The Badge Of Courage

The Badge Of Courage. What a fitting term. Mr Fisher was indeed referring to City leaders who dared not to be political and to be weird. I happen to live in the being unique camp but the two terms are closely related in my opinion. So how does this relate to business and change management? Closer than you think.
My affiliation with a Change Management company leads me to believe the last thing we want to project to our clients is they could fail. We must all agree there is risk in change but in most instances it's better than not changing. Keeping things as they are is really going backwards. It may be as simple as changing processes within an organization to a complete overhaul of how the company or organization is managed and delivers its services or products. Ether way this takes courage. Mr. Fisher also focused on collaboration of organizations putting the best talent from each company on a team that can add value to each organization taking each company to a higher level. Everyone wins.
I see this in the call centre business here in Canada where a sharing of successes and open discussions of the future takes the industry to a higher level resulting in providing greater service for our customers. Everyone wins. To my American readers I should point out that many of the members of the Canadian Association are in fact American companies. Why do the American Corporations join. It's because we share our successes and not hide it from our competitors. Business in general south of the border is a much more combative stunting growth as the race is to hold a competitive edge leaving the others to play catch up. That being said there are industries such as the cellular and automotive business where competition is fierce and this privacy is fully understandable.
Lets think of this possibility. What could be accomplished if non competitive companies from different business sectors shared their process and talents. This is not a novel idea as this already takes place as owners of small business create their own board of directors through business clubs. They learn from each other. The key ingredient here is they all accept and welcome change.
If you or your company is stuck, it's time you venture out and take a look around. What can you change to make your company more efficient. What can you change to be more attractive to your current and prospective customers. Your customers want you to be fresh and creative. More importantly your staff wants to be challenged to help improve both themselves and the company. Employees do not want to be drones. They want to be valued for what they bring to the company. They want to be part of a successful team. Make change your trusted friend and watch all things around you soar, including yourself.

There Is No Fast Train To Success

If you're looking for the fast train to success it does not exist. You see the fast train makes fewer stops. It's during the stops that we gain knowledge and experience. We get to reflect and to measure our progress. I believe if your in the hurry up and get there mind set there will be more bumps in the road. Yes it can be said the bumps are lessons we need to learn however if they could have been avoided, it means you were better prepared. I also believe there is allot to be said for enjoying the journey. The most important thing is for you to determine what success means to you. Once you know that, you can chart your course.
What do you picture in your mind when you think of success? Does it make you smile and feel all warm inside. If it does you are very fortunate. Much of today's society is wrapped up in want's adverse to goals and aspirations. A dream will always be a dream until you act on it. "The best dreams you can have are with your eyes wide open". Inspiring words from one of the worlds best business authors, Harvey MacKay.
The train always has to work harder going up hill. Hard work does not have to be filled with struggle and disappointment. I suggest you find a way to make it smart work that will increase the fun factor. Many success seekers get caught up in the planning process and their train never leaves the station. They live in fear of what happens when the train starts rolling down the tracks in the wrong direction. If you have never jumped off a train before it's exhilarating. The slow train is upon reflection easier to stop or to switch rail lines.
So why the train analogy? I like analogy's because they create pictures in your mind that cement the thought and help get a point across. You see I was more than a passenger on a fast train once. I was driving that fast train years ago. I could not wait to get to what I deemed to be success. I was driving at full speed to a financial number that I did not achieve. I came up just short before the train left the tracks. The best advice I can give you in your pursuit of success is do it with a purpose. The error in my judgement was if I had the money I could do what I wanted. The irony was I did not know what I wanted. My goal was singular. It was all about the money. It was not until later in life that I discovered what I really wanted. When I stopped chasing money, the money found its way to me. Wisdom does not travel on the fast train. That's why they say that wisdom is earned.

Want To Stand Out? Six Tips On Being Unique

No matter what you do in your professional life it's difficult to stand out in the crowd. If you're looking to attract business you can't walk, talk and smell like the rest. If you do then it becomes a lottery. Success can be found by taking your own path. Lasting success is earned over the a longer period of time. People will come to you through referrals because of the solid work you do, or the service that you provide. You become trusted. That in itself is unique.
The flood of people posting to social media sites to increase rankings which leads to more hits on their web sites is important. In my opinion the world of reposting to gain clic's or suggest that your knowledgeable and want to share your knowledge is just fluff, unless the repost is thought provoking or has relative information. Is it important to your personal brand to be in social media? You bet. Is it important that you drive more traffic to your web site? Of course it is. Once they come to you, what's your value proposition. You better know why you are different and that should be transparent to your potential customers.
I believe that success comes with finding a niche. Niche means a smaller or a narrow market. It's easier to stand out where there is less competition. Less competition then leaves room to own a larger market share and bigger profit margins. Profit is not is not dirty word. I support this by my belief in providing more in value than the customer paid you for it. The last time I looked you pay your bills from gross profit. Not from gross sales. Going to were the masses go is not unique.
Here are my six tips to finding success by being unique.

