Six Steps to Lead Your Business (And Yourself) Through an Unexpected Setback
Small business owners are vulnerable to major disruptions when life throws a curve-ball. We make ambitious plans with "permanent" deadlines, knowing that one unexpected event can derail everything and we will need to pivot.
Boxed In? 4 Ways to Transform Your Corner into a Doorway
One of my favorite books when I was growing up was “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” With the stroke of a purple crayon, Harold designs the life he imagines. When he wants to go for a walk, he draws a moonlit path. When he’s hungry, he draws himself a lunch. When he becomes scared of his own illustrated dragon, he creates an ocean and a sailboat to escape just in time.Harold uses his creative thinking to escape from life’s corners that constrain him.People with big vision often find themselves painted into a corner. We set upon our path, often underestimating or unaware of the obstacles that may get in our way of progress. Or, we over-commit, and find ourselves completely overwhelmed with what we have promised to others. Wouldn’t it be great if we could draw ourselves an ocean and a sailboat, and simply sail away to a far-away land?We can’t do that, but when our backs are up against the wall, we can create additional paths to lead us out of our corners. We can transform our corners into a doorway.
The Three Things Companies Need to Thrive
I've had a slew of podcast interviews over the last few weeks, and virtually all of the hosts have asked me what I think is the necessary ingredient for continued business growth. I speak from a place of making mistakes, and from getting things right over the last 20 years.The three things I believe companies need to survive are a market niche, relevancy, and a mindset of greatness. I've named them in order of difficulty.
It's Not Personal; It's Our Values
Values dictate every major decision and action in an organization - from the clients that a company engages, to the people that a company hires, to seemingly simple behaviors such as leaving a door open or closed. Values determine our behavior when others are not around to watch us. They are the core of integrity - which manifests when values are integrated with our actions. Personally and professionally, they frame the most important aspects of who we are, and what matters to us.
A Higher-Level Leadership Framework & Inspiring Through Adversity
As one who sees leadership and spirituality as two sides of the same coin, I often refer to Deepak's 7-Step Framework for LEADERS. Deepak describes a leader as "the symbolic soul of a group of consciousness." He says that group consciousness could be a family, an organization, a community, a country or the whole world. He explains that the leader represents the longings, the aspirations, the deepest desires of the group, so in a sense, "the soul." This is exactly why the CEO owns the culture of an organization, which is the organizational DNA.
Leading From A Mindset of Abundance; Embracing Healthy Competition
There's no disputing the fact that business is cut-throat. One day your most important strategic partner is bringing you into a great business opportunity. The next day, they are submitting a proposal to win business from your client. To sustain the ups and downs of career development and business growth, you require a thick skin. So how do we stay tough and protect our interests, while maintaining a mindset of abundance and compassion?
Personal Development IS The Goal
Personal development is not a tool for reaching a bigger goal. Instead, becoming a “complete human being is already the biggest and most noble goal you can aspire to.” Most of us are on a quest of continuous self-improvement, with the goal of attaining greater success. “If I attend this school, if I obtain this certification, if I achieve this milestone, then I will be able to attain another level of achievement.” The personal development is often tied to a desired outcome that moves us from one level to another.
Starting 2014 Right With A Strong Marketing Strategy (That Won't Break The Bank)
I came across a compilation of 19 shoestring-budget strategies that will help you connect with your target audience without going broke - exactly what a small business needs to expand their presence and stay financially healthy.Here are my suggestions to move these ideas to implementation.1: Pick three out of the list and focus on them. If you try to tackle the entire list, you will do a mediocre or poor job for all of them. Then, once those are done, move to the next three. The greatest ideas fail at implementation because we bite off more than we chew.2: Determine what you can outsource, and what you need to manage yourself. For example, if you decide to join a Chamber, you personally need to cultivate those relationships, so ensure you have enough time to be present in the organization. If you decide to write a blog, you need to build your editorial calendar and write your blogs, but can outsource the mechanics of posting and sharing.As a small business owner, deciding how and where you will dedicate your very limited time is essential to your success.3: Finally, if an idea isn't working for you, pivot quickly. Drop the tactic and move on. It's all about figuring out what works best for you at this point in time.Here is the link to the complete presentation.Here are the tips:
Why Am I Here? Finding Your Path to Authentic Leadership
How do we define our deepest desire? And if we don't know it, how can we get to where we are supposed to be? How do we reach our destiny? It's so easy to lose sight of the "why" behind our daily deeds. When we lose connection to the "why," weariness and hopelessness creeps in. We often work in a reactive mode, answering phone calls, emails, and the needs of others. We envelop ourselves in deadlines. Every day that we go to work, we are slaves to checklists. What is our larger purpose behind it all?
Setting Yourself Up for 2014 Success
What can you do between now and January 1st to ensure your 2014 is your best year yet?One of my most impactful success strategies is having accountability partners. I have two accountability partners. One keeps me on track with all aspects of my life... My entire to-do list for Information Experts, Successful Culture, my writing, my media strategy, my family, my friendships, and my health & wellness. My whole life is organized according to the spreadsheet I deliver to her in preparation for our weekly Thursday morning calls.My second accountability partner keeps me on track with my Successful Culture growth strategy. We learn together, build our business plans together, share best practices, put deadlines in place for growth milestones; and we are even planning a series of co-branded live events in 2014. We have all-day monthly planning meetings, as well as twice-monthly phone check-ins.
Three Types of Focus and Three Exercises to Strengthen Your Focused Mind
It's no secret that the ability to pay attention is essential to our success. If our attention skills are strong, we can perform well on required tasks. If they are stunted, we perform poorly. Daniel Goleman is one of my favorite authors. His first two books explore the vital connection between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership: "Emotional Intelligence" and "Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence." His most recent book is "Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence."In the December issue of Mindful Magazine, Daniel discusses three types of focus that we all require to enjoy a connected, fulfilling life: Inner focus, Other focus, and Outer focus. Leaders especially require strength in all three areas to achieve their goals.
