Are You an “Accidental Leader” Could You Possibly be Out of Position? Pt I

Did someone wave a wand and say: “POOF”, thou art a manager –NOW  LEAD!

Are you, or someone you know, in the wrong role/position in your company?  Did someone wave a wand and say: “POOF”, thou art a manager –NOW  LEAD!  But you have NO CLUE WHAT THAT MEANS or what you’re to do differently?  There could be all kinds of reasons you’re out of position:

• Your personality doesn’t align with the requirements of the role – i.e.  say the position needs someone who is commanding, one who is able to change easily and move quickly.  However, you’re a process person and like large amounts of details to then check, double check, and even triple check before you make a move. If so, then you’ll be frustrated in this role, along with making everyone around you frustrated.

• Talents – say you’re very gifted with high amounts of creativity, but you don’t have an outlet to use it . . .

• Your education didn’t support this role, and you’ve been struggling to try to make it work, but no matter how hard you try, you feel like you’re always behind.

• The experiences you’ve had didn’t prepare you for this role, and your interests don’t align either

This doesn’t mean you’re bad or wrong, it just means that this role/position is not a natural fit for you.  You can still stretch yourself and take on the role.  However, be aware that it will take considerably more effort, energy, and possible skill sets you don’t now have to fulfill.  Not to mention you may not enjoy it.  Another way you’ll know you’re not in the best role for you when required to be THE leader, is if:

• Setting the big-picture vision isn’t natural for you, and instead is difficult!
  

• Directing people – such as:  Providing them with the instructions as to what to do, which may be impossible for you to do – due to your personality style.  For some personality styles, and I know it’s hard for some of us to fathom, this would mean confrontation to them.
  

• Correcting and leading people is difficult and/or frustrating for you, so you’ll avoid it like the plague!
  

If these sentences resonate with you, then you’ve got another clue that you are an “Accidental Leader”.  If so, then one solution for you is to acquire a Business Coach to assist you to discern why you may be discontent, ineffective, and possibly even miserable in the position you’re currently in.  If you do, then you’ll receive the assistance to be successful!

On a positive note, I’ve had the most amazing opportunity to pursue what I’ve loved, and what fits me, for the past 35 years.  Because of my supportive husband, I was given the gift of creating and designing a career that I thrive in, am passionate about, and which gives me the ability to continually grow with and into.  My life mission emerged from one class here and an experience there.  As a result, along with my personality, certifications, and education over the years, it has slowly emerged, until one day I realized I was The epitome of an “Accidental Leader”.  I didn’t begin with the end in mind, as Covey recommends.  I didn’t set out to be a “Business Coach”, that didn’t exist when I went to college.  And I didn’t set out to pursue being a leader or trainer, however I was strategic about each small thing I pursued, until it cumulatively transpired into this awesome role called a Business Coach, Executive Coach and Corporate Trainer.  Like a puzzle that emerges from the similar colors, shapes, and connectivity of its’ pieces, I now help others to be strategically excellent, by making sure their life and work aren’t built upon accidents, but on the best of what they bring to this world, aligning themselves with the people they’re suppose to connect with and serve.

10 Ways to Ignite the Fire In Your Business and Fall Back in Love With What You Do

Take the TWENTY ONE DAY CHALLENGE to clear out the cobwebs from your mind and heart, while you gain fresh perspective, hope, and faith for your business!

1. Refresh, or completely make a new “Vision Board” with all your “Why’s”,  those deep

   seated reasons why you do this business in the first place.  Also called your “burning desire.

2. Start a daily journal and list three things you love about what you do each day.

3. Also write in your journal your hopes for what your business will look like, feel like, what you will accomplish, and provide when you are successful.

4. Set goals to ramp-up your marketing for 21 days.  Choose three marketing strategies off-line, and three online that you will implement during the challenge. (I’ll suggest strategies in other posts)

5. For 21 days go on a “Negativity Fast” where you refuse to moan, groan, sigh, complain, or say anything negative about yourself, or your business. (More on this in a future post)

6. For 21 days turn your car it into your “Mobile Encourager.”   Instead of listening to music, or other things in your car, listen to motivational CD’s, trainings, or MP’3s.

7. Take one day a week, for the next 3 weeks, to tackle those projects you’ve been putting off, that weigh you down.  Set realistic goals.  Use a timer to get you started, and help you to finish them.

