Successful Blog

Finding Leadership within Your Business

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Business people in board room meetingAre you truly confident that you have some leaders from within your business?

While some company owners are quick to answer yes to such a question, others no doubt have to stop and think about it.

If you feel like you are having trouble finding leaders inside your company, do you plan to do anything about that moving forward?

If not, this does not mean your business is doomed for failure anytime soon.

What it does mean, however, is that you may want to take a little time to see if you not only do have some leadership talent within your ranks, but also how best to utilize that talent to motivate others inside your business.

Using Outside Examples to Inspire

Even though there are different ways with which to go about finding and bringing out the leaders in your company, it sometimes just comes down to simple things.

For example, you may have some budding leaders within your ranks, but for one reason or another, they are timid about putting those skills to use. If that’s the case, how do you (and should you) bring out those skills?

Always keep in mind that you should never force an employee into doing something they’re not comfortable with or becoming someone they truly are not meant to be. That said it is perfectly fine (sometimes quite necessary) to ask them to take on more authoritative roles if need be.

If you feel like you aren’t quite sure how to go about getting the most out of them, sometimes you might want to think about turning to others to provide sound examples.

For instance, having your employees view and listen to some individuals that have been proven to demonstrate leadership skills is a good start.

Public speakers such as Ron Fournier can provide their years of experience in the political world, transferring that knowledge over into the business community, all the while providing your team with valuable leadership tips.

When you stop and think about it for a moment, the political and business worlds have more in common than you may think.

For one, political leaders have to do all they can to amass support from their constituents, many of whom are either business leaders or employees of the former. While finding the true leaders from within your organization is not simply deciding by a vote which individual is the most popular and/or poised to do the job, it does mean identifying those employees willing to take on a more important role.

If you are trying to find leadership from within your ranks, remember to look at:

  • Motivation – First and foremost, which employees within your company seem most motivated to be leaders? This is not always something which is easy to tell, so it will likely take some doing on your part to identify such individuals. Search for those workers who come to their jobs each and every day looking to better than the day prior;
  • Helping co-workers – You know how some employees all but despise the idea of helping co-workers. To them, they have enough on their daily plates, so why ask them to assist others? As it turns out, those workers who are true team players within the office could be tomorrow’s leaders. Such individuals don’t think twice about lifting a finger to help their co-workers. In turn, those are the kinds of employees who will typically also go that extra mile for your customers;
  • Asks questions – Finally, which of your employees is always trying to learn more? While some workers may seem a little over the top when it comes to asking questions, you want those employees who are willing to roll their sleeves up and essentially get dirty. Such workers usually are interested in all facets of how the company works, with an eye on staying and growing with the business. These are typically the people who will stick around with you for a longer period of time than those who just come in and do their jobs, showing little or no effort to learn more about how things work (that is not true in all cases, so never punish or look down on those who are quiet and yet do a great job).

If finding leadership from within your business has been a challenge at times, consider taking a look outside to see how others can assist in motivating your team.

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and leadership topics on the web.

Avoid Being Left Hanging By Your Clients

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Customer blue puzzle pieces assembledWhat makes your business tick?

For many business owners, it is making sure that they keep their company running on an efficient schedule. Remember, efficiency is key to keeping the customers coming through the front door etc.

That said it can be somewhat easy for business owners to get off track at times, especially if they are not putting technology to great use in running their businesses.

One way this becomes a problem is if clients are not showing up for scheduled appointments or are coming in late. When this happens, a day’s schedule can easily get out of kilter.

So, how are you going about making sure you do not get left hanging by your clients?

Let Technology Work for You

So that you are able to manage your working hours as efficiently as possible, remember these tips:

  1. Understanding your business needs – First and foremost, the type of business you run oftentimes dictates what your time management needs will be. As an example, if your run a salon and/or nail business, keep in mind that clients are regularly coming through your doors. As a result, it is important that you don’t have regular breaks in the action, breaks that can ultimately lead to your revenue stream being impacted in a negative manner. In order to lessen the chances of that happening, having a Salon appointment book is a great way to keep things flowing. For example, if you are open say from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., you expect to have clients coming in during those hours, save maybe except for a lunch or dinner break on your part. If some clients either wonder in a half hour late or miss their appointments altogether, it is real easy for the day to get messed up. What you end up having is an unorganized approach to doing business, one that can mean less money coming in and more customers going out;
  2. Reminding clients of their appointments with you – Just as you get quite busy at times, your clients can be equally as if not busier than you. As a result, sending them a “friendly” reminder about their appointment with you simply makes sense. You are not being a nag, simply reminding them that they committed to time with you on a certain day and time. The reminder can be sent as a simple email or text, leaving them no excuse to say they forgot about their time with you;
  3. Keeping yourself on track – With all you have to do in your personal life, running a business can easily overlap into the former. So that you do not have to worry about that happening, using an online appointment book just makes sense. Such a book makes it easy for you to schedule how many hours you plan to work each day, along with determining how many clients you can squeeze in on a regular basis. Lastly, you can keep track of any time off you plan on taking (a day off, vacation time etc.), allowing you to plan out your working appointments months ahead of time.

Being Your Own Boss

There are many advantages that come with running your own business.