Making a Partnership Work
Businesses can't grow without strategic partnerships. When thoughtfully selected, the right partner can enhance a company's client base, capabilities, market presence, and overall brand. When selected poorly, the wrong partner can result in wasted time, energy, and resources, with nothing to show for your efforts, and can potentially harm your company or reputation.
Want Credibility? Be Your Own Client. Would You Hire Yourself?
No one would buy a luxury home from a builder living in a shack, or trust a wealth manager that was financially irresponsible. When we evaluate the skills of web designers or graphic artists, we ask to see a portfolio of work, and we visit their sites.Our own actions give us credibility, or they discredit us. There is no in-between.Would you hire yourself?
Every Day is Independence Day for Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship is as American as apple pie, baseball, and SpongeBob Squarepants. The essence behind entrepreneurship is the freedom to live a professional life that has the most meaning to you - to not be defined by someone else's value system, personal vision & goals, and decisions. But with that freedom comes tremendous accountability, responsibility, and risk.As SpongeBob and Patrick so eloquently discussed, entrepreneurship has unlimited possibilities. With entrepreneurship, we are limited only by our own vision (and money - but we can often find it if we look in the right places). However, entrepreneurship does bring its own pain and suffering with it, so to answer Patrick's question, yes entrepreneurship can hurt at times.
Eight Lessons for Success (And Some Other Insights) by Barbara Corcoran
I had the privilege of speaking at the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC - www.nwboc.org) conference last week in Palm Beach, Florida. One of the highlights of the conference (where 200 women business owners came together to learn, share, and connect) was keynote Barbara Corcoran. Barbara is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country. She took a $1,000 loan to start her real estate company, The Corcoran Group, which she grew into a $5 billion business. She sold the firm for $66 million in 2001.Barbara is also a host and investor on ABC's Shark Tank. During the last three seasons, she has bought 11 new businesses. She is also the author of three best-selling books, and is a regular small business and real estate contributor on all of the major networks.Like all great entrepreneurs, Barbara's journey to success has been filled with wonderful lessons. I have summarized them here for you.
Selecting your networking communities; Top DC 7, best learning community, favorite online spots, best events
As a follow-up to my March 10th Washington Business Report segment on strategic networking (http://bcove.me/xuc1biiy), I've compiled strategies on selecting the networking communities that are right for you. I've also listed the top 10 networking communities, along with information on the best learning community, the best events, and my favorite online spots.First, let's look at five ways that will help you decide where and with whom your should spend your valuable time.
Rejected by TED... No Problem! "No" Means "Not Yet"
February was a month of wins - and losses. Everyone talks about their wins, so I'm going to move right past those, and get to the topic that that leaders rarely glorify: the losses.I was rejected in February by TED. TED stands for Technology, Engineering and Design. There are TED events all over the world that feature speakers that have ideas worth spreading. The TED website (www.ted.com) is my all-time favorite site because it opens our minds to so many ways of thinking about things we've never even thought about! It spotlights our greatest potential in any topic you can imagine.
Recognizing the Positive Leadership of Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Gerry Cahill
The disaster of the failed Carnival Triumph cruise ship has captivated all of us over the last week.As a frequent cruiser who has cruised Carnival and other lines, I cringed upon seeing the pictures and videos of the squalor and disgusting conditions aboard ship. I sympathized with the passengers who entrusted their safety to Carnival, yet found themselves living a week-long, potentially life-endangering nightmare. Throughout the course of the week, I kept asking myself how well I would cope with being trapped on board with my family.Fortunately, the nightmare has ended, now that the ship has docked in Mobile Alabama, with all passengers and crew members safe (albeit hungry and dirty).Throughout this disaster, I've been watching how CEO Gerry Cahill has conducted himself. Personally, I think he has done an exceptional job - especially compared to Former BP CEO Tony Hayward during the 2010 oil spill disaster that claimed 11 lives and has spewed 100 million gallons of toxic oil into the Gulf of Mexico. - and here's why:
When Your Bedroom Becomes Your Boardroom: (Happily) Working With Your Spouse
Spouses that choose to work together embark on a very unique journey. This arrangement is not a conventional marriage. Two of the hardest things a person can attempt is to build a successful business and a successful marriage. 90 percent of all businesses fail within the first 5 years. The divorce rate (in the U.S.) is now higher than 50 percent. Combine these two endeavors, and you face a lot of risk. There is a lot at stake at home and at work if things get rocky. The levels of expectations for one another are much higher than in a typical business partnership or typical marriage. Consideration must extend much further than, "I have this great business idea, can you help me?"As a follow up to my January 10, 2013 segment on Washington Business Report (http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/02/washington-business-report-feb-10-2013-85006.html) on working with your spouse, I've interviewed several other business owners who have braved this model to learn what makes it work, and how to avoid trouble in paradise. Rather than giving a simple bulleted list of strategies such as "schedule a date night" or "agree not to talk about marriage at home," I'm sharing a more detailed behind-the-scenes glimpse of the complexities of this arrangement. If you are currently working with your spouse, or thinking about it, this is an important column for you.
Accountability and Goal-Setting (Follow-up to WBR Segment 1/13/2013)
My January small business segment on ABC’s Washington Business Report with Rebecca Cooper-Dupin focused on accountability and goal-setting strategies to start 2013 strong. Accompanying me was my accountability partner and personal financial advisor, Anne McCabe Triana, owner of CAM Private Wealth (http://www.camprivatewealth.com). I've expanded on those strategies here, incorporating many great ideas from other small business owners.