Issue 1, 2011
emergen
activating emerging leaders
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF EMERGEN - WWW.EMERGEN.COM.AU
emergen emag IN THIS ISSUE 4
Alicia’s Update
6
How to boost your Creativity
8
What’s your Daily Rituals
10 Why People Blog 12 Meet the inspiring Ainsley Gilkes 15 Blog for a Cause 16 Before your Start a Not for ProEit 18 Top 10 Reputation Resolutions 20 Starting a Restaurant Franchise 22 The Oprah Effect 23 Emergen Contributors
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“I have no interest in being the biggest, the most profitable or the largest retailer. I just want the The Body Shop to be the best, most breathlessly exciting company -‐ and one that changes the way business is carried out. That is my vision.
”
Anita Roddick, Business As Unusual
EDITOR’S NOTE
alicia’s update Welcome
to the &irst issue of the Emergen e-‐mag for 2011. Emergen is a collaborative community, activating emerging leaders through providing connection, inspiration and promotion. It’s been an exciting time at Emergen, we have just established our &irst state leadership team in WA and hope to set up the Queensland and Victoria teams very soon too. The state leadership teams will allow us to continue to build what we offer to our members by providing -‐ book clubs, Meet Ups, competitions and blogging initiatives such as our Blogging for a Cause Carnivals. This e-‐mag is here to promote some of the amazing contributions of members on the Emergen website. All the articles written in this e-‐mag have been blog posts on the online community. We have such a talented bunch of bloggers and we would like to share them with you.
Alicia Curtis
PS -‐ If you like this e-‐mag, please share it with your friends and colleagues.
Alicia Curtis is one of Australia’s most experienced mentors of emerging leaders. She empowers young employees, entrepreneurs and social innovators through her engaging workshop programs. She also releases an annual report on the challenges and aspirations of young leaders in the workplace. Alicia founded Emergen as an online space to activate the leadership potential of young professionals. www.aliciacurtis.com
Stay in touch with Alicia
Become a Member of Emergen
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Email Alicia
Join the Emergen Facebook Page
Follow Alicia on Twitter
PROMOTION
Develop your Personal Strategy with the Planning Toolkit Have your New Years Resolutions gone out the window already? Is it time to properly reflect on your life purpose and goals for this year?
Planni ng Too lkit !"#"$% &'()*&" +, -$+&.* -!&.,*/($-!& (0,//"( $-!&!"0,
Some%mes we get so stuck in the day to day ac%vi%es, that we don't spend the %me to reflect on who we want to be and what goals we want to achieve. This interac%ve toolkit comes with a 40 minute slidecast that walks you right through all the ac%vi%es.
Alicia Curtis
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Develop a greater sense of self awareness. Set 100 goals that you would like to have and do in your life. Develop a year overview and six month ac%on overviews. Iden%fy your current daily rituals and set your new daily, weekly and monthly rituals for the year. Learn how to check in regularly with your progress using our monthly dashboard and weekly designer templates. Design your ideal week. Organise your own personal learning plan, sales and marke%ng plan and health and wellbeing plan for the year.
Does it make a difference? By going through Alicia's step by step process, I was amazed with how much more focused and intentional I was with my work. I highly recommend this toolkit to anyone who wants to have more clarity and focus for the year Jane Genovese
Find out more at www.aliciacur1s.com/planningtoolkit.html
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FEATURE
How Yellow Paper and Zumba can Boost your Creativity? Want to be more creative? Then writing on warm coloured paper, hitting the gym and a view of nature may be your answer. These are just a few of the suggestions made by Dr Amantha Imber in her book “The Creativity Formula”. With a solid understanding of the latest empirical research, Dr Imber provides a range of practical and simple solutions to get your creative juices &lowing. Whilst this book is written for a corporate/ professional audience, I still found the advice relevant for high school and university students. In a nutshell, the strategies that appear to make us think more creatively also help us to work more effectively, be less stressed and have more fun! Below are &ive ways to boost your creativity that are mentioned in Dr Imber's book. I felt that these strategies were the most relevant to students.
