Many large businesses have been consumed with Six Sigma over the last few years and it has become something of a quasi religion in some corporate cultures of late.  Six Sigma aims to eliminate failure using statistical analysis to eliminate defects down to 3.4 parts per million.  The methodology is particularly suitable for dealing with high risk business operations such as aerospace and nuclear power.

Prevention is always better than the cure.  So, why did Six Sigma not prevent the nuclear accident in Japan?  It was the tsunami that caused the destruction of the cooling systems in the nuclear power plant and not the earthquake itself.  So, surely the tsunami was an unpredictable event?  Not at all.  A tsunami is a predictable event after an earthquake in coastal areas under certain circumstances.

However terrible the events in Japan have been, this event seems to point out the fallibility of Six Sigma thinking under conditions of complexity and, in this case, predictable cause and effect analysis.  Of course we must plan to eliminate and minimise errors of the type that created the Japanese nuclear plant failure.  However, we should not place all our trust in proprietary techniques such as Six Sigma as our way of predicting complex scenarios with multiple causes and consequences.  A wiser approach will be to combine analysis with other more intuitive approaches to risk management, such as scenario planning.

As the terrible events unfold from the earthquake, the tsunami and the nuclear plant failure in Japan, the best anyone can hope for is that as a human race, we manage to learn from such things.  Such events point out our ultimate fragility and the need to stop, look and learn.  Doing more of the same or trying to do it better will not be sufficient to get us to where we need to be.

Peter Cook runs Human Dynamics and in his spare time pursues an obsession to help others make better decisions about things that affect all of us.

Bill Nelson photo: Martin Bostock

Today, I’m looking at what makes a master of personal reinvention.  Not through the usual business suspects, but through the example of the music legend Bill Nelson.  I’ve been inspired to write this as I have just managed to get a ticket to see Bill at the filming of his ITV Legends concert in London on Saturday March 26th.  Check out the concert details if you want to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience to meet a true master of personal reinvention.

You might be wondering, just who is Bill Nelson?  And what can a rock star teach us about personal reinvention?  How is that relevant for us in our lives and work?  Some background…

Bill Nelson led 1970’s Art School band Be-Bop Deluxe and Red Noise.  In spite of his huge success, he disliked the ‘rock’n’roll circus’ and left considerable wealth and fame to pursue his own artistic and musical direction.   However, his influence on modern music is immense and pervasive.  Nelson turned down a job as David Bowie’s guitarist and is admired by Paul McCartney, Brian May, Kate Bush, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Prince, The Foo Fighters, The Darkness, My Chemical Romance et al.

Reinvention is hard enough for most of us.  It’s even harder if you have a Rolls Royce, five sports cars and a mansion calling you to just do ‘more of the same’.  This is the situation Bill Nelson faced with EMI music in the late 1970’s.  Most of us are being asked to do some personal reinvention at the moment.   You may be trying to learn new things to get a new job?  Maybe you run a small business, struggling for contracts in a changing business landscape?  Or you might be instigating corporate reinvention to keep your company in tune with ever changing customer moods, wants and needs?  All these things require you to be excellent at personal reinvention and mastery of change.

So, what are Bill Nelson’s secrets for personal reinvention?  He wrote these down when contemplating a new album release and wishing to break away from simply repeating himself.  Bill kindly allowed me to interpret them in my book ‘Sex, Leadership and Rock’n’Roll’.   Let’s explore a couple of his principles:

Bill Nelson says “Do not be afraid of the ‘off’ switch”.  In my experience of composing and recording music, this means not continuously adding more layers to a piece of music and losing the simplicity and resonance of the piece.  It also means stopping when what you are doing isn’t working.  Many businesses would be better off if they were to adopt this principle, i.e. stopping things that are no longer wanted or needed rather than just carrying on regardless.  We are all creatures of habit to some extent.  There is often irresistible temptation and pressure to continue in the face of compelling evidence of a need to do something different.  Kodak experienced this with the death of conventional film processing.  Had they chosen to notice the trend some years back, they might have been in a better position to respond to market change.

