Business Problems Solved Podcast

In this episode, Lee uses the weekend dance floor as an insightful analogy for your business and customer needs.

‘If you want to keep your dancefloor full you need to focus on the needs of your customers and understand who you are as a business’

Listen in to find out how to keep everyone on the dancefloor and happy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Continuous improvement

You should always try and start with the needs of the customer and ensure this is aligned with your purpose.

• 3 levels of customer experience

The basic needs of the customer are being met.

How easy or effortless is the experience for the customer?

The competitive edge – creating an enjoyable experience.

• The basic needs

There are potentially different trends in customer need over time.

1. You have to be flexible enough to change what you’re doing to satisfy your customer before it’s too late and they leave.
2. You have to constantly be reviewing your location to ensure you are offering the right service and product for your customer.
3. Listen to your customers and meet their requests. If the request is random you have a decision to make. The decision will depend on several factors and you will have to manage the expectations of customers.

Make sure you provide feedback so that customers know what will happen next and

develop your products based on customer feedback and comments.

It's important to recognise the multitude of similarities between the real world and the work world, your personal life and your professional life.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Vaguely remember the days’

‘Each weekend you may venture out for a drink, what might you observe that could help you win at work’

‘This was my life as a town centre DJ every weekend for 13 years’

‘All organisations should strive for these’

‘Actual needs based on the time of the night, different trends of customer need’

‘To match the music to the majority of the customers so they enjoy themselves and want to come back’

‘To keep the customers in the pub as long as possible, because they are enjoying themselves’

‘It needs to satisfy your purpose’

‘If you are a specialist then what you do is different to everyone else’

‘You have to be flexible’

‘What has this got to do with continuous improvement and business?’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-problems-solved-podcast/id1444154403?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194

Lee@leehoughton.com

www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Do you set targets for yourself and for your business? Do you set targets for your staff? And do you agree in having targets in order to grow? When management sets targets and makes people's jobs dependent on meeting them, they’ll likely meet the targets even if they have to destroy the enterprise to do it. Targets drive a specific behaviour in people, a narrow focus, cheating and influence. Tune in today to find out more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What behaviour do targets drive?
• Number one, a narrow focus. People concentrating only on doing things that make them achieve their target. This is not necessarily the same thing as doing the right thing for the customer. An example, if you play football and you’re an attacker, if a player from the opposition is running towards you with the ball, would you try to tackle them or would you assume it's somebody else's job?
• The second one, cheat. This is the act of being untruthful. When the management has set the targets in a particular organisation which has to be met regardless, this forces the employees to go to the extent of cheating in the business to even using false information.
• The third one, influence. People who challenge their performance provide reasons for the non-achieving factors that are in their control, thus creating or exaggerating a blame culture. Giving all of the reasons of why they've not been able to do it because of other things and other people.
• Some questions that we must ask ourselves in business:
• How much influence does the person who has the target actually have on achieving that target?
• Are there things that get in the way outside of the control of the individual being set that target and what do we actually want to achieve by having a target?
• What behaviours will setting a target create, and ultimately, how can we use the target to drive actions, actions that drive improvement, not actions that whip the horse harder?
• Why do people continue to think it's a good idea to set targets?
  
  

BEST MOMENTS

• “When management sets targets and makes people's jobs dependent on meeting them, they will likely meet the targets even if they have to destroy the enterprise to do it.”
• “If you set targets each year and then stretch them each year, it's like being in the Grand National horse race and just whipping the horse sooner and harder each year without really considering that you have a whole host of other things that you can focus on that can impact performance, such as the training of the horse and the jockey, the diet of the horse and the jockey, the stables where the horse stays and lives.”
• “Ultimately, you should encourage an environment of trust, which allows problems to be shared and solved repeatedly.”
• “A bad system will be a good person every time.”
• “Targets turn good people into liars and cheats.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-problems-solved-podcast/id1444154403?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

• You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194
• Lee@leehoughton.com
• linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

What is the problem you are actually trying to solve?