1. Surround yourself with warm colours Have you ever noticed that a lot of fast food chain logos and stores such as Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King), KFC, Red Rooster and McDonalds are all similar colours – either red, orange and yellow or a combination of these colours? This didn’t just happen by coincidence. There is psychological research behind it! Research tells us that warm colours (e.g. red, yellow and orange) not only tend to stimulate our appetite but they make us feel happier too. So what does this have to with creativity? Well, studies also tell us that when we feel happier we tend to have more creative ideas.
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Dr Imber encourages readers to decorate their of&ices with warmly coloured posters and items. She also suggest we use yellow writing paper pads to scribble down ideas. With this in mind, I stuck up a poster of Saraswati (Hindu Goddess of knowledge and arts) that I picked up for $2 and covered my laptop stand with a bright scarf.
2. Have a view of nature or an indoor plant What would you prefer to look at – a brick wall or some trees? It may seem like a no brainer, but scientists have actually tested the effects of looking at these different sceneries. What they found is that people who were exposed to nature tended to have improved self esteem, better moods and experienced less stressed than others. How does this relate to creativity? The obvious reason is that nature provides us with stress relief which allows us to think more clearly, be more focused and creative.
FEATURE 3. Create an original, quirky workspace I’ve worked at a number of organisations where minimalist of&ices seemed to be all the rage. Quite frankly, they were boring and uninspiring places to work. According to Dr Imber having a diverse range of objects and textures in your work environment can stimulate creative thought. She states -‐ “One of the best ways to provoke creative thought is to surround the brain with lots of diverse stimuli. This increases the number of connections sparked in the brain, and therefore the number of new ideas popping up. An of&ice that has the bare minimum of furniture and accessories will not provide much stimulus to drive creative thought” So don’t hold back. Dr Imber tells us to surround ourselves with artwork, posters, and Elvis &igurines! She even goes as far as telling us to create a toy box for our of&ice. Whilst I’m not a fan of clutter, I can certainly appreciate that a personalised, fun of&ice would help one to think in new and different ways.
4. Move it People who engage in just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise experience enhanced creativity and mental alertness. So before you start a mentally taxing task, go for a run or do a zumba or spin class. It doesn’t matter what you do, just as long as you work up a sweat.
I’ve started going to the gym &irst thing in the morning (6am) and noticed that it makes a huge difference not only to my energy levels but also in terms of my ability to focus and concentrate throughout the day.
5. Carry a notepad with you at all times Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea or the answer to a problem? Dr Imber states that we tend to have our most creative thoughts in the following places and situations – in bed, in the bath, on the toilet, on public transport and driving the car. Unfortunately, when you wake up at 2am with a great idea in a semi sleep deprived state and there is no pen and paper in sight, it’s highly likely that you’re not going to write it down and the idea will be gone come the morning. What often differentiates “creative” people from others is that they tend to capture a lot of their ideas whilst others simply forget them. Last year my friend and fellow PhD student, Dean Lasslet, gave me the idea to carry a pen and paper with me at all times to capture my ideas. This was a brilliant idea and I made signi&icant progress with formulating my PhD project by doing this. If a notebook and pen doesn’t work for you perhaps you may want to invest in a dictaphone/ tape recorder. If you capture hundreds of brilliant ideas that would otherwise be forgotten, I’d say it’s money well spent.
Jane Genovese www.learningfundamentals.com.au
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FEATURE
What’s your daily rituals? The start of the year is a perfect time to assess or reassess our habits. As we focus on our new goals for the year, it’s what we do on a daily basis that decides whether we achieve our goals or not. So what is a habit? It’s a recurring, conscious or unconscious pattern of behaviour. Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. So what are our habits and how do we develop habits that serve us rather than hinder us.
First step is awareness Some habits are conscious decisions we’ve made while others we settled into without even realising. The &irst step is to be aware of our behaviours What’s your daily routines look like?
Do you: - need coffee to get started in the morning? - switch on the TV in the morning or after work without even realising it? - exercise regularly? - feel addicted to checking your emails or facebook?
Changing it Up I have to admit, I had a few bad habits that were hard to break! A lot of these were becoming real distractions to my productivity such as being
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ruled by email/facebook, not exercising regularly and being unfocused at work. So I considered my current daily habits and then wrote down a list of daily, weekly and monthly rituals that I wanted to develop that would serve my goals and values in life. Some of my personal rituals now include increasing the movement in my day, journal writing and connecting with friends and family. Some of my business rituals include only checking emails after 10am, contacting two prospective clients a day, blogging once a week and conducting a business review every week and month.
