Author Archives: Jon Stow

Giving the bad news

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Jon Stow

In my business one issue that crops up quite often is telling clients things they don’t want to hear. Not every business has that problem, but quite often I am called in to clear up other people’s mess. They have … Continue reading →

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Getting over telephone blues

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Jon Stow

You might have gathered from an earlier post that I had personal experience of running into trouble with an alleged rolling contract with the telecoms provider. I have now been advised that I have won my appeal to the OFTEL … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer service, Start-up | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Poisonous cultures

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Jon Stow

I have already written about workplace cultures  and how they can lead to poor standards. These cultures are usually not management led, and management may not know. However if a culture is there for all to see, there is no … Continue reading →

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Rare weekend off

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Jon Stow

Someone in my line of business tweeted the other day “I am having a rare weekend off. I hope the weather stays fine”. Well, I think the weather probably held up and delivered, but what a statement, or should I … Continue reading →

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Consequences

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Jon Stow

While we know that planning ahead is what we all should do, the reality is that many people don’t like thinking beyond the here and now. If they are having a good time, the future doesn’t matter – except it … Continue reading →

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No Hiding Place

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Jon Stow

If you Google “No Hiding Place” you will find that it was the title of a police drama series in the UK way back in the black-and-white days.  I rather think my parents were quite keen on it. They used … Continue reading →

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Stupid inconsiderate people

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jon Stow

You come across people who don’t think about their fellow human beings all the time. There are those who play loud music in their gardens on sunny Sunday afternoons when their neighbours want to have a peaceful time and read. … Continue reading →

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Diseased and toxic workplace cultures

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Jon Stow

Disbelief I understand the furore over the apparent disbelief, especially amongst politicians, when the management of the News of the World and the senior editorial staff say they didn’t know that telephone hacking was used to get stories about well … Continue reading →

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Making a meal of our managing duties

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Jon Stow

I am all for delegation of responsibility to staff. That is part of good management if you are confident your managers and employees are up to coping. Of course it is important that they ask for advice and they are … Continue reading →

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Closed and open networks in the 21st Century

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Jon Stow

Under orders Do you like being told what to do? As a small business owner, I don’t, and I don’t suppose you do either. To be honest, I never really have liked being told what to do. When I was … Continue reading →

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