Written by:  Roy H. Williams - Founder of Wizard Academy Why Your Beliefs Are Correct

You look at life from a unique point of view. I do, too. Each of us is trapped in our own perceptual reality. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You and I may look at the same thing but see it differently. And that little girl over there, yes, that one, sees things differently than either of us. The woman standing next to that little girl has experienced things you and I will never experience, and her reactions to those things have changed her and formed the person she is today. She is trapped inside her own perceptual reality, just like you and me. “Is there a way out of it?” Out of what? “Out of the perceptual reality in which each of us is trapped.” When you modify your perception, you modify your reality. “Explain.” When you listen carefully to an honest person who doesn’t agree with your beliefs, you understand that they experience things differently than you do. And that is when your perceptual reality is modified, and your mind is expanded. “What you are describing is relativism. I believe the facts are the facts, and the truth is the truth, regardless of what you choose to believe.” But would you agree that things are often different than they appear to be? “I’m not sure what you’re saying.” Sometimes we trust facts that are not facts. And even when our facts are correct, the complete truth is usually far more complex than it appears to be on the surface. “I reject that statement. Facts are facts, and the truth is never complex; it is always plain and simple. An honest person who doesn’t see the truth has simply been misinformed.” I respectfully disagree. “Then you have been misinformed.” It was six men of Indostan, to learning much inclined, who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind), that each by observation, might satisfy his mind. The first approached the elephant, and, happening to fall, against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl: “God bless me! but the elephant, is nothing but a wall!” The second feeling of the tusk, cried: “Ho! what have we here, so round and smooth and sharp? To me tis mighty clear, this wonder of an elephant, is very like a spear!” The third approached the animal, and, happening to take, the squirming trunk within his hands, “I see,” quoth he, the elephant is very like a snake!” The fourth reached out his eager hand, and felt about the knee: “What most this wondrous beast is like, is mighty plain,” quoth he; “Tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree.” The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said; “E’en the blindest man can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an elephant, is very like a fan!” The sixth no sooner had begun, about the beast to grope, than, seizing on the swinging tail, that fell within his scope, “I see,” quothe he, “the elephant is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan, disputed loud and long, each in his own opinion, exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong! So, oft in theologic wars, the disputants, I ween, tread on in utter ignorance, of what each other mean, and prate about the elephant, not one of them has seen! “Okay, so what’s your point?” Each of the six blind men saw a different elephant, but every one of those six elephants was far more complex than it appeared to be on the surface. “But if the blind men had taken time to gather all the facts, they would have seen the truth of the entire elephant.” That’s true. “Well, that’s what I do. I gather all the facts, and then I see the truth.” You are to be congratulated on that. You are a very special individual. “Thank you.” The rest of us suffer from availability bias and confirmation bias. “What are those?” Availability bias is the result of not having all the facts available to you. When you come to a conclusion based on the facts that are available – and you are unaware that other facts exist – your conclusion will suffer from availability bias. Think of it as a kind of blindness. “Well, I’m certain I’m not suffering from availability bias. My sources of information are rock solid. Beyond dispute.” I’m sure they are. “What is the other one? Confirmation bias. “What’s that?” Confirmation bias is the result of agreeing with information that confirms your belief, and discounting information that conflicts with your belief. “I’m certain I’m not doing that. I use deductive reasoning.” Excellent! Then you know that deductive reasoning requires you to seek out information that might disprove your belief, as you try with all your might to prove that your belief is wrong. “Who does that?” Scientists do that. At least the real ones do. Deductive reasoning is the basis of scientific method. The job of a true scientist is to work as hard as they can to disprove what they believe. And when they cannot disprove it – and no one else can disprove it – only then will it be tentatively accepted as reliable. “But don’t normal people just use common sense?” Yes. Inductive reasoning is when you look at all the facts that confirm your suspicion and then pronounce your suspicion as the truth. “But wait. That would be confirmation bias, wouldn’t it?” You are correct. And like I said earlier, you are to be congratulated; you are a very special person. Roy H. Williams

As a new business owner, it's wise to work with someone who has been in your shoes and possesses the experience to help you navigate any uncertainty you might face. Launching and running a successful business requires time, energy and seasoned insight. However, many budding entrepreneurs tend to shy away from spending money on a consultant.

