Elvin's latest blog

Monday, 27th March
Ireland; the land of Guinness, creativity and Ryanair Gangers!

I had the very real pleasure of working in Ireland at the weekend, Dublin to be precise. And before you ask…‘Yes', I did fly Ryanair, ‘Yes' it was ridiculously cheap and ‘Yes' the cabin crew were to good service what Bin Laden is to world peace.

I was visiting the ‘Isle Of Saints and Scholars' as a colleague and I were preparing some students for their exams in the OU Business School's highly acclaimed MBA module, ‘Creativity, Innovation & Change'.

I have to say that the Irishness of the setting was a real plus to engage the students with the very basis of this particular subject. No, I don't mean the ready supply of Guinness, nightclubs and party animals that happily take in the night air of this wonderfully eccentric and hospitable city. That said, those qualities certainly did help with the Après-study!

You see, the exam the students are studying for requires an understanding that it is creativity that sparks innovation, which in turn provides appropriate and sustainable change. More importantly, it requires an appreciation that at the very heart of the whole process are the underlying values and principles, which academically are termed The Precepts.

Put simply, the thinking, saying and doing that whole-heartedly encourages creativity.

Ireland is abundantly blessed with such values and principles, which can be clustered under four overarching concepts, as described here:

Curiosity: the continual desire to explore, enquire, experiment and try to understand. The very platform that allowed Ireland to grapple with, and consequently be very decisive and bold when accepting the Euro currency and swiftly banning smoking in public places.

Forgiveness: supports the risks, and ultimate failures, that occur when people are out there, being ‘curious and experimental'. Probably the key to why Ireland has such affinity with comedy in particular and humor in general. The nation and its people can laugh at its failures and applaud passionate effort in pursuit of a noble cause.

Love: genuinely valuing the people who are out there being exploratory and experimental, providing them with an ‘emotional space and security'. Go into any Irish Bar or Pub where people are singing songs, or reciting poetry. Anything in fact linked to creative pursuit. You will experience genuine care, support and valuing of people's endeavor.

In a somewhat fitting way, those three clusters stated above were the brainchild of Charles Handy, probably the UK's most admired ‘management guru'. A native of Kildare, Ireland, no less.

John Martin initiated the fourth and final cluster and his Open University team, reflecting their concern to provide a practical application to the creativity generated from the concepts of Curiosity, Forgiveness and Love:

A Sense Of Direction: Allowing for the fact that the three above stated are all about nurturing and fuelling the ‘curiously experimental' people who are out there, we cannot ignore the overriding fact, that the work being enacted has to be moving in a constructive direction.

Now, the Irish are infamous for getting on with the job in hand. During my formative years in the construction industry, I worked with countless Irish ‘Concrete Ganger-men', the guys who cajoled, inspired and motivated the ‘Gangs' employed to pour and place concrete on construction projects. Not to mention numerous project and cost managers, equally fuelled with the desire to get the "f*****g job done!"

With this natural climate and values for great creativity and of course the leadership skills to manage the output, no great surprise then that the major multi-nationals, such as Dell and Wyerth have set up shop in Ireland. Plus of course, one of the UK's most notable construction entrepreneurs, Ray O'Rourke, is a son of this fine and most pleasant land.

Also it is the home of one of Europe's most talked about airlines; unlovable, but extremely profitable, Ryanair.

Interestingly, the precept we ask students to always consider, is the one that is often forgotten. That of being ‘a Reflective Practitioner'. The capability to step back for the business of pursuing creative endeavor, and reflect on the process that has gone before. What can be learnt, specifically from the mistakes?

Well, my reflection on the weekend was how much I miss from our great industry the hoards of hard working, hysterically funny and full of bon-hommie Irish guys who were there during my formative years. I miss the ‘Craic' terribly, that lovely Irish-as-linen philosophy of laughing at life when it tries to kick you down, yet being positively fired up with serious intent when things are on the up!

Yes, I do miss the Irishness that seems to have all but gone from the English construction industry.

By the way, glad to see that the Irish Gangermen are now teaching the cabin crews on Ryan Air on the ways of getting the job done. They maybe surly those Ryanair crews, but we pulled into Dublin airport on Friday evening a full 10 minutes ahead of schedule!

Ireland, I salute you, or rather, ‘Slainte', let's have another Guinness.

Tuesday, 28th March
Continuous ‘Improv'-ment!

For some weeks now, my Tuesday evenings have been occupied by gathering in a room above a pub just off Tottenham Court Road, with a gaggle of other creative enthusiasts, all in the pursuit of practicing the fine art and craft of improvised comedy. Now, this is also termed improv or impro. It is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. The performers discover their lines and actions spontaneously, typically following a general theme and format, often in response to audience suggestions. Just a few rules and basic ettiquette prevent it from falling into complete mayhem. It is the edge of chaos personified.

