Good old fashioned feedback is a great way to find out vital information that can help your business grow. When you ask your customers honest questions which don’t lead them to only positive answers you can really gain some gems of information that can revolutionize your business. Sadly many companies today are afraid of that kind of feedback which puts the customer in the drivers seat.
We are not often sure of what we will get back from our customers and so as we are often afraid of the unknown, we stay not knowing. I’ve worked with a number of companies to whom I have suggested that a survey was a good way to go. They had kicked and screamed about surveying their clients with excuses including lack of funds, lack of time, lack of man power to decipher the findings and many more. Often the real reason fro their reluctance is that old chestnut… fear. Fear that clients may not say what they want to hear, fear of criticism, fear that they may not be able to fix the problems that arise from the feedback they get. FEAR!!
Well as Susan Jeffers says “Feel the Fear and do it Anyway” There is so much to be gained from the honesty of our clients, we learn why we may be turning them off our products and services and how to turn them back on again. We get great ideas on how to improve our business and offerings, we find out what we are doing well so that we can implement the same ethos in other areas of our business. We gain knowledge and data and in business, apart from cash flow, data is king! With great data you can better fill your clients needs and keep on filling them so that you have consistent business and loyal customers providing you with the essential cash flow you need for a successful business . Imagine writing to a client who filled in honestly worded survey and gave you a great idea for a product, service or delivering your business better, when they receive that letter just imagine how much more they will want to use your service/products over your competition and recommend you.
Surveying works and works well, when honestly created and the answer/responses are openly received and where necessary acted on. Try it… go on you know you really want to.
My favourite children’s book is called The Very Hungry Caterpillar, when I see it in book stores I always want to purchase it again even though I know I already have two copies already stashed away at home. What is it about this book that holds my attention and makes me smile every time I see it wanting to read it again and again? You know what it is? It is the layers of learning that come from such a simple book.
The story is of a caterpillar who over the course of 7 days eats more and more food and eventually becomes so fat that it cannot move. The caterpillar becomes a chrysalis and then turns into a beautiful butterfly.
For children, the learn the seven days of the week and counting and various foods and so much more, but I got to thinking about this story and how it relates to life’s journey. I turn 40 this year and I am excited abut what the other half of my life holds for me, I realise that I have been on the journey of the caterpillar for all of the first 40 years of my life and right now I am ready to fly.
So here is the learning for me and for other adults out there who may be wondering when their change is going to come.
It takes time to develop who you are, your beliefs, values and most importantly what your purpose is.
Your experiences feed you with knowledge, understanding, skills, resources and resilience. You gain maturity through experience.
We are never given more than we can handle. The Very Hungry Caterpillar eats more food each day increasing exponentially only by one item each day until just before it goes it’s its metamorphosis I have learned that just before your change comes one is expected to handle a larger obstacle than ever experienced before. However you have been gearing up to this so that you can handle it.
There is a time when we need to stop and take stock of where we are and make changes. Where we find out who we really are. This may feel like we are not moving forward even though we are ready for change. However, like a fine wine we are maturing waiting for the right time to burst and delight ourselves and others.
It is only when we have gone through this process that we can emerge as a beautiful butterfly embracing all that we have learnt and continue to learn and stepping wholly and fully into our purpose without. This is when we truly realise the value of everything that we have been through before.
Here’s the thing… in order to get to being a beautiful butterfly you’ve got to be hungry.
I’ve kept out of the Obama debate because it’s just silly. What can I say? Well all I can say is that “We’re still not equal!” I’m bored of the head lines. Barak Omaba is a man period!! Yes he is black… and so what? For all of the multiculturalism in this world, the racism still sticks out like garlic in a stew. Why don’t people just get it?
BLACK PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE TOO!! Oh for sure we have been through some hell.. treated less than animals, encaptures, enslaved, raped, torn apart and really, really affected by the slave mentality we were left with after 400 years of slavery. But we are still people. Intelligent, creative, versatile, fun, expressive and a whole lot more. We are human beings, not subhuman.
Barak Obama should be judged on his ability to get the job done. Not the colour of his skin. You don’t hear press reports or read articles saying that John McCain may loose his votes at the poles because he’s white… that’s right… because it would never cross anyones mind just because he is white. It makes him no more or no less deserving that Barak Obama because he’s black.
What a world we live in, where people pretend to be something they are really not. Racism lives and the people who know it are those who suffer it. Which is why it is so easy for those who don’t to say that it doesn’t exist. To quote an old American Indian phrase (and let’s face it they had a rough time too!).. “I will not judge a man until I have walked a mile in his moccasins.”
We were all created equal, we have the same bodies, organs, functionality, emotions. We are all unique and yet so alike, when will we accept each other without looking at the colour first? When will we all be viewed as equal
I’m bored!! Infact I’m tired, actually I’m bored and tired and furthermore frustrated, disappointed and deeply concerned. WHY??? I hear you ask… What has got Madeline McQueen going today. Well frankly it is the lack of education many of our young people seem to be receiving in schools and at home today.
