If you run you Enigin energy saving business you know you need to motivate your staff and your clients and their staff, the latter to act in a sustainable way to change their behaviour to become more energy efficient.

Motivating people is a skill and some seem to have it in bucket loads - one such person is the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. He has another best seller on the book shelves along with the accompanying television series on 30 minute meals - complete meals, often main course and dessert all compiled and cooked within 30 minutes.

Now I know he can motivate as I have bought the book and have now completed two of the meals - me who previously could burn toast and heat a pop tart.

I have made what Oliver calls his “pimped” Spaghetti Puttanesca and a rather special macaroni cheese, both with fancy desserts.

For me to achieve this feat show Jamie’s Motivational power.

Why don’t you check out this cooking lark - it’s good to create something and then eat it!

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Why not be a hero and save energy today, in your lifetime, for your family and children in their lifetime. We all need to make the effort and changes necessary to put this into action.

Why not start by replacing your light bulbs for energy efficient ones. The amount of energy this can save will also save you money. Replace any older, less energy efficient appliances. Most new appliances now come automatically energy efficient and labelled with the energy star system or another local energy rating.

By making changes today we can all make a huge change for the future. A lot of people feel that it simply won’t make a difference unless everybody does it. Why put the blame and pressure on everybody else?

Take personal action and responsibility for your own energy efficiency. There are so many opportunities out there for individuals, families, homeowners and business owners to make changes, save energy, money and time, so many people can benefit.

Just start with your business, contact your local Enigin distributor to find out how you can make the changes needed to save energy in your company by using the technology and programmes from Enigin plc.

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We understand at Enigin that this is a skill that always needs developing and hence I would like to share the main points with Enigin Distributors and Enigin employees.

In the last post we looked at how not to negotiate, here are several recommendations to increase the potential of success:

1. Start with common ground — The best negotiators I have seen begin the discussion with common ground — items both parties can agree upon and from which a shared vision can be built. By declaring the common ground, you create a safe place to return to when things become heated.

2. Empower real negotiators — Of course, final sign-off for negotiated agreements requires approval of a higher body such as the board of directors, congress, the business owner and so on. However, if you want progress in the process then your negotiators and theirs must be able to maneuver in good faith with dialogue that carries support. Don’t send empty suits — your counterparts will do the same and both sides will waste a lot of time.

3. Take the time to define “winning” for both sides — Defining the conditions of success at the outset should not be confused with negotiating. Negotiations are about getting to the outcomes that have been agreed upon in spirit at the beginning of the conversation. If you don’t have enough trust to mutually declare and agree upon what a successful outcome is, there is little chance of achieving a negotiated agreement.

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We understand at Enigin that this is a skill that always needs developing and hence I would like to share the main points with Enigin Distributors and Enigin employees.

Here are three sure-fire conditions to create failure in a negotiation process:
1. Both sides have the same non-negotiables — It is hard to imagine a successful outcome to negotiation when both parties have established opposite positions on the same “non-negotiable” items. It means that no one is negotiating in good faith, but rather for some other purpose…say, political theater, perhaps?

2. Send surrogates, not decision-makers – Negotiation and “carrier-pigeoning” other people’s messages are two very different activities. If you want to negotiate in good faith, you have to send people with enough authority to frame an agreement, make concessions and accept the general tenets of offers. When everyone at the table is ceremonial, it’s Kabuki.

3. Don’t define what winning looks like – Most good journeys start with a mutually understood destination that everyone agrees to. If only one party knows the destination and forces the other along against its will, it’s called kidnapping. Defining what winning means is also not the same thing as defining what losing means. This committee was brought together with a clear understanding of what failure would mean, but not the same clarity of what winning would require.

Negotiation is not only for national and international policy. Private corporations and sales people negotiate all the time. This frequency does not always mean that they avoid the traps listed above. Frankly, the reasons the traps were there is that they are typical and easy to fall into.

The next post will deal with recommendations to increase the potential of success.

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I love sitting by a log fire in a pub, with a lovely hot chocolate. Another wonderful thing for this time of year! A warming hot chocolate with all the trimmings, cream, marshmallows and sprinkled chocolate. And it doesn’t even take much work to do at home! Why not try a REAL hot chocolate.

