To Coyne A Phrase

I love the sound of breaking glass

LIKE a bull in a china shop I bowled into the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) reception at Nuvo Bar in Birmingham on Monday evening announcing myself in a loud voice to the name badge lady.

Only to hear a very loud collective shushing as it turned out I had arrived just as the speeches were being made. Whoops. Teach me for being tardy I suppose.

Anyway my embarrassment was short-lived as I was soon bettered in the red-face competition by none other than Rachel Eade MBE, automotive sector lead for the Business Growth Service (which includes MAS).

With all eyes on her and reaching for a glass vase full of business cards intent on doing the prize draw she somehow contrived to knock it off its shelf, shattering in hundreds of pieces as it hit the floor.

It’s been a bad few days for Rachel who learned only a week ago that MAS is to be scrapped by the Government – a story broken by TheBusinessDesk.com.

Given the news of its demise, the MAS event could have turned into a wake but although many of the manufacturers attending were shocked and even angry at the news and what it would mean in terms of business support (or rather the lack of it) in the future, people were determined to let their hair down as planned pre-announcement.

What became apparent from speaking to senior MAS types at the event was that there was no consultation with the Government and they were given no notice of its intentions.

Interestingly, there was a widely-held feeling that the need for business support amongst SME manufacturers is so great that within a year something else will be set up that looks and acts very like MAS.

Gary the Giraffe to win it by a head

SOLIHULL’S Gary ‘the Giraffe’ Poulton has made it through to the final five on TV’s The Apprentice and  – partly because of the ineptitude of his fellow candidates – may be in with a shout of winning it and becoming Lord Sugar’s business partner and recipient of £250,000 of his hard earned as start-up capital.

But it turns out that it’s not Gary’s business nous that will see him triumph but rather the shape of his face.

A study of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs commissioned by ICAEW and using renowned personologist (no, me neither) and author Naomi Tickle, has revealed the most common facial characteristics that make a successful entrepreneur
 
A total of 20 leading British entrepreneurs were ‘analysed’ and, using the research findings, ICAEW has created composite facial images showing the entrepreneurial male and female face of success in Britain today.

And based on entrepreneurial facial characteristics alone, Marston Green’s Gary the Giraffe, who spent seven years working for Tesco, is the most likely candidate to win this year’s series of The Apprentice apparently.
 
Stephen Ibbotson, director of business at ICAEW, said: “It’s surprising how many common characteristics the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs share, both in the way that they look, but also in their personalities.
 
“Although this is a light-hearted look at entrepreneurialism in Britain, it’s interesting to dissect the commonalities to unpick part of the puzzle as to what makes a truly successful entrepreneur.”

It would have saved Lord Sugar a lot of effort if they could have told him this a month or two ago.

But then again surely he has worked out by now that anyone who could come up with the phrase “he left a sour taste in the client’s eye,” as Gary did, is destined for greatness.

All I want for Christmas…. is to be somewhere else

TOPPING employees’ Christmas wish lists for 2016 is the desire for additional annual leave (38%), followed by more flexible working hours (28%) and more training/professional development opportunities (16%).

Cynics might suggests that number three is in preparation for getting a job elsewhere for a company which provides more of one and two.

The survey by recruitment firm Robert Half suggests a disconnect between what employees want and want employers think they want (above and beyond more money).

Employers believe the number one perk is flexible working hours (56%) with only 23% thinking their staff would choose more annual leave and only 8% believing employees would like extra training.

Phil Sheridan, managing director of Robert Half UK, said: “The focus on employee recruitment and retention sharpens in a robust economy and many executives may be undervaluing a perk their workforce wants most.

“Offering extra time off over the holidays will mean that employees return with higher levels of motivation and morale in January.”

Give me more time off boss and I’ll return with a higher level of motivation. Good luck with that one. 

Have a great weekend.