Don’t read this - it could change your whole outlook and way of communicating.

Don’t even think about it.

Then don’t do things differently

Negative suggestions

Negative suggestions are powerful.  Derren Brown on TV recently demonstrated children’s natural curiosity when he left them alone with a box saying “Don’t open the box”.  Phrased like that it was impossible for them not to.

Our brains can’t process negatives (and yes, I know that’s a negative).  For example, towards the end of a snooker game, a player just had to pot one ball to win a whole tournament.  As he was walking around the table deciding how best to take the shot, his opponent whispered “Don’t miss”.  Whenever I tell that story there’s an intake of breath from the listener.  They don’t need to be told the outcome. 

If you hear yourself using unhelpful negative suggestions to other people, when delegating, when speaking to children, even your own self-talk, convert it to something more positive.  Instead of: “This is difficult and time-consuming” notice the response when you say “It’s not easy or quick, it’ll be satisfying when you complete it though”.

Problem solving with a question

If you ever want to solve a problem, before you go to sleep set your unconscious mind a question.  Phrase it positively e.g. “What’s the best way to solve XYZ?”.  Imagine what it will feel like when you wake up in the morning with the solution in mind.  You’re likely to wake in the morning with an answer.

The effect of stress on your memory

Ever had the experience of seeing someone familiar across a room at a party and forgetting their name.  The more you wrack your brains the more the name eludes you.  But as soon as you leave the party, the name pops back into your mind. 

Our unconscious minds are affected by our stress levels.  The more you try to remember, the more stress you are putting on yourself and the less your mind will want to recall it.  As soon as you relax, the memory comes flooding back.

Apply that to driving tests, job interviews and presentations.  Of course, there’s a balance to be made between a healthy state of focus and relaxation to achieve optimum results.

Focus on what you want (not on what you don’t want)

Successful people naturally seem to focus their minds on what they want to achieve (not what they don’t want to achieve).  That’s more likely to see big success rather than just scraping by, avoiding failure.

An element of realism is healthy.  But visualising your goal will set your mind working to help you to make that a reality.  E.g. people who feel nervous before giving a presentation focus on their nerves and make themselves feel worse.  Instead, imagine finishing the presentation and smiling to a standing ovation.  Your body language and choice of words will make it more likely that you’ll achieve something like it.

It’s your choice

If you don’t notice your language and the power of your communication, nothing will change.  But when you do communicate positively to yourself and others, with your outcome in mind, your ability to influence your results will increase.  Thanks to the power of your unconscious mind.

Sara Longmuir, Business and Executive Coach, SLongmuir@shirlawscoaching.com 07941 015 866 

How to see off one of Britain’s Biggest Killers 

It may lack glamour, but it still packs a killer punch: bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK, claiming some fifty lives every day. Of the 35,500 people estimated to develop the disease each year, half will die: a sad testament to the fact that not enough people are seeking diagnosis or treatment early enough when the disease is in its, eminently curable, early stages. Preventicum, West London’s state-of-the-art full body MOT clinic, makes a point of highlighting the importance of screening for any polyps that might go on to manifest themselves malignantly in the body ensuring that all visitors to the clinic leave with peace of mind safe in the knowledge that any potential nasties will have been detected.

A Preventicum full-body check-up augments the standard blood and urine tests with in-depth screening for major health conditions and their all-important risk factors: including a radiation-free MRI colonoscopy to look for bowel cancer and its primary precursor of polyps. Particularly prevalent in those of middle-age (1 in 10 people of 60 will develop them), polyps manifest themselves in the colon and, if left undetected and untreated, can spread and become malignant. The good news is that if these potentially cancerous polyps are detected early enough they can be removed painlessly.

Preventicum’s MRI colonoscopy only takes 15 minutes and is less invasive and less uncomfortable than conventional colonoscopy methods.  The procedure is also radiation-free, unlike CT colonoscopy, which exposes the client to a more than significant dose of unnecessary radiation.  Results are also available immediately from Preventicum’s full-time radiologist, so referrals can be made there and then for polyps to be quickly and painlessly removed.

Whilst medical experts are still looking to ascertain precisely what causes bowel cancer, certain triggers have been identified which can aggravate symptoms and encourage the manifestation of the disease: namely a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet coupled with a higher than normal fat content and a tendency towards obesity.