Quite apart from being really good fun, it does wonders for your mental agility, enhances your understanding of how to build a rapport with people and of course is an excellent tonic for your self confidence. A superb tool in fact for developing Networking skills.

Anyone fancy joining up for the next course? Let me know and we will get you sorted!

Wednesday, 29th March
Yo! Networking!

What have Yo! Sushi! entrepreneur Simon Woodruffe, 1980's pop singer Limahl and management consultant Peter cook got in common? They all attend the regular monthly networking event held upstairs in London's Groucho Club.

A tenuous link at first sight, but actually if like me you had been present at this really very enjoyable and stimulating business-come-entertainment morning coffee gathering, you would become aware that they are all highly creative and deadly serious business people…with a passion for Rock ‘n' Roll.

Not too surprising for a Pop Singer like Limahl, but Simon does astound people when they discover he has recorded an album with Ian Dury's Blockheads. Management consultant Peter is the man behind the new business improvement book, ‘Sex, Leadership and Rock ‘n' Roll'. An excellent piece of work note that both entertains and educates in the art of management for the next decade, utilizing the metaphor of Rock ‘n' Roll music to get the message across.

Listening and watching them talk, it is obvious too that although all three favor cloths more in common with the stage than an office, all three are deadly serious about the business they are in. All three also talk with a passion about the need for discipline, practice and a determination to continually improve.

Marvelous! Proof that even wacky people can apply their energy with clarity and focus. That all-important creative ability to acquire a sense of direction'. They have found the appropriate channel for their undoubted energy and skills.

Whilst I did my 3 minute introduction to the attendees at the event, which as is my want I turned into an impromptu stand-up comedy routine, I targeted an Aussie who was present and ridiculed his fellow country men's performance on the construction of our new national stadium. Well, seemed rude not to.

Whilst mingling around after the more formal part of the morning, the said targeted Aussie came up to me and laughed off my scolding of Multiplex. He pointed out that nothing was wrong with the much-maligned contractor's ‘Aussie approach' to management, the problem was that the English were such a bone ideal labor force!

He furthered advised that the stadium would benefit from some ‘Paddy Power'. No, not the seemingly omnipresent Betting company, but the traditional Irish Gangers to get the job done!

A comment said in jest that was not a 1000 miles from the truth, methinks…

Thursday, 30th March
"Sorry, can I have another chance?

Jo is out of The Apprentice! Yes the ‘Tiger-Like' wannabe Business Executive, who has enthralled the nation with her antics on BBC's top rated ‘realty business recruitment show, has finally been fired by Sir Alan Sugar. To be fair to Sir Alan, who is not known for his compassion, had given the mop-haired Brummie every chance, and actually just a little bit more, to prove herself as a worthy employee fit to grace Sir Alan's business Empire.

Unusually for our Looney Jo, she was reticent during this week's task to get involved, as she admitted in the show's post-task analysis programme. Instead of giving it her usual, both guns blazing, risk-taking performance, Jo held back to allow super-sales lady, Ruth, and project manager for the task, Ansell, an opportunity to demonstrate their obvious sales skills and hopefully win the task for their team.

Unfortunately the plan back-fired, and although the opposite team's leader, the rather timid Sharon, ended the day in floods of tears with her team braking ranks and going into free-form, Jo's team still lost!

So yet again the girl with a laugh like a Brewer's Dray horse was put into the boardroom to face the wrath of east London's top entrepreneur. To a country's dismay and like the charming, but unfortunately insufficiently skilled Mani from the previous edition of the show, Jo was fired.

Even after being given the ‘bullet' passionate Jo begged Sir Alan if he could reconsider. Bit like asking the Judge in a Murder trial that if you promise not to do it again, can you be let off this time?

Poor old Jo. Such enthusiasm, such energy, such determination, but not an once of leadership in her extremely fit and healthy body. What should she do? How can she for fill her potential, which she undoubtedly has.

My advice is that she gets like Simon Woodruffe, Limahl and Peter Cook, my fellow networkers at the Groucho Club this week. ‘Wacky' people who have applied their energy with clarity and focus. Acquire that all-important creative ability of a sense of direction'.

Jo, you lovable lunatic, find the appropriate channel for your beautiful and unbridled lust for life. Which by the way, is not in a ‘corporate' like Sir Alan's. Like all great companies, there is only room for one mad man, and usually they sit at the top of the tree!

And Finally…

"Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow."
Oscar Wilde (Another creative Irish product!)