Despite the best will of mice and men – I had to let something go at the end of last year, and indulging myself by writing this blog was the thing that had to give. I kept up with the business blog at www.portfoliodirectors.com and a really 1busy time for some of our clients – but, I hear you say, that’s situation normal. So what did cause the overload?? Well, I hinted at it in my last blog entry (omg, was it really as long ago as September) – the thing that was so nearly, really happening that I didn’t dare mention it.  I was feeling very superstitious about it all, as it was something that we, as a family, have wanted to do for a long time. So here goes with your update…

I have to confess to being a serial house market watcher – we moved down to Somerset 14 years ago now and as I have a would-be landsman for a husband, we started small-holding in a small way a few years ago – inspired by the BBC2 series “It’s not Easy Being Green” .  The yearning has long been there for somewhere with a bit more land – hence the house market watching.  We had been pipped at the post on a few properties and early last year made the decision to sit tight and stay where we are for a few years.  Then serendipity intervened and as usually happens when you stop looking, we came across the place of our dreams!  We viewed it in late June, it went to sealed bids in July and much to my (screaming!!) amazement, we got it.  I then spent the whole of the Summer working on finance and property related things – I’m sure many of you have been through the “heart in mouth” house-buying process.  We finally completed in late October, and then the work really started – lots of cleaning and re-decorating ensued…

So, all that activity consumed an inordinate amount of time, I am so in awe of the people who manage to blog through everything – I think my head would have gone bang!!  But now, the mists are starting to clear a bit, and as a family we sat down and agreed the things we were going to try and do better this year – our list of “Betters”, some of which are based around health and eating, and some around functioning better as a family.  For me, I wanted to try and capture things as they change and develop – and to share our experiences with others and learn from them as well, so time to get back to my (much enjoyed) blog writing.

I’m going to try and improve my blog writing at the same time – so bear with me while I work out the improvements and please feel free to offer advice and tips, I’d love to hear them.  I’ve been reading around various resources and have really enjoyed the advice from http://michaelhyatt.com/category/social-media and http://www.copyblogger.com – both are great resources.

I look forward to sharing more with you over the next few months

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I work as a non-executive Director for several businesses and I feel very privileged to be part of their development.  I am generally recruited to the Board to help with growth and/or change management, usually in Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs).  I am passionate about the contribution that small businesses make to the economy, whether it be home-office start-up or larger companies with many employees - I love the energy and vibrancy that you can feel in entrepreneurial businesses.

However, there are various stages in company development that can sometimes prove difficult to get past, such as;

• Delegating your precious business to employees when you first start out.
• Making yourself concentrate on your vision (instead of all the ideas that keep popping up).
• Getting funding from the bank for growth.
• Realising that your company needs some processes and procedures rather than relying on verbal communication.
• Creating a Senior Management or Board structure.

Many entrepreneurs also struggle to recognise when their business moves into the phase where they are no longer the right people to run things any more - growing a business is like a relay race, different runners will perform better on different stages.  All of the above are ideal areas where a good non-exec can add value.  There’s a common misconception that non-executive Directors are only really good for bigger businesses, when actually they can provide the objective outside viewpoint and support that’s needed to move smaller businesses forward.  Oh, and while I’m on misconceptions, I’m rubbish at golf and I don’t turn up at Board meetings just to eat the sandwices (biscuits are a different matter!!)  Appointing a non-exec is a way of getting affordable chunks of time with someone who has experience that can be added to your own – and hopefully together you come up with a solution to get past the sticky patches in your growth curve.

So why the Masterclass??  Well, I think that the best way to understand what a non-executive does and can do, is to let people talk to some real live specimens, and more importantly to peer companies who have already taken the plunge and appointed someone.  A good non-exec can bring contacts, valuable experience and more importantly – a sounding board when you need to talk things through with someone who has been there and got the video.  However, make sure that you select the right person for the right reasons – check out their background, the fit with your existing Board and their ability to impart information and advice – an impressive career does not automatically mean that someone will make a good non-exec.

I’m running a Masterclass in conjunction with the Somerset IOD on 16th March at Dillington House and the idea is that you can get the opportunity to talk to companies who already have non-execs in place – details attached in case you’re interested.  Also please comment on this article - I’d really love to hear your experiences of non-execs  – good or bad!

Non-Exec Masterclass - download the details HERE (.pdf)

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I love my job and what I do and as a result I spend lots of my life seeing and hearing things and then being unable to stop myself relating them to being a good leader and what makes organisations work.  I guess if I was a musician I’d always have songs in my head!

A few days ago we were doing a long journey in the car and we put story CDs on in the car for our young sons to listen to - and so, for the first time in ages, I heard Aesop’s Fables.  Initially I wasn’t really tuned in and then I heard this one and BANG my mind was back in work mode again:-

The Belly and the Members Fable
An Aesop’s Fable

One fine day it occurred to the Members of the Body that they were doing all the work and the Belly was having all the food. So they held a meeting, and after a long discussion, decided to strike work till the Belly consented to take its proper share of the work. So for a day or two, the Hands refused to take the food, the Mouth refused to receive it, and the Teeth had no work to do. But after a day or two the Members began to find that they themselves were not in a very active condition: the Hands could hardly move, and the Mouth was all parched and dry, while the Legs were unable to support the rest. So thus they found that even the Belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary work for the Body, and that all must work together or the Body will go to pieces.

As I listened, it occurred to me that we so often feel that we are the ones who are doing all the work, whether it be at work or at home – and we forget that there are other people in the team who are doing their bit too, but in a quiet, often overlooked way.  I regularly facilitate in situations where someone is convinced that the other departments or individuals aren’t pulling their weight – and I get them to understand and/or work in each other’s departments and also encourage them to make sure their own house is in order before they start casting around to give criticism.  These approaches get good results, but I think I’m going to add this fable into my toolkit as it underlines the point very succinctly and is a great model for good organisational design.  I probably need to pin it on the fridge at home too!!

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Emma Jones with the Girls at Portfolio Directors (Helen, Me, Emma Jones, Amanda, Claire, Gemma and Harvey Dog)

Oooh, great flurry of excitement in the office yesterday!  We were honoured to be included on the Enterprise Nation Home Business Road Trip of the South West.

Working from my converted garage plus flexible working options for the rest of the team has enabled us to do what we love on a professional level and still be there for our children and the things we’re passionate about  (oh, and Harvey the Office dog!)

Emma Jones and her film crew should come down more often – can’t tell you how much  we’ve benefited from the mass tidy up.  Not that it was that messy to begin with of course,  but it takes the thought of a film crew arriving to make you go that extra mile with a duster!

Even Harvey the Office Dog’s bed got a dust-down.  In fact, he managed to get in every shot (wonder if he was a K9 filmstar in a previous life?).

We proudly showed off our ‘Portfolio Lives’ and evidenced that we can and do manage to mix working at home with presenting a professional image and helping other businesses grow.

Even our  remote teleworker, Sarah, managed to get involved in the action via Messenger Video and had a ‘virtual’ cuppa with us.

Thanks for the visit Emma, there’ll always be a fresh pot of tea and a home-made cake waiting for you here if you pass this way again…

Emma Warren, Managing Director, Portfolio Directors Ltd

www.portfoliodirectors.com

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