All you need is:

1 mug of full fat milk
2-3 pieces of dark chocolate (eg lindt 75% coca one)
1 piece of white chocolate
pinch of fresh ground cardamom
sugar if desired

Gently heat milk in a small pot, when it is starting to get hot (I test with my finger…) add the chocolate and cardamom and stir with a whisk until melted. DONT cook.
You can add either sugar or more white chocolate for sweetness. And of course marshmalows and sprinkled chocolate on top!

Now I am craving a fire and hot chocolate so I am off to make mine! Enjoy yours and get cosy.

At Enigin our offices are modern and do not have that “old world” char, particularly in winter time. This is a good thing as all our staff would look to save energy by dimming the lights and curling up up for a nap!

At Enigin we do everything we can to save energy, but that means we need plenty of personal energy to achieve that, hence we save that warm, relaxing feeling for home.

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This is the time of year when we should be planning for those cold winter weeks by making the most of the abundance of food that needs to be collected  and stored for the onslaught.  Blackberries, Sloe’s, other fruit  and vegetables that may still be on the tree’s or in the ground that if left will ruin.  Get it picked and either frozen for later use or pickled.  Nows the time to get the sloe gin on for Christmas.  A good tip is to freeze the sloe’s before use as this releases the pectin and makes for better gin…Hicc!!!!

Apple and Blackberry Crumble - A Great Autumn Dessert

Ingredients:

Filling:
3 large apples
30g /1 ¼oz butter
150g / 5oz caster sugar
pinch of cinnamon and Nutmeg (optional)
80g / 3oz blackberries

Topping:
50g / 2oz butter, diced
110g / 4oz plain (all purpose) flour
55g / 2oz caster sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F

Peel, core and cut the apples into slices.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the apples and cook gently for a few minutes, then sprinkle in the sugar and cinnamon. Continue cooking, stirring, until the apples are just cooked.

Add the blackberries to the saucepan and stir, very gently, to combine. Spoon the fruit mixture into a shallow ovenproof dish.

To make the topping, lightly rub the butter with your fingertips into the flour and sugar until crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the fruit.

Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Delicious!

Serve with Clotted cream ice cream, hot custard or plain double cream.

ENJOY!

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At Enigin we try to train managers and Enigin Distributors and their managers through offering sound advice - so here is some good points to consider in your management.

This list is different, as it doesn’t deal with the newest most modern ideas but goes back in time to the best characteristics of some good managers.

Some were managers at big companies, some were small, but all these businesses were successful in their respective markets, primarily because of the attributes of these managers.

These are anecdotes from people who worked with them - and each anecdote teaches critical lessons.

