This is a new year and that means it is a good opportunity to make a fresh start to the way that you do business.
It is also a time of reduced business activities due to the economic recession that is now firmly with us all. Many businesses will be looking at the situation for their businesses and wondering what to do.
Business Leader Success Advice has decided to provide our ideas for our own business as an example for others to think about.
So, BLSA is taking a fresh approach and we are making a few changes that will put us in an excellent position and allow us to be ready for the economic upturn when it comes.
Like many businesses we have been thinking about what to do during this period of time when there will be less business activity and again like many businesses, we have wanted to make the wise investments that will ensure our success in the future, after the recession.
We have decided to make an investment in a total refurbishment of our offices and a further investment in changing out our existing computer technology and upgrading it to the latest level of technology, which will be faster and more efficient.
The reasons we have made these decisions is because we will have time to do this during the business slowdown period and to make sure that we will be able to offer a better platform in the future for delivering our services.
These ideas for taking a fresh approach to business can be utilized by you, as a business leader, for your own business. They are really low cost investments, but they will make a significant difference for you.
During the period of office refurbishment we will be moving into some temporary rented accommodation, but we will be maintaining the same contact telephone number.
And the website, blog and email details will be the same and they will be functioning as normal, as they are all hosted on off-site servers.
We expect a smooth changeover of our computer systems, but if we do experience any teething problems, it will only affect the publishing of any new posts on our blog. If this does occur then we feel sure that our subscribers will be understanding and forgive us for any interruptions.
So, think about it, then decide on taking a fresh approach for your own business and make your own wise investments.
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Friday, January 30, 2009
Taking A Fresh Approach
Thursday, January 29, 2009
No Drama Obama
Business leaders throughout the world are looking very closely at the new American President.
And the main reason that they are doing this is to understand better the man and how he operates and handles all of the situations that he will be presented with.
How he keeps calm in a crisis, how he listens to others before making his decisions and how he has patient when things take a bit longer to be realized.
During the presidential election Barack Obama was given the title of, no drama Obama, well that saying seems to have continued now that he is the president and he is showing that he can keep his cool.
Leaders from all over the globe, whether they are political leaders or business leaders, do not envy the task that President Obama has to perform.
Two wars, a global financial crisis, the total loss of confidence in the banking system, an economic downturn that has just turned into a world recession and may even finally become a world depression and the now constant threat from the terrorist organizations.
In such circumstances many leaders would find themselves lost for how to solve all of these huge problems, but not President Obama, he knows his own abilities and has no fear, because he believes in himself.
He also believes in the ability of the people of this world to stand up and fight for what is rightfully theirs, a prosperous future with peace and real freedom.
Challenges in our business lives pale to insignificance compared to the daunting challenges that President Obama has to face, but that does not mean that, as a business leader, you cannot learn from this man.
Watch him very carefully how he deals with each situation, notice when and to whom he delegates responsibility and respect the speed at which he makes decisions.
Seldom do such men appear in our world, but when they do we should take every opportunity to educate ourselves in their ways.
No drama Obama is the perfect role model for any business leader to follow and aspire to.
Learn from this incredible leader and apply it to the way you lead within your business.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Step 14 – Commitment
This is Step 14 out of the 20 Steps of How To Make Business A Success.
Being committed - what you say you are going to do, you will do.
Business leaders throughout the world owe their success in part to the commitment that they have personally put into their businesses.
Commitment means showing personal endeavour, putting in personal effort and being personally involved in all of the activities that will bring you and your business success.
Commitment for a business leader means that they are really going to work hard and put in every effort to succeed.
Commitment is all about getting involved, with your business, with your employees, with your suppliers, with your vendors and with your loyal customers.
Making a commitment is the start of a relationship of trust and respect.
When you make a commitment you give someone your word and they believe that they can trust you and that you will not let them down.
If you make a commitment and then don’t keep it, you are not letting others down, you are letting yourself down, but it will mean that your reputation and the trust that people had in you will be questioned.
When you make a commitment to your customers, you are setting an expectation and the customers should have no reason to believe that you will not fulfill it.
When you make a commitment to your employees, you are making a promise of intent and they expect you to keep your word.
Make it a commitment that you are going to increase the overall success of your business.
