It was November, a summer’s night in Antarctica. At our camp some 2000 metres up in the polar mountains it was minus 28°c, but in the snug warmth of my tent it was only minus 23°c. The sun would be up soon, only 3 hours after it had set, and its heat would raise the temperature to a more friendly minus 15°c, warm enough to lure me out of my sleeping bag for a steaming hot breakfast of powdered porridge with hot water. Yum yum.

We had flown from Cape Town on an ex-military now-cargo Russian Ilyushin - no windows, and seats clipped in only to match the number of passengers. The burly steward had offered us ear plugs, which proved wholly necessary, and a spam bun, less so. Six hours later we had landed on the Antarctic continent at Novo, an air-strip 500 metres above sea level, and 100 kms from the sea. A modified tank drove us an hour away to Whichaway Camp which was to be our home for most of the next two weeks.

“We” were a disparate group of eight antarcticophiles on an adventure holiday, looked after by five mad professionals. We lived and slept under canvas. Our days were spent walking and climbing, kiting and skiing, abseiling and cramponing, and various combinations of all of them. We felt like real adventurers, but the next guests at Whichaway, Bear Grylls and his team of hard-core explorers, would have made us look like the rank amateurs we were.

We were there to experience what Captain Robert Scott had described as “this awful place”, or what his fellow-explorer Cherry Apsley-Garrard had called “the most beautiful continent in the world”, a description I am more inclined to agree with. It is a continent of stark beauty, of endless blue and white vistas, of silence and isolation, with a cold so cruel that nothing can live there except for seals, penguins and a couple of visiting types of bird. No plants, just some lichens. Only ice, some rock, and lots more ice.

I was keen to see what evidence there was, if any, of the great polar melt. I had read Nigel Lawson’s careful and balanced commentary on climate change (An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming), and had judged that the natural sun-induced cycle of changes to our climate was all there was to it. Well, I now know this to be only partly true.

On walks down to a nearby glacier I had noticed lines and numbers painted onto some rocks. I later discovered these were the work of the nearby Indian research mission, who had tracked the retreat of the glacier each year since 1982. At that time the glacier was melting at half a metre a year; today the rate of retreat is 2 ½ metres a year, and accelerating.

The mission scientists have cut out cylinders of ice in some local lakes which allows them to examine in detail the perfectly preserved carbon (and other) deposits that have landed on these lakes each year for the last 200 years. I asked Dr Arun Chaturvedi, head of the Indian mission, what this meant. “Well”, he said in a disarmingly straightforward way, “The rate of the glacial melt and the evidence of the ice cores show that the rate of natural cyclical climate change is being increasingly exacerbated by man-made warming. If we don’t stop contributing to this process, the polar icecaps will melt and the sea-level will rise more than 5 meters by the end of this century. It could be sooner.” (Take a look at http://flood.firetree.net/ to see how this would affect coastlines around the world.)

“What can I do, as a private citizen, to slow down this process?” I asked. “Easy”, he replied. “Don’t drive a big-engined car, and don’t drive when you can walk or cycle.” He was so succinct, so certain and so convincing that I have had my old bike repaired. I’ve even started using it locally when before I would have used my car - a side-effect of my Antarctic adventure I was not expecting.

Nigel Johnson-Hill, January 2009

Benefits of Exercising Outdoors … by Move Your Butt’s founder, Julia Bishop.

For many people, exercising means going to the gym. And that’s most certainly a good thing if the alternative is not doing anything at all. Gyms provide equipment, classes, instructors, and a safe environment to work out in. However, it can be boring. Mixing in some outdoor activities is a good way to offset that boredom. The change of scenery can do wonders for you mentally and psychology plays a huge role in sticking to a regular exercise routine.

We at Move Your Butt Personal Training agree. Research shows that Green exercise – or working out close to nature – can seriously boost your wellbeing by lowering blood pressure and easing your stress levels. Indeed, why go to the gym and stare at the plasma screens when you can be inspired, get some fresh air and get fit all at the same time? There’s a huge trend at the moment towards balancing and fusing your workout with another aspect of your lifestyle – for example, running and seeing a bit of the fantastic city or countryside that you live in. So many people find doing this inspiring on an emotional and physical level - there’s a definite move away from pounding away at the gym – especially when you consider that we spend more than 90 per cent of our time indoors.

