Problems [2]

I dunno. You bring us your problems and expect us to provide you with solutions when you should be giving us possible answers when it shouldn't be our problem ;-)

Price negotiations [3]

Then of course you have the questions of:

Is their threat to go real or negotiating ploy?

What will they really settle for? And, what is the risk that you will give away more than this?

What competitors might give them what they want? And how much might it hurt them to do so? Or is there nobody who will give them the price they want?

publishing financial data on the net [4]

Gathering data on the financial performance of a competitor is one thing, supplying an analysis of it to influence a tender process is another. Is it ethical? For instance, if it became public knowledge that a company that had the best bid had failed to win a contract because of inaccurate or incomplete 'data' or a skewed analysis provided by a competitor, would there be a legal case to answer? It might be moot whether inaccuracies were included due to malicious intent or not. The burden of proof for the accuracy of the analysis and the comprehensiveness/robustness of the data might be on the supplier of said analysis...

Another question to ask might be: if I am happy to publish my own financial data on the net, in order to win work, how much more work might I win if I published my analyses of competitors? Would such comparative advertising be ethical?

Same thing nearly happened to me [5]

Several years ago, I was on holiday in Spain, driving at about the speed limit of 60 mph. along a single carriageway A road; we were all wearing seat belts. In the distance a big lorry, going the other way, moved into my lane to overtake. I soon realised that he would have difficulty getting back onto his side of the road, before he hit me: so I braked hard (I was unable to go onto a grass verge or leave the road), and the lorry got its end completely back onto its side of the road, just as I was passing the front end cab. It was very close and really scared me. If I had not anticipated the situation, I would have crashed into the lorry, and been killed, together with my girlfriend and another couple, who were friends.

A year later, I heard that a Spanish lorry driver had killed a British couple, on holiday, on the same road. He was convicted of the Spanish equivalent of causing death by dangerous driving and went to prison.

Does AM still read this Blog?? [7]

I hope AM no longer reads your blog.

I Can only imagine her reaction if she were to read that you think you were unwise in employing her and now have too many managers.

April fool? [9]

Why would AM have stopped reading?

Structured for Growth [10]

I had thought that part of the point of your structure, embedded in the very timing of when you created it, was to offset the effects of recession by seeking some of the opportunity created by the recession. Either by absorbing vulnerable competitors, or by taking market share from them, or by adding sympathetic products/services.

Why are you losing faith in that? If the team seems top heavy, is it because that effort is being underaddressed?

I did see your entries on AM working to improve quality in the last acquisition. But that is looking inward, not outward. Is comingling an outward and inward view diluting the search for opportunities?

I would think Newc's enthusiasm and drive will be essential later, as the UK comes out of recession. But to keep his enthusiasm harnessed now, does he need something where he can focus and add value by taking something forward? At the moment it reads as though you have him preventing slippage, which is about standing still, protecting value; not building. Square peg, round hole?

What do you do when you get a serious complaint about your service? [11]

If one is a major multination/energy company or an ISP, you farm it off to a "help desk" on the other side of the world that is anything but helpful.

In this case, you may hate the palaver involved with any admission of culpability (and even worse, the credit note!) but I applaud your commendable action. If more suppliers were like this, the world would be a less unpleasant place.

It's a case of "do as you would be done by", I suppose! At least your reputation for fair-dealing should count for something (even if "your reward will be in Heaven" as my old mum used to say).

What do you do when you get a serious complaint about your service? [12]

Root cause analysis. aka 5 whys.

I do a lot of process improvement work and I find 5 whys to be a powerful tool for eliminating underlying issues. It allows me to suggest streamlined solutions rather than creating extra processes to handle symptoms.

This short article has a couple of useful examples...

Bloated ? [13]

"Bloating" can also be a sign of ovarian cancer - a relative was diagnosed after several months of this intermittent feeling - ask her to make sure her life insurance is up to date !
Would she be taking holiday leave to have her ultrasound and CA125 appointments ?

Also ask if she'd like to become a "Friday-to-Monday" IR35 contract person - then she could 'bloat' in her own time as other self-employed (or "deemed employed") people have to do.

Or if she's not attending in her core hours, check whether it's to come out of her annual leave, or whether it should be "personal development" unpaid leave, or if she'd like to go jobshare with someone who needs the work.

The AM [14]

I noted a comment about AM on here a while ago, and discussed it with her

AM does indeed still read this diary.

But I would like to assure readers that before making that entry, I had voiced my fears to her and she was apprehensive but understanding. She gave her agreement to this entry before it was posted.

And if I'm honest, with my PA she is part of my alternative inner cabinet - those whose opinion I quietly seek and value - because they have wisdom beyond their years, which I appreciate and which has helped me enormously

So she now knows she's got a pat on the back.