By making this statement of commitment to the overall success of your business, you are firmly establishing the thought in your mind and saying that you are going to do it.
But the strongest form of commitment is the one that you make to yourself; it is the promise to yourself that you will make every endeavor and do everything that you can to be a successful business leader.
Make that commitment today and follow these steps to make business a success for yourself.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Are You Really MAD?
Well are you really MAD?
No, I don’t mean are you angry with something or someone.
And I don’t mean to imply that you might be going insane.
What I am asking you is this; are you really Making A Difference?
Or are you just going through each day doing what you have to do, with no thought about what kind of difference you could make to all the other people around you and to your business.
Look at what you do in a day, does it contribute to the overall success of your business, or is it just a set of routines that you always go through each day.
If you are not really making a difference in what you do, then why are you there?
You should be waking up each and every day asking yourself; what I can do today that will really make a significant difference for the business?
And don’t think that there is nothing that you can do that will make a difference. Every individual can make a difference, in whatever small, medium or large way that they may contribute.
All you have to do is try; let your imagination take over; think about the activities that take place within your business environment and identify those activities that you can contribute to.
Now prioritize those activities that would have the most contribution from you and decide on an action plan; then implement it.
But don’t leave it at that, ask all of your closest colleagues the same question; are they really mad?
Then explain to them what you now know; that everybody can make a difference. Ask them to help you to make it happen throughout your business and very soon you will hear everyone asking; are you really mad?
It becomes quite infectious and very soon it will become a movement for change.
Change for the better, to help the economy recover quicker. By spreading the word, many more people will take part in the endeavour to find ways where they can really make a difference.
It’s not such a MAD idea really, is it?
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Pride Of America
It’s a new day, a new way, a new beginning and yesterday has gone.
The world has a new leader and that leader stands for hope.
But our new leader has also regained our respect and our unwavering support; we now know that together we can move the mountains that had seemed immovable before.
Hope is now starting its march across the world, people of all nations and of all languages are now spreading the word; no is changing to yes.
Hope is now filling souls that were empty with a new tomorrow, giving them a sense of belonging that they felt they would never have.
Many have suffered in the past, but they never stopped believing that one day, if they kept their faith, it could be different and they could walk with their heads held high.
Well that day has come, yesterday has gone and it will never ever return the people are now inspired, full of new hope and singing out loud with a renewed fire in their hearts.
Our new leader has not only the respect of the world, but the love of a new generation, that has waited for too long for this moment in history and they have grasped it and made it their own.
Together with our families and friends we watched our leader; Barack Obama with his wife Michelle and their adorable children fill our hearts with pride.
Michelle Obama’s mother must be very proud and very humbled seeing her daughter become First Lady.
We will now see a return to family values and the caring for others that had slipped away from our lives.
We now think that everything is possible and that nothing will stop us.
President Barack Obama, we believe in you, we will follow you on this long journey and do whatever you ask us to do; because now you have taught us that together there is only one answer; yes we can.
Yesterday has truly gone and the future is about being positive, having hope and extending a hand of friendship to all the people of the world.
God bless you and your wonderful family.
God bless America and please God, bless the world.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Rainy Days Are Here Again
When the weather is overcast, clouds fill the sky and it never seems to stop raining every day, it is understandable for people to feel depressed and disillusioned with the world around them.
But that feeling can also be apparent in your business life as well, when dark clouds form over your business and just like the rain the problems seem to just fall out of the sky.
With the economic recession starting to bite, it is causing many cloud bursts and, as a business leader, you and your workforce have to run for cover.
You have known the good times, when the sun was shining on your business every day, but now you have to come to terms with the fact that rainy days are here again.
Your sales are down, your profits are down and future orders don’t look that great either, you remember back to the time when everything was going good in your business, when you were considering expanding.
What you need now is a clear vision of growing your business and substantially increasing the number of people that work for you.
You need to start sowing the new seeds now, so that when the rains have gone, you can reap a harvest of growth for your business.
This means focusing all your investments for your business in only the things that will bring this future growth to you and not making financial decisions that will only be wasted.
There are also other investments to consider as well, make every single moment of your time worthwhile, take this time to train your best people and look at ways that you can reduce cost without letting people go.
And your customers will be seeking a shelter from the storm, so treat them right, give them value and above all give them respect and then they will repay you with their loyalty during these hard times.
