Nicholas Bate

So, what's to be done?

1. There are clearly few experts around. So, start becoming your own: read to understand the situation and avoid media hyperbole.
2. Spread finacial risk as much as you can. Clearly when something goes down, it goes down rapidly. Even if it is 'protected', sorting out that mess will take years.
3. Reduce stress/anxiety by keeping M-E-D-S going i.e. Meditation-CV Exercise-great Diet-plenty of Sleep.
4. Remember even if you don't have the full range of resources, you are resourceful and you can weather this storm but you’ll have to think long-term.
5. Remember you don’t actually need much at all to be fit, well and happy. Nor do your kids; just your love. It's going to be OK.

Have a great day.

Deferred Gratification

Earlier in my career, I once attended a ‘Philosophy of Education’ module (keep reading..it's going to be OK) when I was undergoing my teacher training. It was of little direct help at the ‘sharp end’ of class-room teaching (protecting my car tyres from sharp knives) and it didn’t count towards final course accreditation (known as a written exam) but it was interesting. And there were only two of us in the class! So we had some great conversations. If you’ve delved into this area, you’ll know it’s pretty well mandatory to try and resolve what we mean by ‘an educated person’. After much mental wrestling we agreed he or she is able to invest for the long term, in particular he or she is able to ‘defer gratification’.
Of course that is exactly what we are requiring of most students: study hard, run up debt, go to boring lectures and in the long-term it will all be worthwhile: you’ll become a well paid executive with smart car …etc. etc.
And it does sort of work. And it’s probably very good for our self-discipline. And maybe even for our personal moral code, but boy is that a bigger topic. I think I would broadly agreed that an educated person is one who can - when necessary - defer gratification. Put off an immediate pleasure for the longer-term benefit. Of one, or many.
Recently though I’ve noticed an interesting ‘micro’ aspect of this point. It’s the e-mail phenomenon and the desire to respond immediately. The ‘Blackberry Twitch’ as I like to call it. It’s the worst of reptilian responses, the least likely behaviour of a well-focused person. Why? Because it breaks attention, it breaks reflective thinking. It breaks what is the most potentially powerful aspect of the human brain: directed attention to what is essential. The gratification is of course the temporary relief of having ‘checked another e-mail’. Of course if that’s all we are paid to do, then that’s fine. But few of us are. Here’s a challenge: try delaying e-mail gratification this week. Experiment with longer periods of non-checking. Notice how you feel ‘edgey’ initially but calmer and more focused as you re-learn how to put off the immediate ‘fix’.
Have fun!

