Make Your New Year Truly New: Success Planning

2013 is slowly winding down. At the end of every year it is imperative to think about the success planning for the following 12 months. This time of the year is perfect to reflect and see what you have done in your personal and business lives.   

Understanding the keys to success, regardless of your work status (entrepreneur, solo professional or self-employed business owner) starts with where you came from to where you have arrived over the past year.  It is essential to make sure your course for the next year is charted well.

Just like the old saying, without a plan, there’s no course to follow. Get a pad and pen and begin charting your course for 2013.

The first step is to write down what your professional and individual goals are and why they are important to you. Why are they important and how will they motivate you to make your life better down the road. Understanding where you’ve been helps you chart your future more effectively. Once the groundwork is laid out, think of five goals you want to realize in 2014. Don’t go too far out in time because the goals may seem unattainable.

After the five goals are established, determine what’s the most-to-least-important. Doing this will help you establish a time-line to meet and exceed your goals. The simplest way to grow your company and make more money is to follow these steps. It will vastly increase the odds of greater prosperity. 

Regardless if you are in the process of creating your own business, at an early point of starting your own business or you are an expert at running a small business, success planning at any stage will help things smooth out and grow faster. 

Planning may include new processes, personnel, new markets, etc.  You may even look at having a personal business coach to accelerate the process of your successful performance.  Regardless, the planning itself will result in a much better outcome.  I can tell you from coaching success comes from that a large part of it comes from developing an effective plan, coupled with a burning desire to execute the plan. But many ask why success planning is so integral? The main reason is that creating your ideal plan is what helps and guides you to take action towards its fulfillment.  

When you are managing yourself and running a company with a success plan,  you are much more likely to become excited and focus on measurable results. Without a success plan, it is more likely for an individual and a company to get off course. 

Imagining your future helps you make it a reality. Once the future is finished in your mind, then what you need to do in the present becomes absolutely clear.  Success planning gives you the finished plan to create the future you desire.  With a success plan, your 2014 can be personally and professionally fulfilling. You can also have more vigor and time!

If you would like to get a jump start on 2014 visit www.businesskeystosuccess.com and start now to create the future you desire.  You will begin your road to success planning and to learn how to develop the professional and personal life that you deserve. The weekly lessons, sent via e-mail helps you and your business grow step-by-step.

The Business Keys To Success course is self-paced – so you learn and move as fast you want to! Focusing on your individual growth, this course can help anyone, including a self-employed business owner, to take his/her business and/or personal life to the next level. 

Why is personal development crucial to personal and business excellence? Here’s some food for thought. If you want to make more money, be happier, expand your company or anything you want to improve, personal development is the key that unlocks your potential.

Www.BusinesssKeystoSuccess.com can be the foundational start to begin reflecting on your past, present and future.  After all, the best investment we can make is in ourselves.  Seldom will our businesses and lives get bigger than our thinking.  Invest in yourself today.   Commence your success planning and start on the road to becoming more and having more. 

About Author:-

First things first, I like to have fun with people and what I do. I am a personal business coach. Yes, I have received training and been coaching since 1983. I have gone through and continue to happily go through more personal development.

Personal development and its quest for personal growth, more often than not, are the missing links in the chain of business and personal success.As Warren Buffett once said, "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." For more information please visit- http://www.thehoustonbusinesscoach.com

The Twilight Zone Is A Key to Success

You may ask, "How is the twilight zone a key to success?"  It's a good question and I will do my best to give some insights into the answer.

You can learn a lot during the holiday season, including finding out your individual keys to success in business and life. The majority of people go through a pre-determined, or semi-pre-determined routines in their lives and this is especially true during the holidays.  And as we enter the Holidays and start transitioning into the New Year we enter a time where we reflect on the past year, the present and what we want to have in the year ahead.  This time is the twilight zone.  As 2013 comes to an end and its light starts to fade we will ponder what has happened and plan for 2014..

The twilight zone, the end of the year time,  is easy to understand. It is a part of the natural rhythm of business and life.  For some business is excellent.  For others it slows down.  For some it remains the same.  Yet for all of us, regardless of business or life circumstances the twilight zone foretells the curtain of our latest act in life coming down only to be greeted after some darkness with the light coming up and a new curtain rising.  

