’You can dream, create, draw and come up with the best ideas in the world, but you need people to help you turn your dreams into reality.’

As business owners, we rightly focus a heck of a lot of attention on our external customers and what we can do to give them a great experience. We can often forget that our people are our customers too, and without them, we can’t provide a great service, or grow a successful business.

We want our team to be full of ‘go-to’ people, leaders and high performers. We want them to support us in our vision, to be loyal to the business, to work hard for us; but what do they want in return?

If you had to choose one thing that has the most positive impact on your team what would it be? ‘Communication?’ ‘Involvement?’ ‘Trust?’ What would you be looking for if you were in their shoes?

Below is a list of the top 20 answers to the question, ‘What makes you feel valued at work?’

Take 5 minutes now to think about how your team would rate your ‘delivery’ in each of these areas, and rate yourself from 1-5 (1=unsatisfactory, 2=needs improvement, 3=satisfactory, 4=good, 5=excellent)

1. Knowing where the business is going
2. Knowing the ‘roots’ of the business - where it came from and why
3. Being involved in the planning process
4. Knowing what’s expected of me and how I’ll be judged
5. Being told when I’m doing well, and what I need to improve
6. Having simple consistent ways of doing things
7. Having time invested in my development
8. Having the opportunity to progress
9. Being trusted to do my job and left to get on with it
10. Being encouraged to have ideas
11. Knowing how my role supports the business/ customers/ the rest of the team
12. Working in a no-blame culture, where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn
13. Being appreciated and thanked for a good day’s work or a job well done
14. Having calm, consistent leadership with no mood swings!
15. Having regular ‘formal’ feedback sessions
16. Being paid fairly
17. Celebrating success with the team
18. Being kept up to date with how the business is doing
19. Being listened to and heard when there are blocks to my performing well
20. Not being in a ‘long hours prove your worth’ culture

How did you do?

Are there a few there that might get rated ‘needs improvement’ or ‘unsatisfactory’? How would you say that affects your people’s performance or your reputation as an employer?

If you’re unhappy with the results, there is no better time to act than now, because as Walt Disney said,

‘You can dream, create, draw and come up with the best ideas in the world, but you need people to help you turn your dreams into reality.’

Value your people, turn YOUR dreams into reality.


Do one thing: We've created a questionnaire for your team members ready to use and a ‘How to' guide of how to use it (please download below).
If you do use it we'd welcome any feedback about how it went and any improvements we can make.

If you feel on a roll our Business Efficiency Test will give you further insight into how each of the key systems in your business is operating - including your customer experience system - and will give you strategies for improving them in a pdf report. Take the test now, to see how you measure up.

’Development can help great people be even better - but if you have a pound to spend, spend 70p getting the right person in the door.’

In a recent blog I recommended having your ‘aces in their places’ when it comes to peopling your customer journey. And conversely there will be times when you need to part company with someone who, despite yours and perhaps their best efforts, isn’t improving. In these cases the sooner you realise they’re not the right fit and have an honest conversation with them, the better for both of you. 

I’m sure we all know people who’ve had a career change who said, ‘Blimey, wish I’d done this years ago’. 

The truth is though, that while effective performance management is easier if you’re giving informal feedback throughout the year, it’s much, much easier if you’ve recruited the right person for you and your business in the first place.

So what do I mean by the right person for you? 

I mean the person whose values match your own; who has all of the personal attributes that will see them easily fit into the way you and your team work; their work ethic, their energy, their positive view of life - that sort of thing. Their CV will only tell you what they have experience of, not how they did it, or whether they were any good at it.

Of course, if you’re going to hire to your values, then you have to be really clear about what they are, and that brings me back to two of the most important questions for any business owner to be able to answer:

1. Where are you going?
and
2. What do you stand for?

If you picked up a pen and paper now to jot down your values, what would you write? Integrity? A passion for Customer service? Continuous learning? Consistency? Having fun…? 

And how do those values show up in your business?  How do you demonstrate through your every day actions that these are your values? How obvious are they to your team, and what about to your customers?

Once you’re really clear about what you stand for, your values, then you can use them to recruit the right people; the people who stand for the same things. 