David and I spend quite a bit of time in schools delivering motivational speaches, workshops on confidence building and presentation skills as well as coaching young people who seem to have lost their way. What we are finding on an almost daily basis is that the level of literacy within specially London’s schools is very, very poor. We tend to work with 14-19 year olds and often find that reading, writing and spelling is abismal.
I really do feel very sorry for the young people who have gone through the entire eduational system and who aged 14/15 are struggling to read basic instructions. What hope do they achieve at exam time or in the world of work? I fail to understand how this has not been picked up by their educators and worse still how parents are unable to prioritise spending time children to understand their educational needs. I know that today I am sounding exceptionally judgemental, but I feel exceptionally frustated!!
Reading is the key to learning, it helps with writing and vocabulary it enables students to understand concepts and read questions, especially since many mathematical questions in school these days tend to use scenario’s to present a question. I feel very, very saddened much vocabulary is lost on many of our youth today.
Whilst I applaud teachers for the job that they do, especially since governmental changes has broaden their remit too far beyond learning. Government has placed far too much responsibility on their shoulders with far too little discipline options, with funding relating to bums on seats exceptionally unruly children can take too long to be dealt with. There are some absolutely fabulous, passionate and amazing teachers who are changing lives and feeding our children outstanding knowlege on a daily basis who love the work that they do regardless of the pressures placed on them. However, I have come across too many teachers who are in the wrong profession, who are not at all passionate about teaching and far too willing to wield their power over those they are meant to educate and inspire.
How can we expect our young people to behave better and to do better if we have not given them some of the basic tools to success. I listen as many young people do not have the vocabulary to express themself effectively, where they answer a question are unable to present an arguement to support their answer. I listen as young people often have very little knowlegde of their forefathers, inventors, or change makers in world. They just don’t know!
Between the play station, Big Brother, the mobile phone and too much time on the streets their education is very limited and worse still the education that they are recieving is likely to reduce their chances of success and in the current climate their chances of a long and prosperous life. Why is it that our young people are on the streets until and after 2.00am in the morning aged away from 13/14 upwards? Where are their parents?No wonder they turn up at school completely out of it and unable to interact effectively or learn. Why are many of our 16 year olds living on their own attempting to survive on benefits with little or no education? Why are there so many young people who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)? Why does our education system allow young people to take exams which offer them a qualification that employers think useless? Who wants to spend years working towards a foundation GCSE which will only ever give them absolute top grade of a C (if they are lucky) the range being between a C-G grade? You can just here the thought pattern of many a youngster…”If the best I can do is get a C and to be honest I’m only predicted an E what’s the point of going to school?”
Sadly, some research shows that the best teachers in school are reserved for the higher A-C tier of GSCE classes and the less able banished to the lower tier. According to the Institute for Public Policy Research “Poor Secondary Teacher can mean the difference between a pass and a fail” At to this the false assumption that we hear regulary that many young people feel that their success will be based on the chance of being a celebrity thanks to reality TV. Then throw in the 24 hour entertainment culture that has grown rapidly in the last ten year, the bombardment of sex and instant gratification and parents who have no idea how to be parents. Alcholism, obesity/unhealth diet (Why is there either a fried chicken/kebab takeaway or McDonalds close to most schools)and drugs we have a receipe for failure on a collosal scale.
Where will it end? Parents, Teachers, Goverment and pupils all need to step up and do something about this.
I’m bored, tired, frustated, disappointed and downright concerned. Something has to change.
Too many young, talented, beautiful young people are loosing their lives over nothing. I’m not really into hip hop but this touched me deeply
Gun and knife crime is escalating out of control and the victims are so young. Our society has much to answer for with its lack of boundaries, lack of parenting, education system that skill focuses on academia, erosion of moral values and more. How many more need to die before we really take this seriously.
I’ve not really given much thought about Christmas presents this year. Not really got into the commercial hubbub. Yes the tree is up and the lights are over the Jack Vettriano picture in the dining room, but that’s about it. To be honest we’ve been too busy to think about it and lately too sick!!
But I am quite stumped at what to get everyone this Christmas. I want to give presents that will really make a impact and share some of the self development and learning that I have acquired especially over recent years, especially to my nieces and nephews. Delivering workshops in high schools has really shown me how much young people truly need to be given life skills before they leave school, teaching them how to develop their confidence, to understand how their words impact their actions and challenging them to uncover their goals and plan to achieve them is critical to their success. That’s what I want to give this Christmas.
So I am on the hunt for books or tapes that are right for 10 – 14 year olds which motivate and elevate them to success. Because life is just too short.
For the last three weeks I have been delivering workshops in schools to year 9 and 11 students. For those of you who don’t know that’s 13/14 and 15/16 year olds! It has been some experience as I’ve worked with them on our programme Unlimited Potential delivering Confidence Building and Goal Setting training. It’s amazing how already the lively positive attitudes that much younger children have has already started to be eradicated.
These young people are creative, fun, intelligent and so much more. As every it has really hit me how positive words, thoughts and actions can really impact young minds. Just by telling a young mind they are going to fail if they don’t buck up their ideas can send them in to complete meltdown where perspective and self empowerment are eradicated in one fell swoop.
