Walking in my shoes!

What does this mean? In the business club I belong to [I Am Woman] every franchise launch starts with a ‘Walking in my shoes’ evening, where women in business come and share their own story. Why? In sharing their own story, others in the room can be inspired but more importantly it’s so others can learn from their journey.

I’ve certainly learnt that the one thing they all have in common is the fact that they’ve had challenges to overcome. Maybe their first business ideas failed, perhaps it was external factors like recession or business costs, it might be what’s been written or said about them that’s knocked them or something else. What they all seem to have in common is the drive to make their vision a reality and success.

Working with those in times of need is about understanding, listening and importantly being able to ‘walk in their shoes’. It’s about helping them understand that negatives in life are just ‘positives turned inside out’ and by turning them back, we can transform those negatives into great positives. We can all learn something from someone else’s journey.

Before we form an opinion about others, let’s remember we’ve all had challenges and issues to overcome and we all have the ability to move forward positively. We also have the ability to do something for others. Whenever I take my own children home to Wales we see people homeless and living on the streets. I remember a couple of years ago seeing a young man in despair. I took my girls to the local shop and burger bar where we bought him two cups of hot tea, two burgers and some other food and water for later. When we gave it to him, he took my hand looked me in the eye and said thank you. I will never forget the way he said it or the look in his eyes. I apologized I couldn’t do more, I wish I could have. At the time I was feeling at a low point in my own life, I learnt from the experience that day that I had so many positives to be thankful for. I hope I showed that young man that kindness exists.

My friend likens life to a game of pontoon because life is as much about the ‘card we are dealt’ and how we ‘play’ that card. She says that we must believe life offers so much more. Some things in life we can control and some we can’t. The most powerful thing we can control is ourselves, so as long as we’re true and honest with ourselves, this is what we will radiate to others.

It’s important to be able to at least try and understand the shoes of those we meet, help, encourage and support and it’s important to learn from each of our own challenges because then we can truly begin to make a difference.

London Olympia 10th July 2013

The day started with an early sun rising and a cool breeze. I met John our Treasurer and we began our journey to London. We talked about receiving the invitation to attend this fantastic exhibition ‘BUSINESS4BETTER UK’ organised by NCVO and UBM plc. Remarkably the trains were on time and the journey to London was straight forward. The sun was shining, was this a sign for the day ahead?

We arrived and registered, it was quite literally wall to wall of exhibits, there was The Hub to have the chance to meet possible business partners and corporate sponsors. There was also the red, orange and yellow breakout area for seminars, the main stage and lots of excitement.

The first thing that struck us was the amazing way everyone was willing to support one another, there was definitely a ‘buzz’ in the place! Getting around this was going to need some quick planning on our part which we did over a coffee!

John & I met and networked with some truly amazing people and found the day to be interesting. However, this day was about much more than networking, it was about building potential partnerships for our future work too.

We are now working on a few possible partnerships that are going to help us strengthen HEALS for the future. Importantly,  we recognized that HEALS has got strong foundations in our four core strategic projects and a clear way of building something to last. We learnt how to make HEALS funding strategy stronger. The best bit was meeting the wonderful Darren who is one of the best connected people in the UK and he’s kindly agreed to work with me as a mentor ………… ‘Jackpot’! Talk about feeling like a lottery winner!

So what did get out of the day? For one I was reminded of how great the HEALS team are and John and I were certainly a good ‘mini’ team HEALS on the day!

For me the learning was something that will help me as HEALS Manager and there were some key messages:

• Collaboration and partnership can only lead to success – building partnerships is the foundation on which HEALS is built
• Be clear about what you are saying or asking for – if you don’t know how will anyone else? – Our four core strategic projects are going to help HEALS achieve this
• Know what the end result is likely to look like – otherwise you may not know when to take the next step – HEALS is now on the road and knows where it’s heading!
• Don’t be generic – be specific, have a purpose – the future direction of HEALS has this
• Develop a mentor and support network – thanks to this event and my network within my LinkedIn network and the I Am Woman business club, this one is definitely ticked
• Recognize you can’t be expert in everything – you need people who’ve done it before to help you – at HEALS we are using our partnerships to gain advice and support
• Get specialists to help with key tasks or challenges – HEALS has got this one sorted too, with a list of experts who help us and we have our potential Trustees too
• Build a sustainable model – This is one for HEALS to work on, however, the feedback on the day suggests we are

Seems like HEALS is well on the way to success!

The one message of the day that I could relate to was:

• Be true to your personal and organisational values and have the self belief that you can achieve

For me this message is important because it’s something I believe in and have often written and spoken about. Being true and honest to yourself and others, is the only way to form partnerships and relationships [personal and business] that will last. If anything validated this, then this event certainly has for me!

Finding your USP what’s it all about?

What does USP mean? USP or Unique Selling Point is about what makes what we do different. After all its a tough world out there with competition around every corner. I often hear people involved in charity, voluntary and community work saying “but USP doesn’t apply to me because I’m not selling anything!” Of course they’re selling, they’re selling themselves and what they do and let’s face it, in the charity, voluntary and community sectors, its tough!

Our starting point is the knowledge that people ‘buy’ from people and so the USP is two fold. It’s about the personal USP and that of the organisation. If you don’t get both right from the beginning, then you’re on an uphill climb before you start!

My own personal USP is being able to empathize with those I come across in my work with HEALS and the ability to understand their needs. Don’t get me wrong there are lots of competent professionals out there who do an excellent job but are qualifications alone enough. For me of course you need the professionals but you also need people on the ground too with real life experience, people who understand the issues and those with a genuine passion to help others, those who’s motivation is seeing others succeed and that’s me. So my USP is being able to motivate people, help take them on their personal journey and realize their potential and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

One thing that drives me mad is when people are ‘pigeon holed’ into ‘boxes’ or the often ‘blanket’ policies we see. When will we recognize that not everyone is the same and even if two people are sharing and facing a similar issue, the impact of that issue will be different on each of them. Therefore, the help, encouragement and support for each will need to be different but no the ‘blanket’ approach kicks in and although it might help, I’m just not sure its enough.

