Business Growth

Question everything – The Simplified Business

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Too many choices. Too little time.

 

Someone asked me today how to know what to do first, next, and when. This was followed by the next question, how do you manage the overwhelm of choices and options? Where do you find the balance or harmony in it all?

 

Good question!

 

I’ve been thinking about this. Business profitability and growth is predicated on how time is managed and leveraged. I am not immune to the same issues every small business leader faces. As a matter of fact, I embrace them. I do this for a couple of reasons.

 

  1. To prove I can beat the odds.

  2. To find a simpler, faster, more effective way so I can re-purpose the learning and share with others.
     

So to answer the question, how do I know what to do first, next, and when along with managing the overwhelm and options, I say…

 

“Question everything”.

 

​​First, in my humble opinion, overwhelm is a state of mind. You can change your state by choosing your response. You are able to act and respond when you gain clarity through questions.

 

Here are a few questions I use. Let them inspire you to create your own.

 

  • Why I am doing this? (Whatever this is.)

  • How will accomplishing this this impact my life and business goals?

  • In light of my goals, what are the most pivotal activities that need my attention now?

  • Why do I think I have to do it ALL?

  • Who is telling me I have to do “this”?

  • Is there a simpler, faster, easier, more efficient way to get this done?

  • Does this have to be done by me? Can it be delegated?

  • What is the return on this activity? Will I gain financially, personally, or professionally?

  • Do I have energy for this activity? (Does it give me “juice” or keep me in my sweet spot?)

  • What gets in the way of achieving my highest payoff activities? How can I remedy this?

  • Am I making this task harder than it has to be? Is there a simpler way?

  • Am I in business or “playing house”?
     

Here are a few grounding principles that may serve you as they’ve served me.

 

  • As a leader you know a passion driven business becomes more than a hobby when you take the stewardship of your vision seriously.

  • As a business leader & entrepreneur you know you have intrinsic value and perspective that resonates with a specific people group. If you don’t step up this tribe will buy from someone else.

  • The tribe that craves your secret sauce has value to exchange with you in the form of money.

  • A business is a machine whose fuel is profits.

  • As a busy leader you know time is one of the inventory items you trade, invest, and leverage to gain the greatest return for yourself, your stakeholders (partners, team, etc.) and ultimately to serve your clients.
     

Radical execution is found in real life simplicity. It may be my age or the fact that this is my third business venture.

 

Celebrating 11 years in my current endeavor is certainly a reality check. I find myself asking the same question I did when I launched.

 

“How can I build a company that makes a difference in the world doing my favorite work serving my favorite people and live a life I love?”

 

Everything is in question during this period of restructure and the funny thing is, I am discovering the answer. If you are going to make your mark this year, you must stop the madness.The ball is in your court.

 

Question everything…then get busy on what matters most.

 

Add your focus questions in the comments below.

 

Get your life back! Calendar Control for Busy People

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Start well – Reinvent now

 

When I launched my current company in 2002, one of the best business strategies I employed to accelerate my launch was to create an advisory board. This scared me to death because I felt ill equipped to afford each professional’s expertise but I desperately wanted to succeed with my new idea. You see, after a failure in my first business launch I’d built my second organization to 1/2 million under the umbrella of a national brand. You know the deal, for myself but not by myself.

 

 

Here I was , launching my third venture, I was now a company of one. My assets were my experience, tons of leadership training, my ability to overcome challenges, my first book under my belt, a strong network and personal brand, a few coaching clients, and a strong belief in my big vision but NO significant cash reserve. All I had to lose were my time and pride and yet everything to gain.

 

I’d read Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement and discovered I had a few keys working for me with my positive mental attitude, applied faith, and definiteness of purpose. The power of the mastermind alliance was a new concept especially as it described the application related to an advisory board. Again, with nothing to lose I made my requests.

 

Here’s how creating a board of advisers can work, guerrilla style:

 

  • Get clear on your objective. Exactly what do you want your advisers to do for you? Help you vet your idea? Give you their professional feedback? Point out the blind spots? i.e. In 2002, my objectives were to have the leaders I selected point out my blind spots with a program I wanted to license. (If what you want is professional services you really should be paying for them.)
     