So, if your core value is integrity and passion for Customers, you won’t want to hire a salesperson who focuses on getting a sale at all costs. If you’re all about making business fun, then you’re not going to take on someone who struggles to find their personality every morning. You get my drift. 

A great way to get the right people to interview is to put together a job description that shares the following three pieces of information:

1. The purpose of the business. Why you exist, who you serve, and your long-term vision.
2. The purpose of the job. How the role fits into the business, what value it adds to the whole, what success looks like in the role.
3. A pen portrait of the person who is the perfect fit, which gives any potential candidates, a clear picture of the type of person you’re looking for.

You want this person to fit into your team and hit the ground running, so it’s vital that they know in advance what that means, whether they can see themselves in the portrait you’ve given them. It’s not about hiring Mini Me – you may be an ideas person needing to hire a detail person, for example – it’s about being a good match. Hiring and training cost a lot of money, and you want to get it right first time. 

Yes, of course, you’ll have a probation period, but you really don’t want to have to let someone go because you didn’t suss out up front that they didn’t share your values, or that they don’t have the right skills, and then pay to go through the whole process again. 

The world is full of businesses who have the ‘wrong’ employees – people with the wrong skills, the wrong values, the wrong attitude, for the business they are in.

I don’t know much about Paul Russell, but he was right on the mark when he said,

‘Development can help great people be even better - but if I had a dollar to spend, I'd spend 70 cents getting the right person in the door.’

Do one thing: Review your hiring system and ask, ‘Am I hiring to my values?

​In my business I often come across managers with one thing in common; they are flying by the seat of their pants! People who are ‘accidental managers’. You know, the great team member who is plucked from their team and given a management role or the talented business owner who finds themselves managing people as their business grows. They have little or no training or development and rely on what they’ve learned along the way from managers around them, good or bad. And if you need a great management role model, we can learn some really crucial lessons from Ole at Man Utd.

Lesson 1 - Nurture your Culture
Many clients say to me, ‘I really want to improve the culture of my business. I want to get it right.’ So what can we learn from Ole? First of all, he had a really clear idea of what he wanted the culture of Man U to be. The thing with culture is that it starts with values; it starts with the values of the person at the top. Ole clearly is a man who has strong values, a really clear idea of how he wants to operate. And how quickly did he get those players to buy in. Despite the massive egos and the big superstar baggage everyone came on board. 

It’s always easier to instil a culture from scratch than turn an existing one around. Yet that’s just what he did in a remarkably short space of time. 

So great first lesson, nurture the culture you want to build. Think about your values; what do you stand for? Then act them every day.


Lesson  2 - Build Unity 
Prior to Ole it seemed to be ‘the staff and the players’ or at least ‘the manager and the players’. You only had to look at the body language and eye contact, or lack of it. This was reinforced by the manager’s public criticism of his players and team selection. Then the rumour mill started about bust ups and personality clashes. Ole immediately started to build unity in his language and actions;
it’s always, ‘We, the team,’ ‘We, the squad,’ ‘We, the club’.  I absolutely love that he’s brilliant at sharing praise, shouldering blame and reinforcing the positives. Just look at the individuals within that team and how well he brought them together and instilled ‘we are one team; we are united.’

So the second lesson is unity. Make your business one team.


Lesson 3 - Inspire and Motivate
One of the common questions I get asked by people on our Managers’ Development Programme is, ’What's the difference between a manager and leader?’  

There'll be books written on how managers are the logistic experts, they keep things ticking along. A big part of a management role is making sure that the attention to detail is there, that mistakes aren’t made and if they are, that they're learned from and so on.

But these days in any business, you have to be a leader as well. You have to inspire and motivate the team, and modest as his media persona is, Ole is clearly a very inspiring and motivating guy. He didn't immediately crack the whip. I’ll bet when he first met with the squad, he took them into a room and shared his vision of what it was like to be a Man U player and how privileged they were to wear the shirt. That would be his style. 

That is something I find that a lot of managers and business owners miss. They miss sharing their vision. ‘Where is this all headed? Where are we all going together as a team and why?’ He inspired and motivated them so well. 