Bill Nelson adds “Refuse to sing when no words appear”.  An excellent lesson for most of us to learn.  Why do most songs have to have lyrics?  Why do most websites have to have text?  Why do most businesses have departments they don’t need? and so on.  Masters of personal reinvention don’t slavishly copy success recipes.  They adapt and improve upon them to precisely meet their needs and those of the people they serve.  If you want to serve yourself well and your customers, by all means use success recipes as basic ‘templates for life’.  But also question their relevance and precise fit for your particular circumstances.  In the words of the master himself “Stay young, and keep in touch”.  This means that you should approach new opportunities with a fresh mind.  Always check to see if your success recipes are still up to date with the world around you.  If you’ve been in business for any length of time, there can be a tendency to think that you are invincible.  Hubris in business is a killer, as Marks and Spencer, Sony and many others nearly found out.

The coaching lessons from this are:

• If what you are doing isn’t working, stop, think and do something different

• Question the things that are the essence of your success from time to time

I’ll be writing more about Bill Nelson’s principles for reinvention in future blogs.  If you want to read more about personal and corporate reinvention, read Sex, Leadership and Rock’n’Roll or come along to our next free event on March 22. If you fancy meeting Bill Nelson in person at a champagne reception after the ITV Legends show in London, check out the ITV Legends concert

For more information about Peter Cook:  The Rock’n’Roll Business Guru visit Academy Of Rock.

Finding the River: The Energy Self-Help Guide for Surviving Life's Challenges

Based on the authors extensive research, Finding the River: The Energy Self-Help Guide for Surviving Life’s Challenges is a book of personal discovery, both for the author and the reader alike. Looking at different traditions, Finding the River clearly lays out each idea with intriguing and enlightening exercises (of which there are over 50) in a clear and concise manner, helping the reader get a rounded knowledge of each technique.

The easy to read style, along with the authors expansive knowledge and passion for the subject, make Finding the River a joy to read.

Finding the River: The Energy Self-Help Guide for Surviving Life’s Challenges covers a number of therapeutic modalities such as Endorphin techniques and meditations, relaxation and pacing methods using Ultradian rhythms, Energy Medicine exercises, and EmoTrance and Emotional Freedom (EFT) techniques.

This self help book explains and takes the reader through various meditation techniques sourced from Buddhist, Hindu, and Tibetan traditions; teaches ways to clear your clutter, Space Clear and create a sacred place in your home; provides exercises and techniques for dealing with stress, burnout, coping with change and coaxing oneself out of limiting comfort zones; explains the power of the mind and the value of developing awareness of oneself; the importance of connecting with Nature; as well as a whole host of other ways to help yourself through the challenges of life.

Finding The River also explains ways and rituals to use all these techniques throughout the changing energies of the seasons so that the reader may learn to be more in tune with the natural world and experience a greater balance and harmony within themselves.

The book has been called “Valuable and encouraging for anyone on the path of healing and spiritual development” by teacher and author William Bloom, and respected Energy Medicine teacher Madison King believes “This uplifting book is an Aladdin’s Cave of wisdom, practical information and techniques from myriad disciplines.”

This book is invaluable for anyone who wishes to delve into the ocean of Holistic Therapies and personal development, and will guide them through the four seasons, connecting them to Nature and giving them simple ways of working with holistic energy, both within and on outer levels. Most importantly, Finding the River teaches the reader to weave the various techniques together, to help them promote peace and happiness in their lives.

Finding the River: The Energy Self-Help Guide for Surviving Life’s Challenges is available in paperback from bookshops and the Amazon Kindle store.

I believe that Stress could be the next epidemic this country will face, if it isn’t already! Stress is known as the silent killer, it can creep up at any time and cause no end of physical and emotional health problems, costing business’ billions and people their lives.

Are you suffering from Stress?

Here are some symptoms of Stress. If you tick more than one of the symptoms, then you are indeed suffering from Stress, which, if left untreated, could lead to major physical health implications.

• Anger
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Changes in behaviour
• Food cravings
• Lack of appetite
• Frequent crying
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling tired
• Difficulty sleeping

What are common Stress Triggers?

