All Topics

The Best Mission Statement in the World Ever

by Tony Quinlan on Nov 16, 2006 12:45:00 PM

I’ve made no secret of my general dislike of mission statements. The process of putting one together can be very powerful and help clarify many things, but as pieces of communication they generally stink.

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Why make customers think about it from the organisation’s perspective?

by Tony Quinlan on Nov 16, 2006 8:29:00 AM

I’ve just had one of those frustratingly familiar online survey experiences. I’d gone online to check out my BTOpenzone account and struggled to find any details of it on either the www.btopenzone.com or bt.com sites.

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Too Close to the Margin

by Tony Quinlan on Nov 15, 2006 11:12:00 AM

An interesting example from Computing of the drawbacks of going for maximum efficiency.

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Cowboys make Indians out of customers

by Tony Quinlan on Nov 15, 2006 8:00:00 AM

Two comments from people I respect have illuminated a pattern I’ve seen in many places.

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Get them while they’re fresh

by Tony Quinlan on Nov 8, 2006 8:57:00 AM

One of the most effective points on which to focus when you’re trying to change an organisation’s culture is on its most recent recruits. It’s not obvious – and often left to the vagaries of HR and training to put together an induction process.

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Achilles heels and body armour

by Tony Quinlan on Nov 3, 2006 4:30:00 PM

Earlier this week, I facilitated a conference session at which I’d also coached one of the in-house speakers. The speaker in question took one major step out of his comfort zone in finishing his speech on a different note.

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Bit part or starring role?

by Tony Quinlan on Oct 30, 2006 7:36:00 PM

I’m in Geneva today running a communications workshop and looking foolish as I struggle to get the hang of buses: how to pay, how to open bus doors and so on.

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Taking responsibility for mistakes

by Tony Quinlan on Oct 25, 2006 10:46:00 AM

I’ve talked about the need to take ownership and responsibility before, but it’s worth mentioning again. I recently received an email from a newsletter provider admitting to a problem.

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Unintentional Design

by Tony Quinlan on Oct 24, 2006 4:00:00 PM

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The Change Angels’ Share of Performance

by Tony Quinlan on Oct 13, 2006 10:09:00 AM

Whisky makers have a concept of “the Angels’ Share” – it’s the 2% of whisky that evaporates each year as the whisky matures and mellows in the cask. Thankfully, they also understand that there’s little point in trying to improve efficiency and retain that 2% – it’s part of the process …

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