, the cinema takings in Ireland are the hightes ever recorded which is just marvellous... Ticket sales hit €1.7 million in January. Wowzers!
It reminded me of an interview with a good brain I heard last week, which I sadly haven't had time to flag here. Peter Sutherland was on RTE on Thursday 9th April - you may have heard it or heard about it, but you should listen to it, I really recommend it. No need to seek it out, here's the link - as usual you have to sit through the news first but it's worth it. Everybody needs to hear this. It makes so much sense!
Sudds came across as reasonable, logical and calm as he explained the economic reality of where we stand at the moment. We were one of the highest performing economies in the world, let's not forget that. He may have used the word resilient about how we are at the moment - with strong industries in pharma & IT keeping us charging ahead. The best point he made was a comparison with us and other European countries. If our standard of living has reduced, so has everybody else's, so we're still floating on the surface. In fact apparently, other countries' standards of living have decreased more than hours, so there are others in a worse position.
The underlying message was one of "Don't Panic" - we're still well off as a nation and the recent defecits in public accounts will work themselves out. It's economics!
Recent interest in the property sector in the UK is a signifier of positive outlooks for the rest of us. The graph is starting to creep upward, if ever so gently. Like a meek kitten looking up after it has been scolded. House prices are bottoming out. It will soon be time to start pouncing on good value wherever you see it. If you've been looking and wondering, I hope you're ready! Crikey, I'm almost tempted to get a second mortgage and snap up a few bargains. Almost.
Our glasses are all half full. And if I'm not mistaken about the twinkle at the end of the tunnel, they're slowly starting to fill past the halfway mark. Ahoy there...I think I'll have a glass of that please...
It's quite nice, isn't it? I much prefer the general feeling of "ah well, let's just get on with it," rather than everyone from the lady at the supermarket to the man behind the radio mic giving out about anything they can think of. At least we'll get on with it avec sonrise and sure why not.
Why not indeed! It's a bad time for banks but it's a great time for loads of other people. For Sale signs have been replaced outside homes with skips and builders' bums. Honest hardworking tradespeople are out-the-door busy. No this is not second hand, I've spoken to many of them myself! They're flipping delighted that people have stopped just throwing away broken items or moving when the house gets too small. Instead, we're all fixing things and extending or redecorating. And when we balls it up we call in the proper chaps and they're only delighted to help.
Woodie's, B&Q, Homebase - they're all raking it in! I would say the owners of Aldi and Lidl are rolling around their boardroom floors with glee. And sure why not, someone may as well give us what we want - value for money - and get something in return. Custom.
There's an article in today's Irish Times about whose sales are up at the moment. Apparently, the cinema takings in Ireland are the hightes ever recorded which is just marvellous... Ticket sales hit €1.7 million in January. Wowzers!
It reminded me of an interview with a good brain I heard last week, which I sadly haven't had time to flag here. Peter Sutherland was on RTE on Thursday 9th April - you may have heard it or heard about it, but you should listen to it, I really recommend it. No need to seek it out, here's the link - as usual you have to sit through the news first but it's worth it. Everybody needs to hear this. It makes so much sense!
Sudds came across as reasonable, logical and calm as he explained the economic reality of where we stand at the moment. We were one of the highest performing economies in the world, let's not forget that. He may have used the word resilient about how we are at the moment - with strong industries in pharma & IT keeping us charging ahead. The best point he made was a comparison with us and other European countries. If our standard of living has reduced, so has everybody else's, so we're still floating on the surface. In fact apparently, other countries' standards of living have decreased more than hours, so there are others in a worse position.
The underlying message was one of "Don't Panic" - we're still well off as a nation and the recent defecits in public accounts will work themselves out. It's economics!
Recent interest in the property sector in the UK is a signifier of positive outlooks for the rest of us. The graph is starting to creep upward, if ever so gently. Like a meek kitten looking up after it has been scolded. House prices are bottoming out. It will soon be time to start pouncing on good value wherever you see it. If you've been looking and wondering, I hope you're ready! Crikey, I'm almost tempted to get a second mortgage and snap up a few bargains. Almost.
Our glasses are all half full. And if I'm not mistaken about the twinkle at the end of the tunnel, they're slowly starting to fill past the halfway mark. Ahoy there...I think I'll have a glass of that please...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Moral Dilemma
If you find out that someone is in breach of employment law - making staff work for 2 weeks without a day off for example - what can/should you do about it?
If you only have the word of said staff to go on, and you know that they are too afraid to "push their luck" because they are non-nationals in fear of losing their job in this economy? You hear that they have said to their employer that they are too tired to work 12, 14, 15 days in a row without a break and they would like to work only 6 days in row, then one day off - and the eyebrows are raised, the question is asked how much they value their job...
They are a victim of their own tiny wage with a family to support.
What would you do?
If you only have the word of said staff to go on, and you know that they are too afraid to "push their luck" because they are non-nationals in fear of losing their job in this economy? You hear that they have said to their employer that they are too tired to work 12, 14, 15 days in a row without a break and they would like to work only 6 days in row, then one day off - and the eyebrows are raised, the question is asked how much they value their job...
They are a victim of their own tiny wage with a family to support.
What would you do?
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
I'm so bad at updating...
Reasons:
1) I've been spending too much time updating my blogroll and finding lots of interesting people out there with either similar interest or interests so opposite to me that I am intrigued
2) Working is pain in the orse and I've had to bring stuff home, leaving little time for nice long posts on interesting things
3) I feel a little intimidated by the mammoth posts from people on my blogroll, who really just put me to shame with the amount of work they put into them
4) Spending lots and lots of time giving the face-to-face advice means I'm a bit drained of inspiration when I do in fact sit down to post!
Hence the lack of meat on this blog's bones of late. Apologies one and all.
1) I've been spending too much time updating my blogroll and finding lots of interesting people out there with either similar interest or interests so opposite to me that I am intrigued
2) Working is pain in the orse and I've had to bring stuff home, leaving little time for nice long posts on interesting things
3) I feel a little intimidated by the mammoth posts from people on my blogroll, who really just put me to shame with the amount of work they put into them
4) Spending lots and lots of time giving the face-to-face advice means I'm a bit drained of inspiration when I do in fact sit down to post!
Hence the lack of meat on this blog's bones of late. Apologies one and all.
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