More crucial than knowing which things to focus on is absolute clarity about what to not do altogether. Because those “not quite as important” things will block out your time, energy and focus, and prevent you giving those to the things that count. And that wastage gets amplified exponentially when you’re a leader. Those “wouldn’t it be great if …”, or “our competitor is doing …”, or “Simon Sinek says we should…” ideas…

There was little greater testament of the culture we built than the annual London to Paris or Amsterdam bike rides that we organised. Every year, a group of us from the ultra-fit semi-pros, to the overweight, unfit, anything-but-pros (i.e. me) would do the 3 day cycle to raise money, mostly for Hope and Play, the charity I co-founded. And it was always a blast. In my books, a values-led company contributes to its team, owners, clients, community and suppliers. Not with a maniacal focus on its owners…

Sadly, I all too often see criticism at work focus on the individual rather than their actions. While we contextualise our own actions, we generalise everyone else’s. For example, I was late because my train was delayed, but you were late because you’re disorganised and don’t build in contingency. Or my report wasn’t 100% because I’ve got a lot on, but yours sucks because you have bad attention to detail. Take that tendency to criticise the individual, and place it…

A common story I find when working with founders is frustration with the managers that they appoint into their business. Not responsive enough. Not thinking big enough. Not hungry enough. I always need to remind them that this is why *they* are founders, and their team isn’t. Typical founder traits are both a strength and a weakness. If your whole company chases the latest shiny thing, stops what it’s going to return every call within minutes, creates new visions, then your company would…

I’ve worked in places where making the numbers right on a spreadsheet meant playing with people’s lives. I’ve also worked in places where supporting people’s lives made the numbers right on the spreadsheet. If you run a business, it’s your choice which way you want to go. It’s your choice what you make the priority. But I’ve always found that putting people first is not only the more human way to run a business, but also the only sustainable one.

Cash flow, revenue, sales. These are the oxygen for our businesses. They’re not what creates the value, but we’d be unable to create value without them. Which is why it’s infuriating to see small businesses often left at the mercy of late paying larger customers. Recent surveys by the Small Business Insights Index and Xero found that half of small businesses operate in the red, and that “on average 30-day invoices [from large to small firms] were paid after 46 days”.…

When you promote within your team, bear in mind that different jobs are suited to different personalities, and don’t expect your promoted star to instantly become a star manager. Sure, sometimes it happens. But the best salesperson doesn’t automatically become a great sales manager. The greatest developer doesn’t instantly become a great team lead. And it’s not their fault. The skills to manage or lead a team are very different from those for doing the work within that team.…

When discussions with my clients turns towards the contribution their company makes to their community or environment, I obsess that they need to be reliably profitable. Especially if their contribution is philanthropic. I’m a governor at my kids’ primary school. I was astonished how many children struggle to do their best simply because their families don’t have the means to give them breakfast. In 2018, in the UK. This impacts their day, and over time, their whole outcome from school. So…

I remember once having a really heated debate with one of my team members. We held strongly divergent views on how to proceed with some of the Intellectual Property we were creating. A fellow board member was there, and tried to shut the debate down. Afterwards, he asked me why I put up with a team member disagreeing with me in a group setting. I was surprised. It seemed to me to show a real lack of self confidence *not* to allow debate. But more than that, to shut down debate like that fails twice…

A lot of early-stage startups that I meet want to talk about their exit strategy. They spend a lot of time figuring out how to build a company that they can sell for a good price. If exit is your goal (and remember it may not be the only way to build something that meets your aspirations), then a strategy for exit is important. But making it a big focus from the get-go is wrong. How about building something you might not want to sell? Ironically, you’re more likely to have created something…