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Banks. Why The ‘Tin Men’ Need To Join Facebook

March 26, 2010 in Uncategorized by Wendy | No comments

I saw a very interesting video from Thomas Power this morning about The Bank Of Facebook. He pointed out that the number of people on Facebook is so huge, that it has the potential to start it’s own bank through peer to peer lending. A tremendous concept I think. I think it is important for us to take notice, because I feel that we are on the brink of change of a significant kind. And here’s why…

I had, and still do have, a crazy notion about the banking industry. I predicted that it would begin to go into decline, and eventually die and the enormous offices they once occupied will end up becoming museums – much like the cloth mills of the 19th Century. Yeah, crazy idea eh? Never happen…?

I considered the whole concept of change in the banking industry, an article I posted on Ecademy in February 2007 “Could This Be The End Of Office Politics” .

One of the characters in my book – the Tin Man “Tom Tindall-Heart” is really struggling with change. He works in The City Of London and doesn’t even know what Facebook is! He still relies on his Filofax and has no concept of Social Media. He is so far into his comfort zone that he doesn’t know how he’s going to climb out. But he knows that if he doesn’t confront this – he will be left behind.

Now, the Bank of Facebook, is a clear signal that change is already starting to happen and that far from remaining the ‘Fat Cats’ of the business world, the banking institutions as we know it (The Tin Men) could soon be under threat – because ordinary people (as I explained in my article) led by a more enlightened souls, will rise up, join forces and start doing their own thing – much like they did in the Peasant’s revolt.

So, everyone. What do YOU think? Is BIG change coming? Will Facebook and its kind really become that powerful that the engine that has driven our economies (i.e. capitalism/finance industry to use a broad term), will come to an end; to be replaced by something entirely new, based on different values, and a completey different model of how money flows?

Now I’m not an economist but it makes a lot of sense to me. We are in the midst of one of the most significant revolutions for over 100 years. No blood has been spilled, but what with the growing disenchantment with our governments and politics in general, the rise of the internet and the power it has given ordinary people – I’d wager that even more significant changes are on the way. Share your thoughts here.

Tags: banking industry, city of london, coping with change, discover yourself on the yellow brick road, economics, facebook, lending, politics, resolution coaching, the bank of facebook, the election, the peasant's revolt

The Lion’s Guide To Courage Under Fire

March 21, 2010 in Uncategorized by Wendy | 2 comments

As Andrew Lloyd Webber begins his search for Dorothy in his new production of The Wizard of Oz, I’m featuring a series of blogs which explore the key challenges faced by the principle characters in this story.

I begin with the Lion’s search for COURAGE and why this could desert us in times of trouble.

Let’s take Louisa Lyons – the contemporary character who appears in my book. She’s being bulled by her boss, but feels powerless to do anything about this. Despite being a fearless sportswoman in her spare time – she’s a completely sissy at work and lets her boss walk all over her.

But what is courage and where do you find it when you need it, when you’re under fire…?

For instance what do you need to carry on when you’ve been made redundant, after a relationship breakdown or death, trying something you’ve never tried before, launching a new concept or idea, dealing with difficult or aggressive people, overcoming and handling debt?

I’ve come up with 9 ideas…if you have another to add, I’d like to hear from you

Courage is…

Quiet dignity. Its remaining calm and poised, when all around you are running around like headless chickens
Acting decisively. Sometimes the only way to solve a persistent problem is to refuse to tolerate any situation that compromises your values. But this will require the courage to stand up for what you believe in, which may require you to stick your head above the parapet to court controversy. But isn’t it more exciting to be known for being a bit daring…rather than a sheep?
Taking responsibility for your own actions, and resisting the temptation to take the easy way out. Pointing the finger or blaming external circumstances for your own misfortune only wastes time doesn’t it – time you could be spending on solving the problem.
Accepting and adapting to change. Sometimes it can be hard to accept that if something isn’t working you may need to consider changing directions, letting go and starting again
Standing up for yourself. Why run with the pack or allow others to make decisions on your behalf? I’ve learnt that to my cost. If you accept that your job is to work at becoming better at being YOU, nobody can do that job better than you can.
Acceptance. To achieve our objectives may mean leaving behind people who don’t validate, support or encourage you. If others don’t believe in you or are working on their own agenda to compensate for their own shortcomings, does that really serve you?
Moving out of your comfort zone and trying something new, sometimes without really knowing or having the comfort or certainty in the outcome.
Pressing on despite fear, pain, disappointment and loss. Because in the end, quitting isn’t always the best solution. As they say, pain is temporary – quitting lasts forever…
Listening to your inner voice (no matter how quiet that may be), paying attention to it, trusting it and having the guts to go with your gut
Fill in the blank…what do you think courage is…?

I welcome your comments and observations

Tags: andrew lloyd webber, confidence, coping with adversity, coping with debt, courage, discover yourself on the yellow brick road, dorothy, finding your purpose, getting over redundancy, getting through a divorce, resolution coaching, wendy dashwood-quick, wizard of oz

How To Write Your First Report Or White Paper

March 15, 2010 in Uncategorized by Wendy | No comments

Those of you who know me well know that “Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road”, a book that took me two years to write.

But what you probably don’t realise is that in fact, it didn’t start out to be a book at all. It started out as a marketing exercise. I went on a course to learn how to create products so that my clients could sample my work and get to know me through my materials. Writing is an opportunity for me to share my knowledge instead of keeping it all in my head.

I’ve spent the best part of 15 years reading and learning about self development. One day I woke up one morning and thought “look Wendy, stop reading other people’s material and start writing your own!”. But since I’ve published my book loads of people have been asking me “how did you do that!?” So I thought I’d share a few of my secrets with you, so that you can get going on your own materials and in so doing promote your own expertise – therefore raising your profile and crediblity in your own field.

So, if you’re struggling to get started here’s a few tips

If you are writing something with a specific target audience in mind. Mindmap the sort of challenges that your clients are facing. Don’t censor your thoughts, just get a big piece of paper, coloured pens and download your ideas from your brain. When you think you’ve finished, keep going because sometimes the longer you do this the better the ideas become.
If you’re still not clear then carry out a survey and use the responses to add to your mindmap and complete the content
Once you’ve got your mindmap take every key word out and put that into a list
Look at this list and see if there are any words that could be put into common groups, or themes
From these thems will come your headings – for instance you could have something that says “The 7 Biggest Challenges that Pig Farmers Face”
Then go ahead and write everything that comes into your mind under these 7 headings – don’t aim for perfection, just write, write, write. One tip is to type this on your computer – but turn off the monitor so that you’re not tempted to edit or change anything. You can edit it all later
Prepare a 20 page e-book. Feel free to ‘borrow’ the formatting from my e-book you downloaded from my website. However, before you publish it make sure you get some feedback from a respected person who will tell you straight what could be improved.
If you’re stuck or have writers block – then here’s a fantastic book which tackles this very problem. ‘Blocks’ has been written by Tom Evans who specialises in helping people unleash their book and get it published. http://publishingacademy.com/buy/guidebooks/blocks/