Ernst & Young Sydney Office Managing Partner, Lynn Kraus and I at the Olympics fundraiser

Not sure exactly where last weeks blog post on ‘Coming Up this week’ went. I was in Sydney all week and I had a highly productive week as we head towards the end of the financial year.

There was my philanthropic activities – Best Buddies board meeting – Sydney Sings session (more welcome – Tuesday nights from 5.30 – 7.00) and also attending the Olympic Team Farewell dinner which is a fundraising event.

In addition we had Bronwyn Sheehan – from the Pajama Foundation come and share her story with the RedBallooners (and we all wore our PJs – which I think was just a big excuse to be comfy at work – so funny we are interviewing for new Customer Experience executives and the interviews were on the same day as we were ‘swanning’ around in our jimjams – who knows what they thought.) The Foundation is committed to providing angels to kids in foster care throughout Australia (there are 39,000) to read with them at least once a week… she has currently recruited 900 volunteers – they match with kids locally. So if anyone is interested in being a volunteer – it is a training and selection process and then you are away. (click here)

I did speak at the Eastern Region E&Y  2012 finalists breakfast – as well as finished one of my own personal promises (as part of this trimesters – Edge of Glory theme – just waiting for my medal to be delivered).

Coming up this week

Monday: One on One’s
Tuesday: Adelaide – for the Proteus Leadership Centre
Wednesday: RedBalloon board meeting And Speaking for the CBA at and event in Homebush
Thursday: Attending the E&Y Driving Growth Lunch
Friday: Working on my personal promises.

Mentoring weekend participants... fun.

Last week I learned a lot – things about mobile and eCommerce. I finished reading Abundance by Diamandis and Kotler… which I found completely inspiring. We had our company meeting which was hosted by the marketing team – and they chose a ‘Thank you’ theme… letting each team know how we all contribute to our marketing effort. (It gave me a chance to talk about the upcoming book.)

I did a presentation to RAMs and met the CEO, Melos Sulicich last week and was surprised to bump into him again at the end of the week during his ride in the Tour de Cure. (feel free to donate if you choose) The ride this year will raise another $2 million for cancer research. It is a fascinating how a bunch of Lycra clad individuals can come together with a single sense of purpose and create something so significant. When purpose meets action anything can happen.

This week:

Monday: Dinner with Simon Sinek – hosted by Business Chicks CEO Emma Isaacs
Tuesday: Simon Sinek Workshop with the leadership team, Lunch and learn with Sydney Sings founder Tania De Jong – and attend the first Sydney Sings session
Wednesday: Leadership Cooking Up a storm in preparation for the next RedBalloon painted picture document
Thursday: Attend CEDA Lunch
Friday: Work on personal promises

Fabulous Women creating amazing businesses

Last week was too busy to even write what was coming up – apart from all the great RedBalloon events and meetings, we held the inaugural mentoring weekend in the Blue Mountains.

Over the 2 days and three nights we worked through the ‘Entrepreneurial Cookbook’, had one on one sessions and challenged each other to ‘what could the world look like’. I completely enjoyed getting to know – and experience the thrill of being inside other businesses. I was truly fascinated by how their business models worked, and how passion and determination has had such a big hand in the creation of their enterprises.

I’m excited to see how each of the participants puts into practice what they learned, discovered and experienced… we are going to regroup in a few months so we can check in on each other.

This week

Monday: One on One’s
Tuesday: Company Meeting – Speaking engagement for RAMS
Wednesday: EBusiness conference in Sydney
Thursday: Final review of new book before printing
Friday: Work on personal promises (to participate in the RedBalloon On the Edge of Glory theme)

Now the entrepreneurs mentoring retreat is almost finalized and I’m getting very excited to have it all come together. The pre-reading list has been sent to those participating – the program has been developed. Philippa my colleague who has been designing the weekend with me – dragged the top eight ‘ingredients’ for success from me – and has brought them together beautifully in the Entrepreneurs Cookbook – which will form the basis of the work we cover over the weekend

The venue is booked (One of the RedBalloon experience locations – Lilianfels)….

We invited partners to attend – given that most entrepreneurial journey’s have a massive impact on the family and friends surrounding them.

I’m nervous but excited – committed to seeing a massive difference for participants. I believe that those who attend will form their own collegiate and meet some like-minded people that will complete the experience that each individual does not have to be alone on their journey.

We will have group sessions, I will have one on ones with each attendee – and we will have fabulous dinner parties to debate and explore ideas.

Thank you to those who are attending the inaugural weekend on 26 April– a feel we are all on the beginning of a journey – and we get to design our futures.

WIth John Bowe (prior to my +200kmh hour laps at Wakefield)

Sometimes I do have to pinch myself – and say ‘wow’ because I do get to experience some absolutely amazing things. The weekend before last I was trialing ‘glamping’ on Cockatoo Island, Tuesday I got to experience the John Bowe V8 racing experience at Wakefield; in the evening I was at the Sydney Dance Theatre and met Rafael Bonachela- Creative Director and also the dancers after the performance of ‘2 One Another’ – which was an absolutely amazing expression of human creativity. I was completely engrossed during the 70-minute performance – it was simply breath taking.