I completely take my hat off to teachers who day in day out have to deal with these young inquisitive, feisty, challenging young minds who question everything and sometimes just can’t help but talk incessantly. Whilst challenging they are fun to be with, the potential that I see in the young people I work with never ceases to astound me. Yet our society seems to have forgotten how to motivate them without the over stimulation of TV, PSP’s, IPod’s, Mobile Phones, X Boxes, Ninetendo’s, Wii’s and they every annoying Celebrity this that and the other.
Today I spoke with a group I was working with about a time when TV came on only at certain time in the day and when you find you own stimulation and fun and truly explored the creativity of your young mind. Gosh I remember have outrageous fun with a double mattress that was squeezed on it side between the airing cupboard and the wardrobe in my bedroom, I can’t help but think of that and loose a breath from the many time I completely lost my ability to speak because I was crying with laughter.
… I digress!!
Young minds are impressionable, they need the most positive yet boundary full environment to explore who they are, who they want to be and what life has to offer them. They need positive words of encourage and the tools and strategies to empower and encourage themselves. They need to know that they “can” regardless of the challenges that face them. I know that what David and I do makes some difference. Can you?
At last!!! The television programme that David has been working on for most of this year is due to debut this morning on Channel 4 at 9.30am. This has been a life long dream for Dave and at the beginning of this year he clearly stated that one of his goals was to be on TV and here we are.
Proud is an understatement.. Well Done Dave you rock!!
My oldest daughter is about to hit puberty so I decided to have a look at what information is available for young people on the web. Well where else to look but the BBC website, it is informative, sensitive and often very well written, I use it all the time. But this time I was sorely disappointed, maybe I am getting too long in the tooth, but coming across BBC Slink made me shudder at the direction our society is taking and the general slack attitude that prevails.
So according the website this is what Slink is “Fun, Fashion, Facts of Life – Slink is an online magazine for young teenage girls, aged 13 to 16. The site aims to provide down-to-earth information and entertainment with everything from factfiles about depression and sexual health to games and quizzes.”
Now here is where my problems lie, apart from personal stories ranging from suicide to porn to sexual abuse their information on the menstrual cycle also includes;
Which days of your cycle to wear a mini skirt and flirt.
Which day you will be in the mood for sex (but remember girls it’s illegal if you are under 16 and use a condom!)
Which day you will be attracted to the bad boys
…. and so it goes on.
For me, what is the message this is sending to girls ages 13-16? No wonder we are the country in Europe with the highest teenage pregancy rates by far. The messages are so wishey washey. For example when talking about the effects of Acohol it says
“Alcohol makes you feel relaxed, cheerful and confident.”
Pardon me? Is it me or is there a word missing there? Alcohol MAY make you feel relaxed cheerful and confident! Some people drink and feel miserable!!! No matter what you follow up with after that this is one will stick!
I know that the views of this world are very different from when I was entering pubity but this does not instill any confidence in my sending my daughter to this website. I’ve worked with youth for a very long time and I know that you need to remain hip and happening, but what also youth need is a bench mark a standard that they can check themselves against to make sure that they are on the right track. They want you to be straight with them but at the same time they don’t want you to be appeasing so that you fit in with them.
Call me a prude hit and happening on this website for me has gone overboard. It seems to me that boundaries have been eroded and all hell’s breaking loose.
We are on the cupse of entering the last week of the summer holidays and where have they gone. I can never remember six weeks passing so fast. I feel like we are in week two or three but we are not!!! August is almost over and the 4th September, when the children return to school, is almost upon us. Where did it go?
There are so many things that I thought that we would have created or done or something over this time. Days spent at the outdoor pool, in the park and more, but it just didn’t really happen. We’ve done things and the children have been happy, but I’m just not sure what! We’ve not really had a summer as the weather has been terrible and whilst today is gorgeous it feel’s like it’s all come too late.
There has been no time to wish that the holidays would end, no time to wonder “What shall we do today?” It’s just gone like the wind (or maybe I should say with the wind!!)
So I suppose it’s time to start looking towards half term and maybe even Christmas!! Mercy!!
o. They had kicked and screamed about surveying their clients with excuses including lack of funds, lack of time, lack of man power to decipher the findings and many more. Often the real reason fro their reluctance is that old chestnut… fear. Fear that clients may not say what they want to hear, fear of criticism, fear that they may not be able to fix the problems that arise from the feedback they get. FEAR!!
My oldest daughter is about to hit puberty so I decided to have a look at what information is available for young people on the web. Well where else to look but the BBC website, it is informative, sensitive and often very well written, I use it all the time. But this time I was sorely disappointed, maybe I am getting too long in the tooth, but coming across BBC Slink made me shudder at the direction our society is taking and the general slack attitude that prevails.
So according the website this is what Slink is “Fun, Fashion, Facts of Life – Slink is an online magazine for young teenage girls, aged 13 to 16. The site aims to provide down-to-earth information and entertainment with everything from factfiles about depression and sexual health to games and quizzes.”