Graham Allcott – Director and Productivity Ninja
My expertise
I specialise in personal organisational systems, strategies to deal with the information overload and ‘action management’. I am a naturally ‘too strategic to be organised’ person but have trained myself to be productive throughout the development of personal workflow systems and developing the power of good habits.
Why I do it
Forcing myself to develop good workflow habits has been tough – I’m a typical strategic ‘flake’! – so my work gives me the immense satisfaction of telling people that if I can do it, they can too.
My background
My transition from charity chief executive to freelance consultant was what inspired Think Productive. Realising I’d have to manage without a PA and a great team of ‘do-ers’, I began reading about workflow and productivity tools, and developing ways to ensure maximum productivity.
I now run 2 companies (the other being social enterprise consultancy, Fruitful Consulting), I’m Chair of international development charity READ International, a trustee of Centrepoint and an acoustic singer songwriter.
What my clients say
“Getting my Mailbox to Zero involved a series of fairly obvious ideas – but sometimes you just need someone to sort out the wood from the trees for you. Graham’s commitment, enthusiasm and sheer pleasure at seeing his simple advice take effect were catching. His brief visit was highly effective and well worthwhile.”
Tom Levitt, (MP) House of Commons
“Graham and Think Productive have provided training over the past year at all levels of our company – particularly on managing workloads, email and how to get things done. His training has had great results for us because it is very practical – giving people the tools they need to make long lasting productivity changes. His investment in understanding our business and culture – and therefore how to apply theories to the way in which we work has been very impressive.”
Rosie Steele, Blue Rubicon
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Matthew Brown – Productivity Ninja
My expertise
With twenty years experience advising small businesses, I understand the issues that they face, and speak their language. My goal as a Productivity Ninja is to enable entrepreneurs to tackle the multitude of challenges they face in an optimal way, and build valuable, successful companies with the minimum of stress.
I am also an incurable iPhone personal productivity geek.
Why I do it
People who do this love to help people, and I am no exception. My personal life was revolutionised when I embraced core personal productivity principles, and being a Productivity Ninja gives me the opportunity to help others to achieve the same high-doing/low-stressing life.
My background
I have worked in investment banking, strategy consulting and business incubation. I also built log cabins in the Canadian wilderness for a while. I have a passion for small businesses, and have been an entrepreneur, adviser and investor in this area for twenty years. I have worked and studied in the US, Madrid and Stockholm but I am now happy in West London.
What my clients say
“Matthew’s energy was great – very positive and inspiring.”
Sophie Brickley, Halpern
“Not wishing to sound over dramatic but that training has seriously changed my life!.”
E. Fryc, Unltd
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Russell Caird – Productivity Ninja
My expertise
I am an experienced facilitator and trainer with a strong commercial background. This allows me to run Think Productive workshops with a great understanding about the daily pressures delegates need to contend with. There is nothing worse than a trainer who hasn’t been there!
Why I do it
I have always been fairly well organised so the “Think Productive Way” is close to my heart. It’s so rewarding to see the difference in people in a matter of hours. Often delegates arrive with the world on their shoulders but by the end of the day they are clearly focused and motivated.
My background
My career for the last two decades has been financial services. A large part of my role was to train and develop a team but I then had an opportunity to move solely into training and consultancy which I seized. Working with Think Productive has been a natural extension of what I used to do…..and it really makes a difference.
What my clients say
“Having attended many a training course, I found Russell and Think Productive to be a breath of fresh air. Concise, fun and informal but professional. Most importantly of all, I am getting results. I attended a course on “How to Get Things Done” and I am that excited about what I have learned I am telling just about everyone I know! To be honest, I had not realised how critical this was to job satisfaction until I shared what I had learned and watched that person grow in confidence over the coming weeks as they tried it for themselves. I should have joined this revolution years ago. A course such as this, with companies as advanced this, should be mandatory when starting any job.”
Trevor Bibic, Gift Republic
“I attended a course run by Russell on “how to get things done” and found the workshop enlightening and the processes easy to implement and I have seen immediate results by putting them into practice. Russell’s approach to training is a very detailed but engaging one and I would highly recommend him, and Think Productive team, to deliver good sensible and practical advice in a world where data and jargon inhabit our daily lives to put things back into perspective.”
