All of us have settled for less than we have wanted in some aspects of our lives. And running your own business day in and day out is often no different.
So ask yourself this question — what aspect(s) in your business are you “settling” for less than you really want?
Could it be…
- your sales
- your net profit
- your staff’s ability level
- having fun at work
- greater customer satisfaction
- high turnover rate
- too much drama
- the amount of time you are spending at work
NOTE: We can help your business in any of these areas!
Two common business challenges
For sake of brevity I will use only one aspect of business and one aspect of an area of your personal life for examples. Often business owners or managers complain about the staff’s lack of skills. And typically this is why they say that they can’t delegate more responsibility or they can’t implement something new because of the capabilities of the existing staff.
Example 1: Your Staff’s Ability Level
1. My recommendation is to begin implementing a program that will help your staff improve their job skills. This can include formal training, mentoring, reading of books or other forms of education. I have found mentoring and training to be most effective.
2. Schedule the activities needed and begin taking action.
A. Identify what type of training that would help develop better job skills. Begin the process of developing a plan for the type of training needed and how it will be applied (online, on site, off site).
B. Identify people capable of being mentors who are willing to help develop others. Define what skills you want them to teach and model. Also devise what is in it for them – how can you reward them for the extra effort.
C. Schedule the training and mentoring sessions.
3. Monitor the results – schedule a day 3 months from the start of the program to assess the progress. Identify what is working and keep doing it – identify what isn’t working so well and stop doing it (try something different)
4. Celebrate your success. Reward yourself!
Example 2: More Free Time
One area I hear mentioned often is that people want more free time (either for their family or time for themselves).
1. Write down what you want the free time for and be specific.
2. Decide where you can carve time from your existing schedule (it might be to ask for help, cut back on or elimiate something you are doing – you have to swap something your are doing for something you want to do)
3. Schedule the activities and take action. Start small and schedule 30 minutes a day for 3 days in the next week. Most people try to start with a bang and get discouraged. By starting small you are more apt to be successful and you can build on that.
When I first started an exercise routine years ago I started with 1/2 mile per day and eventually worked my way to 4 miles a day at least 5 days a week. If I had tried to start with 4 miles a day at least 5 days a week I probably wouldn’t have continued.
4. Monitor the results and adjust as needed. Ask a friend or family member to help support you in this endeavor and to hold you accountable to your schedule. I find that we let ourselves down easier, but if we have to tell someone about our shortcomings it motivates us to keep the commitment.
5. Celebrate!
SO….pick an area and get started!
Ready for some help to grow your business?
If you don’t NOW might be a good time for a visit with a few focused questions.
And if you would like help prior to making a presentation you can call or click the button below to contact me. Also, I am a member of the National Speakers Association and available for speaking engagements!