He clearly showed them how much he believed in them, and as a result, they believed in themselves. He’s also been great at supporting those who were having a hard time. Look at the difference in confidence in young Rashford who played with his eyes on the ground unable to hit a barn door and then look at the difference under Ole, confidence and self-belief is oozing from his pores. Yes, he recognised this was crucial for success but also just because this was in line with his values, that he would look after his people. He would keep each individual feeling confident and part of the team.

He also treated them like adults. Sometimes, particularly new/young managers feel their role is to be the boss, to talk at people, to tell them what to do. When you have adults or adult conversations with people in your team, when you give them the training and development and support that they need, when you really believe in them and remember that you have a responsibility to help them to fulfil their potential, that's when you get your team to take ownership. That's when people start to step up and go, ‘All right. I'm responsible for this. This is my job.’ And you can see that now at United, the team are taking ownership. They are taking responsibility, and they’re acting like adults. 

Third lesson - look to inspire and motivate your team to build ownership and belief.


Lesson 4 - Have fun!
It’s become obvious over the last few months that Man U players are enjoying their football again. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted off them and they’re playing with the swagger of teams of old. And Ole himself is chilled and smiling, setting the tone.

We are lucky with what we do, a lot of us, and why not have fun doing it? Why not encourage our teams to have fun? People are at work for so many hours of the day, it's part of our responsibility as managers to help people enjoy it, not dread coming into work and be managed by us.

Fourth lesson - create an enjoyable workplace. This goes back to culture and values as well.


Lesson 5 - Learn, learn, and then learn some more! 
The final thing that I really wanted to bring up as a lesson from Ole is his desire to learn, his desire to be the best possible manager he can be. And one of the things that stops us learning is our ego. Not for Ole. Instead of Alex Ferguson being the ghost of Christmas past or the old guys in the balcony criticising their fellow Muppets, Ole’s got him in giving talks to the players. He’s brought back Mike Phelan, Utd through and through and gaining from his years of ‘been there, done that’. And you get the impression that Ole is like a sponge soaking up knowledge and experience so he can do the best for the club, the fans and the players. ​

That's really what I want for each of you. I want you to be the best possible people managers that you can be; the best leaders. So think about the lessons from Ole. Think about your values and your culture. Think about how you can create unity in your team. Think about the development and support that you're giving, not to the team as a whole, not just to the stars, but to every single individual, however minor their role is in the team.

Think about how much you're inspiring and motivating the team who work with you. Think about how you're going to become a better manager, a better leader; what you need to do and the skills you need to develop. Explore where you can learn the lessons you need to learn to keep improving, keep developing, and be the best manager that you can be.

Fifth lesson - keep on learning.

Do one thing: do your team members know how you started and where you’re heading? If not, start by sharing with them the story of your business.

And if you or a manager in your business could use some help then check out our MPL ‘Managers' Development Programme’. Our structured 6-month online programme is aimed at developing the mindset and the skill set of business owners and their managers. 

Details and testimonials here:
​https://www.mariannepage.co.uk/mpl-managers-development-programme.html

Thanks for reading.

Hiring the right person for you, first time, every time! Wouldn't that be great?

By the time you’ve read this blog, I want to have convinced you that it’s possible. Not only possible but pleasurable; that it’s an exciting opportunity to build your high-performing team and grow your business.

I’ll go through the three steps to a great job advert and there’s a template too which you can download. I’m going to share with you my two golden rules for hiring and show how, if you embrace these, you will be well on the path to hiring a ‘keeper’.

One of the questions I always ask my clients is ‘How many of your current team would you re-hire tomorrow if you were given the chance?’

So…how many would you re-hire?

If you say all of them I’ll be delighted for you, and also a little surprised, as that's only happened to me once since I started asking the question.

Most people have at least one person in their business who was never right, the rotten apple in the barrel. ‘Ugh John, what a pain’ or ‘It’s just Janet, she’s always miserable.’

You've put up with Janet and John for years rather than removing them from the team; knowing that neither should ever have been hired in the first place - they were never a good fit for you, your team or the business.

So how to avoid this?