Dr Garry Savin, Medical Director at Preventicum says “Bowel cancer is one of the nation’s biggest killers, but it lacks the profile of other diseases which feature more prominently in the media and are higher on the public’s agenda. The tragedy of the disease’s high death toll is that, when detected early enough, 90% of bowel cancer cases can be successfully treated. With many of the disease triggers lying latent, the need for preventative check-ups is paramount to ensure that any diagnosis can take place before the disease has a chance to progress. The minimally-invasive, radiation-free screening that we offer at Preventicum is perfect to detect any polyps, comfortably providing patients with peace of mind.”

Preventicum UK
www.preventicum.co.uk
020 7605 6900

As one gets older often the greatest remaining asset is the family home. Personal demands or diligent estate planning may have eroded or shifted other wealth; however the home still sits there for surviving family, less a 40% slug to the Treasury. The irony here is that we are trained to see our home as a “tax free investment”, only to leave a potentially large slice on the table for the tax man when we pass away.

It is the desire of many of our parents or grandparents to access the capital tied up in their homes to meet family demands for nursing care, enhanced lifestyle or Inheritance Tax mitigation or a mixture thereof.

It is perhaps alien to spend a lifetime of repaying or avoiding debt and then in your twilight years consider hocking the home, but sometimes it may make sense. As a retrospective, the property inflation rate in the South West of England for detached properties has pushed a detached property worth say a £1million pounds ten years ago to just under £2.75million, during a period of relatively benign inflation and low interest rates. This equates to a compound return of approximately 11% per annum. (Source: Nationwide Building Society UK House Index Detached Property South West Q1 1998-Q1 2008)

So, ten years ago assuming no surviving spouse and no IHT planning the estate would have paid tax of £314,000 on the value of the house after deducting the IHT nil rate band. Ten years on, the nil rate band has climbed by about 3.3% per annum compound, leaving the same family writing out a cheque for some £980,000.

It is difficult to predict future property inflation; in fact some may expect a period of property deflation. So, if we assume that the next ten years is completely flat for both property inflation and inheritance tax bands and rates we can see the potential benefits of releasing some equity from parental homes for IHT planning, regardless of any specific potential cash-flow or lifestyle demands.

In essence the example below depicts the position of a widow/er or couple releasing 30% of the equity of their property, in this case the £2.75million home referred to above, and rolling the interest up at an indicative 7% per annum compound for say 10 years. It is assumed that the loan and interest are then repaid at that point with then, the death of the homeowner/s. In the example below, it is further assumed that the equity released is structured in a tax efficient way to be either outside of the estate or exempt from IHT if within the estate( entirely achievable with planning). In such circumstances the equity released only needs to achieve a net return of some 1.75% per annum, because the loan and rolled up interest are offset against the estate for IHT purposes

The example above is illustrative and assumes that there are some other assets in the estate that utilise the nil rate IHT band. Furthermore, it assumes that the equity released achieves an annualised compound return of 5% over the ten year period, a pretty conservative target.

It is worth putting some flesh on the bones in respect of equity release mortgages. The market for such arrangements still exists, despite the woes of the credit crunch. The typical minimum age acceptable to a lender is aged 60 and borrowing levels vary with age. Similar to annuities, the older you are, the more you get, simply because nobody lives for ever!

Practically, the area of “Lifetime Mortgages” or “equity release” is a specialist one and has a role to play in family wealth management, across generations and arguably is equally as appropriate for consideration for the wealthy and not just those short of cash in retirement.
Please note that the above article is based upon Asquith & Partners’ understanding of current regulations, taxation and legislation, which are subject to change without notice.

THIS IS A LIFETIME MORTGAGE. TO UNDERSTAND THE FEATURES AND RISKS, ASK YOUR ADVISER FOR A PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION.

Richard Bertin
Asquith & Partners LLP
www.asquith.co.uk

What do you think of when you’re considering making provision for your loved ones?  Life assurance?  Critical illness cover?  These certainly need to be considered.  But not many people would say to me ‘a Power of Attorney’. 

Recently I heard of a case that put the matter into perspective.  A husband had gone into hospital for significant but seemingly routine surgery.  Tragically, however, he suffered unexpected complications and was left with severe brain damage.  The shock for the family was bad enough but then there was the question of what could be done with his assets.  The family home was also owned jointly – could it be sold if need be? 

The problem that this family has suddenly discovered is that if a person loses mental capacity, no-one automatically has authority to deal with that person’s own assets and some jointly owned property such as real estate.  This can cause a great deal of inconvenience and worry, especially if there are dependents.