Some businesses will be suffering from a monsoon, whereas others will only get a light shower. The ones who only experience a light fall of rain on their business are the ones who have taken the necessary steps to protect and cover themselves.
Rainy days are here again, but by taking the right precautions you will find that your business can come through this current storm and you will be able to watch the dark clouds fade away and the sun start to shine once more on your business.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
When The World Swings My Way
In all the years that I have spent with many business leaders, the one thing that has been most noticeable has been the determination that they have for being successful in their businesses.
As I have discussed with many of them at length, about how they feel about business and the challenges that they have had to face, they all express that it sometimes gets tough, but that they must go on.
This spirit of determination is also closely partnered by their willingness to be patient, with the realization that in time things will all work out fine.
One particular business leader comes to mind; he is now the CEO of one of the world’s leading communications companies.
But it was not always that way; he has known the lows as well as the highs in business.
There was a time when everything seemed to be going wrong for him, it did not matter what he tried to do, it just all fell apart and he had to start all over again.
Many of his business associates had labelled him as a failure and they gave him little attention and would spend hardly any time with him.
In such circumstances most business people would call it a day and throw in the towel, but not this business leader. He had that spirit of determination and the willingness to be patient.
When I met him for the first time, it was in the middle of this turn of misfortunes that he was experiencing and our conversation dwelled for a short time on the things that were going wrong.
Then he said something that really changed the entire mood of our conversation; he was talking about how he would never give up trying and added, “I am willing to be patient until such time as when the world swings my way.”
That set of words summed up the complete understanding for me of what makes a business leader, not only successful, but respected.
A solid determination, along with an abundance of patience and the unwavering belief, that everything will be good one day in the future.
For all of the business leaders who are going through a similar set of circumstances, of misfortunes and things just not going your way.
Just remember, stay determined, be patient, keep believing and one day the world will swing your way.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Step 13 – Trust
This is Step 13 out of the 20 Steps of How To Make Business A Success.
Trust is being able to say that you have complete confidence in others and that others can say that they have complete confidence in you.
Trust is closely aligned with integrity and respect, if people can say that they respect you and that you have integrity, then they will also have a trust in you.
Trust is also about giving responsibility to others and once you have delegated that responsibility, let it go and trust in your people to be able to perform well.
The reputation of a business leader and their business for that matter is made from the trust relationships that are built within the business with their employees and external to the business with their customers, their suppliers and even their competition.
It takes a long time to build a trust relationship that is both honest and respectful, but that trust relationship can be lost in an instance if it is felt by either party that there is dishonesty or lose of respect.
Trust can be transmitted by actions, by the spoken word, by the written word, by body language, or by eye to eye contact. It can be lost by lack of sensitivity, by not listening, by saying the wrong things, by writing the wrong things, by not looking a person in the eyes, by nervous body language or by inappropriate actions.
When customers lose trust in a business, the word spreads very quickly and in a very short space of time the business will suffer. Word of mouth recommendation from one customer to another is what will increase the success of any business. But the reverse is true if the trust has gone.
As a business leader always think very carefully about how you are perceived and if you are seen by others to be a person that they can trust. A trusted business leader only has to ask and their employees will do everything that they can to make the business successful.
But don’t try and wear trust like a badge, trust should be natural and it should not be necessary for you to tell anybody that they can or should trust you. You cannot make another person trust you; you have to earn the trust over time.
Have trust within you; let it become part of your everyday business life, when your instincts tell you to do something for a customer or for your employees, then trust your instincts and do it, they will respect and trust you even more as a business leader because of it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Now Hope Can Breathe
Today is the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.
This is a very special day not only for the American people but also for the whole world. With Barack Obama as the new president of the United States of America it will mean that now hope can breathe.
He has instilled within not only the people of his own country, but also the people of the world, a strong feeling of hope and the real promise of positive change.
Barack Obama now has the mandate of the American people to make the changes that are necessary in Washington that he so precisely and clearly articulated during his election campaign.
The necessary investment will be made, to revitalize business and in so doing create the jobs that will get people back to work and give them a sense of hope again.
He has already been working on creating a stimulus package that will help the people to regain their confidence, which will in turn bring the hope of an economic recovery.
And as hope starts to breathe again the positive perception that the rest of the world will have about the USA will create partnerships with other countries to reduce the threat to national security.
