The Law of Lettuce

Starfish, lemons and numerous other animals, vegetables and minerals have found their way into management laws and principles, in recent years.

So I thought it was about time that I came up with one of my own, the Law of Lettuce.
This idea came to me as I threw away yet another unopened bag of salad leaves, as I do most weeks, typically about 4 days after I've paid £2 for the bag of once crispy green leaves. Some weeks we get as many as 2 portions of salad from our 'washed and ready to eat' lettuce before it turns brown at the edges and is laid to rest in the compost heap, though all too often it's wilted long before we even get to it.
As I went back to the fridge I found that someone had kindly left us a whole iceberg lettuce which I was able to put to good use in that night's salad. And the next night's and the one after that and another several days later. The iceberg lettuce not only produced more portions than the bag, it lasted three times as long, yet it cost a fraction of the price of the bagged rocket we'd come to rely upon.
The Law of Lettuce was born. In business and life we waste vast amounts of money on superfluous goods and services, which we mistakenly believe are essential when less expensive and better options are ignored, simply because they feel a bit old fashioned or drab.

As I consider where the lettuce is in my business, items like expensive lawyers, taxi fares and air conditioning fall into the 'bagged rocket' category whilst common sense, walking and working barefoot could be classed as the icebergs.

Who needs banks

One of the first meetings an entrepreneur sets up, is with his bank manager to discuss opening a business account.

Many still believe this partnership between enterprise and bank is a marriage that will guide and support the business throughout its life.

My own experience and that of most business people suggests this hasn't been the case for some time and its getting worse. Service levels have dropped drastically over the last ten years while charges have risen and in some cases become quite devious. For instance Barclays allegedly deduct daily debits first, potentially putting the account into overdraft before applying credits.

If you are about to start a business, before you commit your future to a high street bank take a look at what else is on offer;

• PayPal is becoming an ever more trusted way of paying online


• The Post Office will accept cash deposits without charging whereas banks penalise those depositing cash


• Online accounts that don't offer branch access are often free, Investec is worth a look


• Funding a new venture shouldn't be difficult in an era when savings interest is so low. You just have to let potential investors know you are looking for funding. Write a micro business plan and email to people who might either invest or recommend you to a friend.

I'd far rather invest some of my money in an exciting start up than leave it in the hands of the banks.

Starfish are the future

I've been reminded of this book by two seperate people in the past 24 hours, I predict that 'decentralisation' will be the next buzz word. Of course true decentralisation is not about big organisations letting go a little, its really about individuals taking control by going it alone.

The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom

If you cut off a spider's leg, it's crippled; if you cut off it's head, it dies. But if you cut off a starfish's leg it grows a new one, and the old leg can grow into an entirely new starfish.

Some organisations are just as decentralised as starfish, with no control centre or grand strategy. Think of craigslist and the original Napster, run totally by their own customers. Or Alcoholics Anonymous, which has thrived for decades as a loose network of small groups. Or even al Qaeda, which is so hard to destroy because its cells function independently.

"The Starfish and the Spider", based on groundbreaking research into decentralised organisations, proves that this type of leadership is primed to change the world. Major companies like eBay, IBM, Sun, and GE are starting to decentralise, with great results. Decentralisation isn't easy for people who are used to the classic chain of command organisation. But as readers will learn through this book's fascinating stories - ranging from the music business to geopolitics - it can be a very dangerous trend to ignore.

Define success

Tomorrow I'm going to have some time to reflect, no distractions from IT, colleagues or kids, as I'll be laying in a hospital bed recovering from a minor operation.

Time to reflect is a rare luxury but one worth working for. For much of my working life I've been surrounded by people striving to be successful and I've been one of them, until just a few years ago I was asked;

"How do you define success?"

Despite spending every waking hour apparently working towards it, I couldn't put into words what success meant to me.

Thankfully that question got me thinking about what success looked like to me not just at the end of each day but also at the end of my life when I'm looking back on the deals I've done, money I've earned and the friends I've made or lost.

So now I have a definition and its just three words, I'm not going to write them here because I've learned that what success means to me isn't necessarily 'success' to someone else, but if you are itching to know drop me a line via Twitter.

Work your Hobby

In the news yesterday morning I was reminded that by the time I reach 65, the retirement age will be beyond 70.

In the pub last night I tried my first pint of Hadham Gold, a beer created in our local micro brewery. Fellow drinkers told me that the brewer, who lives in our village, had always enjoyed making beer as a hobby, then a few years ago he decided to turn his hobby into his work. My guess is that he isn't the least bit concerned that he might have to keep working for another 5 or 10 years before retirement.

The same is true for numerous photographers, travel writers, wood workers, cooks ... the list is endless.

Maybe we would be happier working for less money but more reward doing the things we love so that our working life is just as much fun as our retirement.

You are not alone

If you are itching to leave your job and start something new a survey published today by the Chartered Institute for Personnel Development finds that 22% of employees are looking to change jobs as soon as the opportunity arises.

Trust in large firms and the management of these organisations is at an all time low resulting from badly handled redundancies and questionable corporate morals. At the same time applications to ethical companies and charities have never been stronger.

What's the point

Do you know your purpose?


Being in business implies a desire to make money but making money is not an end in itself.


For some the goal is to make enough money to buy a yacht, fund their children's education or to have the time to travel.

These personal goals can be quite motivating for their owners but tend not to inspire others. The employees who's commitment and dedication will ultimately determine whether the goal is achieved also need a 'cause' to work for.

An increasing number of entrepreneurs have instead set their businesses a purpose which goes beyond making a profit to making the world a better place;


"We sure aren't perfect, but we're trying to do the right thing.
It might make us sound a bit like a Miss World contestant, but we want to leave things a little bit better than we find them. We strive to do business in a more enlightened way, where we take responsibility for the impact of our business on society and the environment, and move these impacts from negative to neutral, or better still, positive. It’s part of our quest to become a truly sustainable business, where we have a net positive effect on the wonderful world around us. "
http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/


"Why are we in business? For us it is not as simple to make a profit. Like any company we require a profit to stay in business. But it is not the reason we are in business. The thing that has not changed from day one is the desire to make people think about the world we live in. This is, and always will be, why we are in business."
http://www.howies.co.uk/


"Wealth creation, for distribution.
We want to see our profits and resources used to support a range of community and social projects as well as strengthen our business."
http://www.freshgroup.co.uk/


If you are starting a business make time to work out your purpose, it's the single thing that will motivate your future staff more than pay and conditions.

Becoming the Trusted Advisor

As many leave employment to become their own boss their first cheque will probably be earned through some form of consultancy.

While it's true that we use consultants for their specialist knowledge or competence, of equal importance is a consultant's character.


Those who excel as consultants very often spend time working on projects beyond their original brief. They are so trusted by their clients that they are regularly asked to tackle additional assignments, thereby significantly increasing their earnings per client.

So how do we build that trust? Contrary to what some believe, trust cannot be earned by good behaviour alone. In fact it comes from a combination of factors, all supported, or undermined by our level of self interest - the higher our self interest the less we are trusted.

This formula adapted from Maister, Green and Galliford's trust equation in The Trusted Advisor, Free Press 2001 illustrates the difference between character and competence

Relationship, Credibility, Dependability

Trustworthiness = --------------------------------------------------------------
Self-Interest

If we are to become trusted advisers then we must be willing to put our own agenda to one side.