Business Problems Solved Podcast

In this special episode, host Lee takes a reflective journey by engaging in conversations with his two children, Jack and India. Jack, aged 10, shares his insights on what makes a good manager, drawing from his love of football and admiration for figures like Elon Musk. Meanwhile, 8-year-old India expresses her aspirations to become a teacher or business worker, emphasising the importance of helping others and always doing one's best. Through these conversations, Lee realises the need to have more meaningful discussions with his children and gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts and experiences. This episode serves as a heartfelt thank you to listeners and a reminder of the value of sharing lessons and experiences to inspire and help others. KEY TAKEAWAYS Gratitude and reflection: The host expresses gratitude for the listeners and reflects on the journey of the podcast, emphasising the importance of feedback and sharing lessons learned. Lessons from personal experiences: The host shares lessons learned from his best friend's passing and aims to share any lessons he learns with others to make a meaningful impact. Lessons from children: The host interviews his two children, Jack and India, to gain their perspectives on leadership and change. They emphasise qualities such as being polite, imaginative, and vocal as important for good leadership. Importance of connection and social skills: Both children highlight the importance of being social, making friends, and helping others fit in. They emphasise the need for leaders to be vocal, help each other, and create a welcoming environment. Personal growth and self-belief: The children discuss the importance of being happy, being oneself, and always doing one's best. They encourage self-confidence, resilience, and not letting negative influences deter personal growth. BEST MOMENTS"So, yeah, so just just thank you. And like I said, it's been a really reflective experience.""By imagining new things. By thinking up new things. All right, yeah. Good, good, good.""Because some people are different to others and some people won't understand as easily as others.""Always try your hardest, yeah. 100%. 100%, everything.""Always remember nobody can stop you of what you wanted to be." VALUABLE RESOURCESYou can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194 Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOSTFor the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

Lee discusses the challenge that many organisations face when it comes to deploying their strategies effectively. He emphasises the importance of engaging employees and creating a more meaningful and collaborative approach to strategy deployment. Lee introduces a framework of three key questions: Why are we doing this, what do our people need to be, and what elements do we need in place to achieve our goals? By answering these questions and involving the team in the process, leaders can create a clear direction, define desired behaviours, and establish the necessary systems to successfully implement their strategies. Lee concludes by offering a downloadable guide to help listeners navigate this framework and align their departments or functions towards their desired outcomes. KEY TAKEAWAYS Deploying a strategy within an organisation is full of challenges, it's essential we engage people in the process. Using a question framework to guide the deployment of a strategy, focusing on purpose, people, and process can help in helping things go smoothly. The purpose questions involve defining why the organisation is pursuing a particular strategy and what goals or metrics they aim to achieve. The people questions focus on identifying the desired habits and behaviours of employees that will contribute to the success of the strategy. The process questions involve determining the tangible elements and actions needed to support the desired behaviours and achieve the defined goals. BEST MOMENTS "People don't fear change, they fear being changed." "There is a better way than a lot of organisations adopt that can create a more engaging way to deliver the deployment of a strategy, of a direction, of a vision." "To achieve this, our people need to be role models, coaches, positive, respectful, and engaged." "This means we need to have the following things in place: communication system, certain meetings, certain governance, certain roles and responsibilities." "To make this a reality, these actions are required to be delivered. Who's going to do those actions? By when?" You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194 Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material. Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

