This UpDate will give you some insight into what ChangeMaker has been doing over the last couple of months and as we move forward in the year we will be renovating our web-site to allow you to click direct to articles and details which interest you, enabling us to keep this electronic newsletter brief and to the point.

Here are some things to scroll to in this edition:

•  CompetencyBased approach to Development
•  ThoughtPiece : A new section to energise organisational thinking. This time: Creating Sustainable Change.
•  DiscoveryLearning : You could call this our travel section!

It includes

•  BreakthroughThinking : A brief view from the Great Wall of China event in early May
•  LookingForward : Join us in September on our new venture to Tanzania to learn from the wisdom of the Maasai.
•  NewHorizons : Fancy sailing round the world?

•  DynamicSelling : For more info. take a look on the right…………………
•  SuccessQuiz : Details of the source book for last edition's quiz; the answers and the winners.

2005 | Issue 3 | June

Meet the team

Congratulations to one of our long-standing Associates; David Yule.

David has worked with us for many years, bringing his Sales expertise and experience to a number of our clients,

He has just published his latest book

86 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR DYNAMIC SELLING and we have 10 FREE copies to offer to you.


For more information see Dynamic Selling later in this edition.
OR
Contact 86Tips@ChangeMakerweb.co.uk

Latest Programme Designs

Are you Competent to Lead your Business?

Working closely with one of our clients we became increasingly aware of the success that a particular competency based approach was creating in redefining their approach to leadership and management development. Using one cohesive approach they were able to:

•  Create a Common Development Language and Organisation Competency Framework

•  Carry out 360° Feedback

•  Structure clear Job Profiles for Interviewing and Selection

•  Identify the Organisation Culture

•  Clarify Personal and Individual Development Issues

•  Coordinate and Standardise Succession Planning

Following requests from some of our clients to add the ChangeMaker implementation expertise in delivering the benefits to Line Management within their organisations, some of us have now been certified to use this set of tools which have been developed by the Lominger Company. They are based on an extensively researched and tested competency library of 67 core leadership skills or Positive Competencies, 10 Universal Performance Dimensions and 7 International Competencies.

Each competency is uniquely described with three definitions of Skilled, Unskilled and Overused Skill. The language is plain and simple so that it is clearly understood by line managers and employees and provides the organisation with a common language to describe skills and performance.

ChangeMaker has used the tools to quickly engage Leaders, Managers and HR Professionals on their current people priorities. A recent success was dramatically demonstrated when a client MD was asked to sort the set of cards in light of their current organisational challenges. It suddenly became clear that although people had the skills for how the organisation had been up to now, they were not equipped to take it forward in the desired strategic direction. Decision time! Rather than embark on a new course of action that would founder sooner rather than later, an appropriate infrastructure can now be created before the voyage commences.

If you think you are Competent to learn more contact David.Whipp@ChangeMakerweb.co.uk

ThoughtPiece

Admittedly some people that I meet would be happy if they could just create change of any sort, let alone sustainable change! Creating change however is no different to creating anything else, you need, the right ingredients and the commitment to follow the steps in the recipe.

Anyone who has ever tried to assemble a piece of IKEA furniture knows only too well the fun that you can have if you've got all the ingredients but you choose to ignore the recipe!

To create sustainable change you need five simple ingredients:

•  Vision – a simple, clear and tangible description of what things will be like after the change. Explain it simply by using specific examples of employee or customer experiences.

•  Skills – the skills that you have within your organisation are perfectly aligned to the results that you are achieving today. If you want to change you will not only need the skills to change but also the skills to work in the new world.

•  Incentive – not only do you need to know what the company will gain from the change in order to keep energy focussed on the change initiative, each and every employee needs to know what's in it for them to change!

•  Resources – change is an extra-mural activity, you still have to keep the business going! You need the right budget and the right team to ensure that momentum is maintained.

•  A Plan – not just for the first few months (change is seldom that fast!).

As any good chef will tell you, miss out just one ingredient and the result will not be what you were expecting! So what happens if you miss out one of the Change Ingredients ?

Thought Piece by Chris Howe

For a free copy of our
ChangeWallchart
Please Contact ThoughtPiece@changemakerweb.co.uk

There will be another trip to this inspiring place but not for at least 6 months.

If you want to join us in the future contact:

wall@changemakerweb.co.uk

to go on our mailing list.

BreakthroughThinking on the Great Wall of China : April 27th–May 2nd 2005

Few people can remember exactly when it was built, who by or why, or what purpose it served. The Wall is an enduring metaphor for barriers that confront us in life and business.

30 people from 15 countries gathered on this recent trip, working in small groups they used Territory Mapping™ to describe their situations; they then coached one another through these barriers to find insights into totally new ways forward. The cosmopolitan variety of the group enhanced the process. The age range was from the 20s to the late 60s,,,,,,,,,an executive coach from S. Korea, an IT director, a musician, several former blue-chip business consultants, business people and some people awarded a place by their company, based on votes from within the company, as recognition for outstanding behaviours in line with the corporate values.

