2. Intro to Amphora
•
Niche software company focusing on Record
Keeping software for R&D Scientists
•
Privately held, bootstrapped
•
Over 10 years old, profitable, no debt
•
Customers all over the world, mostly in North
America and Europe
•
One of the few (the only?) surviving early vendors
in this space
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!2
3. Sales Challenges
•
Sorting out sales is the key to growth and profitability
•
Typically a complex sale
•
Selling something the prospect hasn’t bought before (we’re solving a latent
problem)
•
•
•
Sales needs to guide prospects, rather than convince
Help them understand their problem and company
“Soft” sales approach
•
We manage the business for the long term
•
If we do the right thing by prospects and our customers they’ll reward
us
•
This is a hard skill set and attitude to hire
•
But it is paying off now, huge amount of referral activity
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!3
4. Technical Challenges
•
Staring at a computer screen all your life isn’t normal
•
The desire to do this is seldom correlated with high
communication skills
•
The issues which need to be discussed are complex
and often involve subtleties which are easily missed
•
Left to their own devices technical teams can be a
hotbed of politics and resentment
•
And that’s without considering relations with other
departments
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!4
5. “Software development is composed of two
primary activities: learning and
communication.”
“Apprenticeship Patterns” by Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!5
6. Organisational Challenges
•
Quality of internal relationships is key to
productivity and innovation
•
Particularly between different groups, and those
groups have little in common
•
This is often the first time our employees have
direct, intimate exposure to other disciplines
•
Then throw travel and remote work into the mix…
•
Keeping everyone aligned is crucial, and that
means communication
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!6
7. 3 Pronged Strategy
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Everyone is trained in Clean Questioning
•
Everyone is Neuroprofiled, results shared openly
•
Monthly Life Coaching
!
•
All of these are in the culture
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!7
8. The Story
•
Many years ago Caitlin Walker came and taught
Clean Questioning and Metaphor at New
Information Paradigms
•
This directly led to the ELN product
•
Helped us work in a new developing area
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!8
9. Book Plug
(I’m almost famous!)
•
The initial metaphor
development is written up in
Caitlin’s upcoming book
•
Really helped us identify the
adoption and architectural
issues inherent in this new
market
•
“Systemic Modelling - Adventures in Living,
Learning and Working Collaboratively”
Useful both internally and also
for external discussions
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!9
10. Fast Forward
•
As is the way, I was doing most of the sales effort
•
We had sales people, but were struggling to scale
•
Sales people were managing the sales
•
But I was doing all the meetings
•
Didn’t work if someone else did it
•
Something was missing
•
My time was becoming a real bottleneck and it was
starting to be a barrier to growth
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!10
11. Caitlin Returns
•
Nearly a decade later, I find Caitlin again
•
This time we did two important things for the sales
process
•
A metaphor for what I do in sales meetings so I
could pass it on
•
Taught all of the sales people Clean Questioning
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!11
12. Clean and Sales
•
Clean Questioning in sales is awesome
•
Completely changes the dynamic
•
Allows you to go into situations you wouldn’t have
done before
•
Suits our “Soft” sales approach extremely well
•
Our sales approach is a major competitive
differentiation, we often win deals because we’re
not “Like the other guys”
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!12
13. Clean Everywhere Else
•
We then taught everyone else Clean and Systemic
Modelling
•
New recruits get it as part of internal training
•
Helpful for
•
Understanding how people look at the world
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How they work at their best
•
How to communicate respectfully
•
How to resolve issues
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!13
14. Neuroprofiling
•
Then we started to get interested in how people’s
brains work
•
Turns out this is fascinating
•
Working with Caitlin and colleagues we
•
Gave everyone an IQ test and produced a profile
•
Used that to explore how individuals can work at
their best
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And how the rest of us can help
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!14
15. Neuroprofiling
•
Turns out that everyone is different, especially
when you have different professions
•
Hugely helpful for everyone
•
Raises awareness when talking with external
parties as well
•
Significant impact in software design,
documentation etc.
•
Helps us be more productive, and more
harmonious
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!15
16. Life Coaching
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Regular Monthly thing for everyone
•
“Compassionate Coaching”
•
Sessions are completely confidential and can be
on any subject (personal or work)
•
Everyone nervous at first but greatly valued
•
Making it a general thing is important, no stigma
involved
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!16
17. Corporate Summary
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Clean helped us clarify the product
•
Clean helped us sell the product
•
Clean helps us work together
•
Neurodiversity helps us understand each other
•
Neurodiversity helps us get the best from ourselves
and each other
•
Regular Coaching settles everyone and helps
resolve issues before they become issues
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!17
18. Unexpected Stuff
•
Helped our family relationships
•
•
e.g. your wife isn’t being obstinate, that’s how her
brain works (and vice versa!)
