Last year I was honored being named winner National Telstra Business Womens Awards - Innovation - at the event I committed to be a great ambassador for the awards 'and do them proud'. (speech below). So now it is time to nominate those women who you see who are up to stuff. Women who are both interesting and interested, who contribute to the bigger picture and support those around them.

The journey through these awards is first class and absolutely worthwhile. It is a nurturing environment, judges seeking out the strengths of each nominee. It is not about competition or winning, it is about meeting other amazing women.

So who do you know that you wish to nominate? Click here to give a woman you know the experience of being nominated

Here's some thoughts specifically when asked questions about women in business:

What is the one piece of advice you would offer other women in business?
There are three things that I think all business people need to know when starting out.

1. Why are you going into business – be really clear about your purpose.
2. Know the metrics, understand money no business can thrive without cash.
3. Surround yourself with people who you can learn from and give knowledge to.

What are the biggest mistakes you see women making in business?
A male entrepreneur that I know recently challenged me that Australian women ‘dabble in cottage industry businesses’. Of course this was red rag to a bull – but it did get me thinking – why don’t women found and then run bigger businesses, or do they and we just don’t know about it. So my challenge to women is “Dare to Dream bigger than you can imagine” Allow yourself to experience failure – pick yourself up and do it again. Many famous business owners have tried again and again before they succeeded. As one of my mentors once said to me ‘Naomi it may have been a very expensive lesson – so you better have learned something very big from it.’

Dare to participate in these awards too.

The interview for Marie Claire asked such a variety of questions..the answers might be of interest.

What one trait has helped you most in business?
Knowing what I stand for, my values and those of the people around me…. People can copy what you do but they cannot copy who you are or the relationships you have.  Every day I use my values to make choices and decisions – it makes it so much easier to recruit people if you know what they stand for! The stories are rich a diverse that we share about our values, we live them, breath them, and acknowledge people for them. It is what makes us RedBallooners – it is something that we belong to.
 
What is the one trait that has hindered you most in business?
Being focused and single minded can be a good thing – however not when it comes to the point of being myopic or fixated. It is important to listen to others, evaluate, incorporate and respond. I keep working very hard on listening and questioning making sure I know the right questions to ask of whom. There have been times when I have not listened to the detail and I have suffered the concequences.
 
What is the hardest lesson you've learned and how did you learn it?
I’m sometimes very gullible – I believe what people tell me on face value… I am unbelievably trusting of people. I have such a naive view of the world I think everybody operates based on values…and I have been hurt when I have discovered that they don’t. I remember in the first year of RedBalloon a customer wanted to negotiate a discount – because they were going to spend $1M with us in a 12 month period… I believed them – and offered a deep discount. In reality that customer spent a total of $99 in a 12 month period the cost of legal fees and my time in negotiation clearly never recovered. They had done this negotiation to actually drive down the price of an existing supplier. I approach big negotiations in a completely different way now.

I was asked for a magazine interview whether the idea or execution were more important.- It is execution everytime.

I have a personal motto ‘If it’s meant to be it’s up to me.’ This does not mean that I have to do all the work but it does mean that I have to stay focused on the out come and never ever, ever give up until it get’s done.
At RedBalloon we have hundreds of ideas ‘daily’ we could do this, or that – but success has come through absolute focus. An idea is useless without delivery… execution is everything. We recently had a full day off site which we called the 'white space day' because we were working on ideas for dramatic growth in 2011. That day would be a complete waste of time and resources unless a program of execution was also developed to support it.

The proof of course will be in the 2011 deliver of these projects - but knowing which investment and initiatives need to be undertaken now to get ready for those is the first step.
 
In the same article I was asked  'Is it better to be passionate or objective?'