As a business owner I encourage you to take advantage of the twilight zone and to step back and think about your situation. As this year ends, and the next begins, it is the ideal time to evaluate yourself, your business and where you presently are. Topics to evaluate over the past year include what occurred and what was forecasted to happen.  As the New Year approaches you will have the time to see what worked and see what has not.  

Regardless of your career choice and position, enjoying and learning from the twilight zone, whether you are a solo professional, self-employed business owner, an individual, entrepreneur, employed or between jobs, is to grab as much knowledge as you can and utilize it to create a better future in 2014.

Using this time wisely is one of the best of the keys to success. Looking back for the last 12 months, ask yourself what did I set out to do?  What did I accomplish?  And what do I need to change and will change to improve my future?

When in the twilight zone, the final and most important question to ask yourself is how do you want the rest of your life to look? If for years your business has been your life and your life is your business then something is wrong.  The last time I checked, business is just a part of life.  Not having a clearly defined outlook on a good and satisfying life makes attaining it much harder. If you want your business to experience small business growth or you want a more fulfilling personal life, without an idea of it, it’s that much harder to accomplish.  

And here's the good news.  Business and life is not an "either/or" proposition.  It is when visualized correctly, a "both/and" proposition. 

Savor your experience in the twilight zone as each year winds down.  the keys to success for one’s life. It enables you to reflect and determine ones future. And this time, when used to reflect and evaluate is one of the keys to success.

Your experience in the twilight zone enables you to be renewed, recharged and get a different perspective on things. It is the perfect opportunity to lay out success planning for your professional and personal life. 

The twilight zone provides you with the best opportunity to change your future business and life for the best. It is a time for clarity that comes from having time to think and reflect. 

There are many keys to success, but modifying how your thinking works will have the greatest impact. Doing this has a positive and wave-like impact upon your business and personal experiences.

When you modify your thinking, your habits will be forever modified.

After your habits and re-molded, your activity will be different.

After your activity is modified, you will experience different results.

When you are able to modify your results, your life will become better and better.

At this time of year, stop to enjoy the twilight zone. Step back, take a few moments and see where you are. Modify your thinking patterns, and then your life will be different, not to mention, better.

Utilize your key to success, the twilight zone, to improve your business and personal life in the coming year.  Wishing all of you the best now and in the New Year! 

About Author :-
First things first, I like to have fun with people and what I do. I am a personal business coach. Yes, I have received training and been coaching since 1983. I have gone through and continue to happily go through more personal development.

Personal development and its quest for personal growth, more often than not, are the missing links in the chain of business and personal success.As Warren Buffett once said, "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." For more information please visit- http://www.thehoustonbusinesscoach.com

I Always Thought Opportunities and Success Were Things You Went After

When people think of the opportunities and success that individuals go after, they understand that it takes drive and passion to accomplish their successes. However, this poses many questions for people looking to attain success. How can different people facing different circumstances overcome their difficult circumstances, but still attain success? This question has been asked for many, many years. Therefore, how does one obtain success despite challenges in one’s personal life?

If you think about starting your own business, there are many things to think of before jumping in and starting the process. How much experience and knowledge do you have in your field? Are you willing to work non-stop until you are able to hire enough competent and reliable people to ensure the continuity of your business? Do you have enough time and savings to devote to the venture? Are you willing to deal with the hurdles and know how to work through them to ensure your chances are success are worth the risk? These are just some of the questions to ask yourself when you are thinking about starting your own business. If you can answer “Yes” to these and other questions, then you just might have the keys to success.

Individuals who have a great attitude also have the keys to success because the right attitude will help you think your way through and help plan and execute a great business plan. Entrepreneurs with a great attitude are able to learn small business keys to success because they are receptive to learning. When an individual is receptive to learning, they will easily and efficiently pick up on “how to success in business” tips from successful serial entrepreneurs.

Business startup owners with positive attitudes are able to soak up personal development secrets from more experienced entrepreneurs. Very often, they also look to learn  from a marketing business coach in person, online or at an event. It doesn’t matter where or how the knowledge is received.  The key is  that positive entrepreneurs are more likely to be able to apply the knowledge in their startup. 