Kate Brooks, Edenred
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Lee Cottier – Productivity Ninja
My expertise
As a ‘Productivity Ninja’ I work with our clients to deliver and develop our range of workshops and coaching solutions. I combine a strong commercial background with the mindset of an educator, ensuring participants can implement their learning to best effect.
Why I do it
Throughout 7 years working in learning and development, the common thread has always been helping individuals, teams and organisations become the best at what they do with their skills and effort. The work we do at Think Productive delivers, very directly, exactly that.
My background
My journey to Think Productive had 3 elements. My first career in business for over a decade ensures I know what it’s like trying to get stuff done in the ‘real world’. Re-skilling as a qualified teacher and commercial trainer led to extensive L&D work in both public and private sectors. Finally there’s my long time passion for personal productivity. When I saw what Think Productive were up to, joining the team was a “must do”!
What my clients say
“Lee had been recommended to me by our Personnel Department and when he delivered the training to our team I could see why! Our training experience was everything we had hoped for – a new approach that was based on very practical applications that we could use straight away.
Delivering content is one thing, but making it stick and getting everyone on board takes a different set of skills and takes training to a whole new level. Lee did that for us and we all had fun on our training day. Definitely, the first day of the rest of our productive lives!
I’d highly recommend Lee to any business. Happier, less stressed and more productive staff are an obvious investment.”
Laura Serratrice, University of Bristol
“I attended one of Lee’s productivity Ninja workshops in Bristol some three weeks ago, like some others on here I was highly sceptical that my bad habits could be bought into line and that I could be converted to a Productivity Ninja, well not only did I thoroughly enjoy the course so professionally presented by Lee, but it has inspired me to stick to the plan, and to date I have been (in my own eyes anyway !!) far more productive. No longer trapped by the weight of tasks to be done, and buried in Emails that won’t go away !!! My email inbox is 0 (down from 1300!!! and my to do list has a manageable 30 odd things for me to do next week !!! Will be looking to bring the Think Productive team in to work with my team in coming months…”
Mike Cookson, Norgine
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Sharon Dale – Productivity Ninja
My expertise
As a trainer and coach I specialize in helping people to reduce the stress that information overload produces in their work and life. I have been a scholar and implementer of this material for some time and this has helped me to make the most of my time and to avoid distraction and overwhelm. I am delighted to be able to share this with our clients.
Why I do it
This role gives me the opportunity to combine two of my passions; personal productivity and spending time with people to help them to make positive changes in their lives. Sometimes you can actually see the weight lifting as the day goes on.
My background
I have over twenty years of experience in various sectors managing projects, services and facilities and providing training to individuals and organizations; most recently before joining Think Productive in 2012, managing operations and working with small businesses in the creative and digital sector.
What my clients say
“Sharon is incredibly knowledgeable and has a wealth of experience.”
Richard Hughes, ITIL Service Mgmt Instructor / Consultant, Xpertise Training
“Sharon’s style is friendly and informative with openness for your own choices. I really liked the fact that Sharon presented a ‘toolbox’ of ideas to pick and choose from.”
Rebeka Haigh, Yorkshire Youth & Music.
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Martin Farrell – Meetings Magician
My expertise
I like to sit and be silent. And I also like to be with lots of people and make a noise. It’s always been like that. A lifetime of practice at balancing my inner and outer attention, has given me what it takes to help people to work well in groups and to get stuff done.
The working life of groups is sometimes messy and as things shift they can seem muddled and unfocussed. So I have learned to practice patience. Sometimes things get tough so, with time, I have become more resilient.
Why I do it
I see good stuff happening in the world and I see plenty of bad stuff too – and that bothers me. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to do something about it. So I have and I do.
Being in groups is fun for me and also nourishes me, as I see that I can help people to get to the point they want to get to. It feels like a fine way to be in the world and to earn my livelihood at the same time.
My background
I started out working with charities large and small and with community organisations in the UK and abroad. I started my own consultancy (get2thepoint) in 1999 and since then have been engaged many times to facilitate groups at international level (UN, EU, British Council, World Economic Forum, in Europe, China, Middle East, S. America …) and that is now my primary focus.
And this rich mix of experience of working with small local groups and large world class organisations over four decades has taught me what it takes to make meetings magic.
Working well with groups and helping them be productive may seem like a kind of magic. It is … and I can help you learn to be a magician.