At last the USA will be leading the world again, not just in one or two areas, but in all the important factors that can and will determine the world’s future.
Important factors such as, the world’s economy, the regulating of all the financial institutions, investment in renewable energy, eradication of terrorism and the fight against climate change.
History will show this was the time the world embraced the refreshing change that President Barack Obama brings and the real feeling of hope that he has instilled into this world of ours.
This moment has finally arrived; it has seemed like an eternity since he was first nominated by the Democratic Party as their selected candidate to contest the election.
And it has been an enormous wait since he was elected on November 4, as the first African-American in history, to become President of the USA.
But now he is officially the President and now hope can breathe.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Times They Are A Changing
Many of us will remember that it was not that long ago that we heard George.W.Bush say that there was going to be a new world order.
But there is no way that he could have been talking about or have envisioned such dramatic changes as we have seen in the last year.
It is now clear to everybody that times they are a changing and not just by a little but by a significant amount.
The financial markets will never be the same again, the banking system will never be trusted without stringent oversight and all of the financial institutions that mortgage or insure our homes will be restructured.
It will take the world a very long time to recover from the deep recession that has now gripped the world.
People will find themselves without jobs for many years and it will take a considerable amount of time before they feel it is a secure investment to own their own homes again.
Oh, yes, times they are a changing!!
But in every cloud there is a silver lining and in this particular cloud that silver lining is starting to become clearer.
All of us have learned a lot from this dramatic crisis that has caused so much turmoil in our world and that means that we will want to change a lot of things and the way we do them.
The people of the world will now want total proof of long term stability before they make any investment of their hard earned money, they will demand more control over their lives, instead of being controlled by governments.
And most importantly, they will want a clear roadmap of how our world will develop for our children in the future.
Times they are a changing and there will be a new world order, it will be called People Power.
And if anybody thinks it is not going to happen and that the people of the world will not demand that, just remember we have all been taught how to respond to that now.
YES WE CAN.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Talk To A Business Counsellor
Is the current economic recession getting on top of you?
Are you having money worries in your business?
Are you finding it hard to think of anything else?
Then you need to talk to somebody about it. You could talk to a trusted colleague or friend, you could talk to a family member or you could talk to a business counsellor.
Don’t let yourself get more and more stressed worrying about the whole situation, by talking to a business counsellor you can get it all out in the open and it will make you feel a lot better to be able to discuss it.
A business counsellor will be unbiased and will have the expertise to be able to discuss everything, giving you the right advice where necessary.
But the essential aspect of talking to a business counsellor is that they will ask you all the relevant questions to establish exactly what your individual situation is currently.
They will listen carefully to all that you have to say to them, without interruption and without any judgement on the actions that you have taken.
And they will tell you what your options are and what you can do to try to resolve your current business situation.
Once you have had a conversation with a business counsellor, you will have all the facts in front of you and you will be able to make the right decisions for your business.
As part of the discussion with the business counsellor, you will create an action plan to bring your business to recovery and determine the best way forward for your business in the future.
After talking with a business counsellor, you will feel a lot lighter and will feel as if a great load has been taken off of your shoulders.
In all situations talking can only help to solve the problems that we sometimes find ourselves having to deal with in business.
Understandably your mind is in turmoil because of the amount of stress and tension of trying to solve everything yourself and the difficulty that you are finding in solving anything at all.
So, talk to a business counsellor soon and then you can stop worrying so much.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Prioritize The Problems
Business leaders have to deal with problems in their businesses every day, they call them challenges or obstacles, that are stopping them from being able to obtain a more successful business.
But, whatever they call them they are still problems that have to be solved as quickly as possible, so that they can turn their focus back to running their businesses smoothly.
As a business coach, when I meet with business leaders in the privacy of their own companies, one of the first things I will ask them is to list their top ten problems that they have with their business.
By writing the top ten problems, that you have, as a list on a whiteboard it is visible for you to see and discuss.
Then prioritize this list of problems, by which is the most important for your business to be solved, by which is the least cost to solve, or by which is the most resources needed to solve and by which are the most needed to be solved problems to give your business more success.
After that take the number one priority problem and drill down to the cause of the problem, not the symptoms, until you identify what is needed to solve it.
