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| Try this!!! |
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Rotate your right foot in a clockwise direction and then whilst doing this draw a number 6 in the air with your right index finger. See what happens....... |
| Online Excellence Calculator |
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Do you want to see how your organisation might perform if assessed against the EFQM Excellence model?
There are many types of self assessment available to organisations wishing to use this widely used excellence framework.
By following this link you can experience just one method of assessing your organisation in a short 10 minute matrix based assessment. |
| Newsletter Archive |
| To view our previous newsletters in our archive please click the link above |
Three little questions
That could make a big difference in your business
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Do you know how your employees feel about their work, where they are succeeding and where they need help? Try getting them to answer these questions every day (or just every week), sending you the answers by email.
What did you do today/this week and what were the results?
What were the problems and challenges?
Do you have any questions for me?
This simple routine will help you to make comparisons in performance between one day (or week) and the next and to spot whether things are improving, erratic or deteriorating, enabling you to act quickly to alleviate any problems or frustrations. It will also make employees feel empowered and more in control of their own work. The absence of face-to-face contact also makes it easier for them to give open and honest feedback and for you to respond at your own convenience. It is very important to read the feedback carefully and provide a brief personal response - this should offer solutions and support rather than criticism, if you want them to keep the feedback coming. Try it and see it make a difference. with thanks to Andrew Lock of www.helpmybusiness.com
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Need to work on a document, picture or webpage, but your colleagues are in another location and you don't have time for emailing the thing back & forth? Log on to Twiddla and all of you can see and discuss it as you doodle on it, mark it up and change it - it's like having a conference call where everyone is working on the same notepad. This online collaboration tool is ridiculously easy to use, works with any browser and, best of all, is completely free.
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Greetings!
If you are fortunate enough to be going away for a relaxing break this summer, here is something to be thinking about whilst you are stretched out on that sun-lounger. There has been much debate in the media in the last few weeks, but finally the consensus appears to be that the green shoots of economic recovery are truly beginning to sprout. However, there is a danger that those who have been focusing purely on survival in the recent harsh financial environment, may be slow to take advantage of the recovery. Now is an excellent time to be examining the strengths and weaknesses in your organisation and ensuring you are in the best position to get the most out of any upturn in the economy. At ley hill solutions we offer a wide range of advice, support and business improvement tools to help people get optimum performance throughout their organisation.
But the important thing is to stop, take some time off from the fire-fighting and really think about what, in your organisation, will best fertilise the green shoots and what you need to do to protect them from the slugs. |
British Quality Foundation Lean Six Sigma Academy Awards
Closing date for applications: 31 August 2009
The BQF Lean Six Sigma Academy has announced the 2009 awards for Lean Six Sigma improvement projects, which present a great opportunity for organisations to win recognition for the great work that their Six Sigma and business excellence people are delivering to customers, shareholders and other key stakeholders.
Applicants need to submit a description of a project using no more than 1,500 words and 10 powerpoint slides and winners will be announced on 22 October 2009 at the UK Excellence Award Ceremony, in the presence HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of the BQF.
For further information contact The BQF Lean Six Sigma Academy by phone (020 7654 5000) or e-mail (academy@bqf.org.uk) or follow the link below to the BQF website and click on Recognition and Rewards
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Investors in People
As of May 2009 the Investors in People Standard has been significantly re-vamped. The Standard has been with us since 1991 helping organisations to improve their performance through their people. If you are familiar with the Standard you will know that it is based around
- 3 Core Principles - Plan, Do, and Review, underpinned by:
- 10 Indicators - Business Strategy, Learning & Development Strategy, People Management Strategy, Leadership & Management Strategy (all part of Planning); Management Effectiveness, Recognition & Reward, Involvement & Empowerment, Learning & Development (Doing); Performance Measurement, Continuous Improvement (Reviewing), supported by:
- 39 Evidence Requirements - short sentences describing the evidence required under each indicator, in terms of what is expected of all Top Managers, all Managers and all People in any organisation aspiring to IIP recognition
The new approach is now branded as The IIP Framework, with the aim of greater flexibility and tailoring to meet individual organisations' needs. The Framework consists of
- The 3 Core Principles, 10 Indicators, and 39 Evidence requirements, as before. These remain unchanged as the IIP Standard
- An additional 152 Evidence Requirements (spread across the 10 Indicators, between 9 and 24 each). These can be met, or not, selectively, according tot each organisation's business priorities
- This more focused and tailored approach is called "Your Choice"
To acquire IIP recognition you must still meet all 39 Standard Evidence Requirements, but if you can meet a total number of 65 Evidence Requirements (39+26) you will be recognized as IIP Bronze. Meet 115 (39+76) and you will get IIP Silver, whilst 165 (39+126) will earn IIP Gold. The maximum possible is 191 (39+152).