Unfortunately it seems that no-one had told the family about making a Power of Attorney.  This enables you to give authority to someone else to act on your behalf.  However, unlike general Powers of Attorney, a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) will continue to be effective even if you lose mental capacity.  Therefore, if you want your spouse and/or another family member to be able to make decisions on your behalf in the event of mental incapacity, you may need to make one.

If you’ve already made an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) then you probably don’t need to make a LPA unless you wish to choose different attorneys or make other changes – any EPA validly made before 1 October 2007 (the date when EPA’s were replaced by LPA’s) will remain valid and will need to be registered by the attorneys if the EPA-maker is becoming mentally incapable.  Registration at this time is essential – EPA attorneys do not have authority to act under an unregistered EPA if the EPA-maker has lost mental capacity. 
Even if you have made an EPA, there are a number of new features about the LPA regime that might be of interest to you.

Firstly, there are two different types of LPA: a Property and Affairs LPA and a Personal Welfare LPA.  With a Personal Welfare LPA, it is now possible to choose an attorney or attorneys to make welfare and healthcare decisions on your behalf.  This can include refusing life sustaining treatment on your behalf if you wish.

Secondly, you can now name replacement attorneys in the same document.  So you may wish to appoint your spouse to act on your behalf in the first instance and then someone else, perhaps a child, to take over in the event that your spouse pre-deceases you or is unable to act.

You can place restrictions on your attorney’s actions if you wish – for example, no authority to deal with finances unless you are incapable of making these decisions yourself – but there are traps for the unwary: restrictions need to be clear and carefully worded otherwise they can make the LPA unworkable and possibly invalid. 

It is also now possible to include non-binding guidance to your attorneys in the LPA itself.
A new feature of LPA’s is that you need at least one ‘certificate provider’ to sign the form to confirm that you understand the purpose and scope of the LPA.  Lawyers and registered healthcare professionals are among those who may act as certificate providers but so can individuals who have known you personally for at least two years.

Unlike EPA’s, LPA’s can only be used if they have been registered with the Court of Protection first.  Therefore to ensure that the LPA can be used immediately it is required, it needs to be registered.  Normally you need to choose at least one person to receive written notification that an application to register the LPA is about to be made – this is meant to be an additional safeguard.  In contrast to EPA’s, you need not have family members being notified if you wish!

Unfortunately, the couple that I mentioned had not made EPA’s or LPA’s.  This means that the wife will now have to make a time-consuming and costly application to the Court to be appointed as her husband’s Deputy and may have to make further Court applications to deal with his assets – she is likely to find this frustrating and the Court’s continuing involvement intrusive. 

The great benefit of LPA’s is that they put you in the driving seat – you choose who makes decisions on your behalf, not the Court or a doctor – and with a registered LPA, your attorneys can start making decisions on your behalf at any time you need them to, for your and your family’s benefit, in case the worst happens.  As my example demonstrates, you are never too young to make one.
Helena Luckhurst
Speechly Bircham LLP

Although the rate of capital gains tax, in relation to gains arising from the disposal of any asset after 5th April 2008, will generally be 18%, the Chancellor has, in response to the lobbying of bodies representing industry and commercial associations, introduced a valuable relief for the owners of unincorporated trading entities and of trading companies which will tax the first £1 million of disposal gains at a rate of only 10%.

This new relief, known as entrepreneurs relief, will be available to sole traders, partners of trading firms, and also to shareholders of trading companies, provided that the trade, partnership interest or share holding has been owned for at least twelve months prior to the sale. A further condition for relief in the case of shareholders is that they are also directors or employees of the company concerned, and own at least 5% of the ordinary share capital and voting rights.

It is important that entrepreneurs should plan their affairs to ensure the maximum availability of the 10% rate in the event of a future sale. For example, an individual owning 100% of the shares of a  trading company may choose to make a CGT- free transfer of 50% of the holding to a spouse or civil law partner, so that if a third party sale takes place more than twelve months hence, the £1 million band taxable at 10% will be available to both partners. As trading company shares generally qualify for CGT holdover relief, it is also possible to gift shares to children and other close relatives without crystallising a CGT liability, and where the beneficiaries possess more than 5% and satisfy the other conditions for relief for more than 12 months before a third party sale takes place, they too can enjoy the 10% rate in respect of up to £1 million of gains.

