I also have several days filming in the coming weeks, designed finally to add video to this website…and there’s even a whisper of webinars – but more of that another time.

To check out the new page click here. and let me know what you think.

Onwards!

The aim is to help you discover what business skills and characteristics you need in order to succeed. I’ll be aligning each of the 7 steps to the career of singer-songwriter Adele, as she’s a brilliant exponent of what to do right in the world of business.

Thanks to Adele (even though she may never read this) for being such a great role model for which to hang the following characteristics upon.

Part 2: Leadership

I’m sure you’ll have heard the often used corporate training phrase, “become the leader” (and if you haven’t – you have now), but the thing is, that’s what being a singer, speaker, entertainer etc, is all about; standing tall and becoming a leader.

People who communicate ideas whether by song, written or spoken word, or in some other way seek to inspire others are potentially a leader. People follow a leader, and if that person continues to share interesting ideas, followers will continue to follow.

But in the beginning, a leader has to be willing to step out of the box.

In a recent article in The Times, a journalist reminisced  the first time she saw Adele in an East End pub before going on to become a household name. She described an unusual looking girl, alone and and looking out-of-place at the bar.  That was until sometime later when she stood on the stage, guitar in hand, and sang her first song.

Then the magic happened.

Thinking back to her performance at The Brits last year when she sang, “Someone Like You” – a plainly dressed girl with only a pianist to accompany her. No dancing. no pyrotechnics. Just a song, a voice, and not a dry eye in the house.

Even upon accepting the Grammy award for best pop vocal performance for “Someone Like You” in LA a few weeks ago Adele mentioned how much that performance and the whirlwind of success since had meant to her, and how for her the song was something we could all relate to – a rubbish relationship – it made sense; Adele stood proud. Her very ordinariness coupled with an extraordinary ability to craft and express a song make her the leader that she is.

Exercise:

• To what degree do you think you stand up above the crowds with your skill or endeavour?
• And if that figure is less than you want, what can you start doing now that will move you toward reaching that panicle and will help you become the leader you want to be?

Until tomorrow, and the subject of Communication, I wish you success.

My aim is to look at the business skills and attributes needed over and above the creative process in order to deliver the kind of success needed to live as a professional in your industry.

To make these posts super hands-on and accessible, I’ll be aligning each principle to the career of uber successful singer-songwriter Adele, as I think we’ll agree she delivers her craft with effortless grace and professionalism.

Whilst people not associated with music may well consider “showbiz” to be a totally different world to the one in which they work, they’d be surprised how similar the rules of business and routes to success are. Equally, artists and creatives would do well to learn the rules of business as adhered to by every other industry, because guess what – they apply to music, too!

I would also of course like to thank the lovely Adele (even though she may never read these posts) for being my muse. Adele, your gift and sheer grace have inspired this. Thank you!

1: Vision

Now relax, I’m not suggesting you suddenly have a master plan – though if so, good for you! Interviewed after her recent Grammy Awards haul, Adele talked about whilst not having a master plan, and not particularly shining or being interested in anything other than music as a youngster at school, she did have a vision, and thankfully that vision was very much supported by her mother.

Adele also clarified how her mother was not the typical pushy showbiz parent, but rather an ordinary mum standing-by, being supportive and allowing Adele to find her own way forward. Adele always new her future would involve singing. Even before she understood what a career was or that one might be possible as a musician, she new exactly what it was what she wanted to do.

Exercise

So, over to you.

• Ask yourself, as a singer, actor, performer, or someone who wants to create, what is the bigger vision?
• What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
• Who would you say is in your corner, ready to big you up? And if the answer is nobody right now, think about who you would like to invite into that corner. Remember, this is the bigger vision phase.

As American multi-billionaire Donald Trump once said, “If you’re going to dream, you may as well dream big.”

I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow for Step 2: Becoming The Leader

Until then, rock-n-roll!

Whether in the raucousness of her laughter, the occasional tear shed at the end of a song, or the tendency to talk with the audience with the honesty more associated with friends chatting at home, Adele really does demonstrate an incredible ability to connect with the audience, and in so doing has become one of the most successful artists in the world today.

So what can we learn from Adele that can help us to find our true connection, our true voice?

Someone Like You?

It’s often said how singers wear their hearts on their sleeve, but when Adele’s sings it’s as though she offers a glimpse deep into her soul. Part of the magic is her ability to capture moments of intense emotion, often painful, and to put them into song. When we witness and feel the pain she expresses in songs such as “Someone Like You” even though we didn’t know the guy she’s singing about it’s as though we all know or have known an ex just like him.

One of the attributes of a great leader (which great singers and entertainers undoubtedly become) is the ability to show their vulnerability, to strip emotions to the bone in order to provide a learning (which for Adele is to show she’s “just like us”, that she hurts as well).

But what if Adele’s surgeons had failed? What if she had lost here voice, as Julie Andrews did after failed surgery more than a decade ago? Of course there would be her catalogue of work, but what else might we have never heard in the future?

Divas and Demands

Another part of the Adele’s magic, and partly why she’s so adored around the world, is that she’s appears to be just so normal. She laughs accepting the umpteenth Grammy award apologizing; “Sorry, I’ve got snot on my face” to a live TV audience of millions. In a world full of divas and demands Adele is just who she is; a girl who sings, writes a good song, never wants to become a size zero model “just to fit in”, and admits to getting “a bit mouthy” sometimes. I call that refreshingly normal.

So, what can other artists and creatives learn from Adele, because the reality is behind that smile is an absolute professional, a team, and an organisation that ultimately make it all look effortless?

Beginning here Monday will be a 7 part series looking at the characteristics and strategies Adele has mastered so well that contribute to her success – strategies that if you employed might help you produce a better version of the success you want, too.