In addition to becoming a successful business person, there are other things in life besides becoming a wildly successful business owner. With the assistance of a marketing business coach, they can apply their growth in personal development as a business owner to free up more time to work on giving back to the community.  This proves that many small business keys to success can be applied in one’s personal life, including giving back to their community.

As many non-profit organizations which help disadvantage people and animals, they can utilize their how to succeed in business knowledge that has already helped them in their business success and apply it to their volunteer work in non-profit organizations.  They can bring the business success viewpoint of taking limited resources and stretching them further which in turn helps more people than would otherwise have been helped.  To have a business and life of significance our goal must be to improve others not only through our products and services but by taking what we have learned and applying it to give back to those less fortunate. For more information please visit-http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com

About Author :-

First things first, I like to have fun with people and what I do. I am a personal business coach. Yes, I have received training and been coaching since 1983. I have gone through and continue to happily go through more personal development.

Personal development and its quest for personal growth, more often than not, are the missing links in the chain of business and personal success.As Warren Buffett once said, "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." For more information please visit-http://www.thehoustonbusinesscoach.com

Start with a Winning Attitude To Have Success in Your Walk of Life

Everyone wants to be highly successful in their personal and professional life. However, an individual merely does not “fall” into personal and professional success. Instead, there are many things increase the chances of success in both spheres of an individual’s life. Therefore, understanding what the keys to success are is a life-long process that begins with learning and self-discovery in grade school and throughout the rest of one’s life.

Learning the keys to success often starts in school and is complemented by a strong family unit. School teaches you valuable skills, including learning how to read, write, analyze and how to deal with people. As more and more people are enrolling in college, people learn more specialized skills to become an expert in a respective field. College courses, which include business principles, are often a key to help individuals start their own business. As starting your own business is a complex and risky venture, having as much knowledge as possible is essential to increase its chances of surviving and thriving.  

Starting your own business requires a lot of time, planning and execution that often time gives entrepreneurs a limited time-frame to make crucial decisions. Therefore, it is essential to learn as many small business keys to success as possible. One of the most valuable small business keys to success is making sure that you have enough experience and judgment to ensure that you can handle your business alone. Since many businesses are founded and run by the owner and operator for years, at least initially, having competence will increase your business  longevity.  

Entrepreneurs are often under a lot of stress when they first begin their venture and for many years after inception. When an entrepreneur is looking to create a business or get through a professional hurdle, he or she may need the services of a personal development coach. Seeking the services of professional develop coach often times gives an entrepreneur great personal development secrets. During each session, entrepreneurs are able to learn “how to succeed in business” secrets that if applied correctly will help their business grown efficiently and profitably.

However, entrepreneurs need to make sure that they use their precious time efficiently. If an entrepreneur does not use their time wisely, their business could overwhelm them and eventually fail if things are not planned properly. However, if an entrepreneur seeks out a personal development coach at the right time, and if they struggle with time management for example, they can learn that particular skill, along with other personal development secrets. Their professional skills, such as marketing, can be complemented by mentoring from a personal business coach.

 Therefore, an important key is having an open attitude that welcomes change.  Be willing to learn and to work with individuals and organizations with different perspectives.  When you do this  increases an individual’s chances of becoming successful at life and at their business. Learning how to be successful from an early age helps individuals learn how to build on their success and keeps them on track to keep learning and keep growing for a business and life of successes. For more information please visit-http://www.thehoustonbusinesscoach.com

About Author :-
First things first, I like to have fun with people and what I do. I am a personal business coach. Yes, I have received training and been coaching since 1983. I have gone through and continue to happily go through more personal development.

Personal development and its quest for personal growth, more often than not, are the missing links in the chain of business and personal success.As Warren Buffett once said, "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."For more information please visit-http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com

Business Keys To Success: Priorities

John Maxwell in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership talks about the law of priorities. Priorities are easy to talk about. But, very often there is a disconnect between our priorities and what we do.

Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional, corporate manager or executive we naturally believe that when we are busy we are achieving.

Priorities Turn Your Activity into Achievement

But, being busy does not equal productivity. And activity is not necessarily accomplishment. In fact, it is easy to fake ourselves out and to confuse activity with achievement.