But what should you do once you get outdoors? Why not try circuit training, walking, jogging, cycling, rollerblading and hiking to name but a few. Try to mix activities in order to minimise the risk of over-use injuries and to prevent boredom.

Let’s address the most popular of these activities …

Circuit training is a great way to combine cardiovascular fitness and resistance training to get a total body workout. A wide variety of exercises can be utilised and a circuit can consist of as few as six stations to as many as 15 based on the goals and fitness levels of the participants. There are many different ways of putting together a circuit but as a general rule stations are sequenced in a way to alternate between muscle groups, which allows for adequate recovery.

Jogging/running is a terrific workout for your heart and lungs and it improves your stamina. If you are trying to lose weight, it can burn calories more than quickly than walking. The key to jogging is to start slowly. The general rule is to increase your time or distance by no more than 10% each week. The reason for this is not because the heart and lungs can’t handle it but because the joints and muscles are a little slower to adapt to the stress of vigorous exercise. Too much, too soon, and you can develop tendinitis or a variety of muscle or joint problems.

Cycling is not only an excellent cardiovascular exercise but it also enables you to explore your community by cycling to different neighbourhoods, or in parks or bike paths. Indeed, many people cycle to commute to work thereby improving their fitness whilst saving time and money. Muscle-wise, while running tends to target the hamstrings (the muscles in the back of your thighs), cycling uses the quadriceps more (the muscles on the front of the thighs).

So, to summarise, the benefits of exercising outdoors are many - fresh air, sunshine (OK that may be pushing it here in the UK), improved strength, bone and muscle density due to higher levels of weight bearing activity, freedom, variety and here’s the biggie – more calories burned. Need we say more …? Now go and Move Your Butt!

Move Your Butt - the ultimate mobile personal training experience for Londoners.

We offer bespoke fitness, nutrition and massage packages; providing our service wherever and whenever is most convenient to you. Our no-nonsense approach to health and fitness takes the uncertainty out of fitness training and produces real, tangible results.

www.moveyourbutt.com
0700 340 1378
help@mybpersonaltrainers.com

The pace of change in corporate life means it is now very unusual for directors and senior executives to spend their whole career with one employer.  Mergers, takeovers, changes in strategy or restructuring often mean that a cap which fitted perfectly ceases to do so or promotion prospects change so that senior executives find themselves at a career crossroads.

One of the surprising things about business life is that whilst all senior executives nowadays operate to a detailed business plan very few have a plan for themselves so many are unprepared when they reach a career crossroads.  The solution is to have a personal plan constructed in much the same way as a business plan.  Doing this ensures a focus on working proactively to achieve specific career objectives whether with an existing employer or elsewhere.  As in business, focus succeeds and lack of focus generally fails.

Frequently when senior executives reach a career crossroads they first turn to headhunters.  This is not enough and is getting things in the wrong order.  Headhunters work for employers not employees so they may not have instructions on a suitable role.  At worst an approach to headhunters will yield nothing which is demoralising and at best it leads to individuals reacting to what others think they could or should do. 

When a career crossroads looms the proper first step should be to create a plan.  Usually this should be built around preferences in regard to role, responsibilities, sectors, size of company, geographical location etc.  It is important to understand oneself and personal motivations, to do extensive research, look beyond the obvious and undertake a wide ranging review of career options and life goals. 

There is also a need to be honest about whether one has all of the skills required for a potential role and to brush up on universal requirements such as having up to date knowledge of good Corporate Governance.

Senior executives should regard themselves as a business proposition to be marketed and the personal plan should cover how to approach the market if and when a crossroads is reached.  As in business there needs to be an understanding of the needs of the buyers in the target market and a clear articulation of personal unique selling points and how one will add value.  This should all be incorporated in a good Curriculum Vitae.

The next step is who to approach?  This is where the skills of networking are critical.  It is important both to network in the target market and include headhunters and professional advisers such as bankers, brokers, accountants, lawyers and consultants.  This is when all of the preparatory work will begin to pay off because a clearly articulated plan of what a senior executive wants to do will stick in the minds of his or her network and radiate quickly and easily. 

As part of seeking a new role it is important to keep an eye on the Appointments pages of the leading national newspapers because many senior roles, particularly those in the public sector, are advertised.

Once a suitable role has been identified and one becomes a potential candidate there is a need to prepare very thoroughly for the series of interviews which will ensue.  Many senior executives have not had a formal job interview for a long time so proper preparation is essential.

