Thoughts as medicine

Guest blog post by Tony Phillips

I was puddle-jumping, fairly unsuccessfully I might add, around my mile-and-a-bit course at 5.30 this morning in the dark with the rain lashing down, and I was enjoying myself.

At one point I was thinking about the new Channel 4 series, The Food Hospital, where they are exploring using food as medicine.   The idea that’s it’s really important what we put into our bodies is not a new one to me, and it’s always quite surprising on these sorts of TV shows how it seems to be a revelation to so many.   But the idea of being able to use food as medicine, I really love.

I would far rather be keeping myself healthy through the food I eat and my regular running than rely on pharmaceutical alternatives, which quite often come with their own unpredictable side effects.

The other thing that I think you can use as medicine is the thoughts and ideas that you allow to settle and take control of your mind.

Have you ever heard the expression “attitude is everything”?   I believe that to be true.   If your attitude is negative you tend to turn in on yourself, feeling sorry for yourself, wondering what the point is, expecting things to turn out badly, and then wondering “what’s the point” when they do.   You’re not someone others are drawn to when you’re in “this space”.

When your attitude is positive, you look outwards wondering what the day will hold, you feel joyful, expect things to turn out well, and even when they don’t, you find the positive in the experience and look for the next step forward again.   You become someone that others like to be around because they feel the effect of your positive energy.

I met a lady on Monday, when I was coaching a group of 31 teaching assistants, who told me how she had healed herself of cancer by creating what she called an “alpha state” in her mind every morning.   She refused the chemotherapy she was recommended and managed to rid her body of the cancer that had started in one of her internal organs and spread to her lymphatic system in a period of six weeks.   She is now teaching her process to cancer sufferers and others who are trying to stay healthy.

To quote Mahatma Gandhi:   “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

Tony Phillips is founder of The Coaching Approach.
He has a background in IT and sales & marketing and since 2003 has been helping large organisations (such as HSBC, Aon and Tube Lines), small and medium sized businesses, charities and private individuals release their untapped potential.

This post first appeared on Tony’s Blog, A Mile Each Day

www.coachingapproach.co.uk

Internships – the intern’s perspective

Guest blog post by Ben Wood

As university ended and job hunting began, I wasn’t planning on interning. Like the rest of my peers, I was aiming to jump straight into a job and start earning. After spending many hours tailoring my portfolio, CV and covering letter to different jobs advertised with no responses, it began to sink in that I wasn’t going to get a job that easily in today’s creative industry.

Suddenly interning seemed like a good idea.

I interned at two agencies over a six month period. Both were huge learning curves on a daily basis and were an important stepping stone, lifting me from design graduate to junior designer skill level. I gained confidence and experience, which lead to something that had eluded me previously: job offers.

I accepted one of the offers and haven’t looked back. Ultimately, I don’t believe the door to a job would have been opened without interning, because it gave me a chance to show off my skills to a potential employer, whilst building a rapport with them – a win-win situation for both parties involved.

Why an internship rather than a job?
Like many other sectors, the creative industry is highly competitive and jobs are few and far between for the huge volume of graduates fighting for space. Therefore, the few roles that are on offer are demanding more and more, with commercial experience becoming a must-have. This wipes out a large number of the jobs on offer before you’ve even started applying.

An internship is the perfect stepping-stone
Internships are an excellent way to gain valuable commercial experience. You can use your time interning to adjust to the faster-paced world of real life after university. It also gives both you and the agency a chance to ‘try before you buy’, without any major financial risk to the agency. This does however mean that internships can be very attractive for employers in the current economic climate and you need to be careful – if you feel that the company is just using you as cheap labour, it is time to get out and move on to something new. Most companies have good intentions though, so don’t be put off if this happens.