1. Find a niche market that defines who you are.
2. Post original material to social media.
3. Provide more in value than you charged for the product or service.
4. Say "Thank You,We appreciate your business" as often as possible. Say it. Just don't post it. I include this in almost every email I write and most certainly at the end of every phone call.
5. Create your own conversation questions you use every time you meet someone new. Show that you really care. Make sure you listen. Opportunities come as a result of asking a question.
6. Make decisions based on the long term. The juicy stuff comes from decisions made after careful consideration.
7. Bonus Tip. Only promote others who are exceptional and unique. This helps elevate you to their level.

Success is rarely easy. You need to be deliberate in your approach. People are naturally attracted to successful and unique people. Unique people do not have to promote themselves as much as all those folks running with the herd. Those running with the herd are frying up more energy and capital for smaller profits. Likes and shares don't pay the bills. It's a form of advertising if you manage it properly. Just remember, at the end of the day a good business product or service needs to stand on its own. Live by this standard and success will find its way to you.

Are You Pushing Business Or Pulling Business ?

Time and time again sales people have pitched me with features and benefits before they have even asked me if I have any knowledge of what they have to sell or program they propose. They just keep talking and move to a close. Two things come to my mind. That poor person just does not get it. Even worse that poor person's boss does not get it. These types of people are the types who give sales people a bad wrap. I honestly could not sleep at night having sold someone something they did not need or want.

We all have to carve a living out of life. Some of us get the chance to do what really turns us on. How good is that? For me I get to do two things that really excite me. One is being the sales leader for a contact centre. I work with companies who have some pain in their processes that I help resolve. Having been an entrepreneur most of my life I know that the biggest issue with business is growing business. More important is growing business profitably. Most successful business owners know they can't be good at all things. Basically I love helping my customers grow their business. I am also a business coach. I help my clients turn their dreams into successful businesses. I also help business owners turn their struggling companies around. This is all very rewarding to me. I am a lucky guy. For me it's not sales.

I ask that you think hard about what I have stated in the previous paragraph. I get joy in helping other people find their success. The only way I can do this is to find out what they want to achieve. I can only do this by asking questions. This is where the pulling business part kicks in. It is only through asking the questions and really listening that the solution become obvious. I should point out that it should also be obvious for your customer or client too. It is when you get to this stage you can then ask your potential customer how would it feel if this was the solution that would benefit their business. Please note that I have asked two questions here. One was the emotional part and the second being the good for your business part. I truly believe if you marry the two questions together and the answer is yes to both you have sale. The potential customer came to the determination of what they need to do. They are making the purchase. I did not sell them anything. This is what I call pulling business.

I agree that at some point of the process there has to be a features and benefits conversation. To be really successful at selling you have to be good at pulling. This is achieved by asking good and thought provoking questions. It is only after answering these questions that you can move to the benefits and successful ending. My experience is, don't rush. It pays to be patient. When your customer has made a purchasing decision it has been made for the right reasons. Have you noticed that no where in this article did I mention price? If you do not focus on the price your potential customer will not focus on the price either. Isn't it time you started pulling your way to successful selling?