8. If you can, hire a Professional Organizer (if not, ask a friend who you’ve invested in, that is detail oriented, to assist you!) Have them help you de-clutter, refresh, and renew your work space.  Make it an office you love spending time in.

9. Go to five people who really know you, telling them your coach has given you an assignment to ask them to help you by sharing:

• Three things you’re good at doing, and three character qualities you possess which will help you be a great business owner.

• Be sure to write them down, so you can revisit them when you need encouragement.

10.  Lastly, as a Business Coach one of my favorite recommendations to assist owners in avoiding burn-out is to take one day during the month and schedule a “Retreat With Yourself.”  Get away somewhere special to contemplate, meditate, pray and listen!  (Suggestions for what you could do on this one day, will be another blog post)

So, which of these sound like suggestions you think would be good to take?  And, if you hope to do the challenge, please let me know!

The Value of the Traditional Generation

DON’T PUT THE TRADITIONAL GENERATION OUT TO PASTURE – INSTEAD MAKE THEM  MENTORS OF  GENERATION Y, THE MILLENNIALS!

So what is the purpose in understanding the generations when it comes to business?  Let me show you.  You see, the way the Traditional Generation grew up they are:

 

 

Practical

 Logical

Dedicated

Prefer to work in a stable environment

Would rather save than spend

Now, who wouldn’t want that on their staff?  In fact, their values guide them to sacrifice for the greater good, so if they perceive this to be your company, they’ll be loyal, faithful, dedicated, and respectful to the end.  Above all else, they want to feel they have something to offer, therefore don’t put them out to pasture, especially now.  Soon, very soon they’ll be gone, but while we have the chance, we have a whole new generation  that has emerged on the workforce scene, the Millennial or Generation Y.  This generation mirrors more of the values of the Traditional Generation and they welcome an opportunity to be mentored by them. Could you see the usefulness in this?  And remember, they’ve been through The Great Depression, bread lines, and WWII, so they have enduring patience, and understand the meaning of sacrifice, so they won’t be petty, and instead of running off with your office supplies, they’ll find ways to cut corners.  If you have someone of the Traditional Generation on your staff, you have a gold mine of not only stability, but you have one of the “keepers” of experience and character.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career, as a Business Coach, is to be a kind of business match maker.  There is not much better, in my line of work, than to being able to find a talented, quality person and be able into a company who has a gap they fit perfectly.  While I can, and while we still have these pillars in our community, I’m on a mission to find great positions for this generation!

As a Business Coach I Want to Provide a Fresh Perspective of the Baby Boom Generation to Decrease Any Frustration From Misconseptions

In order to be effective leaders and collaborators with the boomer generation, we have to discern what made them who they distinctively are, in comparison with the other generations!

The Baby Boomer Generation 1946-1964 (18 yrs.)78 million strong

(The “Me” Generation)  Optimistic and Competitive, “The: “Question Authority” Generation  – we were to change the world (According to our parents that is!)

PEOPLE  who shaped the culture of this generation:

John F Kennedy                   Martin Luther King       Star Trek

Richard Milhous Nixon    The Beetles                        Elvis

Barbara Streisand                Partridge Family             Janis Joplin

The Rolling Stones              Captain Kangaroo          Dr. Spock (children)

Father Knows Best              “Deep Throat”                  Gloria Steinem

PLACES that shaped the culture of this generation:

The Watergate Hotel           Hanoi Hilton                   Chappaquiddick

Woodstock                              Kent State                         The Suburbs

Planned Parenthood            Boonie Pty’s                     Hitchhiking

CENTRAL EVENTS that shaped their future views on almost everything:

Civil Rights Marches           Watergate Hotel            Sexual Revolution

Creation of the PILL            Concerts                           Burning the flag

Man on the Moon                 Cuban War Crisis         Oil Embargo

Creation television               Space Travel                    Rebellion toward govt.

