The guru effect and why it's dangerous to you and your business

All of us can probably name one or two people in business whom we respect, admire, and perhaps even look up to. We read their posts on Facebook, we follow them on Twitter. We share and retweet - sometimes almost automatically.

"I really like this person," we might say. "What they write makes a lot of sense."

The next time we read one of their posts, we're expecting it to be good - and so the chances are that we aren't disappointed.

And the same with the next one. And the one after that.

Before long, we've become uncritical - we've started to accept what they say without question. We've bought in to their ethos.

They can be slightly off the mark, and we don't notice. Soon we find ourselves believing everything they say.

What's wrong with this? Why is it dangerous?

What's wrong is that we have suspended disbelief and have stopped weighing-up for ourselves what they say. We have started to treat opinions as if they were facts. With our judgement impaired in this way, we can find ourselves making bad decisions. These bad decisions can cost us a lot of money.

How do we avoid allowing this to happen?

Ask yourself questions like this:

• Is this true? Is this an accurate statement of fact? Or is it just an opinion?
• Is this legal, decent, and in keeping with my understanding of the right way of behaving?
• What do I really believe for myself about this?
• What are this person's values? Are they the same as mine? What are the differences?

Sometimes we will be fortunate and the person will inadvertently let something slip out that gives the game away. Or perhaps someone else alerts us to something that isn't quite right. Either of these can be the spur to thinking critically for ourselves again.

To sum up, question everything - even what we (Qryztal) say. If you disagree with anything in this blog, please let us know in the comments space or email us (info@qryztal.com). And if you find something helpful, please tell us - and recommend us to your friends and colleagues.

You don't need permission

You don't need permission.

If you want to change something in your life, go ahead and do it.

If you want to change your career, go ahead and do it.

If you want to change the direction of your business, go ahead and do it.

Qryztal will help you. You don't need permission to get in touch with us. Go ahead: send that email, make that call.

consulting@qryztal.com

07398 200318

What's your future outside the EU?

Are you confused by Brexit and what it means for your business?

There's been so much hype - but what's the impact? What difference will it make?

For answers to your questions, get in touch with Qryztal Consulting. Our consultants will cut through all the confusion for you.

Email: consulting@qryztal.com

Phone: 07398 200318

Why the Second Waste is costing you money and losing you customers

The second waste is incredibly pernicious: it can seriously cripple your business.

But what do we mean? What is the second waste? And how does it affect your business?

The first waste* is scrap (or rework).

The second waste is waiting.

What's the problem with that?

If you deal with everything sequentially and individually, in the same order that it comes in, you aren't starting current work until you've cleared your backlog. Hence you always have customers waiting. Waiting customers are, more often than not, dissatisfied customers. And dissatisfied customers will go elsewhere, usually without telling you what the problem is.

So, the end result is: no customers, and no feedback to enable you to improve your processes.

How can you fix this?

First of all, take a look at your processes (what you do). Can you speed any of them up? Can you do more than one thing at once? Can you save time by batching? Can you delight some customers without delaying the others?

One thing you can definitely do is to ask Qryztal to take a look at your processes. We will tell you where the inefficiencies are and what you can do about them.

And another thing: if we can't find any ways in which you could improve your work processes, we won't charge you for the process audit. How's that for a guarantee?

(*The seven wastes of Lean are: scrap, waiting, inventory, motion, transportation, overproduction, overprocessing.)

You can Yell all you like, but we're not listening

Once upon a time there was the Yellow Pages - the classified section of the telephone directory. If you're old enough to remember the sometimes comically inept listings that were impossible to correct, it means you're at least as old as Andrew.

Then privatisation came, and our beloved yellow doorstop was sold off. Now meet Hibu, in the guise of Yell.com.

So our two intrepid directors decided to apply for a free listing on Yell.com - one entry for Qryztal Computing, and another for Qryztal Consulting. What happened next is no doubt recorded for posterity in Yell's library of call centre phone calls (no doubt known internally as the "hall of shame").

To their everlasting regret, our directors were induced to sign up to contracts totalling not much less than £2,300 for a year's worth of advertising. Yell must surely have been desperate, as the customer reference numbers are literally consecutive - either that, or it was a deliberate ploy to ensnare both of them. Who in their right mind would seriously believe that, in a capital city full of people who like to have a go at fixing computers, the principled and honest enterprise that is Qryztal would stand a chance of being at the top of the list of computer repair services in south London?

According to the contracts, the directors are locked into them under the provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Yet at the same time members of Yell staff have advised the directors that the contracts are enforceable against the company.

So, who are the parties to the contracts? If the individual directors, then Qryztal Ltd cannot be held liable. If the company is party to both contracts, then the shareholders of Qryztal would ultimately be liable for any debts, but only up to the value of their shares.

If you're not confused by now, perhaps we should explain: the Consumer Credit Act applies only to individuals, not corporate bodies (limited companies).

To anyone reading this who hasn't signed up for a Yell contract, we say: heed our advice, and stay well clear of Yell.

And to Yell we say: you may wish to express your views as to the legality of this situation in the comments below. (We reserve the right to reply to or to ignore any comments on this blog post - and, indeed, to turn off commenting at any time.)

5 reasons why Qryztal should be your first choice in computing and technology

1. We know what we're doing
   Our engineers are Microsoft and Apple certified, and are skilled at installing and fixing both hardware (the computer itself and its constituent parts) and software (the operating system and the programs that run on your computer). They can spot - and resolve - previous failed fixes. Literally nothing gets past them.
2. We are ethical and act with integrity
   We install only legitimately licensed parts, programs and operating systems. We will never give (or sell) you an installation disc for you to use to install software onto your own computer - we install everything ourselves and test it thoroughly.
3. Everything we do is in your best interests
   We won't recommend anything that'll end up being to your detriment in the long term.
4. We are future-focused
   We're not into the latest fads or alleged quick fixes. We do things that work and that will continue to work.
5. We believe loyalty is an investment that should be rewarded...
   ...not with points, but by building a long-term working relationship with our clients.