However, whenever shares are gifted to family members for CGT or Inheritance Tax planning reasons, care must always be taken to ensure that the beneficiary has made a suitable Will.  In addition, when passing shares to family members, it is often advisable to draw up a binding Shareholders Agreement, and to review the adequacy of existing pre-emption provisions in the company’s Articles. Such precaution will ensure that, in the event of an unexpected separation, divorce or death, a valuable shareholding and the associated voting power does not pass out of the ownership of the immediate family into possibly hostile hands. Suitable “tag-along” and “drag-along” provisions in the Articles or Shareholders Agreement will ensure that, in the event of a third party offer for the company, each shareholder will act in accordance with the wishes of the majority.

The trustees of a family life interest trust can qualify for the new entrepreneurs relief where the other conditions for the relief are satisfied (including that the beneficiary is a director or employee of the company), and in many cases the creation of trusts for family members may be the best means of achieving CGT and Inheritance tax objectives whilst keeping the shares within the effective ownership and control of the immediate family.

By John Phelan
Wingrave Yeats
www.wingrave.co.uk

Remember those hot summer days when you were a kid, going to the local fields with your family and picking (as well as eating) those wonderful strawberries, and your parents buying what seemed like thousands of them………Remember the wonderful taste of that berry as you picked it straight from the plant popping it in your mouth and tasting that amazing fresh yet slightly warm juice as it exploded in your mouth (yes my mouth is watering as well)……WELL WHY ON EARTH DO YOU NOT GIVE THAT  EXPERIENCE TO YOUR OWN CHILDREN!! The fields are still there; the strawberries are still as scrumptious as ever, or is it that it has all become to easy to pick them up from the shelves of a local supermarket?? Or is it that you just don’t have the time?? Well all I can say is make time because you are missing out on one of the best products this county produces and at the same time creating memories and passion for food for your kids!! There I said it…..I feel a whole lot better for getting that off my chest.

And if you do manage to get any of them home!!! Here are some ideas of what you can do with them.

• Strawberry jam
• Strawberry crumble
• Strawberry milk shake with vanilla ice cream
• Strawberries and thick clotted cream
• Strawberry flan
• Pop them into Pimms
• Serve them as a canapé with a nice cold glass of white wine, or Champagne, you can top them with a light cream cheese and crushed black pepper.
• Serve them in a salad with a little grated bitter chocolate.
• Slightly chill them and then pour hot white chocolate sauce over them
• Marinade them in sugar and a good splash of Amaretto
• When they get old make a puree out of them and freeze it.
• Freeze them and then make strawberry juice out of them
• Pick some elderflower and soak with the strawberries in a little sugar syrup.
• Have them for breakfast on your cereal.
• Crush them and mix them in your yoghurt
• Put some in your children’s lunch boxes.
• Glaze them with a Madeira sabayon for dessert
• Mix them with broken meringue and make Eton Mess
• IN FACT, HAVE THEM FOR BREAKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER AND ENJOY THEM WHILE THEY ARE IN SEASON, AND THEN START LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR AND DREAM OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO CREATE WITH THEM.

If you are at a loss and need a recipe then feel free to email at enquiries@yalburycottage.com

Best of British in season this month!!!
Here’s “What to buy and not to buy” in June.
.
If you want great seasonal produce then buy your vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and dairy from a local farmers’ market, then you know it is fresh and in season! Yes, it may cost a few pennies more, but trust me; the end result is worth every pound.

Vegetables and fruit
Jersey Royals, asparagus, broad beans, peas, green beans, fennel, sorrel, salad leaves are coming good.

As for fruit, well you really are spoilt for choice…….Of course Strawberries, gooseberries, cherries, as well as all the other summer berries towards the end of the month depending on the good old blighty weather.

Meat
The spring lambs will be coming good this month, ask your butcher and order some.

Fish
Haddock, Dory as well as crab and lobster should start to come down in price fantastic if you are doing a posh nosh BBQ.

Dairy
Clotted cream is a must………
HAPPY JUNE!!!!