Where to look for internships
There are plenty of websites to help you out, including general jobsites such as The Guardian and Total Jobs and university careers sites. Most industries will also have specific jobsites; for a creative internship, try Creative Pool, Design Week or It’s Nice That. Get a list of sites bookmarked and remember to check back regularly. Tailor your application to the specific internship criteria and you’ll give yourself the best chance you can to climb onto the first rung of the career ladder. Good luck!

Ben Wood is a Graphic Designer at Remedy Creative in Tunbridge Wells

Cannes Chimera: Your chance to change the world

If you’re in the mood for thinking big. Here’s your chance to change the world.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has partnered with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to find ways of tackling charity aid ‘weariness’.

Many people in the developed world know that billions of dollars go into aid, and yet the problems never seem to go away. Effective aid programs help developing countries become self-sufficient, however aid weariness leads people to question the validity of international aid.

The goal of this challenge is to motivate the public in the wealthy countries of the world to change their minds about aid and take action.

The brief is completely open. Just write your idea down on a maximum of two pages and submit it by 15th May 2012.

Up to ten finalists will be awarded $100,000 to further develop their idea. Then Cannes Lions will fly these finalists to Seattle to attend a special ‘university’ with the Cannes Chimera team. After Seattle, the finalists will have one opportunity to apply for a follow-on grant of up to one million dollars to help make the idea a reality. In June 2013, winners will be invited back to Cannes Lions to present how they changed the world with their idea.

As the challenge develops, we will post updates.

Visit the Cannes Chimera website here

Read about the Challenge in full here

Internships – positive futures

Supporting and nurturing young talent has always been essential to our sector. Each year we receive many work experience requests and applications from graduates looking to get their feet on the first rung of the agency ladder. Last year, we decided to offer a formal internship that would enable us to grow our team, without exposing our business to too much risk during times of economic uncertainty.

Whilst the whole process of advertising, reviewing over 90 applications and interviewing the shortlist involved a considerable investment of time, we found a graduate with the potential we were looking for.

To ensure an internship provides a positive experience for both parties, it’s important that the process is managed responsibly, with clear learning objectives set in place. For businesses willing to invest the time and effort in finding a suitable candidate and providing on-the-job training, there are tangible rewards.

Graduates can provide an injection of fresh ideas, enthusiasm and energy, which can help to increase productivity and focus within the whole team. They also tend to be highly self-motivated and have a good understanding of new technologies.

By identifying specialist or new skills, a graduate may also enable a business to open up new business areas and tap into new revenue streams.

For graduates, internships provide invaluable work experience. Where they are given the opportunity to engage in real projects that add value to the business, they can often create their own employment opportunity.

Here are a few hints and tips when looking for an intern:

1. Many universities will post your internship advertising on their vacancies boards – there are also specialist internship websites where you can pay to advertise your position. Try to find out which industry websites your ideal graduates will be visiting and post there. Advertise the internship on your own website and make good use of social media to promote it.

2. Businesses need to be aware of the employment guidelines for taking on interns and must clearly explain the terms of the internship to the graduate in writing, prior to commencement. Some guidance is available on the Business Link website

3. Look out for graduates with additional skills or areas of personal interest that could benefit the business or compliment the existing team. As young graduates, one of their most employable assets is that they have grown up in the communication age, they don’t need to attend social media training – it’s second nature to them.

4. Don’t forget that personality and a willingness to learn are often far more important than technical expertise or knowledge. Will this person fit into the existing team? With an internship you do have the luxury of some time to work this one out, but if you have doubts early on, listen to your instincts.

I am pleased to say that after a successful internship, we now have another full-time employee! It’s been a learning curve for us all, but an extremely positive experience that we will probably repeat again.

If at first you don’t succeed…

Guest blog post by Tony Phillips

Because we are in challenging economic times where jobs are at risk, companies are focused on cutting costs and, as a result, are increasing people’s workloads. What we end up with is company environments based on fear, fanned as always by our doom and gloom-fixated media and by the huge majority of the population that buy in to it.

Is that healthy? I don’t think it is.

