New Week, New Opportunities for Business Growth & Personal Fun

As I close out my first week in my new home office I have to admit I’m really liking it. Both the look and feel of the office are not what I expected it to be and that’s a good thing. It has exceeded my expectations and it feels right.

Last week I noticed I really didn’t spend much time sitting in my office doing a lot of office work during the business day as I was out on appointments and at networking events.  The early part of this week looks the same as Monday and Tuesday are booked solid with client and prospect meetings. It could be a very good week for business development.

It is also a very big week on a personal level. Tuesday night I head to Hartford, CT for the opening night of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s “Magic” Tour. It will be the 53rd live performance I will have attended of Bruce in my lifetime and in his career and I can’t wait as this CD is getting tremendous reviews. From my initial listening the CD is a throwback to a musical style he recorded earlier in his career and has the feel of much of the unreleased material he held back and finally released in 1999 on the “Tracks” boxed set.

The other big event this week is Thursday night as the New York Rangers open the 2007-08 National Hockey League season. The Rangers, coming off an outstanding 2006-07 campaign are among the favorites to make a run at the Stanley Cup and it is our most highly anticipated season since winning the cup in 1993-94 and since the season Wayne Gretzky came to Broadway to skate with his buddy Mark Messier for the 1996-97 season. 

Big week for me personally and professionally so I’m off to get a good night’s rest to get started first thing in the morning. 

Day 3 of Working From Home

I’m still in business after three days of working from home. It’s going well and not a lot has changed from an operational standpoint.  For the first three out of four days I will have been out of the house by 7am for either a business networking meeting or a client meeting and didn’t come back to the home office until late morning.

So far I haven’t had to do the transition from the bedroom to the office directly.  Not sure when that day will come but I really don’t think it is going to be the challenge I anticipated it to be all those years I was in my out of home office.

Best thing yet, is that today I received two quality referrals for prospects that are interested in learning more about what I do. So, it hasn’t hurt from a business development standpoint, yet.

Stay tuned. I’ll continue to update my home office experience next week.

Working From Home for the First Time

I did it. I never thought I would be one to have a home office. After almost six full years in business for myself today I am writing this from my desk in my new home office. I’m 99% transferred out of the office my business called home for six years and abot 90% set up in the new home office.  I’m awaiting the local cable company technician to come and install my phone service and move our high speed internet connection across the hallway in our home. We we still need to hang some pictures and re-connect the wireless network so that I can print but other than that I’m in business.

Right up until Saturday night I was apprehensive about the move. I had always told myself I needed to have a place to go to in the morning so that I could be effective because at home there are just too many distractions.  And, I just have a cat and the TV to distract me as my wife works outside the home and we have no children.  Ironic isn’t it, that I train, consult and coach business professionals the discipline of focus and yet was concerned that my level of focus was not conducive to successfully working from home.

Saturday night, as the work my wife and I were doing to put the office together began to take shape, I started to get a comfortable and exciting feeling about the transition.  The office looked nice, neat and clean. It was bright with light from the two windows in the upstairs bedroom into which I was moving and I began to sense that this new approach to running my business may just work out after all.

It’s 8:41 am and I’ve been working this way for all of 41 minutes as I await the cable guy, wonder if his name will be Larry.  More later, got to get back to work.

Becoming a Champion Business Team is No Different Than Becoming a Champion in Sports

With the National Football League kicking off its season last week I began hoping with other NY Jets fans that this year will be our year. We’re off to a slow start but it got me thinking about what it takes to create a championship team in professional sports.

As I did, I realized that champion athletic teams succeed because of certain characteristics.  These are also the same characteristics that businesses can incorporate, support and nurture within their organization to thrive and become champions in their industry.
Here are the top five characteristics shared by Championship Teams in Business and Athletics:

1. Are clear on their individual role and contribution;
2. Have strong leadership at the top and strong leadership on the various teams charged with getting things done;
3. Share resources enthusiastically;
4. Win or lose together;
5. Reap the same benefits & rewards.

9 Rules for Creating a Championship Team in Your Business 

1. Develop strong leadership throughout the organization (it starts at the top and is developed    and nurtured throughout)
2. Lead with the “Platinum Rule” not the “Golden Rule”
3. Create a compelling Vision & Future…
   (What is your Super Bowl/World Series/Stanley Cup?)
4. Hire & Inspire the ‘right’ team members…
5. Set a standard of high expectations…
6. Create a culture of accountability…
7.  Create a culture of two-way formal and informal feedback…
8.  Reinforce teamwork related actions…
9.  Create opportunities to celebrate victories along the way!

 

Defining ‘Bravery’

Jodie Foster is one of my favorite actors and I usually see every movie she makes.  In promoting her latest movie “The Brave One” which opened last night she was quoted in a USA Today article regarding the title of the movie which she doesn’t like. 

Regarding the concept of being ‘brave’ she said, “I can tell you, it (the movie) is not going to be called that (”The Brave One”) when it goes overseas,” she says. “I don’t think picking up a gun is brave. I don’t think shooting someone is brave.”

The article closed with this quote from Foster:

“Knowing who you are, living your life the way you want to live it. That’s brave.”

I couldn’t agree more.

(btw, go see the movie. It is very well done and very well acted by Foster and Terrence Howard and is similar to the Charles Bronson movie “Death Wish” from the 70s, but better).