Keeping it Going The more research I do into habits, the more I realise there is so much about starting a new habit and not so much in keeping up good habits. Mmmm I wonder if this is very telling of our society? What I have learnt throughout my own journey is the following:
1. Focus on what’s important to you Our habits should be a re&lection of what’s most important to us. But sometimes we do what’s easy rather than what’s best for us. Take some time to work out what’s really important for you and what that means on a daily basis.
2. Make the commitment It’s funny the tricks our minds play on us (sometimes working against us) when we make a commitment. The excuses come -‐ ‘I deserve a day off’, ‘I’ll start tomorrow’, ‘I’ll put this off until tomorrow, ‘just another one won’t hurt’. Think about our commitment to brushing our teeth. We don’t say ‘I think I’ll take this week off’, we just do it
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” FM Alexander
because we have a commitment to our health and hygiene.
3. Ask for a little help Develop partnerships with friends and family to set up positive routines. What can you do together to keep yourself accountable -‐ regular exercise, a writing session or regular coaching session with a friend?
Where are you at? Don’t try and start/change all your habits at once. Start with baby steps. What is the one habit you know you need to start or stop to help you live a more ful&illing and productive life? Add your answer in the comments section below.
Alicia Cur1s Emergen Founder www.aliciacur1s.com
SHORT FEATURE
Why People Blog I recently asked the question 'Why blog' in one of my recent posts, and thought I'd share with you the vast array of reasons WHY people take up blogging, as I found the feedback truly inspiring: ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏
Blogging provides a framework for writing every day; I took up blogging for purely commercial reasons in to increase traf&ic to a website; Blogging provides an outlet to try different ways of writing; Blogging is a gateway to whatever you want it to be; I took up blogging to get back into creative writing and expand my boundaries; I wanted to share “parenting food for thought” as a means to inspire parents to think outside the box, and to gain new ways that they could enrich their parenting journeys;
“I use blogging to build my personal brand. By creating content you can repackage and repurpose it in other ways” ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏ ๏
I wanted to get feedback on my writing; To meet like minded people; To share ideas and receive feedback from others; To share experiences in the design industry and lend advice and knowledge to the creative community; To have some fun and work the kinks out of my long dormant web skills; I started blogging as a new year’s resolution; It makes life that little bit more enjoyable;
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๏ ๏ ๏
I started blogging when I was unemployed and people around me forced me into pursuing my love for writing; To share what I have in mind with others and help; It serves as a diversion -‐ a stress reliever.
I believe this really shows that no matter what reason you have to start blogging, you can do it if you want to, and it is worthwhile.
Janine Ripper Emergen Blogging Coordinator www.reflectionsfromaredhead.com
Emerging Leaders are encouraged to add their blogs to www.emergen.com.au
emergen
activating emerging leaders
Are you on Emergen yet? Emergen is a collaborative community activating emerging leaders.
www.emergen.com.au Issue 1 : 11
INTERVIEW Meet the Inspiring...
Ai n sl ey G il kes
I don't know where to begin to introduce Ainsley and sweep over her achievements - as there's so many of them! Please read on to learn how Ainsley has shot up the career spiral from the age of just 19 years old, from starting her own business to setting up the Global Leadership Program or volunteering to help the underprivileged just to name a few. There's much inspiration to grab from this feature!
LL: Tell me about yourself I've always enjoyed helping people pursue development opportunities. At 19 I started a successful business facilitating entrepreneurship, project management and &inancial literacy skills in young people. Many of the talented people I met over the following years were brilliant young leaders and entrepreneurs, or those that wanted to help them. When I sold my business, I went on to run a national non-‐pro&it for youth entrepreneurship, supported by the then Prime Minister and UK Princes Trust. I've won a few awards and travelled as a representative for Australia to international economic forums like APEC. The challenging and overwhelmingly positive experience of both running for-‐pro&it and social enterprises has been one that has stayed with me. I won't ever stop being an entrepreneur. For a time I applied my leadership development capabilities in the higher education sector, at a time when international education was at its boom. At Macquarie University, I set up the acclaimed Global Leadership Program, which universities around Australia and overseas have since replicated. I created opportunities for thousands of undergraduate students to develop international awareness and employment skills through volunteering, overseas study and
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experiential learning. At TAFE NSW, I established inaugural exchange programs and internships. I worked with some inspiring academics and visionary leaders; and travelled the world. I learnt to value education and its ability to affect social change. I am studying my third degree at the moment. I love being and will always be a student. In the last few years I've started a corporate career. At OneSteel I've been able to work diversely in roles spanning recruitment and development. I'm in a leadership role. I've also been able to continue my 10 year passion for volunteerism by serving my industry on the board of the Australian Association of Graduate Employers. Through organisations like this I have met some wonderful industry colleagues. Being a talent manager in corporate HR has afforded me the opportunity to recruit, work with and observe some very inspiring current and future leaders. Working with high potential young people in particular is still my &irst love and the times when I able to do this at work are always the most enjoyable and rewarding. I'm proud of my career achievements but still feel like it's only just the beginning!