If you're unsure whether it's worth investing in a business consultant, there are some clear indicators that might suggest you could benefit from one. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared 10 signs you should hire a consultant for your business.

Young Entrepreneur Council members think these could be signs you need to bring on a business consultant.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS.

1. You Can’t Keep Up With Emerging Trends Or Tech

Emerging trends and new developments in technology can affect your industry faster than you can research and understand them. If you're trying to keep up with these new developments but you feel as though you're in over your head, it's a good idea to find a consultant who's knowledgeable in your industry and the latest developments related to it. This can prevent anxiety or FOMO from affecting your judgment when making business decisions, but it requires finding a trustworthy expert whom you can rely on for informed guidance. - Bryce Welker, Testing.org

2. You Need An Impartial Opinion

Sometimes you might have a difference of opinion with your team or partner on certain issues. At such times, it can be a wise decision to hire an expert who can offer you an impartial opinion on the matter. Being experts on strategies, business consultants can add perspectives that you and your team might have missed. They can help think things through, navigate internal politics and offer sensible solutions. - Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite

3. You're Lacking Inspiration And Perspective

Consultants have exponential exposure to situations that you just can't get in the private industry world. We say here that one year at our company is like 10 on the other side of the table. So go to a consultant for fresh ideas, for inspiration, for change management or expectations. Hire a consultant to reassure you that your team has it right in their processes, or to improve on efficiency and technology. A consultant can help substantiate a gut feeling and make sure that you have data to back up your decisions when needed. Even the best consulting firms have consultants themselves, so think about them as strategic partnerships. - Marjorie Adams, Fourlane

4. You're Unable To Meet Your Goals

When you are not able to achieve the goals with your internal team, then it is time to hire a consultant. For two years, our sales strategy was stagnant and our revenues were not growing. We were implementing strategies based on our internal team's suggestions, and these strategies were not paying off. We decided to rope in an expert sales consultant, who provided us with great insights. It was a little bit more expensive than hiring an internal team, but it was worth it. - Piyush Jain, Simpalm

5. Your Business Isn’t Growing And You Don’t Know Why

If you think you’re doing well overall but the financials don’t show that, something is wrong and you might not know the answer. A consultant will likely be able to take a more objective look, find the issue and help you solve the problem. - Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

6. You're Stalling On An Idea

We've needed a consultant when there was something that I was putting off for a long time and realized that it's because I didn't feel like we had the right expertise in-house to launch this new project/initiative. We frequently talk to clients who reached out to us because they have been "talking about doing content marketing" for a few years, but never actually put in the work because they knew it was going to take a lot of time, resources and expertise they didn't have. - Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.

7. You're Working Outside Your Expertise

Any business leader has their strengths and weaknesses. The best use of your time will always be to focus on your strengths. But as your business goes through its cycle and your needs change, the most impactful things to focus on may well be things that lie outside your own area of expertise. That’s a great time to think about bringing on a consultant. What can that person do better than you? What would they enjoy doing that you don’t? These questions can help you decide whether it’s time to hire outside help. - Cody Candee, Bounce

8. You Lack In-House Resources

It might be a good idea to hire a consultant for your company if you lack in-house resources. If you need human resources and marketing strategists but you don't have them within your company, it's wise to hire experts instead of relying on yourself or your team to figure it out. - Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

9. You Have Tunnel Vision

If you feel like you have tunnel vision from working on a problem for too long, then bringing in a consultant can be transformative for your business. Consultants are typically people who have expertise in an area. Many of them are experienced business leaders who've moved to the consulting business to share their experiences. Getting a fresh set of eyes to look over ongoing problems in your business can be just what you need. Ask yourself if there's a problem that simply isn't going away in your business. Maybe you have a high employee turnover rate or your customers just don't come back after their first interaction with you. A consultant can give you tailored advice and a fresh perspective you won't have from working too close to the problem for too long. - Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

10. You're Working On A Time-Sensitive Project 

You may want to consider hiring a consultant if you have a time-sensitive project in the pipeline. It's not easy to work on a brand new product design or marketing campaign if you're unsure where to start. A consultant can buy you some much-needed time and give you advice that can turn your first attempt into a success. I suggest looking for experts who have experience in your industry with plenty of references. You want to avoid "fake" gurus and only work with consultants with real-world experience. - John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC

As college graduation season has come to an end, there are a ton of recent grads entering the job market unsure of their future career path. With variety in day-to-day responsibilities and projects, attractive salaries, and continuous learning, a career in consulting can certainly be appealing. But, what does it take? First, consider what the definition of a consultant is. According to Merriam  Webster’s online dictionary a consultant is a person who gives professional advice or services to companies for a fee. Sounds like a fairly simple definition. However, taking this definition to look at job searches can make the simple definition a much more complicated task.