Fear makes us play safe. We think that we must do anything to hang on to our jobs, our safety. We believe that it’s much safer to stay in our comfort zones than to step outside of them, allowing ourselves to be exposed where we might make a mistake and suffer the potential catastrophic consequences.

In an economy where the market is shrinking and there is more competition for each slice of the business pie, what factors will distinguish those who will be the most successful? Will it be companies filled with employees who are fearful, cautious and overly careful?

Or could it just be companies with employees who are inspired to try something different, stretch their comfort zones, step outside the box and think differently, experiment and try new things?

I know which of the two approaches I would put my money on being the most likely to succeed.

Organisations that can offer something a bit different will stand out from the rest. So why is that we naturally default to playing it safe and being careful?

Quite simply, from our school systems right the way through to our corporate culture, we have equated failing with being a failure. In addition, we have been fooled into thinking that there is only one right way, and that everything else is therefore wrong.

If everyone throughout time had subscribed to this philosophy then Roger Bannister would never have broken the 4-minute mile, Dick Fosbury would never have come up with the Fosbury Flop, women still wouldn’t have the vote and slavery would still be universally accepted as something that was morally justifiable.

We have managed to completely merge two entirely separate concepts, that of failing, and that of being a failure. There is a quote that I love by Robert Schuller that goes, “Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure… it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.“

You cannot have creativity, innovation and growth without the ability to safely fail. Science is based on the concept of research and experimentation. Failing is an important, if not critical, element that leads to success in science.

How much more inspiring, motivating and exciting would our work lives be if all our workplaces encouraged each of us to play, explore, experiment and try new ways of doing things, as we steadily move towards success?

Tony Phillips is founder of The Coaching Approach.
He has a background in IT and sales & marketing and since 2003 has been helping large organisations (such as HSBC, Aon and Tube Lines), small and medium sized businesses, charities and private individuals release their untapped potential.

www.coachingapproach.co.uk

Stop the rot, take some love with you to work

Guest blog post by Fergus Ross

Our friends in Greece have become world leaders in drama again and we’re lapping it up! We love the risk to the Euro, vindication at any price?! Why do we do it? Why do we buy those cheesy rags spewing their grim tales of financial failure and Z-list celebrities sliding back into the gutter?

We paw over them and rock in the comfort of our own misery and share with joy-killing friends our reasons why those gin-soaked, crack-addled celebs shouldn’t have bothered trying. Did they not see Kes?

To be honest, I don’t buy the tabloids; I pick them up on the train and then revel in their salacious content. The press and their love of everything negative. I’m convinced this is the reason we are going to the dogs as a once proud nation. (Note to self, it has been ages since I’ve had a trip to the dogs, a lovely steak supper and a few punts at 10-1.)

Maybe we should all do something just for the fun of it, for the love it.

Love. It is an idea you have to woo and entertain; if you are lucky it will live with you for a bit and warm your bones with contentment. Try it just a little at first and see if the world doesn’t start looking better. Oh, there will be battles and attrition, but you won’t feel the loss because you will be too happy appreciating what you love and how many others share your view.

Football, music, sailing, walking or just plain talking; make sure you do something good for you and sooner or later you’ll find it’s good for others too.

Forget about success and deal with the hate/love thing. Love is easier and will no doubt make you successful anyway. It is rumoured to be catching too, so much nicer to pass on than a cold this season! So, take some love to work this week and tell us what difference it makes.

Fergus Ross is Business Development Director at Warners Solicitors in Tonbridge, Kent. His background is in business strategy and marketing.
Fergus says, if he could change the world he would “make everyone rest on Sundays”.
www.warners-solicitors.co.uk
01732 770660

Is there more to blogging than just SEO?

If you’ve got a blog, you’re probably well aware of how it’s helping your Google rankings. It’s true, SEO is probably the most tangible business benefit, but blogging has much more to offer.