  • Make a target list of advisers you feel would add the most value. You don’t have to know them well. Plan on a diverse group to get a broad spectrum of ideas.
     

  • Set a date for the advisory board session(s) far enough in advance so those who decide to participate can plan.
     

  • Contact each person individually and make the request. Plan for coffee or a get acquainted call. Be as concise as possible and share your objective clearly.
     

  • Follow up with each person. Thank them for their time regardless of a yes or no. For those who said yes, email a detailed thank you with logistics for the upcoming session(s). Reiterate your objective and desired outcome. Ask if there is anything you can do to reciprocate.
     

  • Do your homework. Prior to scheduled session, prepare a presentation as you would for an investor. Make it clear and concise with specific requests.
     

  • Lead the advisory board session with confidence. Introduce each of the players and share why you selected them. Watch the time so you can dismiss in the time you promised. Make your case. Share what you know, state your assumptions, and ask for feedback.
     

Rinse and repeat, as needed.

 

Note: I provided lunch, once a month, for 6 months. I kept the meetings to 90 minutes. You could duplicate this or any variation. I targeted a banker, attorney, business development consultant, international entrepreneur, and a CPA.

 

Why am I bringing this up now? Over the past 3 years I’ve been watching small business after small business drink the Kool-aid, buying into programs, hiring experts who’ve made a million (or 6 figures) doing what they want to do. (Yes, I will admit, I’ve bought into some of those same programs too.) The problem is…those leaders are not YOU and I. As a result, it’s likely you’ve added many processes that are superfluous to your core offering, detracting from that brilliance your prospects are hungry for ending up with an over complicated model making it hard for you to reach those who truly need you.

 

Picture trying to build the Titanic when you only need a small speed boat to reach your destination.

 

So the question becomes, “How do you course correct when you are mid-game?”

 

My answer: Pretend you are starting over. What would you do if you didn’t know what you think you know? You’d ask for help. [Read that sentence again slowly.]

 

My question for you, “Are you done struggling yet? Are you anxious to step away simplify, streamline, and remain agile? Are you ready to try something different?”

 

If your answer is yes, let’s go!

 

Stop going round and round trying to see into the crystal ball to predict the future. End your frustration with “what isn’t working” today. Create a focus group or assemble an advisory board, and be willing to have your presumptions shot down so you can simplify,

 

Sure, brutal honesty it isn’t fun but yields incredible results. There is a market waiting for you to show up and do what you do best!

Entrepreneurs, Independence & Accountability

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What is the price of your entrepreneurial freedom?

 

July 4th – This week is filled with words like independence, freedom, gratitude, and family. Yes! We are truly blessed to live in a country that allows the freedoms we have.

 

Now that the fireworks are over, let’s talk about your entrepreneurial independence. Creating your own income is motivated by the potential freedom it brings, yet you may still find yourself working 25/8*. Psst…is this you? Even “successful” entrepreneurs find themselves in this state.

 

 

When my own schedule gets out of control I have to remind myself it is by my own choice. I am my own boss. The price I pay for entrepreneurial freedom is discipline and accountability. If you want to get serious about working less, making more and creating a life on purpose it is critical to understand the external factors that come into play. Not only do you need a strategy but with it the accountability to stretch and grow.

 

Let’s talk about accountability from a fresh perspective.

 

Externally – Who holds you accountable?

 

1. Your customers – Every time you sell you create an agreement to deliver on your promise. This is an accountability agreement.

 

2. Your employees/team – When you work with others to deliver on the promise to customers you become accountable to the team for the role you play in delivering on that promise.

 

3. Your vendors/contractors – Those who support you hold you accountable to communicate, to keep your word and compensate them for their contribution.

 

4. Your coach and/or mastermind team – These accountability partners can make a world of difference in the pace of your journey. When you invest time and resources into this area it changes the game.

 

Internally – Who or what holds you accountable?

 

5. You – You are driven and motivated. The upside is that you can hold yourself accountable. The downside of being your own accountability coach is that you may also give yourself a “pass” at the time when you should be exerting that push to reach the goal.