10 Things Great Managers Do

1. Maintain your cool and sense of humour, especially during a crisis. “When our biggest customer - and I mean big - thought I leaked a front-page story to the press, I offered to resign to save the relationship. My boss, a great CEO, gave me a serious look, like he was thinking about it, and said, “You’re not getting off that easy.” Then he broke into a big smile.”
2. Tell subordinates when they’re shooting themselves in the foot. “Sometimes I can be pretty intimidating and I’ve had CEOs who shied away from giving it to me straight when my emotions got the better of me. Not this one guy. We’d be in a heated meeting and he’d quietly take me aside and read me the riot act. He was so genuine about it that it always opened my eyes and helped me to achieve perspective.”
3. Be the boss, but behave like a peer. “I’ve worked with loads of CEOs who let their egos get the better of them. They act like they’re better than everyone else, are distant and emotionally detached, or flaunt their knowledge and power. That kind of behavior diminishes leaders, makes them seem small, and keeps them from really connecting with people. They’re not always the most successful, but the most admired CEOs I know are genuinely humble.”
4. Let your guard down and really be yourself outside of work. “You know, teambuilding is so overrated. All you really need to do outside of work to build a cohesive team is break some bread, have some drinks, relax, let your guard down, and be a regular human being. When you get to be really confident, you can be that way all the time. That’s the mark of a great leader.”
5. Stand behind and make big bets on people you believe in. “One CEO would constantly challenge you and your thinking to the point of being abusive. But once he trusted and believed in you, he put his full weight behind you 100 percent to help you succeed. He’d stand up for you even when he wasn’t sure what the heck you were up to. And he’d give you new functional responsibilities - something up-and-coming execs need to grow. Okay, he wasn’t perfect, but who is?”
6. Complement your subordinate’s weaknesses. “I often say it’s every employee’s job to complement her boss’s weaknesses. The only reason that’s even doable is because we’ve all only got one boss. But I actually had a CEO who did that with each and every one of his staff. For example, I’m more of a big picture strategy guy and he would really hold my feet to the fire by tracking my commitments. It felt like micromanaging at first, but I eventually realized it helped me to be a more effective and strengthened the entire management team.”
7. Compliment your employee’s strengths.  “It takes a strong, confident leader to go out on a limb and tell an employee what they’re great at. Why? I don’t know, but I suspect it’s hard for alpha males that primarily inhabit executive offices. Anyway, it’s important because we can’t always see ourselves objectively. Twenty years ago a CEO identified how effectively I cut through a boatload of BS to reach unique solutions to tough problems. Today, that’s what I do for a living.”
8. Teach the toughest, most painful lessons you’ve ever learned. “As a young manager at Texas Instruments, I once asked my boss’s boss for advice about a promotion I didn’t get. He told me a candid story about the hardest lesson he’d ever learned, the reason he was stuck in his job. He made himself indispensable and didn’t groom his replacement. It was painful for him to share, but it opened my eyes and made a huge difference in my career.”
9. Do the right thing. “Just about everyone says it, but I’ve only known one CEO who both preached and practiced it to the point where it became a big part of the company culture. You’d walk the halls and hear people say it all the time. He meant two things by it. When he said it to you, it meant he trusted you to do just that. He also meant it regardless of status quo or consequences. He had extraordinary faith in that phrase. Now I do too.”
10. Do what has to be done, no matter what. “It’s a rare executive who jumps on a plane at a moment’s notice to close a deal or gives an impromptu presentation when a potential investor shows up unexpectedly. It’s even more rare when he does it without asking questions or hemming and hawing about it. He just does what has to be done. That kind of drive and focus on the business is relatively common with entrepreneurs in high-tech startups. And it’s the mark of a great manager who will find success, that’s for sure.”

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Is there an advantage to entering an industry where you have no proven track record or expertise?
Considering it, there are three main pluses:

1. No Political Debts to Pay

Being an outsider clearly confers advantages. You have no affiliations. You aren’t beholden to particular people, causes, factions. All organisations, commercial or otherwise, have politics and it is critical for leaders to stay above them. So coming in without political debts is liberating.

2. Easier to Be Objective

The upside of ignorance is objectivity. For a short period, you will be able to take a clear-eyed view of everything your told and weigh the merits of different arguments.

One of the toughest problems new business leaders face is knowing what’s going on inside their industry. Even this can be an advantage as you get a unique opportunity to get a pretty good snap shot of the whole business.

Objectivity is great but it isn’t everything and it certainly won’t be enough.

3. A Fresh Perspective on Old Problems

As an outsider, you carry a different perspective on how an industry or business appears to the world outside.

That gives you a connection with your potential business clients.

Just beware that very quickly all of these outsider advantages will be gone. You will have formed your own views, you will have lost the outsider perspective and then the real work will start. That’s when you discover if you can be a great manager.

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This happens to all businesses, canceled appointments and blank spaces in your calendar.

If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands, the best way to spend it is to prepare yourself for future success.

Here are six action items that will not only set you up for the future, but help you close more business, short-term:

• Make a business development plan. Create a 30-Day business development plan to outline what you need to do in the short term to achieve your revenue goal. Review your entire pipeline.  Winnow out some bad leads and take some action on the good ones.
• Hone your questioning skills. Define questions that will help you understand your customer’s current state and desired state and which will influence your customer to buy.  Ongoing effort is important to keep your questions from sound rote.
• Practice closing and negotiating. Find a buddy and role-play skills to will help you reduce price erosion and increase profitability by giving away less at the negotiation table.  There is probably no skill that’s more important and more neglected.
• Develop your business acumen. Learn to think and talk like an executive by expanding your knowledge of how companies measure financial success and make investment decisions. You don’t need an MBA to think like one!

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Here is a post from bnet.com, which I think all Enigin Distributors should read and consider for the health and success of their businesses.

