Core Values Aren’t Good Enough
First, I’m alive! Thank you to all the wishers-of-well for my recent Wisdom Teeth surgery – everything went to plan, and I have successfully managed to rest, watch the Godfather Trilogy, and make at least a dozen jokes about the Twitter rebrand.
After Blackboard Fridays Episode 6, where I encouraged business owners to put in place specific behaviours and rituals that were unique to their business, I had a few questions asking me to give examples.
In this week’s video, I deliver! (See, reply to my emails at any time to join the conversation. I read them all.)
Now these 5 examples of great cultural rituals are definitely NOT recommendations for your business. They’re just the best examples I’ve found for how you can push the envelope with your culture, have a bit of fun, and as a result build an energised and loyal team:
- Blackboard Fridays Episode #18 details the value of Culture Rituals for SMEs
- Your AI Tool of the Week may seem like another pro-forma, but it’s a real time saver
1. Blackboard Fridays Episode #18 – Rituals for a Better Culture
Core Values aren’t enough to build a business Culture. They’re too contextual, and it’s almost impossible for a group to consistently manage concepts like “Transparency” or “Pace”.
In Episode 6 I explained the whole Culture System I implement with my clients – the Who (People), Why (Purpose), What (Values) … and the How (Behaviour + Rituals).
So what the bleeding heck do I mean by “Rituals in a business“? Here are 5 rituals I’ve seen small business owners execute, from accounting firms to estate agencies, to bring their team together and give an added emotional incentive for employees to stay loyal.
Watch the video or read the article here.
2. Fillout – Online Forms in Half the Time
SME Version $0 | Over 1,000 Responses per month $15
The Pitch: “Make any form in minutes”
How many tasks in your business pop up occasionally? My current approach to these needs is immediately asking if there’s an AI innovation that can help.
This week I needed to create an online form, linked to a podcast I appeared on (stay tuned!). Historically I’ve used Typeform, Survey Monkey, or Microsoft Forms … staring at a blank page, or an imperfect template, and largely starting from scratch.
Then I found Fillout. I explained my need (“a form to send people a copy of my book”) and 30 seconds later it had created a good-looking online form with all the fields I needed (including some I hadn’t thought about!). And because the generative AI was a one-off, not ongoing, it still cost me nothing.
I had to tweak the defaults from the US to Australia, and Fillout lacks the in-depth reporting and analysis that Survey Monkey provides.
But for a simple form that looks great, this was a 5 minute exercise not a 15-30 minute exercise. And that kind of “time saving for tasks you are already doing” is the current sweet spot for AI in SMEs – make sure your team is benefiting from the productivity boost.
You can see my simple form here. Or use Fillout for yourself starting here.
With love,
Jacob Aldridge
International Business Advisor
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