Building a personal plan, achieving self awareness, undertaking a wide ranging review of options and filling skill gaps is a significant undertaking as is the preparation for approaching the market and the interviews that follow.  To ensure an objective approach senior executives can derive real benefit from using an experienced Mentor to help formulate a plan, hold up a mirror, challenge assumptions, broaden the network and act as an objective sounding board.  Many board and senior people appear from the outside to keep their own counsel and move seamlessly from one role to another.  However, in the background there is often a confidential Mentor helping in the task of identifying and achieving a rewarding and fulfilling new role and the same Mentor continues to often help as the senior executive begins to get to grips with the inevitable issues involved in taking on new responsibilities.  
This article was written by David Stewart a founder and CEO of IDDAS, (part of the Savile Group) which provides experience-based mentoring, coaching and advisory services to assist senior executives with business, personal and career transitions.  Its Business and Career Mentoring services are designed for Chairs, CEOs, main board directors, subsidiary/divisional and functional directors of FTSE companies, public and not-for-profit organisations, and for senior partners in professional services firms.
 
www.iddas.com
www.savile.com

IDDAS House, 74 New Cavendish St, London W1G 8TF
Tel:  020 7436 0101
stewartd@iddas.com

In today’s busy and stressful life we often do not have time to manage all the areas we wish to be involved with. One such area is charitable giving that often goes to the bottom of the pile.   But it often plays on our conscience and we often wish we did more or had the time to focus on our giving.

Happily philanthropy is becoming ever more popular and active in this country, even though we still have some way to go to equal the situation in the United States. But it is encouraging that so many individuals, companies and Foundations are now ready to help the vast number of charities that deserve help.

But there is clearly a problem.  Many of even the best-intentioned donors are puzzled – sometimes even put off – by bureaucratic difficulties. This may simply be problems in understanding and completing forms, even the simplest of them all – gift aid forms – or to cope with the inevitably more complex tax arrangements which are intended to make giving easier. It is also often a matter of dealing with personal tax reclaims after a donation has been made.

UK charity law has become more rigorous, and many individuals, corporations and even charitable trustees are unaware of the fine detail. In addition managing numerous donations; securing the tax benefits; establishing a charitable trust with all its significant legal burdens, is a painstaking process.

Help is at hand for the sophisticated donor who would like assistance in administering donations, advice on tax effective giving and where to give. You can put your money into a donor advised fund, administered by Prism the Gift Fund. This enables investors to make one contribution into the fund to receive all resulting tax benefits. Donors can top up their money whenever they wish and can also suggest which charities will receive their donations and when.  Anonymity can also be arranged if desired

Donations can be made in the form of cash, shares or property.  Prism is particularly active in promoting sharegiving which allows the donor 40% income tax relief and is free of capital gains tax on the gifted amount. For some donors this can be a very attractive solution. Here’s an illustration of how it works:

The donor has bought shares for £30,000. Today they’re worth £100,000.  He can sell the shares to a charity at the original price of £30,000. The charity will receive £70,000, and the donor receives the share sale proceeds of £30,000 and the income tax relief £28,000 (£70,000 x 40%), making a total of £58,000. Sharegiving is particularly attractive to major shareholders and entrepreneurs.  Many donors do not know about sharegiving so it is under utilized in the UK. And Prism is trying to change that.

US charitable law has become much stricter since 9/11 with the introduction of the Patriot Act. Those US citizens living in the UK or other non-domiciled residents can utilize Prism to send donations to the US and around the world without having the restrictions of US law. This is less burdensome for the charity and easier for the donor. And he can still have piece of mind that any donations have been subject to the correct due diligence.

For further information contact, Anna Josse at Prism the Gift Fund, 020 7486 7760 www.prismcharity.co.uk

Children and money are interesting topics on their own, but when they are mixed with business, life can become very challenging. 

We spend time managing our careers and the generation of wealth, but how much time do we devote to managing the family and its relationship to wealth and the business?

One thing that is true is that however you bring up your children, they believe it could have been different.  My theory is that the way you are brought up rotates 180 degrees every generation, which is one reason why strong relationships can grow between children and grand-parents.

Research has shown that 45 percent of our behaviour is inherited and the rest is learnt from our environment.  Other research shows that middle-age now starts at 60 but adolescence ends around 30!