One word that I hear regularly from people is ‘she is so amazingly passionate’. Even in a one minute conversation with someone, they will often comment ‘you clearly love what you do’. Passion cannot be manufactured – it comes from having a clear purpose and seeing the results of what you’re doing. But passion is not enough a great team to be objective is important. I am fortunate to have surrounded myself with great people at RedBalloon who can take an objective view of the world. This offers a great balance. People who will keep you focused and look at all the various outcomes of a given idea. I definitely would never want to be a leader - such as the emperor with new clothes where no one gave him and objective opinion about what he was really doing.

Passion is infections, which needs to be supported by objectivity so that one does not get lost on a tangent.

This story is simply one of the basic lessons in life – and in business even more so. People have long memories, they move from company to company. Some of the lessons I learned 20 years ago as a young marketer I keep with me today.

This story is one I want to share with my children. If we get this right… then really the world is a great place to be every day. We live in a fantastic country – have you ever heard of the concept ‘Play it forward’.

The story of Father and Son (thanks to Richard Sauerman for the inspiration on this one.)

A dad and his son were walking in a forest. Suddenly the son tripped, and feeling a sharp pain he screamed out, “Arrrghhhhhh!” Then he heard a voice coming back from the mountain: “Arrrghhhhhh!”

Filled with curiosity, he screamed out again: “Who are you?” And the voice screamed back again: “Who are you?”

This got him a little frustrated, so he hollered out “You are a coward!” Again the voice hollered back: “You are a coward!”

He looked at his father and asked, “Dad what is going on?” His Dad smiled, and said “Listen to this”. Then he screamed out, “I admire you!”. The voice screamed back: “I admire you!”

“You are wonderful!” The voice shouted back: “You are wonderful!”

The son still looked confused. So his dad explained.

“People call this an ‘echo’, but what it really is, is ‘life’. Life always gives you back what you give out. If you want love, if you want to be happy, then make others happy. If you want kindness, be kind to others. If you want respect and understanding, be understanding and show respect.”

“Life is a mirror of your actions.” – Author unknown.

The satisfaction mirror in organisations is so similar. (That is companies who have high employee engagement will also have much higher customer loyalty.) If you love your employees, listen to them, respect them, and value their contribution – they will deliver it back in bucket loads not just to the business – but to customers. And customers of course are the source of our success.

Employees are the new customers.

We have never needed our employees more than we need them now in challenging times.

It was actually Marcus Buckingham who said in the book 'First Break all the Rules', that leadership was more important than 'company sponsored dog walking'. This is relevant when you look at the segment from sunrise.

We have had many emails since this article on Sunrise about - 'What breed is Dexter?' (Spoodle) He has the role at RedBalloon as the Head of Security.- and he is a very long term employee (employee #2).

There is much more to being a great place to work than having a dog, in fact sometimes he works against employee engagement when he barks at a courier, pops a balloon (or two) or a special effect is if he fart's in meetings (very anti social). The video gives you a bit of an insight into our work place.

What I would have added to the clip is "No fun at work makes it a boot camp... all fun makes it a kindergarten. Fun needs to be tied to commercial return."

Today is an exciting day for RedBalloon - we have been named one of BRW's top 10 Great Places to Work. I have been asked today by the media about 'how did you do it and why?' The answer is simple - it makes commercial sense and I too love working in a place which has fun - it is a great place to be. According to Gallup organizations with an engaged work force are 27% more profitable and have 50% higher customer loyalty.. (if you want to read more statistics on this get a copy of the Little Red Book of Answers - pg 28).  As I said this morning we are just practicing what we preach to our clients about the results of reward and recognition programs.

I've mentioned before that no amount of money (or perks) will keep people long term if you don't capture their hearts and minds. It is a question of having a shared sense of purpose, that each person here knows what it is that they're here to do, that they are noticed for their contribution and ultimately they go home feeling like a winner because they know how they have made a difference.

