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3 Great Questions to Help Drive Your Strategic Plan

Oct 23, 2020 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Strategic Planning

Most of us are driven by operational inertia and default to doing what we’ve done previously. However, you already know that to get a different result, you need to do something differently.

In the case of strategic planning, the strength of the plan is determined by our current level of thinking and we are often inhibited by our cognitive blind spots. We need to do whatever we can to break through our self-imposed limitations! When working on your strategic plan, you want to think outside the box by creating new and innovative action steps to achieve our most desired goals.

All progress in our lives requires that we go against some kind of “gravitational” system. Gravity in this sense means the forces that hold us in place. Basically, inertia keeps us doing the same things over and over again.  There are forces, especially our current thinking,  that prevent us from moving or changing our position. But it is important to remember what Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our current problems with the mindset that created them.”

What drives our current thinking? Ironically, the answer is QUESTIONS! People think by asking themselves questions and giving themselves answers (or finding answers for those questions). Ask a bad question and you’ll get a bad answer. People say there are no bad questions, but in strategic planning, you have to ask yourself specific questions that will lead you to the answer you want to achieve. If you want to have a great plan, then you need to ask and answer a series of great questions.

The quality of the questions we ask ourselves and our teams accounts for virtually 100% of the quality of the answers we receive.  The brain is a brilliant servant and it will find an answer to any question you ask of it.

Ask yourself and your teams empowering questions like these:

  1. “What could we do to disrupt to our industry?”

 

  1. “What could we do that would make a real significant difference between us and our competitors?”

 

  1. “What are the unintended consequences of our current strategy that we should change?”

Perhaps you have been busy working in your business, but now realize it is time to work on your business. If you have not done a strategic plan for next year, right now is the right time. Join the Fast Track Challenge beginning November 16th. Click here for more information.

 

How Important is it for You to Get the Next 6 Months Right?

Sep 17, 2020 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Goal Setting, Leadership, Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, Success

In light of everything that has happened so far this year, what your going to do intentionally to ensure that the next months of 2020 are a success for you and your business? Do you have a clear and specific, written plan of action? Are you ready and equipped to thrive in the months ahead instead of simply surviving from crisis to crisis?

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” Creating a plan and leaving it on a shelf to collect dust, never reviewing it or adapting it to changes in your market or the current economy is absolutely useless. Plans are meant to be revisited and refreshed and often your goals may need to be realigned. We are certainly not able to predict everything that is going to happen but if we are committed to planning, we will be more likely to thrive regardless of what happens.

Our plans are the framework for success. Even if we have to rewrite them, they will keep us on track toward achieving our core purpose. Lewis Carroll said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” So, know where you are going and be willing to do what it takes to get there. Are you willing to set the time aside you need to plan for the future? Are you willing to do this routinely? How important is it for you, really, to get the next 6 months right? Do you have the team to help you get there? Are you developing your leaders? Are you working on your own personal and professional development?

The time is now! Don’t wait any longer!

If you are ready and willing to do what it takes join our Fast Track Strategic Plan Challenge beginning September 21, 2020 at 12 PM. Spaces are limited, so sign up today by clicking here.

5 Steps Toward Business Success

Sep 10, 2020 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Success

When running a small business, you face new challenges every day and your greatest resources are stretched and limited: time, effort and energy.  Business leaders who want to be successful need to rise above the urgent and focus on what’s most critical: the tough, strategic decisions that will drive your business forward and grow it faster. The more your business grows the more time you need invest in real quality think time.

 

Are you ready to finally have the freedom you want to focus on what really matters most in your life and business? You can start by following these steps:

  • Create A Strategic Plan: What is your vision and how are you going to achieve it? Without a clear vision, a well-defined purpose and a specific plan of action – you will be like a hamster on a wheel running in circles and never reaching a destination.
  • Share – Involve Your Team: Inspire your team with your vision and provide them with the information they need about your plan on a consistent basis. What is their role, what are their individual goals and how are you going to support them in achieving those goals? Solicit feedback and listen to what your team is saying. You want them to know that they are valued and important and what they say matters.
  • Track — Create Key Performance Indicators and monitor progress toward your goals. Remember to communicate this progress with your team.
  • Execute – Meet with your team in person or remotely on a regular basis. Meetings are where you drive execution, create accountability, and identify and resolve issues that are standing in the way of success.
  • ​Repeat — Quarterly Strategic Planning: Quarterly Strategic Planning is where you review your progress. Talk about what worked last quarter and what did not work. After evaluating the previous quarter, adjust and re-align your goals and plans if needed.

