Blog « Able and How

Picture this

TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD — It’s Friday morning. Early. So it must be time for our weekly Board meeting.

We meet early at our local wheat germ palace for breakfast and a review of the week’s top developments.

This will be a good one.

Amidst all the client work, the international visas, chasing months’ overdue invoices (you know who you are) and significant changes in personnel, we have taken time out to thank our clients.

I’m going to say it was my fellow director Paul’s idea. We thought it made sense to thank the people who got us here, so we commissioned some special artwork and sent it off to a very limited and special list.

So far the feedback has been great.

And from our perspective it was the very least we felt we could do for a group of senior business people who have really made Able and How a success.

In writing the notes we made a surprising realisation. This is our client base in numbers:

20 different organisations, multi-nationals and sector leaders
Over 1.3 million employees in those firms
Headquarters from Tokyo to New Jersey
Worked on-site in 6 different countries

I know we can’t just say they are all great. We helped them too, and their continued patronage is a sign of their happiness, but still…

Thanks.

And thanks again.

/df

Transocean, internationalism and belonging

BY THE THAMES — There’s an interesting article about Transocean in The Sunday Times last weekend (subscription required). Perhaps you read it?

I have been expecting something to come out, and certainly the implication is that we will hear a lot more about Transocean in the near future.

I am sure there’s a lot to say on that. But I’m not the one to say it now.

What struck me about the article was something else entirely.

Transocean is a company without a home. It has a Houston base of operations. But it’s executives are based in Geneva. And it’s 20,000 employees are all over the world, with manufacturing in Asia and some logistics in the sub-continent. The firm has more assets in the North Sea than it does in the Gulf of Mexico… where Deepwater Horizon has now made it famous.

The firm has announced a €1 billion dividend earlier this year. But the government of Switzerland is holding it up.

The Swiss?!

How much off-shore drilling is done in Switzerland?

And where do employees of Transocean call home?

It resonates today with another naturalised Briton I spoke to while playing cricket (as one does.) This man explained that his family has chosen not to bury it’s relatives anywhere. No stone, no grave. Because the children and relatives are spread around many countries and several continents.

“This way, if we cremate them, we can each have a little cup, to do with as we wish.” And we all nodded, as if we understood.

I’m not telling you this to make you cringe, or feel sad. But it’s in some ways a fitting analogy for companies like Transocean. They are not of the earth. They are not connected to the soil of any one jurisdiction. So it will be interesting to see how things play out for them.

BP has certainly had a great deal made of it’s “British-ness” over the last 5 months. And British is undoubtedly still important to the business. Even as they have an American CEO and few real operations even in Europe.

For companies that have no home, whose rules do they play to? Whose administration do they honour? What audience and people can they not stand to let down?

Who holds them to account?

Who knows?

/df

Planning and communicating change: We’re two, thanks to you

SOUTH KENSINGTON — Good morning.

How are you doing? Still on holiday? Tired and wondering where the sun has gone?

It is the end of the summer and it’s been a nice few months in most parts of the world. The sun has shone and the world has seemed at peace.

But we’re only about to start again in a few days time. When everyone is back at work we’ll see what the economy does and how people respond.

Gathered around our shaky board table at Able and How we won’t be worrying. We’ll be celebrating. On September 8, 2010 we are turning two.

I know it doesn’t sound like a lot. We won’t be adding “serving you since 2008″ to our branding any time soon. But think about what a two years it has been.

• Week 2: Lehman Brothers collapses
• Week 3-52: the economy follows suit

Of course we’ve had other miseries along the way. Some of you know about them. Our clients have suffered just as much as we have. Some are still without work.

However, through persistence, determination… and a lot of support from people who didn’t really owe us anything, we have survived.

And now we’re thriving.

The idea of an agency that plans and communicates change may still seems far fetched to some. But the 15 multinational companies who have hired us this year haven’t blinked. They’ve been happy with the results. And we hope that we’ll keep working with them forever.

Have a look at our launch blog posting. What great optimism and enthusiasm.

It’s worth it.

We’re helping businesses get better and it’s the best job in the world.

/df

Leadership at work has changed, and not everyone is keeping up

HOLLYWOOD ROAD — We don’t make enough of the fact that leadership styles and requirements have changed. Not we at Able and How, but we who talk about this stuff. You rarely see an article in HBR or the WSJ or NYT that addresses generational changes in leadership style.

There’s a lovely [...]

Women in the Boardroom: Stop talking and just do it!

MY KITCHEN — Nothing like a Saturday morning read of the papers to generate a good old rant.

This morning I am caught by the Independent’s cover story on women in senior business roles in the UK. Have a read if you want numbers and even if you just want to read quotes from male executives [...]

Good manners means good business

FULHAM ROAD — I was fairly roundly abused over dinner last night for having this point of view. Apparently many in my generation feel that ‘social convention’ don’t and/or shouldn’t apply to them.

And for anyone doing business I think that’s wrong. Whether big or small, there is no need to be rude if it could limit your business.

1. Swearing

The [...]

Why I still get excited about this business

MONTREAL — I′m nearing the end of my holiday, and I took some time out this week to work again. You never really turn off when things are exciting.

I know that′s a good thing.

I met with a prospective client and had a great bilingual conversation. I don′t know if there will be any work, but I do know that [...]

Change management and America

CAPE COD — Yes, it’s not fair to spend a week or two here every few years and make some big assumptions. So let’s just call these some observations. Asides.

As always, you can be quickly impressed with the core ‘brand’ of America. It’s a patriotism that is remarkable for a country that is so young and so disparate. We’ve [...]

The big sell: Here's what we're not!

CAP COD — I love my trips to America. It’s probably any change of scenery that makes you think twice. But here you learn so much in a short amount of time. Today I am learning sales from the shopping networks and even the carved wood signs in this faux-modest summer haven.

“Free Air” a garage down the street trumpets on [...]

The world of work and the World Cup

SW6 — It’s been a really great World Cup. I am watching it with some South Africans. They were the ones saying it might be a train-crash of a tournament. And now they’re proud.

And they’re suddenly feeling quite Dutch too.

Here are 5 things I have learned that also translate into the workplace:

1. The noisiest manager aren’t necessarily [...]

Able and How

Communication, organisational communication, change management and people. And some other things…

Picture this

Transocean, internationalism and belonging

Planning and communicating change: We’re two, thanks to you

Leadership at work has changed, and not everyone is keeping up

Women in the Boardroom: Stop talking and just do it!

Good manners means good business

Why I still get excited about this business

Change management and America

The big sell: Here's what we're not!

The world of work and the World Cup

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