YOU CAN GAIN OR LOSE A REPUTATION VERY FAST

In Forbes Magazine in April a survey of the worst countries to visit was conducted.

Here were the worst four:

1. France
2. Russia
3. Britain
4. Germany

From 'The World's Rudest Nations for Travelers'
By Andrew Bender | Forbes – Wed, Apr 4, 2012 12:38 AM EDT

But I bet that’s very different for Britain now.

In fact London’s position for no. 1 city must have been nailed and Britain should have secured a gold medal for customer service following the Olympics.

People who’d seldom been to the “smoke” discovered something wonderful.

IF POST-MODERN MEANS MAVERICK COUNT ME IN

Like any aspiring historian I think it’s too soon to make a cool judgement of the Olympics although I fully expect a “was it all really worth it?” backlash soon.

But there have been some surprising bonuses.

We got back the Union Jack from the BNP.

The SNP have been scuppered by seeing Andy, Chris and Michael wrapped in Union Jacks. Sorry Alex Salmond….independence is history.

Our football prowess was firmly put into its second-rate place. Andy Murray showed he was a team player unlike the bemused Swiss (bring on the Davis Cup now). The media, despite itself, has become positive and full of good cheer. Women have been schooled to punch with accuracy and power….no more glass ceilings…whack! Customer service has improved. Britain has learnt to smile. Actually I’d put it more strongly than that. Britain has found an identity that feels right. Maverick. Ironic. Emotional. Post-modern.

Here’s an extract from an e-mail from an Indian friend who is a successful entrepreneur in India and ex- Investment banker from London……

“At all events I felt a sense of pride.

I am unbothered about the economy during the games - GDP is myopic and one dimensional. We should focus on keeping this type of planning, execution and friendly attitude (without the American cheesiness) which will allow the UK to get ahead of the rest!”

I love the use of “we” and the genuine positivity. And yes to the dismissal of the antique measurement of GDP. I prefer the CE Index. CE? Sorry. Clint Eastwood.

“Do you feel lucky punk?”

Yes. I feel lucky. I think we feel lucky. Lucky to live in this wonderful country…..

But I feel strongly out of step with most of my contemporaries in business, politics and the institutions. Most of all I find myself looking at the leaders of parties in a bemused way and ask if Cameron, Clegg or Miliband are abreast with Britain (maybe in a quirky way Ed is come to think of it.)

The next time you hear one of them being grumpy, negative or shouting at an opponent tell them to bugger off and read my piece on the “Civilised Science of Challenging” (next week) – how to say “no” with a smile on your face…and tell them to remember the Olympics.

Winning really is fun.

WHAT A WASTE OF TIME

Strange isn’t it that two of the biggest and most self-regarding corporations in the world are “Mc” named. McDonalds of Olympic shame and McKinsey the people who according to Malcolm Gladwell helped build Enron, creators of the big whopper – or was it the other way round. Whatever….

Allister Heath, from the paper City AM, reveals  Mckinsey’s study which tells us something we know but we’ve doing nothing about. It shows that  61% of average office workers time’s spent as follows:-
28% staring at their computer screen at e-mails and stuff
19% gathering information
14% collaborating and communicating internally
Then there’s Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus, Linkedin and other sites.

We have gone insane with paying attention to opinion and giving our opinions to a vast  chortling audience.

“Isn’t Jess Ennis great”. Yes. We know. Why share it?

Allister says:
“Anyone who’s able to tackle the mad communication overload will be on to a winner”.

It isn’t that hard Allister. It just involves facing up to the truth.

Most of digital is bunk.

And I’m making a pledge.
Today.  Right here.  Right now.

I’m reducing my e-mail traffic to 12% of my working time. I’m ceasing activity on all my Linkedin Groups, stopping Facebook and stopping Twitter. I’m even wondering if this should be my last blog.
I’m changing my office layout, relegating my PC to a corner and going back to thinking on paper on a big lots-of-room-to-work table.

The key word is “thinking”.

I’m going to start trying to do that properly.

And I’m going to walk more, talk more, listen more, read more, look at the world more.
I’m going to work less hard and work much better.
I’m going to value people’s voices and faces much more and spend less time crafting e-mails.

Mostly I’m going to spend less time on networking (or as I call it not-working) because the world is full of people meeting who can do nothing to help each other

I’m tired of hearing how critical IT is. In my recent experience it’s a time waster and something we use to do stuff we could often do quicker and cheaper more simply manually.

Most of all I’m going to simplify. Clear out stuff. Stop wasting time on the internet.
And start using my creativity and my common sense.

Being me. Not a robot.

THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF COFFEE IN BRAZIL (and that's about all most of us know)

Considering how important an economy Brazil is, that’s pathetic.


Rachel MacBeath is a very bright Scot who’s in Brazil doing very good work for a few months and I’ve asked her to tell us what it’s really like there.