What my clients say
“Since the session which Martin facilitated, staff have been able to devise a concrete plan for Trustee comment. Every member of the team has been pro-active in keeping to the agreed action points and deadlines, and I am convinced that commitment has been inspired by Martin’s input into proceedings. Working with him was like a breath of fresh air.”
Amy Hatton, International NGO
“BA is the land of meetings! This was a refreshing, to the point and interactive session which has really made us think about using our time for meetings more productively and in some cases questioning our need for a meeting at all. A well prepared, presented and superbly timed ‘meeting’ which gave us an opportunity as a group to share problems and helped us to find practical solutions.”
Vandana Sood, British Airways
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Grace Marshall – Productivity Ninja
My expertise:
As a coach I specialise in helping busy entrepreneurs who are juggling business and family to make the most of their time and talent. As a qualified NLP practitioner and DiSC trainer, I bring a psychological and practical perspective to productivity, with an emphasis on personality and playing to your strengths.
I am also the author of “21 Ways to Manage the Stuff That Sucks Up Your Time” – which topped the Amazon UK bestselling ranks for Time Management, Business Management and Small Business Entrepreneurship.
Why I do it
I got fed up of saying “I haven’t got enough time!”
I’m naturally disorganised – impatience is what drove me to get good at getting things actually done! I wasn’t willing to put life on hold so I juggle my business, family, community and social life on a daily basis – and not necessarily in that order.
Which is why I’m passionate about helping people find focus, flexibility and clarity in and amongst the chaos of a busy life – so that they get things done, have time for what really matters to them and live the life they want in the time that they do have.
My background
Educated with a management degree and qualified as a coach, NLP practitioner and DiSC trainer, I’ve always been passionate about people and how we work best individually and as part of a team. I have worked with a range of individual business owners as well as management teams, and am delighted to be part of the Think Productive team to help even more people get from chaos to clarity.
What my clients say
“I attended a training day on productivity run by Grace. Grace delivered the material effectively while maintaining an atmosphere conducive to learning and engaging with both the subject, other delegates and trainer. I have been impressed with Grace’s willingness to respond outside of the training day and offer support. It is early days but the content of the course is helping me to approach my work in a more purposeful and less frenetic manner.”
Malcolm Egner, National Director of Dalit Freedom Network UK
“I had the opportunity recently to attend a Productivity workshop which Grace was presenting. Whilst I have attended “time management” seminars in the past this was definitely different, and a new way of looking at how to be more productive in less time. I now have fresh ideas on how to organise my workload without getting stressed. Thank-you Grace.”
Christine, Littler-Thomas HR Consultant & Networking Coach
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Stuart McKenzie – Productivity Ninja
My expertise
With over 20 years working in the field of learning and development, I have developed an interest and expertise in vocational training & assessment and performance coaching. I have worked with individuals and organisations to help understand and increase productivity – by running training courses, carrying out staff appraisal assessments and coaching individuals. My expertise in productivity comes from a robust mix of Skill (learning by doing it myself and watching others) and Knowledge (studying materials on productivity and related topics). I am a Fellow of the Institute of Learning and of the institute of Administration Management.
Why I do it
Through first discovering Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way in the 90s and then David Allen’s Getting Things Done® a little later, I have developed a way of working successfully that enables me to maintain success in professional and personal productivity – and to quickly get back on that horse when I fall off. At Think Productive, we have proven ways to successfully share this at organisational and individual levels.
My background
I have worked in all major sectors of the economy (private, public and voluntary). I transitioned from a successful career in managing and training managers and teachers of adults to working freelance as a productivity consultant. In 2009, I produced a report, published by the Institute of Education, into good practice in measuring learning outcomes. In 2013, I plan to turn my personal research into academic research by starting an MPhil degree in the field of productivity and creativity.
What my clients say
“I liked Stuart’s style, approachability and support.”
Charlotte Bonner, NUS
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Julia Richards – Productivity Ninja
My expertise
My expertise is in learning and organisational development. Over the last 25 years, I have worked in all sectors across a range of industries in the UK and Australia. This means that I understand the differing pressures of the sectors and can share many examples of good practice. I’m interested in the whole person and also hold a degree in Herbal Medicine. As a Productivity Ninja my experience and expertise is applied to helping people enhance themselves through adopting good working practices in all areas of their life.
