As previously mentioned I attended a conference for CEOs yesterday and was treated to a presentation by Larry Keeley, President of Doblin Group, on innovation. I was a little sceptical at first but Keeley’s assetion that innovation is about discipline, process and hard work and NOT about creativity, really caught my attention.

I am short of time for this blog so just time for a few teasers on this subject …

1. Check out Doblin and Larry Keeley at their website.

2. For an example of true innovation … can you imagine creating a hotel for business travellers, with flat screen TVs and internet access in every room that makes money at a daily room rate of $25? Tata have done just that with their Ginger group of hotels! This is the same company (from India) that has developed the $2,500 car making car ownership available to millions!

It is innovation that helped DELL to take the PC market by storm and be one of the few companies that has consistently made money in that space. look at the internet world for lots of examples of innovative business models like eBay, iTunes, Google, Skype etc.

Interesting stuff!

This afternoon I am attending the 13th annual Wisdom Exchange, which for the first time is being held here in Ottawa … bonus!

I have always considered the name to be little “iffy”, and have received my fair share of jokes about me going to something called a “wisdom exchange” … I’m sure you can use your imagination!

There are a number of important points to make about this kind of thing:

1. First and foremost, I am not looking for things to do. In order for me to make time for this conference I need to take time away from other initiatives and plan this time into my crazy schedule.
2. If I am willing and able to do that, surely most people can find the time to invest in themselves.
3. I pick and choose the events that I attend carefully … again because time is such a precious commodity to me. So … this needs to be an event that brings me value and from which I can walk away with new ideas, new contacts, new perspectives. For you, any investment of time needs to provide a good return on your time investment.
4. Lifelong learning is something I have blogged about several times, and everybody needs to keep learning … even old ‘uns like me!

I head out with high expectations and will make the most of the opportunity by networking, renewing old acquaintances and getting some “staffing industry messages” out to the government people attending … in addition to learning some “stuff”. That is called time management or maybe I will coin the phrase … Maximising Return on Time Invested. I like that! Later!

I think that there is something very human about procrastination! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t occasionally, (or more often than that), give in to procrastination. We come by it honestly and in the course of our lives we have all procrastinated to some degree or other about … doing homework; studying for tests; completing application paperwork for college, passport, loan, bank account; asking someone on a date; breaking up with someone; setting resolutions; developing goals; completing work tasks; doing paperwork; cutting the grass; clearing the snow; painting the kitchen and almost any other task you can think about!

The thing about procrastination in the workplace is that if you let it get away from you, then your personal productivity is eroded until at some point you are just not doing your job. Personal productivity is how you demonstrate your worth to a company, and how you earn your pay cheque! Procrastination becomes a way of life, and that is NOT good!

You can see the signs …

You have to do some cold calling … but maybe Tuesdays are better, you have a couple of meetings out of the office Wednesday and other things to do (any other things) so maybe you’ll start next week. At some point next week never comes.

You have to call a client or contractor with a tough message or bad news. Well maybe later in the day is best but by then “she’s probably gone home by now” so I’ll do it tomorrow. By the time you get around to it they heard from someone else and they don’t want to know you any more!

You have a hot order to fill and you’ll get “right on it … tomorrow”. This is common in the staffing industry and the kiss of death, because by tomorrow all the best candidates will have been scooped by the competition.

You have some not so exciting tasks to complete so you go for a smoke, or walk to the coffee shop … by the time you have done that 3 or 4 times in a workday you have burned an hour of productive work time. How can you do your job effectively if more than 10% of your time is wasted this way.

If you adopt the philosophy that you will put in a FULL day of work, for every day AT work, then you will have a very productive and fulfilling career. If you beat the procrastination bug through sound time management techniques then you can truly be effective in your job … whatever that job is.

So … start NOW! Look critically at what you are doing throughout the workday and if it is not 100% work related and focused on your work objectives then don’t do it! It is a very satisfying feeling to be crossing off those completed tasks on your “to do” list and you can bet that management will notice too!

The IT Staffing Industry is an interesting study for many reasons. What at first blush looks like a very simple business quickly gains in complexity when you look at how it really works.