JAMIE

Ingredients: Serves 4

4 x  Rump of Lamb

8 x  pieces of garlic
50g  Broad beans podded, blanched and skinned
50g  Tomato, blanched, peeled seeded and fine diced
20g  Fine diced shallot

500g  Jerusalem artichoke
20ml  Double cream
1 tablespn Butter
1 pinch  Chopped tarragon
1 pinch  Chopped mint

20ml  Rapeseed oil
50ml  Lamb red wine sauce

 Method:

• Place the pieces of garlic unpeeled into a small pan, cover with rapeseed oil and roast in the oven  for 15 minutes  175degree F. Leave to cool and then gently peel. Add to a little red wine sauce and leave to infuse.
• Wash and peel the artichokes and cut into small pieces. Add the artichokes into a saucepan and cover with water and bring to boil with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until cooked and soft to the touch. Once cooked remove from heat and add cream and butter and blitz with a hand blender for a few seconds until smooth. Correct the seasoning
• Heat a none stick frying pan, add 2 table spoons of rapeseed oil and heat. Season the rumps of lamb and add with fat side down into the hot rapeseed oil and cook for 2 minutes until golden colour. Turn the lamb and seal the other side for a further 2 minutes. Place the rump of lamb on an oven tray and cook in a hot oven 200degree F. for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in a warm place to rest for 4 minutes
• Heat a small pan and ad two tablespoons of rapeseed oil, when hot add the fine diced shallots and cook for a few seconds without colour. Add a tea spoon of butter and add the blanch and podded broad beans and cook a few seconds more. The tomato dice is added at the last minute, with a pinch of tarragon and mint.
• Heat the red wine sauce with the roasted garlic.
• Heat the artichoke puree and place a large spoon of the puree in the center of the plate.  
• Spoon the broad beans ad tomatoes around the outside of the artichoke puree.
• Slice the rumps of lamb into about four slices and place on top of the artichoke puree.
• Spoon around a little of the red wine sauce and give two pieces of garlic per person.

You can serve boiled new potatoes family style in the center of the table with a big knob of fresh Dorset butter and sprinkle with chopped mint.

For the sauce, ask your local restaurant that you use often if they will sell you a little cup of red wine sauce each time you visit.

Last month’s art auction results made headlines around the world. Francis Bacon’s ‘Triptych’ (pictured) achieved the highest ever price for a work by the artist, with Lucien Freud’s ‘Benefits Supervisor Sleeping’ breaking the record for a living artist.

The press has made much of the art market’s resilience to the credit crunch; a number of recent sales in the wine market have also seen records tumble and similar conclusions drawn.  As the Evening Standard reported last month, there is an increasing number of investors who have ‘gone liquid’ and are now looking to put their money in new areas: ‘This group of entrepreneurs, hedge fund operators, private equity players and the occasional celebrity are driving up prices in alternative asset classes. So traditional investments such as equities and property stall or wilt altogether but values in other areas such as art, jewellery and wine keep on climbing.’ And that’s not to mention the number of billionaires who simply want the best art on their walls and the finest wines on their table (it has been suggested that the buyer of the Bacon and Freud was none other than Roman Abramovich).

However, a number of respected titles – such as The Economist and the International Herald Tribune – have suggested that beneath the headlines the art market is showing some significant signs of weakness, particularly at the lower levels of the market. James Suckling of the Wine Spectator has also commented on the matter on his blog.

So where art goes, does wine follow? Despite a gentle slowdown since last summer we are yet to see this move into a recognisable reverse and prices on the Liv-ex fine wine exchange have remained strong at all price levels. There is also no evidence that the art market is closely correlated with that of fine wine.

What this does highlight, however, is that those wishing to invest in wine should stick to the basics – which is to buy the better wines from the better vintages – if they wish to reduce their risks. That means wines with a strong track record of aging potential and an active secondary market - basically limiting you to the better wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and perhaps Italy (although that still gives you a lot of wines to choose from). 

Beyond the broader outlook there is one other connection between the recent art auction results and the fine wine market. Bacon’s ‘Triptych’ was sold by the Moueix Family, owners of Bordeaux’s Château Petrus and California’s Dominus as well as a host of other vinous jewels. It is unclear if Abramovich buys wine from them as well …

Nigel Johnson-Hill is chairman of Liv-ex.com, the fine wine exchange. He is also chairman of The Vintry Wine Co Ltd. He is an avid wine collector with a broad but “imperfectly balanced” range of wines. Details of the Liv-ex Fantasy Cellar are available on www.liv-ex.com

Later this month, I am jetting off to Shanghai to speak at The Asian Luxury Travel Market. It’s one of three annual international events, bringing together the movers & shakers from the industry.