Why I do it
I am passionate about helping people be the best they can be by enhancing their current ways of doing things. The Think Productive methods and techniques certainly do this. It’s fulfilling to know you have helped someone reduce or even eliminate their stressors and therefore have greater physical, mental and emotional energy to enjoy their work and life more.
My background
I started my career as a secondary teacher in Education. I then used my teaching skills and what I knew about how people learn to move into corporate Learning and Development. This naturally led to cross overs into other HR functions. Over the last 20 years I have worked either as a Learning and Development specialist or HR generalist in internal and external consultancy roles. I believe we all have the capacity to help ourselves be the best we can be. This led me to complete a degree in Herbal Medicine which I have been practicing for the last few years. I’ve always been interested in how to be holistically more effective. Think Productive approach provides a good basis for this which is why I really enjoy being part of the organisation and all the good things we do for ourselves and others.
What my clients say
“Right from the beginning the whole coaching experience has been very positive, bringing both insight and practical, useable tips”.
Third Sector Area Manager
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Dawn O’Connor – Director, Think Productive Canada
My expertise
My passion for productivity, appreciating my client’s perspective and tailoring the learning to their needs is my expertise. Having worked with a few thousand people in this area I can quickly identify the pain points and match them with the best solution from the Think Productive toolkit.
Why I do it
I love to see the expression on someone’s face when they have an epiphany about their work habits.
My background
My twenty three year career, from larger corporate environments to running my own small business, provides the ideal foundation to starting Think Productive Canada.
And with 11 years of productivity coaching experience, I thought I was in pretty good shape until I read ‘How to be a Productivity Ninja’. My copy is full of purple highlighter marking all my ‘Ah ha’ moments that I now share with my grateful clients.
What my clients say
“We hired Dawn to provide productivity training for our staff at ECO Canada. From the first meeting Dawn demonstrated a thorough grasp of her subject matter and a willingness to listen and customize her training to meet our needs, instilling a confidence that we had made a good decision. The material covered proved to be extremely valuable and practical with tremendous staff feedback. We received further value with Dawn’s offer of four private consultations that were greatly appreciated by the lucky staff members who worked one-on-one with Dawn to deal with their unique issues. All in all, one of the best trainers that ECO has hired and someone I have no hesitations in recommending highly.”
Michael Kerford, ECO Canada
“I really had no idea how much this would change my work habits! I’ve generally been very sceptical of this kind of training and didn’t think I needed to learn these types of techniques to be productive. However, I made a concerted effort to be open to any and all suggestions, and I learned a series of tips that have had significant impact on my success as well as my entire team. Dawn was incredibly helpful and valuable in helping me to reform my work habits and become a more efficient and productive employee and manager!”
Martin Egli, Marketplace Events
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Elena Boga – Client Happiness & Logistics Manager
My expertise
I’ve worked in a wide range of companies and often I’ve seen the same problems repeated: failure to maintain focus at meetings and to follow up actions; problems with staff motivation and stress; information overload and reinvention of the wheel.
I always find myself analysing why a procedure isn’t working properly or how we can document and share lessons learnt. I notice the things that work too and try to learn from an effective management style or a brilliant meeting chairperson who sticks to the agenda with a strong sense of objectives.
Why I do it
I’m one of those people who is always looking for the most efficient way to do everyday tasks or for fun ways to motivate myself to do those tasks I don’t particularly want to do.
I find the psychology behind the way people work fascinating and I’m constantly inspired by those little tricks that make life a little bit easier (like turning off email alerts!).
My background
My interest for exploring productivity, motivation and knowledge-sharing began at University where I studied organisations and productivity as part of my Economics degree.
As soon as I entered the business world, I saw how the theories functioned in practice. Throughout my career, I have found myself drawn to projects that aim to improve the sharing of information and to help teams “do things smarter”.
What my clients say
“The Client Happiness & Logistics Manager certainly practices what Think Productive preach. I was so impressed with the booking and logistical planning it made the whole experience not only a pleasure, it also gave me some good ideas about how we can improve our own bookings system.”
Liz O’Neil, Zion Arts Centre.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the Think Productive approach and the way in which they deliver innovative products and services. Elena was more than happy to accommodate our needs and work with us to ensure the delivery suited our organisation and the event; she truly justifies her title of ‘Client Happiness Manager’.”
Sam Netherwood, Stockport Homes