As “middle men” in a transaction we have two types of clients … (a) the end client who buys our services and (b) the IT professional that we place into jobs, either full-time or on contract.

Within our end client community (a) we also have different types of buyers …
(i) The corporate buyer (purchasing, legal, HR) whose primary goals are to protect their corporation from risk and to obtain the best price.
(ii) There is the user community buyer represented in the IT staffing world by technology managers and their management teams.
(iii) In some client situations there are internal resource managers who interface with staffing agencies.
(iv) In certain client situations IT staffing companies will work through third party “aggregators” such as Vendor on premises, Vendor Managers etc.

ALL of the above buyers, and we staffing companies, have our own agendas and needs and very often they are not aligned!

The technology groups have project needs that will affect their business. Perhaps a new client interface being late could mean millions of dollars in lost business, if a financial compliance application is late it might mean fines or other punitive damages from regulatory bodies etc. In some client situations these demands will mean the client wants the very best candidate and that price is important, but a secondary consideration.

Purchasing will be very focused on providing savings for their organization, and still committed to obtaining quality … however price is key.

The legal people might be very focused on ensuring that the right contracts and extensive insurance coverage is in place.

The IT professionals want interesting work and want to be well paid. Some of them will view the budget as theirs and resent the agency “taking money out of their pocket”.

The IT Staffing Companies want to get access to orders and find great candidates at the best price they can, so they can make a reasonable living.

Add to this mix that the “product” in play is a human being and that no two human beings are the same, then you start to get a feel for some of the complexities in this business.

In the perfect scenario the client is focused on getting quality candidates inside a framework that ensures all of the corporate needs are met … good value and risk protection all covered through an efficient process. If the right framework is in place and the vendor community is comprised of reputable firms then this is very doable … resulting in a win-win environment.

The only way that I believe this scenario is achieved is through mutual respect and open communication. Certainly our industry in Canada has matured significantly in the last 10 to 15 years. There is good communication at the industry level and we work to earn the respect of both the client and contractor communities.

I have blogged previously about the value proposition that we bring to our clients, the contractors and the Canadian economy … and I am passionate about our place in Canada’s future. Particularly when we are faced with growing skills and labour shortages in the coming years.

I think that many people try to simplify our business and provide rigid control over the buying environment to the detriment of all concerned. IT Staffing companies operate on skinny bottom lines in a complex environment that is, as affected by the economy as any other. If we are to continue to provide value to the Canadian economy we need to continually educate clients, governments, contractors and anyone operating in our world about how it really works. A few words in a blog does not do this subject justice … but it’s a start!

Today I am back at work after a week of “R&R”! Typical of my “Type A” behaviour I kept up to date with important emails while away, but as a business owner that just gives me the peace of mind to be able to enjoy some time away from the office. I do however understand just how lucky I am!

Taking a vacation in the sun is a great time to reflect upon how lucky I have been in my career in order to be able to do this.

This week I took a cruise in the Caribbean …
Sailed from Miami …
Spent a couple of lazy days at sea
Swam with Stingrays in Grand Cayman
Biked through the jungle in Belize
Kayaked through the mangroves in Honduras
Rode horses in Mexico, exploring Mayan ruins on Cozumel

Growing up in working class Liverpool I could not have ever dreamed that I would have the opportunity to be able to do these kind of things, but I think I am definitely living proof that everyone can reach their dreams!

I did not have a privileged upbringing …
I did not inherit money …
I was not a great scholar …
I was a “late bloomer” …

I work hard …
I am always looking to learn …
I have taken some chances …
I have gone outside my comfort zone …
I have been persistent …
I have a passion for what I do …
I am a positive person …

These are things that have helped me to grow, accept responsibility and achieve some success. These are things that anyone can do!

Life is indeed GOOD!

In Ontario the first Family Day holiday is this coming Monday. Our provincial government decided to add a “holiday day” for many and sundry reasons, however the implementation has not been without its issues.

Federally regulated industries are not covered by the act, and that includes Federal Government employees in our National Capital Region … so some people have a holiday and some don’t. Some employers will pay the statutory holiday pay and some won’t, which gets interesting if you are supplying people to these organizations!