Bnet.com note: The following is a guest post written by Andy Kessler, author of (most recently) “Eat People and Other Unapologetic Rules for Game-Changing Entrepreneurs” (Portfolio 2011).

Want to know if your company will be around in a few years? Figure out if you are a Maker or Taker. A Creator or a Server. This is the new lens in which to view the survival of businesses. What do I mean? Let’s go back to basics.

An economy is about increasing the living standards of its inhabitants. An economy grows two ways. The first is based on population growth. More mouths to feed and shelter and watch ESPN Sportscenter and all that. But if all we are doing is each other’s laundry, there may be growth, but no wealth being created.

For wealth you need the second, and more important driver of economic growth —  productivity. In fact, individual wealth and societal wealth only come from productivity, doing more with less. The definition of productivity is output per worker hour. More workers actually means lower productivity. Getting higher output with fewer workers? Now we’re talking. Eat people and you’ve found the road to riches. But how exactly do you do that? Often, it is by wasting something that’s abundant.

The modern world is filled with examples. Google wastes hard drives and network connections, and eats librarians; ATMs waste transistors and eat tellers; 800 numbers wasted digital switches and ate operators; Travelocity wastes bandwidth and eats travel agents.

It’s not just the digital revolution — this is something that has been going on for a long time, driving progress in fits and starts. Here are some cool examples:

• In 1903, Charles Curtis perfected the steam turbine generator and brought cheap electricity to the masses. Wasting that cheap electricity, in 1907, James Spangler, a janitor with asthma, invented an electric suction-sweeper, today’s vacuum cleaner. Think of how many sweepers lost their jobs, though vacuum manufacturers were hiring.
• In 1913, William David Coolidge’s thermionic X-ray tube changed medicine. That same year, the Walker brothers in Philadelphia invented the first electric dishwasher. We all eventually could afford electric kitchen help.
• In 1916, Clarence Birdseye perfected the flash-freezing process.
• In 1928, Thomas Midgley, Albert Henne, and Robert McNary synthesized the first chlorofluorocarbons (trademarked as Freon in 1930), ushering in safe refrigerators and air conditioning (other coolants eventually replaced Freon). The Iceman no longer cometh!
• Percy L. Spencer in 1945 watched a magnetron melt candy, leading to the invention of microwave ovens. Cheap cooks!

You get the point. More with less.

Wealth goes to the Creator, or the company that exploits the creator of these new fangled, labor-saving devices. But it’s not a zero-sum world. Wealth also goes to society, to all of us who can now do more with less, even if that’s just the enjoyment of microwaved potato puffs. It’s always more. The middle class doesn’t have a house filled with butlers and cooks and sweepers and clothes washers; we have the electronic equivalent of all of these for less than the cost to employ a full-time worker for a week, or even a day.

The same thing is going on today: Creators of productivity tools are turning the world of Servers upside down. Secretaries are being replaced by tech tools that handle email, voicemail, scheduling, etc. Salesmen are being replaced by search engine optimization tools, marketers by Twitter and Facebook campaigns. And yes, finally, lawyers are being replaced by eDiscovery tools that cheaply sift through millions of documents looking for keywords and concepts, displacing paralegals and lawyers who charge way too much per hour. Even doctors won’t escape Creators’ tools for computer-aided diagnostics and imaging tools that will look inside us with even greater clarity than Coolidge’s X-Ray tube.

So what do you do? What does your company do?

Ask yourself, are you a Creator or a Server? It makes a difference. But even if you are a Server, it’s not over. But be warned that your hiring decisions and criteria need to change. Look for ways to automate the services you provide.

Once you’ve figured out how to do more with less, don’t just keep it to yourself. Maybe you have 10% of your market and these new tools will help you get 20%. But why not reinvent yourself and your company by packaging and selling the productivity tools to everyone in your industry, shooting for 100% market share of what is most likely a higher margin and higher profit product than your old service.

You constantly have to listen to technology and see where it goes. We’re not all Apple or Facebook inventing entirely new segments and creating billions in market value. But by figuring out where technology is going, what will be cheap next, what will be wasted, you can harness technology to transform whatever business you are in and become a wealth-generating Creator rather than a transformed Server.

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