To start, there are multiple types of Consultancies, including, but not limited to, Management Consulting, IT Consulting, and Finance and Procurement Consulting. In addition to the numerous types of consulting, there is also the need to consider the size of the consulting firm to join. They range significantly from small niche firms of less than 50 people up to the Big 4 that employ thousands. Again, the choice here stems from what the applicant deems as the best fit for them. However, no matter what type of consulting area a person would like to enter or what firm they would want to work for, there are several key characteristics that every successful consultant should possess: Having self-confidence, be a good listener, be a team player, easily cultivate and gain client trust, exhibit humility, have good communication skills, and be able to showcase expert knowledge.

Have Self-Confidence When meeting with clients, be sure to not show or sound uncertain in the responses to their questions. Speak with authority. Specifically, when discussing client sensitive matters, present yourself as confidently as possible and avoid sounding unclear or unsure in your response.

Exhibit Humility Humility is not thinking you are better than other people. Do not be boastful or arrogant when working with stakeholders. Remember, the individuals you are working with may have been doing the job you are now tasked to remedy or improve. Always keep in mind the client is the star in this equation and your job as the consultant is to help the client shine.

Be a Good Listener Listening to what the client is stating their needs and problems are is the most helpful way to ensure you are going to be able to solve their problem as easily or quickly as possible. Do not assume you know everything about their challenges or business even after doing research or if you had tackled this same problem before. In addition to being a good listener, ask relevant, open-ended questions. This allows the client to realize you are listening to them and are understanding their current situation.

Be a Team Player Development of a collaborative relationship with peers and clients is imperative to being a great consultant. Working well with others not only strengthens your skills, but it also can allow for growth of your consultancy.

Have Good Communication Skills Communication skills are both oral and written. The ability to be a good speaker is just as important as having the ability to write clear, concise emails and presentations. Since consultants are often viewed as Subject Matter Experts, the ability to deliver a message either written or aloud is critical to being a successful consultant.

Be Able to Showcase Expert Knowledge  Again the idea of a Subject Matter Expert (SME) arises. Your client has hired you (or your firm) because they expect you to have more expertise than their company’s internal teams or because they do not have the bandwidth of resources or time to solve the problems at hand. In all interactions with your client ensure to exhibit the knowledge you have for this particular area of expertise. Continuous education is also imperative to remain competitive and at the top of the game. You should always be reading articles, blogs, whitepapers, etc. and networking with other industry professionals to learn and maintain the knowledge that is expected from the client. Additionally, consultants should be able to take a solution from theory to realization and show their clients how to complete and maintain that solution in their environment.

Easily Cultivate and Gain Client Trust  All these skills ultimately lead to this final characteristic of gaining your clients trust. Your engagement will not be successful if the client does not feel a sense of trust from you as the consultant. The ability to calm the concerns and show value for the money being paid by the client is imperative to the success of the engagement and the ability to earn future business from this client or by their recommendation to their network. If consulting is an area that you are interested in, keep in mind, no matter the discipline, it is a people driven business and having and developing key characteristics you can have a long, rewarding, successful career.

About the Author:  Tracey Horrocks is a Project Manager at Source One Management Services, LLC with years of experience in procurement and strategic sourcing in an array of categories including Professional Services, Marketing, and Facilities Maintenance. In her role, Tracey serves as a pundit for developing RFPs and executing strategic sourcing strategies. Her detailed approach to supplier identification and vendor management helps clients achieve sustainable costs savings and operating efficiency.

Customer Service

Written by Seth Godin

A b2b insurance agency spent two million dollars ripping out voice mail from their agency. Every call gets answered by a human every time. It paid for itself in four months. That’s a strategic investment, not a cost-cutting shortcut.