Almost everyone enjoys a day off and most of us employers already give more than the statutory number of days off … so for us it means a little juggling, but for others it does involve some financial pain. Personally I think it was a move to curry political favor at the expense of the employers, but our provincial premier would never do that … would he?

Whatever the reasons, “it is what it is“, so all of you Ontario people who get it (and the Alberta people who have had this holiday for many years) have a great long weekend. I am off on vacation for a week and will get back to blogging in a week or so!

Most days I write about business issues, staffing issues, sales issues, motivation, productivity, business books or some such thing … sometimes I write about the need for a balanced life.

Today is one of those days when many of us need to put a little focus on things other than the office. So a few thoughts of a different nature today …

1. When you are lying on your death bed it is highly unlikely, even if you are a Type-A personality, that you will wish you spent more time working.

2. No matter how well you are doing at work, if life on the home front is not good then you are not going to be happy.

3. We are all different, so you NEED to understand the importance of occasions to your partner/friend/lover and act accordingly. Just because an occasion doesn’t mean much to you, you cannot assume your partner feels the same way.

4. Emotional bank accounts are important things … make sure you are making regular deposits! Today is a day to make a big deposit!

5. Don’t ONLY be nice on special occasions … a nice surprise to a loved one because it is a day ending in “Y” will bring bonus points!

Smile … it’s infectious!

Every now and again I feel the need to explain the realities of business travel … and this time with an emphasis on business travel during the Canadian Winter!

A couple of years ago I wrote my first blog on the subject when I was about to head out for a conference in Vancouver. The focus of that entry was that it is not glamorous, it does have an impact on home life and there are plenty of associated hassles.

About a year ago I was out West for three days and thought I would give people a glimpse into the daily routine on the road … some of the hassles, incidents and challenges of doing business in different cities. Despite it all I asserted that I still like the business travel, its just not as attractive as it appears from afar!

A little later I decided to talk about some of the good stuff about business travel … because despite the issues its not all bad. I blogged about the great service from Porter who at that time were a new airline in Canada and about meeting interesting people, in that blog a dynamic young entrepreneur.

My last word on the subject was in the Fall when I had a two part entry about travelling to an industry association board meeting followed by some stsffing industry thoughts. Obviously the travel didn’t go as planned!

Back to today … it does appear that poor travel experiences tend to drive these rants about business travel, which is probably not surprising. Travel in the Canadian Winter can always be an adventure and today’s story was mild by comparison to many … however when it is a relatively common occurence business travel during the Winter can be very trying!

Today I was booked on a 7am flight to Toronto from Ottawa … its a one hour gate to gate trip that should have me in the office in Toronto by 8:30am. My first meeting was scheduled for 10:30am giving me time to catch up on voice and emails and get myself “sorted”. I generally get up at 6am for my morning workout, but I was up at 5am this morning and heading into a taxi at 5:30am … no workout today.

It snowed all night in Ottawa, just a light snow, but the roads had a decent coverage and were slick … so I had the usual FUN ride to the airport, white knuckles holding onto the seat! I had the usual security fun …. trying to juggle multiple items through security, but I do this a lot … no worries!

Boarded the plane about 20 minutes late because it was late getting to the gate, because of snow and after getting boarded and pushing back we found out there was a mechanical failure. Back to the gate, disembark and luckily the 8:30 flight to Toronto is at the next gate and they have room.

Off to the de-icing station … adds another 25 minutes to the journey. In Canada almost every cold day the plane has to be de-iced before takeoff, obviously better than flying with iced up controls but another hassle for the business traveller.

Arrive at Toronto Island airport around 10am and manage to get a cab within a rasonable time, arrive at the office at about 10:30am just in time to hit my meeting!

Juggling luggage and bundled up for the Winter cold makes it difficult to be very productive on a one hour flight, so really I lost a couple of hours from my day today. Not terrible in the scheme of things but also not atypical … business travel can add stress if you are not used to the issues or if you just let it get to you.

As I mentioned travelling in the Winter months here is always an adventure, we are set up to handle it, but it is still a huge impact. Welcome to the life of a road warrior … and just like before I still think its OK!