• A general increase in the pace and complexity of working life brought about by the rapid growth in information technology
• The erosion of personal space and time resulting from developments in communications technology
• Increased workloads resulting from staff cutbacks, etc
• Increasingly informed and demanding customers and clients
• Lack of job security
• The stresses involved in commuting to and from work, travelling on the job etc.

Where there is recession, there is stress. Business’ downsize on human resources, but there expectations on the existing staff performances increase. Redundancies, unemployment, low income, there are many triggers for a Stress Attack, but behind every trigger there is Change of some sort and where there is Change there is Loss!

How do you manage your Stress?

From my many years experience firstly as a Therapist and now as a Coach, I have assisted many people in Stress Management Techniques. However, in order to manage your stress, you need to first recognise and then accept that Stress is affecting you and your loved ones.

Self Awareness is the key to a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Here are a few Stress Relief Techniques

• Exercise – no surprises there – simply walk for at least 30 minutes every day.
• Breathing from the Diaphragm – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hIKv2dsPC8&feature=related
• Take daily lunch breaks away from your workstations
• Spend time with friends
• Listen to Music regularly and Dance
• Have FUN, watch Comedy Films, Laugh out Loud!
• Stop watching the news and reading the papers – they are full of doom and gloom!!

I am a great advocate for fun and laughter, laughter is most definitely the best medicine.  Unfortunately, I actually witnessed Management in high pressure Corporate working environments, informing employee’s not to laugh so much!  Can you actually believe that!?  We all know the financial impact Stress can have on business’ – Stress costs business’ billions every year in the UK alone.

Poor Stress Management Techniques

Alcohol consumption/dependency is on the increase and binge drinking is becoming a national health issue.  Binge drinking is not only a teenage health risk, it is a health risk for all ages and alcohol dependency is becoming an issue for every age group!

I am left with no doubt, that we as a nation are taking life far too seriously and I mean that seriously!

Is it time for you and your business to do a Stress Audit?

http://joyandrewsbusinesscoaching.co.uk/

Change is the only constant! The world is constantly changing, which means Business’ need to ensure they can adapt their services to meet this constant evolutionary cycle of development. Business Development is about moving forward and adapting. Development equates to growth and where there is growth there is progress and success!

Change is a word that most of us can say easily, but few of us embrace without some hesitation and some even with absolute resistance.  Any business needs eventually to develop in some way, shape or form. Everything is temporary, nothing stays the same!

The World Wide Web has introduced much change in the business industry, along with current economic downturns and the recent change of government.  Industries are changing, teams are changing, people are changing and business needs to keep up with this trend.

How Does Your Business Need to Develop?

“The key to change, is to let go of fear”  Rosanne Cash

It could be something as simple as a logo design if you have a website, or alternatively a simple change in the form of your company stationery or even image in the form of a uniform. Re-Branding is always a good idea, as it is a re-invention of your business image and informs the customer and partners, that you are constantly seeking continual professional development.   Customers can even get excited when there is development, remember, people are fickle!

My local pub/restaurant recently had a complete makeover. It was refreshing to return to, as there was nothing that resembled the old, the bar and even entrance had all changed. As a customer, I found it exciting and very refreshing.

Products are constantly evolving and business’ need to ensure that they move with the times or they could be left behind or even fail.

Does Your Business Need A Makeover?

Is it time for you to think about developing your Business in order to survive?

How would your Business, Staff  and more importantly Customers benefit from change?

Managing Change

Change is inevitable and it is crucial for any business to manage the change effectively.  Teams and Customers will need to be informed and even maybe consulted in regards to Business Development in the form of Focus Groups.

Would it be beneficial to ask your staff and customers what changes they would like to see?  My response to this question would be a resounding yes!

As a Business and Development Coach, I understand all to well the power of questioning?

Is it time for you to start questioning how your business would benefit and develop in this current economic climate, to give your business a fresh approach thus attract more customers?

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending”  Maria Robinson

For any Business and Development Coaching,  please visit my website

http://joyandrewsbusinesscoaching.co.uk/