Written by: Alan Rodway
1. If you’re too busy …. you’re probably too cheap. Being too busy is one of the worst excuses used to justify not changing the business. Being busy is a strong sign to seriously consider increasing prices. By doing that, the drop off in customers is almost always less than proportionate to the price increase, so net revenue increases, workload goes down, resources needed reduce and ability to work with target customers goes up.
2. If you’re not physically and mentally fit … you’re not professionally fit either . It is impossible to perform at the highest level if your mind and body are not good. Getting yourself right is a prerequisite to being able to drive the business effectively. ‘Not enough time’ to get yourself right is a nonsense.
3. Ask yourself who you want to be …. before you ask what you need to do . If you are not who you want to be then what you do is likely to be ineffective, even illogical. What you do must reflect who you want to be as a person, so that your behaviours spring from the right platform.
4. Reward attempts … not just outcomes . Initiative drives change and every business has to change (not just improve). So attempts (including taking calculated risks) have to be rewarded, not just outcomes.
5. When you don’t think you need help … you may benefit from it most . Sustained success in business best involves challenge from the brains of others, not just when you think or feel you need help.
6.Whenever you hear a cliche … insist on an action . There are a myriad of cliches that make sense for business. “Work on the business not in it”, “Turn key operation”, “Work smarter not harder”, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”, etc. The problem is that the cliche is so accurate that people satisfy themselves with having made the quote. The quote must cause an action.
7. If and when you think you’re ‘getting there’ … you’re not . There is no destination in business, only change.
8. The culture in your business is a direct reflection of you … so set the scene by how you behave . To change the culture you have to change first and for long enough for people to trust that you have changed.
9. Ask first how to develop your people … before asking how to improve business outcomes . Whilst business success is affected by technology, processes, innovation, clarity of direction and strategies, etc. it is people who drive all of that. Make your people your focal point and the rest will follow more easily.
10. If people around you are only as smart as you … hire people who are smarter . Most of your key people have to be smarter than you, otherwise they will add little to what you can achieve yourself.
11. No one changes their behaviour as a result of losing an argument … engage conversations instead . The emotional challenges of losing an argument will rarely lead to desired behavioural change but leaving an engaged conversation does.
12. Rarely will human nature create success … choose the necessary behaviours . Anger, excitement, frustration, fear, laziness, confusion, regret, indifference, impatience, sadness, jealousy, etc. are all part of human nature. The chances of human feelings driving successful behaviours are 50/50 at best. Your behaviours must be chosen not just allowed to occur.
13. Personality profiles licence natural behaviours … use them to understand yourself but not to justify poor behaviours . “I do that because of my personality profile “ will not improve behaviours nor outcomes. Understand your profile but consciously frame your behaviours.
If you enjoyed this article and would like to see others, then click on the link below.