Priorities Enable You to Think Ahead

That`s where priorities come in. When you have priorities, especially as a leader it forces you to think ahead. It forces you to know what`s important, to know what`s next, to see how everything relates to the overall vision.

Priorities-How to Define Them

Maxwell has three points in defining priorities.

• First—you must know what is required. What must you do that nobody can or should do for you.
• Second—what gives you the greatest return? Maxwell encourages you to work in your areas of greatest strength. If there is something you`re doing that can be done 80 percent as well by someone else? If so, delegate it.
• Third—what brings the greatest reward? In my personal business coaching practice I find that this is very often missed. The self-employed business owner or corporate executive looks at the bottom line. Yet, there are two bottom lines. There is the business and the personal. You have to take care of both. Life is too short not to do some things you love. What energizes you and keeps you passionate?

Give your time only to things that pass the requirement, return and reward test. Know these answers and you will know your priorities and start having a business and life that focuses on what is important instead of what is urgent.

Business Keys To Success-Building A Team

Building a team is one of the quickest paths to business success. Whether you are running a small business, starting your own business or in a corporate environment the value of having a good team is critical to any success.

Yet, very often in my business coaching practice, whether it is with self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs, solo professionals or corporate executives I have observed that their ability to move forward is dependent on the team and type of team they have put in place.

A Good Team Starts With Trust

Interestingly, almost any one can put a team together. Whether you are running a small business, starting your own business or employed in the corporate environment having or being part of a good team is a positive game changer.

But to put a team together where the members trust each other is critical to moving forward. If you can’t trust your team or teammates to get something done then everything bogs down.

A team in a way is like a convoy in time of war.  It only moves as fast as its slowest link. Having trust allows us to get the heart of challenges quickly, resolve them and move on.

A Good Team Will Disagree 

Once there is trust then there can be disagreement. When everyone is in agreement and supporting the mission then the tactics to accomplish the mission can be discussed openly. Also, the overall strategy in which the tactics are employed can be discussed and altered.

It is important for the team leader to allow this disagreement. When team members feel that they have truly been heard, then when the decision is made they are much more likely to support it. Disagreement is a means of giving your team ownership in the process.

 A Good Team Will Have Commitment and Accountability 

As team members take ownership they will have a greater commitment and a desire to be held accountable for results. Without commitment and accountability it is hard to have the good morale and positive momentum that teams need to move forward.

Team members who are truly committed also are willing to be held accountable. They want credit for helping the team achieve its goal.

A Good Team Will Pay Attention to Results

You may say that this would go without saying. Unfortunately if you don’t have trust, the ability to openly disagree, commitment and accountability then most teams don’t want to look at the results. And the reason is obvious. The results are not good.

Paying attention to results ties everyone on the team together. But without trust, the ability to voice opinions, commitment and accountability there is no sense of unity and no desire to focus on results.

Build your team to position yourself for the success you desire. When you move from “I” to “Let’s” you are building a team and opening up the possibility for great things to happen.

Business Keys To Success: Are You Able To Quit?

I am challenging you to quit. Do you have the skill or discipline to know when to quit? In my personal business coaching practice I have observed that very often the greatest success among the self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or corporate manager or executive comes when they decide to quit.

In the previous post we looked at quitting as a necessary step on the stairway to success. As you are climbing that stairway, you have to let go of previous thoughts, processes and ways of thinking in order to climb to the next step.

Learn To Quit

In your personal life you must learn to quit. Sometimes this is much harder to do than in the business arena as we have to deal with extremely personal circumstances and their repercussions.

The type of quitting I`m talking about has nothing to do with what you actually want to achieve in your life. It has everything to do with what you want to become and what you want your life to be.

In short, we must identify what isn`t working and quit trying to make it work.

Quit–Get Rid Of What Is Standing In Your Way

What is standing in your way and keeping you from what you want and who you want to become? What are you carrying around in terms of thoughts, emotions, and ways of doing things and relationships that are weighing you down and keeping you from achieving your goals?

As someone once said, I have met the enemy and it is me. Take stock of all areas of your life and determine what is draining you of energy and focus. As you take stock of these things understand that they have made you stronger.