 

6. Your values – You are internally wired with preferences and motivators. These values and mindsets provide an invisible drive to align. For example, if you value working hard, everything you strive to achieve will involve hard work. If you value leverage, most likely everything you do will involve leverage of time, talent and resources.

 

When you take the time to review the first half of the year, (and I know you will, won’t you?) identify what motivated you to accomplish the results you achieved. What demotivated you? Your success depends on it.

 

Summer is a great time to roll up your shirtsleeves and do some fine-tuning. Do more of what works and eliminate what doesn’t.

 

  • Quit chasing after the wrong prospects – Identify those customers who love what you do and are happy to pay!

  • Quit tripping over your introductions and discovery process – Create intelligent directed conversations that attract, qualify, quantify, and convert more prospects to sales.

  • Quit undercharging and over-delivering – Package your secret sauce, sell your sweet spot, and deliver WOW!

  • Quit working 25/8 – Define what matters most and leverage your strengths!
     

To your freedom & independence!

 

*25/8 infers you work more hours and days in a week than exist. It can happen! 

 

The Path of the Organically Grown Entrepreneur

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“Having a well stocked marketing arsenal of tactics doesn’t make you any more of a great marketer than having a tool belt makes you a great carpenter.” Bill Dolan, Spirit Media

 

Organically grown entrepreneurs* have the challenge of always being in some kind of learning curve. You know what I am talking about…you are doing things you’ve never been taught, you didn’t go to school to learn, and are looking for guidance from those who’ve done it or you are just figuring it out on your own. You know intuitively you have to do more than “dress the part” you have to know what you are doing and where you perform best.

 

*Organically grown entrepreneur: an owner or manager who runs a naturally grown business enterprise based on their vision, talents & strengths, who makes money through risk and initiative .

 

 

This path is full of leaders just like you and I hoping to learn from each other to avoid pitfalls, inspire action and ultimately realize our vision. Each of us has wisdom to bring to the table.

 

Here are the top 10 things that have made the biggest difference in the journeys of those I coach, including myself.

 

Relationship Building Musts:

 

  • Never stop building a qualified list of prospect, partners & opportunities.
     

  • Automate & systematize a method you can personalize to keep in touch with your clients, qualified prospects & partners.
     

  • Keep your finger on the pulse of the world and its effects on you and your customers. Know what matters to them at all times.
     

  • Get out of your own backyard. Network with peers from other areas, states, or countries. Expose yourself to fresh ways of thinking. This can be a game changer!

 

Invest in your Vision:

 

  • Assemble an effective implementation team. The DIY mindset will cost you.
     

  • Assess your revenue model and invest in technology, education, or coaching to help you create sustainable sales and consistent delivery of your sweet spot.
     

  • Invest in YOU! Make personal mastery your goal. The better you understand yourself, the more effectively you can lead your company and others.

 

Mindsets that Matter:

 

  • Think beyond your salary. If you started a business to make yourself an income you will struggle. If you have a mindset to build a business enterprise offering a valuable service that impacts others lives you will accelerate your growth. (Hint: this applies whether you own the business or not. See yourself building a portfolio or organization and you will sub-consciously present yourself more powerfully.)
     

  • Network up! “Your income will average the 5 people with whom you associate most.” Jim Rohn
     

  • Never quit. If you decide to close your doors and do something else, you will make the best business decision and take all that experience with you. If you take a measurement today and determine you are not where you want to be, make intelligent informed changes.

The greatest marketers discover how to authentically and ethically increase their visibility, build credibility, and create opportunities with those who derive the highest value exchange from their services. The best thing an organic (or naturally grown) entrepreneur can do is to associate with others who understand this path.

 

Keep the faith in the journey!

 

Please add your insights too…I’d love to hear your personal success factors. 

 

Marketing YOU! 10 grass roots outreach activities that really work

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Are you tired of investing in marketing that just doesn’t seem to pay off? Every time my calendar needs a boost I pull out these tried and true grass roots, low cost, high impact marketing tactics.

