It’s hard to believe that this is our first newsletter of ’07; a combination of winning new business, delivering a lot more for established clients and, of course maintaining ‘the balance’, has kept us busy. Enjoy!

Tigers Castrated!

Have you ever read someone’s business card and wondered what they really do? The business card below was given to us recently by someone who we have no doubt does all that it says on the card, but who in his spare time does ‘light haulage transportation’.

It made us wonder how some of our friends and clients would describe themselves on their business cards if they were given free reign. It made us wonder about identity generally and how we like to be seen by the world. How would the CEO or the engineer or the IT person describe themselves so that when they handed out a business card people got it instantly? For example, we saw a scaffolding truck on the M5 the other week, under the name of the organisation was emblazoned the words, ‘Tubular Technicians’. If a business card read ‘John Smith’ ‘Tubular Technician’ would we know if he was a scaffolder or is it a key differentiator?…. Anyway, you get the picture. So, a free networking opportunity in the next newsletter and a bottle of champagne to the best job description on a business card, real or aspirational. Give us your real job title and then how you would like to be known!  E-mail us at coaching.1@bigbluestuff.com

BigBlueNetwork

Over the last few years BigBlueStuff has been building a loose network of associates, trusted resources that have complimentary skills and services over and above our core offering of coaching & facilitation. Our associates are specialists in their respective fields and have been chosen to extend BigBlueStuff’s ability to meet client’s requirements. Some clients, after getting to know and trust us, and seeing positive results from the work we do often ask, ‘what else can you do? So we’ve decided to start by adding our trusted resource and associates to our website. The first associate profile to appear on our website is, Andrew Perrin, a Commercial Mediator who is one of only six qualified accountants in the UK to be accredited as a commercial mediator with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Commercial Mediation  - Court or Talk?

Andy says ‘Commercial Mediation is a method of resolving a dispute without going to court. It involves a process of negotiation facilitated by an experienced, qualified and independent mediator. It aims to solve the dispute in an amicable way that is satisfactory to both parties whilst remaining cost effective and time efficient’. For more information or to read a published article by Andy in Aprils’ edition of Accountancy Magazine visit.

 http://www.bigbluestuff.com/network/CourtorTalk.html

Executive Insight – Blue Ocean Vision  - is a programme for those looking to improve all round performance through innovative and imaginative approaches to examining, reflecting on, and addressing the ways that we look for solutions to the problems we face. In response to feedback, in October, we will be running a three day intervention to help provide insight, vision and solutions to current issues or opportunities, that to date, may have eluded you or members of your team because you are stuck, working with an emerging opportunity or issue and conventional workspace/workplace thinking is not getting you very far. A recent piece in ‘Director’, the magazine from the IOD, quoted research from Tiscali that said 'workers believe their creativity and productivity is stifled by being confined to one office'. And that, 'over 40% of office workers think a change in working location would enhance their day to day productivity, work-life balance and energy levels’. This is also backed up by research by our own Master’s programme research regarding the barriers to breakthrough.

The emphasis of the intervention is on connecting with and using inspirational environments that work on accelerating the way that you think about the reality that you face. It is based on the adage, ‘The world is as you see it, until you see it differently’. If the barriers to breakthrough are embedded in the environment where you need to perform the most, as we believe they can be, then the Executive Insight – Blue Ocean Vision intervention will expose you to an environment that helps break the barriers to innovative and creative problem solving by helping you access the three types of imagination we have using LSP, learning how to choose moments and walk-on-water with our ‘waterman’ coaches and by encountering the time and space often denied to people trying to be the best they can be. Executive Insight – Blue Ocean Vision will be held in South Devon. Contact coaching.1@bigbluestuff.com for further details.

Searching of a corporate soul?

Sometimes the soul or culture of an organization seems to be driven by a euphemistic ‘someone’ ticking boxes. So here’s your second chance to win a bottle of champagne (we realise we’re a newsletter or two down this year and we’re making up for it!). What should go in the empty thought bubble? Answers via e-mail to coaching.1@bigbluestuff.com