I have two golden rules for hiring:
​
Golden rule No. 1
Never, hire in a hurry.

Why? Because anything you do in a hurry tends to be botched. You’re rushing to plug a gap; hiring somebody to make up the numbers.

You hire in a hurry, you make mistakes.

Golden rule No. 2

Always hire to your values.

Think about why you’re hiring. You're not just hiring a body. You're not looking for someone who's going to clock on, park their brain at the door, and then clock off at the end of the day. You want somebody who is engaged. You want somebody who cares about what you care about - who buys into that goose bump-giving inspiring vision of yours; who has the same values as you.

You’re hiring a mind and a heart, not a body.

Things go wrong when you ignore the golden rules and only look at skills and experience; when you hire in a hurry cos it’s all just too much hassle; when you abdicate responsibility to a third party.

Change your mindset around hiring - see it as an opportunity to add to your highly engaged, high performing team - invest time and energy in this crucial task…and get creative…even with your job ad.

Think differently.

So many people put out the job description as a job ad. ‘You will be responsible for, you will have so and so reporting to you, you must be able to do this, that and the other.’

Who's inspired by that sort of job ad?

No-one. So when it comes to your job ad I want you to lead with three things.

1. The vision and purpose of your business.
   You want to inspire people, so tell them about the purpose of your business and where you’re going with it? Tell them about your inspiring picture for the future; your goose-bump-giving vision.
   
   
2. Next, the purpose of the role.
   Tell them how the role adds value to the business; how crucial it is. Tell them how it fits into the bigger picture; how it adds value to the team, your customers, you.
   
   
3. Finally, a pen portrait of the individual that you're looking for. A picture of the person you’re looking for written as if you are in their shoes. ‘I leap out of bed every morning looking forward to the day. I like an early start, to get ahead of the game. I love being part of a team, working together to get the job done.  I like to be supportive too, helping my teammates out when they need it. I’m really big on detail - my pet hate is sloppy mistakes.’ You get the idea.
   
   Think about the person you're looking for, the sort of role that you've got for them, and write your pen portrait as if you are them and this is their ideal.You want them to be reading going, ‘That's me, that’s me, that’s so me!’

If you want to know what this looks like click here to get your hands on a template which explains what you need in each section and gives you an example of what the ad might look like.

So let’s recap. 

Take your time when you're hiring.

Know your vision and values.

Write your job ad to inspire your ideal candidates.

And you will be well on your way to hiring the right person for you, first time.

Of course, there’s more to it than just that, but all in good time!

Do one thing: Download your job ad template here and use it for your next hire.

ps Don’t miss out on the launch offer for my new book ‘Simple Logical Repeatable’ - only 99p for the kindle version on Amazon, 18th & 19th July. 

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

In the last few weeks we've created your inspiring business vision and we've begun work on your business planning, but even the most inspiring vision, and the smartest of SMART plans will be wasted, if you don't have an effective personal management system.

Your daily routine is the cornerstone of your personal management system, and should be crammed full of habits that will maximise your productivity, and move you closer to your big vision.

Get into the habit of planning your day the evening before (and your week on a Sunday evening). At the end of the day, you’re usually very clear about what still needs to done, what the priorities are, what tomorrow’s frog* will be. Advanced planning like this makes sure that you hit the ground running.

Chunk your work into 90 minute segments. This is a good timeframe for focus, and FOCUS is the key word - don’t multi-task - if you’re going to work on a sales letter, work on it for the full 90 minutes, or until it’s done, if you can do it within the 90.

Work out which part of the day you’re at your peak - for me it’s first thing in the morning - and use that 90 minutes to ‘eat your frog’ - *do the thing that you don't necessarily want to do, but that’s weighing you down mentally, because you know you really need to get it done.

Just get focused and eat the damn frog! It’s a really good success habit to get into.

Set yourself mini deadlines - always good for those of us who like a bit of ‘last minute pressure’ - make them ‘drop-dead’-lines too! Absolute must delivers!

Breaks are always a good deadline. Holidays are also excellent. Ever noticed how much more you get done in the days leading up to a holiday, or the minutes leading up to any deadline.