One of the most difficult areas for parents is how to “deal” with the topic of money with their children.  This is especially difficult for wealthy parents who generally opt for one of two extremes: too little – don’t want to spoil them - or too much.  The route chosen will affect the children’s relationship with money for the rest of their lives.

One of the more successful approaches is to provide them with a consistent and balanced set of values.  The obvious ones are:

• Learn to say no – the art of whining is a child’s best friend!
• Manage expectations!
• Instil a work ethic in the children!
• Involve them in philanthropy!
• Teach them budgeting skills and saving!

One of the best presents parents and grand-parents can give a child is to prepare them to live with wealth.  Wealth brings with it a responsibility to manage it.  This can become a burden if those receiving it have not been trained in the art of wealth management.

The issue becomes more complex when the wealth has been created within an owner-managed or family business.   Only 6% of “family owned” businesses survive beyond the third generation - “rags to riches and back again in three generations”. 

How can this be avoided?  Primarily by separating the family and the business, then by creating “rules” to manage the relationship between the two.  The family organisation manages the wealth and well-being of the family, whereas the business generates the wealth for the family. 

It is not easy to achieve this because the family and business systems are normally inseparable in the minds of those involved.  However, effective dialogue gives everyone a feeling of being involved in decision making and that through this process their wishes have been understood and discussed.  Creating this environment and the associated processes substantially reduces the chance of rebellion in the youngsters.  This coupled with an individual’s needs not being met, are probably the primary causes of wealth destroying a person and/or the family and business. 

Further disruption is caused by people joining, say through marriage, or leaving it through events such as death or divorce. 

When this happens, both parents and children have expectations and needs but whereas the parent’s expectations are voiced, sometimes with monotonous regularity, the children’s are in the main only expressed during an argument.  Not only this, but things said in anger usually hide the real and underlying issues.  It’s not easy to tell your parents what you feel or need, when they have articulated theirs for you.

Parents can create problems by making assumptions about what is good for their children, or what they want or need.  To overcome this, it is useful if the parents can become friends with their children because this will help them sit down and have an adult conversation, even if the children are teenagers.  But this is not always easy.  However there are times when children, whatever their age, still need parents to be parents – especially mothers.  Gauging when this is needed is an art.

Children often wish to go out into the world and build a career before doing the “prodigal child” bit in their late 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s.  Parent’s assumptions that they are not interested in the family business often prevent them from returning, while other siblings who joined earlier can feel threatened.

Nothing can prevent disagreements between family members but having systems and processes in place for the family and then for the business can help to stop them becoming destructive.  It is worth re-iterating that constructive dialogue can, with time, resolve most issues.

Once this way of thinking and working exists within the family it will be passed on into future generations, providing a way to deal with problems.  The introduction of a system and processes to manage the family helps to create agreed family values relating to the “family system” and a common value system with regard to money.

By John Freeman
Family Business Specialist
0(44)1582 462192
John.F@familiesinbusiness.co.uk
www.familiesinbusiness.co.uk
 
“Working with families in business to ensure the wealth and well-being of the family into future generations”

Dear Secretary of State,

My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recently received a cheque for £3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not rearing pigs. I would now like to join the “not rearing pigs” business.

In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy.

I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing rare breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old Spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these?

As I see it, the hardest part of this programme will be keeping an accurate record of how many pigs I haven’t reared. Are there any Government or Local Authority courses on this?

My friend is very satisfied with this business. He has been rearing pigs for forty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in 1968.   That is - until this year, when he received a cheque for not rearing any.

If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs, will I get £6,000 for not rearing 100?

I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4,000 pigs not raised, which will mean about £240,000 for the first year. As I become more expert in not rearing pigs, I plan to be more ambitious, perhaps increasing to, say, 40,000 pigs not reared in my second year, for which I should expect about £2.4 million from your department. Incidentally, I wonder if I would be eligible to receive tradable carbon credits for all these pigs not producing harmful and polluting methane gases?

Another point: These pigs that I plan not to rear will not eat 2,000 tonnes of cereals. I understand that you also pay farmers for not growing crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the pigs I don’t rear?

I am also considering the “not milking cows” business, so please send any information you have on that too. Please could you also include the current Defra advice on set aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commerce basis with virtual fields (of which I seem to have several thousand hectares)?

In view of the above you will realise that I will be totally unemployed, and will therefore qualify for unemployment benefits.

I shall of course be voting for your party at the next general election.

Yours faithfully,

Nigel Johnson-Hill