 

Strategically Network

 

1. Set up 3 appointments with providers who serve your ideal clients. This could be a phone call or coffee. Just be sure the time is used to your mutual benefit.

 

Be prepared with survey* questions and information or connections that could be of value to your partner. Let them know what kind of projects and goals you are working toward.

 

2. Contact 3 of your past clients. Repeat activities in #1.

 

3. Review your past proposals. Contact each by phone even if they’ve chosen another provider. Repeat the activities in #1.

 

4. Review the business calendars in your local paper and online. Find 2-3 new events to attend in the next 30 days. There are always new events, professional development, and happenings that would add value to your own business, expose you to new audiences, and add value to those you are contacting in steps #1-3. (Stop attending anything that is not producing value.)

 

Make a Name for Yourself

 

5. Start speaking. Consider everywhere you go a “mini-stage”. From your introduction to an informational presentation to a keynote, find places to share your insights and secret sauce.

 

6. Host your own event. Invite your top prospects, strategic partners, and/or past clients to an informational event. Plan to provide valuable information, insight, or introductions. If hosting an event on your own seems daunting, find a strategic partner who could benefit and share the load of producing. This doesn’t have to be costly.

 

7. Start writing. Your audience wants to know what you know. The mistakes you could help them avoid, the pitfalls, debunk the myths and lies they’ve been fed, give them the secrets to success…YOU know these things. Share them. Don’t let the fact that you had a teacher in your past tell you writing was not for you get started making lists, share your ideas, and do what works for you. Just get writing.

 

8. Join the conversation. Find others who are talking about what you want to talk about. This might mean you have to leave some of the groups you are currently involved in. Ask questions. Add your insights. Don’t worry about the competition. There is more than enough to go around. Get Grounded

 

9. Slow down to speed up. Shift your attachment and value from being “busy” to becoming “intentional”. Evaluate how you can create more impact from less effort. This takes reflection, evaluation, assessment. That won’t happen if you have no margin in your life or business.

 

10. Get out of your office. Connections are made when people see you. This can happen virtually if you are in a forum where you can be heard but will most likely be in your own back yard. Attend an event that interests you for no other reason than that it interests you. Do something fun. Learn a new skill. Take a class. You are a whole person. Your business will not fail if you walk away from the helm to renew your energy and add some fun.

 

*Survey questions I typically ask. What are the changes going on in your industry? How are they impacting you locally or personally? What are your key initiatives for 2012? Based on your experience in your profession/industry, what short or long term impact do you see on your business?

 

**Value add resources are anything of high value to the person I am speaking with. This could be events, books, insights I’ve gained from reading books or attending conferences, connections I can make for them, etc.

 

Grass roots’ marketing is organic. It builds trust. It lets your audience get to know and experience YOU. The bottom line is that this type of outreach really works. Apply for 30 days and see what you get…then do it again.

 

Do you have some suggestions to add to this list?

 

Want more Monetize Me! Expertise? Check out our Monetize Me! Expert Series. 

 

Rear View Mirror – the Power of Vision Driven Results

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Your ideas, insights, gifts, skills, and experiences are money.

 

Uniquely being you delivers value to others. In a business environment, they (your customers) give you money for that value exchange. I refer to this as the fuel that runs your economic engine. Cash and profits are essential to the health and operation of your company. But how easily you make money, quickly you build a company, magnetically attract customers, and gain credibility all depends on you.

 

In this metaphor, you are the driver of your high performing entrepreneurial vehicle. Ultimately you are responsible for how and when you arrive at your destination. When it comes to significant goal achievement I find the “rear view mirror” technique to be highly effective for three reasons. It is future focused It engages your RAS (Reticular Activation System) Here is an excellent article on what RAS is and why it matters in goal setting.

 

Repeated use of the ‘rear view mirror’ technique will reveal self sabotage and detours that delay arrival at your destination. Here is how it works.

 

Let’s take a one year view and work backwards.

 

Based on your income or revenue goals, picture yourself and ask yourself.

 

“What do I see in my rear view mirror? What are the significant benchmarks that contributed to my goal achievement?”
 