Comcast and the other cable companies led the way in treating customer service as nothing but an expense, one that they work overtime to decrease. And so now, it’s not unusual to spend an hour or two trying to get help from Adobe or Apple. Fedex now takes more than two minutes (up from 2 seconds) to connect a valuable customer to a human operator. Apple, the most valuable company in the world, has shifted its customer support promise to one of denial, delay and disrespect. Was that an intentional strategic act?

The thing about strategies is that you and your team can work to maximize them. If answering on two rings is good, then answering on one ring is better. If 10 helpful salespeople are profitable, then 20 very helpful salespeople are better.

The truth about strategy in a competitive environment: If you are doing what everyone else is doing, if you are inside the band of common, then it’s not an approach that will move you forward. The only way to use customer service as a growth strategy is to be outside the accepted norms.

What are you trying to achieve for yourself, your company, your brand, product or service?  Begin by developing a better understanding these 5 factors.

1. Presence: Measure of the brand’s social footprint

2. Influence: Branded message adoption

3. Perception: Emotional reaction to the brand

4. Virality: People organically participating in conversations

5. Resonance: Reaction to the overall conversation about the brand

Start by customizing your message and tailoring it to each distinct customer category.

1. What is the story telling my target customer?

2. Why does my target customer care about this story?

3. What sort of emotions does my story evoke?

4. How does my story connect to the emotional needs of my target customer?

5. How will that story incite action on behalf of my brand, product, and service?

Create a social media/digital marketing content outline.  Develop your content delivery calendar.  Be consistent.  Measure and evaluate market response and feedback.  

Continue to make necessary adjustments to align your content with your target audience feedback.

Tell your story.  Tell your customers stories.  Point out the problem and discuss how valued solutions can be delivered.

MABC MEETING | WE NEED TO TALK:

HOW TO PREPARE FOR DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

Presented by Nancy Depcik, Founder of Unshakable Success 

• When

  March 14, 2024

•  

  8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

• Location

  Zoom meeting

• Registered

  6 registrants

Registration

• Guest
• Member

March Program Presentation: 

We Need to Talk: How to Prepare for Difficult Conversations

with Nancy Depcik, Founder of Unshakable Success 

Have you faced conversations that are challenging, complicated or downright unpleasant?

Whether it’s with your manager, coworker, or spouse, there are specific techniques you can start using today that will help you manage conversations that are uncomfortable and relieve stress.

At the end of our time together, you will…

• Understand the different styles of communication and which one is most effective
• Learn a five-step formula to stay focused and keep your conversation on track
• Practice using a specific template to help deliver your message clearly

About the presenter:

 Nancy Depcik of Unshakable Success™ brings over twenty years of speaking experience with a focus on leadership, resiliency and tenacity. She has empowered organizations to lead more effectively, foster positivity and communicate more clearly.

As a Professional Keynote Speaker and Communication Skills Coach, Nancy has delivered presentations to Fortune 500 companies and at numerous conferences and conventions. She has been featured in several magazines, including Brava Magazine and the Huffington Post. Nancy is currently an adjunct professor at Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin teaching Effective Communication and Public Speaking Skills. Her unique blend of humor, enthusiasm and connection with the audience landed her in the top 1% of speakers in an International Speech Contest in Washington DC where over 30,000 speakers competed. In her TEDx speech, she shares the one word that can literally change your life.

Hope to see you there!

March 14, 2024      8:00am - 10:00am CST

_____________________________________

Agenda

_____________________________________

8:00-8:30 a.m. CST  - Open Zoom Networking

8:30-9:00 a.m. CST - Meeting opening remarks

9:00-9:45 a.m. CST - Program

9:45-10:00 a.m. CST - Questions & Answers

____________________________________________________________

Program Logistics

____________________________________________________________

Who. For all B2B consultants craving collegiality, collaboration, and real conversation. Guests welcome!

What. Monthly program providing networking, relevant education, and personal and professional growth opportunities. 

When. Thursday, March 14 • 8:00 AM–10:00 AM CST

Where. Zoom Meeting ID will be in your registration confirmation email

Cost. Free for Members & Guests

RSVP. Register Today!

Small Business Video Tips

In today's competitive digital landscape, more and more professionals are including video in their marketing strategy.  

