Biz Growth Express - July 2, 2007

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IN THIS WEEK’S ‘BIZ GROWTH EXPRESS’     ISSN   1649-8127

Hi

Well if you are in the US you are no doubt looking forward to a great holiday celebration with family and friends. To those colleagues and friends in the UK, however, our thoughts are with you as you manage the challenges of not just natural disaster through the flooding but also through the challenges you are facing with the numerous attacks to your personal freedom.

This week in “Biz Growth Express” and on our “Biz Growth Live” call our focus is on the subject of values which seems appropriate in its timing. Taking time out to consider what our own core values are for ourselves and our organisations can create more value for you personally and professionally.

I also wanted to share with you advance notice that the scheduling of our weekly “Biz Growth Live” calls will be changing in the next few weeks. This is as a result of feedback we have received from you our “Biz Growth Community”.

I know many of you would like to join us live each week but are not able to. You have also been asking for access to our previous calls which to-date have only been made available to key private clients. So what we have decided to do is the following:

I hope you will find this transition continues to add value to you in building your brand and growing your business. Do let me know if there are specific subjects and experts you would like us to connect with in the months ahead or if you have feedback on the content we provide in our weekly newsletter.

As you know, our goal is your success, providing you with strategies, inspiration and tips that you can adapt, adopt and apply to grow your business. 

I hope you enjoy this week’s edition of ‘Biz Growth Express’.

And if you have friends and colleagues who you believe would benefit from the strategies and tips we cover in the ‘Biz Growth Live’ calls and our ‘Biz Growth Express’ newsletter, I would be honoured if you forwarded this email to them or alternatively you can invite them to register at “Biz Growth Live“.

Your recommendation is how we grow! Here’s to bringing YOUR brand to life!

Thank you for being part of our thriving ‘Biz Growth Community’ and please do share your suggestions for areas you would like us to cover in future editions and that would support your business growth in 2007 or subjects for our weekly ‘Biz Growth Live’ calls.

Best wishes

Krishna

FEATURE ARTICLE:’GETTING VALUE OUT OF VALUES’

This last week I was with a client discussing the subject of employer branding and one of the areas we covered was the subject of the organisations core values.

The organisation was very proud of their core values which they had embedded into their organisation – in fact decisions are made within the organisation based on their values.

So unlike many businesses, their values were not meaningless words on a brochure or on a banner behind their reception desk.

But what really are core values and how can they provide value to your organisation?

You might consider your organisations core values as strategies you employ to accomplish your mission. When fully expressed, your core values underpin your work and how interact with others.

Core values should be considered as non-negotiable – they form the foundation for a set of corporate ethics for your business.
 
Core values:

Core values are not:

Very often when individuals are feeling unhappy in an organisation it is because their personal values are out of kilter with those of the organisation. Therefore ensuring your organisations core values are both known and are explicit will enable your people to understand what is important to you as a business leader.

The key is to ensure that you translate values into action and this can be supported by producing a code of business ethics, often known as a code of conduct or business principles.

THIS WEEK’S ‘BIZ GROWTH’ ACTION STEPS

  1. Evaluate the core values or your organisation – are you clear as a leadership team what they are and why they are important?
  2. Audit your core values – if you have not already translated your core values into behaviours in terms of what you expect in terms of key decision making and key processes, now is the time to set up project teams to undertake this work.
  3. Celebrate your core values – where your core values are fully expressed, recognise the members of your team who are living out the organisations values.

If you are unclear about how you drive your values into action, you can contact us here at Oneocean by email at connect(at)oneoceangroup.com and I will be delighted to have a confidential conversation to support you in developing your project plan so that you leverage value out of your core values.

PERSONAL BRANDING TIP OF THE WEEK: ‘PERSONAL BRAND VALUES’

Defining our personal values is one of the first steps I take when helping my clients determine their personal leadership brand.

Very often I find we are not sure about what our personal values are and what we stand for.

This leads to situations often expressed as stress or frustration for the company or colleagues we are working with.

However when we uncover our values, we can then make much more informed choices about how we react because we understand the triggers for our feelings, behaviours and decision making.

The other thing that happens over time is that often at times of significant change and as we experience different life events and mature in our career, our values can change.

It is not unusual to find that the values we held dear as a 20 year old student change as we enter our 30’s and 40’s armed with different experiences of the world and different responsibilities.

The important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong about our personal brand values. They are an expression of what is unique about us.

