Aussie Rules

Mind mapping is wonderful, but I find that ideas often flow well before they’re ready to be meaningfully dissected.

Unless they are managed properly, ideas can be disruptive to productivity and focus.

I’ve talked before about the danger of pursuing too many ideas at once, and plenty of business owners, myself included, are guilty of this.

I believe that ideas need to be tamed.

Here’s are five tools I use:

1. A manila folder

Exciting stuff, eh? A dedicated location for capturing my stream of ideas means they can move out of my head and into the folder. The relief is immediate.

2. A pen or pencil

Post-its, A4 sheets, serviettes, the back of business cards or envelopes … it matters not.

When an idea comes I transcribe it and toss it into the folder. Neatness and order is not an issue at this stage, that comes later.

3. A dictaphone

I carry a nifty little digital recorder with me most of the time and blather in it whenever an idea pops up.

Alternatively, I’ll use my mobile and leave a message on my voicemail. (”Hello Robert. It’s Robert …”)

Later I scribble the idea down on paper and yup, into the folder it goes.

4. A whiteboard

Wouldn’t be without one. Often something pops up that has no immediate meaning or relevance.

A couple of days on the whiteboard and it’s either expanded into something tangible or it’s wiped.

5. My fingers

Next time you pick up a paper or magazine in your favourite café and find a snippet torn out, chances are it was me.

I do this all the time and yes … straight into the folder it goes.

As you may imagine it’s not long before my folder is bursting with ideas at which point mind mapping comes in.

It’s amazing how with a bit of effort, a hotch-potch of ideas will morph into an ordered plan.

For every folder that generates something valuable, many more get trashed. The overall benefit is that ideas no longer steal my focus, instead they hover pleasantly in the background like the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

Thoughts? Share your tips and ideas and post a comment.

(13min 32) How usable is your website? Have you really designed it from the customer’s point of view? Have you tested it? And what does heuristic design mean?

Today on BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to Greg Ralph, a principal at the Hiser Group, about the principles for useable website and online application design.

Have you got your own website usability tips? Add them in the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Sylvia, a coaching client who was in a bit of a kerfuffle.

She’d heard on the grapevine that a big project was coming up with a past contact and it was work that suited her to a T.

What’s more she was hungry for success.

Sylvia hadn’t spoken to this business acquaintance for a while and was unsure what to do. Talking to Sylvia on the phone, I quickly steered the discussion away from business and instead reminisced about teenage courtship. As you do.

I wondered what a young admirer would have done if he’d fancied Sylvia and desperately wanted to take her out. Chances are he’d have paced nervously up and down, unsure what to do.

But what would Sylvia have wanted him to do? “I’d have wanted him to call!” she exclaimed. Well of course she would.

It feels nice to be pursued, doesn’t it? What’s more, it really doesn’t matter what you think of the other party.

Even if you are totally disinterested, does your impression of that person decline? Not at all, in fact the reverse is usually true.

How sensible to pursue! How courageous! It’s quite possible you’ll refer to a friend or even keep your devotee in the wings for some later date. Let’s not go there.

In business, if we see something we want, a project or challenge that we know is screaming out for our input and we have a line of communication open with a decision maker (or decision influencer), we should just get on the phone or burst into their office and say it.

Straight out, say it.

Sylvia did. She got on the phone and said words to the effect: “I know that Project X is coming up soon and I’d like to work on it. What do I need to do to be considered?”

Surprise, surprise, it looks like she’s getting the gig. Her contact was bowled over by her passion and energy and told her that she’d just done everything she needed to do.

After all, what sort of provider do you want handling your business — someone who’s so-so, or someone who’s got the hots?

Have you got experiences to share? Post a comment and let’s hear it.

In a recent straw poll by smartcompany.com.au 40% of businesses said they were planning staff cuts to cope with an impending recession, whilst many others had already reduced employee numbers.

The government’s small business summit last Friday offered little in the way of good news. So what could be offered to help this important sector of the economy? In today’s BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to James Thomson about the poll and what Kevin Rudd really needs to do to help small business cope.

Add your observations and suggestions to the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

(11min 12) On today’s BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to Joshua Gans, an economist from the Melbourne Business School, about competition in the electricity industry.

Working with Frank Wolak from Stanford University, Joshua recently analysed the impact of AGL’s acquisition of Loy Yang A, a power generation plant in Victoria. What did it do to the price of wholesale supply?

What are your thoughts on the structure of the electricity industry in Australia? Add a comment to the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

Will your Christmas card this year  be one of many and thrown out early January? Or, if you are thinking of sending a bottle of wine or an email with an animated message? Then you desperately need to think again.