1.      Get right to the point.  What is the purpose of your video?
2.     Viewership declines 10% for every ten seconds:  One minute = 50% loss of viewership
3.     Determine the objective of the video
Why are people watching this?
What skill am I giving people access to that they didn’t have before?
4.      What is the How To skills breakdown objective?
5.     Make a public service announcement.
6.     Teach a single skill with crystal clarity.
7.     Break up your objective into 3-5 points. Most important details or facts about the subject your viewers need to know.
8.     Use related graphics to show what you mean visually.
9.    Relax.  Have fun with the process.

If what you want to communicate takes longer than 1-3 minutes, create a series and post your videos over the course of several days.  Encourage comments and work to create a dialogue with your audience whenever possible.

Five Keys to Make Sales Training Stick

Written by Jeff Seeley, CEO Carew International

Realizing and sustaining the benefits of sales training depend largely upon the perspective at the client organization. Many sales leaders see skills improvement as one big, momentous event – almost akin to a mass baptismal. They think that, if they take the whole sales team down to the local sales training event, they’ll all be reinvented (“saved,” if you will) from bad habits and talent deficiencies, and they’ll instantly emerge as a vastly improved organization prepared to slay the competition and gain the competitive advantage. 

If only it was that easy!

In reality, changing selling skills for the better is a process, not an event. It takes a sustained effort – as well as commitment and engagement – from both the organization’s leadership and from every member of the sales team. I say this as a sales training leader who has worked with hundreds of business organizations to help sales teams learn, develop, and implement new selling skills.

I know sales professionals are often frustrated after their organization’s sales training event, and feel as though they have been dipped in the new sales philosophy and left on their own to make something of it. But there are things everyone can do to facilitate success. Here are five tips I recommend:

1. Sales leaders and professionals must all create an environment of accountability, with leaders setting clear agreement on implementation and salespeople being made accountable to frontline managers and each other with improvements, coaching examples, and metrics.
2. To master new selling skills, salespeople need one thing: practice! Mastery will never occur without practice – regardless of the ease or difficulty of the subject. In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell contends that it takes roughly 10,000 hours to become skilled enough to be considered an expert in any area. Salespeople should take every opportunity to use their new skills right away.
3. Everyone must “lead” the transformation. With the ratio of sales professionals to managers skyrocketing, peer development has become increasingly important. Sales professionals should not only use their new selling skills daily, but also model that behavior and coach colleagues at every opportunity. This helps the entire sales team visualize effective sales behaviors and the exceptional customer experience they are capable of providing.
4. Use selling skills as part of the sales process. New selling skills are knowledge; sales process is habit. Think of it this way: someone with heart disease learns about healthy eating. That’s knowledge. However, if the person doesn’t follow up with proper habits (eating the right foods, exercising, etc.), he or she won’t see results. Selling skills will have little to no impact if they’re not incorporated into your sales process and then used habitually. (That includes everyone in the sales organization, including field sales, inside sales, sales operations, and managers.)
5. Sales leaders should build recognition and rewards into the new sales training initiative. Ask key senior sales professionals to look for opportunities to publicly recognize salespeople for using their new skills – and highlight their successful results. In addition, peer recognition can be a powerful motivator. Sales managers should encourage salespeople to share their successes; this can be easily done in regular sales meetings or conference calls, or in an email to the entire sales team. These acts will spread awareness of how the program is gaining traction and having positive effects throughout the organization.

Breaking old habits may be the most difficult part of a sales-training transformation. It takes patience, practice, reinforcement, and recognition to reprogram our thinking and change our behavior.

Learning new selling skills represents a courageous, personal transformation, and everyone can take pride in that self-improvement. Remember, the ultimate payoff will show up in higher commissions, improved customer satisfaction, and a competitive advantage for the company.

By Amanda Kevin, Founder of ExpeditionHR

As business owners and leaders, we typically find ourselves caught up in the day-to-day execution and “doing” of our work, and forget the reason why we’re here. The reason why we chose to create our own business in the first place, and why we continue to press forward.

 

I’m here today to encourage you to hop off the hamster wheel, and turn inward. Reflect on the beliefs you hold true, and the difficult decisions that you had to make to get where you are. When we take time to do this, and solidify our core values, we bring purpose back into our every day work, our decision making and the vision for our business.

