Creative Enterprise Conference April 15,16 & 17 2011

By Tanya Lacy [CommuniT]

There’s nothing like doing leadership. That’s my experience. So, I’m into the next project, where I can practice what I preach and do some ‘servant leadership’.  The project is a conference that can showcase and share talent and creativity. Yes, the next idea is a conference, a creative enterprise conference. It’s all about celebrating the creative sector and honouring creativity as an economic stimulant.

The Friday night is a gathering of 200 people who are fascinated, turned-on, stimulated, excited by, challenged by and live for being creative in business, in organisations, in life. 

Then on the Saturday Morning, we launch with an Inspiring session that exemplifies how creativity can be channelled into commercial reality.

We move into Innovation and discuss what innovation is, how innovation comes about and can be used as a driver. Then we look at Investment. What are the financial models and thinking required to materialise creativity for commercial reality. What are the different options and how can we acsess different resources at different times on the creative journey?

Then the Creative Economy Dinner. A dinner to celebrate the creative economy. What questions can we ask ourselves to drive and stimulate the economy differently and creatively into the future?

The final day, Impact. How can we use our learnings to not only drive the economy with creativity, but have positive impact on society and on the community? We look at examples of organisations who are doing this, what they are doing and how they are doing it…….what inspires them? What drives them and how they  have evolved.

What I see in my mind’s eye is a building full - the Substation Newport – with a  creative and entrepreneurial energy, that when converted and streamlined with focus and clarity can impact the economy powerfully and sustainably.

Filling the space with creative, passionate, bright, intelligent souls from all parts of the greater western region and beyond in Victoria for a Creative Conference….a Creative Enterprise Conference that celebrates the Creative Sector and Values it differently…..that celebrates the Creative Economy

Community Building

By Tanya Lacy

My time in Ethiopia has taught me the power of tribes. Within circles of people, word travels fast. Wether or not the news is real or true, and whether it even gets distorted doesn’t seem to matter. It’s whether the information is  interesting and relevant to that particular group or those receiving and passing on the message that seems to matter.

Because the message matters and is relevant to those passing it on, there is energy behind it and so it also travels fast.

Lesson:  for word to travel fast, it has to matter to those who pass it on. I guess, if the news item isn’t important to someone they may hear about it, but not bother to pass it on. Lack of interest, means lack of energy and the message passing stops with them.

Relevant communities to you

If you are building community, you’re building it because you are connected to those people in the community right? But by what specifically are you connected? Usually it’s the topic you are interested in that holds the community together. It’s the topic you have in common. Interestingly when this is truly deeply the case, the pettiness of who likes who and who annoys who, gets transcended because the connection to the topic is of higher importance to those in the group than any negative traits people in the group may have. The energy seems to exist to rise above little issues.  And so to protect your effort, energy and time, building or being involved in communities you really care about and that are relevant to you, is super important.  Here’s why.

If you don’t really care, your energy will be soaked up in the distractions and annoyances you will observe in others rather than leaning on the learnings of the groups content or gleaning from the groups content. I guess, over time, you can’t fake levels of interest. If you’re not really interested, your connection will be superficial. If your connection is superficial, people will soon work that out. So to avoid exhaustion, before you begin building a community or before you get involved with a particular community, make sure you really truly care about its topic. The care factor in this makes all the difference.

The ultimate test is, do you talk to others about this topic or group or community naturally when you’re away from it? If you do, you care. If you don’t maybe it’s time to rethink.  We only have one shot at this life. It is better to invest your life energy, gifts and talents to where you really care. You’ll be far more  influential, effective and in the end much more personally satisfied.

Direct and clear discussion does it [Sales Tips for Sales People & Sales Managers]

By Tanya Lacy

Was problem solving with an account executive this week. They haven’t been closing lately.  It was an interesting case  because they’ve  been following a proven process and have full belief in the firm they work for (and products they represent).  So the problem is that while they are getting traction with decision makers, sealing the deal is lacking.

We inspected for root cause of this situation. We discovered that they had a concern around pressing too hard for fear for burning the bridge with the decision maker.  They were afraid of not being liked.

As a sales manager have you ever encountered this when dealing with your sales people?

We started working through a conversation on being liked vs being respected. We discussed the difference between ruffling feathers vs burning bridges.  We explored that ruffling feathers (while making a little bit of a mess) can actually gain respect. Point being that the prospective client would be more likely to respect someone who is direct, clear and focused on an outcome [even if they didn't proceed with doing business then and there] than doing business with someone whose a pushover.

We talked about how being nice, runs the risk of being too easy to bump from the schedule and how that loses respect. We discussed that while  being direct may ruffle a few feathers, it can also gain respect.

[Interestingly, they got off the phone to me, with a committment to  make a few calls  and tried a more direct approach. They then sms'd me within the hour to advise they'd got committment for a piece of business that had  been teetering in the pipeline for a decision.]