I certainly am not here to whine because this could have been a much worse experience and for that I am grateful. Every now and then I like to give you a glimpse into my life … it is not one I am looking to change, in fact I can’t think of many people who I would swap places with! Just occasionally (OK maybe more often than that) I curse the weather when I’m travelling!

Today Eagle requalified for the 2007 Platinum list of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, the story was in today’s National Post who are also one of the program sponsors. The list of winners is on the 50 Best website and the 52 companies who have made “Platinum“, like Eagle have all been on this list for more thaqn 6 consecutive years.

For some awards you can get recognition just for “showing up”, perhaps its because you gave some money to charity or achieved certain revenue numbers. This particular award is different … the sponsors look very closely at best practices, at the financials and the fundamentals of those companies who apply. The whole process brings value to the applicants, whether they win or not … because it is an opportuntity to get feedback from professionals about what you are doing well and what might need improvement. This award that has to be EARNED … so we are proud.

It really doesn’t matter whether you are an individual or a company, in order to achieve sustainable success you need to be able to grow, adapt to change and keep learning. Yes, that can be inconvenient … but it is reality!

There are many companies that used to be successful and that have fallen from grace primarily because they have not adapted and changed with the world’s realities. The same happens to individuals … you must keep pace with change, keep learning and adapting.

Think about how the world has changed in the last 100 years, what about the last 50 years or even 10 years … the pace of change is relentless, so if you (or your company) are doing the same things the same way today that you were doing last year, and the year before that then perhaps you should look closely at your relevance!

We live in a world with such forces as global trade, impending demographic challenges, global warming, scientific advances in bio tech, a computer environment driven by Moores Law . I have more power in the PDA on my hip than in the first IBM personal computers and we have made medical advances that will keep people alive today that just a few years ago would have had no chance.

If you are not willing to invest in your own growth … as an individual or as a company … then you are destined to be marginalised. Somebody half way around the world might be doing your job for you, or maybe someone who really wants to make a difference will replace you and half a dozen like you … with their PDA and their attitude.

Eagle has done well, we continue to get recognition … but we are not the same company we were 10 years ago, and we will be different again 5 years from now.

Kevin Dee is running his own company… who would have thought that 25 years ago? Better yet it is still doing OK almost 12 years after starting!

Things change and that means opportunity … change is not something to worry about, it is something to embrace. Change allowed me and Eagle our opportunities. Read, learn, ask … look at the world through new eyes and look for possibilities, they are endless. How else do you think Eagle is on that list?

Nobodies to Somebodies by Peter Han

This is a book that will be of interest to anyone who has aspirations to “get ahead” or even those people who like to live vicariously through others. Here in Canada “Speedy Muffler” have a slogan that says “At Speedy You are a Somebody” … I think the name for Han’s book is a little unfortunate, but still it is interesting.

Did you for instance know that Tom Clancy, one of the most successful authors on the planet was an insurance agent until well into his forties?

I think one of the most interesting things about this book is that you learn that success can come at any stage in life, it can come in many different forms and arrive in different ways. The author interviewed 100 “successful” people and each has their own story, no two of which would be the same.

There are common themes and messages through the book and plenty of advice from those that have been there and got the t-shirt. Some common themes included developing careers by steadily raising visibility, developing a broad functional expertise, taking less than glamorous roles for experience and making very conscious career moves. Others were not so structured in their advancement and credited intense passion, “right time – right place” and some lucky breaks for their success.

Invariably the “w” word is well used, hard work and then some more work, is a common theme with many successful people. Most however are doing something that they enjoy doing and can be passionate about it … so the price is worth paying. Many eschew the notion that they have no balance in their lives, suggesting that balance is a personal thing and it works for them.

Almost everybody benefited from relationships … so even the introverts needed to “get out there” and work relkationships. Many also committed to the golden rule of treating other as they would want to be treated, of dealing with everyone with dignity and respect no mater their position.

Life long learning, developing willpower and being adaptable to change are all commen themes among many of the 100.

This is one of those books that will get you thinking, because the remarkable thing about successful people is that they are very much like everybody else … which would suggest that success is attainable by almost anyone, if you are willing to do the things these people do!

Happy reading!