Along with blogging here, I’ll also be Tweeting and posting ideas on Tumblr - my new “Business Savvy for Artists & Creatives” website, where you’ll also find video of Adele to savour right now!

Take a look. Enjoy. Let me know your results.

Lights, camera, action!

The project is hosting on a new platform for me, Tumblr and will of course also be supported by my Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Business Savvy Mastermind Group

Follow the link here to find out whether you might be a good fit for the first Business Savvy Mastermind Group meeting taking place in London at the end of March.

More news coming shortly…

No one can doubt the impact the banking and global financial crisis has had on people’s lives in Britain and around the world, and will continue to have for years to come.

Bad news sells, and unfortunately the banking industry has done a grand job with announcements of bloated bonuses and eye waveringly extravagant remuneration packages whilst still falling short of every major requirement to lend to small business.

For a country experiencing austerity and hardship, news of the extravagance and (by some) arrogance has inadvertently shown the opposite of the intelligence we would have expected of those banking leaders (the reason they were employed); and instead shown incredible insensitivity and stupidity.

Top Tip 7: Legacy

Whilst these have been a hard hitting collection of posts, the intention has been to suggest what can be learned from the recent past, and above all show a way forward so banking can reconnect with the British people and regain it’s status as a respected profession.

Legacy is what we leave behind once we have gone. The legacy of the present day banking industry will only be known in the future. All history, including the turmoil of the last few years, is part of a much greater story. Therefore, the decisions the banking industry as well as individual bankers make today and in the future will be for them to write.

A banker’s legacy 2012 could be how they helped turn the industry around and they helped redefine what it was to be a banker in a way society began to trust again. If you’re a senior banker reading this blog post, you’re legacy could be how, after your career came to an end, people look back and see how you left the industry in a better shape than it was today. It’s all up to you.

Banking is not all about profit and money, but in how it serves those who use it: the customers, industry, and the country.

Knowing how a bank conducts it’s valuable work, what it contributes to society, and how it enables people and business to live the successful lives they have a right to live – isn’t that what banking is really meant to be about?

Top Tip 6: Purpose

Purpose, sometimes described as “the big reason,” is the driver behind why we do what we do. Money is a driver for most people, though not usually the main one. Money can bring stability and provide for life’s luxuries, though having money doesn’t usually equate to an increased sense of personal power or feelings of self worth – whereas having a strong purpose does.

As a trainer with The Coaching Academy, the world’s largest coach training provider, students often share the reason that makes want to become a coach. They often list their purpose as “a passion for working with people”.

Purpose is the “why”, it’s where we find our passion. In life and business if you have a big enough “why” you’ll move mountains to achieve your purpose.

If money is a quick burn for motivation, having a sense of purpose is the slower, more lasting, ever increasing route to life long engagement

Establishing, or reestablishing the purpose of good banking should have been an easy target to hit…except that because of the recent history of economic turmoil, that target has now changed.

Today banking has to start again. It’s purpose (to serve the people and support the life of the country) has been muddied by top bankers appearing only to serve themselves. Banking needs to find a new purpose, and as mentioned in previously mentioned in previous “7 Step” blog posts, it needs to find a way to communicate that purpose in an honourable, decent and human way.

I hope by reading these steps you’re realizing that each step builds on the previous. They are not separate, but connected as we all are with each of our own lives.

Until tomorrow, and the final tip in this series, I wish you well.

(and if you don’t happen to be involved in banking or the financial industry at all, you’ll still find these 7 tips useful as they really are 7 fundamental principles any good business or business person should follow in order to achieve true and lasting success)

Top Tip 5: Courage

Courage is not about being loudest, most aggressive or antagonistic towards detractors. Courage is about doing what’s right. I doubt anyone would have perceived Fred “The Shred” Goodwin as courageous in refusing to hand back his eye watering payoff from RBS or even a portion of his equally astronomical pension after leading the bank to near ruin.

Courage is coming back after failure, admitting mistakes, then staying the course to put them right.

Most people would regard Sir Richard Branson as a courageous business man. Overcoming challenges life has thrown his way from time to time, taking nail biting business decisions that some times went wrong, only to come back and do his best to learn what happened and do his level best to put things right. For many, he’s a role model of what to do right in business.

That’s one way a business leader can demonstrate courage.

Whatever business you’re in, how would you say you demonstrate courage in your role right now? When have you fallen short, and what could you learn from that to help you in the future?

Be courageous!

Today we only ever hear about the super earners and recipients of a mega bonus, but what about everyone else? How engaged are the leaders of of the largest companies, including banks, with other areas of the organisation?

Whether traditionally this area has been addressed or not (and from experience, I know it’s usually the latter), research shows the more senior people within an organisation are seen to engage and be approachable the more employee motivation grows.

If you’re a leader within the banking industry, what does engagement mean for you? If you were to aim to increase the amount of engagement you have, with employees as well as the public, what would that look like?

Top Tip 3: Communication

Communication is one of those things done well can be a “get out of jail free” enabling you to overcome the biggest obstacles, fast-track success, and enable overall approval of even the hardest decisions.

On the other hand, bad communication can be a fast-track to total failure.

With communication the stakes are high.

One of the biggest criticisms banking leaders have had leveled against them in recent years is inadequate communication.

The main rule in communication bankers should remember is that there is always communication. Even when there is no communication, THAT is still communication. Good communication is the best tool we have to motivate and inspire others.

Good communication keeps people informed and can restore confidence. Good communication can help people feel worthwhile again, instead of the worthlessness an economic downturn inevitably has brought.

Banking leaders with vision should ask themselves one question, “what’s the message I need to communicate to the team, organisation, business, Government, media and most of all the public?”

Communication is not a once in a lifetime soundbite, it’s an ongoing conversation.

What’s yours going to be?