How Do You Choose to Develop Your Business?

I’m writing this from my last day in San Diego, California a professional mentor summit which was attended by approximately 50 solo-practitioners in the consulting profession.

We spent two days focusing on ways we can provide even more value to our clients so that we can create an even better lifestyle for ourselves as solo-entreprenuers. 

The level of success and sophistication in the consulting business ranged from those struggling to find their next client so that they can pay the next mortgage payment to those earning 7 figures (that means over $1 million a year for the uninitiated).

We all had one thing in common we were there to develop our business to the next level. We shared best practices in marketing and in delivery of services and offered our assistance to colleagues who may or may not serve the same clientele as us. It was a wonderful two days that has me energized and focused on doing the things I need to do to make 2008 even better than 2007.

I bring this us because so many business owners, especially those in the professional services field, failed to recognize the value of working ‘on’ their business.  They refuse to take that step back and invest the time, energy and financial resources to look at what they are doing, how they are doing it and how they can do it even better so that they can raise the bar on the results the achieve for their clients and residually themselves.

Today marks the seventh day I’ve invested this year to work ‘on’ my business in a total immersion setting with other like minded colleagues.  How many have you taken?  And those courses you have to take for continuing education credits to maintain your licenses or certifications do not count!

How has this type of focus helped my business? In June I signed the largest contract for a consulting project in the six year history of my business and I can point directly to the skills, techniques, strategies, insights and growth I’ve received from hanging around in a learning community that provides honest feedback and support.

As you plan for 2008 make it a point to include in your budget and in your schedule at least five days of business development work. The members of my coaching program the Business Achievement Gym have an opportunity for six such days as we have a 1/2-day workshop every month.

Time to go pack for my flight home.

Business Leaders It Is All About You

In the short time (three years) since I started beiing referred to small business owners for consulting projects I’ve noticed a common thread.

I’m usually brought in to improve the overall performance of the staff and this may include projects to improve attitudes, focus, sales, marketing strategies, etc.

My initial conversations almost always focus on the employees and what they are not doing or they challenges they are causing for the business and the business owner.  And almost always after getting a little deeper into the discussion with the business owner I learn very quickly that the issue is not with “them,” the employees, but with the leadership or lack thereof of the business owner.

Let’s face it. In the world of the small business operator usually they are the rainmaker. They are the key person bringing in the business. Their focus must be on generating the revenue so that they can make sure the payroll checks can be deposited by their employees faithfully on payday.

While this is going on what happens is the employees are left to their own devices to make decisoins they are unsure of and given little guidance and parameters to make. They then are penalized for making decisions contrary to what the business owner would have done and their self-confidence, self-esteem plummets.

Additionally the employees are usually hired based on their professional experience, skills and resume and little due diligence is paid to whether the employees values, beliefs and behaviors are consistent with those of the business.

Thirdly, there is little in the way of consistent expectations set between the business leader and the employee and almost no formal system for feedback so that performance and results can be measured.

When the atmosphere and the environment begins to impact bottom line results I am called in to fix the mess by fixing “them.” I’ve learned the hard way that the first place to look is at the top.  Business leaders who want to create what I call a Championship Team must first look inside at themselves to see how they are leading and what message(s) they are sending that are creating the present environment. 

For me, it’s getting easier and quicker every time!

New Voice Mail for New Times

Having call my share of financial institutions over the years I’ve listened to many different voice mail trees, as I’m sure you have.  Often we become automatically shut down and hit “0″ to get to a live voice after hearing “please listen carefully because our options have changed.”

However, today when I called a colleague today at HSBC Mortgage Corp. I was treated with the normal voice mail options but did not hear the ‘our options have changed’ message but should have because here were the options for me to select from:

Press
1 if you know your party’s extension
2 if you want information on interest rates
3 if you want to apply for a new mortgage or to refinance
4 if you are checking on a current mortgage application
5 if you have questions on an existing mortgage

nothing magical or surprising in that list but what followed those were:
Press
7 for the bankruptcy department
8 for the foreclosure department

Given the relatively recent significant challenges being faced by the mortgage industry I asked the person whom eventually answered the phone how recently those two options had been added. He couldn’t give me an answer, primarilly because he never listens to that message.

My bet is that those two options were added within the last six months? Any takers?

It’s Easy to Have the Focus of Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry

Watching the US Open Tennis Championships on television I again saw this summer’s Gilettte commercial featuring Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and European Soccer Star Thierry Henry. I love the premise and believe that we could all benefit from being able to focus in the moment as they do.

Roger Federer opens to tv commercial saying,

“Yesterday is history, just a nice memory.”

Henry follows by saying,

“I never think about yesterday.”

And Tiger closes the spot by saying,

“The only thing that matters is today!”

That is so true. I spend a significant amount of time with some clients keeping them focused in the present. Too many spend too much time focusing on the past. 

To truly be at your best you must stay ‘in the moment.’ Be focused on being at your best today and tomorrow will take care of itself as opportunities will open up and present themselves. If you focus on yesterday, it is as though you are driving looking only in the rear view mirror and that will undoubtedly land you in a ditch.

As I once told a former girlfriend who continually beat herself up for a less than positive past, “Everyone has a past, but not everyone has a future! And you can choose to have a future by focusing on moving forward!”