LL: What's your favourite book and why? I'm a skim-‐reader who only reads non-‐&iction so the wrong person to ask! But some of my favourites are Freakonomics, The Rise of the Creative Class, and The Star&ish and the Spider. These are all books that changed my paradigms on society and work. Plus they're entertaining, well researched and very well written.
LL: What are your special hobbies and interests? When I'm not at work I'm usually out drinking and dancing, or at the beach or shops. I'm not very
INTERVIEW There isn't one in particular or one of my own that I'm most passionate about. I tend to work on and gravitate to those that are aligned to my interests, which are projects to do with youth leadership or employment, technology, gender equality and entrepreneurship.
original that way! But I do love travel and volunteering and have had some amazing experiences helping elephants abused by the tourist trade at a sanctuary in Northern Thailand; cutting down a bamboo forest in a bird park in Tokyo; playing with slum children in Bangkok and visiting disabled children in a hostel in Chennai. I try very hard to get on a plane overseas several times a year!
LL: What is the project you are most passionate about right at the moment? I can see some really inspiring projects happening right now.
The ones that excite me most are always being run by young people. Initiatives like Emergen, GenerationOne, Make Poverty History - these are all testaments to the bubbling ambition, social responsibility and change ethos of young Australians.
LL: What are your aspirations over the next 1-5 years? And how will you get there? I don't have a 5 year plan and never will. My goals are more about the experiences I'd like to have and I'm not fussed in what order they arrive. At some stage I'd like... a job with more travel to Asia... a garden to relax in... a sabbatical in NYC... to write a book... to do some consulting... to have a family... to go back to sea (I spent 2 months living on a ship this year and loved every second of it)... to be a better latin dancer and taiko drummer... to connect more with friends... to learn to dive again (3rd time.. I'm a slow learner!)... but mostly, to do some social good and have an impact on some talented peoples' lives.
LL: Based on your learning experience so far, what one piece of advice would you give to other yGen members and why? Go and &ind some talented, energised people and hang out with them. I have always found that if you develop relationships with extraordinary people you'll have extraordinary opportunities come your way. Make sure they're not arrogant or sel&ish people. And be generous to them, with your time and expertise.
Linde Le Emergen Featured Members Editor www.genyadvantage.com.au Issue 1 : 13
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost
BLOG UPDATE
Blog for a Cause What is Blogging for a Cause? Throughout the year, Emergen will be choosing different causes, themes and issues to encourage members to blog about. This gives you an opportunity to share your thoughts on a common topic, get informed about the issues and create positive social change on the internet!
So what's involved? Our &irst focus is International Women's Day on the 8th March. Compose your blog and post it on the 8th. Easy as that! We here on Emergen want to do our bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding, and one of the ways we want to do this is through the use of social media -‐ particularly blogging.
Is this open to females only? Absolutely not! We want rich, diverse and thoughtful views. Some ideas are: • You can pay homage to an amazing woman in your life, • About discrimination witnessed, or challenges experienced. • Your thoughts on a women’s issue or topic
How can you spread the word? We would like to engage as many people as possible in this. So please spread the news about this event in your facebook status, share it with your coworkers and let your friends know too. There is no registration required (except onto the Emergen website), all you have to do is spend the time to write your blog post and post it on the 8th March.
What if I'm unable to post it on the 8th March? You can actually future post your blog post on Emergen. Simply go to Add a Blog Post and choose the date and time you want it released!