Starbucks101

1. Short is the secret one.
2. Tall is the small one. With one shot of espresso.
3. Grande is the medium one. With two shots of espresso.
4. Venti is the large, trade-marked one. Which is best not spilled across your lap-top.
5. Decision & Priority (1) custom? E.g. dry, extra foam? Try asking for bone dry soya. They love making that. Not.
6. Decision & Priority (2) milk? Perhaps soya? Half and half?
7. Decision & Priority (3) extra shot? Turn your latte into a ‘Red Eye’. A favourite on USC campus at the Campus Grounds café.
8. Decision & Priority (4) drink type? Latte? Mocha? Personally I avoid Spiced Pumpkin although I know it’s a Toronto favourite.
9. Decision & Priority (5) syrup? Vanilla Latte? Very nice when iced. Try ‘light on ice'.
10. Decision & Priority (6) decaf? Er…what’s….the…er…. point?
11. Starbucks says they are going to start putting religious quotes on cups. The very first one will say, 'Jesus! This cup is expensive!' Conan O'Brien
12. A Barista is (according to Wikipedia) “one who has acquired some level of expertise to work in a coffee shop. A barista is highly skilled in coffee preparation, with a comprehensive understanding of coffee, coffee blends,espresso, quality, coffee varieties, roast degree, espresso equipment"
13. How to Think like a Starbucks Barista
14 (1) Hi, how are you today? What can I get you?
15 (2) Yes, tall is small!
16 (3) For here or take away?
17 (4) Would you like an extra shot?
18 (5) And your name? Cool; thanks.
19 (6) Anything to eat today?
20 (7) Your drink will be served at the end of the bar.
21. They sing out the instructions of course. Where do they do that best? In Japan!
22. Things not to discuss with Howard Schultz:
23 (1) Automatic espresso machines
24 (2) Egg sandwiches in stores
25 (3) Is caffeine bad for you?
26 (4) Whether Starbucks is the 'new McDonalds'
27. I always wanted to believe in The 100th Monkey Effect; it's such a great story. But: it ain't true, as you will read if you follow the link. But whatever, here's one I've noted. In Starbucks green straws are provided for cold drinks (in fact the wrappers actually say: not suitable for hot drinks), but first in Tokyo last year and then occassionally in London and now in one or two spots in LA, I notice people using them in their hot drinks. At what point will critical mass be reached and Starbucks notice the phenomenon and launch a special and suitable straw for hot drinks? And which monkey started it all?
28. It's become a popular task to kick Starbucks at the moment. But wait a minute. Talk to your colleagues. Or even-what the heck-talk to the person next to you in the early morning line-and you'll find out that the majority of Starbucks customers-once you get beyond the quick hyperbole- are still loyal and still believe: (1) the core product (coffee) is great; (2) as is the ambience (furniture, music, clean wash-rooms); (3) the staff attitude (how can we get it right for you?); (4) and the nice abundance feel (one tall latte gets you a day on your lap-top at the corner table if you so wish) (5) plus regular innovation in music, drinks and food.
29 So what's the problem? Starbucks forgot-as can we all-whatever was great once now just seems OK. We've simply got used to them and forgotten what it was like before they were everywhere. We've moved on. We're looking for the next buzz. And once an organisation is really well established with lots of infrastructure-as Starbucks or Microsoft or M&S in the UK or increasingly-in hushed tones only-Apple, it becomes difficult to shake off the shackles of 'just OK'. But it's got to be done or a slow death starts. Time to book an off-site, guys. What would make you so good that you would never need to advertise, that word of mouth would do it (again)? That's the question and deep down you know the answer. And so does Starbucks and it isn't their new smoothies.
30. How to Think Like an Atom
31 (1) Sure is busy down here, today.
32 (2) Yesterday we were just sitting around; now we're 'humming': must be the increase in temperature, I guess.
33 (3) I'm off to the edge. My fellow atoms call me a bit of a maverick. But I like it: different perspective. Less jostling. There is a risk of 'evaporating' of course. Whatever that is. Never met anyone it's happened to.
34 (4) I'd like to be cool. Say a mercury atom. Now those guys-all the benefits of being hard-core shiny don't-mess-with-us metal and yet free and liquid at convenient temperatures. And so heavy, man! That is cool. So to speak.
35 (5) Wonder when Starbucks will open down here?
36 (6) Not much margin in a Nano Latte, I guess.
37 (7) But you know: sometimes I sit at the edge and wonder. There must be something bigger than all of this.
38. Espresso Top Tips: (1) Less is more (2) Crema (3) Warm the cup (4) Stand at the bar to drink it (5) Do only men drink espresso? (6) Don’t talk; it’ll go cold
39. Starbucks can be great place to boost your Creativity101
40. Starbucks can be a great place to write: Write101
41. Starbucks reading list (1) Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz
42. Starbucks reading list (2)The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary by Joseph Michelli
44. Starbucks reading list (3)How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill
45. I Starbucks reading list (4) It's Not about the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks by Howard Behar and Janet
46. Starbucks reading list (5)Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture by John Moore
47. Starbucks reading list (6)Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture by Clark Taylor
48. Design: once leaders now followers?
49. Time for a coffee?
50. Think like a person of action. Action like a person of thought. Howard Behar
51. What to learn from Starbucks (1) Marketing:
52 (1) Experience: not a product, not a service-but an experience.
53 (2) Abundance: stay as long as you like on one latte
54 (3) Pricing: an affordable luxury
54 (4) Bonus: Marketing101
55. Starbucks represents something beyond a cup of coffee. Howard Schultz
56 What to learn from Starbucks (2) Customer Service:
57 (1). Learn customer names. And their favourite drink
58 (2) Engage with each customer
59 (3) Create a customised product: 87 000 combinations.
60. What to learn from Starbucks (3) Training:
61 (1) Train on the job
62 (2) Accredit; I want a Black Apron, too.
63. What to learn from Starbucks (4) It ain’t easy
64 (1) 'Failure' follow success
65 (2) But success can follow failure; we will see what happens...
66. What to learn from Starbucks (5) Productivity and Systems
67. Compare another coffee shop.Few have efficiency (Getting Things Done) and effectiveness (Getting the right things done)
68. What frustrates the Italians?
69 (1) Size: the drinks are simply NOT meant to be that big!
70 (2) Having them with food. They are meant to be enjoyed on their own.
71 (3) So much milk. Which dilutes the espresso kick.
72 The Italian drinks you won’t find on the Starbucks menu:
73 (1) Caffè Corretto—coffee "corrected" with a shot of spirit
74 (2) Caffè Stretto—espresso with less water!
75 (3) Granita di caffè con panna—frozen, iced beverage. I guess this is the Frappachino
76. be shocked by the truth about the mermaid.
77. The truth about the name Starbucks : The company is named after Starbuck, Captain Ahab's first mate in the book Moby-Dick. According to Howard Schultz's book Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, the name of the company was derived from Moby-Dick, although not in as direct a fashion as many assume. Gordon Bowker liked the name "Pequod" (the ship in the novel), but his then creative partner Terry Heckler responded, "No one's going to drink a cup of Pee-quod!" Heckler suggested "Starbo." Thanks also to WIKIPEDIA.
78. And what about the calories you ask? All on the Starbucks site. Just search.
79. Where do you sit? At the window? In the corner?
80. What’s your drink? Always?
81. It was a perfect time for a perfect product: the small affordable luxury. Plus caffeine to augment our 1990s adrenaline.
82. At time of writing: almost the worst time.
83 How to Think Like Howard Schulz
84 (1). Take a commodity. One which has become dull, boring and downright de-valued. And turn it into an experience.
85 (2)2. Make design part of the experience. Everything from chairs to art.
86 (4) Understand micromarkets. People on one side of the street prefer a different Starbucks to those on the other side of the street.
87 (4). Create rituals. Espresso machines, special terminology.
88 (5). Allow efficiency (a chain) and effectiveness (1000s of individualised options). Create choice: skinny? Comfy chair? Market store?
89 (6). Gain global power but act truly local. Integrate with the community; train your people.
90 (7) Know what is special and look after it. As you go increasingly hi-tech (automatic espresso machines), don't lose hi-touch (eye-contact, a smile, knowing a name).
91 We are all in the coffee business:
92(1) Espresso businesses:Lean, mean and to the point. They are rapid to cause effect. They are no-nonsense businesses. They are not necessarily cheap when considered in terms of hit/time, but they are good value and they don’t waste your time. You may well want to be an espresso business. But you will need to be good. You can’t hide a bad espresso. Is the crema authentic? Has the cup been pre-warmed? Attention to detail is critical. Especially as espresso drinkers know what they want.Latte businesses: Of course you could be a
93(2)latté business. Not quite so powerful in one go as an espresso business, but the effect is there and it’s a little gentler on the stomach. It’s good value. And most people trust a latte; they’ve had one before and they will have one again. Unlike an espresso, it’s more difficult to make a bad latte.
94(3) Cappuchino businesses This business certainly looks good: flowers in reception area and expensive furniture. First taste is great. Afterwards though you are sometime unsure as to whether you made the right choice: it all went so quickly. But funnily enough people will want you again, because of that very effect
95(4) Mocha businesses Only trouble is do your customers know what they really want? Will they be loyal? And do you know what you are trying to provide? You’ll probably always be a smaller share of the market. But that’s OK because your margin is surprisingly high if you get it right.
96(5)Frappuchino businesses: You are cool, there is no doubt about that. Flexible. An amazing array of flavours. But a little seasonal and sometime slow to deliver. And quality control can go wrong. It’s a high risk business you have decide to run, but when you are on a roll, the margin is delirious. It’s best to know what business you are in. It’s no longer coffee; black or white, sugar or not (except, that is, in one or two Northern England seaside towns, and don’t we love Scarborough?). Know your market segment. Love your market segment.
97 Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day. You can't expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don't exceed the employees' expectations of management. Howard Schultz
98 I grew up in a working class family where there was no health insurance. I saw first hand the fracturing of the American dream and the bitterness that comes when there is no hope and a lot of despair. So I wanted to build the company, in a sense, that my father never got a chance to work for.Howard Schultz
99 Customers don't always know what they want. The decline in coffee-drinking was due to the fact that most of the coffee people bought was stale and they weren't enjoying it. Once they tasted ours and experienced what we call "the third place".. a gathering place between home and work where they were treated with respect.. they found we were filling a need they didn't know they had. Howard Schultz
100 In the 1960s, if you introduced a new product to America, 90% of the people who viewed it for the first time believed in the corporate promise. Then 40 years later if you performed the same exercise less than 10% of the public believed it was true. The fracturing of trust is based on the fact that the consumer has been let down.Howard Schultz
101 Time for a coffee?