Vietnam                                    The draft                           The Cold War

Laugh-In                                  Love-Ins                            Sit-Ins

THE CREATION OF:

The Television                        The Pill                           Bell Bottoms

Halter Tops                              Mood Rings                  Beads and Strobe

Lights                                         Marijuana, LSD, Heroin

Dripping Candles                   Long Hair/No bra

Again, the number one mistake most people make is to think that the other generations must view things, understand things, and think things like, well like “we” do.  Different doesn’t mean wrong, just different!  And, when we look closely at what made the ideals, views, and outlooks of the generations, what made them they the way they are today, we can see why the Traditional Generation places such a high value on the Government and obeying authority, it’s what won two world wars, and carried them through the Great Depression!  Why they are such penny pinchers who live by the slogan:  “Waste not want not!”  In the same say you can also see that when the Vietnamese War arrived why the Boomers rose up against it.  Now I didn’t say this was right or wrong, I’m just saying it is understandable that we didn’t just go along with what we felt was a gross misjudgement on the part of our government!  We didn’t just accept and obey, we questioned EVERYTHING, swinging the opposite direction from the beliefs and values of our parents.  It makes sense, when we look at the history that shaped us, why we Boomers are a driven generation, consumed by our work.  In fact, most of us don’t even plan on retiring.  This was because our parents said we could do anything, be anything, and by golly we were going to fulfill their expectations and more.  We weren’t going to have to live like our parents, with an outhouse, war, and depression, we were instead going for the gusto, the real deal!  Can you see what molded our thinking and our drive from the above scenarios? As a Business Coach I encounter the values clash in the workplace almost daily.  The Traditionalists value earning their place on the leadership team, while accepting the input of their manage as the gospel without question.  Boomers however, want to process decisions, to  meet and plan the “right” option.  Because we grew up with 78 million peers, we had to learn to work together and on teams, so we do the same in the work environment.  Yet to stand out from among this large crowd, created a kind of competitiveness and drive that keeps us going, and going, and going.  Can you see the way our differences emerged? I find this fascinating!  And there is so much more I will review and reveal in the next post, to put parts of the generational puzzle together!  We’ll get into the best way to market to each generation, and even how to lead them while demystifying some of the wrong assumptions we tend to work off of, and hopefully you’ll find useful information to make your efforts to collaborate and work with the different generations a peasant experience.

Your Coaching Challenge:  Talk with someone from the Traditional Generation: (born between 1920 and 1945) and ask them questions about growing up, and what they had to live with, or without.  Then do the same with a Boomer, all the while discerning the differences in their approaches to things and why.  Then write about your experience below for us to learn from as well!  And enjoy the process!

How to Conduct a Check-up On Your Marketing Strategies for 2012

Recently, as a Business Coach, I’ve been conducting client strategy and new client discovery sessions to assess the effectiveness of their business marketing strategies.  We are then creating a relevant action plan that is applicable and exciting for 2012.  Of course, this is an on-going process that isn’t static, but living, therefore requiring continuous assessing, tweaking, learning, planning, and readjusting.  Here are some of the questions you should be working through as you determine how 2011 went for you.  Then take the time to determine how you want 2012 to unfold regarding your marketing plan.  Start here:

What was your customer acquisition goal for 2011?______

What percentage of customers did you retain?______

What percentage of customers did you lose?______

How many total customers do you have?______

How many of them were thrilled with your services? ______

                        Satisfied?________

                        Unhappy?________

How many new customers were acquired in 2012? ________

What percentage of new growth is this? ________

Where did they come from, what percentage came from which marketing strategy:

            Personal contact? ________

            Networking Event? ________

            Social Media?________

            Print? ________

            Ezine?________

            Because of a referral? ________

Where did the majority of these new orders come from?          

                        Within your city? ________

                        Another state? ________

What percentage of returning customers re-ordered?  ________

How often did you drop by, call, follow-up to receive

these returning orders?________

How many” touches” did it require for the order? ________

What form of touch worked best?  Percentage from:

            Personal contact? ________

            Social Media? ________

            Print? ________

            Ezine? ________

What percentage of customers come from your

target market? ________

What other industries land in your top 20% revenue?  ________

How many new customers make up your top 20%  ________

of your revenue?

How many returning customers make up your top 20%

of your revenue?   ________

 What other industries land in your top 20% revenue?  ________

 What strategies do you employ to follow-up with new and existing customers?

Do this kind of assessment, and I guarantee you’ll be astounded at what you discover.  With a few of my clients doing this process in January, they already not only discovered that 80% of their revenue in 2011 came from only 20% of their clientele, it was amazing to see that statistically they’re absolutely typical!  The value of this information is that now they know where 80% of their time should be spent moving forward. If you add to this mix, a few new strategies, continuous training, and a bit more evaluation, you’ll find yourself developing a system to stay ahead of the roller coaster so many find themselves on when marketing ineffectively.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Start Your Year Getting Out of Your Food Comfort Zone!