Travel is being hit hard by the current financial crisis. In the past few months, all the UK-based business-class only airlines – Eos, Maxjet and Silverjet have gone to the wall as has the budget Hong Kong carrier Oasis. High fuel prices have had a huge impact on these airlines but also lack of aircraft and the use of regional airports have not helped the cause. There are rumours that one of the above will be back in our skies soon but for how long is anyone’s guess. British Airways has recently announced a London City Airport to New York route – business class only. A smart move!

The private jet sector (excuse the pun) is soaring. More and more City firms and indeed individuals are chartering jets for business and leisure. The cost of hiring your own private aircraft is falling – despite the fuel prices – as competition in that sector has hotted up. The major airlines make their money from selling business & first class seats and they are starting to suffer. Their inability to understand the basics of service has also tipped the scales against them.

It’s been a tumultuous year so far in Asia. Putting the financial woes aside, the huge cyclone in Myanmar, the major earthquake in China, two earthquakes in Sumatra which rocked Indonesia and Malaysia and finally a strong typhoon which destroyed many towns in north Philippines has devastated vast areas of land and killed many, many people.

Cynics have questioned why Shanghai is actually hosting an event celebrating travel and worse luxury. “Travel” is the world’s biggest employer … if people stopped travelling, then millions, if not billions of ordinary people would suffer.
Only 5% of people travel in luxury (business class flights and above, 5-Star hotels & resorts) but it generates over 20% of the revenue for the whole industry.

So with a very strong Euro, weaker Pound, very weak US dollar and a malaise in the world’s financial markets, what are the travelling trends for 2008?
The US is not enjoying an influx of UK visitors … the UK is not enjoying an influx of European
… or any foreign visitors (something to do with a football tournament & the Olympics) and Europe … well, is getting no-one!

The reality is that this year, people are staying at home … where their expenditure is controlled and the perception to their bosses is that they cannot afford outrageous foreign holidays!
Anyone reading this in the UK will know that holidaying in any of the home countries is actually SO much more expensive than travelling abroad!

Last week I was invited by Turnberry Resort in Scotland to a golf day at Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire. The host of the day was Colin Montgomerie who puts his name to the Links Course Academy at Turnberry. While the day was brilliant, I played some shocking golf … but amazingly and unexpectedly did beat the Pro (Colin!) on the 7th Par-3 hole.

Turnberry will host the 2009 British Open and features a Starwood-managed luxury hotel, lodges, cottages and of course golf courses (www.turnberry.co.uk/).

Last year, I filmed on the Old Course at St Andrews. After landing at Dundee Airport (an easy 90 minute flight from London City Airport) I was shuttled to the legendary Old Course Hotel St Andrews (www.oldcoursehotel.kohler.com) - just a 15-minute journey by road. 

The Old Course Hotel is the only place to stay in the historic Scottish seaside town.  It was built in 1968 and was totally refurbished by Kohler Corporation in 2004 and now features 144 rooms including 135 suites. The suites are designed by famed Jacques Garcia – he of Hotel Costes in Paris.

There are several restaurants including the Road Hole Grill and Sands. But the jigger built over 150 years ago is a favourite for tourists and hotel guests alike.  The Kohler spa is one of the best spas I have seen in Europe with crystal steam rooms and light therapy saunas, indoor heated swimming pool and an icy plunge pool.

Here in England there are a couple of places to “stay and play” – Stoke Park Club  - where parts of Goldfinger & Layer Cake were filmed (www.stokeparkclub.com) and The Grove in Hertfordshire.
The Grove Golf Resort Hotel is just a 40 minute drive North West of Central London. It nestles in 300 acres of rolling countryside. The estate is dominated by the mansion which once housed the Earls of Clarendon and which houses the most spacious and unique guestrooms in the resort. In total there are a total of 227 rooms & suites.

The Grove (www.thegrove.co.uk)  opened in 2003 and is commonly known as Groovy Grand. The resort houses a particularly impressive art collection throughout including works by Volker Kühn .

The Sequoia Spa is superb … and has an adult only indoor swimming pool … a peaceful escape from what is a family-friendly resort. The golf course is magnificent and has played host to the American Express WGC … good enough for Tiger … good enough for me!

“Inside Luxury Travel with Varun Sharma” and “Inside Luxury Travel: The Finest Collection” airs every day on The Travel Channel and on Saturday on CNBC Europe.

Sister company Inside Luxury Travel Clubs looks after your travel needs – business & leisure. Contact Emma on 020 7976 6010 or emma@insideluxurytravel.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.
 
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