Tags: Sales Management

Perfection Vs Excellence [and being stuck]

Problem solving with a client this week we identified they were frozen by the perfection bug. They observed that they were waiting for something to be completely perfect before they moved to action. I suggested they might consider working from excellence instead or perfection for a change, then notice what happens to being stuck.
Working from excellence might give them room to ebb and flow and be a little more creative. Provide a little more breathing space. Next time you’re stuck, check in to see if you’re coming from perfection or excellence. This will help Intercept you from ‘being stuck’

How Franchising will Intercept Poverty:: Lessons from Addis Ababa Ethiopia

The secret to addressing poverty in the world once and for all, is not doing what we’ve been doing.  In  the words of  our Intercept Poverty partners on the ground in Ethiopia :: “We are sick of Aid. It steals our dignity”.    

Enterprising People:: Problem Solving People

The answer lies in enroling enterprising people to share intellectual property, ideas and resource that enables the underdeveloped to better understand how they can lift themselves from being impoverished.

Enterprise is the solution. Enterprise thinking is the solution. Marry enterprise with a replicable system of perpetual enterprise. Package this in a way that those in the world who need it most can use it and take it forward themselves.

But why should we? Why should we in the developed world with our comfortable sofa’s sucking cola and watching dancing with the stars care about someone in pain on the other side of the world? If humanitarian reasons are not enough, take a look at the commercial reasons - because it can make good business sense.

Doing good makes good sense for business

In this month’s edition of business franchise magazine, I wrote an article about how franchises who give back can give back by enroling the time and talent of their teams. Organisations are looking for ‘deeper ways’ to enrol their teams, to keep them connected to the brand they work for. Why not use franchising concepts from developed world contexts to solve problems that exist in parts of the world with problems i.e. underdeveloped world contexts.

It’s all about scale

I’m not talking about plonking a McDonalds in the middle of Addis Ababa Ethiopia. What I am talking about is taking the elements of franchising  such as systemisation, replicability and branding and applying them in a context that is congruent with the market in Addis Ababa. On a recent trip to Addis Ababa, I personally identified at least 10 opportunities for franchises.  These range from gatekeepers, to cleaners to cooks, and this is only looking at the market supplying to the local consulates and organisations that exist on the ground there.  There are 85 million people in Ethiopia. The types of franchise opportunities I have chosen in this article are more ‘western’ simply to get your head around the idea if this is the first time you’ve read about franchising or micro-franchising.

Solving a few problems

On the ground in a developing country there are always cross cultural issues. In personally working with and visiting a number of non-government organisations as well as some consulates in Addis, you get to see the use of local labour to fulfill service roles. The trouble is that this is often uncoordinated and not to a standard of the employer.

Imagine if there was a franchise system that set up a franchisor on the ground say to supply gate keepers, or cleaners or cooks.:: Imagine if they recruited, inducted these people to a high standard then secured the contract for labour supply at very reasonable rates to the employer and of course good rates for the employees as well as good conditions.  Presto you have a business that is on the ground in Addis Ababa, employing local people and operating at a service level that better satisfies the end user. Now apply a franchise model over the top of that. A franchisor from a developed country works in partnership with the developing location. Teaches them what to do and how to do it and in partnership perhaps develops a new exciting annexe brand to the experience of their own western brand.  This intercepts a problem and creates an new business. Complaints would decrease. Smiles increase.

While the value entry point or dollar return may not be as high as one could achieve in a developed community context, when you take in scale and then consider the population base and territory to be covered, there is more money to be made in smaller fees taken more often.  

Solving Problems & Saving Lives

If we take Addis Ababa for an example. The conversion rate of  local currency (Birr) to US is about 10 to 1.  And 1 USD can go a long way in Ethiopia. If this type of business enterprise or employment can achieve an increase in $1 a day –  that means that they are now achieving $2 a day to live on as opposed to $1 a day. A $1 increase achieves more than you can imagine. It achieves self respect, a sense of earning the right, self esteem, contribution, new skills, new sense of well being and of course both emotional and economic self reliance, more investment into the local econonmy and things lift.  This new way of being for the employee for instance is transmitted to their extended family. The ripple of influence expands, quality of life is increased and lives are saved – literally saved. 

Social Entrepreneurship or Social Enterprise Thinking + Micro-Franchising + Micro-Finance = Intercept Poverty

First step is it take enterprising, problem solving people to get their minds around this. Then it takes a heart and care factor for fellow human beings. Then it takes the committment to self reliance where providing ideas, resource and business savvy are shared and taught. Concepts need to be proved and financed, but that’s where micro-finance, micro-lending and private enterprise lending come in. These hybrid forms of lending on a small scale can add up to make the difference and launch these enterprises. Then it takes mentorship or coaching and support of the budding developing nation entrepreneurs. All doable, with committment and will.

What one person can do

The main aim with this article is to share these ideas. Our Intercept brand is a franchised leadership and enterprise solutions business working in the developed world context. However we have started working from the underdeveloped context side too and are building a bridge.

If you like the sound of this, and have any ideas or stories of where this is happening already, we’d love to hear from you. I’m twittering now at www.twitter.com/intercept

We are a small organisation with a big vision. A vision of building a human chain of problems solving people. Some of this will be organic, where people will just pick up the ideas and run with them themselves. Others will join Intercept and connect with Intercept and Intercept Poverty programs and do something from either side of the challenge.

Regardless, one person can do much just by taking a leadership role and doing something with this idea. This idea that Franchising will Intercept Poverty.