Being a smart young entrepreneur or seasoned business owner means you develop the whole person. This includes taking not good, but great care of yourself so your mind is clear and your energy level high to strategize and create the business of your dreams.  And besides, it’s just plain time to mix it up and throw in some fun, so here’s my coaching tip for the month – eat GRANOLA!  Here’s a yummy recipe.

MIX THE DRY TOGETHER:

3 C. Rolled Oats                         1 C. Organic Fair Trade Powdered Chocolate  (great antioxidants

1 C. Millet                                    1 C. Dry Roasted or Regular Peanuts

1/2 C. Sunflower Seeds            1/4 C. Soy Powder

1/2 C. Sesame Seeds                 1 C. Chocolate Chips (add to mixture after cooked & barely warm )

MIX TOGETHER WET INGREDIENTS:

1 C. Hot Water

1 C. Cold Pressed Oil  (pour in oil before honey and it slides right out of the cup!)

1 C. Honey

Jar of Peanut Butter of your choice

Combine both mixtures, and if you’ve doubled the batch, as I always do, cook it in a Turkey Roasting pan 1/2 hr. at 350 degrees.  Stir, then turn oven down to 275 degrees, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes.  If you like it chunky, don’t stir too much at the end, just enough so it doesn’t burn.  Usually done after an hour.  When the mixture is warm, almost cool add the chocolate or carob chips so they melt just a little bit. The least you cook this granola the more nutritional value you get.  The chocolate is Sweet Earth Organic Fair Trade we buy online.  Place in large Tupperware containers.  Enjoy!

Are You Ready to Hire Your First Office Manager pt. I

Save Yourself a Lot of Headaches, by Putting the Correct Foundations in Place!

When you hire your first office Manager, you can avoid a lot of problems by putting the correct foundations in place.  First off, the manager MUST be rightly positioned.  Making sure their behavioral style matches the needs of the position, and that the skills, knowledge, and training of the person fits their responsibilities.  A lot of headaches can be avoided right here!  Then, they must have a clearly written, and understood job description which includes:

• Their specific responsibilities

• Attitudes expected of them

• Compensation the company will be providing

• Holidays and/or days, and sick leave

• When performance reviews will be given to them

Continuing education should be provided so that they are continually upgrading their leadership skills.  This should include how much the company is willing to invest in their training and/or materials.  You can’t manage poorly communicated expectations.  Every time I go into a company to consult, or provide executive coaching, and the manager is frustrated with the owners, it is invariably these items which were loosely agreed upon, and not put in writing. If this is the case, you will eventually experience conflict over what the Office Manager expected and was told, as opposed to what the owner remembers he/she said.  They need to be given the company handbook detailing the

• Mission

• Vision

• Values

along with the job descriptions of the employees they will be managing.  They must have a crystal clear understanding of how to support, train, monitor and encourage their employees.  Problems can be averted by setting the correct foundations at the beginning.  Having a clear understanding of their responsibilities, will avoid any need to micro manage as well!

Done right, you will have more time to do the things you love doing, which is why you became a business owner in the first place!

End of pt. 1

 

How You Can Take Your Business From Ordinary to Extraordinary?

You Can Create Your Dream!

You can take your business from ordinary to extraordinary by living an extraordinary life! It all begins with you, and the decisions you make. It starts with one small decision built upon another, and by managing your options. What you do today will reap a reward tomorrow. Make the right things habitual, and watch your life evolve exponentially. So how do you begin? Extraordinary business owners start their day doing those things which are:

• Necessary not necessarily interesting

• Difficult but obligatory, like eating the worst tasting vegetables

• Exasperating but essential – Just do it!

Do this and you’re called “RESPONSIBLE” a “LEADER”. Responsibility, as well as leadership, means you’ve learned the buck stops with you. Even if you have a new, fun or exciting opportunity emerge during the day, it’s no excuse for not doing “First things first!” as Steven Covey would say! In fact, another quality of an extraordinary business owner is that you don’t make excuses, it’s not a part of your vocabulary, or your life. As well, you create processes and systems for anything you possibly can.  Then, if things aren’t working, you can be assured you’re not working your systems. You may not be providing the leadership needed to make a demand on yourself. That’s right, you have to lead yourself! To be extraordinary, you must follow-through and take initiative to do the 20% of items that will bring you 80% return financially.  Once you do, your confidence will soar, your belief level will climb, and success will be imminent.

YOUR COACHING MOMENT:

Let me ask you:

• What’s stopping you?

• Where can you up your game, put business systems in place?

• What do you need to clamp down on – in your day, with your time?