Both breaks and holidays are essential for your long-term productivity too - refreshing and re-energising your mind and body. The most successful businessmen and women really get this, and have made breaks long and short, a habit they will always keep.

Other daily routines and success habits that are good for your mind and body, include taking at least 30 minutes exercise a day - even if it’s just a walk down the road and back - and drinking plenty of water - two litres is the recommended amount isn’t it? I’m no scientist, but I can testify to the power of a lunchtime walk for clearing your head and setting you up for a productive afternoon.

For successful business owners, there are two other personal management essentials:

1. An assistant or PA
There are only so many things that you can be brilliant at, or that really get your juices flowing; for everything else, you need an assistant - someone who will keep you organised, do the really important, but really boring (to you) stuff that eats away at your time.
A mentor of mine refers to the £10ph, £100ph and £1000ph tasks in your business. Which are you spending all of your precious time on?

And talking of mentors, the second essential is

2. A mentor
What I’ve learned from the mentors I’ve worked with, is that they get you to the next level faster; they get you to raise your game - to see things from a different viewpoint - they share their expertise to help you grow.
Your mentor is a key member of your support team - the sounding board and advisor who speeds up your journey to the results you’re looking for.

Your personal management system takes discipline and time to develop, but when you learn to manage yourself, the business will be a piece of cake!

Do one thing: Spot that frog and eat it…Gulp…

[This is an excerpt from Marianne’s new book, Simple, Logical, Repeatable, available now on Amazon at: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781332266] 

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

‘Keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise.’

If your vision is your goose-bump-giving, inspiring, picture of your future, and your plans are the route map to take you there, then what are your values?

The Dictionary defines values as… ‘principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life’.

For me, they are the compass that guides every decision, every action, and the way you behave every single day.

We all have values whether we recognise them as such, or not, and our life is much easier when we understand what they are and align our plans, decisions and behaviours with them.

For example, if you value family, but you work 70-hour weeks, you’ll feel internal stress and conflict. If you don't value financial risk, you’re unlikely to start your own business.

Being clear about your values, helps you to make decisions and take actions that are fully aligned with them. When you’re in tune with your values, your gut will reflect them. Go against your gut and you might well be going against your values.

As you move through life, your values may change. For example, when you start out, success – measured by money and status – might be a top priority. But as you get older, perhaps after you have a family, you may value work-life harmony more.

Keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise.

When thinking about what your values are, ask yourself:

• How do I want my business, and the people in it to operate?
• What are the principles I hold dear, that I won’t compromise, that I would like my business to be known for?
• What are the qualities I aspire to - that I live my life by, and want my team to share?
• How do I want to run my business?

Decide what’s important to you and how you’ll demonstrate it in your business, because what you do is a megaphone for what you believe in.  You may genuinely believe and therefore say, one thing, but your actions and behaviours may well be saying another.

Let me give you an example from a private client I worked with a while ago.. and the feedback I gave them, which illustrates the point.

‘You say that you want a quality operation, but your team believe that you won’t pay enough to bring in quality people.’

‘You say that you want a team that takes ownership for their role and how it is performed, but your team see you needing to be consulted on every decision, and keeping tight control.’

‘You say that you want a fast-paced organisation that grows at speed, but you over-analyse everything and take forever to make decisions.’

‘You make commitments - to have management team meetings, to install a reward scheme, and so on - but don’t stick to these commitments.’

‘You say that you value your people - but you cancel training sessions and team events’

‘You say that you value your clients and want them to have first class service - but you ignore customer feedback and seem accepting of failure to deliver on time.’

What you DO is a megaphone for what you believe in.

So what do you believe in? What would your team say you Value?

When asked this question, business owners will usually say things like honesty, integrity, customer focus, maybe fairness - clearly good values, but to be honest, these are standard principles that every business owner should live by. Business Values 101. The expected minimum.

Your values are all about you and the personality of your business - you’re going to hire team members who share those values - you’re going to attract customers who love your values. You want these values to inspire, to attract, to hold everything together.

A brand strategy business I know has the following as their values:

• Build Inspiration
• Dream Bigger
• Embrace Quirky
• Tell it like it is
• Expand your world
• Live the Brand

That’s who they are. That’s how they behave. Everything about their brand fits with these values.