Problems can come in different shapes and sizes and you have a host of different options.

This week Lee looks in detail at whether you should deliver quick wins. He explains why and how this can work and explores when to use this strategy for maximum impact in your business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Some people may encourage you to deliver quick wins through small changes others may say advise against the delivery of quick wins as they may not affect the ultimate outcome.
• Marginal Direct Gains

Marginal gains are all about small changes that each make a small difference.

Dave Brailsford, British cycling coach specialised in searching for tiny changes that could make a margin of improvement in everything you do.

The principle came from the idea that if you break down everything that goes into riding a bike and improving it by one per cent you will get a significant increase when you put them all together.

He had clarity on the problem – the focus is on everything that goes into riding a bike.

• Marginal Indirect Gains

A small change can be the right thing to do if you are new in a role as it can help to build credibility, people will then listen to you and adopt the right approach going forward.

You are trying to influence behaviours and habits. You may not fix something that moves the dial on the transformation that you want to achieve but you may enable an individual to fix a problem and become familiar with the problem-solving structure that you want to deploy.

Whether it is a macro or micro problem that you are trying to solve, clarity and focus on the problem and what you want is achieve is key.

You should deliver quick wins if they help you move towards your goal either directly or indirectly and you have clarity of the problem.

BEST MOMENTS

‘It doesn’t in all instances move the dial you want to move’

‘Focusing on the things that actually move the dial’

‘You have a vision and you want people to take on that vision’

‘Depends what the problem is that you are trying to solve’

‘Has to be by improving the capability of somebody or improving the credibility of you as individual

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-problems-solved-podcast/id1444154403?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194

Lee@leehoughton.com

www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

What is the difference between a Leader and a Manager?

In this episode, Lee’ THE Business Problem Solver’ answers this frequently asked question and explains how the differences impact on staff and the working environment.

Using the 5 D’s  - Desire, Discover, Dedication, Deliberate action and Delivery model Lee shares with us the characteristics of a leader.

Are you a Leader or a Manager? Listen in now to find out 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• This is not about a job title – having the job title does not make the person it’s the person who makes the job.
• Just because you have the title of a leader doesn’t mean you have the characteristics of a leader.
• Leaders Create a Vision, Managers Create Goals

Leaders look outwards and they aim to get others to see what they can see and where they are going.

Managers typically either look side-ways or downwards and look after where they are currently.

• Leaders Coach and Managers Direct

Leaders know that people who work for them have the answers or know where to find them, they see their people as competent and are optimistic about their potential. They resist telling people what to do and how to do it. Managers assign the tasks and explain how to accomplish them. 

• Leaders Identify Opportunities, Managers Drive Performance

Managers use measures as sticks to drive performance whilst Leaders use measures to identify opportunities. Leaders create fans and inspire, managers have employees.

• The 5 D’s

Desire

A leader has the desire to improve themselves and others

Discover

A leader discovers opportunities by listening to others and visiting the workplace

Dedication

A leader has a commitment and dedication to keep going

Deliberate action

A leader can identify and inspire people to focus on the deliberate actions required

Delivery

A leader has the greatest chance of delivering the desired outcome

BEST MOMENTS

‘Managers have staff who follow directions and seek to please the boss’

‘Delivered to them what they needed’

‘Leaders go beyond’

‘What is it you use to drive the performance of your team? Is it you or measures, data and statistics?

‘You as an individual drive the direction’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-problems-solved-podcast/id1444154403?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194

Lee@leehoughton.com

 www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Customer experience is seen as the battlefield where businesses compete but do businesses really understand the impact of not focusing on their employees?

