MHCo Strengths Session
On Monday 18 September, the MHCo team had the pleasure of listening to Josh Cox from Yellow Umbrella for a teams strengths session. We got to take a closer look at our unique strengths, pinpoint which strengths were ‘hangry’, and identified how we should be feeding them. Together, we engaged in team-building activities that challenged us to put our heads together to solve problems. This experience not only highlighted our uniqueness but also showcased our individual talents, pushing us to blend our distinct strengths for a common goal. So, next time you face a challenge, remember – teamwork makes the dream work, and it’s a lot more fun too! Why do we do this? At Maisey Harris & Co, we are big believers in feeding our strengths and growing as a team. We’re committed to nurturing and empowering our strengths, fostering growth, and achieving even greater success. By knowing each other’s unique strengths, we are able to leverage each person’s individual and unique skills and enhance productivity, an be the best person we can be to help our clients achieve success. Here’s what we learnt: What’s more, everyone’s strengths are unique – and each strength may look different depending on the person. Understanding and appreciating the unique ways in which each person’s strengths shine adds depth to our team, creating a more inclusive and dynamic work atmosphere. At MHCo, we believe that our strong company culture underpins our successful, resilient businesses. We understand that identifying our diverse and unique strengths is an essential aspect of a thriving, supportive company culture, and it’s a cornerstone of any innovative business. That’s why we are focused on identifying each other’s strengths, learning from them, and nourishing our team to put the pedal to the metal together.
Do you know what you don’t know?
Introducing our latest Business Mindset… There’s a simple concept called The Knowledge Pie. This concept segments one’s personal knowledge into three key areas; what we know, what we know that we don’t know, and what we don’t know that we don’t know. Yeah, you might want to read that again. Here’s an example to better explain: Dan, a young qualified plumber and business owner, knows how to do plumbing. He also knows that he does not know how to do a Tax Return… or orthopaedic surgery. However, he doesn’t know that he does not know that if he tightened his Terms of Trade and debtor management policy, he’d get paid faster and improve his cashflow, making his business life less stressful and more successful. No-one knows what they don’t know. Many people think this ‘cluelessness’ is a lack of experience thing that affects young people… but EVERYONE, even experts, are completely unaware of what they don’t know that they don’t know. Imagine the average pie for any person… it could be lemon meringue or steak and cheese – you choose. Now, cut your pie in half and cut one half in half again (creating two quarters). One quarter represents what you know, one quarter represents what you know you don’t know, and the half represents what you don’t even know that you don’t know. How do I learn about what I don’t know, even know that I don’t know? Here’s some ways to grow your knowledge over the next year: Growing your knowledge can grow your business. The fact is that for all of us there is much more that we don’t even know we don’t know than what we actually know. Breathe. It’s ok. Next fact: we will be more successful in life and business if we remain open to new learning, and learning extensions and distinctions on what we already know. Avoid having an ‘I know’ mentality about the things you do know about. Some people close their minds when hearing about a topic they have knowledge of. They may assume that they know it all. But we can always know more… and if we shut ourselves down to new learning, we could miss an important distinction that could make a big difference. — Feel free to get in touch if you’re interested in how we can help you extend yourself this year, we’d love to chat about it! We also have a bunch of books in the office here which we are happy to lend out to help with number 9 🙂 “Those who keep learning, will keep rising in life.” – Charles Munger
Lessons learned in lockdown
Lockdown has been (and remains) a tough time for business. Having to shut your business at short notice, or switch to an entirely digital, remote-working model, was a stressful experience. But there are things we have taken out of lockdown. Whether it enabled us to explore new ideas or dive into some fresh thinking regarding work, life or a business venture. So, what lessons did we all learn from this enforced period of business shutdown, quarantine and remote working? Carrying over the positives from lockdown Suddenly, your office space lay empty, your employees were spread across various home locations and (crucially) your customer sales and revenue evaporated in the blink of an eye. The amazing thing about human resilience and ingenuity, however, is how quickly businesses DID evolve to cope with this situation. Teams got used to home-working, video meetings and dealing with customers in the online space. And many of us began to see the positives of this low-impact, remote-working approach. Are there things you can hang to now in the return to working life? None of us know exactly what the ‘new normal’ of business trading will look like. But if you want to be ready for a different kind of business reality, we can help. We’ll work with you to update your goals, strategy and financial model – so you’re ready for the future.
Eight C’s to help your business during Covid-19
The information overload is very real. The ramifications of Covid-19 on businesses are being felt and speculated upon every minute of each day – probably leaving you feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Here’s eight simple words also beginning with C to help clarify your vision…. 1. Cash. It’s the oxygen for your business, do what you can now to preserve cash for the unknown future state. 2. Credit. You may need to arrange adequate credit; talk to your bank to see what your options are. 3. Colleagues. Your team are the backbone of your business and needs your leadership now more than ever. Your leadership skills will be growing day by day. Be supportive, honest and human. 4. Customers. Connect with your top customers. Call them, if for no other reason than to see how they are. Many are feeling isolated and out of control. A familiar voice and fresh perspective can make a big difference. 5. Condense. Your Marketing Plan and messaging, Business Plan and goals are likely to be temporarily irrelevant. Hit pause. Condense your efforts to focus on this crisis and adapting to make the most of the opportunities that may present themselves. 6. Change. It’s usually a choice, but right now it’s being forced by crisis. Maximise your financial resilience by imagining a new normal for your business. How can you pivot your business model to serve existing and new customers? How can you get up and running faster? 7. Communication. Whether your business is operating in some capacity or not; keep your customers and suppliers updated regularly. Social media is a big opportunity to engage your audience right now. 8. Compassion. Whether on the frontline or being unable to operate – everyone is feeling it. If we act with compassion right now, we’ll all come out of this better off. There are beautiful stories everywhere we look: from the florist donating their unsellable flowers to frontline nurses, to the musician live streaming a free concert. These gestures will not be forgotten. If you need support to help your business emerge successfully from lockdown, get in touch – we’re here to help!