  • If you are a service professional you might be celebrating sustainable marketing outreach that fed consistent prospects converting to clients you love all year long and a work/life balance with income that keeps you motivated.
     

  • If you are a consultant, speaker, or expert you might be celebrating new book sales, successful speaking engagements, new products released, recognition by peers, etc.
     

  • If you are an entrepreneurial rainmaker (you are building a company that depends on others labor while you attract and convert new business opportunities) you might be celebrating key people on your team, their achievements and contributions, your market penetration, recognition by peers, new product release, etc.
     

Next bring the view back to the short term. Picture yourself out 90 days or at the end of a quarter. What benchmarks do you see in your rear view that needs to be met this quarter to significantly move you toward that celebration?

 

Now, bring the view into this month and next week. What benchmarks do you need to see in your rear view next week and next month?Identify and make SMART commitments to the key activities that create forward movement.

 

Hindrances and helps for using the rear view mirror technique.
 

  • Master your motivators. Learn the people or activities that distract you and align with those who inspire, encourage, and accelerate you.
     

  • Find the juice in your future. When you are looking back on the benchmarks, achievements, and celebrations invest in feeling the full impact of emotions. Ask yourself, “What does this look like? How do I feel? How do others see me? What are they saying about me? What am I saying about myself? What is the financial impact of achieving this benchmark?”
     

  • Keep your head up for pot holes, road blocks and detours. What would you like to see in your rear view mirror next week? What’s going to keep you from accomplishing it? Strategize to work around them, avoid or eliminate the obstacles.

 

Key to monetizing your talents is creating practices that allow you to work in your sweet spot most of the time. Practice the future focused “rear view mirror” technique to get more juice in goal achievement process.

 

The ultimate business strategy is leveraging YOU! 

 

Getting fat feasting at the "Free Stuff" Buffet?

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There is no shortage of low-cost or fre-ee information in the world today.A veritable smorgasbord is only a Google search away.

 

Like you, I am guilty of partaking liberally, seeking that elusive secret success formula, enticed into clicking the link for a free download, believing that all it takes is just ONE more golden nugget to unleash the next big breakthrough…inevitably adding another mailing to my inbox.

 

 

The blessing and the curse of this information age is access to more content than we can possibly consume.

 

What’s the cost?

 

What I want you to think about today are some insights and perspective on the hidden impact and costs on your business, goals, and self-esteem when you linger too long at the “free stuff” buffet.

 

  • Fat-ness happens. You become obese with information. Your platter is overflowing with ideas, strategies, tips, and upsells from a variety of providers. (The cost: Overwhelm, doubt, and a work harder mentality takes over resulting in a poverty mindset.)
     

  • You question your gut, your dream, your talent, and results. You can become double-minded, waffling between what you know and the promise of a deliverable you want. The cost: Your confidence & self-esteem are impacted reducing your impact in everything you do.) Comparison is the root of dissatisfaction. -Anonymous
     

  • You lose track of time and the related desired results you are working to achieve. (Busy work increases without connection to results. Your progress is stalled and forward momentum delayed.)
     

You say to yourself, “Too much information? What can be the harm in that?” Right? Wrong! Too much data creates analysis paralysis, information overload, and too many options.

 

Let’s calculate the impact.

 

  • How many newsletters and info products do you subscribe to? Look through your inbox in the last week and do a quick count. Write down the number.
     

  • How many resources have you already invested in that sit on your shelf or are archived in your computer for reference? Write down the dollar amount you invested.
     

  • How much time do you spend a day, week, or month, listening to or participating in fre-ee webinars, teleseminars, attending fr-ee events, etc.? Write down the hours you spend.
     

  • Rate your confidence on a level of 1-5, 1 being low and 5, high. Just think about the impact on your business if your confidence is compromised.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I will always subscribe to new thought in the area of my expertise, people I want to follow and those I want to keep my eye on. I am simply suggesting in this post, is that it may be time to go on an info-diet. It’s up to you! Think about it. Courageously assess your company. Determine what you need to consume that will allow you to grow a healthy business on a balance of information then brutally cut the rest.

 

I’m taking the plunge. Are you in?

