First Things First!

As a personal and business coach I work with many clients that are struggling to do it all now!  Many of us occasionally drift “into the weeds” when facing situations and become overwhelmed in our efforts to create it, fix it, encourage it, coax it, or make it happen.  I hear the cry for clarity, focus, and balance from moms with great careers. I hear the same thing from business owners trying to juggle all the pieces of their business and spend quality time with their families. Managers and executives occasionally “fall into the weeds” as well, trying to learn new roles or reaching for that next promotion while trying to stay a step ahead in corporate America. The need for clarity, focus and balance is critical as well for aspiring entrepreneurs as they balance costs against revenues in a precarious start up endeavour.

Bryon Dyson former CEO of Coca-Cola says:  “We juggle 5 different balls: a health ball, a family ball, a friends ball, a work ball and a spirituality ball.  Four of the five are made out of crystal.  If we drop them, they’re going to shatter.  Only one ball is made out of rubber and bounces back; the work ball.”

I am not saying you should not give your best at your work, of course you should!  You don’t get to be a CEO without that priority.  What I am asking of each of you is simply to take stock. How do your priorities line up? Are you walking your talk when it comes to the amount of time you are allotting to each? Take the time to do the things that rebalance your life and get back on track.

It is all about doing First Things First.

Here’s to YOU!

Colleen



People are very open-minded about new things – as long as they’re exactly like the old ones.
Charles Kettering

Are you interested in making greater profits? What would greater profits allow you to do both professionally as well as personally?

Would greater profits give you greater freedom?  How about the opportunity to further expand your business or do more for your family?  Would it give you more resources to give back through philanthropy?

It is often said that money is not the most important thing (and I agree) however money does touch EVERYTHING in our lives.

Skippy and Jif.  What do they have to do with making greater profits?   Well, this is what dawned on me the other day and how it all came about.  I was making our grocery list and added peanut butter to the list.  Mark ended up doing the grocery shopping and came home with Jif.  Now I have nothing against Jif (and I do remember the commercial from childhood that stated “choosy mothers choose Jif) but you see I grew up in a household that only ate Skippy (creamy not chunky) and Mark grew up in a household that only ate Jif.  At first I was on “autopilot” and it went against my grain a bit to have this “alien” peanut butter in our pantry.  Then I realized that just because I’ve ALWAYS eaten Skippy doesn’t mean I can’t try Jif and who knows maybe I’ll like Jif as much or even better.  (Besides eating primarily vegan these days I don’t really eat peanut butter.)  None the less, old habits die hard.

Being open minded and going a step further being innovative are fundamental and critically important strategies that can launch your business to greater success and greater profits.

Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. ~ Albert Einstein Quote

Here are some questions I ask myself and I would encourage you to ask yourself as well.

1. Where in my business (and in my life too) have I’ve just gotten comfortable and am doing things a certain way because I’ve always done them that way.  (for example, Skippy vs. Jif or doing my marketing a certain way.)

1. If I want to have greater profits what can I do differently?  For example, is there an investment or two to make in order to grow my business?  What are some new systems I could implement that would help me work smarter not harder so I can spend my time on the most important things?  What additions or changes do I want to make to my team so that I have a great support network and they are able to perform at their best?  What (new) products or services could I create, upgrade or communicate/market more effectively to provide greater value to my customers?  What is something truly unique to me, my brand, my business that I could catapult in a new and creative way?

So, the next time you catch yourself saying or thinking “I’ve always done it this way” ask yourself if it is an opportunity to have an open mind and a great opportunity to innovate?

Here is a link to the greatest 26 innovations in the past 20 years.  Enjoy!  http://howtosplitanatom.com/news/26-key-innovations-of-the-last-20-years/

Here is to your success and greater profits!

Colleen

Colleen Recommends:

Jumpstart Profit Motivator Strategy Package: Includes…

• One Page Pre-Assessment
• 1 and ½ hour in person or telephone coaching session.   You will leave with an inspired and do-able action plan to help you save time and make greater profits.
• Unlimited email support for 30 days.
• A follow up 30 minute laser coaching session (in person or telephone) 30 days post to continue the momentum.

Contact Colleen at colleen@piecestoprofit.com

“Some favorite expressions of small children: “It’s not my fault. . .They made me do it. . . I forgot.”

Some favorite expressions of adults: “It’s not my job. . . No one told me. . .

It couldn’t be helped.”

True freedom begins and ends with personal accountability.”

- Dan Zadra

I am compelled to write this blog about accountability because it is a topic and in some cases a huge frustration that has been coming up with some of my clients, colleagues and friends.

“A personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving key results.”  ~Partners In Leadership

As my clients work with me they are becoming more and more dialed in to their personal accountability to “do what they say they will do”, “to stretch and perhaps be uncomfortable” at times for the sake of  making significant progress and changes towards their desired results.   They know that making excuses or finger pointing is just a stalling or derailing technique.  They also know they are human and make mistakes (I know I sure do!) and are learning to catch themselves more and more quickly when they fall into the blame game.

My clients no longer have the “what ifs” or “someday” thinking because they are taking the actions now and are accountable to themselves.  In the process of my clients becoming more accountable they recognize more than ever when others around them are not being accountable.