So here it is “Letter from Brazil” part one.

Over a coffee; milk no sugar, I agreed to hijack Richard's blog over the coming weeks and report on working life in Brazil.

I've been here for two weeks now and I'm firmly getting into the samba swing of Rio life. Now, it's time for you to get a taste of my life in the 'cidade maravilhosa'- the marvellous city!

I'm working in a day centre, Casa Sorriso Da Crianca, located in the Iiha Do Governador neighbourhood in Rio. The name of the centre in English translates to: 'Smile Of the Child' and cares for 50+ children between 6 months to 5 years between 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It was opened 15 years ago by Ana Paula Da Cruz; who still runs it from her home today. After losing three of her own children, Ana wanted to protect children in the community and show them the good things that life has to offer. The children conform to the centre's name and are always smiling and demanding your full attention. Despite the obvious language barrier, I've come to realise that laughter is the language of the world that everyone understands, especially children. Cuddles and smiles are other useful universal tools that transcend all barriers.  

The centre is a way of keeping the children off the streets and away from social pitfalls such as drug abuse and other criminal activities. The children receive three meals a day, play games, partake in educational activities and receive basic health care. The centre solely relies on donations from the public and stakeholders. It welcomes any types of donations including food, clothes, toys, cleaning supplies and the most obvious- money. Ana's uncle was the one of the main donators, contributing 60% towards the centre's overall budget, but recently passed away. Consequentially, the centre is under great financial strain and at risk of closure. As the day centre is not in a politically prosperous area or a district that generates votes, the Government does not invest in projects in the area. Moreover, funding requests have fallen on deaf ears.

Over the next month or so, I endeavour to use my marketing and communications expertise to raise the centre's profile in the media and look into lucrative funding avenues. With the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics rapidly approaching all eyes are on Rio. It's therefore vital that the good work of centres such as the aforementioned do not get overlooked and swept aside. Money should be invested into these worthy causes to help the adults of tomorrow and keep them away from the dangers that are so prevalent in Rio. Hopefully our small team can do a bit to make a difference.

Next time, I'll fill you in on all the touristy hotspots I've been frequenting and give you a sneak peek of the Kodak moments.
 

5 things I've learnt about Brazil thus far:

   1. Rio is a very hilly city therefore there are LOTS of steps. Hello muscles I didn't know existed!

   2. Cariocas know how to dance, really dance. And that's without a cheeky tipple unlike us Brits!

   3. If your Portuguease is failing mid conversation, speak louder and add a few O's at the end.

   4. They love black beans here. Every dish has a hearty helping of beans.

   5. They love to sell products on buses. People hop on the bus at various stops and try to flog brands of biscuits, sweets, shampoo. It really works as well. Sir Alan Sugar would be impressed with their business acumen!

IF ONLY I'D HAD A MENTOR WHO'D GUIDED ME

Not  in fact the departing words of Sir Fred Goodwin or Chuck Prince, perhaps, but if we are honest most of could do with a grandfatherly figure who can fearlessly, and with our best interests unconditionally at heart, advise us and, most important of all, get the best out of us.

Leon Taylor is an Olympian. He won a silver medal at Athens doing with Peter Waterfield, the most difficult dive invented in history. He fought injury, disappointment and still threw himself off the top of a three storey building, hitting the water at 40mph again and again and again. In short he’s crazy.

But he’s written a great book on mentoring and he’s Tom Daley’s mentor (so. if Tom doesn’t win a gold in 2012, Leon’s entirely and brazenly to blame.) A great book because it has an innocent clarity about it. No cynical management book this, it prescribes laughter, hard work, excitement, and good planning as keys in the success recipe. But having the calm, inspiration and support of your mentor can make the difference between hero and nobody.

There are two things Leon says that stick with me:
“You can’t always choose what you do but you can always choose how you do it”.
I’d rather be a great check-out operator than an unenthusiastic brand manager and so on and so on. Do what you do brilliantly and with enthusiasm and the rest will follow.

The second is a quote from Dr Steve Peters and his three rules of life:
1. Life is not fair.
2. The goalposts always move.
3. Your job is to do your best under the circumstances.
Steve has pretty well captured the dilemma mankind faces. And by making us face it does us all a great service. Stop whingeing – get up and get on.  But as a mentor I think I want to add a fourth point.

4.  Your mentor’s job is to help you understand how great you can be if only you press the right buttons.

When people say “but what does a mentor do?” I feel like saying “what does a gardener do?” Answer “makes the soil sing with colour.”  Mentors are those button locators. We are the messengers of hope and inspiration. We help people see what good is and how to get there. We fuel laughter and adventure. We make good people become great and sometimes good people do something different in order to become great.

Life is like high diving. It’s frightening. It hurts. You haven’t got enough time to think but if you have a mentor like Leon Taylor, or a select group like him,  you can learn to press the right buttons and do your best under any circumstances.