What is International Women's Day? International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. Annually, on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse activity connects women from around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.
Get involved Please join us by composing a blog post using the theme 'International Women's Day' and then posting it on Emergen on March 8. We can all then get on board and share the posts via twitter, Facebook, and so on to spread our words and inspire! 'So make a difference, think globally and act locally.'
Add your blog post for International Women’s Day at www.emergen.com.au Issue 1 : 15
FEATURE
Before you Start a Not-for-Profit I quite regularly speak to passionate young people who want to make a difference and more often than not they have dreams of establishing their own not-for-profit organisation for a particular cause. The truth is there are over 700,000 not-‐for-‐pro&it organisations in Australia and you don't have to be a mathematician to work out that is far too many for a country with a population of only 22 million. So my initial advice is always the same: Is creating yet another NFP actually going to make a difference and might it be more effective to join an existing organisation and help them drive change for the better? I also think ego often has a (unnecessary) role in all this as we seem to have a perception that you need to be the of&icial leader or public-‐face of an organisation to be recognised as being someone that has made a difference. I have personally founded, re-‐ established, and grown a number of NFPs but there is no way I would ever pretend that I have had as much impact as the staff and volunteers working at the grass roots of those organisations. They are the real heroes and change makers and society should be recognising them (instead of our sporting personalities in my opinion) but they will all tell you they don't really want it because it's the seeing the change they are making &irst hand that is far more rewarding than any trophy or award. So before you jump into creating NFP number 700,001 here's a quick checklist of mine for deciding whether it may be the right choice or not...
1. Did the organisation come before the cause? If you thought about setting up an organisation &irst and then found a cause later then you should be
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questioning if you are truly passionate about your cause. Without the necessary passion driving you you'll unlikely have the persistence to make it happen. Setting up and sustaining NFPs is hard at the best of times so it is essential that you are committed.
2. Is your cause relevant? Just like you do with a business if you haven't thoroughly researched the community need and that there is a gap with the existing organisations' services then I'd be surprised if it lasted very long. It is far easier to get an existing organisation back on track than setting up a whole new organisation (and a lot less wasteful of resources and funding).
3. Do you have any real-world experience in not-for-profit organisations? If you've never worked within a NFP it's going to be an extremely tough journey creating one. So before taking that leap please go and get some experience &irst. If you are at a University or TAFE joining a student club is a great idea but please also get some experience in organisations outside of the protected campus life.
FEATURE 4. Do you know what type of organisation you intend to create? The organisations that make a real difference with long-‐term outcomes are often the ones you rarely see anything about because they are busy getting the job done. They are the ones that scrape together funding from multiple sources to deliver professional services in a variety of areas (animal welfare, child protection, drug rehabilitation etc). They have the considerable responsibility of employing staff whilst staying a&loat &inancially and with dire consequences if they don't. On the other side there are the associations, where a passionate group of individuals volunteer their time for a cause. They have more freedom to try things out as the consequences of them shutting down are far less but they often aren't as stable (structurally) and generally have to limit themselves to more short-‐term outcomes. Both are needed in society but I think everyone should get some experience with the &irst type at some stage in their life, particularly if they are going to setup any type of NFP.
5. Have you got friends that will support you? If you have that's always a great help when &irst starting out but unless they share the same levels of passion as you do, you might soon be left holding the reins by yourself. If you don't think you could do
it by yourself from the start then the future might not be so bright.
6. Would you still do it if there were no rewards, recognition and titles associated with it? Be a realist, if you are primarily doing it for your own personal ambition there is nothing stopping you from creating a sustainable organisation but will it consist of the morals and values that are truly making a difference for the better? I certainly give far more respect to any individual who has dedicated their life to helping others over any mere social entrepreneur like myself. That should be more than enough to get the brain moving into more balanced thinking territory when it comes to considering setting up your own NFP. This article isn’t intended to discourage anyone from creating something but everyone should consider whether they can achieve the same outcomes via social 'intrapreneurship' &irst. We need far fewer organisations and a much higher proportion to be cost effective and hopefully these questions go some way to making sure new ones are.
