YouTube reaches 550
A big thank you.
Today, our YouTube channel reached 550 subscribers. Although we haven’t posted a new video for a while, it’s reassuring to know that people value the channel. So thank you for being part of the journey.
Inspire, be inspired.
No bullsh*t strategy
What does your strategy look like?
This week’s essential read was No Bullshit Strategy by Alex H M Smith. I met Alex last month and immediately warmed to his frank assessment of business.
It’s a short read and gets to the point quickly (as you’d expect from such a title).
My biggest takeaways:
Ditch the slide deck. Write your strategy on one piece of paper. In simple language.
Writing in prose will allow people to internalise the strategy and repeat it in their own words. Everyone should understand your strategy—without further explanation.
Only strategies which your competitors might choose not to do are legitimate. Strategies which everyone would agree with, and which everyone would be keen to pursue, are illegitimate.
Great strategies produce companies which have no direct competition at all.
I’m now rewriting our own strategy—as a minimum viable strategy.
Film on Friday
Back to our YouTube Studio today to film new training videos. Our leadership course has moved on since last year. And so it’s time to update and refresh the opening tutorials.
Nothing too drastic. Just a few tweaks and minor adjustments. Always improving. :-)
An early scholar bee
Cheaper than Royal Mail, it was an early train to Manchester this morning.
The aim was to hand deliver copies of our Leadership Playbook and EGSP Wooden Block®, then be back home by mid-morning. It worked a treat. (Gotta get them steps in!)
Loved the early start. And seeing those Spanish tourists nurse a hangover. ;-)
The essence of ‘Leadership’
What’s at the heart of culture change?
From the outset, we’ve been helping leaders and their teams focus on three areas:
World class basics.
Do the right thing.
Give a damn.
As a leader, if you can stay true to these principles you won’t got too far wrong.
Blue sky thinking
Where do you go to clear your head?
For me, I head to the West Pennine Moors. And with my running shoes on, I can reach this trig point in less than 30 minutes.
This photo was taken last night. It’s looking west at Winter Hill.
From these vantage points, you can see Snowdonia, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District. That’s four of the finest national parks in the UK.
(You also get a stunning view of Manchester).
And so this is my playground. It’s where I go to clear my head. And get a good workout.
What about you? Where’s your special place?
A gift to your team
What if everyone could sing from the same page. Literally.
How much more effective would you be? How much more effective would your team be? What about your organisation?
Well, that’s exactly what the Playbook can do for you.
Once you get everyone reading to page 46 (the start of Chapter 2), things start to happen.
The penny drops.
‘Performance’ gets understood.
‘Ambiguity’ gets talked about.
Satisfactory is no longer ‘good enough’.
Yes. A paradigm shift occurs.
Why not gift your team the gift that keeps on giving!
Posting to Portugal
Ding-ding.
Another international sale—this time Portugal!
One of our values at Twelve Scholars is to cross-pollinate ideas.
And so it’s great to see our work starting to travel—and help others make an impact.
Muito obrigado pelo pedido.
Aproveite a leitura!
EGSP photo shoot
What do you notice about these four wooden blocks?
Yes, they represent the letters E, G, S and P (also PEGS spelt another way!)
And yes, there’s a horizontal line etched into the S and P.
But if you look closely, you’ll realise it’s the same wooden block. And just like the grain that runs through this piece of maple, EGSP® runs through the heart of everything we do.
If you’re new to Twelve Scholars, then EGSP® is a highly dynamic and versatile approach to continuous improvement.
Introducing ‘5S’
What does 5S mean to you?
In world class manufacturing, ‘5S’ is an abbreviation for five words that begin with the letter ‘S’.
It represents a method of workplace organisation that originated in Japan. It helps to create and maintain an organised, clean, safe and high-performance workplace.
Here’s the five S’s (seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke, translated into English):
Sort—clearly identify items needed and eliminate the rest.
Straighten—keep needed items in the correct place to allow for easy and immediate retrieval.
Shine—keep the area swept and clean.
Standardisation—create rules to sustain the first 3 S’s
Sustain (aka self-discipline)—make a habit of maintaining established procedures.
