Chameleon PR

Yesterday I was talking to Gerard Burke, the director of Cranfield School of Management Business Growth and Development Programme (BGP), a programme I did last year and excellent, about the ’six behaviours of winners in a downturn’ it has identified. The credibility for the school doing this is that over 1000 ambitious owner managers have participated in BGP including many high profile entrepreneurs such as Angus Thirlwell of Hotel Chocolat (#1 in FastTrack 100), Lord (Karan) Bilimoria of Cobra Beer, Tristram Mayhew of GoApe (#71 in FastTrack 100), Lara Morgan of Pacific Direct, Charles Rigby of World Challenge Expeditions.

Gerard said to me: “Much has been made of the impact of the recession on small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy and their owner managers are the unsung heroes. It is well documented that, in developed economies, most of the jobs are created in smaller growing businesses. So, it will be ambitious owner managers who pull us out of the current recession.”

Chameleon organised for Gerard to talk about the six behaviours on the Chris Evans show which you can click to hear by skipping to 1hr 31 minutes into the show. Here’s a summary of the behaviours:

1. Be in control. Rather than feel at the mercy of external forces that no-one can predict, Winners take control of their own destiny and know that they can continue to control what they do in their businesses.

2. Be confident. Winners will continue to articulate a clear and compelling vision of the medium to long term future.

3. Be distinctive. Winners will be clear about the distinctive benefits their products/services bring to their customers and will hold fast to those distinctions rather than be forced to compete solely on price.

4. Be strong. Winners are absolutely rigorous in managing their business – focusing on the things that really matter, managing cash religiously, challenging costs and waste, making immediate bottom line improvements.

5. Be wise. Winners will continue to make wise investments in key actions and resources required for the future.

6. Be ready. Winners will be ready to seize the opportunities that others are too timid to spot.

Helen

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