In addition to sending seasons greetings, many people send Christmas cards as a way to keep top of mind with clients, colleagues, family and friends. But how can you really get your message heard?

Take time out to stop and deliberately think of something relevant to your business, that fits inside an envelope, costs less than printing a personalised card and is tangible enough to last 12 months. It is actually quite easy.

Four years ago I realised that we could do something more meaningful and memorable for the same price as a customised Christmas card. So in:

• 2004 - we sent a foam puzzle that could be made into a 3D cube
• 2005 - we sent a set of post-it notes with our company logo and website
• 2006 - we sent a mini whiteboard/magnet to capture creative ideas (size of a DL envelope)
• 2007 - we sent a fold out puzzle card to “be more creative over the holidays”

These were well received, with people emailing me to say how much they enjoyed it — when is the last time you got emails from your Christmas card?

So what have you got planned for Christmas?

If there’s one thing that makes me feel overwhelmed and tired, it’s the sense I’m going to be struggling to get the day’s work done.

In my view, few feelings contribute so negatively to our ability to work effectively.

This last weekend, the sense spilled over to my home life and maybe that’s why I resisted it so strongly and pushed through to find a solution.

As is often the case, the means of escape from the problem was actually quite simple.

Without boring you too much with my domestic arrangements, let’s just say that I typically have a number of things to accomplish on a Saturday in the interests of total family harmony.

Most weekends these involve a trip to the supermarket, a small portfolio of sport/recreation activities with my son and, if I’ve been good, a lingering espresso in a café somewhere.

In the lead up to Saturday I was feeling stressed. A couple of extra events had been added to the schedule and I became convinced I wasn’t going to get it all done.

The biggest loser looked set to be the weekly shop. That in turn made my wife a tad uncomfortable, as we were entertaining on Sunday and ingredients were needed.

The solution was to totally let go of the pressure. I just refused to accept it.

I decided to look at the day optimistically, rather than with a cynical eye.

By consciously removing the feeling of being hemmed-in, I found the flow of the day eased greatly. Energy that could have been bound up in pessimism was released and guess what happened? Efficiency improved hugely.

To my surprise and delight, the day ran smoothly and I was able to get everything done. I did the shopping, meandered smoothly through the extras and even enjoyed a celebratory Portugese tart with my coffee. Happy days!

What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Spill the beans a post a comment.

(9min 27) In Australia the number of women on boards and in leadership roles has declined since 2006. The number of companies with no executive managers has also risen sharply. These are the findings from The EOWA 2008 Australian Census of Women in Leadership.

On today’s BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to EOWA Director Anna McPhee about today’s findings. Does this all show that a boys club mentality in business is holding women back?

What do you think? Add your comments to the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

(16min 16) It’s not just what you say, it’s also the way that you say it.

That’s the advice from Ron Tacchi, a public speaker who’s spent 25 years addressing audiences. Today on BTalk Australia he passes on advice to Phil Dobbie about standing up in front of a crowd, whether it’s a presentation to colleagues, investors or customers.

Got tips of your own? Add them to the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

If there’s one thing that can get in the way of a smooth running enterprise, it’s the lack of an organised back office.

Sadly it’s not unusual to see a business that fronts up well yet is a disaster behind the scenes.

Here are my five back office essentials. See how you stack up:

1. Always be ready for a new client

It’s all well and good to be marketing and networking, but meaningless if you’re not fully prepared to accept a new client.

Always have blank files at the ready; welcome letters drafted; contracts and agreements in draft form and invoice templates set to go.

2. Start as you mean to go on

Get things off to the right start by taking and staying in control. Make sure you explain fully what you’ll deliver and when.

Giving a new client cause to chase you up is not a good look.

3. Have help at hand

What are you going to do if the breadth of a new assignment expands rapidly or if additional work lands in your lap?

Don’t automatically take on work that will prove a burden. Instead, be ready to recommend other service providers. Or outsource to a trusted ally.

As small businesses we need to have a strategy to accommodate these situations. What’s yours?

4. Be clear about money

If you frequently find yourself in uncomfortable financial situations, it’s almost always due to a reluctance to confront the mechanics of money.

But it’s simply not enough to tell your client how much you charge and leave it at that.

When will they be billed, is it at the beginning or the end of a project?

What are your terms of payment?

What happens if the original brief changes and more/less work is required?

Get the language right and this angst will dissipate.

5. Keep everything physical in order

If it takes you an age to lay your hands on a file when your client calls, the anxiety this causes will be sure to come across in your voice.

Keeping your back office tidy and well-organised ensures the engine of your business runs smoothly. After all, you may intend your finished canvas to look beautiful, but if you’ve left the lid off the paint overnight you’ll not be creating any masterpieces.

So how do you shape up? Post a comment and let me know.