Business Keys To Success: The Power of Focus

As a young boy growing up in Chappaqua, New York I learned about the power of focus. Unfortunately, I was learning how to use the power of focus this bright fall day but I didn’t have the wisdom to use it properly.

I was always intrigued by my Dad’s magnifying glass. My Dad wasn’t home this day and I decided to have some fun. For those of you from upstate New York you know that with the fall comes a great deal of leaf raking. I was supposed to rake the leaves. I detested leaf raking. Why?

Focus—Know What You Want To Accomplish

As soon as you cleared up the area you raked there were leaves all over it the next day. I had read in one of my science books in intermediate school that if you held a magnifying glass over a piece of paper or something that would burn that it would focus the power of the sun’s rays to be strong enough to start a fire and burn the object.

My focus was on getting rid of the leaves. And, in a stroke of brilliance I decided to see if I could use my magnifying glass to burn the leaves after I had raked them into a pile. Raking was bad enough. But then having to cart them out into the woods was more than I wanted to handle.

Focus—Know The Consequences

I took the magnifying glass and placed it over a leaf on the pile and let the sun’s rays do their work. But for some reason nothing was happening. Then I remembered that I had to hold the magnifying glass still in order for the sun’s rays to focus.

Once I did that the magic began. One leaf started to burn and as it was burning I grabbed the part that was not burned and stuck it next to a new leaf. After a few minutes I had a fire going.

Then it dawned on me that once the pile burned down that I would be burning the lawn beneath it. That was not good. As I was contemplating that problem the wind which I had not even thought about gave my fire new energy and started spreading it across the yard.

Frantically, I tried to control the leaves by stomping on them and after about 10 minutes the fire was out. Fortunately, the ground and lawn were wet and did not burn.

I sat down and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I had averted disaster. I looked up at the sun and then at the magnifying glass. Yes, the power of focus is an awesome power.

Focus-It Works

In my personal business coaching practice I have to bring the power of focus as do my clients to create pathways to accelerate the process of their successful performance.

Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or corporate executive the power of focus is necessary for exceptional performance. No amount of online training, corporate training, business training, business courses or business skills training will work without utilizing the power of focus.

To use the power of focus wisely, unlike my childhood experience, keep the following in mind:

1. Know your priorities. Make sure you are putting your focus on the right thing.
2. Be committed to achieving your goal. Focus without continuous commitment is like holding the magnifying glass for a few seconds over a leaf and expecting it to burn.
3. Pay attention to the details. As in the leaf story where I didn’t pay attention to the details, you must look ahead and see where your focus is taking you.
4. Follow up. Always assess the results of your focus and where it is taking you. Success in business and life is about resetting your focus.

Utilize the power of focus. As you do you can adjust your focus to take you to the business and life you desire?

Business Keys To Success: Lead By Giving Others Energy

Mark Twain once said, “If you want energy go out and give it to someone else.”  Over the years I have been fortunate to lead not only businesses but several volunteer organizations.  The ones where we had the greatest success is where all of us were creating energy.

Yet, many self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs, solo professionals, corporate managers and corporate executives are unknowingly sabotaging themselves by not bringing or giving energy in their business or workplace.

Leadership is defined many ways.  One of my favorites that I use in my personal business coaching practice is this:  “Leadership is creating in others today, a future willingness to follow you into something new for the sake of something great.”  Something new can run the spectrum from incremental refinements to wholesale change.

Energy Creates Interest

Without energy you can become less interesting to follow.  Energy can come from your steadfastness of purpose and your commitment to succeed.  It can come from bringing enthusiasm to what you do.  There are many ways to bring energy through your words and actions.

To have long-term success, whether you are a self-employed business owner running a small business or a corporate executive with hundreds or thousands of employees, you must bring energy.  Small business success, or corporate success for that matter depend on many things.  But there is one characteristic of any enterprise that is heading toward going out of business.  It has lost its positive energy and momentum.

Positive Energy Is Key

 Psychologist Henry H. Goddard conducted a study on energy levels in children using and instrument he called the “ergograph.”  His findings were fascinating.  He discovered that when tired children were given a word of praise or commendation, the ergograph showed an immediate upward surge of energy in the children.

When the children were criticized or discouraged, the ergograph showed that their physical energy took a sudden nosedive.  You may have already discovered this intuitively.

When someone praises you, doesn’t your energy go up?  And when you are criticized, doesn’t that comment drag you down?  Words have great power.

What Kind Of Environment Is Your Energy Creating?

Your words and actions create your environment.  Are your words and actions leading to small business growth?  Think of what things would be like and what you could create if your were affirming people not only when you first meet them but on an ongoing basis.  Not only would you be encouraging them but you would also become an energy carrier.

Being an energy carrier is a good thing for leadership.  Whenever you walk into a room, the people would light up!  You would help to create the kind of environment everyone loves.  Just your presence alone would brighten people’s days.

Bring energy to yourself and others.  It will improve your leadership, your business and your life.  As Mark Twain pointed out if we want energy we have to go out and give it to others.  Create a positive environment of affirmation.  Lead with energy.

Who’s In Charge The Case For A Job Description

A job description can be the tipping point to having a successful smallbusiness.  Too often,the self-employed business owner becomes immersed in performing the business and really doesn’t know what his employees are doing and how they are doing it.

This is a recipe for disaster or a near disaster as one of my personal business coaching clients discovered.  He had a small company of four employees and was ready to add a fifth.  When I first started collaborating with him I asked him for a job description for each employee as well as himself.

As with most business owners he balked at having to create them.  His response was, “We’re doing great.  Everyone knows what they are doing.”  I replied that “Yes, everyone knows what they are doing.  But do you know what they are doing and are they doing it right?”

Job Description—What Are You Doing?

For those of you who have taken online training, business training or business courses you understand the importance of a job description.  A job description not only defines a job but how the job is being done.  A job description brings accountability to measure performance.

This last part, measuring performance is critical.  Without accurate measurements, most businesses will ultimately drift into failure.  Running a small business is part art or feel and part logic, the thinking.

When my client said his people knew what they were doing he was correct in one sense.  They did know what they were doing.  The first question was whether or not what they were doing was positioning the company to grow.  Were they doing things the right way?

It turned out much to his surprise and disgust, they certainly did know what they were doing.  The problem was that much of it was related to making their positions as easy as possible and they were actually detracting from the performance of the company.

Job Description—Know What You And Your Employees Are Doing

Without a job description it is hard to have any meaningful accountability.  Why?  The job becomes whatever and however the employee chooses to define it.  And, that definition can change to suit the circumstances.

The scattered self-employed business owner is focused on everything at once which means that much gets overlooked.  And, when it comes to trusting employees without a job description you are writing the formula for failure.  Failure and ignorance go hand in hand.

 Job Description To The Rescue

After discovering a multitude of problems because each employee had no job description this self-employed business owner embraced the process.  Within two weeks each employee and himself had a job description.  Yes, there was some resentment with some of the employees and ultimately two of them were let go.

But, the result was everyone knew their responsibilities, a chain of command was established freeing up the self-employed business owner's time.  Each job description brought accountability and improved performance.  Also, a definitive work flow was established.  Things calmed down.

And, where this business had been stuck for two years it was able to grow significantly with a solid foundation in place.  The key as this owner found out is not to hire the best people.  The key is to have the best process.  When you have the best process you will increase the odds of having people do their best.

And, the center of the best process is to have a written job description for each employee.  It created standards.  Without a job description in place for each team member it is not possible to have a vibrant and long-term team.

Business Coaching The Power Of The Personal Hand Written Note

Personal hand written notes are powerful.  I once heard it said that “You have the power to make someone’s day at the end of your pen.”  And, I have seen the truth in this not only in my own life but in the businesses and lives of my clients.

In my personal business coaching practice I engaged a new service company as a client.  The company consisted of the owner.  He wanted to grow.  But, as is often the case when you are starting your own business, he was short on capital.

Personal Hand Written Note Marketing

As a self-employed business owner he knew that his ability to connect with others was his best marketing business plan.  The challenge was, and this happens to many small businesses, if he went out and marketed he would have to close down his shop.

After exploring various strategies including the hand written note, he was stuck.  He thought the hand written notes were a good idea but he had never written one.  Very often, necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case new action.

He decided to commit to hand written note marketing.

A Personal Hand Written Note For Every Customer

Every customer that came into his shop received a hand written note thanking them for being a customer and telling them that if they had any concerns to immediately contact him.

From my experience, I knew that this marketing could work and could have big results.  At first he got Thank You cards from Office Depot.  In the beginning he was writing 1 to 2 notes a week.

At times he became discouraged.  Business would rise a little bit and then fall back.  But overall, it was moving in the right direction.  In fact, it increased enough in the first six months to where he hired his first employee.

 Build Referrals-A Hand Written Note Converts A Customer To A Friend

At the end of his first year he had done $50,000 in sales.  Four and a half years later he is on track to do $800,000.  He has done no other advertising.  He now has 7 employees.  And, he still writes every customer a personal hand written note.

To amplify his the hand written note marketing he is now able to get out into the community and do volunteer work which has also had a very positive effect on sales.

His customers have become his friends and his referral business is huge.  The hand written note is central to running many businesses by referral.  If you are looking for an inexpensive way to make a very positive impact use the personal hand written note in your marketing business plan.

I have seen the power of this for many self-employed business owners.  The personal hand written note pays value to others who are helping you get to where you want to go.  And, the most important aspect of the personal hand written note is that it builds relationships.

If you are looking for more business that is better use the personal hand written note.  You do have the power to make someone’s day at the end of your pen.  That power is the personal hand written note.