 

*I’ve already confessed, I am also a perpetrator of this phenomenon by offering my own selections of “free” stuff (but that is another blog post).

 

Faith, Fear and Balance

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What gets dreamers going? Faith.

 

What holds dreamers back? Fear.

 

What is faith? The gut-wrenching belief in something you can see, feel, taste, and touch in your minds eye but hasn’t actually happened yet.

 

What is fear? The doubts. inadequacies, and internal messaging that shows up while we journey the contradiction of the current reality. Fear is multiplied when we get around other “unbelievers” or those who don’t share faith in you or your dream (the ability to believe in something that is unseen).

 

What does balance have to do with this equation? The myth we buy into that balance is a worthy aspiration on the way to making big things happen is just that. A BIG FAT MYTH!

 

What if…
 

  1. your belief about balance is the very thing that is holding you back?
     

  2. the time you spend with those who don’t share your vision impedes your rate of growth?
     

  3. not being grounded

 

Pursuit of your dream or any business venture requires you to be fully committed, doing whatever it takes to make things happen. Does this mean you need to sacrifice your life or the very things you value in the process? No way!

 

According to Motivational Guru Jim Rohn, you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. If that’s the case, shouldn’t you be choosing your friends wisely? You can afford to be hanging around naysayers.

 

Instead aspire to:

 

  • find harmony as you journey the contradiction until you arrive at your destination. Harmony represents the ebb and flow, the subtle dance, a person centered, grounded in their values, their vision, and the value they bring to the world.
     

  • jump in with both feet. Work when you are working. Play when you are playing. Fully commit and let faith guide the dream in your heart.
     

  • make fear irrelevant. Hang out with other “believers”. Leaders who live in the space of faith. If it’s true that you are the average of the 5 people you hang around with, what’s the average you want to be? Find your peeps.
     

  • forget balance. Above all, be present and let your vision change your reality.
     

Surprise yourself. Pursue the outrageous to discover more than you could ask or imagine*.

 

*Excerpt from “I Want What She’s Got! The Secrets to Creating an Outrageous Life”.

 

 

The Importance of Being Grounded

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As I turned on the news this morning to check the weather the first sound bite I heard, “The political season is off and running. The contenders are no longer throwing mud at the President but are now taking shots at each other. We can expect the flurry to continue.”

 

 

Boy, on top of the hurricanes, tropical storms, and earthquakes on the East Coast and fires in the South, the economy and news of a divisive political race, (which seems to be the norm these days), it is enough to leave you shaken.

 

Here is what I am telling my clients and network now.

 

  • The economic situation: All the money has not been sucked out of the universe. Money is still changing hands. Customers still need your services. If you step back and hold your breath, you will create a self fulfilling prophecy to support your belief that no one is buying.
     

  • The climate and natural disasters: Yes, crazy things are happening in the world. Now is the time to be prepared. 1. to take care of yourself and your family, 2. to take care of your neighbors. It is in the times of shaking that we are reminded we are all on this planet together. You get to decide if you are going to be the one who needs taking care of or one that will reach out and help others.
     

  • The political environment (which consequently effects our economy and outlook): Left, Right, Liberal, Independent, Tea Party, Conservative…labels we take up or put on others to separate, assign value or blame depending on where we personally align. We’ve degraded this benefit of living in a democracy so it divides us rather than unites us. I would hope that whatever your political views you have sound reason for choosing them and could discuss them dispassionately and ultimately agree to disagree with others who do not share your point of view. Imagine if we all could take this approach and play fairly how different each political season would be. We are all in this together. I challenge you to listen to another’s point of view without judgement. Do it again. And again. You could be the change you wish to see in the world. (I think someone said that already. -Ghandi)

 

Being grounded during times of shaking means having faith and personal accountability.

 

Faith is defined as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see*.”

 

Todd Smith, author of “Little Things Matter”defines Personal Accountability as follows:

 

It’s about you holding yourself accountable.

 

When you take 100 percent responsibility for holding yourself accountable, your performance will improve, your relationships will flourish, your market value will soar, people’s respect for you will skyrocket, you will be a great example for others to follow, and your self-esteem will grow. (Excerpt from this blog post.)