Life Lessons In This Message

We as humans generally become more risk adverse as we mature. Why do you suppose that happens? I believe there are two answers to that question. With age one has less time to recover from a set back, financial or otherwise. The second is that we have become conditioned to react from certain events because we have been there before. I will share some of what I have learned from both my successes and my failures. Making sound decisions should be a process whether you are young or old. This is where the study and reading part plays a role. Knowledge can be learned through study, while wisdom for the most part is earned.
Quite simply it shapes up this way. I have been broke twice in my life and lived to tell about it. Yes, this builds character but it should not have to be that way. Both set backs were a result of bad decisions. In both instances I was owner of bricks and mortar businesses. Yes industry consolidations played a large role in the failures. But, to be perfectly honest some impulsive decisions in my personal life played a big part as well. You will notice on my Linkedin Profile that my education is a Masters In Common Sense. I can honestly say I gained this degree the hard way. I grew up with a strong family background that included decency and work ethic. The common belief in our home was this is a land of opportunity and you have loads of talent. I did not formally go to university however I was continually taking courses in business as well as attending personal development workshops. I was heavily engaged in personal development long before it became in vogue. Being an ADHD I knew I must invest time in this area, as it would help me be more cognitive of my decisions. I believed it would help me make more rational decisions. For the most part it did. ADHD's are emotionally charged and running with your heart is not always the best practice. This life course has brought me to where I am today as a coach to business owners. I have learned that many entrepreneurs get so emotionally involved it often clouds the decisions they must make.
One of life's toughest experiences came during a period when I owned a small business with a staff of 12. It was a successful business for 9 years followed by 2 years of a living hell. A consolidation in the industry coupled with a large life style left myself and the business with little wiggle room during a down turn in the economy. I lost everything including my pride. I managed to hold on to our house with the help of family. Through these times I lost my self-esteem and confidence. I hit rock bottom. I wondered. Could things ever get better? I can assure you they can.
This is where the lesson part comes in. I felt I always took the responsibility for my actions. For the most part that is true but it is easy to blame external forces. I also blamed these external forces as a form of personal denial. Taking responsibility for your actions is only half of what is required for you to move on after such events. One must make changes in how we approach the next steps. More of the same way of doing things will produce the same results. You need to understand why things went wrong. Were these events things you had control over? If that is the case it's time for some real soul-searching and understanding of yourself. Ask yourself. Is a change required of your habits and the way you do things? You have to peel back the layers of the onion and see what's in the middle. Often there is a smell associated with this exercise. It takes courage to look that deeply inside ones inner self. I did it and I moved forward.
Lessons can also be learned from our successes. I believe time should be taken to reflect and learn from our success. It's only natural to take success for granted. Success and victory feel great and do not carry the anguish and pain that comes from failure. You should take a step back and look at what took place to reach your goal. Was there pain, or were there roadblocks that you over came? What I have learned from my success as a businessperson is that I work well with people. I love to grow business and relationships. I am good at letting staff be the best they can be and to allow them to learn from their mistakes and to grow. What I am not good at is too much structure and repetitive work. I hate being managed. I need things to be fresh and engaging. I like strategic thinking that is solution based. I like projects because they have a beginning and an end. I ask many of my clients. Whats your end game with your company? What's your exit strategy? Many do not have an exit strategy. You should build your life or business plan around that outcome. That was one of my toughest lessons in business. I had an opportunity to sell my business at it's height. The irony is that three years later the business collapsed. You can not begin to appreciate the pain associated with that decision. But I learned from that.
Yes the toughest lessons come from failure. It is through your failures that you are able to have bigger success in the future. Success is rarely easy. You see, even in success we often say to our selves "I would do it a little differently next time".

Success Takes Energy And Focus

Staying focused on our goals can be very difficult when our energy levels come and go. This thought came to mind this morning as I am out of town on business and feeling this desire to just loaf the day away. I have a lovely hotel room overlooking the harbor and it has put my mind at ease. I have been on a great run with business this pass year. I have also been busy writing my book and planning my Executive Coaching business. The tug of war is on. Relax or get at it. The pace I have been going at has robbed me of some energy. I find when the energy level drops, so does the focus. The two are very much connected.

So my challenge today is to write an article on success then complete a presentation I am presenting as a guest speaker on Tuesday morning. I am presenting to an executive team tomorrow morning on a large project our company is proposing to a client. I have in my brief case a book and CD for an exercise and weight loss program I want to start. I also have some reading and studying to do for my coaching business. My website needs some updating. It looks like today is not a day for procrastination. Loafing is out of the question. I am focused. I could feel overwhelmed but I am not. I am just not sure my energy level is there. It's time to create some energy. I will be back.

So I now have some renewed energy. It came from going to the Hotel Health Club and hopping on the tread mill for 45 minutes. Yes exercise can and will increase your energy level. I ran out to the supermarket and got some healthier food. A salad, apples and soda water. I am certain a lunch full of carbs would have me taking a long after noon nap. So here I am, back at it.

Before you say don't bore me with all this Paul, ask yourself how often does this happen to you? You just blow off the day. Exactly. If this is what you do, tomorrow is going to be a day that controls you. Why? Because you are not fully prepared. You will be rushing and reacting. You will be exhausted at the end of the day and not certain of the outcomes from your day. What an awful place to be.

So here is the process that went through my mind this morning. It's about making a deliberate decision.

• I created a list of the have to do, followed by choose to.
• I prioritized them.
• I looked at the time I had to complete them.
• I reminded my self that I will be sailing to Bermuda and taking two weeks of in June.
• I reminded myself that I am going to Australia for three weeks this September.

