What Makes A Good Leader?

If you command wisely, you will be obeyed cheerfully. That used to be how leadership was defined as.

A good leader is less concerned with who is right than what is right. Leaders exist to make sensible exceptions to general rules.

A good leader takes a little more than his/her share of the blame and a little less than his/ her share of the credit.

The difference between promising ideas and productive results is a good leader.

So What Motivates Us?
At certain times in our business lives, each of us will fall into one of the following four growth levels.Understanding these levels may lead to a better understanding of the type of motivation you may require at any given time, or may help you guide and motivate your employees more effectively.

1. Enthusiastic beginners are already excited about trying something new and don’t usually need motivation. But they do need specific instructions and direction. Be prepared to answer lots of questions to keep them on track.

2. Disillusioned learners may become frustrated as the excitement wanes and certain parts of their job prove more difficult than expected. At this part of their growth they may have little to show for their efforts. Give them lots of specific and timely feedback about their progress. Face-to face praise works the best.

3. Capable but cautious contributors are those who have done the right job once, but they don’t have the self-confidence that
comes with repeat successes.

They need clear, positive recognition for achieving goals, plus encouragement to repeat their winning performance. Set aside time to listen to their concerns and to brainstorm new ideas.

4. Self-reliant achievers can manage themselves, but they also need recognition to avoid feeling taken advantage of. Sincere thanks are in order, but other incentives may work better i.e. allow them to train others, pick their assignments or become involved in decisions that will make them more visible in the organisation.

Navigating the Rapids of Business

Navigating the rapids of business

Have you ever been white water rafting? in 1994, my late husband and i decided to be adventurous and give white water rafting a go.

We were on a short holiday. After all, we couldn’t take too much time off as we were  in business for ourselves and there were only  so many days we believed we could be away from the business before things would surely go wrong. This was our little getaway so whilst in the midst of relaxation and “away time” we decided to experience the thrill and excitement of white water rafting.

Now as beginners, our job was to sit in the raft, hold on tight, use the oars when we were instructed to, scream a little, feel terrified and experience a sense of thrill at the same time. Whilst we navigated our way around the rocks, through the rapids, we had one ultimate objective: stay in the raft until we made it to the calmer waters below.

At one point our raft did tip and after those few panicking moments we all eventually managed to get back into the raft, coughing and splattering as we climbed back in. It was terrifying, yet we found ourselves laughing with adrenalin rushing throughout our bodies as we got back in the raft secretly wanting to do it all over again.

As a team we had to work together, aligning our actions and our focus directing the raft and maneuvering it through to the calmer waters below. Every action required quick thinking, clear strategy and zero procrastination. Yes, at times we were uncertain, not knowing what would come next and whether the next move would take us further out of our comfort zone.

At other times we were on top of the world and Masters of white water rafting. Once in calm waters, we wanted to do it again and take our experience to the next level. “Okay, who’s ready for the next level?” the instructor would ask. There was no turning back once we had made the decision to go for it and give the next level a go. We were fearful of what the unknown adventure would be like, but moving to the next level requires a certain type of attitude – ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!’

Operating a business is a bit like white water rafting. At times it’s scary, hectic, and sometimes unbelievably out of control.

It takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you into very unknown waters. At other times, it’s exciting, challenging and ultimately rewarding.

The key to navigating your way through business successfully is the same as navigating your raft through the rapids.

Once you know how and what to do, it’s important to be sure you implement that knowledge so that you arrive at calmer waters with confidence and without too many knocks, bumps, cuts and bruises. It’s about making the right moves at the right time and in the right order, so that when you are ready to move to the next level you can do so with confidence.

One of the keys to success in business is how you handle each stage of the journey. In our case, with white water rafting, each stage represented the starting point, the rocky road of the rapids, the free falling down the dips, and the calm waters below. Success was achieved as a result of many things aligning together, the quick maneuvering, the quick decisions and action-taking before arriving at your destination. The destination is not the end of course; it is just the beginning, as you take your experience to new and higher levels. Business is the same. Once you reach a certain goal, milestone, or outcome, it’s not the end; it’s just the beginning of something bigger, better and more exciting.

Doing the right things in the right order is crucial to success. Being sure you take consistent action every day and with a big focus on income generating activities and not just any activity is a key component to building the business of your dreams.

I believe one of the key elements to achieving success is having an open mind and being committed to doing whatever it takes to learn new skills and knowledge, and following through by implementing that new found knowledge and skill set.

What is your motivation? What is your motive for action?

Growth starts to happen when you extend yourself beyond your comfort zone and beyond the edge. You must lean just over the edge every day to achieve exactly what it is you want. Extend yourself. Have the courage to push yourself beyond your own fears, embracing them so that you can make your life and your business phenomenal.

Make a commitment to develop yourself and learn whatever is necessary to be the best. Strengthen every weakness until they become your greatest strength.

Stop Blaming and complaining and Just Get on With it!

Have you ever been in a position where it was easier to blame outside circumstances or someone else for your shortfalls? It is unfortunate that for most of us it is quite a natural habit to blame outside circumstances and events for our lack of results. Because of our past programming and conditioning, many are living a very average way of life because they have chosen to accept that this is just the way life is. If you are someone who is convinced that your circumstances are because of the actions of others or outside circumstances, may I encourage you to open your mind and be prepared to make a decision today to change that level of thinking or to change your current circumstances.

Think about it. How would your life or business change if you knew you were the only one responsible for your success? Not your franchisor, not anyone else, just you.

There would be a lot more doing and a lot less complaining and blaming, wouldn’t there? There would also be a lot more people living the life they truly deserve.