In this episode, Lee discusses the correlation between the customer and employee experience. He explains how to achieve successful alignment between them and the positive impact it will have on your business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The way people in your business are treated can impact directly on the experience of your customers. It is vital to enable your employees so that they will be able to deliver for you.
• Companies invest heavily in trying to understand and improve ‘the customer experience’. Every opportunity to survey the customer is utilised and the data collected is swiftly acted upon in the drive for improved engagement. But many organisations only have an annual survey for their employees.
• An annual survey doesn’t capture how employees are feeling throughout the year. It is important to capture data across different times so that you gain a detailed understanding of your employees.
• Analysing employee feedback and acting upon it will enable you to deliver positive employee engagement and also an improved customer experience.
• There is a direct correlation between customer experience and employee experience.
• To succeed you need a desire and a shared vision of where you want to get to.

There must be an alignment between your business purpose, your customer strategy and employee engagement vision.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Dealing with people is arguably the biggest cause of variation in a business’

‘Try to understand how your employees feel in the work environment’

‘You need to have alignment with both customer and employee experiences to be successful’

‘It could be argued that employees are your customers’

‘Ultimately they are all people, this is a people engagement strategy’

‘Understand they are all different, but ask them as often as possible about how they feel about their experience’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/business-problems-solved-podcast/id1444154403?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194

Lee@leehoughton.com

www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

CAN YOU CHANGE HABITS AND INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR?

Listen to this episode and find out how you can change people’s behaviour to create an environment where problems can be successfully be solved. Lee explains how and why this is crucial for any business moving forward.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The majority of problems can be solved by changing people’s behaviour so that they do something today that is different from what they were doing yesterday.

• Influencing someone’s behaviour to change what they do in the workplace is an achievable and sustainable way to success. Problems can be solved as a result of people changing their behaviours.

• To change a behaviour the brain needs to be trained so the action becomes habitual – you don’t have to think about it.

• Visualise the environment you want to have and what people are doing in that environment, then consider what steps you need to create to get people into that position.

• You need to influence people’s behaviour to get there through creating daily rituals that become habitual.

• To create a situation where people can develop positive habits you will need to ensure that

-Individuals have the knowledge they need and the ability and skills to use that knowledge.

-You provide examples of the particular things you want people to do so they can see it is not a new-behaviour.

-The work environment allows them to exhibit that behaviour. Can they do what you’re asking them to do in that environment?

BEST MOMENTS

‘The more times you do something, the more it will become habitual’

‘You need to influence people’s behaviour to get there’

‘Start small’

‘Any change is not easy for people, and people deal with change differently’

‘Every time you ask someone to do something different it will be a challenge’

‘If you start today by this time next year it will be the norm’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Business Problems Solved Series

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams, and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist, and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on tel: 07813342194

Email

LinkedIn

Communication is Key

If you want to understand the vital importance of communication and how to stop miscommunication, listen to this podcast.

Lee Houghton THE Business Problem Solver explains the importance of why, what and how to deliver your message successfully.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”-George Bernard Shaw

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The medium that you communicate in and the actual delivery – when and who you deliver it too is key.

Simon Sinek developed the ‘Golden Circle’ model for business with its 3 parts - why, what, and how.

Why

When you’re delivering a message start with why - Why do they need this product? Why do they need to hear this message?

Beginning with why establishes an emotional attachment to the message.

What

Then move onto what – What are they going to get from it?

How

How to deliver the Message

You should consider what the recipient will be doing at the time you send the message.

You need to try to intercept their day, you want your message to make them stop what they’re doing. To achieve this your message needs to stand out with the opening line capturing the attention of the audience and guaranteeing they read all of the message.

Telling a story is another way to deliver your message. Pixar Animation successfully use the 6-step story model;

Once upon a time, there was…

Every day……

One day…..

Because of that……

Because of that…

Until finally ……

If you can tell a story in your message it will be much more compelling to your audience.

Think Before You Speak

‘Thinking before you speak’ or ‘deliver the message’ is vital, especially when engaging in any change activity. You only have one opportunity to engage the audience in listening to your message.