Shane Fisher www.trendi.com.au
EXPERT ADVICE
Top 10 Reputation Resolutions One of the opportunities each New Year brings is the chance to resolve to do things differently in future by way of New Year resolutions. Even if you haven’t had much success making and keeping resolutions in the past, it may be worth considering the following ‘Reputation Resolutions’ as one or more of them could mean the difference between having a reputation your proud of, and that opens doors wide, and one that slams doors shut because people doubt your integrity and ability to deliver. So take a look at the suggested reputation resolutions on the right and focus on one or more that resonates with you. Put them into practice throughout 2011 (and beyond) and you’ll &ind yourself attracting clients, customers and opportunities and being perceived as a business and individual people are happy to be associated with and recommend. No matter what’s occurred in the past, you can create a new, reputation-‐enhancing future today if you choose to. Actively ‘patching things up’ with people around you may be required, or it may be more appropriate simply to ‘move on’ to a more positive future without going over old ground. Whatever choices you make, if you act with integrity, build trust and accept responsibility for your actions, you will increase your perceived value and worth, stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons, and help you create and maintain a winning reputation. Hannah Samuel Reputation Branding Expert www.hannahsamuel.com
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Top 10 Reputation Resolutions For 2011:
1.
I resolve to think before I speak. I have two ears and one mouth and I aim to use them in that proportion!
2.
I resolve to hold my tongue and count to three before responding to comments and situations that make me angry or defensive, online or off.
3. I resolve to never bad-mouth anyone, in person or on the internet – ever!
4. I resolve to treat my staff, clients and customers fairly and graciously and value their contributions to our business successes.
5. I resolve to support the people, processes and ‘partnerships’ operating within my business and ensure they are enhancing, rather than damaging, the business’s reputation.
6. I resolve to be truthful and transparent in my dealings with people and create a climate of mutual trust and respect.
7. I resolve to keep promises I make, both to myself and others, and to avoid over-promising and under-delivering.
8. I resolve to ‘pay-it-forward’ when I can, with no thought of return, and enjoy the pleasure giving without strings brings.
9. I resolve to accept responsibility for my actions and behaviours and avoid blaming others.
10. I resolve to avoid jumping to conclusions and ‘labelling’ people. Rather, I resolve to accept people as they are and welcoming the diversity life brings.
emergen Get involved in your Emergen state leadership team! We are looking for young professionals to fulEill the following roles: State Blogging Coordinators State Meet Up Coordinators Book Club Coordinators State Marketing Coordinators Social Media Coordinators State Membership Coordinators Contact Alicia on alicia@aliciacurtis.com
INTERVIEW
Starting a Restaurant Franchise Stuart grew up outside of Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, Australia on a small hobby farm and then moved to Sydney where all the action is. When he arrived in Sydney he got in contact with the not-‐for pro&it organisation Rotary, not long after that he attended one of their international leadership conferences. It was at this conference where Stuart met Dr Sam Price the founder of the Emagine foundation in Australia and decided that he wanted to get involved in this charity. Initially Stuart was much more interested in working for the charity rather than the franchise business, however approximately 6 months after working in Emagine, he was offered the CEO position for the restaurant franchise by Dr. Sam Price. He was being coached and mentored when he &irst took up the role and was empowered to make big decisions in the business so that the owner could focus on other matters.
would de&initely make you wonder whether Stuart has any time to himself at all. Stuart responds with "I always make time, health is always something that has been neglected in the year. There’ll always be a million things to do and it’s important to make time for yourself and leisure time. Relationships have taken a toll, still single because has to schedule dates 2 weeks in advance. If you want something done, ask the busiest person you know because they will make time. When I started out I worked really hard 80-‐100 hours a week, I lost some friends along the way but its because I believed in the business and the vision. ” When asked about business plans, Stuart responds.
We all live our lives by the business plan,
taking the time to write a 30 page business plan might take 2-3 days. But if you ask me about strategies. I can tell you them straight away. If you need bank money or investors do it, but not everyone needs it. For new business people, I recommend to just do it (the business) rather than spend too much time planning. Do your research for the key areas but you need to start something to get it going."
Stuart manages his time for the roles between CEO of Zambrero and director of Emagine by blocking out speci&ic time periods to work on each speci&ic company as things always pop up for both organisations all the time. For example, Stuart would block out a speci&ic day where he would only work on Emagine. As anyone can imagine, being a CEO is tough enough but being a CEO and a director for a charity
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One might imagine that starting up a franchised restaurant may cost a lot of money but you might be surprised. "We started out Zambrero’s with $10,000. People think starting a business cost more than it actually does. We negotiated &irst 3 months rent free, paid initial deposit, painted the store ourselves." Stuart suggests that certain "must do's" for every new entrepreneur are to talk to people and watching the cash &low of their business.