 

Decision-Making Framework

When faced with a decision, challenge or opportunity, your core values can serve as a decision-making framework, providing a basis for choice and action. For this example we’ll say that your core values are authenticity, integrity and kindness.

 

For example sake, let’s say that you were approached with an opportunity to partner with another business on a long-term project. This type of endeavor is somewhat out of your wheelhouse, but you’re intrigued by the idea and opportunity it could create for you and your business. Ask yourself…

• Will this partnership uphold you and your business in an authentic way?
• Can you complete the project with integrity?
• Will the partnership be managed in a pleasant, kind way?

 

Are you able to confidently say yes to these questions? If the answer is undoubtedly yes - then this partnership is likely a good move. Should you find yourself answering no to any of these questions, or your gut is tapping you on the shoulder to say something is off here, it should be a signal for you, a red flag, that something isn’t quite right. Maybe it’s not a good option for you at this time, or you just need to gather additional context to make a better, more informed decision.

 

Your Why

Every solopreneur started their business for a reason. You, yes you, are here for a reason. Maybe it was to support your family in a different way, escape your big corporate job or to pursue a passion. Regardless of what triggered the action, it all started with your why.

To identify your why, ask yourself:

• What prompted me to start this business?
• Why is the work that I’m doing important? Why does it matter?
• Who is the community that I serve and why did I choose them? Why should they want me?

Maybe your why has since changed from when you first started - that’s okay! Your why, will help communicate the personality and character of your business, in turn, creating a unique brand identity and core values that are completely yours.

 

Future Alignment

You may forever operate as a solopreneur, or you may eventually expand out and hire an employee(s) to help support operations. Having established core values can help attract individuals who share similar values and beliefs as you. It’s really important early on to find employees that are like-minded, bought into your vision and can contribute to creating that cohesive work environment.

 

PS - this too can be true for finding your ideal clients!

 

The Exercise

Utilize some of the concepts in this blog to get your core value gears turning! I’ll even help get you started with a few tips and tricks.

 

●      The first step is easy. Take a minute (or two) to pause. Once you’ve found some clarity, lean inward…

●      Reflect.

○      Discover your why
○      Reflect on past personal experiences - those times when you felt truly fulfilled and happy
○      Explore your beliefs - right vs wrong, fairness and justice
○      Imagine your ideal future - what impact do you want on the world?
○      Seek feedback - Ask friends, family and colleagues about the values they see in you.

●      Implement them into your everyday business and decision making framework.

●      Revisit and refine.

 

If you are a visual, hands-on learner, try creating a vision board. Start with a blank sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper and fill it with clippings and photos of all the things you envision for your business. It can help bring your vision to life!

 

Core values truly are multifaceted. We know the benefits of cultivating them, and as you begin to have more awareness of them in your everyday life, I am certain that new uses will be discovered.

-----

Amanda Kevin is the Founder of ExpeditionHR. Leveraging her 10+ years of experience building HR functions for several high growth startups, her passion is in creating a fulfilling and meaningful employee experience. Through alleviating compliance stressors, creating policy that upholds workplace culture, and creating a work environment that professionals will be drawn to, ExpeditionHR will guide small business owners towards fulfilling their wildest dreams.

Setting Goals For The New Year
Where do you start?         With yourself!

Things Leaders Do

1.      Take Personal Responsibility

Build teams and place others first.  It’s not about you.

2. Simplify Constantly
Clearly explain the top three things you’re working on.

3.      Understand Breadth, Depth and Context
How do you fit and respond?

4.     The importance of alignment and time management
Set priorities, measure outcomes and communicate to others.

5.     Leaders learn constantly and also have time to teach
Teach others of your value and ability.  Share what you’ve learned.

6.     Stay true to your own style

Become self-aware.  Every morning ask, what three things could I have done better yesterday?#@#_WA_-_CURSOR_-_POINT_#@#7.

 7. Manage by setting boundaries with freedom in the middle
Commitment, passion, trust and teamwork are boundaries.  Protect them.

8.     Stay disciplined and detailed
Personally intervene on things that are important to you, your customers, your team and your company.

9.     Leave a few things unsaid
Sometimes being an active listener is more effective than a personal position.
What’s best for the team?