This customized Your Choice approach is delivered through 6 Business Priorities. These are
Managing Change, Increasing Efficiency, Maximising Profitability, Increasing Sales, Improving Productivity and Strategic Leadership
The journey towards Investors in People recognition begins with choosing the key priority or priorities for your business. This will lead you into the key areas on which you will need to focus, and from there on to the Evidence requirements and any actions needed to get you up to the appropriate evidence level. The areas to focus on cover the full breadth of quality management perspective, including Leadership, Culture, Communications and Performance Management
Would you like to find out more about Investors in People and these recent changes?
Then please visit our website at www.leyhill.com, where you can Ask The Expert any questions you may have, or go to the Investors in People website at www.investorsinpeople.co.uk, which also has a number of self assessment tools. |
Does practice really make perfect?
How are the world's most successful people different to the rest of us? Could we all be successful if we worked hard enough or do some of us just not have enough raw talent to be an Einstein, a Mozart, a Chris Hoy or a Bill Gates, no matter how many hours of work we put in?
In his book "Outliers - The Story of Success" (published by Allan Lane), Malcolm Gladwell reveals the remarkable fact that practice really does make perfect - 10,000 hours of practice to be exact. The book shows that what distinguishes the most gifted, talented and successful people from the rest, whatever their profession, is that they have all had the opportunity to practice in their field for about 10,000 hours.
Gladwell refers to a study conducted by psychologist K Anders Ericsson in the early 1990's, in association with Berlin's elite Academy of Music, where violinists were divided into three groups - 1) those thought never likely to be professional musicians, 2) the merely "good" and 3) the real stars. All students were individually questioned to discover how much practice they had done over the course of their lives since first learning to play the violin. All those in group 3 had totalled about 10,000 hours, those in group 2 about 8,000 and those in group 1 only about 4,000. Ericsson found the same pattern when he went on to study groups of pianists.
This idea that there is a critical minimum level of practice needed to develop excellence in any complex task comes up over and over again in research into the concept of what creates true expertise, with researchers agreeing on this level as 10,000 hours.
Looking at the careers of people like Mozart, chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer, The Beatles and "the Thomas Edison of the internet", Bill Joy, Gladwell shows that before many of the world's greats could produce work of real significance, they first had to get their 10,000 hours of practice in. Not surprisingly therefore, many of them started very young and applied themselves to their fields devotedly and tirelessly. Of course, getting the opportunity to do this is often a matter of being financially well off or of being in the right place at the right time, but it just goes to show we can all develop our expertise if we get the chance to practice what we learn and that giving ourselves and our people plenty of opportunity to do this will improve the levels of expertise in our organisation. We may not all become Einsteins, but we at least all have the potential to become excellent in our own field. |
ley hill solutions aims to be one of Europe's most innovative consultancy organisations specialising in the tools and methods to improve the way your business works and performs. We use internationally recognised standards and frameworks such as ISO9001 and the EFQM Excellence Model to develop solutions that are right for your business.
Please contact us at ley hill solutions if we can be of any assistance.
Sincerely,
Graham Hull
ley hill solutions limited | |
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The information provided in this newsletter and on our website is as correct and up to date as we can make it. no warranty, express or implied, is given regarding its accuracy. We do not accept any liability for errors or omissions. We shall not be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damage for loss of business or loss of profits) arising from the use of, or inability to use, this site or any information contained it it, or from any action or decision taken as a result of using this site, or any such information. |
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