 

This is true regardless of the circumstances. Todd talks about this ability in terms of achievement. I’d like to view it from its benefits of providing a sense of being grounded. When you take 100% personal responsibility for your life, you shift the locus of control from external (what happens to you) to internal (what you do with it). Mastering this ability will serve you well in EVERY area of your life, in EVERY season, and EVERY circumstance.

 

Faith is believing in things hoped for. What do you hope for? Can you hold yourself personally accountable to do the things YOU can do to make a difference?

 

In conclusion, when the world shifts…

 

  • economically: Your customers need you to be the voice of reason. To take the long term view of trends and help them through this season. Step into the void that is created when your competitors step back.
     

  • physically: Your neighbors need a hand. Reach out. Next time you are at the store pick up something for the food bank. Even one or two things. Shopping at a department store? Pick up blankets on sale. Everyone reading this blog has the ability to give either of their time or resources. Do it today.
     

  • politically: Don’t let someone’s political persuasion divide you. Choose to see the good in all parties and people then decide to make the best of any outcome. It’s time like these that strengthen our EQ** (Emotional Intelligence).

Don’t let fear shake you. Have faith and take action.

 

*Hebrews 11:1, NIV*

 

*Emotional intelligence (EI) is an ability, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups -Wikipedia

 

Who's really keeping you from getting what you want? Take personal responsibility.

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Who, me?

 

I find I am talking to two types of people most of the time. The first group is burning to turn their new ideas into money. The second group of leaders are focused on increasing effectiveness of their current business model and teams. Do you fall into one of these groups?

 

If so, I am talking to you.

 

The upcoming summer months provide a perfect opportunity to “uplevel” whatever you are doing in time for Fall. That’s right. Take personal responsibility to bring your performance up a level. Instead of taking your foot off the gas over the summer simply switch gears to invest some time in planning. You will be glad you did. Pssst! This is one of the secret short-cuts to goal achievement.

 

Start by assessing the gap between where you are today and where you want to be.

 

  • What is working well now?

  • What is not working well now?

  • What needs to change?

    • What do I need to add?

    • What do I need to stop doing?
       

Next, take personal responsibility for whatever you want to bring into your life and business. Yes, you.

 

  • If you aren’t making enough money, you can point your finger at the economy, those darn customers, your network, your partners but…ultimately YOU are the key.
     

  • If you don’t have enough sales, you can point your finger at your team, the economy, your network, those darn customers but….ultimately YOU are the key.
     

  • If your team or network is not productive, effective, or communicative you can point your finger at the team or network, the pressure, or all kinds of external influences but…ultimately YOU are the key.
     

  • If you don’t have enough time to do what to do what needs to be done, you can blame it on everyone else but…ultimately YOU are the key.
     

Notice a theme here?

 

I attended an event last week. The speaker asked us, “What is getting in the way of getting what you want, RIGHT NOW?” My immediate response was, “I don’t have time to get what I need done which leaves loose ends. I keep circling back which BOGS ME DOWN.” Why does that happen? Because my calendar gets overbooked. In that private moment, I almost laughed out loud. Who do you think is at fault? Me. I am in charge of what gets on my calendar. Whoooaaaa. This should not be an earth shattering revelation but the truth hit me. I am a victim of my own Big Picture thinking, my overly optimistic view of time, and the learning curve taking on things I’ve never done before. I had to ask myself, “Who can change this?” Well, of course, it’s me.

 

Short version of the story, I immediately began paring my calendar and downsizing my short term vision to bite sized chunks that I could complete. A weight lifted off my shoulders as I took personal responsibility and moved from a dis-empowered state to one of control.

 

So, my prompt to you today is to take some time to assess your gap.

 

  • Where are you?

  • Where do you want to be?

  • What needs to change?

  • Be accountable and take responsibility for where you are and commit to the change you need to see.
     

Need a sounding board? Feel free to reach out to one of our team members for a Laser Session here.

 

The time is now.

 

When you operate in a dis-empowered state you deprive your community of your best self.

 

It’s cool to be you, every day. Get out there and share your gifts.a