But also understand that stronger doesn`t mean that you are more efficient, more effective and happier.

Quit-Get Rid Of Your Tolerations

What is toleration? It is anything that drains you of energy and/or focus. Tolerations and dealing with them can make us stronger while at the same time bringing our progress on the stairway to success to a stop.

In my personal business coaching practice when I hear someone say that they are a survivor it almost always means that the joy and excitement has been drained from their businesses and lives. Would you rather survive or thrive?

Thriving comes when you quit the tolerations that are holding you back. Imagine how much more efficient, effective and happier you would be utilizing your strength that was developed from surviving to applying it to thriving. To thrive all you have to do is quit.

When you learn how to quit you have learned to let go of what isn`t working. You have learned to say no to what isn`t going to work. You start living your life around honoring who you are. And the best part is this. When you learn to quit and stop being addicted to what doesn`t work you will definitely move from surviving to thriving.

How to Run a Business Effectively From the Start

With the challenging economic climate, many people long to become business entrepreneurs and start their own business. However, starting your own business can be challenging and many people are reluctant because they worry that they don’t know how to run a business. It is important to start your business in the right way and have it running effectively from the start. There are some business success tips which can help you to achieve this.

One of the most important keys to successful business practice is having a great business plan. It is important to take the time to research your potential market and develop a concise yet comprehensive plan. This is the first step to creating small business success and it will guide the business decisions you make. You will find yourself referring to it quite often and you may find it will need periodic revision. Your financial projections should be based on sound calculations rather than wishful thinking but they can be incorporated into your business goals.

Create a procedure manual for your new business. While this may seem a little superfluous before you even formally open your business, you should at least have a draft of how you want your business to operate on a daily basis. You can detail all the essential procedures and ones which you will be doing regularly. This can even provide you with a basis for revision as you discover effective ways to conduct your business and learn what does and does not work. This can provide consistency for your business approach while you are finding your feet and learning the intricacies of running a new business.

It is also important to create a strategy and stick to it. If you have found procedures which work, don’t be tempted to deviate from them to try the latest new fad. One of the most important things for a new business is to operate consistently. This will allow you to build a reputation and customer confidence. Of course, you may need to re-evaluate some of your procedures which are not working effectively.  The great thing about being a business entrepreneur is that you can continually assess the running of your business to see what is working and what could be done better. This is fantastically empowering since you are truly in control of guiding the success of your new business.

Seek professional help. It is a common myth that business entrepreneurs are experts in a number of fields. Usually this is not the case but they are not afraid to seek out the best professional advice to move their business forward. This could be a business lawyer to advice you on financial or tax issues or training courses to provide business success coaching or tips on starting business operations. The most effective and successful business owners seek out professional advice to ensure their business has the best guidance and advice.

There are many Business successes coaching, but don’t be afraid that you don’t know them all. You are planning to start a business because you believe you can run it effectively and successfully. Take the time to plan correctly, seek out professional help and have faith in your ideas.

Business Keys To Success: Master The Art Of Quitting

I believe that quitting is a good thing. In fact, many of the best things in my business and life have come from quitting. In my personal businesscoaching practice I collaborate with and support successful people. Interestingly, the one thing that all of them are seeking is to quit what isn’t working or has outlived its usefulness in their businesses and lives. Only in this manner can they be committed to a path of growth. The art of quitting minimizes the clutter and obstacles to moving forward.

Quitting certainly carries a negative connotation in our culture. I remember the sign above the entrance to my high school locker room, “A winner never quits. And a quitter never wins.” When it comes to sports and other endeavors not quitting can make sense.

But, to be honest, there are many things in my business and life that would have impacted me positively if I had chosen to quit them sooner. I should have quit accounting and being a financial analyst sooner. I loved the study of accounting and finance in school but I felt totally unfulfilled in these areas in the business world. There are many more examples.

Quitting Means Letting Go

So, why didn’t I let go of being an accountant?  I knew it wasn’t working. For me there was fear in quitting. I had wrapped up my identity in being an accountant or financial analyst. It was what I had studied in graduate business school.

Furthermore, I was afraid of what people would think about my quitting. I hung on for a year. I refused to let go. But at some point I realized that by not quitting I was wasting time in my life and this time was characterized by unhappiness.

When I decided to quit I had decided to let go of an image and profession that wasn’t working for me. I understood that I was letting fear paralyze me and steal my joy.

Quitting Is A Necessary Step To Success

Think about it. When new and improved technology is available you will go ahead and embrace it and the processes it entails. You have no problem letting go of or quitting the old way to embrace something that is not only new but better.

For the self-employed businessowner, entrepreneur, solo professional, corporate manager, executive or individual there is a fear of embracing something new and letting go of what is old and familiar.

Yet, if we don’t let go and practice the art of quitting we can never grow or advance. May we face criticism and skepticism from others? Yes. But you are determined to achieve success and you have decided to move forward. You are no longer going to have your business or yourself be held hostage in exchange for avoiding the criticisms and opinions of others.

Quitting Creates New Pathways To Success

Just as when a road way is blocked we find an alternate route, the same is true in the formula for success. To build momentum and move forward we are always looking for better ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Only when we master the art of quitting the old can the new enter and improve our performance.

Business Keys To Success: Change Is Inevitable-Growth Is Optional

I know everyone reading this post has experienced change. Yet change doesn’t mean growth. I thought I was growing because I was experiencing change. Yet, I had truly faked myself out. My attitudes, thoughts and the methods I used for approaching things did not change.

Growth Is A Choice

One of the greatest incubators for growth is becoming a self-employed small business owner. First, the amount of change you go through to start a small business and bring it to success is incredible.

You have to grow when change comes to you. If you don’t very often you can become irrelevant in the market place. For many small business owners they don’t have a choice. They have to grow. Small business success is predicated on your ability to grow in terms of not just sales, but systems, hiring, marketing and other areas.

Growth Must Be a 360 Degree Endeavor

But for many small business owners the growth process starts and stops with their business. As a personal business coach I have many types of clients from corporate executives to doctors to small business owners and all of them are successful financially.

They have embraced change and growth in their businesses. Yet, in their personal lives they may be stuck where they were 20 years ago. And when successful people are stuck it takes the joy and enthusiasm out of their lives.

It may have a negative impact on their business but in many cases it doesn’t. But, in their personal lives they have not embraced growth. I had one business owner and as we collaborated together one of his assignments was to take a vacation.

He had completed all the other assignments on business as we had developed our coaching relationship. Yet, on this one he came back to me and told me that he couldn’t figure it out.

Growth Is About Personal Growth

He couldn’t figure it out because his business was his life and his life was his business. The last time I checked business was just a part of life. He was stuck because he had not grown himself in his personal life.

He had not taken a real vacation in 20 years. He didn’t need to be at his business. If we stop to think about this for a moment what I am about to say is true for all of us. Our world and growth gets no bigger than the thinking between our ears.

Growth is about seeing yourself and a better future. As Napoleon Hill said, “What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” But the only way to take the steps to growth is to “let go” of the thinking that is holding us back.

Growth Is About Letting Go

Until we let go of old thinking, old ways of spending our private time and old ways of doing things it will not be possible to have the personal development to enjoy life to the fullest.

After all, work is supposed to make life sweet, purposeful and fruitful. But you have to construct a vision of a personal life to where you can experience the rewards of your good work.

Growth is a choice. Growth is optional. Choose growth as you have in business. When you choose growth in your personal life you will start experiencing life instead of existing through it. Choose growth and you will experience significance in your life.

Leaders Cannot Rise Above The Limitations Of Their Character

Character counts.  Character matters. We have heard these phrases over and over. John Maxwell in “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” asks the following question: “Have you ever seen highly talented people suddenly fall apart when they achieved a certain level of success?

I know in my personal business coaching practice that collaborates with self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs, solo professionals and corporate management that yes, I have seen highly talented people fall apart when they rise to a certain level.

As leaders it is not only devastating to them but it can be highly damaging to their organization.

Leaders: It’s About Character

Maxwell cites Steven Burgles, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of The Success Syndrome. In summary, Burgles says that people who achieve great heights but lack the bedrock character to sustain them through the stress are headed for disaster. He believes they are destined for one of more of the four A’s: arrogance, painful feelings of aloneness, destructive adventure-seeking, or adultery. Each is a terrible price to pay for weak character.

Leaders: Character Check: They Must Step Away To Step Up

If you have found yourself being sucked in by one of the four A’s that Burgles identifies, Maxwell encourages you to do what you must to step away from some of the stress of your success, and seek professional help.

Here’s the challenge. When you have more success, money, increased prestige and all that goes with it coming in you start to think of yourself as bullet proof. After all in starting your own business or running a small business you have taken great risks. And, now your hard work is paying off. Maybe you are bullet proof for the moment in the business realm.

But that doesn’t mean that you are immune to adverse risks in the personal realm. Too often as a business coach I have seen business owners and executives fill their need for risk taking outside of the business. The results are almost always bad.

In fact, I have seen more leaders lose their positions in companies or their own businesses due to lack of character in the personal realm. Unaddressed cracks in character only get deeper and more destructive with time. Step away from poor character traits and correct them. Only then you can step back up to being the leader you want to be.

Leaders Know That Business Character And Personal Character Are Connected

Even if you are not struggling with the four A’s you should still examine the condition of your character. Do your words match your action all the time? Do you follow through as promised at work and at home? If you tell your children that you are going to be at one of their events, are you there?

All of the above can apply to both your business and personal worlds. Interestingly, what I have observed is that whatever is a negative character trait in one area ends up manifesting itself in the other either indirectly or with the same trait being manifested. Very often business can cover up character flaws in leaders because of good processes and accountability in the systems which ends up keeping things on track.

Yet, leaders and all human beings can find ways to sabotage the best of systems. In the end leaders have two areas they must observe with character. One is the business. The other is personal. And, leaders always need to be aware that what is negative character in the business will leak into their personal life. And, what is negative in their character will leak into the business life.

Do a character check. Is there something you can improve? If so, tackle it now. Tackling it tomorrow or some day means procrastination and probably never getting around to improving. As Maxwell and Burgles point out, leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character.

The Law Of The Team

At this time in my life, virtually everything I do is a team effort.  In my personal business coaching, public speaking and career coaching I have a team to support me.  But, when I was younger, I used to try to do everything myself.  Or, as my businesses grew, I would try to know everything in detail about all aspects of the business even though I had turned over many aspects to my team members.

The truth is that this approach held back my growth as a self-employed business owner and the growth of my business. Small business growth and small business success are about developing a good team.  Any business that grows has a team or teams supporting that growth.

Team Means Letting Go

For most self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs or solo professionals there is a huge focus on control.  Yet as their businesses grow they still bring the mentality “I’m going to have to do it if it is to be done right.”  They hire people and build a team but they are disempowering them at the same time.

How?  They don’t trust them.  The number one cause of team dysfunction is lack of trust.  The little secret of growth is this.  You have to let go in order to grow.  To let go successfully, you must have systems and processes in place where all team members can be held accountable.

Team Means Amplification

In my personal business coaching practice, my team makes me better than I am.  When I recognize a situation with a client that needs to move forward very often I bring in an expert.  A good example is in the area of human resources.  As a small business grows it must have an employee handbook, performance reviews and policies and procedures.

When that is needed I bring in an expert in human resources to assist with the process.  She is part of my team.  And, at the same time, she amplifies the value I bring to my business coaching clients.

How does she do that?  She makes me better than I am.  As part of my team she multiplies my value to others.  And most importantly, she enables me to focus on what I do best, business coaching where I am focusing on creating and designing the pathways my clients want to have the future they desire.

Your Team Is Your Financial Nest Egg

for the future is just like developing a financial nest egg.  It may start slowly, but what you pout in brings a high return—similar to the way compound interest works with finances.

How does my team help me build that nest egg?  I have an organization that does my SEO work which helps my websites rank higher which in turn brings me business.  My accountant keeps track of and keeps me on track financially.

My team and the team you can develop will do many things.  Your team can give you more time.  Your team can represent you in things such as the example I gave in human resources.  Your team can provide a sense of community.  And most importantly your team can help you fulfill the desires you have for the future you want to create.

Develop your team and watch the law of the team work for you.