The rest of the problems in the list are treated in the same way, until you have discussed and analysed each problem in priority order.
Then look at the cost and resource implications for each one of the problem solutions and again, prioritize the problems, depending on the level of cost and resource that is involved in solving the problem.
Lastly make an action plan of which problem solutions can and will be implemented within your business, again in a prioritized order.
By prioritizing the problems like this, you will finish up with an easily manageable action plan, which you can immediately start to implement within your business.
Make each problem solution a specific project that can be implemented within your business that either you, as the business leader, or one of your management team can lead.
Make the decision on the cost expenditure, allocate the resources and delegate the responsibility, then watch each of the problems being solved.
Yes, there are challenges and obstacles that you will encounter in business, but they soon melt away when you prioritize the problems.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Step 12 - Tolerance
This is Step 12 out of the 20 Steps of How To Make Business A Success.
Tolerance is having the appreciation and recognition that all people are different. It means having sensitivity in many situations and controlling your attitude towards others.
When you have new people enter your business, it is critical to the success of your business and for their success in your business, for you to show tolerance towards them.
Signs of not showing tolerance are expressions like; why don’t they do things the way we do? Why don’t they understand what I am saying to them? Don’t they know how to do it right?
Those people may have different ideas and they may have a completely different understanding of what you are asking them to do. Their values, ideas and activities may be totally different to what you are accustomed.
So, how do so many people in the world of business manage to live together in their business environments without any of the things that you are experiencing affecting their business life?
They have realised that it is only their own attitude to the situations that are presented to them, which determines the outcome.
By showing tolerance and sensitivity to other people’s feelings, with a recognition and respect for their ideas, you will very soon find that it becomes a natural way of thinking and your attitude will reflect this fact.
Their beliefs, ideas, values and their way of doing things will all remain the same; you just have to give some patient attention to them, to gain better appreciation and understanding.
Getting more involved with the people, in their activities, you will begin to have a much fuller immersion in their ways and they will want to help you to become more integrated with them. They will put a lot of effort into communicating with you, by telling you some of their ideas and learning some of yours.
You will find that their ideas, beliefs and values are not so far away from your own. And the enlightenment that the business is just as important to them as it is to you will reinforce that sense of belonging together.
Whether it is by relocation to your employment, or it is a new employee, those people are now a part of your business life. And they will give you, as warm a welcome, as you give them.
Tolerance and the knowledge that we are all the same, despite our differences, will give you an attitude to the people around you, which will provide the successful fulfilment of your business life.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Everlasting Razor Blades
What is competition and why is it needed anyway?
All the time, you hear people in business talking about trying to be more competitive, or being able to have a competitive advantage, or having a competitive edge over other businesses.
But why is it so important to be competitive all the time?
Let us look for a moment at how competition works in business and what causes it to be necessary.
If one of the manufacturers of razor blades created an everlasting razor blade, then it would mean that there would no longer be a need to ever replace your razor blade.
So that company would have all the business for razor blades and there would no longer be a competitive situation anymore.
Well, no that would not be the case, you see customers don’t look at things in the same way that business people do, they want to be able to make a choice and be sure that they are getting value in what they buy.
That means that the customers would expect all the other razor blade manufacturers to create their own version of everlasting razor blades and to offer them at competitive prices.
That way they would know that they would have a choice and that they could be quite confident that they were getting value in their purchase.
So, you see competition between businesses is there because all the customers require it to be so. And competition between businesses is healthy, because it ensures that the customer ultimately gets the value that they are looking for.
By businesses being competitive, they will think of new ideas and create innovative products and services.
Competition means that businesses will make the investments that are needed in the research, design and development of new products and services.
Without competition there would have been no progress in our lives and all of the exciting products and services that we continuously want to purchase would not have been available to us.
There never will be everlasting razor blades and for as long as all the customers want to make a choice and obtain value in what they buy, then there will always be competition.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Let’s Start The Week Right
Ok, let us start the week right, no negative thoughts or negative actions, just positive thinking and a positive attitude to those who are around us.
We will treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves.
Well, that sounds positive, but do we mean it and can we keep it that way for longer than a few hours?
At the moment we are all irritated by the economic situation and the fact that we don’t have enough money and it makes no difference whether we are at home, in our businesses or at the shops, we still feel the pressure.