Only communicate when you can answer these questions;

Why is the message is needed?

What is message is for?

Who is it for?

When is it needed?

Thinking before you speak will help you gain traction, engagement and move you towards the results you want to achieve.

Communication is key whatever the relationship you are wanting to influence.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Then you get them right from the start’

‘Think about which types of messages you read’

‘The person giving that message believes they have told you something, but you’ve not interpreted it the way the sender intended’

‘If you can get someone to open and read your message your halfway there, you’ve got their attention.’

‘Opening line needs to grab their attention’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Start with Why – Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/0241958229

The Golden Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Tw0PGcyN0

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

The bubble theory is a concept from Lee that is easy to apply in different situations enabling us to understand where we are and the deliberate actions, we can take to influence success. Lee takes us through a range of scenarios demonstrating the positive impact implementing the bubble approach can have across all aspects of personal and professional development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Identify your current bubble

If you plot where you live, shop, socialise, work this determines your bubble.  To improve yourself you need to change your bubble by either;

Expanding its reach

This is about increasing the size of your bubble, if you are a business you can increase the distance over which your customers can get your product.

Filling it with more

You can fill your bubble with more people in the same or similar locations.

• Grow a leadership bubble

Create a leadership bubble and see if your decisions affect only those inside the bubble or those outside as well. 

Fill this bubble to understand more things using individuals with specialist skills.

Expand this bubble to learn more about operations and how the decisions you make affect what happens and other people in the business.

• Whether personal or professional development

You need to understand the size of your bubble first and what you are trying to do and deliver. Its then possible to increase the size of the bubble

If you are a business do you know your customer profile? Visit your shops, what type of customers buy from you?

To expand find more of the same or create new products and services to attract different customers

How can you fill it with more things that are working for you, things that are successful can you find more of this type of customer?

BEST MOMENTS

‘Identify the deliberate actions you can take’ 

‘Increase your bubble to give yourself greatest chance of success’

 ‘Understand the things that make up what you do customers, locations visited’

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Encountering problems is a natural occurrence in the business setting. So, today on the Business Problem Solver Podcast, we go back to the basics and define what a business problem is.

Lee helps you to easily pinpoint a problem so that you could come up with an effective problem-solving plan. There will be many strategic approaches out there that are used by large-scale and small-scale companies, but none will be outright applicable to your business problem. You have to innovate from it, consider your organizational culture, and always link it to your purpose.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• According to Lee, you consider it a problem if it gets in the way of getting where you want to be.
• There are different approaches to problem-solving when it comes to business like using the 5D Model, Lean Six Sigma, or Agile. You have to make sure that it can identify the problems and can provide strategic solutions to those.
• Every business is different. A solution can be very effective for an organisation but not for yours, and vice versa. You have to take note that every business has a different culture and working environment.
• Try to look back at how your company dealt with similar problems in the past. If the previous solutions worked well, then innovate a strategic solution from it taking note of course of the changing environment.

BEST MOMENTS

• “Problems come in different sizes, but it’s basically something that gets in the way of where you want to get to.”
• “There are no new ideas – they are just ideas that have been built on previous solutions and ideas.”
• “Don’t just necessarily take an off-the-shelf solution and apply it to your problem.”

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw

Signing up for business courses and learning about business concepts, theories, principles, etc. is just the start of it. What’s more important is you CAN apply the things you’ve studied in a real-life setting.

In this episode of The Business Problem Solver Podcast, Lee urges you to step it up a notch and start implementing what you’ve learned. Besides, putting what you’ve learned into practice gives a different kind of learning experience and can enhance your skills.