But don't take my word for it....We recently had an intern from the US join us for 12 weeks -here is an excerpt from his trip report (very humorous too)

Internship Essay:
Cultural Analysis of My RedBalloon Internship Experience


During my internship, I have encountered differences in social nature, humor, and work atmosphere between Australian and US workplace cultures. Australian workplace culture appears to be more social and interactive; teamwork is promoted heavily at RedBalloon. I was initially perceived by some as being more of an individual worker; however, through repeated group tasks and projects I have proven to my co-workers my ability to work and interact successfully with others. The social nature is frequently taken further, with many co-workers dating, going out for lunch, and socializing after work; I have been asked to meet outside of work on many occasions. Prior to my internship I would have described the US workplace culture as being group oriented and social but now I consider it more individualistic compared to the culture in Australia. Humor also plays a stronger role in Australian workplace culture. It is woven into the day, making work seem more fun and less intense. RedBalloon illustrates this aspect of culture through its tagline of “mix business with pleasure.” Furthermore, the overall cultural atmosphere in Australia is less intense and more open. Employees at RedBalloon regularly take breaks to unwind, enjoy long leisurely lunches, and work in an open air space with no restrictive cubicles. At RedBalloon, these aspects of work foster a more cohesive team, creating company loyalty and success. This atmosphere is in sharp contrast to the intensity I have encountered in the US workplace. While I thought of US workplaces as productive and hardworking, I now view them as overly intense and stressful; unfortunately, US workplaces often fail to truly promote employee satisfaction. There are strengths and weaknesses between the two cultures; ideally, a balance must be struck between social, lighthearted culture and a workplace characterized by intensity and pressure to produce. RedBalloon has successfully struck this balance.

I have also noticed a cultural divergence between the countries in terms of company hierarchy and structure. My internship experience has reinforced my opinion that US companies are overly structured and have too much separation between hierarchical levels. I experienced the less stratified workplace culture in Australia my first day at RedBalloon. I was surprised yet impressed to discover that I, as a new intern, was sitting next to the CEO, the most powerful member of the company, with the same size desk and in a room with the other employees. This approach allows for more interaction between different levels in the company as well as higher employee moral. This setup is in sharp contrast to the separation between higher level members and lower level employees in most US companies; CEO’s and higher level executives have become accustomed to secluding themselves into large, separate offices. The Australian culture allows many company leaders to have a more direct connection with employees, having a pulse on what is happening. The differences in hierarchy are combined with a difference in organizational structure. The flatter, team approach in Australian workplaces fosters a collective mindset as opposed to an individualistic one encountered in the US. The promotion of group culture by the team structure is demonstrated by how challenges are addressed. When I encountered a perplexing problem when preparing a report, my supervisor and co-workers acted as if it were a challenge for the whole team; we worked together to resolve the issue to get the desired final product. Through this challenge, I realized that a culture that promotes team results can often better deal with challenges.

While many similarities in workplace culture between Australia and the US exist, the overall cultures are distinctly different. It is critical to understand that no cultural characteristic is absolute and embodied by every company or business in the respective country; furthermore, the cultural characteristics are present in varying degrees. While RedBalloon’s workplace contains cultural components discussed above in a clearer manner, I believe that the cultural workplace attributes at RedBalloon are generally present in other Australian workplaces. Ultimately, through my internship, I have learned a significant amount about the Australian workplace culture and, consequently, by comparison, enhanced my understanding of the US workplace culture. My internship has been an enlightening window into Australian workplace culture.

Daniel Allon
20 April 2009

In Melbourne this week for the National Telstra Business Womens Awards – I had to present to two separate judging panels. The award winner selection process is absolutely rigorous.. which is why the awards are so prestigious.

Both sets of judges asked me the same question right at the end of the presentation. “What about work/life balance”. I answered truthfully and said “When you are starting a business it is all hands, hearts and minds on deck 24/7 – as the business begins to mature what you do might change but the focus and energy required does not.”

I continue to work long hours because I know that if I want to create something truly great it is going to take effort. It cannot be done part-time. So what I have done is include my children and husband of course – in everything that I do. My children were there to celebrate with me on Tuesday night – (the very loudest cheer squad).

What I do is work really hard during the week – but weekends are sacred. And we book holidays up to a year in advance (to ensure that we go).  But I was very interested to see what our customers are saying about work/life balance… because it is different if you are working for someone else rather than yourself.