THIS WEEK’S PERSONAL BRAND ACTION STEPS

  1. Get clear on your values – determine what is really important to you in terms of your personal values.
  2. Check your behaviour – is everything you do in alignment with your core values? If not what changes do you need to make and who can assist you?
  3. Express your values – do not hide your values away. Be sure to hsare your values with your colleagues. This helps you express what is important to you and therefore your colleagues will get a better understanding of who you are and what you stand for. In other words one of the foundations of your personal brand.

If you want to nurture your personal brand but are looking for expert guidance, make sure that you register today for details of our forthcoming personal branding programme for business leaders which will be starting this summer. Just send an email to connect(at)oneoceangroup.com.

BIZ GROWTH TELECONFERENCE – 25 JUNE 2007
SUBJECT : ‘THE VALUES IMPERATIVE – A PATHWAY TO PROFIT’

Guest Expert: Paul Kearns, author and consultant

When we consider our values, very often we consider these in terms of what drives our personal behaviour.

However how can values actually be attributed to bottom line benefits?

This is the subject of next weeks “Biz Growth Live” call with author and consultant Paul Kearns whose recent book “The Value Motive” presents a framework for understanding why value should be the leader’s top priority.

If you have questions about how to link corporate and personal values to bottom line profit, you can post your questions before the call here.

NEXT ‘BIZ GROWTH LIVE’ TELECONFERENCE – 9 JULY 2007
SUBJECT : ‘WRITING FOR THE WEB’

Guest Expert: Krishna De, branding and new media marketing expert

With billions of web pages on the internet and many of them like your corporate website looking to offer services and products to potential clients, how do you ensure that your words on a web page encourage your website visitors to take action?

The psychology of purchasing on the internet is very different to buying off line.

In next weeks “Biz Growth Live” seminar we will be covering specific guidelines fo writing online marketing copy.

If you have questions about how to write web copy that gets website visitors to take action you can post your questions before the call here.

BRANDING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PODCASTS

As you know, here at Oneocean, we are all about building brands, from your corporate brand to attract great clients, to your employer brand to attract and retain great talent, to your personal leadership brand to build your personal reputation as an expert in your field and expand your success.

FACTS ABOUT FACEBOOK

On the seventh of our “Podcast Sisters” Podcasts, we cover the basics of the fast growing social media tool “Facebook” (www.facebook.com). Join us to lear what it is and how you can use it to support your online business development strategy.
Access the podcast here:

You can post your comments and questions against each of our podcasts, so I look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts, ideas and what works for you.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to leave comments at our media centre, you can call +1 214 615 6505 ext 6842 or if you are in Ireland, on 086 816 3096.

RESOURCES FOR EVENT ORGANISERS

If you are an event organiser and are working on developing your forthcoming programme, I would love to hear from you. I regularly help event organisers plan their events and connect them to my network of professional speakers on a wide range of business development and personal development topics.

I am also available to facilitate your meeting, speak at your event, your workshop or as an expert interviewer for your virtual book tour or promotion of your programme or event.

Worried about travel costs? In addition to live face to face workshops, at Oneocean we are one of Europe’s expert consultancies in making use of new media and leading edge technologies including webinars, podcasts, on-line video or teleconferences which means that you can expand your reach and deliver your live event to your community no matter where they live.

I would be delighted to speak with you about your requirements. Just email me at connect(at)oneoceangroup.com today for our event organisers questionnaire.

For details of our most popular live events and workshops, go here.

Wishing you continued success, so until next week.

Best wishes,

Krishna De
Bringing YOUR vision to life!
www.bizgrowthlive.com
www.bizgrowthnews.com
www.krishnade.com
www.oneoceangroup.com
www.talkingcoaching.com
www.todayswomeninbusiness.com

P.S. If you have friends and colleagues who would like to join the weekly teleconference call, they would be very welcome – please invite them to register at Biz Growth Live.

©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2007.  All rights reserved.

“Biz Growth Express” is a Oneocean Publication.  Oneocean Ltd is a leading business development consultancy with a difference – we focus on the unique strengths of an organisation and its people to unlock extraordinary performance and growth. You can learn more about our work here.

TERMS OF REPRINT: You are welcome to publish extracts from “Biz Growth Express” in your own online ezine or news letter, providing the article is printed in its entirety and is left unedited and you include the copyright notice and the following statement:

©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2007. All rights reserved. Reprinted from “Biz Growth Express”, a Oneocean Ltd publication for leaders in professional services practices, featuring inspiration, strategies and tips to build your brand, attract your ideal clients and enjoy greater success with less stress.  Subscribe today at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com and access free weekly teleconferences where we interview experts from across the globe on how to build your brand and expand your professional and personal success.