Lee also highlights that learning is a life-long process especially when you’re looking into maintaining the growth of your business. It is important that you stay updated what’s happening within the company and be able to communicate with your employees and your customers properly.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!" – Richard Branson
  • If you want to learn everything about the business, there a lot of online business courses you could choose. Just take note, that before taking the course, you know what you want to achieve at the end of it. It’s important that afterwards, you start doing–start applying the theories, principles, strategies that you’ve learned on something that could be valuable.
• Choose your mentor/s wisely. Choose someone who could help you to get where you want to go and someone who will recognise your principles, purpose, and learning needs.
• When you’re running a business, there’s no better way to learn for people who work the process up to the executives than them seeing the work. It makes it difficult to communicate the current situation and developments within the company if not everyone is well-informed about the processes.
• Two most important groups of people that CEOs, senior executives, and managers should take note of:
  • The people who actually do the work
  • The people who pay for their products and services

BEST MOMENTS

• “Saying you know how to do it is NOT doing it.”
• “It is important that the people that make the decisions understand what happens day-to-day.”
• “You can’t change a business unless you change yourself first.”
• “Ideas, challenges, and organisations do seem to stop at a middle layer manager.”

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw

What experience do your customers have?

Welcome to episode 6 of this series. In this absorbing podcast Lee tackles, the

mis-understandings between customer service and customer experience. He offers comprehensive solutions to enhance and develop the customer experience leading to repeating positive interactions.

Lee uses his own experience and expertise to develop our understanding of how to achieve the ultimate – an easy and effortless service that is an enjoyable and personable customer experience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

There is a difference between customer service and customer experience

Customer service is in place to deal with failure, but the customer experience is now being seen by a number of organisations as the differentiator in business success.

Customer experience is about the customers perceived experience at each interaction during the customer journey

1. Basic needs

How well are you meeting the basic needs of your customer?

What would you expect at a basic level? Are you satisfying your customers basic need? Ways you can understand how well or not you are doing is to listen to customer service calls. Reviewing inbound calls should be undertaken for leaders of all organisations to pick up trends, issues so that action can be taken.

2. An Effortless/Easy Journey

Continually map your customers journey to make sure new and existing products and services are making it effortless and easy for your customers to do business with you.

3. An enjoyable and personable experience

Finally make sure an easy and effortless service never fails make it as enjoyable and personable experience. Make it a delight for customers to do business with you.

BEST MOMENTS

“You need to build a service to prevent that failure happening”

“Look to optimise the entire end to end journey”

“By listening into calls understanding your complain data and speaking to your people who speak to customers on a daily basis you will know what the basic needs of your customers are”

“By looking at the flow of customer journeys and their interactions, you can find out how easy it is for a customer to deal with you”

“Enjoyment is the battlefield where you need to gain the competitive edge”

“Need to continually develop your customer experience to meet changing expectations”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Other podcasts in 5Ds series 

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years I have been a multi sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improvement capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 2 young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker. 

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw

What are the Deliberate Actions you need to Deliver your desired outcome?

Welcome to this exciting podcast exploring the actions you need to deliver your desired outcome. The 5Ds, identified as critical success criteria for anyone, whether as an individual, or as part of a team, or wanting to grow scale or improve their business.

Desire

Discover

Dedication

Deliberate action

Deliver

THE Business Problem Solver – Lee Houghton explores how you can really deliver and achieve your desired outcome, through criteria 4 and 5 of the 5Ds.

This engrossing podcast is part of an introduction to the 5Ds

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Deliberate Action

This is about doing those actions that fill you up the quickest and move you closer to your desired outcome the fastest.

1. Prioritising

What are the actions you could do to move you closer to your goals? You need to prioritise those things that will have the greatest benefit.

2. Study positive behaviours

Study those people who have perfected the behaviour you want to perform and then break the behaviour into manageable actions.

3. Observing

It’s about those actions that help you move closest to your goals most quickly. You might have to observe a process to understand what’s happening and implement those actions.

Delivery

This about understanding how do you know you’ve achieved what you want to achieve what are your measures to help you know that? how do you know?

1. Reviewing

Reviewing the journey, you’ve been on, so you can learn and adapt and improve next time.