So?  Who are you?

Do one thing: Work that out.  Then ask yourself, and your team, if your day to day behaviour reflects who you are and what you believe in.

Taken from Marianne's new book Simple Logical Repeatable, coming soon to an Amazon near you!

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

I read an article the other day that got me a bit hot under the collar. In a nutshell it said that anyone following a process or a system was a ‘jobsworth’.

The article had different animals depicting the different types of people who followed a system and their reasons for doing so. What got my goat (not one of the animals depicted) was that they were all negative.

What the article didn’t say was that the real problem is not the following of a system - McDonald’s for one have built a global empire on the back of people following systems - the real problem is following the wrong system; a system that makes life more difficult.

The only reason systems exist is to make life easier - yours, your team’s, your customer’s. The wrong system  - the one that makes everyone’s life more difficult, that has either your team or your customer jumping through hoops - that’s the one the jobsworth loves.

I’ll give you an example…

A friend of mine was  shopping in her local Waitrose the other day, and had forgotten her Waitrose card. She’d never seen the person serving her before, but she explained that she was a regular, that she had forgotten her card (which entitles her to a free coffee) and wondered if she could still have her cup of coffee, as she could really do with it.

No, she couldn’t, was the answer.

So, was the person serving my friend a jobsworth, following a bad system? If Waitrose was  your business, what would you have wanted the till person to do in this situation? What would your system be?

Think about it…what was the worst that could have happened had the server given her the benefit of the doubt?

If my friend was pulling a fast one, Waitrose would be one cup of coffee down. If she was genuine, they’d have one hacked off Customer, as it proved.

The system in this instance needed to allow and encourage the server to use their discretion; it needed to ensure that they were not a jobsworth.

All good systems are simple, logical and repeatable; they make life easier…for you, your team and your customers.

Do one thing: Check the systems along your customer journey- are you creating jobsworths in your team?

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

When I worked for McDonald’s I learned that planning is a team sport; most effective when it involves the people it affects as well as those who’ll deliver on it.

I learned that you listen to those with the skills and experience, but you also consider the new and the different; that it’s ok to re-visit that might once have been considered crazy or just plain wrong for the business, as things change, and the ‘right time’ comes along.

Just like every other area of the business, I learned that you have a system for planning that makes it routine, regular, consistent; that keeps you focused on the end goal, even when you need to adapt, or change your route.

A robust planning system keeps everyone in the business, focused and on track. Because everyone knows where you’re all headed, there’s less stress, and less chaos, which also saves you time and money. And it gives you the opportunity to celebrate with your team when you reach your milestone markers along the way.

Planning is a team sport at McDonald’s - they invest an awful lot of time and money, in bringing together people from all areas of the business - Operations, Support, Franchisees, Suppliers - with the aim of developing challenging plans and goals that everyone buys into.

They want everyone engaged in the business Vision, the direction of travel, and the route map that’s going to take them there. They want to be able to celebrate milestones, achievements big and small, and then, when the tough times come, they want everyone to see the fight as theirs, to work together to turn things back round.

The investment in their Planning system delivers a huge return. It’s a foundation system that they would not be without.

Many business owners don’t see Planning that way.

• They view it as a pain - something you have to do for investors or the bank manager
• They feel they don’t have time, preferring to ‘go with the flow’
• They see it as restricting - they’d rather be flexible, able to grab opportunities as they come
• They feel they have a plan, when all they really have is a spreadsheet full of numbers
• They consider it unnecessary - why do I need to write down what’s in my head?

Many business owners are missing a trick. But the fact that you’re even reading this tells me you’re not going to be one of the many.

Your team are never going to be heard asking ‘are we there yet?’

Your team are going to know exactly where they’re going, how they’re going to get there, and when they’ve arrived.

And then you’re going to celebrate...big style!

Your Planning system is the first of 4 Foundations that will underpin your future success.  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to help you get ready for the coming year, by sharing The McFreedom System blueprint for planning.

Do one thing: Come back next week for the next instalment.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

Drive on the left. Give way from the right. Don’t hog the middle lane.