• Are you making a list every night – to be sure you’re doing the 20% items that bring you the 80% return?

• Are you managing your time, or is the tyranny of the urgent dictating your day?

• What can you turn into a system for greater effectiveness?

I heard a saying that has stuck with me to this day:

If it’s going to be, it’s up to me! – Now, once you’ve been that responsible leader, business owner, be sure to have FUN! You only have one life, so enjoy the journey, not just the dream. It’s why you’re paying the high price of your time in the first place!

What are you doing that is taking you on the path to having an EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS? I’d love to hear, and showcase your story.

Are You A Loner Leader, Or Do You Need Support?

Catch the Fire Of a Mastermind Team

I’ve recently come across a great opportunity to be connected to other like-minded business leaders/owners who want not only business support and business coaching, but accountability. It’s a brilliant mastermind group, built on a phenomenal platform where right on the call the moderator can break you out into teams to work one-on-one with your accountability partner. Already I’ve learned some great information and resources I would have otherwise missed, and not only that, but there is also a 20 minute training given by some outstanding business person. Did you ever know you needed something, but weren’t sure what it was until you found yourself smack-dab in the middle of it, and the lights go off? Well, for me, this mastermind group is it. It’s virtual, it’s laser focused, and best of all, it’s professionally organized by a very sharp leader in our industry, Cathy Demers . I just hate it when my time is wasted, and I could have accomplished 10 or more things on my list instead. I don’t feel this way when I’m in my mastermind.  I love sharing with you the best of the best resources out there, so check it out, it just might be that “thing” you’ve been looking for to take your business to the next level as well.  To learn more, either click on the banner to the upper right hand side of this post, or above on the word Mastermind.   Here’s to your success, cheers!

A Doodad, Or A Feeling? What Sells Your Product Or Service? pt.2

Would You Like to Have Clients/Prospects be Drawn to You With Magnetic, Or Pull Marketing?

Yesterday we went over, in detail, the difference between trying to sell prospects on your product/service by telling them about your value and benefits as opposed to giving them lists of the features.  It takes a little more time to think and prepare what you say, but like any skill, the more you change your mind-set and give the benefits and values, the more clients/customers will be automatically drawn to you!

Features for a service such as Executive Coaching, the features I provide are:

• Certified Executive Coach, and Certified Mastermind Executive Coach along with CPLP certification (interesting yet?  Of course not!)
• 32 years experience including coaching the top 3 executives of a billion dollar public works engineering project for three years (maybe)
• Coaching can be done virtually

Here’s the translation from the above into VALUES and BENEFITS:

• Have the peace of mind and confidence that you’re dealing with an experienced professional who has dealt with every kind of situation imaginable. Sue will provide you with options to get you unstuck, and skills to assist you in reaching your full potential while helping you leap-frog to top levels of your industry.
• Establish and reach your goals in a third to half the amount of time it would take you to do it on your own, because you have accountability to fulfill the  plans that you have develop and agree to.  You’re at the helm.
• Envision sitting in your pj’s or your most comfortable attire, at your favorite spot, during the best time of day for you, while receiving encouragement, and assistance by your own personal trusted mentor, who genuinely cares about you and your success.  I’ll partner with you each step of the way, assisting you in reaching your personal mission and why you were put here in this life, at this time in history!  I’ll help you work on leaving YOUR individual MARK in this world!

People want to know, and will buy according to what products and services can do for them, NOT because of the features they have. It makes all the difference in marketing plan and its effectiveness as to whether you’re selling FEATURES as opposed to offering the VALUES and BENEFITS.
EXAMPLE:  Charles Revson (not a typo), then CEO of Revlon Company, was once asked to describe what his company sold.  Listen carefully to what he said, and then compare it to the above information.  He said, “In the factory we make cosmetics, but in the stores we sell hope.” He didn’t sell them on the products, but what the products will ultimately bring them, and who doesn’t want HOPE!

So, next time you’re asked what you do, don’t give them the features and attributes. Wow them with the benefits and value you bring to the table.  You don’t have to sell, just share the “right” information and watch them buy.  People don’t like to be sold, but they do like to buy! Let them see in their minds-eye how you can help them fulfill their hopes and dreams, and they’re yours, your customer/client.

Your Intentional Coaching Moment:

1.    Make a list of all the features of your products and services.
2.    Next, using the questions above, translate these features into benefits and values.
3.    Now go share this information with three people and ask for their feedback!

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