Wednesday I did another one of our experiences in the morning – a photo shoot – in the evening I attended a pre-announcement Ernst & Young cocktail function at the Archibald’s – I was sure I had picked the winner – alas not.

I had several keynotes in Sydney – I particularly had great fun on Friday afternoon at the Australian Teleservices Assoc. lunch. We had a lot of giggles and really enjoyed ourselves… but wait there is more. On the weekend I was researching yet another ‘glamping’ experience – which was my perfect paradise… (I will be handing details to Georgia the RedBalloon category manager – because it is a must for RedBalloon)… and to finish off the week experienced the outdoor spectacular of La Traviata… Sydney harbor a spectacular backdrop to this very special performance – Emma Matthews voice was a show stealer. It really looked like the performers were loving the experience too.

I was asked twice this week in speaking engagements about how I coped with all the ‘work’ at start up phase of RedBalloon. The reality is that it is quite a blur now – but I do believe that if you love what you do – you never have to work another day in your life. (Is Confucius credited with that quote?)

I think last week I supported most aspects of the Sydney arts community – (as well as four RedBalloon experiences – which is part of my job).

This week is school holidays and I am planning to be far more settled – do some writing and planning.

Coming up this week:

Monday: One on one’s
Tuesday: Company meeting – (and daughter going for her learner’s permit – Argh)
Wednesday: Planning
Thursday: Corporate Planning
Friday: Easter – YAY

Reading – Abundance – by Diamandis and Kotler

The corporate team - want to join them?

I was part of a panel asked to present on our top productivity tips yesterday. Often we don’t really know what we do that keeps us productive – it is innate. I thought of my own productivity such as  writing down physically the three things I must get done in a day before I go home; or is it turning off email so I can focus on producing what I want to do rather than responding to other people’s agenda.  I contemplated what are some of the bigger ideas of how RedBalloon is focused and productive. The reality is that one must be intentional about being productive… floating through the day or ‘hope as a strategy’ simply results in a lot of wasted energy.

1) Be as great as you say you are to your customers

When I started RedBalloon I had a simple premise: to run a business that listened to its customers and acted on the feedback. (Anyone who has been on a RedBalloon experience knows that they will hear from us 48 hours after the experience with our ‘How was it for you’ questions – and a real person reviews and responds to these – always has.)

The customer experience is key. As a result, RedBalloon benefited from conversations about not just the experience but about the experience of delivering experiences, word of mouth marketing that gave us a profile on a shoestring that we no way could have paid for.

2) Be an enviable employer branding

RedBalloon has been recognized as a Great Place To Work, and a Hewett Best Employer in the last few years – but it has not always been like this.  It took years of commitment to fulfill on our vision of being a great employer brand.  A strong employer brand is the reputation of an organization; its critical ability to recruit and retain the best of the best. Our recognition as an employer of choice gives RedBalloon tremendous leverage: we attract great people – who bring diverse and new ideas to the business. I’m excited that we are recruiting several roles currently to join our corporate team…

I’d encourage all businesses to make their employer brand reputation a key element to strategy and really commit to the employee experience.

3) Value Innovation

Encourage people to think big, make mistakes, innovate and grow — and while not every idea will fly, the freedom to be allowed to ‘get it wrong’ means there’ll be more opportunities when they get it right. If you don’t allow your people the safety to make mistakes, then you’ll never get the grand ideas. And don’t be constrained always expecting ‘big’ ideas. 2012’s theme at RedBalloon is ‘Small Things, Big Impact’ where RedBallooners are encouraged to make suggestions on ways to impact costs, productivity or revenue. To qualify, the idea must be new or incremental and not already in the plan. The idea must also be small ie: it doesn’t require 1-2 weeks worth of development; it can be implemented using existing resources; it doesn’t require substantial investment; and requires only a little extra effort. One of our IT guys, Mitch, came up with a splendid idea for investing in RAM for old computers to speed them up, rather than spending big on new computers. Prime thinking.

Brett Blundy at the BB Retail Capital's Leadership learning event - walls surrounded in inspirational ideas

Interesting little transition last week in the life on Naomi Simson – I was asked on three separate occasions to contribute to something – because I write this blog. I found that fascinating. I was introduced on Channel Nine’s Mornings program as ‘one of Australia’s leading business bloggers’ – I was asked to be a guest tweeter for ABCs Lateline on Tuesday – and I was asked to attend the BB Retail Capital conference (of Adairs, Bras and things, Diva etc fame) because I was a blogger…. (I did in fact attend because I have met Brett Blundy on a number of occasions and I wondered what I could learn about his views on the changes and trends in traditional retail).

I sat next to Brett as the sessions of his leaders conference unfolded – the session I attended was around accountability – and what does that really mean to each individual and leader in his businesses. I picked up some little books that they give to each employee about their vision, customer promise and their team promise. I was impressed with the resources, focus and commitment that the group has to keeping the leadership team learning and aligned.