But that is no excuse for being irritable with other people, like the shop assistants, your colleagues at work, your customers or your family.
It is not their fault that this economic recession is happening and they are trying to cope with it as well.
Just because some of your customers are not buying from you is no reason for getting upset with the ones that are staying loyal.
Think before you speak. Take a deep breathe and think about what you are about to say to someone.
Try to be in harmony with everyone and don’t get too serious about everything. Lighten up a bit, being depressed does not help anything.
For you to be in harmony with everyone else it means, that you first, have to be in harmony with yourself. You have to learn to control your emotions more.
And that means you have to stop blaming yourself for everything and especially for what is happening to your business.
Outside forces have caused this economic situation in the world and all businesses are affected, not just yours.
So, let those negative thoughts leave your mind and allow all the more positive thoughts to take over.
This is a new year, a fresh beginning and an opportunity for you to show other people how to be strong and to behave well, even though you are under stress.
From now on, show your smile, not a frown and welcome everybody with a positive attitude. Let us start the week right and keep it that way.
Friday, January 9, 2009
You Mean, Its Friday Already!
I don’t mean to sound so surprised, but it is Friday already, it is now the ninth day of January 2009, this year is really starting to fly by.
It only seems a moment ago that we were all making our plans for how we were going to spend Christmas with our families and friends.
Decorating our houses and Christmas trees, rushing around the shops buying our last minute presents and getting all the food and beverages for the big feast.
You mean that has all happened and we have celebrated the New Year as well, with parties and the giving of good wishes for the year ahead.
The hangovers have all gone and the sense of being nicely relaxed and enjoying the festivities has melted into the mists of time.
We now have our feet and minds back inside our business activities and before we know it the month of January will be gone too.
How can something that we have been waiting the whole year for, just seem to suddenly happen in the blink of an eye?
Before we realize it, we would have forgotten the whole thing happened at all and we will be making plans for our summer holidays.
That’s yet another event in our lives that we put so much energy into planning and looking forward to only to find that it comes and goes so quickly as well.
Have you noticed that a period of time seems to go even quicker when we are really enjoying ourselves and spending it with people that we like to be with?
You know, if we applied the same logic to our business lives then being in business would be more enjoyable, we would be able to get on great with everyone and the time would go really fast.
Hey, that’s a great idea, our business lives would be much better then.
So, have a totally positive, friendly attitude with your colleagues, enjoy what you are doing every day in your business and just watch the time fly by.
Then, without sounding too surprised, you can say, you mean, its Friday already, every week.
Have a wonderful weekend; see you all again next week.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Light At End Of Tunnel
This is a new year, with a fresh start, a different perspective on your business life and a determination to not just survive, but to be even more successful.
Is that the way you are thinking?
Or are you only able to focus your attention on trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Many business leaders are going through exactly the same experiences as you are at the moment, searching for a way to get their business back in order and to regain a sense of stability.
The only way to make that happen is for you, like them, to have a clear plan of action and a really positive attitude to the approach that you are going to take to implement it.
But before you can envision your plan of action, you need to set firmly in your mind precisely what the goal is that you want to achieve for your business.
That will require you to look into the future and decide where you wish your business to be and what it is you need to do to get there.
This will mean looking beyond the light at the end of the tunnel and for you to take a long term view of how you want your business to proceed.
Once you have done this, then you can clearly define the steps that will be required for you to be able to reach your business goal.
This will form the main backbone of your action plan, upon which you can add the necessary details of the things that will need to be done to make each action, or step of your plan happen.
With this action plan in your hands, you will now have something more tangible to focus your attention on and you will then be able to again start to make the solid decisions that your business needs.
Also with this renewed business vitality, your attitude to your business activities will become more positive and your people will have a leader to look up to and respect.
If all that you want for your business is that light at the end of the tunnel, then go ahead and keep looking for it.
But if you are the type of business leader who wants to find an effective way to survive and improve your business success, set your business goal and put in place your clear plan of action today.
Your motivating force will be your desire to succeed, have faith in your actions and be tenacious, never, ever give up; do not believe in failure.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Step 11 – Decision Making
This is Step 11 out of the 20 Steps of How To Make Business A Success.
The main purpose of a business leader is to make decisions, hopefully the right ones, to progress their business in terms of success and profitability.