As I listen to some of my colleagues and friends who work very hard they too are becoming exceedingly frustrated when others are not exhibiting accountability.  They hear excuses such as “it’s not my problem”, “just tell me what to do”, “I was confused”, “I didn’t know”, or “it was someone else’s fault” etc.  I am referring to situations that the individuals were trained and have proven they can do the job, they just are not.   The bottom line in these situations is that others do know how to do something; they just chose not to do it and to make excuses.  It is not a training opportunity but rather an accountability opportunity.

What are some signs or symptoms that you may have an accountability opportunity or problem?  You may find yourself doing aspects of their jobs for them or complaining to your spouse or peers or wanting to pull your hair out.  This results in stress (which may include literally making yourself sick), lost productivity, less than stellar results, lost time and potentially the death of your dreams.

So, what can be done?  How do we continue to be accountable to ourselves and others and how do we lead, help, support, encourage, and give feedback to others so they raise their level of accountability?

Suggestions:

1. Personally model accountability and set an example.
2. Ensure that all who work for you and with you clearly understand the expectations and goals.   Discuss the ramifications of not meeting behavioral expectations and/or goals.
3. Check in to see if their beliefs about the expectations and goals are aligned with yours and your business.  If they are not, let them vent a bit and then create new experiences to help them understand the why behind the expectations and goals.  (Experiences create beliefs, beliefs lead to behaviors, and behaviors lead to results.  Only aligned beliefs will lead to desired behaviors and desired results.)  I could devote an entire article or session on this topic alone.
4. Take action as outlined if behavioral expectations and goals are not met.
5. Provide ongoing coaching and specific feedback as accountability behaviors are growing.
6. Catch people doing things right and Celebrate!

Question:

In what ways would your business and your personal life improve if accountability was embraced and acted upon with integrity and purpose?

“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” ~Moliere

Colleen Phillips

Determination and tenacity play a big part in both our lives and businesses.   

Here is an example relating to life.  Every Saturday morning at 9:00am I spend an hour watching and cheering for my son at his weekly basketball game.   I look forward to seeing him run, jump, shoot, pass, play well with his team and get some beautiful and healthy color in his cheeks. 

Each week the basketball league coaches have a sportsmanship quality or behavior that is the focus of the week and at the end of each game the coaches award two players with a medal of achievement/recognition.  Some of this season’s qualities and behaviors have been respect, communication and teamwork.   These qualities are critically important in professional and personal success.   This past Saturday the focused quality was determination.  I was so proud of my son Ryan when he was asked what determination meant he stated, “determination is when you keep trying until your reach your goal.”   I love that the basketball coaches are instilling this in our children at a young age.  Although this is a quality and behavior we’ve discussed with Ryan at home it is great to hear it come from another source.  If at a young age a person can learn to be determined and tenacious they will have greater strength to handle adversity and challenges as they are presented throughout their entire lives. 

Here is a question for you to consider.  Where in your life are you being determined and tenacious?  Where do you know you are falling short and want to raise the bar?  Commit to one thing you can do today and going forward that will make a very positive difference.

On the business side, we all know businesses large and small will face endless changes that require determination/tenacity in order to preserve core values and purpose while adapting to a changing world.  As we work within business, either as a business owner or as an employee we are and will be called upon to be adaptable to change and be tenacious and determined to succeed while striving to be at our personal and professional best.

We are all familiar with Walt Disney and this is a great example of determination and tenacity in the business world.  Following is an excerpt from Jim Collins book “Good to Great”.  

 In 1923, an energetic twenty-one-year old animator moved from Kansas City to Los Angeles and tried to get a job in the movie business.  No film company would hire him, so he used his meager savings to rent a camera, set up a studio in his uncle’s garage, and begin making animated cartoons.  In 1934, Mr. Disney took the bold step, never before taken, to create successful full-length animated feature films, including Snow White, Pinocchio, fantasia, and Bambi.  In the 1950’s, Disney moved into television with the Mickey Mouse club.  Also in the 1950’s, Walt Disney paid a fateful visit to a number of amusement parks and came away disgusted, calling them “dirty, phony places, run by tough-looking people.  He decided that Disney could build something much better, perhaps even the best in the world, and the company launched a whole new business in theme parks, first with Disneyland and later with Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center.  Overtime, Disney theme parks have become a cornerstone experience for many families from all over the world. 

So, what can we learn Disney?  We know he could have quit when no film company would hire him.  He could have easily given up on his dream to be an animator in the movie business. He could have pursued a more conventional career.  Instead he had the determination and tenacity to use his savings and set up a studio in his uncle’s garage.  We know that when he visited the amusement parks and was disgusted he could have done absolutely nothing about it.  He had a vision and dream and knew he could create the best in the world amusement parks which he did.   

We are all faced with challenges such as corporate downsizing, a challenging economy, competition etc.  These are all true and real conditions, but they are outside of our control. It would be easy to say “I can’t because” citing any one of these. However, there is so much more that we can work with and can control.  How we handle that which is within our control and sphere of influence determines our degree of success. 

What are your business visions and dreams?  No kidding, what are they?  Write them down.  What will it require to bring your visions and dreams to life?   What will you need to start, stop or continue? 

We all have it in us to dig deep and be determined and tenacious.  Sure it will take work but in the end you can make your visions and dreams a reality.  So, let’s all get to work, make a plan and work the plan. 

Here’s to you and to your success!

Your Coach,

Colleen