The Culture Builder

Ever thought about what it feel like to be long term unemployed? How do you cope with the economic challenges of not having enough money coming in and the emotional challenges of not being able to support your family?

Could you handle routinely having to miss meals in order to make sure your kids got fed?

Not sure I could but I am going to have a go at it for 24 hours on 18th March in order to support those who need help getting back into work.

For me 24 hours without food will be mildly unpleasant but at the end of it I get to go back to normal life, so it doesn't seem too much to ask, if it genuinely allows me to make a difference to those for whom this is part of day to day life.

I am a volunteer for Suited for Success and the reality of life for most charities is we constantly need to raise funds to fund our operations and support those who need our help. Our initiative aims to raise £20,000 much needed funds during March.

Every £50 we raise will gift a coaching session and a great interview outfit to a client to make sure that first impression counts for that crucial job interview. Suited for Success returns more than 10x the donations made in social value to the West Midlands. Please help.

Please support me, the charity and the long term unemployed by sponsoring me on the Just Giving page below.

I'm fasting to support Suited for Success Help James Bolle raise money to support Suited for Success

At weekends, my thoughts turn to extracurricular activities...

Birmingham is a dump

Confused about the difference between Purpose and ESG? You're not alone.

Purpose is why a business exists, ESG is purposeful activity that supports your Purpose.

The problem with ESG is that lots of businesses are committing to scattergun targets and initiatives that have no relevance to their organisation!

What do you think?

What do I do? I help small business owners build a culture that enables them to grow their business, be profitable but spend less time managing their teams.

I want to share the things I learned from working with big brands

How does Virgin outperform competitors in the markets where it plays?

Because it stands for something more than making money: it's there to make things better. By doing so, it outcompetes incumbents.

What do you think?

Simon Sinek says start with why. Harvard Business Review says that all people and organisations need purpose. Purpose is everywhere.

But what does it actually mean? And how do you put it into practice?

Launching today, the PurposeCast answers these questions and more.

Available now on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and the PRPSFL website. Check out https://prpsfl.com/purposecast

"You look smart!" said my daughter.

"You look smart!" said my wife.

This can mean only two things:
-time to stop wearing the tracksuit bottoms most days...
-it's a Suited for Success coaching day!

The Suited team are doing everything they can to help people who need help getting a job that can change their lives. You can help too.

www.suitedforsuccess.co.uk/donate-to-us

The problem is not that there is a glass ceiling but a sticky floor.

These were the words of an ex-Dragon from in an event yesterday, a successful woman whose talk was excellent overall. Her comments were met by 👊 and 💥 in the comments.

She clarified: if women can’t succeed, they are the ones to blame. Their attitude isn’t good enough. They don’t “act professional”. They lack confidence. She had made it to the top, so others’ failure to do so must just be a deficiency on their part.

While I appreciate her message that you need a positive, confident attitude, I challenged in the comments: denying structural biases against women is unhelpful. It generated a minor sub-conversation.

Your opinion, please. Was I...
A. Mansplaining
B. Virtue Signalling
C. Trolling
D. Appropriately speaking (my) truth to power

Two references:

A prior post, questioning whether I should challenge another ex-Dragon for espousing an anti-vaccination stance during a talk. Most thought I was right to engage and challenge but probably only if there was a chance it could make a difference.

Ben and Jerry’s speaking up against the government’s approach to Channel crossings. Check out the PR Week article “Virtuous or Virtue Signalling?”.

Just trying out Canva... Let me know if this works!