This is our ‘system’ for driving in the UK, or ‘the way we drive round here’. Despite having a system, there are still plenty of holdups what with accidents, roadworks and sheer volume of traffic, but just imagine what it would be like if everyone did their own thing.

Total chaos.

We all have systems. They form part of our everyday lives - our set way of doing things like getting ready for work in the morning, doing the weekly shop, driving the same route to the in-laws.

Our same way of doing things; our best way of doing things, save us time; they mean we can do them without thinking; they free us up to focus on those things that we can’t do in a systemised way - those things we have to think about.

I often have people say to me, ‘oh we don’t do systems, we’re all about being creative, free-flowing, innovative’.  And there’s an assumption in there, that systems are a block to creativity; that they constrict us in some way.  Not true, in fact quite the reverse in fact.

Systems keep the nuts and bolts of your business - your invoicing, purchasing, marketing - moving, and form a platform for the creative people to ‘do their stuff’.

Think of a jazz band. 

You would never say that jazz musicians are not creative, or that in any piece of jazz music there isn’t plenty of room for improvisation and individuality. But as a band, they all have to play in the same key, they all have to maintain the overall rhythm, and stick to the same beat.

If jazz doesn’t do it for you, think of a baker.

A baker will follow tried and tested methodology for baking the cake to free up their time to try new flavours or to focus on decorating their showstopper. It just makes sense.

Following the system for the basics frees up time for the fun stuff.

Think back to your summer holiday; I bet you went to pack, looked at your suitcase and thought ‘where do I start?’.

Now imagine that you had a list of what you packed last year for your two weeks in the sun.  Imagine how much time you’d have saved and how little you’d have forgotten.

Imagine if, on your return, you went to your list and deleted things you hadn’t needed and added things you did need. Imagine how simple next year’s packing would be.

But of course, all too often we lose interest after we’ve done something until it comes round again…

It’s the same with work. Think back to the last time you said to yourself, ‘Now, how did I do this last time?’

Oh if only you could prepare a How To guide for yourself, or someone else you wanted to delegate to - a step by step guide to the best way to get the job done to your high standard?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could record yourself doing an online task, that you or someone you wanted to delegate to could follow easily, to do the job to your high standard next time?

If only you could do that, eh?! How much time would that save you to get on with the fun stuff?

Making the way you do things in your business simple, logical and repeatable, gives you consistency and frees up your time to focus on growing your business.

Do one thing: Pick one routine task in your business and write or record a How To guide for it. Then let me know how you got on.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

I was attacked by a wasp the other day. My lovely walk in the country was suddenly interrupted by a severe burning pain in my arm - the little beggar having sunk his stinger into me with no provocation whatsoever.

On my way home, accompanied by what felt like a hundred pixies stabbing my arm with tiny sharp daggers, I pondered on the purpose of a wasp. Wondering if their role in life was simply to cause pain, annoyance and allergic reactions. Why do they exist?

So next day, faced with some serious work to do… I googled ‘What purpose do wasps serve?’ and was amazed to discover that they actually do serve some purpose as pollinators, though not as efficient as their cousin, the bee.

To be honest, it kind of ruined the blog I was going to write about the wasps in your business that serve no purpose:

• the extra hoops that you make a customer jump through
• the products that have never sold that you won’t let go of
• the team member who has struggled since day one.

But now I know that the pesky wasp actually does some good, it got me thinking that perhaps we shouldn’t rush to judgement, or take things, particularly people, at face value.

Maybe that person you think has struggled since day one, just hasn’t been trained properly, or maybe they would blossom in a different role, or maybe they’ve been doing something quietly, behind the scenes, adding value to your business and just not making a song and dance about it.

Perhaps this person will never be a bee but they make a very effective wasp!

Have you ever employed anyone like this; someone who you doubted who turned out to be a revelation for all the right reasons? (Think of Richard Branson at school and where he is now.)

Do one thing: Think about your people and for each of them write down what you believe their main strength to be: then ask them what they think. Finally ask yourself, am I playing to and challenging their strengths?(Okay; that's three things...but do it anyway)

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk