Tip 129

                                                           Give more luck…

"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

- Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
American statesman, scientist, and printer

luck: noun: a force that makes things happen

You want more luck? Be the force that makes it happen…

1. Prepare. Work hard to be ready for the opportunities that are important to you. Research. Practice. Perfect.
2. Be awake. Pay attention to the people, events, and things around you. Evaluate logically and trust your gut instinct.
3. Take action. Put yourself out there. Explore. Be vulnerable. Make contact with people. Take risks.
4. Expect positive results. Optimism improves your chances. If (when) you fail, embrace the lesson and continue on, smarter.

That’s it. Now go be lucky (and make something good happen).

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Tip 128

                                                          Give more resilience…

resilience: noun: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (from Merriam-Webster)

We all fail from time-to-time (our doing, someone else’s doing, something else’s doing, a combination of each). It’s life.

To be resilient…

1. Focus on results. Embrace the fact that results are what we’re all really after. Effort and attempts are great first steps, but we need to act with commitment to delivering (just like we want people to do for us).
2. Make lessons of failures. Minimize the tendency to make a failure or mistake anything more than a lesson on how not to do something. We need to learn from our mistakes and truly accept them as tuition for succeeding later. And yes… Our mistakes might put us in a bind at times and have some uncomfortable consequences but again, that’s real life.
3. Continue on. Smarter.
4. Reinforce. Support each other (and ourselves) by continually reminding and encouraging one another to deliver on the first three points.

That’s it. Let’s practice it more.

 

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Tip 127

                                                          Wasteful Thinking

 

What are the most common "drag you down, get in the way of success" thoughts?

What are the most common “drag you down, get in the way of success” thoughts?

• Defeatist (accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat)
• Cynical (contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives)
• Vindictive (seeking revenge)
• Blame/ Fault (who cares? what are we going to do now?)
• Wishful (do what you can to influence the deal/ project/ situation and keep moving)
• Self-pity (get over yourself… complain less… especially to yourself)
• Worrisome (it won’t help, costs time, and can drag you down)
• Jealous (want it? earn it)
• Pre-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have to prepare yourself for the argument that may never happen)
• Post-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have where you’re quicker than you were in the actual argument)
• Procrastinators (if you’re going to procrastinate, you might as well do something fun instead of thinking about how bad it is that you’re procrastinating… dummy)

 

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 Tip 126

 

You can draw value from a naysayer or cynic by remaining objective and positive in your thinking. (yes, it can be tough)

Occasionally, they'll point out valid hurdles or challenges you haven't seen (even if they present it like an @ss). With their help, if you can remain objective (and keep your ego in check), you'll have a better chance of getting something valuable from the interaction.

Stay objective. Be no ego. Get value.

ego: noun: 1. the self 2. an inflated sense of self-significance

Imagine a world without ego. No…

• Toes to step on
• Feelings to hurt
• Fair shares to grab
• Territory to defend
• Fault to allocate
• Back to watch
• Last words to get
• Ideas to hold back
• Embarrassment to bear

• Battles to win
• Knowledge to prove
• Entitlement to have
• Encouragement to withhold
• Credit to seek
• Grudges to hold
• Jealousy to feel
• Revenge to take
• Hidden meanings to construe

Just pure care.

To be no ego…

1. Be humble. Understand you are a (small) part of the world. Service and patience should be your top priorities.
2. Be teachable. Focus on what you can learn, rather than what you know. Remember that almost everything you learn comes from the work of someone else.
3. Listen more. Make every effort to truly understand what others are saying (beyond just words). Allow a gap of silence before responding. Ask question (and listen, again).
4. Appreciate people. Enjoy others’ contributions. Don’t squelch ideas or defend territory. Encourage more.
5. Relax. Let go of the need to be right or win every time.

Nothing complex. So what do you say? You up for it?

Speak no ego. Be no ego.™

(let’s make the world a better place)

 

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 Tip 125

 

You don't know everything.

 

You do know that, don't you?

Continual learning is a basic necessity to professional improvement and in many cases it's other people who will help you get there.

But only if you're coachable. Are you?

To be coachable means to be...

• Approachable
• Attentive
• Receptive
• Curious
• Objective
• Trusting
• Shapeable
• Confident

It means you must listen with the intent to learn rather than to show what you know.

 

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Tip 124

 

Comfort. Risk. Both are enjoyable.

One we strive to create. One we try to minimize.

One can make us lazy. One can make us stronger.

When did you last risk failure? When did you last leave your comfort zone?

212 challenge... Step out of your comfort zone once more each week and create over 50 additional opportunities for excitement, challenge and possibility each year. This is what life's about.

It's been said that youth is wasted on the young. By taking risks, we assure life isn't wasted on the living.

 

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Tip 123

 

We are The Economy. (That includes you.)

Recovery depends on the work we do today... regardless of difficulty (we're close).

The US Navy SEALS have a creed they live by in their work. A few of our favorite lines are...

• The lives of my teammates and the success of the mission depend on me... (individual accountability)
• If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. (resilience)
• In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. (purpose)
• By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day. (commitment)

What if we all had a Trident for our work - something that says we truly accept the responsibility for our chosen profession - and we did it?

You up for it?

 

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Tip 122

 

"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
American statesman, scientist, and printer

luck: noun: a force that makes things happen

You want more luck? Be the force that makes it happen...

1. Prepare. Work hard to be ready for the opportunities that are important to you. Research. Practice. Perfect.
2. Be awake. Pay attention to the people, events, and things around you. Evaluate logically and trust your gut instinct.
3. Take action. Put yourself out there. Explore. Be vulnerable. Make contact with people. Take risks.
4. Expect positive results. Optimism improves your chances. If (when) you fail, embrace the lesson and continue on, smarter.

That's it. Now go be lucky (and make something good happen).

 

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Tip 121

 

Growing Your Business as a Team: Ten Team-Building Tips from the Real World of Small Business

·         Tip #1: Empower your employees by giving them guidelines for making decisions.

Empowering your workers doesn't mean relinquishing control of your business -- far from it! Empowering those who are closest to the action to make decisions can lead to the right result. 

Here's one example of how this can be achieved.

Laurie Benson, CEO of Inacom Information Systems, implemented what she calls an "empowerment triangle" whereby each employee is allowed to make any decision, as long as they consider the impact of their decision on three things -- the customer, the employee, and profitability (hence the "triangle"). As Benson explains in the video, "We believe that the person closest to the action is probably the best one to make the decision - so if you're close to the customer, do the right thing. But don't do it without thinking about the implication on profit and the employees."

·         Tip #2: Acknowledging employees for what they bring to the table will help integrate individualists into the team.

A team is only as good as the sum of its parts, but sometimes egos get in the way and disrupt the delicate balance of the team. But by recognizing and acknowledging the intrinsic value of individual contributions, trust can follow and egos can be checked.

 As Don Matzkin, also of Inacom Information Systems, explains, employees start to realize that "the expression of the ego in this process only helps the mix. The mix is sustained by the insertion of multiple egos."

·         Tip #3: When hiring for growth, look for motivated people. They can be trained and will grow into new positions.

Finding the perfect candidate based on a skills-match, might not be good for the team. As Anthony Bracali of Friday Architects/Planners, Inc., an SBA e200 Participating Company, explains, "for a lot of people trying to grow their business, finding someone who is energetic and enthusiastic, ...who wants to grow personally, is almost more valuable than having the highest skill level, because that person could improve...with training."

·         Tip #4: Offer cash incentives to your team members who bring in qualified prospects.

This is quite a common practice during competitive hiring seasons, but for many small businesses it can have a sustained and long-lasting impact. Jeanna Sellmeyer, CEO, ASSET Group, and SBA National Small Business Person of the Year 2009, has implemented what she calls "bounties" or employee referral bonuses at her company that only get paid out after the hew hire has been employed for a year. Why? As Sellmeyer explains, "it makes the employee invested in helping the new employees stay."

·         Tip #5: Mentor and tutor employees who have the potential to grow with the company.

Hiring the right employees can be a challenge, but setting the bar high can pay off in the end: "Try to hire someone who's smarter than you. Don't be threatened by them. You can only build from that. Hire the guy who can take your position. Because you can't move up until they move up," explains Jeanna Sellmayer. The path to promotion starts with you, "anyone who wants to better themselves, I am right there side-by-side with them."

·         Tip #6: Challenge your employees. See how they respond.

Instead of working within the confines of their job description and daily tasks, Jennifer Fogg, COO, of ASSET Group, Inc., encourages small business owners to challenge their employees to work outside the box. "Really great leaders do more than just recognize talent, they promote talent within others...that usually comes when we task them with more than we think they might be able to handle."

·         Tip #7: Pay attention to the families of your employees. Your business depends on their support.

Building a strong team also means taking into consideration those who support the team -- the families of your employees. Plan company functions and events that are oriented towards employees and their families -- from picnics to movie nights; bring your kids/pets to work days -- the choice is yours and needn't break the bank.

·         Tip #8: Incentives are a great way to engage and stimulate the employee support for your mission.

In addition to standard incentives, such as "employee of the month", consider recognizing achievement by functional or project achievement. For example, ASSET Group, a full-service contractor firm, recognizes their "Superintendent of the Year" with a new work truck and hardhat. They also honor their "Safety Person of the Year" and incentivize employees for project completion.

·         Tip #9: Do not expect lifetime loyalty; get the most of the relationship you have at the time. Invest in your employees.

Your employees are one of your greatest assets. An investment in them is an investment in your business. It's a philosophy Jeanna Sellmeyer endorses, "we work hard and play hard... Because people are happy they do better work... it makes talent want to come here and it helps you retain talent...if you don't treat your people well they are going to go somewhere else."

·         Tip #10: Make giving to the community part of your corporate culture. And support your employees in their efforts to help others.

Inacom came up with an interesting idea while brainstorming with its employees about their vacation needs and philanthropic goals -- it would offer all its employees up to a week off to do social service work and pay 50% of their salary, over and above their vacation time.  So "together we provide the means, the opportunities and the ideas to make a difference in the world"

 

 

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Tip 120

 

Take action

 

Make contact.
Ask the question.
Give the feedback (take the feedback).
Put it out there.
Go deeper.
Be real.

Don't waste a moment going through the motions.

 

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Consider being less concerned with showing what you know during a meeting or discussion than with what you can learn. A little naivete can help you...
•    Minimize false assumptions
•    Learn more about other people and their situations
•    Be more creative and come up with new ideas



The importance of painstakingly proofing your résumé for typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors cannot be stressed enough. Enlist several other pairs of eyes to go over it as well, preferably those of friends who are professional writers or editors. Employers look for reasons to eliminate applicants because they have to review so many résumés; that first typo usually does the trick. Even small mistakes can lead a potential employer to believe that a candidate might not make a very careful or conscientious employee.


Devising a business plan forces you to think about how your company will make money. It makes you examine whether your product or service appeals to the masses or just one small group - such as graphic designers who work on Macintosh computers. If your product or service is meant to save its users money, you'll need to examine the importance of that claim. A product or service that saves your local mechanic $20,000 a year is probably worth pursuing; one that saves a big company like GM or Ford $20,000 annually may not be worth the trouble.


Discussing your business with prospective buyers and reviewing all of the details is time-consuming, and you want to avoid wasting valuable time with "tire kickers"- people who have no intention of buying the business. Therefore, you will want to establish a screening process well in advance, so that when you start hearing from prospective buyers, you can quickly determine into which category they fall.


Gathering a solid base of information is the first step to creating a strong competitive analysis. The next step is analyzing the information and using it to your advantage. List the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor. Then look for areas where you cannot compete and areas where you can provide something that others cannot.


You've no doubt heard that people emotionally decide what to purchase, and then use logic to justify that purchase. Can a product be sold on emotion alone? Yes. Usually to children


                                                                 Tip 113

 Setting quality appointments/Confirming Appointments/Avoiding Cancellations

Nothing frustrates me more than a prospect wasting my time. Like most of us, my business relies heavily on signing with prospects looking to buy sooner rather than later. In fact , I don't bother meeting with a prospect unless he is ready to sign a contract and pay a retainer to get started. I find that most of the leg work can be done via phone, fax and e-mail. When the client is satisfied with the information he's received, then and only then will I agree to a meeting



Though you may be the head of the company, your business would go nowhere without the efforts of your employees. So engage them in how you map your business's path. Sit down with staffers and let them inform you of their goals and hopes for the business. Invite them to share their suggestions and concerns. By fostering a collaborative atmosphere, you'll establish yourself as the kind of leader who not only knows how to lead and inspire, but also takes the needs and ideas of others into account.



Advertising is often the key to business success. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as it may first appear. To plan an effective promotional campaign, decide what message makes the most sense and how to deliver it. Investigate your options: radio, TV, newspapers, Yellow Pages, or online? Avoid common mistakes that can wreak havoc on your budget and actually hurt your brand name.



Typically, advertising and promotion are vital to the success of a business. To successfully advertise, you will need to allocate a portion of your budget for such purposes. This will depend on the size of your business and the scope of the market you are trying to reach




The Yellow Pages represents the first foray into advertising for many small businesses. And for good reason: a Yellow Pages ad is accessible all day, every day, to people who are ready to buy.

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Tip 108                                    Write Effective Radio Ads

In 30 or 60 seconds, a good radio ad grabs attention, involves a listener, and effectively sells your product or service. Remember to use straightforward language that is written exactly how people talk. Be sure to include pauses so people have time to think and the announcer can breathe. Tell listeners what to do next and prepare them to take down your phone number. Most important, help them remember your name so they can find you in the phone book or online.
              
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Tip 107                                       State a Convincing Mission

Writing an effective, engaging, and clearly defined mission statement is the best way to announce your company's goals to customers, clients, investors, and even employees. Your mission statement is the vehicle to get the word out about the "why" and the "wow" behind your company. In truth, your mission statement is no less important than your business plan. It needs to explain the core reasons for your business's existence. Your mission statement should inspire others to want to know more about your ideas, helping to position your company in the marketplace and to fuel growth.

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Tip 106                                    Business Planning? Be Realistic

A good business plan avoids a few common mistakes. Make sure you paint a realistic financial picture of the anticipated growth of your company. If the plan is overly aggressive and not consistent with growth in the industry, it won't be of much use. Also, your market must be well defined and you must present a clear picture of who will buy your product and why they need it.




You follow a regular maintenance schedule for your equipment, so why not treat yourself the same way? A monthly lunch with friends and designated family nights are great ways to get your mind off business issues and reconnect with the people who matter most to you. Even a quick walk around the block will do wonders to refresh your mind and spirit. Also consider recapturing the thrill you experienced when starting your business by expanding or enhancing your products and service lines.



Often when you're organizing an out-of-town event, there's not enough time or money to make a site visit. Big mistake! Why risk discovering problems on the day of the event or rely on someone else's judgment? This is particularly critical for larger meetings and events. In addition, checking out the location beforehand allows you to meet and build a rapport with any staff you'll be working with on the day of the event.



As computer vendors pare down their technical support options, third-party Web sites and support services are filling the gaps. Many of these services are free, relying on advertising or e-commerce partnerships to generate revenue. Others charge a nominal fee and use their technical expertise and economy of scale to turn a profit. In some cases, these services provide better support and more accurate information than the computer vendors themselves. Before you pay for phone-based support, do a search on Google and check out these services.


Spam "robots" are continually scouring the Internet in search of new e-mail addresses. Removing actual links to your e-mail and replacing them with a spelled out address such as "your.name at yourcompany-name.com" can greatly reduce your current amount of spam. You can also create graphics that display your e-mail address. (Spam robots can't read the text in graphic form.)

Humor is a powerful tool in building more cohesive groups. Differences among team members can be minimized by humor, which is effective in reducing tension and breaking down barriers. Humor can smooth ruffled feathers when, for example, one person's idea is chosen over another's. Warning: "using humor" does not mean flooding your team members' e-mail inboxes with jokes you find on the Internet.





Defeatist (accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat)

Cynical (contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives)

Vindictive (seeking revenge)

Blame/ Fault (who cares? what are we going to do now?)

Wishful (do what you can to influence the deal/ project/ situation and keep moving)
 
Self-pity (get over yourself... complain less... especially to yourself)

Worrisome (it won't help, costs time, and can drag you down)

Jealous (want it? earn it)

Pre-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have to prepare yourself for the argument that may never happen)

Post-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have where you're quicker than you were in the actual argument)

Procrastinatory (if you're going to procrastinate, you might as well do something fun instead of thinking about how bad it is that you're procrastinating... dummy)

Some definitions provided by Merriam-Webster.




One we strive to create. One we try to minimize.

One can make us lazy. One can make us stronger.

When did you last risk failure?
When did you last leave your comfort zone?


As leaders, we enjoy the responsibility of helping our people develop in a way that encourages them to hold themselves accountable for their attitudes, their work, and their results.

We need to be as disciplined, resourceful, and resilient in our efforts as we ask our people to be in theirs.

Relentless leadership is embracing the fact that the need for reinforcement never ends and uncomfortable conversations are a necessity. This is how something special is created.

Smile & Lead.