So what is HEALS USP? The answer is simple, at HEALS we embrace diversity and we understand that ‘one size does not fit everyone’ so we use different ways to help, encourage and support those who need our help, in the community. We pride ourselves on doing our best to give everyone individualized support. We recognize that professional input is essential in helping us and those we work with and so we work in partnership because we believe that the principles and practices of shared commitment between partners benefits everyone.

So what does HEALS actually do? Examples of what we’ve done successfully is our HELPING HANDS Project are we’ve helped individuals and families with financial assistance, we’ve helped with getting targeted support and advice, improving IT skills, helped purchase books for study, plus lots more. Through our community magazine [also called Helping Hands] we’ve been able to directly and indirectly help people get advice, support, goods they need and we’ve had positive feedback from our partners too. We are looking to extend this project because we’ve already recognized that the changes being implemented by Government are going to mean that more ways to help, encourage and support are going to be needed.

Okay, I hear you say but what really makes HEALS unique? HEALS is not about doing something to somebody, neither is it about taking over and it certainly isn’t about throwing money at people. HEALS is about extending an arm, it’s about reaching out, listening, helping those in need decide on their priorities and it’s about walking with them for as long as they want. HEALS is also about being creative is important too because no two similar issues can be dealt with in the same way.

Essentially, HEALS is about helping, encouraging and supporting people to help themselves!

 

Giving yourself a voice!

As babies we’re encouraged to talk, then as children we’re told to be quiet  when we ask questions. As teenagers we’re encouraged to begin to have an opinion and then we’re told what we think doesn’t matter because we have to do as we are told. How is it then that we ever ‘fly’? How do we master the art of communication and getting our message across? How do we find our voice?

I spent much of my childhood talking, my teenage years ignoring my parents and have continued to be able to talk the hind legs off any donkey! So I can talk but does that mean I can communicate my message in the business and charity world? Communication is about so much more than the spoken word and in the times we live in, people want you to get your message across instantly. The pace of the world today is fast!

In business, I’ve heard people talk about brand or branding and of course it’s important because our ‘brand’ is probably the one thing people see before they even meet us. However, no matter what our business is whether it be a sole trader, entrepreneur, corporate or charity, the bottom line is we are our brand! If people buy or engage with us in what we do, they do so because they know us and trust us. Ask any successful person and they’ll tell you that this is true. Trust is important, our partners, clients, employees, volunteers and the community at large needs to know that they can trust us to be good to our word and deliver!

I’m finding getting my message across in my new professional website challenging. If I Include everything I’ve ever done it’ll end up with pages and pages and is anyone really going to look? Besides, I can’t hide even if I wanted to because my life is there on Google, for all to see! So I have to put myself in the shoes of the individuals who are likely to take a look and make sure the right message gets out there. A message that will show them I’m the person they need to work with.

At HEALS we’ve struggled with getting our message out there to attract partners, funding, supporters, individuals to help, volunteers, Trustees and of course people to come along to our events. The signs are looking good and we’ve had a lot of interest from around the UK about our work. Many of those inquiring about what we do, are those who see that our ‘model’ works and want to develop this. However, it’s not always easy getting an organisation off the ground. In just two years, we’ve been able to have a significant impact, which our awards demonstrate. So clearly, the HEALS approach is going “where no organisation has gone before.”

 

HEALS – a vision for the future – the challenges we face

Life without a vision or a goal is a life with no direction! We all need direction, otherwise we just keep wandering around aimlessly without ever achieving anything!

Too many people are reactive, they’re ‘running down the road chasing the horse that’s bolted!’ when what they should have done is figured how to keep the horse happy and in the stable beforehand!

Knowing what you want to achieve and figuring out how you’re going to get there is merely the start.

At HEALS we’re embarking on our main vision for the future and will be focusing on four main projects: Helping Hands, CLASS, Will’s Friends and Communitybiz. Although each project is different aspects of each do link them, in one way or another. What they have in common is that they are all about:

Okay, we have the goal, the vision but what do we need to get there?

In many ways answering this question is probably the most difficult and certainly for HEALS it’s no different! What are the key things we need to find to be able to realize our vision of being a charity with a difference?  Firstly we need four strong Trustees to complete our Board, those with vision, leadership, empathy a passion for helping others achieve, those who can help us fly  and a good business acumen. Now there’s a challenge in itself!

We also need volunteers and of course HEALS groups to develop and grow our network.

Our biggest challenge by far is getting investment and funding. We like many other organisations do fundraising but we need much more than the usual £200 to £500 we raise each time. What we really need to make our vision a reality, is £50,000 at least!

Challenges, challenges, this is one that requires partnership, teamwork and a strong plan!

What is the best way to plan? There are so many approaches to use, I’ve heard of the ‘thong’ approach to business planning but I think for HEALS the ‘Tree’ is going to be the best since the vision includes many branches. Part of our plan is to get sponsorship of at least £1,000 and of course getting fifty sponsors, is going to be another mammoth challenge!

It seems that life whether personal or business is about challenge and overcoming them. Certainly my own life has been a series of challenges, so you’d think having overcome a fair few challenges myself, I’d be the one to overcome the big challenge of getting the £50,000!

So it’s on-wards and up-wards and if nothing else we’ll give this our best shot. We have so many people in the community in need counting on us, so no pressure! If we struggle maybe I’ll try and find David Copperfield after all he is the magic man!

Yes our vision is more than a picture of what could be it’s our opportunity to be something more!