Learn to replace complaining with being proactive and taking action. If you find yourself in a situation that you don’t like, either make it work or simply leave. The worst thing you can do is stay and then complain later about it. Stop missing the pieces of the puzzle! They’re right in front of you.

You are the only one responsible for your success! If you don’t have all of the pieces yet to build whatever it is you want, then it’s your responsibility to acquire them. The world doesn’t owe you anything. You have to create what you want.

Knowing you are responsible for your success and doing what it takes to be a success are two different things. In the past I always knew what I had to be doing to achieve higher levels of success, though

I found myself not always doing those things consistently enough to produce the consistent results I wanted. My results would either be fantastic or just plain average. I started to see a clear pattern forming and it was a pattern I didn’t like. I set out on a path to really make a change in what I was thinking and doing so that my business and my life could progress forward and produce the consistent results I wanted every day. This was the time I truly took ownership of building a new foundation, taking a new direction and committing to taking consistent action towards the success I desired.

What can you do right now to take true ownership of the direction and success of your business? Taking your business to the next level need not be complicated nor does it require excessively long hours or extremely hard work. What it does take is a commitment to your success, a commitment to taking consistent daily action, and doing the right things in the right order.

Failing to plan or planning to fail?

The old adage says that if you fail to plan then you are planning to fail. This is more than just a clever play on words, in fact, statistically it has been proven that you are more likely to achieve your goals if they’re written down… not rocket science, is it?

Back in 1973 Harvard University did a study on all of the students for that year, only 3% of the attending students had written down their goals. 25 years later in 1998, that same 3% had acquired over 98% of the wealth!

This is not about putting together a detailed ‘business plan’. This is about having a plan you can execute, and monitor your progress on a regular basis. Depending on your business you may want to review and correct daily, weekly or monthly.

Generally, we have been trained in life to look back and then make an assessment, your accountant is a classic example, they are dealing with historical numbers, and at the end of the year will tell you how much profit you made… or… how much you lost! And by that time it is too late to do anything about it. This is why it is vital that you as a business owner understand the
‘mechanics’ of business so you can be the ‘pit crew’ during the race. As a ‘pit crew’ for your business you will know the result before you’re told at the end of the race.

I have personally worked with hundreds of different businesses and can honestly say, the most successful have been those that have been disciplined and created their plan, and also had the consistency and focus to execute it too. After all, a plan will fail if it is executed poorly.

So why is it that so many people fail to plan?

Well, in some cases, it’s just plain laziness, but in a lot of circumstances people don’t know where to start. So what is the best way to go about getting a plan together?

1.   You need to know where you’re going.
If you’re not clear on your vision then you’re never going to arrive, it doesn’t matter how good your plans are… imagine you’re driving to a restaurant, and you didn’t know the name of it, what street it was on, or even what suburb it is in… are you likely to get there?

2.   Break it down.
Goals by nature are high achievements in life, and sometimes it can seem too hard to reach them, we lose motivation and give up! Break your goals into “milestones” so you
can celebrate your wins along the way.

3.    Write it down and make it visual.
By writing your goals down you will be much clearer on where you are heading. Look at it every day, stick it on your fridge, or your computer, it can be a picture, the words, whatever will motivate you to keep striving to achieve your goal.

4.   Tell someone about it.
Telling someone about your goals will create accountability making sure you follow through. If you need someone to help you stay on track and keep focused you my well benefit by using a business coach.

5.   Check your progress and celebrate your wins.
Review your goals on a regular basis and celebrate reaching your milestones. Tracking your progress will keep you motivated!

As for making this all happen, you will need to set aside some time to get clear on your goals and create a plan, once you have your goals worked out you need to ‘reverse engineer’ them starting with the end in mind then working back to the start date.

Once you do this you will end up with a daily or weekly set of tasks you need to complete to achieve your goal by the set date.

Finally, make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T.A tested. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Results orientated and Time Framed, and you are ready to take ACTION to make them happen.

Commit to Visualization and Your Affirmations

Commit to Visualization and Your Affirmations  by John Assaraf
Your visualizations and affirmations should accurately describe the life you want to live. This is your vision. You can design it any way you want. Exercise your creativity and ingenuity. Have fun! As you create a vision of your future and support it with your affirmation, you will begin to see things you never saw before. Here are some other tips to help you program your nonconscious mind with visualizations and affirmations.

Recommit and Refine. You have to keep refining your goals, your business vision and your affirmations. The game never ends. Design your vision and write out your affirmations until they are perfect in your mind. You have to keep recommitting to the process. Every time you set your goals higher, every time you push past the goalposts even further, or set your foot on the path to some new goal or aspiration, you have to recommit to the process of articulating that goal and then imprinting it onto your nonconscious brain.

Complete the Process. Make sure you finish writing your vision statement and affirmations. Are you procrastinating or not completing the work? If you find you haven’t done the work, here’s the question you could pose to yourself: What stories am I telling myself as to why I haven’t done this work? The way you do anything is the way you everything. If you’re dragging your feet, ask yourself: Why? What reason are you giving yourself that you can’t do this? Your habits are forcing you to behave in the same old ways you always have.

Embrace making a change. You can ask yourself other questions such as: How well is my inactivity working for me in my business and my life? Wouldn’t it be nice to make a change? You have nothing to lose but old habits that aren’t working for you—and you have everything to gain.

Commit to the Process. Stay focused and commit to doing the neural reconditioning work day in and day out. Make yourself reminder notes to review where you stand with the process, perhaps at the beginning of every week. Add a statement to your reprogramming routine that addresses your commitment, something along the lines of: I am building on a solid new unconscious foundation to take my success even further.