Social Media Examiner cites 5 reasons “why your business should be blogging” Arguably the most interesting reason is #5: The Power of the Blog Comment. If the content on your blog is inspiring, this will motivate your audiences to interact with your organisation.

The Dell effect

In 2005, after enduring poor customer service, Jeff Jarvis, journalist and blogger, posted a piece on his blog with the provocative title, ‘Dell sucks.’ Thousands of other frustrated Dell customers agreed. A couple of months later after returning his Dell laptop and buying a Mac, he blogged an open letter to company founder, Michael Dell, suggesting that his company ‘join the conversation your customers are having without you.’

Eventually the penny dropped and Dell started its Direct2Dell blog, where chief blogger Lionel Menchaca gave the company a human voice. ‘Joining the conversation’ was a huge revelation for Dell and gave them invaluable customer insights that have had a hugely positive effect on their business.

Jarvis, who first rattled Dell’s cage, had the opportunity, at a later date, to interview Michael Dell. Dell said, “These conversations are going to occur whether you like it or not… you can be a better company by listening and being involved in that conversation.”

Here are some blogging tips from Dell’s Chief Blogger, Lionel Menchaca:

1) Write about topics that matter to your customers
2) Provide context for a range of customers
3) Write to educate and serve
4) Be authentic, be human
5) Let your passion and personality show through
6) Provide an inside look
7) Don’t be afraid to disagree, if you can back it up

How many reasons do you need to get blogging?

So, it’s great for SEO and for listening to your customers, but blogging has other business benefits:

1) Blogging is a cost-effective way to promote your organisation
2) It’s a great way to communicate your brand’s personality
3) It gives your customers a reason to keep coming back
4) It will provide a platform for your industry expertise
5) It can be the hub of all of your social media activity

And finally, in his post, 11 Pro Tips for Better Business Blogging, Scott Gerber asked a panel of successful young entrepreneurs how to ensure that a blog remains ‘on point, effective and primed for success’. As nearly 60% of bloggers are between the ages of 25 and 44, the opinion of these young experts is particularly interesting.

If you have yet to start a business blog, we hope this has given you an insight and some useful tips. If you already have one, please post a link to your blog below and let us know how it has helped your business.

Positive Vision, from shoes to solar power

There is a very simple story that goes something like this:

Many years ago, two British shoe salesmen were on a tour of Africa, investigating export potential.

The first salesman sent a telegram back to the office: ‘No potential. Nobody in Africa wears shoes.’

The second salesman also sent a telegram, ‘Unbelievable potential. Nobody in Africa wears shoes.’

There is no doubt that our vision has a huge impact on our businesses. Paul Van Son, Chief Executive of Desertec says “There is nothing which is unrealistic”. His company’s goal is to harness the power of desert heat and supply clean energy to North Africa and Europe. This is a massive project that is estimated to bear fruit in 2035, you can read more here.

Even with much less ambitious business plans, the basic principal remains the same – look for the opportunity not the difficulties. The Positivity Project wants to hear your stories. How has your business overcome the odds? When have you spotted silver linings, where others have just seen clouds? Come on, inspire us.

The Positivity Project: Our Manifesto

Hands up if you’re fed up of negative business news. Well, we definitely are and we believe it’s time for change.

OK, so times are tough, but how much of it is down to attitude, hearsay and being consistently bludgeoned by a doom-mongering media?

As has been evidenced over the last few years, we can literally think and talk our businesses into a downward spiral. Equally, we can support each other to think and talk them into a much more positive space.

The Positivity Project has been created by Remedy Creative to explore and promote positivity in business. Our manifesto is simple:

We will focus on positive business issues, solutions and outcomes
We will strive to inspire colleagues, partners, clients and the wider business community
We will share good news and best practice, thereby spreading the positive message

Please show your support for The Positivity Project by following us on twitter.com/positivity2012 and you can have your say by posting your comments here.

Over the coming months, as The Positivity Project grows, we plan to augment the website and organise inspiring events for the business community across the South East. So come on board and get positive.