5S can be used whenever a workplace is messy, unorganised. (Think Marie Kondo in factories and offices). It can be used when people have to spend time tracking down tools, information to complete a task.
At Twelve Scholars, we use EGSP with 5S to set standards and create a culture committed to Excellence.
The Steven Pressfield Collection
What’s your favourite book by Steven Pressfield?
It took him years to publish his first book. But now Steven Pressfield is seen as an authority on writing books. And how to overcome those inner creative battles.
I’ve found his work really useful over the years. He talks about the Resistance, the Muses and Turning Pro. We even reference his work in the Leadership Playbook.
I shall record a book review soon. But for now, what’s your favourite Steven Pressfield? And why?
Ambiguity amnesty
When was the last time you called out ambiguity?
I’m not talking about being misled or even missold—they should be obvious. You should have the gumption to call them out—immediately.
What I am talking about is the grey area—the stuff that often gets overlooked.
Areas of uncertainly. Unclear decisions. Badly worded feedback. You know, the things that cause you difficultly, but you don’t know why—or don’t realise it at the time.
A failure to flag ambiguity will always hold you back. It creates a culture of mediocrity. A spiral of decline that inevitably leads to poor.
As leaders, we must lead by example. Set expectations and the standard for others to follow. And so we need to encourage our team to speak up. Talk to us when decisions aren’t clear. Flag ambiguity.
The last thing we want is for people to be working on the wrong things. (It’s the last thing they’ll want too!)
Remember, you get what you’re prepared to accept.
A big box of wow!
“Well just opened the box and you’ve already got a wow!”
It was always going to be a special ‘shoebox’ of a delivery. Another very satisfied customer. Thank you.
AAA+ positive rating
Have you ever gifted a book to a colleague?
One of our customers bought 10 additional copies of our Leadership Playbook. And then gifted them to his leadership team. Within a week we received the following feedback.
“Bob. You have made something special. Everyone has said that we need EGSP in 'everything we do'. Response has been 100% AAA+ positive.”
All I can say is thank you. Can’t wait to follow your journey. Inspire, be inspired!
Autism Pleasantville
One of my favourite podcasts is 99% Invisible. It's all about the things we don't think about. And the latest episode is all about Autism.
Hosted by the excellent Roman Mars, it's a fascinating discussion. They talk about setting standards in cities and workplaces. They paint a picture of an ideal future—they call it 'Autism Pleasantville'.
I've always believed that everyone benefits from an autism-friendly workplace and environment. It leads to higher productivity, reduced stress and simply a nicer place to work. It will also attract and retain top talent!
A few practical top tips to consider:
✓ Include access to a quiet space
✓ Reduce sensory overload
✓ Reduce clutter on walls—and desks
✓ Maximise natural light
✓ Avoid strobe lights or lights that flicker
What would you add to this list?
A personal touch in packaging
Ding-Ding.
Destination Derby.
Another order shipped today—for our leadership playbook and compass. Yes, it's early days. And so I still get excited when an alert pops up!
The playbook is your essential guide to modern leadership. Everything you need to know. Everything you need to do.
The leadership compass (wooden block) is a coaching and communication tool. It'll guide you and your team. No matter the situation.
Combined they are a powerful force.
Introducing the EGSP® Leadership Compass
This little wooden block is central to becoming a highly effective leader. It’s been designed to illustrate key learning points, improve decision making and demonstrate step change improvement. It’ll help you set standards, raise performance—and—make Excellence the mission.
(Did I mention the superior communication skills that will result?)
An excellent round of switching off
It was 25 years since we last played together. But yesterday, it felt just like old times.
5 hours of fresh air. Stunning scenery. And plenty of competitive talk.
It was the perfect way to spend the Easter Bank Holiday. An opportunity to switch off and catch up with old friends. An opportunity to test our golf skills—even after all those years.
It wasn’t all perfect. In fact, many shots were poor. But there were moments of brilliance that made it all worthwhile.
And after two extra holes of ‘sudden death’ playoff. We decided to end the round ‘all square’. This was a fair result.
A big thanks to Matt, John and Ed for the game.
Inspire, be inspired.
Library Walk
What have you noticed recently?
I’ve always enjoyed Library Walk.
Full of inspiration.
And once you’ve seen the bees.
You can’t ignore them.