Keep it Simple Saturday

Sleep;
Write;
Cook;
Play;
Check out Apple Genius properly;
Mow the Lawn;
Time to start Wire 5?;
Hang out;
Chat;
Make best seafood rissotto, yet?;
Read more by the Sand & Fog guy.

Thanks-last week.

(1) to the great new cohort at Warwick Business School on the full-time MBA. We had an enjoyable first session; already you can spot some high performers coming to the fore. (2) the team at M&S. Tough trading conditions continue, but an innovative team are doing some great work.

Let's be absolutely clear..the ONLY reason for

..doing a presentation is to get ACTION. So decide what you want from your audience.
..having a list if 'things to do' is so that you can prioritise them. So: what citerion will you use?
..calling it a lunch-break is to have the break. So: rain or shine, get out and take a break.
..a car is long journeys. Don't use it for going to the corner-store: walk.
..e-mail is task-centred/confirmatory/instructional e-mails. So: if human emotion is needed, walk around to their cubicle or pick up the phone.

Blast from the Past 1

first posted September 2007

What percentage of your..?
1. ..team's potential is untapped? OK: there's an opportunity.

2. ..of your day do you feel focused and passionate? How quickly could you increase that?

3. ..this year have you had excellent health? What's the one thing you can do to increase that for the rest of 2008?

4. ..lunch is fruit & veg? Add some grapes tomorrow.
5. ..day is cardio-vascular enhancing e.g. taking a lunch-time walk? Start taking the stairs; you're only on floor 3, after all!
6. ..CV/career summary is different from all the others? Mmm; arrange a time to do some work on it.

7. ..time is important/investing as opposed to important/urgent? Double that!

8. ..briefcase/bag is sheer dead weight? Dump some of it, then!

9. ..wardrobe does not represent the true you? Take a trip to the shops.

10..thinking is geared to walking, not just talking? Excellent. Now prove it: start.

You Will Feel Better For (30 of 30)...

...realising all good lists come to an end. But you can review the other twenty-nine, here.

Blast from the Past 2

first posted September 2007

Strange but True!
We can only truly lead others once we have discovered how to lead ourselves and that is a never-ending quest.

Knowing what is important is blindingly obvious once we stop and think. And once we know what is important everything else is easy.

In Customer Service the operative word is service; we do what the customer wants no questions asked so long as they remain ethical, legal and courteous.

Get to know anyone really, really well and it's pretty difficult to dislike them. With only a very, very few exceptions and certainly ones which should not trouble us in the world of work.

There is a job/career out there which you could do with such amazing passion you'd knock their socks off every minute of every day. You've just got to find it.

Actually your relationship is absolutely fine; it's just you are both too exhausted to realise it.

You keep buying bigger and bigger iPods and listening to fewer and fewer songs. 

The Beatles had changed the World-totally and irrevocably-by the time they were 30. With great stories, passion and relentless innovation. Which of those three are you working on at the moment?

Tomorrow will be your best day yet.

Genius at work...

here.