2. Outcomes

Celebrating success with those who’ve been involved with you and about choosing what’s next. How do you know if you’ve achieved your destination? because at the start you had desired outcome and a place you wanted to get to, have you achieved it or not? What is the journey you’ve been on? What could you change?

BEST MOMENTS

“What are the actions you need to deliver?”

“Form habits to enable you to continually move forward it’s a culture and environment you want to create then go through 5d again.”

“Did that path happen the way you thought it may what can you learn share with others?”

“A plan is just a guide of the path you want to take"

“Only at the end can you join the dots”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Other podcasts in 5Ds series

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years I have been a multi sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improvement capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 2 young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to, reading and applying business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker. 

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw

Why is dedication such an important element in business?

THE Business Problem Solver – Lee Houghton shares the importance of Dedication, step 3 in the 5Ds steps to success for business.

The 5Ds, identified as critical success criteria for anyone, whether as an individual, as a part of a team, or wanting to grow scale or improve their business.

The 5 ‘Ds’

Desire

Discover

Dedication

Deliberate action

Deliver

Dedication is the focus of this dynamic podcast, exploring the importance of dedication and how to make sure you have it. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Sometimes the destination or a large goal might feel overwhelming

Breaking the big challenge down into more manageable phases will psychologically help you to get there.

2. Tell others about what your destination is.

Share the destination with others so there’s collective accountability and so they can help and support you. Accountability is an important part of achieving your destination. 

3. Make effective use of the Pomodoro technique.

The Pomodoro technique of time chunking is a popular method for increasing productivity. The basic concept is that you set a timer for a specific chunk of time. During that time you focus on one task, without allowing any distractions to interrupt your work.

4. Identify the number one activity that will help you move closer to your outcome.

If you know actions required to get to your desired outcome, then understand those and work on them first

5. Keeping going

It needs to become a habit and the more you do it the more habitual it becomes. You need to be committed to it and to keep going. You are more likely to be committed to a destination if it’s one that you really want to get to.

6. The destination needs to resonate with your team

 What’s in it for them? Regular communication of progress will keep them going along with celebrating each deliverable as you achieve them.

BEST MOMENTS

“If you know actions required to get to your desired outcome then understand those and work on them first.”

“Need to break big  goals down into  manageable chunks.”

“Create a reduced amount of distractions at the time you are the most productive.”

“Set a deadline, if there’s no deadline you can put it off.”

“Starting is one of the most difficult steps but what’s stopping you from starting today?”

“You’ve got to move to get to your destination .”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Links to other podcasts in 5Ds series

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years I have been a multi sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improvement capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 2 young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to, and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”,  a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw

What crucial role do Desire and Discover play in a successful business?

In this podcast THE Business Problem Solver’s success criteria Desire and Discover are explored in more detail.

This is the third motivating podcast in this series from THE Business Problem Solver. If you are starting a business or looking to grow your current organisation this podcast provides the vital starting point. Lee explains in detail how and why the first two steps Desire and Deliver are vital components of the 5Ds steps of success criteria.

Lee is an engaging speaker and weaves his own experiences across the podcast, creating an opportunity for the listener to learn from his experiences.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 The 5Ds, identified as critical success criteria for anyone, whether as an individual, part of a team, wanting to grow scale or improve their business.

The 5 ‘Ds’

Desire

Discover

Dedication

Deliberate action

Deliver

1. Desire

Why desire? – desire is an emotion, its far stronger than just wanting something. You’ve got to really feel that emotion, that you want to overcome that obstacle that’s in front of you.

Desire is all about truly believing in that destination. It’s where you want to get to if you are an organisation. As a business it is the reason to exist and the reason why you do what you do.

2. Discover

Discover the things that are getting in your way. It’s about understanding those things that are obstructing you, those issues that are getting in the way for you in the journey to achieving your desired destination.

The Desire and Discover success criteria are all about framing your problem and understanding the things that are getting in the way of getting to your outcome.