Tuesday last week was a very exciting day for all RedBallooners as Millie Fastnedge Evans arrived. Jemma CEO has handed the baton (a little sooner than expected to Kristie Buchanan – who will be acting CEO until Jemma’s return from maternity leave)…  Kristie started her career at RedBalloon a marketing manager and more recently has been the GM of Consumer – accountable for the Customer Experience. Congratulations Kristie.

Kristie and I doing the V8 experiences some years ago

This Week:

Monday: One on One’s and Women leaders round table event
Tuesday: V8 Race day experience at Wakefield
Wednesday: Participation on the CBS interactive media panel
Thursday: Best Buddies leadership conference commences
Friday: Best Buddies and Keynote for the Australian Teleservices Association (ATA)

This US centric article focuses on the evolution of the role men and women are playing in industrialized societies. As I read the article I did feel uplifted – however I had the question sitting in the back of my head – yes this might be true in the US – but is it true for Australia?

In my experience in Australia annually on International Womens Day the same poor figures about participation of women in leadership are trotted out. Our social structures and the way we work have dramatically changed in the last 200 years – yet as a species have we been able to evolve as fast?

Some of the thought provoking ideas from the article:

• “As thinking and communicating have come to eclipse physical strength and stamina as the keys to economic success, those societies that take advantage of the talents of all their adults, not just half of them, have pulled away from the rest.”

• “In 2006, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development devised the Gender, Institutions and Development Database, which measures the economic and political power of women in 162 countries. With few exceptions, the greater the power of women, the greater the country’s economic success.”

• “More to the point, what if the economics of the new era are better suited to women?”

• “Of the 15 job categories projected to grow the most in the next decade in the U.S., all but two are occupied primarily by women. Indeed, the U.S. economy is in some ways becoming a kind of traveling sisterhood: upper-class women leave home and enter the workforce, creating domestic jobs for other women to fill.”

• “The postindustrial economy is indifferent to men’s size and strength. The attributes that are most valuable today—social intelligence, open communication, the ability to sit still and focus—are, at a minimum, not predominantly male.”

• “Yes, the U.S. still has a wage gap, one that can be convincingly explained—at least in part—by discrimination. Yes, women still do most of the childcare. And yes, the upper reaches of society are still dominated by men. But given the power of the forces pushing at the economy, this setup feels like the last gasp of a dying age rather than the permanent establishment.”

• “A 2008 study attempted to quantify the effect of this more-feminine management style. Researchers at Columbia Business School and the University of Maryland analyzed data on the top 1,500 U.S. companies from 1992 to 2006 to determine the relationship between firm performance and female participation in senior management. Firms that had women in top positions performed better, and this was especially true if the firm pursued what the researchers called an “innovation intensive strategy,” in which, they argued, “creativity and collaboration may be especially important”—an apt description of the future economy.”

It is worth a read – if for no other reason than to challenge our existing ideas and the language use to stereotype by gender.

I have often been accused of being bossy…. if I was a bloke I would just be considered assertive. And our predisposed view of the world is that men are ‘supposed to be assertive’…. we as a species have a lot of evolutionary development to do to catch up to societies changes.

I’d be curious to know your thoughts on this…

At Hamilton Island speaking about the Proactive Conference

Last week I didn’t know whether I was coming or going  – I got to meet a total of 1300 people in three speaking engagements in three different regions; Hamilton Island, Sunshine Coast and Sydney. I had a full day in Sydney learning about negotiation skills – as well as writing the final chapter of the next book and the program for the mentoring weekend in April…

I big thank you to my colleague Philippa, for keeping me focused on the end game and her inspiration and editing.

This week.
Monday: On ‘Mornings’ Channel Nine talking about Pinterest and attending the BBcapital retail conference
Tuesday: In the office all day – YAY…
Wednesday: Board meeting and Telstra Business Awards Alumni cocktail event
Thursday: Melbourne Telstra Business Womens awards Alumni breakfast – business roundtable
Friday: Business meetings in Melbourne.

The Australian winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award 2012, Maryanne Shearer

It was great to be on my feet last week, a busy week of International Womens Day events – sharing the RedBalloon journey and the things we have learned.

A highlight was attending this years Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year event. A massive congratulation to Maryanne Shearer, founder of T2 as this years winner.  I have always enjoyed the experience of entering one of her stores and discovering new tastes and delights.

In addition the final touches are coming together of the new book, and we are on the countdown for hosting a mentoring weekend in April.

This week:

Monday – Speakers dinner at Hamilton Island (I will get to have a catch up with Verne Harnish).
Tuesday – Keynote for Nixon Advantage at the annual conference of 400 accountants
Wednesday – Travel to Sunshine Coast
Thursday – Speaking at IGA conference on ‘Small things Big impact.’
Friday – Sydney – Negotiations Skills Course
Saturday – Presentation at Dial an Angel conference (by then I might well need their services)