But many business leaders seem to have trouble in making effective, quick decisions.
They will keep on gathering more and more information until they think that they have enough on which to make a decision.
Get as much information as possible, but don’t wait too long to decide.
Usually a good decision can be made with considerably less than one hundred percent of the available information and fifty to seventy five percent of the information is usually sufficient.
Don’t over analysis the information presented to you and don’t spend many hours agonizing over whether you have really come to the right decision.
As a business leader you should avoid getting caught in the process of analysis.
This state of procrastination by business leaders is seen by their peers and employees as being indecisive, slow to act and essentially really ineffective in the function that they are performing.
Make a list of the pros and cons, this will help you to think clearly and logically about the decision you must make.
All high performance business leaders are recognised by the decisive actions that they have taken and the results that they have achieved.
Those high performance business leaders will seize the opportunity, immediately that they identify it, they don’t wait until someone else does it before them; they go ahead and do it.
So, make a decision, don’t procrastinate, just go ahead and make a decision. Then act on your decision.
Only those business leaders, who have the courage to make the decision and grasp the opportunity when it is presented to them, will truly advance and become successful high performance business leaders.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
HTMBAS The Continuation
We hope you had superb Christmas and New Year celebrations and that you are refreshed and ready to continue your quest of understanding How To Make Business A Success.
Last year we published the first 10 steps of this series, it is now time to continue the series with the next post Step 11 - Decision Making, which will be published tomorrow, Wednesday 7 January 2009.
Making business a success is more about the qualities and attributes of the business leader than it is about the business itself. There are many factors that can determine how successful a business leader might be in their chosen industry, but there are a set of steps that a business leader can follow that will ensure that they will have success in their business.
These steps contain all the information that is needed to gain a better appreciation of what the business leader qualities and attributes are and the steps will guide you in how to implement them in your business life.
These set of steps have been utilized by many thousands of successful business leaders throughout the world and have been found to move the business leader and their business, faster and higher up their ladder of success.
The series of steps are a comprehensive set of insights into the plans of action that have been taken by business leaders who have succeeded in making their businesses a success.
If you are not already subscribed to Business Leader Success Advice, then it would be a good idea to subscribe now, its free and you will then receive regular quality content updates as they are released.
The following series of posts will be published each Wednesday for the next ten (10) weeks.
Step 11 - Decision Making, Action moves a business forward.
Step 12 - Tolerance, Learn from others mistakes, don’t blame.
Step 13 - Trust, Once you have delegated, let it go.
Step 14 - Commitment, Do what you say you are going to do.
Step 15 - Determination, You will climb the ladder of success.
Step 16 - Self Awareness, The one you know, not who others see.
Step 17 - Purpose, Personal endeavour makes it happen.
Step 18 - Courage, Only as good as the chances you take.
Steps 19 - Challenges, Mental strength, don’t let them stop you.
Step 20 - Confidence, You will be a great business leader.
Good luck, your business is depending on you to succeed.
Monday, January 5, 2009
A New Year Resolution
Happy New Year To You All From Business Leader Success Advice.
It’s the start of a new year, 2009, the New Year celebrations are all over and you have had time to sober up a bit, so it is now the time to decide on your New Year resolution.
You may have already made a New Year resolution that relates to your personal life, but you should also be thinking about setting a New Year resolution that refers to your business life.
Here are a few ideas of the sort of New Year resolutions that you could consider;
To treat your employees more fairly and pay them what they deserve.
To give your customers more value in your products and services.
To create a better balance in time for business activities and family.
To pay all the business people you owe money to, in this coming year.
To allocate more time to focus on your future business vision.
To never, ever give up, no matter how hard it gets.
To have the courage to take risks that will bring your business success.
To trust your people to do what you have asked them to do.
To be more honest with yourself about how your business is doing.
To listen to your heart, not just to what your head is saying.
To let your people voice their business ideas and to discuss them.
To listen to your customers and better understand their needs.
To make your business the success that you promised you would.
To have a more positive outlook about how your business fortunes are.
To discuss the problems in your business with people that can help.
Your business New Year resolution could be anyone of these, or a combination of more than one. Or you could think of a New Year resolution that is unique to you and your business.
Either way, choose your resolution and make a commitment to fulfil it.
