Trading Through Tougher Times

When the markets get tough, business gets even tougher. The rippling effect from the US credit crunch is now threatening to drag the world into a global recession... So what can be done to keep your ship on course?

Whilst for some this potent reminder of the power of globalisation brings uncertainty, for others it offers an opportunity. It is a chance to focus on what YOU do differently... What are your strengths? Who do you collaborate with? Do you have a diverse workforce? Where is the leadership coming from?

At a time when everybody is striving to be the best, it is those that are truly special, different and unique that will rise above the rest. It is time to break out from the pack.

Darwinian forces now apply once again and only the fittest will survive. Old world management is colliding head on with new age leadership and strategies are being forced to shift from “not wanting to lose” to simply wanting to win.

With real world examples, insightful anecdotes from organisations that have reinvented themselves in times of great difficulty and those who have not, this is THE essential blue print for not only surviving in tough times but flourishing.

Culture Is More Powerful Than Strategy

Historically traditional businesses have tried to strategise their way out of problems but nowadays progressive companies have realised that a focus on culture will drive sustainable success.

Time and again it has been proved that great strategies don’t deliver great cultures but inspiring cultures deliver groundbreaking strategy. It is time that these lessons are learnt; think Apple or Toyota.

Your corporate culture is the personality of the organisation; what it stands for and what its values are. Creating the right ethos and the right environment has to start from the top but must flow through to the front line. Every organisation MUST have strong, visible role models who practise and epitomise the new behaviours and values ALL of the time.

People should be “caught doing things right” and these stories can then be woven into a “corporate mythology” that acts as a positive and memorable guideline for everyone to follow, and feel good about.

Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and only then consider direction.

When all is said and done it is the simplest mantra that still rings the most true; culture is more powerful than strategy.

Managing A Little Less… Leading A Little More

As the business world becomes increasingly fast paced, unrelenting and unforgiving, the solution to the myriad of problems that companies face appears to become ever more complex.

The answer always lies with modern leadership.

This is not about traditional businesses being bad and new economy businesses being good; it is about understanding why some organisations cannot escape the pull of the past.

Their strategies tend to be cautious and risk adverse but the REAL leaders’ strategies are all about results. Using clear, ‘hands on’ case studies to illuminate the difference between the two approaches and drawing on anecdotes from his international best seller Corporate Voodoo, René will offer a tantalising insight into his compelling philosophy about the future of business.

Ending with the 10 Voodoo ingredients and explosive, easily implemented tips for moving from management to leadership; the whole performance is peppered with a unique and instructive Voodoo humour.

What Do You Stand For?

Globalisation has brought many benefits for the stronger and more forward thinking businesses but it has also brought with it tremendous over-capacity in all sectors. This has made differentiation a necessity.

However, when asked, few people can answer the question “What Are You Great At?”

Increasingly consumers are voting with their values; it has become THE key differentiator. But to ensure a product or person is both genuine and authentic it is critical to know your brand and your values inside out.

Be it a corporate brand or a personal one, the questions remain the same. Who are you? What are your values? What are your aspirations? What are your objectives?

Brands are the promise of an experience; if that promise is not authentic and is not kept the customer’s response can be immediate and severe.

Only once these fundamental answers are resolved can anyone or anything be a sustainable success. In the hugely challenging year ahead it has become strikingly evident that addressing these critical issues is not just a “nice to have” but a business imperative.

When Your Heritage Is Not Your Destiny

A focus on business transformation.

Just about every organisation today is endeavouring to transform itself; be it because of a depressed share price, poor profit performance or dwindling consumer confidence.

A ‘state of the nation’ address is needed to highlight what has caused this quasi-recession and what can be done for YOUR organisation.

René will embark on a lively and comprehensive look at organisations that have reinvented themselves in times of great difficulty, with the role and style of their leaders examined to offer clues for the future.

A blueprint for successful organisations in the new millennium will be established, including the vital ten point Voodoo plan to equip any organisation for the tough times ahead.

Hire With Fire

Selecting and retaining the right people is the difference between a good organisation and a great one.

Gone are the “job for life” days where people would learn a skill, get promoted through the ranks and stay loyal to one employer throughout their career.

Whereas in the past employees were mainly hired on skills, the companies that now keep their noses ahead of the chasing pack hire attitude.

And yet a common myth is that you always have to hire the best. Whilst this may be true at the very top of an organisation, for those in the frontline it is all about identifying the qualities you need NOW.

The best leaders know what their inherent strengths are. But they are just as aware of what they are not so good at, enabling them to employ people that are better than them in the areas the business NEEDS. This is the secret of great teams; no single person can be good at everything but the most successful teams have all the bases covered.

But to do this means having the necessary confidence and self-belief that are integral traits of any great, inspired leader.

Be bold and Hire With Fire. Find out how to build the leadership team that delivers no matter what the challenge.

Continue To Do What You Do Best And Partner to Achieve the Rest

It has been said many times before and will be said again - “Don’t reinvent the wheel”.

In tougher times no business is equipped to do EVERYTHING on their own.

Instead of learning new skills, ‘unlearning’ old skills and starting from scratch, the smart organisations are focusing on what they are good at and partnering with established experts when they need to step into new territory.

But how? With whom? Who has done it well? Who has failed and why?
René reveals all.

There is no divine right to success but learning from the best on avoiding the pitfalls that have snared some of the biggest global names in the past will prove both essential and invaluable.

Know your partner and know your market; collaboration can be the single most important step any business can take. Nothing is best done alone anymore.