Are you ready to find clarity and have laser-like focus on your goals to get the results you want?  If so, join My Fast Track Strategic Plan Challenge. Click Here for more information.    +

4 Things Successful People Know About Self

Jun 10, 2020 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Ethical Leadership, Happiness, Leadership, Leadership Development, Success

Self-awareness is a critical element for success. Organizational psychologist and author, Tasha Eurich, conducted a series of surveys which found that 95% of people think they are self-aware but only 10-15% of people truly are. Successful leaders make developing self-awareness a high priority because they know that there is a direct correlation between personal growth and success in life and in business.

Phil Bonstetter and Bill Bonstetter of TTI Success Insights hosted a webinar a few years ago that highlighted the 4 things successful people know about themselves. I want to share these with you today because I believe that developing an understanding of these four things will have tremendous value in your life as they have had in mine.

  1. Successful people know how they do what they do.

Successful people are aware of their own behaviors. They understand how they make decisions and how they best receive information and are also aware of their communication style. This awareness gives people the ability to adapt to their situation which improves their relationships with others and how they interact with the environment.

  1. Successful people know WHY they do what they do. They know what motivates them and have a strong sense of purpose for their lives. A person who understands their driving forces is better able to stay focused on their goals and what really matters most in life and in business.
  2. Successful people know what they can do. Successful people know what talents, skills and abilities they possess. They are also willing to step out of their comfort zone and take advantage of opportunities to develop new skills. Successful people learn from their experiences.
  3. Successful people know where they find happiness This gives them the ability to create their own environment and not let other people shape it. They establish careers and businesses in areas that match their passions which leads to a fuller, more satisfying life.

It is often argued that the meaning of success is subjective but having knowledge of these four factors will help anyone to achieve their own definition of success.

I will be speaking for the Presence Summit, a virtual event, at 9:15 AM on July 15th. The topic of discussion is – What Type of Communicator Are You? The Presence Summit is a full day of stimulating presentations and workshops to help you AMPLIFY and SHARE your value using video communications. Click Here to find out more.

Communicating Effectively with Your Remote Teams

May 28, 2020 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Leadership, Leadership Development, Productivity

The way we live and do business has changed dramatically as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. To prevent the spread of the virus, we have been practicing social-isolation. As business leaders we have been forced to lay-off some of our people or decrease their hours and I encourage all of us to stay in contact with those employees and provide assistance whenever we can. Those who are able to still work from home are challenged to navigate through the inundation of e-mails and video-calls. Parents working from home are struggling to find some sense of balance as they juggle their roles as homeschool teacher, parent, and employee. We are all trying to figure this out and social isolation is not making it any easier because human welfare relies on interdependence. We need to find a way to truly stay connected to each other despite the upheaval. The way we do this is by communicating with people in the language they understand.

For the purpose of this post, I want to focus on communicating with your teams working from home. Working from home is a huge transition for teams used to office life, and your communication might be suffering. More than ever before, it is critical that you are aware of your own communication style and the communication style of your team members. The Working From Home Report is a new assessment tool developed by TTI SI that will give you and your team the gift of self-understanding. Inside the report, you’ll find: personalized work from home tips and direction on how to communicate with your team when everyone is working from home. I’m offering this assessment tool to you and your team for FREE!

Productivity increases by 20-25% in organizations with connected employees, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Give your team the boost they need right now with the Working From Home Report by improving communication between everyone. Click HERE to complete the assessment now and then share the link with your team!

5 Ways to Eliminate Time Wasting

May 28, 2020 | Business Owners, CEOs, Motivation, Productivity, Strategic Planning

5 Ways to Eliminate Time Wasting           

How often do we excuse unaccomplished goals with the statement “I don’t have time?” I believe that we all have the time to achieve everything we want in life and business if we focus more on what really matters most – high payoff activities. You want to spend time doing the right thing in the right way at the right time and for the right reasons. As business leaders some high payoff activities include personal development, building a high performing leadership team, providing strategic direction, goal setting and planning with your team, tracking results, and managing capital. The reality is that we get so caught up in daily operations and navigating through crises that we put off these high payoff activities for when we have time – and the time never comes.

You can apply the S.E.D.O test to all organizational tasks, activities and processes and refocus your attention on the high payoff activities. S.E.D.O. stands for Simplify – Eliminate – Delegate – Outsource. And 5th test, Automate, has been recently added to remind us that technology can help us handle repetitive tasks without wasting our time and energy.

Simplify  – What task, activity, or process can be simplified, streamlined, consolidated or rearranged?

Eliminate – What task, activity, or process that no longer has value to the organization can be eliminated?

Delegate – What task can be delegated to other team members?

Outsource – What task, process, or project are you currently doing that is not part of the core of your business? How can you outsource it?

Automate- Create systems and processes to handle repetitive tasks.

When you spend your time on high payoff activities, you will be more productive. You will have more energy. Your people will be more engaged, and you will increase your opportunities to achieve your overall vision and mission with less stress. Not only will you have time to do what you want in life and in business but you will be happier too!

Click here to download the S.E.D.O tool for free.