The decision became easy. I was going to have a ton of what I call "gliding days" coming up. So as you can tell I have finished my article and I am now getting to work on Tuesday's speech which is already written in my head. I just need to get it to paper. Next I will get at my website. Make some necessary changes. Then have a half hour nap. I will then do some studying while I watch the golf. I will review tomorrows presentation this evening. The diet and exercise program will have to wait. But wait. I did get my exercise in and I ate healthy. Not a bad result for a winter Sunday in a hotel room.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6905020

Finding Success - How to Conquer Fear of Failure

Overcoming the fear of failure is one of the toughest things we will have to do in life. It will come in many forms and at different times. It's the biggest cause of call reluctance with sales people and the biggest obstacle in employee performance. What if they say no? What if I mess up? What will my friends think of me if I screw up?

Lets be honest. We all want to succeed. We all want the admiration of our colleagues and our friends. However this validation and admiration we desire must be earned. There is no silver bullet. It's easier for some than others but everyone must at some point push through what they do not want to do. If it was easy we would all be doing it. There is no single recipe for success.

I was fortunate to learn about dealing with failure at an early age. Failure to me was not winning. It was not until later in life that I came to understand that being around the top was good too. Having been a competitive ski racer and sailor I was motivated by winning. I learned that when we went to the results board at the end of the day every one looked to see where they placed. The second place you looked was to see who won. No one looked at who was at the bottom first, or in fact at all. Headlines on the sports page of the news paper don't read. "John Doe Came in Last." If you were on the bottom, odds are you were the only one who noticed. Yes it hurts but there is only one way to move up the leader board. That's through hard work, practice and persistence.

I will pass along these few steps that should help you get past the fear of failure. 

• The first part of getting past the fear of what will happen if the potential customer says no. Well it's part of the job. Everybody does not say yes. It's about the product or service you are selling or promoting and not about you. Can you increase your performance with practice and good coaching. Yes. Simply put. Get it in your head that what is happening to you happens to everyone. Others don't share or broadcast their losses either. They learn from them.
• What will happen if we didn't quite get it right at work. Well, if we have a nurturing and mentoring boss they will likely help you though what has happened. Lets remember that their success is somewhat tied to yours. The key here is to ask for help. Asking for help is a sign of strength and not of weakness. Express to them that you want to be better. Who in their right mind is going to say no?
• If you are unable to get to the space of having self-confidence I suggest you find a coach who will help you get there. I have used a coach numerous times in my life. Many of my readers know I have a had a few hits in my life. I got through them all and some times I needed help. There is no sin in that. They helped make me stronger.

Take action now to get past these feelings of fear. Anxiety can do all kings of crazy things with your mind. To move forward in achieving your goals you need to have a clear mind. Focus is not a buzz word. It is for real. You can only reach for what is clear in your mind. What happens in the process of getting there is just that. A process. Don't beat yourself up. You have what it takes. Being your own biggest cheerleader is a good place to start.

Picking a Life Coach

Coaching comes in all forms. Personal Coach, Business Coach, Mentor, Friend and oh yes sports coach. The Internet and television are full of marketers parading as coaches claiming they can change your life in 30 days and for only $ 149.95. In some cases their claims are true but success comes to the truly committed to change themselves. Watching the TV late at night because you can't sleep and there before your very eyes is the solution. You purchase the package. A decision most later regret. The one thing you need to remember that the people who are selling you their programs are huge marketing machines. Yes they want you to succeed but they also know that over 95 percent of the programs they sell will be collecting dust in a matter of weeks. It’s all about the money.

There are two main reasons we don’t achieve our goals. Fear of failure and procrastination are usually the culprits. Coaches help us to keep on track. So the question remains. Can I accomplish this on my own through books, or by purchasing a transform your life program from TV or the Internet? The answer to this is yes. My experience tells me that you need to determine the sense of urgency to achieve the goal. Will I stick with it?

Well in my opinion hiring a coach will increase the probability for your success. Yes it’s the most expensive way to achieve your goals. Like the old saying "you get what you pay for". A good coach will ask why you have chosen this goal or objective and then your coach becomes an important part of helping you achieve them. Much of the reason for success is accountability. Once you have made the commitment on paper or verbally to your coach you are more likely to succeed. We hate to tell the person we made the commitment to that we did not do it. Excuses are really part of an underlying problem that leads to procrastination. A good coach should be able to determine that issue or problem and help you move forward.

I have hired a few coaches over the years. In all instances I have been very happy with the results. A good coach can get you where you want or need to be faster than a self help book or Internet program. Your level of success is greatly increased by hiring a coach. Before you hire a coach it is strongly recommended you do your homework. Get referrals. Pick the coach that fits the need. A talented Coach whose specialty is corporate strategies may not be the coach to help you deal with the fear of rejection or low self esteem.

In today's world there seems to be a life or business coach on every corner. This makes the task of finding the right coach difficult. Remember, a strong referral, credibility, length of time in the business and the area of expertise tied closest to your goal are the most important factors in choosing a coach.