Helped us be better parents
•
More insight into how people learn
•
More openness in allowing children to explore
how their brains work
•
Clean questioning is excellent for talking with
Children
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!18
19. Unexpected Stuff
•
When you are using your brain in the way that is most natural
you have a lot more fun
•
Asking someone to do something in their “Neuro sweet spot”
is like asking them to be paid to do their hobby
•
It’s no burden to swap activities between people
•
e.g.
•
Some people love organising stuff, get real pleasure out of
bringing order to chaos
•
Some people really enjoy reading and summarising
•
Some people love finding the one number that’s out of
whack in a spreadsheet of financial detail
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!19
20. Recommendations
•
Clean is part of the basic skill set everyone should have
•
Neuroprofiling is awesome for individuals and teams
•
Life Coaching is hugely hugely helpful
•
Problems
•
You need the culture right to pull it off, some of this
might backfire without a lot of trust
•
In my experience Caitlin’s skill set and approach is
unique - I’ve tried other people/programmes without
success
•
Fortunately she’s very keen on self-sustaining work
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!20
21. Recommendations
•
Life Coaching can/should be done ASAP
•
•
It is expensive but well worth it
Start with the senior team - lead from the front
•
•
•
Find a coach you are comfortable with
There are many different styles, don’t be afraid to
experiment
Then roll it out to everyone, without exception
•
1 session a month
•
Everyone is expected to have a session
•
Completely confidential (and make sure people feel this)
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!21
22. Recommendations
•
Then roll out Clean Questioning
•
Start with a small group, probably senior managers
•
You can train internally but would recommend
someone like Caitlin for
•
•
•
Group training
Difficult situations e.g. people who aren’t that
used to talking or where there is discord
Note that Clean is a multi-faceted tool and will bring
a myriad of benefits
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!22
23. Recommendations
•
Life Coaching and Clean are probably a good
basis for any company
•
You can stop there if you want
•
Once those are embedded, you could look at
Neuroprofiling if you feel your culture can handle it
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!23
24. Neuroprofiling
•
Really insightful for individuals and groups
•
Needs to be handled with sensitivity but also a firm hand
•
Don’t start it if there’s any hint of insecurity or politics in
the organisation
•
Be careful how you position and implement it, be aware
of the HR issues
•
You will almost certainly need external assistance
•
As far as I know Training Attention are the only ones
providing this
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!24
25. Questions
(After the presentation there were questions. These
additional slides cover a bit of what was asked)
simonc@amphora-research.com
!25
26. Q: Risk of people being
typecast
•
When we Neuroprofiled people, was there a risk of them then being
defined by their profile, and restricted in what roles/tasks they perform?
•
Answer: Not really
•
Everyone is in the right jobs, they are all well qualified and
performing well
•
This is about understanding ourselves and each other better
•
The Neuroprofile doesn’t really tell you what someone’s real-world
capability is, more how they use their brain to get it
•
With this knowledge, we can easily help them be more effective and
happy with small little changes
•
If you want to know what someone is capable of… look at what they
do in the real world!
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!26
27. Q: Example outcomes of
Neuroprofiling
•
Don’t give X big spreadsheets of lots of numbers
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Can easily understand the concepts, it is the presentation which
makes it hard
•
Split into 3 less dense spreadsheets is much more digestible
•
Don’t expect X to research and summarise large blocks of text. Y
is much better at that (and enjoys it).
•
X’s Verbal is so high he really can talk, think 3 steps ahead, and
resolve the technical issue - at the same time. But don’t ask him to
read notes while doing it.
•
Y really needs to pre-plan things because they can’t think on their
feet so well, but that means they are very insightful about strategy
etc.
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!27
28. Q: Example of Clean
Interactions
•
Sales issue being discussed, a techie joins in the conversation
with a clean question which leads to a new product resolving the
sales issue
•
•
•
Techies are excellent debuggers!
Clean gives them a voice
Manager makes an “opaque” decision which no one
understands
•
Instead of allowing the confusion to continue, Clean Questions
deployed to challenge/clarify in a non-threatening way
•
Turns out manager was unconsciously using a variety of
additional considerations in the decision
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!28
29. Summary
•
If you want a miserable workplace, avoid Clean
•
If you want a happy, empowered, joyful workplace give everyone the gift of Clean Questioning
•
If your company’s success is based on Knowledge
Worker productivity
•
You’ll have a lot more fun
•
You’ll probably make more money as well
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!29
30. Pointers
•
Caitlin’s TED talk which is a good intro to Clean
•
Caitlin’s book (when it comes out)
•
Clean Coaching book
•
Sort your culture out… :-)
!
•
Happy to be contacted if you would like to discuss
further
simon.coles@amphora-research.com
!30