The Annual RedBalloon Work/Life Balance Report gives the impression we are feeling that work/life balance is worth sacrificing in order to keep their jobs in the slowdown. The 2008 study involving 2,714 participants shows there has been very little movement (since 2007) in the number of people who say they are satisfied with their work/life balance.

99% of us see work-life balance as crucial to our working lives, yet only 50% of us are actually satisfied with our own work-life balance levels. In our 2007 report 53% of people felt they were missing out on quality family time and sacrificing their social lives as a result of work commitments.

So what’s the reason for minimal movement in the year? There are two factors at play, reluctance to address it on the part of employee and minimal movement on the introduction of flexible working hours by employers that was cited in 2007 at 28% and again in 2008 28% as the most popular solution. 

And as the marketplace slows, an employee’s reluctance to address it will be compounded by the fact that simply’ holding on to a job’ has become more important as un-employment levels are predicted to swell to 5% by June next year and to 5.75% one year later according to The Age*.

1. Don’t get distracted by emails, or by drama. People make things worse than they are. Stay disciplined and focused.
2. Make a list of the top 5 things you can achieve each day, whether big or small and go home feeling like a winner.
3. Plan something to look forward to, a holiday or a break.

On a lighter note the report also showed us Aussies have a way of coping through it all. 72% of us work in a fun environment, 71% of bosses aren’t dull and boring and would support initiatives to lighten the mood and share a laugh and 40% of us overcome work-related pressures by sharing a belly laugh at work every day.

When you are running a tiny business – you do everything. Often you rush from urgency to urgency – with little regard for the important. Working ‘in’ the business rather than ‘on’ it. To grow a business is to get beyond the day to day crisis’s – to set a clear vision and know that each day you get one step closer to achieving that.

I presented at the Working Womens Network last night and as I spoke to the other business owners at the event – I could hear the struggle that they were having to get beyond the immediate ‘to do list’.

The question I am often asked is ‘when did you go from being a manager of everything to a leader with vision – or are you still both?’ I am fortunate to have surrounded myself with great people who all have similar values. It was fifteen months after starting RedBalloon that I became really clear about the vision of changing gifting in Australia forever. I work on the vision the ‘what’ now, while the General Manager works on the ‘how’ to achieve it.

The bigger RedBalloon has grown the more I work on staying true to what we set out to do. To stay focused, and to make sure that I too, stay the person that people can count on. I came across these five temptations of leadership… and I think it is a sober reminder to any leader – to make sure that they stay in touch and connected with the business.

Leadership Temptations

1. Invulnerability – Do you always have to be right? – in allowing yourself to make mistakes – allows risk taking and gives other people ‘the permission’ to take risks, own up to errors, but more importantly learn and grow from others experience.

The answer to this temptation is authenticity and credibility

2. Popularity – when you do things to be liked rather than what is best for the business. This could be avoiding tough conversations with employees over performance or alignment.  Not telling people what they need to hear.

The answer to this temptation is accountability

3. Certainty – this is when you begin to not make decisions because you need all the facts. You become risk adverse and demand endless information to support any decision making process.

The answer to the temptation of certainty is – clarity (prudent risk taking)

4. False Harmony -  you are more worried about people getting along than what they are delivering. Scared to offend people in meetings, so you take people aside and talk one on one – thus creating a political environment

The answer to False Harmony – focus on the ‘what’ not the ‘who’.

5. Status – that is when you become hierarchical or bureaucratic, that is that you talk to only your direct reports you no longer will go directly to the person who is accountable for the specific task.

The answer to Status – Results focussed that is who is the best person for the job – just speak to them directly.

To be a leader you need to be coachable… I am so fortunate to have a great team around me – who do let me know when I am out of kilter or off on a tangent.

As a leader we cannot let anyone teach us to be stupid – that is we must keep asking questions – and lots of them, and really embrace the answers.