Lee explores the concept of opportunities and how they are perceived and acted upon. He shares a simple anecdote about a coin glued to the floor to illustrate how some people may not see opportunities while others may misinterpret them. Lee emphasizes the importance of mindset, work ethic, and consistent questioning in recognizing and seizing opportunities for improvement.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Opportunities are all around us, but not everyone sees them or takes advantage of them. It is important for leaders to help their teams recognize and seize opportunities for improvement. Mindset plays a crucial role in identifying opportunities. Believing that everything can be improved and being open to opportunities increases the likelihood of recognizing and taking advantage of them. Asking better questions can help broaden people's thinking and enable them to see opportunities. Consistency in asking these questions and creating a space for open dialogue is key. Creating an environment where people feel empowered to take action on opportunities is essential. This may involve bringing together individuals from different teams or functions to work collaboratively on identified opportunities. BEST MOMENTS "Opportunities are something that everybody, I believe, everybody has the opportunity for opportunities." "If everything in this world is a process, it has inputs, it has outputs and it has steps to achieve it. And every process can be improved." "We need to find a mechanism, find a way to get people to open up to the opportunities that are in front of them, to ask them better questions, to get better answers." "We've got to increase the belief in our people first to recognize the opportunity or things that can be improved." VALUABLE RESOURCES You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194 Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material. Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

Rather than being a black-or-white question, the gap between safe and strong tends to be a sliding scale as only caution can build safety and only risk can result in strength. Lee looks at this balancing conundrum in the context of creating change. KEY TAKEAWAYS Initially, you may want your people to be safe so they can confidently try repeatedly and possibly fail more comfortably. Do you provide answers, templates, and constant guidance for your people, or are you allowing them to fail and learn? We are aiming for an unsafe, strength-building formula with the ability to learn, judge and mitigate risk. BEST MOMENTS ‘Ultimately you want them to be strong, you want them to learn for themselves, you want them to stretch that comfort zone.’ ‘You increase the level of risk, but you also increase the level of strength of the person.’ ‘How much are we willing to push the boundaries on our current comfort levels to try new things, but do it in a way that’s helping us get to where we want to get to.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Business Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHOD You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194 Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOST For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material. Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.  

In this episode of Business Problems Solved, host Lee Horton draws an unexpected analogy between change management and sun cream. He reflects on his recent family holiday and compares the role of change management in protecting individuals from the harmful effects of change to the function of sun cream in shielding people from the sun. Lee emphasises the importance of recognising that change affects individuals differently and that different levels of support and communication may be necessary. He encourages listeners to approach change management with a personalised and adaptable approach, just as one would choose the appropriate sun cream factor for different individuals. Overall, this episode offers a unique perspective on change management and provides practical insights for successfully navigating organisational change. KEY TAKEAWAYS Change management and sun cream are similar in that they both act as barriers between something (change or the sun) and people. Change management is there to protect individuals from the harmful effects of change, just as sun cream protects individuals from the harmful effects of the sun. Just as different people have different tolerances to the sun, different people respond differently to change. Change management should take into account the individual needs and responses of people involved in the change process. Change management, like sun cream, should be applied regularly and with the end goal in mind. It should not be a one-time event, but an ongoing process that considers the different factors and variables at play. People who may appear resistant to change may simply need a different level of support or communication. Just as some people need a higher factor sun cream, some individuals may require more frequent or tailored communication to help them navigate the change process. It is important to treat change management as a positive and necessary aspect of implementing change, rather than a negative barrier. Just as sun cream protects and enhances the tanning process, change management helps individuals and teams transition successfully to their desired state. BEST MOMENTS"Change management is often seen as a barrier between the change and or the solution and people.""Change management is there to protect you from the harmful effects that change can have.""Often people don't fear change, they fear being changed.""Change management is like sun cream. It needs to be applied regularly, but with the goal in mind.""Just remember everybody that is on your program, that is a person, and that person may need a different level of support, a different level of protection, a different level of a barrier between them and the actual change itself." VALUABLE RESOURCESBusiness Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHODYou can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOSTFor the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

When applying change in various organisations Lee has found resistance a common problem. In this episode, he identifies the key reasons why it is so often encountered and how you can circumvent them.   KEY TAKEAWAYS We need to share what we are thinking clearly with everyone when we explain the reasons for change. If people do not understand the rationale behind the decisions it is easy for them to discard or ignore them.  Change brings uncertainty. People worry about what change will mean to them specifically. A perceived lack of leadership support will be interpreted as disapproval of the changes and will make staff consider them unimportant.  People fear that changes will remove their control.  Previous unsuccessful change efforts can create resistance.  Lack of incentive. People need to see a benefit for the increased work.  BEST MOMENTS‘I think this is the biggest thing, a lack of communication.’’Actively listening to concerns and addressing them transparently and applying regular updates and opportunities for people to ask questions and provide feedback is key.’‘A lack of visible leadership can undermine the change effort and lead to resistance.’ ‘Highlight lessons learned and emphasise the steps taken to ensure its success.’ VALUABLE RESOURCESBusiness Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHODYou can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOSTFor the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

