Nicholas Bate

7 Things which are Immediately Grounding

1. Doing the laundry
2. Reading poetry
3. Cleaning your shoes
4. Taking a walk free of phone
5. Writing a letter of advice to your younger self
6. Staring deep into the night sky
7. Knowing today is a fresh start

The Music

continues.

7 Ways to Make Life Easier

1. Accept that which you can't change.
2. Walk to clear mind, to mobilise and to stay fit and well.
3. Make music your ally for managing your moods.
4. Simplify, minimalise and focus.
5. Have a budget and stick to it.
6. Learn from the greats in any field.
7. Write daily to exorcise your demons.

Totally, Totally Global Inc, The Novel: mini chapter 8

Previously on Totally, Totally, Global Inc. Sales are down. Morale is low. Strategy has been neglected. Jo has a breakthrough and develops a saga. Jo finds the first person to join his elite team. The 3 point plan. The Saga begins. Jo recruits Hemel.

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Jo returned in a few minutes with a chicken and vegetable stir-fry and some avocado salad. The catering at Totally was awesome. How long it could continue with continuing revenue short-fall he had no idea…..

Hemel: that’s looks healthy….

Jo: Mmm, so tell me about it….

Hemel: I didn’t really get a word in edge ways. I think I’d have been fired except that’s not really going to help in the short-term; they’ll only have to recruit some one else. And in reality I think Tim does know it’s not about lack of sales effort.

Jo: Absolutely: We always think we only have the sort term. We super focus on it, all hands on deck, pump water like mad and we get through it. We fire people, we squeeze spread-sheets until the pips come out. We relax for one month and then it’s 2 months of hell again. Every quarter. And it just gets worse.

Hemel: a fair analysis. Welcome to my world. ..but what’s to be done?

Jo; we have to break out of the sales dominated mind-set and start running a real business. We have to sell it to the shareholders. Boldly say what is wrong. Ask for their support. I need you to help me with this. I want to do something really radical; a small team, off-site 12 months and turn this company around. And I am willing to get fired over it because if we do it it will be incredible and if we don’t succeed it will have created an incredible team with immense experience which we can take anywhere.

Hemel: love to, Jo. I’m in and I don’t really even know any details at the moment. I can’t go on like this. I haven’t slept properly in months and I can’t keep job hopping to yet more companies who don’t know what the hell they are doing. What’s your plan? Or is it just a vision at the moment? And I don’t mean that rudely.

---------------------------

TBC...

DID you miss mini chapters 1?, 2?, 3?, 4? , 5?, 6?, 7?

BONUS: MBA On The Go.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 86-90

86. To run in open country, breathing hard, covering ground and keeping an eye on the horizon is to travel back in time to our earliest days on planet earth.

87. Suddenly! Don't miss a breakthrough by being too busy, distracted or tired.....

88. Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto. Eat well, laugh often, love plenty.

89. Write!

90. It's only failure if it didn't build experience.

TBC

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10, including Stand more than you sit; walk more than you stand.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 11-20, including Start. End. The brackets of excellence. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 21-30, including Being paid by time encourages longer hours. Being paid by value encourages excellence.  Switch to the latter ASAP.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 31-40, including Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime; give a man a phone as well and he'll be 'too busy' to cook simple nutritious food such as fish and far too inattentive to learn the skill of fishing. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 41-50, including Show the kids you love reading. And give them a book budget, a library card and their own set of shelves.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 51-60, including Become a great photographer with the camera on your phone. Then reward yourself with the expensive SLR.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 61-65, including School is not the best laboratory of what you are really good at. Try more stuff.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 66-70, including A plant in your cubicle will keep you sane as you nurture it and it reminds you of the critical nature of water and light.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 71-75, including You write for yourself. Publication is a distraction from your art. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 76-80, including Walking a deserted beach is to feel you have whole planet to yourself.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 81-85, including Varied, at times intense, exercise plus excellent nutrition are simple routes to combat chronic diseases.

Bonus: How To Be Brilliant

Jagged Thoughts for Jagged Times 213

Once you launch your start-up you will get absolute clarity on the incorrect assumptions you have made. The key question then is: how agile are you to get back on track?

Agility: by far the new differentiator. 

Totally, Totally Global Inc, The Novel: mini chapter 7

Previously on Totally, Totally, Global Inc. Sales are down. Morale is low. Strategy has been neglected. Jo has a breakthrough and develops a saga. Jo finds the first person to join his elite team. The 3 point plan. The Saga begins.

---------------------------

He entered the building the back way. Security was incredibly tight at TotallyTotallyGlobal. Everybody was meant to wear security cards at all times. He didn’t and new HR directors (there had been three in Jo’s short life at Totally) ‘hauled him over the coals’ for setting a poor example etc. etc. But he’d argued that having no card meant that security looked at his face properly and at the moment that was the most secure method, both for visual recognition and also looking for mood change. The wearing of a card was just another example of short-term thinking such as setting sales people targets which had no measure of quality of business nor profitably, simply the revenue. Or running work/life balance seminars, but then cancelling them when project milestones were not being hit. The back door was equally ridiculous: the fire door was propped open with an old chair. No one questioned it as it was SO SO convenient from the named spaces for the directors.

He took the stairs. He may not be going to the gym currently but he did keep moving and he did now have a standing desk: he stood and cleared those 17 (now 21) e-mails.

He hadn’t felt as good for a long time and finally felt a definite wave of proactivity. He then Googled Mary’s linked-in profile; as he thought: she had totally played down her background: distinction on her MBA and 18 months freelancing running her own consultancy. She’d be perfect for his team; would she want to join? He dropped her a quick mail.

He was hungry; he scanned his afternoon schedule. OK. He headed up to the canteen where Hemel Hempstead was siting on his own scanning his phone.

Jo: mind if I join you Hemel?

Hemel looked up, slightly dazed. He seemed relieved Jo was a friendly face and smiled.

Hemel: of course not Jo.

Jo: how was the lasagne, if that’s what it is….? Looking at Hemel’s plate…

Hemel: to be honest I’ve not much of an appetite. I think it’s probably pretty good.

Jo: the meeting was that bad, eh? I’ll be back in a moment.

---------------------------

TBC...

DID you miss mini chapters 1?, 2?, 3?, 4? , 5?, 6?

BONUS: MBA On The Go.

A Beatles Song You've Forgotten About

The Night Before.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 81-85

81. Varied, at times intense, exercise plus excellent nutrition are simple routes to combat chronic diseases.

82. Never PPT.

83. Scan through the Beatles lyrics: you will find the answer you need.

84. We are meant to dance.

85. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Hellen Keller

TBC

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10, including Stand more than you sit; walk more than you stand.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 11-20, including Start. End. The brackets of excellence. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 21-30, including Being paid by time encourages longer hours. Being paid by value encourages excellence.  Switch to the latter ASAP.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 31-40, including Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime; give a man a phone as well and he'll be 'too busy' to cook simple nutritious food such as fish and far too inattentive to learn the skill of fishing. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 41-50, including Show the kids you love reading. And give them a book budget, a library card and their own set of shelves.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 51-60, including Become a great photographer with the camera on your phone. Then reward yourself with the expensive SLR.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 61-65, including School is not the best laboratory of what you are really good at. Try more stuff.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 66-70, including A plant in your cubicle will keep you sane as you nurture it and it reminds you of the critical nature of water and light.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 71-75, including You write for yourself. Publication is a distraction from your art. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 76-80, including Walking a deserted beach is to feel you have whole planet to yourself.

Bonus: How To Be Brilliant

A Lighthouse

and much more.