BEST MOMENTS

“Don’t take an off the shelf system, it might not fix the problem in front of you”

“The thing you want to overcome, is going to help you get to where you want to get to”

“Ensuring that you communicate the desired destination is important to what you want to achieve.” 

“An emotional attachment to where you need to get to.”

“It’s equally important that people in your organisation desire or resonate with the direction you’re going in.”

“Some of the problems you overcome in business will help you to survive longer.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Other podcasts in 5Ds series

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years I have been a multi sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improvement capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 2 young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to reading and applying both business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaD

3 Lessons in Life

In this poignant podcast, Lee Houghton shares the 3 lessons that underpin how he lives his life. He reflects on Chris, the inspiration for these values and how they can underpin all aspects of how we live.

Always be yourself, make good friends, clients and connections, time is limited so if there is something you want to do why wait.

Lee dedicates this podcast to the memory of Chris, his best friend and explains through this podcast how he is living these 3 lessons 

KEY MOMENTS

Personally important

There are values which are important to live by, these values are key even when there is a fixed time scale or when there is a significant personal challenge.

1. Always be yourself

At times we all try to please other people by changing ourselves but doesn’t please others or help you. Authenticity is vital – when someone is being themselves, they are far more engaging.

2. Make good friends

If chosen different path growing up, may not have had so many people during illness make good connections, make/ build good relationships with customers

3. Time is limited

If there is something you want to do, go for it you can only get there by moving towards it. If there’s something you want to do why wait? 

BEST MOMENTS

“He was not a multi-millionaire, he was not a best-selling author, he was not a great sportsman, but he has left me with a gift I couldn’t have got from anyone else”

“There are so many lessons to be learned in everything that we do, inside and outside of work”

“From this podcast, take one action, take one step towards something you want to go and deliver, help Chris’ message get little bit further, let Chris help you deliver something”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Other podcasts in 5Ds series 

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years I have been a multi sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improvement capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 2 young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en 

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw

In this eagerly awaited first podcast in the series, Lee Houghton – THE Business Problem Solver shares with us his 5Ds strategy which sets out comprehensive criteria for solving all business problems. Listening to Lee will enable you to confidently structure a constructive approach that can be used to solve and overcome any business problem. Lee uses his extensive experience, identifying and describing examples so that the positive outcomes from using the 5Ds are relatable to everyone - from those just starting out to those running large organisations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Successful problem-solving outcomes across differing challenges have a commonality between them.

The key criteria for successful problem solving can be identified as 5 steps – THE Business Problem Solver’s 5 Ds which can be used to solve and overcome any business problem.

1. Desire

Why do you do what you do, why do you want to do what you do.

2. Discover

Discover the things that get in your way

3. Dedication

How can you keep going? How can you maintain the momentum as long as is needed to make your business a success?

4. Deliberate action

The specific action(s) that gives you the maximum benefit

5. Deliver

Really delivering what you set out to do. So how do you know you’ve got there and how do you know what’s next?

The recipe to successful problem solving is keeping in mind and always working through the 5Ds this will enable the solving of any problem and ensure the successful delivery and outcome for any project.

BEST MOMENTS

“We all solve problems every day, and see problems being solved everyday”

“That’s how I can help, making sure you’re set up for success”

“I believe that if you’re going to overcome a business problem you need to commit to all the 5Ds”

“These are types of challenges that are reoccurring in organisations”

“I can help you navigate your way through these problems “

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Other podcasts in 5Ds series 

ABOUT THE HOST

For the last 15 years I have been a multi sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improvement capability of individuals, teams and businesses.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 2 young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.

Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

CONTACT METHOD

You can contact Lee Houghton on: 07813342194 

Website: Lee@leehoughton.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/THEBusinessProblemSolver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusiProbsSolved

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_business_problem_solver/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf0YC2_ZBuhtC_s-AbHaDw