“Who you are shouts so loudly I cannot hear what you say” Emerson

I never want my people to be ‘no’ people… I want them to feel empowered to say ‘yes’…. Wouldn’t we live in a different world if your people were not allowed to say ‘no’ without management approval instead of the other way around?

I was asked to respond to this question following the Australian HR awards a few weeks ago. I thought I would share my ideas further.

"We have a limited budget around rewards and incentives, and want to maximise this as much as we can in order to improve employee engagement. How much do we really need to spend per employee to get maximum engagement?"

It’s not the size of the prize it’s what you do with it that makes the difference.

With so much gloom and doom in the media, employees will not be surprised if some things change. However, there are a few basic things to consider to make sure that you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. If you have been working hard on employee engagement now is the time to consolidate, not abandon the plan. If you haven’t been formally rewarding or even recognizing people now is the time to standout and be different.

Here’s five things to consider:

1. Do a few small things often. It is the authenticity of the message that they will remember. If you really notice people, know about who they are and what is important to them. Then a personilsed message or hand written note can mean way more to them than expensive trinkets. People just want to be noticed.
2. Make sure you communicate the program – if you are spending all your budget on the prizes and none on letting them know about the program you wont have the opportunity to influence behavior.
3. Don’t let Christmas get crunched. For Australians the end of the year culminates in Christmas celebrations. Since we were children we all look forward to summer holidays. To finish off the year – an acknowledgement is needed. It may well be that instead of a lunch it is drinks, or instead of a big hamper it is a $30 Lolly Shop in a box. Many people are very challenged by increasing work loads, working harder, faster and longer just to keep their jobs. A token of thanks is essential.
4. Maximise what you do by following up the winners and getting them to share their stories. Manage the prize giving process with the same dedication as you do working out who is going to be a winner. Put their photo and story in your newsletters, intranet or evenon your web site. Make your winners hero’s in the media you have available to you.
5. Ask them for ideas and input on what is important to them – if you need to cut costs, your people will know better than you where savings can be made. Also if they are involved with the process there will be far more acceptance for the next regime.

People have long memories, they will become cynical to any initiative you try to implement if the first thing you cut is the rewards or incentive program.

You know I love speaking about the different ways that businesses can stand out and get people experiencing the brand. And it's not rocket science. It is just a matter of noticing the detail.

My friend Emma Isaacs has in her email footer her preferred coffee - it used to be skim latte - I notice she has changed to peppermint tea. You know her a bit, even if you’ve never met. As she calls it the Seth Godin Purple Cow effect.

I know the team at RedBalloon all have their favorite experience on their business card - it gives people who meet them an idea about who they are beyond business. We are all people after all.

Businesses are not faceless organizations... it is just a whole bunch of people pulling in the one direction. Any communication gives people an insight into who you are.

The daily message that you leave on your voice mail. I know mine sounds like a bit of a party going on in the background - people comment “you seem to be having a good time over there at RedBalloon.”

Today I sent a message to a group of people and I got two out of office replies. Which of these two businesses would you prefer to do business with.... interesting to note they are in a similar industry. The copy below are exact ‘cut and pastes’ (including typo’s) I have only removed their real names and numbers

"Hello, I will be on away from my desk today, in meetingss, Wednesday 29th Octobe,r until 4pm. For urgent matters, please call my assistant, XXX on xxx or call my mobile on xxx.
Regards, XX"

OR

"You gotta love getting back to basics :) In an unprecedented, bold and revolutionary move, I am choosing to disable my email completely and embrace the joy of hearing actual voices instead.
So if you're a fellow human being who's more heart & soul than internet cyborg, rest assured you can contact me for anything urgent on the good old fashioned telephone via: xxx or my mobile for urgent matters and texts - xxx.
Don't forget to brush your teeth before you call and grin broadly, because unlike email, I can tell whether or not you're smiling over the phone! :) xxxx
P.S. If you need to send me info or docs to look at please send them to XX"

There are so many ways for us to build the brand personality of the business. Let’s start with the basics.