Hi I'm Bob

I've spent (too) many years leading businesses, working with business leaders and speaking about business.  That's enough about me.  If you want to know more about me and what I do today, visit www.BobBradley.co.uk.

This site is intended to help you* save time (* Details of who this site is for are at the bottom of the page)

• By helping you take shortcuts and avoid dead-ends

• By learning from my many mistakes ... and my occasional success

This site contains some of my articles, posts and videos on

Leadership Strategy and Growth

Please browse, enjoy and most importantly use. I hope they will enable you to be an even better leader.

You survive in business by doing things right. Doing them better than others.  

As long as there is a some demand for what you do of course! But your growth will be limited if you're competing by being better than everyone else in a stable market.

If that is your approach to business focus your reading on the thoughts, tips and tools about leading strategy and direction towards the top of the list below to make sure you are also in the right place at the right time.

You grow a business by doing the right things. Being in the right market at the right time.

But chances are you won't survive forever.  Eventually someone else will spot the opportunity you've grabbed and do what you're doing better than you.

If that is your approach to business focus your reading on the thoughts, tips and tools about managing people and processes towards the bottom of the list below to make sure you are also doing things right.

The best businesses of course do the right things AND they do them right.

This site is especially for you ... IF

... you are NOT like me ... as I was 35 years ago

… and like many of the successful operational business leaders I’ve met and worked with over the last 35 years. Most of whom don’t have an MBA. And in many cases never went to University.  Indeed many of whom rebelled and left school  at 16.

(My view today is that many of the best entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs primarily because they are unemployable rebels.)

I can still remember the first time I realised had a lot to learn from people NOT like me

I was a member of a business leader peer group. And I remember this guy (he was) opening and closing a business and writing off about £10k in about 6 weeks.  I’d previously asked him about the business plan and the market.  He had neither.  What an idiot I had thought … at first!

And then I looked out of the window at his Aston Martin parked alongside my smart Merc.  And for some reason it occurred to me - hold on - he owns his car - mine is owned by my employer. In fact he owns his business with a few £M and takes home a pretty nice dividend. My decent salary, bonus and options don’t match that.  So who is the idiot?  Me, the salaried MBA graduate, or the street smart entrepreneur?

In the end we became good friends. I know I learnt a lot from him about driving revenues and cash. I hope and believe he learnt a lot from me about the value of a clear strategic direction, proper planning and consistent execution, especially as you scale up - which most don’t achieve!

This site is especially for you ... IF you are thinking about ...

Leadership

• • We have lots of ideas but its a challenge to get things done

  • We are struggling to recruit, engage and retain staff

  • We need to change the culture, behaviours and maybe some people

Strategy and Growth

• • We have a great business and I want to realise its potential

  • We have a vision for the business but need to update our strategy and plan

  • We have a great product/service that we are struggling to sell

  • We are losing too much business to competitors

  • Our margins are under pressure

Themselves

• • I have too much to do and not enough time

  • Everyone keeps coming to me to sort every little detail

  • I am working too many hours and that is impacting on my personal life

  • I am getting tired, would like to retire or at least exit but can't

  • I need an external sounding board, someone impartial to help

... you are like me ... as I was 35 years ago

• When I’d completed an MBA and had just become an operational business leader.

• When I thought I knew all about business and leadership but in reality didn’t.

I now know that I knew too much theory and made it all too complicated. I have now learnt to keep it simple with some tips, thoughts and tools that help the leader, and their team, to understand the best strategies and execute them effectively

This site is especially for you ... IF your challenges include ...