INTERVIEW
"Talk to people, ask them what they did right and wrong. Learn from people’s mistakes rather than successes. You learn a lot more from someone who has failed rather than someone who is successful. Watch your cash Flow as people like to avoid conFlict, its easier to pay people you owe money to and hard for you to collect money from people who owe you money ." As a very young CEO, Stuart struggled initially with his inexperience and the way people perceived his youth. "Being young and not knowing what I was doing. Being old and not knowing what you are doing you can still have the respect that you would not get when you’re young. But when you show your results and con&idence in what you are doing, you gain that respect." "Use your youth as an advantage, ask people for advice, knock on CEO’s doors and ask them for a
coffee. I have never had anyone said no, I’ve talked to people who have made millions of dollars and they have never said no." Stuart reveals that his initial mistakes involved managing people. "I have got a great team, but sometimes they were disconnected with the vision and when the leadership wasn’t around they couldn’t make the decisions right. So its important to encourage the team, support your team. Impart the vision of where the company is going and teach them how to deliver the right results to reach that end point the more independent and autonomy they will get, less reliance on you as a leader. " Stuart felt that his strength was creating excitement and hype around the brand and was able to show complete transparency, which helped him gained loyalty and trustworthiness. Check out Zamberos at and Emagine at www.emagine.org.au and www.zambrero.com Aaron Koo www.akooxp.com
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SHORT FEATURE
The Oprah Effect Ok, so I’ve watched the Oprah specials showcasing her time in Australia. I, along with many others I’m sure, have been reminded about the true power of Oprah -‐ her charisma, intelligence and inspiration is very impressive. And what struck me the most was how Oprah is able to share her best talents with the world. She is the ultimate people-‐person as she connects, relates and inspires. That’s what she’s great at and has made her as successful as she is. Which made me think -‐ am I sharing my best talents with the world and how can I do this more? Before we can share our talents with the world, we need to know what our talents are! Having been a leadership trainer for many years, I’m still surprised at how many ‘leaders’ cannot name their own strengths. Whether it’s a lack of self awareness or a fear of being a tall poppy, people deny time to properly identify their own strengths.
Two tools to identify your Strengths The &irst is the book, StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This book collates 40 years of studies on human strengths, which has created 34 of the most common talents. The book gives you an online assessment to help you discover and describe your top &ive talents. The rest of the book goes through each of the talents and how to make the most of each. A fantastic exercise!
The second tool is a free online tool devised by Martin Seligman, author of many positive psychology books including Learned Optimism. If you go to www.authentichappiness.com, you can take the VIA (Virtues in Action) Survey of Character Strengths. This survey rates you among 24 character strengths which all stem from 6 universal virtues including Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance and Transcendence. Again, a really useful look at your core strengths. So with those two tools, you can start the self awareness journey of understanding the actions and behaviours that will give you energy and strengthen you as a person. Then, it’s time to ask, how often do I use my strengths during the week? Are you utlising your strengths or letting them go to waste? Oprah wouldn’t have become the success she has without being committed to using her talents every day. Are you maximizing your talents in your work, in your play or through volunteering? How can you use them more? Make a commitment today to share your talents with the world!
Alicia Curtis Emergen Founder www.aliciacurtis.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Emergen Contributors Alicia Curtis Emergen Founder and E-Mag Editor www.aliciacurtis.com
Jane Genovese www.learningfundamentals.com.au
Linda Le www.genyadvantage.com.au
Aaron Koo www.akooxp.com
Shane Fisher www.trendi.com.au
Hannah Samuel www.hannahsamuel.com
Janine Ripper www.reflectionsfromaredhead.comÂ
Want to join the Contributors List? This e-mag is a collection of some of the blog posts written by Emergen members. If you would like to be a contributor to this emag, the first step is to blog more on Emergen. This publication is free to distribute, in fact we would encourage you to share it with your friends and colleagues. Don’t forget you can join Emergen for free by going to emergen.com.au
Issue 1 : 23
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