How do you create an ongoing strategy to facilitate change in the long term rather than just being reactive to current problems? Lee notes some key points to bear in mind when forming a  plan for others to follow to create change well into the future as well as right now. KEY TAKEAWAYS Use technology to help to achieve your goals. Systemically find problems to solve by engaging your people, metrics and identifying targets. Create a new system, or adapt one that already exists. Know your organisation to fully visualise your goals. Identify what will keep you motivated. BEST MOMENTS ‘You can either create something new or adapt and use something that already exists.’ ‘Do this by engaging with people, not sat by yourself in a room with a PowerPoint slide deck.’ ‘When the going gets tough, and it may get tough because we are dealing with people here, what are the things that are important to you that are going to keep you going every single day?’ ‘If you can brand it in a particular way that makes it memorable then that just makes it easier to differentiate it from everything else that’s happening within the organisation.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Business Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHOD You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194 Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/   ABOUT THE HOST   For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material. Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.  

Lee reflects on the past five years since his friend Chris’ passing as well as Chris’ three lessons that have been so intrinsic in leading change in that time, and his dive into those lessons that he has experienced since his loss.  KEY TAKEAWAYS When you allow people to be themselves, we are all so vastly different. It’s our differences that make progress possible. Always be your authentic self. Make good friends.  Time is limited. BEST MOMENTS‘All the way through school I was the kid who would go bright red and wouldn’t speak out in class.’‘It’s our differences and not our similarities that make what we do special.’‘With Chris’ 3 lessons I try to go deeper into those 3 lessons more and more often. Over the last 5 years I’m continuing to delve deeper.’ VALUABLE RESOURCESBusiness Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHODYou can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOSTFor the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

Lee discusses how amongst change leaders when challenging people’s thinking to move closer to the goal,  your credibility can be much more important than your ability to influence.  KEY TAKEAWAYS A challenge can be uncomfortable, but the important thing is your subject’s view of you and your credibility in their opinion.  It can often be easier to gain credibility as an external change person.  Build trust and credibility with the leaders that you are supporting.  BEST MOMENTS‘Imagine you are a lean coach and you are supporting a leader and you believe the leader can be better at leading people, improving the processes or whatever it is.’‘If you’re starting from a place where the person that you are supporting does not believe that you are credible or doesn’t believe that what it is that you are supporting them with is credible then it doesn’t matter about the ability of the quality in your challenge’‘How can you build that credibility rather than just relying upon your ability to challenge?’ VALUABLE RESOURCESBusiness Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHODYou can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOSTFor the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.

The ‘Say, Do Gap’ is the delay between when people say they are going to do something and when they actually do it or the difference in quality between what they say they are going to achieve and what they actually produce. Lee talks about an extra stage in this process, the ‘Think Feel’ stage.  KEY TAKEAWAYS If we can influence the thoughts and feelings of our people then we have a chance of influencing the culture of our organisation.  If someone feels that an environment is not safe to freely express themselves there will be a substantial ‘Think, Feel, Say’ gap. Remove the obstacles to free expression to act on things more quickly and achieve better resolutions.   BEST MOMENTS‘What people are thinking and feeling isn’t necessarily what they are saying when they are asked.’  ‘How many times have you had thoughts or feelings that you’ve not actually spoken?’‘People talk about trust a lot and I think when you have a high trust environment then the gap between what people feel and say is far, far reduced.’  VALUABLE RESOURCESBusiness Problems Solved Podcast          CONTACT METHODYou can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194Lee@leehoughton.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/ ABOUT THE HOSTFor the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.