04/2012Nucleus-International.net1 The Nucleus Counsellor Nucleus-International.net Tasks Profile Performance

04/2012 Nucleus-International.net 1

The Nucleus Counsellor

Nucleus-International.netNucleus-International.net

Tasks

Profile

Performance


The Nucleus Counsellor : Tasks

Moderationof meetings

GroupCounselling

Execution of activities

IndividualCounsellingof members


Tasks of the chamber counsellor

• To assist / support / counsel the CEO and the board of directors

• To marketing / sell the services and activities of the chamber

• To represent the chamber (not legally)• To know the member entrepreneurs• To identify the needs and wishes of the

members


Tasks of the chamber counsellor

• To move around in order to know service providers for different sectors– Consultants, technicians and institutions

(training, suppliers, research, etc.)

• To be a link between– Chamber and enterprise– Enterprise and knowledge sources / service

providers

• To contribute to improve the– Development of the member enterprises– Development of the local economy

MOTTO : "I do not have an answer to everything, but ... I know how and where to look for them! "

04/2012 Nucleus-International.net 507/2008 5

Profile of the chamber Profile of the chamber counsellorcounsellor

• General– General knowledge about business

administration and technologies– To be a specialist on one subject may be an

advantage– Trained in counselling

• Entrepreneurial thinking• With maturity and responsibility• With empathy • Important: Positive attitude and ethics


What qualifications does a Counsellor need ?

• Experience with SMEs• Able to work with

people / in groups • Open minded and

willingto learn

• Communication & networking skills

• Entrepreneurial thinking• Leadership qualities• Analytical skills

• Good public relation competencies

• Confidence to face challenges

• Computer literacy• “Social intelligence” :

to perceive what happens

– in the minds of the participants

– among the participants

and to react adequately


Nucleus Counsellor : Tasks

• Stimulation and organisation of the communication process amongst members = Moderation

• Focal point: the group dynamic• Objectives :

– High quality of the discussions– Strong orientation towards goals

No confusion, no "blah blah blah .."



• Strategy:– Stimulate the identification of common

problems and ideas– Stimulate the exchange of know-how,

experience and solutions among members– Implementation of activities as defined

by the Nucleus members courses, visits to suppliers, trade fairs, etc.



• Strategy:– Direct the discussion to problems

which members can solve on their own internal causes – decision maker : SME= great chance of success

– Avoid problems that members cannot solve by themselves

external causes – decision maker : others, who are to be influenced = lobby= less chances of success



• At the “right” moment, the counsellor– Participates actively in the discussion– Contributes with

- questions, - ideas,- experiences,- comparisons,- proposals

= Counselling

Nucleus



Observations:• Group dynamics come first• Moderation without

counselling is ineffective


Nucleus Counsellor

Recurrent questions :

Why should the entrepreneur accept and respect me as a helpful counsellor ?

What can I do to be accepted and respected by the entrepreneur as a helpful counsellor ?


Relationship between counsellor and entrepreneur

• What to do to be accepted?– Knowing to listen– Being oriented to the needs of the

entrepreneurs– Perceiving the world with the "eyes" of the

entrepreneur– Expressing empathy– Speaking the “language” of the entrepreneur– Showing responsibility and good judgment

Important: To show clearly the will and the abilityto help and support



• What to do to be accepted?– The more similarities in thinking the

entrepreneur perceives between him-/herself and the counsellor the higher is the chance to accepted

– But a counsellor thinking exactly like the entrepreneur does not serve!

The entrepreneur will not get something “new” through and from the counsellor



• What to do to be accepted?– The “input” of the counsellor is to break

the common / the “tunnel” thinking of the entrepreneur

– The highest praise a Nucleus counsellor can get from the Nucleus members is

S/he has good ideas!



• Attitude– Discreet / ethical– Reliable– Maintaining distance and independence– Being a “partner” within professional

boundaries (avoid personal advantages / influences)

– Being absolutely neutral between the Nucleus members, treating all in the same way

– Efficient auto-organisation



• Strategies– Definition of responsibilities– Expression of selfconfidence– Development of alternatives / suggestions– But: Do not assume the entire execution of the

decided activities !!!– Encourage group participation– Using the technique: “Do we want to work

together"?



• Limits in the relationship– Never provide individual personal favours– Control your emotion– The counsellor presents alternatives, controls,

advises ... The entrepreneur decides and executes, the responsibility remains with him / her

– The counsellor is responsible for participation, involvement and satisfaction …The entrepreneur should feel that s/he found a reliable and valuable partner



• Avoid confrontations– Arm yourself with information and arguments– Show humility and admit mistakes– Present relevant fact and data– Listen carefully– Advise and do not impose– Do not insist on being right– Reconsider positions



• Counsellors’ most common mistakes– Creation of dependency– Acting with superiority / arrogance– Appearing as “God of the truth“– Wandering around due to ignorance of the

subject– Prejudicing the enterprise or the entrepreneur– Making promises / announcements

and not fulfill them (Example: deadlines)



• Counsellors’ most common mistakes– Making contacts in inadequate environments

(disorganization, interferences ...)– Talking too much without objectives

(long winded, diffuse)– Not maintaining secrecy or discretion

• Deadly Sins– Talking about an entrepreneur’s problem to

others– Joking about an entrepreneur’s mistake


Positive attitudes of the Nucleus counsellor

• Assuming neutral position in the discussions

• Remaining attentive and interested• Varying the communication means

– card, flip charts, video, panels, etc.

• Organizing the work in a democratic way• Acting as counsellor and moderator• Not providing turnkey solutions


Negative attitudes of the Nucleus counsellor

• Making long conferences about each topic• Not informing the participants in advance

about the agenda of the meeting• Improvising the discussion of a topic• Starting long justification about the

adopted rules and techniques• Imposing your own analysis


Nucleus-International.net

• This file is part of our material to present and illustrate our activities to professional and elected officials of business associations, personnel from technical cooperation projects, and other people with an interest in this field. We are involved in a constant process of elaborating and improving this material, and targeting it to the demands of specific groups.

• You may use, copy, and change this file as you like (we do not insist on a copyright).

• We would, however, like to ask you for the following: please send us a copy (as a file or printout) and additional information if you use the file or parts of it.

• Thank you!• The Nucleus-International.net team

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04/2012Nucleus-International.net1 The Nucleus Counsellor Nucleus-International.net Tasks Profile Performance