Increasing Sales, Career Management, Recruitment and Selection, Leadership and Management, Brand and Image Positioning, Networking...

We come across this problem time and time again. Most companies fail to realise that the most important element of a re-branding exercise is not changing the company logo, stationery or website but adapting company processes and motivating employees to live out and consistently deliver the brand promise on a day-to-day basis no matter what their role or position.

Only then do you truly harness the power of your brand in engaging existing and future customers to place that order and gain real return on your re-brand investment.

If you are not getting the results you hoped for, the first step is to understand how and when you failed to motivate your employees to fully buy into the new brand. You’ll then be on the road to finding out what you can do to turn the situation around.

Your support team is an extension and reflection of you. They are not secretaries who only work for one person. A fantastic professional support executive not only understands your role and responsibilities inside out but has that unique ability to second-guess your thoughts and become your "public face" when you are not around.

How they respond to internal and external customers either makes your job infinitely easier or hands you a tray of apologies to sign even before business commences.

Your executive must not only be competent in their role but able to manage themselves and you in a professional manner. They understand the big picture but know it’s their attention to small detail and constant planning that gives you the time to focus on what truly deserves your attention and frees you from needless additional pressure.

At Bradbury & Outhwaite, we recognise the difference between a secretary and a professional executive - which do you have?

Bradbury&Outhwaite works with individuals, teams, companies and their clients from "basement to boardroom" enabling them to achieve the success they desire. Although some of our business skills days are applicable to smaller businesses, we work principally with large corporate organisations and operate across both the private and public sector.

Business leaders often pose this problem to Bradbury & Outhwaite. The answer is relatively simple - every company should have a dress code policy and guidelines, which reflect their corporate brand and the vision the company holds.

This doesn’t mean all your employees have to be "suited and booted" but you must be clear on what acceptable standards are - and how these translate among today’s diverse workforce without causing unintended offence, or a costly court case.

If you are at the top or knocking on the door, there’s never a good time to take time out - from the demands of the business or from your staff, clients or Board colleagues. What you have to do is create time to save time in the future.

To achieve what we want for ourselves, and those around us, we all need at least some time to put our "self" first.

By taking the leap and doing so, you’ll find that not only are you happier but those around you will be happier and you will be achieving your full potential.

A short investment of time to rethink your approach and strategy to your career and business contribution usually produces business and career results which far outweigh the costs of not being available to others.

While companies do have certain criteria for top-flight positions, we know from extensive experience that qualities such as educational attainment and past competence are not always the deciding factors. You must strive to be better than the "best of the rest" and have the self-drive and self-motivation to get there.

You have to take an inside-out approach - understanding what more you need to be to get that promotion as well as what more you need to do.