10. Like people.
You have chosen to be here.  Understand others, be fair and put your best effort forward.

 “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn about them or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable.  Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” 

Denis Waitley

Whatever It Takes!

• You alone are responsible for the quality of your work and the quality of your life.
• Give yourself the freedom to grow and expand.  Say YES to your own potential.
• Dream big and use the power of your imagination.
• Without action, your dream, your goal or plan has little meaning in the world.

Writing Your Goals

Clearly describe the results (goals) of what you want that you can control and write them down.

Define why these results are important to you.  Be certain of your desire to achieve these goals and focus on the solution rather than the problem.

List the likely obstacles that you will have to overcome to achieve the results and identify where you can get help.  Reach out for help today!

List the realistic capabilities, strategies and knowledge you will need to achieve these results.

Write a specific, measurable action plan, defining each step to achieve the results.  Express your goals in terms of specific events and actions.

Create accountability by specifying a timeline to achieve your goals.

Progress = Milestones

How you spend your time everyday matters.

Persevere

Stay positive

Pay attention to details and prepare your action plan.

Build your own network of advocates, your personal promoter network.

 “Like all of us, you are spending the minutes, hours, and days of your life in the pursuit of something and your are buying it with your very life.  Have you inspected the package?  Are you chasing what you really want?” 

“Pursue your goals with ferocity and singularity of purpose.  When you choose a goal to pursue, do you ask, “Is this a mountain I’m willing to die on?”   - Roy H. Williams

Take Action Today!
Write down your goals, put the steps necessary to reach your goal in your planner and set a date by which you will have made progress towards achieving those goals.

Why I Have No Goals
“Goal,” in my experience, is a favorite word of people who talk and dream and dream and talk. And then they get together to “network” with other talkers. There’s always a lot of noise in these meetings but it’s unlikely than anything of consequence is going to happen. People who chatter about goals are rarely willing to die on that mountain.

I have no goals. But I do have plans.

A plan puts you in motion toward a destination. The destination you choose is irrelevant.
It is (1.) motion, (2.) determination and (3.) commitment that separate destination-reaching explorers from goal-setting chipmunks.

 “Am I willing to die on this mountain?”

“Intent.” That’s the word. Plans have intent. Goals do not.

A goal without a plan is wishful thinking.
A plan without action is self-delusion.

1. What are you trying to make happen?
2. How will you measure success? 

3. What’s the first thing you need to do to get started?

How to Use Goals to Create a High-Performance Sales Culture

Goals must meet four criteria:

1) The goal must be simple enough to be clearly understood.
Overly complicated or ambiguous goals are doomed from the get-go. If your team members can’t understand what the goal is, they’ll never latch on to it.

Don’t confuse simplicity with easily accomplished. . Sir Edmund Hillary’s goal was to be the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest – simple and clear, but certainly not easy to accomplish.

2) The goal must be (just) achievable.
If goals are too easy, they’re not very useful. On the other hand, if goals are seen as impossible, your team will only end up discouraged and frustrated. Remember that goals are not one-size-fits-all. What is achievable for one person or team may be out of reach for another.  While reaching the summit of Everest is certainly achievable with the right preparation, determination, skill, and support (658 people summited last year), it is not an achievable goal for the vast majority of the population.

3) The goal must be meaningful.
People look to leaders for a vision and to help them become part of something bigger than they could achieve alone. If you cannot tie your goal to anything meaningful, you won’t inspire the necessary enthusiasm among your team to struggle to achieve it.  To have a fair chance at conquering Everest, where 1 in 10 people loses his or her life, the endeavor must make profound sense to you and your family physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

4) The goal must be worth fighting for.
Goals require work and discipline. When the chips are down and the road ahead still looks long, people must be able to revisit their intention to achieve the goal and say, “This will be worth it. I will do what it takes to prevail.”

Some organizations have not gotten the memo about goals, and they wonder why their teams are underperforming. More often than not, we find in these types of organizations that leaders are setting goals that are unclear, meaningless, impossible to achieve, too easy to achieve, or not seen as worth the effort in the eyes of their people.

The next time you set a goal for your team, make sure it’s simple, achievable, meaningful, and worth fighting for. When you are crystal clear about where your organization is headed and how you’re going to get there, you can see amazing results from the top of the world.