Creative Agency Secrets

Indoor rowing classes hit the mainstream gym market.
NY1 indo-row

This is the future….I love working with interesting people who challenge me and push new ideas out for testing to see if the idea will improve whatever we are working on.

This applies at work and in my leisure (rowing) life…. and at home too.

I have worked with great people who have helped me along the way Honor Chapman, Pip Errington, Mark Adams,  Richard Sheahan, Adriana Lukas,  Marianne Grand, Julian Wells [where are you now?], Vyla Rollins [ditto].   

I have also worked with great people who have NOT helped me along the way.  Sad but true.

Time for payback.  These people are GREAT.  They have skill, ability, strategic thoughts and they are very generous with their ideas.  And so here is my manifesto.

The Advice and Guidance Manifesto

Ever noticed how great, talented peoplet are free with advice and guidance?  Why do they do it?
1.  Because they aren’t threatened by sharing their ideas
2.  Because even if I could use every idea they tell me today there are dozens more they are formulating which will keep them ahead of me for a while yet
3.  Giving for free brings payback multiplied many times over (client referrals, new speaking opportunities, new ideas, building reputation….) 
4.  Because someone helped them when they were starting out and the responsibility cascades down the generations
5.  So start doing it yourself - TODAY!

I know this.  It happens here, on this blog.  As I write 9.72 unique visitors read this site daily.  Who are you?  Delighted you are visiting.  Presumably one or two are re-visiting - particular thanks to you, the faithful.  Wow.  Cheers.  Pass the message on. 

Message boards come and go with interest and popularity. 
Generally I only read a couple. 
Browsing on Rowers World I found this interesting dialogue….Erg Advice

Seems that awareness is rising and opinions moving forward for Rowperfect!

Roll on 2009 say I.  This is the year it is predicted that the UK TV adspend will equal online spend. 

The UK is leading the world in home broadband takeup (we BEAT the USA wow!) and if your organisation does any advertising (B2B or B2C) you should be moving online now.

Read the Economist article below (can’t provide a working link as it blocks non-subscribers from premium content which is a practice that reduces the strength of its message online.  Rant over).

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Why do I like rowing?  Why does it have a compelling side that drags me back into the sport?  Why do I always look at stretches of water and rivers and think ‘could I scull on that’?  Some people describe this as ‘getting the bug’.  But it’s clear I’m not the only one.

Read this from Stephen Keisling’s "The Shell Game".

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The inevitable happened this morning - 7 people for a crew of 8.  The missing one was sick and we hadn’t managed to find a subsitute.  It wasn’t cox (which was good or they’d have had to pull me down the river).  I decided to row a 7 with a space at 3.

Good decision or bad decision?

Logic says that you should be able to have a positive row.  But the crew complained about balance and feeling unstable.  Cox never murmured a thing - thanks for getting on with it.

What should I do?  I want to practice in 8s for the next racing focus.  BUT if I’d split into a 4 and singles the ones who most need to practice can’t scull well and I want everyone to move onto the rowing discipline as a contrast to sculling.

We learnt some good things in the outing and improved some skills and did some cardiovascular work.  Was it a waste of time?

What would you have done?
Give me guidance.

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British Coaching Conference 2007
provisional Programme
Saturday 27th January 2007

9.30 Welcome Kate O’Sullivan
9.45 Modern Rowing Technique Thor Nilsen
11.15 Coffee
11.30 The David Walliams Experience Greg Whyte
13.00 RowData Coach of the Year Awards
13.30 Lunch
14.15 Developing a Junior club Rebecca Caroe
15.00 Anti Doping Richard Budget   
15.45 Returning an athlete to winning ways Darren Whiter
16.45 Small workshops with the HP coaches
17.45 End

19.00 Dinner - A Celebration of Coaching

Sunday 28th January 2007

9.00 Getting the best from your athletes Thor Nilsen
10.45 Coffee
11.15 Rigging - the results of the FISA survey  2006 Rosie Mayglothling
12.00 Developments in coach education Loretta Williams
12 30 Lunch
13.00 Lola presentation
13.45 The process of developing athletes Robin Williams
15.15 An athletes perspective Helene Raynesford
15.45 Closing remarks Kate O’Sullivan
16.00 End

A thought for you as you plan the last trading month of 2006.

How’s your cashflow? 

Take a look at thte past 3 adn 6 months data.  How are debtor days?  Cash in the bank?  What’s the overdraft like?

Check the trend against all these figures.

A couple of my clients have seen these rise recently.  The reason may be that the economy is growing and cash is the first to show signs of strain.  Or maybe your clients’ sector is suffering.  Or maybe you are being taken for a ride.

I hope you are all trading fine and this isn’t an issue!

Thought for the day….

I don’t charge athletes a dime who are doing the work and
have a commitment to a goal.
My reasoning goes that I got the help from far better coaches
than I’ll ever be, and they never charged me a penny."

Mike Sullivan
last post on this string

I’ll drink to that!  Me too.

To all my athletes - listen up.  It’s about how you commit to working and learning and racing and enjoying the sport that matters most to me. 

Memo to my athletes at Rob Roy Boat Club

Here are some balance exercises we’ll be trying out on camp at Easter.  Fabrice Moreau