The overriding impression was that the atmosphere created openness, honesty and trust, in a situation where you are allowed to be yourself and reflect on the things that are really important to you. A 12 k walk along the wall was completed with each moving at their own speed, some as fast as possible some as slow as they wished. And the learning was similarly paced some had great personal insights and others clarified thoughts about the past and plans for the future.

The theme of overcoming barriers was reinforced in a dialogue with Mr Chou who was the first Chinese national to set foot on the summit of Mt Everest in the early 60s, and with a thought provoking visit to Tiananmen Square in Beijing .

LOOKINGFORWARD

Would you like to meet some of the most intriguing and inspiring people that you have ever encountered?

We have travelled to Africa several times in the last few years to spend time learning simple but powerful lessons from the Maasai. Unsurprisingly we learn new things every time about topics as diverse as leadership, coaching, meetings process and sustainability in business.

Those sharing these experiences have found them to be a trigger to creating significant and positive change in their businesses and their lives. After his experience, Chris Cairns was so inspired by what he learnt that his story was covered in "Edge", the magazine published by the Institute of Leadership and Management.

"I know you can't exactly go to work and say "I want to go off and focus my mind", but having recognised the benefit, from the trip, it's something I've just got to do. I'm constantly on the lookout for a new challenge or experience. When I find the next one, I'm just going to clear my diary, pack my bags and go"

We are now organizing a similar seminar in Tanzania at the end of September. This is an ideal introduction to DiscoveryLearning for those who have not yet experienced it, and an excellent opportunity to discover yet more for those who have! We will of course provide the structure in terms of a schedule and a process but it will be the participants who set the agenda for learning.

This next journey of discovery runs from 24 th September to 2 nd October 2005

If you would like a detailed itinerary, travel info and costs, and details of potential grant aid and support please contact Julie Smith - julie@changemakerweb.co.uk

Meet your new

business consultant

What NewHorizons will you find this year?

The Introductory photo of our 2005 calendar taken in Scotland last year with Norman .

NewHorizons : The Challenge of Change

We don't normally print two "Meet the Team" items but if I don't act now I will miss him! Time and Tide wait for no man, or is it Norman ?

Norman Brett who has been a faithful associate and close friend for more than 20 years is starting the voyage of a lifetime in June. He sails for Spain and later in the year will cross the Atlantic with 2 other colleagues and then it's off round the world. Bon Voyage Norman – a lot of us think about doing something like this – few of us actually get round to it!

Bon Courage.

DynamicSelling

We first met David Yule 10 years ago when we worked together on a major change product for a global client. Whilst we worked on the Leadership Modules David was involved in the design of those for the sales people. He has been involved in sales management and training for over 20 years. He works independently and has represented ChangeMaker with a number of our clients. His presentations have been translated into Arabic and Romanian as well as the major European languages.

This is a really practical book about the subtleties of selling. A "how-to guide" that can be dipped into or read cover to cover. It is full of helpful tips for dynamic selling: how to stop prospects from asking for discounts; how to handle objections; how to work to your own strengths; how to avoid price becoming an issue, how to stop people from shopping around, how to remain positive, how to get prospects to sell for you and much more.

From the first tip-even if you haven't made a sale, you have at least found a way of selling that doesn't work!- to the last which is about comparing your activity rate with your success rate, there is something for every occasion.

"Even if you only manage to use one of the 86 tips the book will have paid for itself" says the blurb on the back cover. BUT OF COURSE we offer FREE copies to the first TEN people to respond. So you can't lose!

For your free copy contact 86Tips@ChangeMakerweb.co.uk

ThoughtPiece

1. Being one of the largest enterprises in your industry
2. A well defined, clearly communicated strategy
3. Being one of the lowest cost enterprises in your industry
4. Embracing and implementing new information technologies
5. Superior corporate governance practice
6. Operational execution that consistently meets customer expectations
7. Financial engineering expertise
8. Quality of the enterprise's balance sheet
9. Achieving the most stringent quality levels
10. Creating a high-performance, high values culture
11. Delighting customers by exceeding their expectations
12. A structure that simplifies working in and with the organisation
13. Superior talent at all levels
14. Adopting a balanced scorecard
15. A great leader
16. Driving innovation in your industry
17. A great brand
18. Developing a strong mergers and partnership capability
19. Superior supply-chain management
20. Being a truly global enterprise

From the excellent book:
What Really Works: The 4+2 Formula for Sustained Business Success 

And the WINNERS are:

CONGRATULATIONS to our winners. You may not have got it totally correct but TOP MARKS for effort.

Copies of the book are on their way to:

Frank Brillman of
Spring Hill Coaching.

Keith Rutherford of
Palgrave Brown.

John Watson of
Diethelm Travel Asia Ltd.