One of the great things in doing this is being able to determine your own working schedule. In doing that, there is still a lot of responsibility that falls on your shoulders on a daily basis.

In the past, many small business owners would rely on a paper calendar or even notepads to record when their clients were scheduled to pay them a visit. Even though that worked for countless business owners (it still does for some), many running small businesses will tell you that they’d be lost without their online software to plan out their days.

If you are in need of better planning your work days, look at the different software programs out there on the market.

Inevitably, you will discover one that is best suited for your business needs, needs that require you to be on time.

As for being on time, the same holds true for your clients.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

Getting Past Fear

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Screen Shot 2016-08-26 at 6.20.34 PM

I felt the more embarrassing fear of people’s judgment.

When I decided it was time to write again, I avoided the computer for the longest time. On the rare occasion that I managed to sit myself down to write, I’d get caught up answering email or reading articles around the web, not doing writing I had sat down to do. Some people would call what I felt was writer’s block or procrastination. But those words name the behavior, not its source — fear.

Fear is a silent villain. Until we see it, we can’t make it go.

Once I could speak loud enough to be heard and had the energy to think new thoughts, I found myself on shaky ground — I was afraid that I no longer had a “voice” that is relevant to the world. But I didn’t realize that at first. At first I was lost in overthinking. I felt like a trapeze artist to fly without a net for the first time.

At first, I was lost in rationalizations . . . I’ve been gone for so long, I don’t know what the audience is thinking. . . . I don’t know what their problems are now. . . . were the most common ones.

It wasn’t until I finally listened to myself that I found out what the problem was. I was consistently there every time I talked about what held me back. I thought I was stopped by what other people think or do. I was sidetracked before I even got to that by the words I don’t know. . . . Now I was getting somewhere. That was something I could know.

When I recognized my fear, I could consider it rationally rather than trying to rationalize it. I told myself I couldn’t possibly know everything. So what was all of this “I don’t know” fear about? I didn’t fear for my safety or fear getting lost. What feared was what people expected of me. I had faced that fear before. That fear is about fighting with ghosts. No one can win the approval of everyone.

I felt the fear of people’s judgment. Which people? My family? No. My friends? No. My third grade class? The city of Chicago or the entire population of the Internet? The world doesn’t have time to decide whether I do my best?

We have to find our true value by deciding for ourselves.

Be irresistible,

Liz

Put Your Mind to It

Take a few minutes to think about what you value in yourself. Do you give yourself the credit you’re due?  Decide what you know, what you do, and what you expect from yourself. Live up to that.  

More from Liz . . .
about Getting Past Fear:

What Is the Best True Story You Could Tell about You?

Are You Using History Strategically . . . to Claim Your Business and Life Future?

Beach Notes: Gray Days Are Normal

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By Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

 

Most beach pictures seem to be taken on bright, sunny days. But it’s the same beach, the same sea, on gray days and rainy days.
Like life, like business. Just because not every day is wonderful doesn’t mean life isn’t wonderful or business not full of possibilities.
Just see it through. That old sun will come out again.
Gray days are normal

Authors’ Bios: Suzie Cheel is the Heart Whisperer at Suzie Cheel You can find Suzie on Facebook and on Twitter as @suziecheel. She also shares her inspiring Beach Notes here on Sundays.

Des Walsh is a Digital Disruption Navigator at Des Walsh Dot Com You can find Des at LinkedIn and on Twitter as @deswalsh

You should be excited right now (#LizBook)

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You should be totally stoked at this moment.

Why?

The powerful, incisive voice of Liz Strauss is coming to a bookstore near you on September 21, 2016. The book is called, “Anything You Put Your Mind To,” and you can pre-order it on Amazon now. She’s already started her return on this blog, and is rejoining the social conversation by sharing her amazing sunrise photos.The next step is coming.

A sunrise worth sharing! #chicago #sunrise #lakemichigan

A photo posted by Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss) on

Liz’s book, written in collaboration with her GeniusShared business partner Jane Boyd, is not another business book to sit on your nightstand. It’s a compelling story, told from her sharp, creative viewpoint.

Many of those who have already read the book say that it’s very much like having a conversation with Liz. She has a way of cutting through the conversational clutter, laser-beaming in on what’s important, and providing clarity. You won’t find any “steps to becoming a better writer,” or “how to do what you love.” Instead, you’ll be brought along on a fantastic ride, ending up in a place where you can become unstuck, a place of success.

If you’re part of the SOBCon, GeniusShared family, a member of this blog community, a friend or fan of Liz Strauss, or just someone who’s looking for clarity and direction, we’re continuing the conversation using the hashtag #LizBook. Over the next month, let’s bring together the whole community to start telling stories about what true success means.

Are you excited now?

You should be.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Does Your Business Need a Little More Room?

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Group Of Business People Having Board Meeting Around Glass TableHave you stopped recently and looked around your office space?

For those individuals running businesses, they might be a tad overwhelmed if they stop to see how quickly their offices can fill up.

From all the office equipment to the number of employees you have working for you; it does not take long for free space to become all but non-existent.

In the event that best describes your office, what options do you have in front of you?

While there are a few options you can consider, have you thought about simply turning to a storage facility, giving you as much room as you need for excess files, office supplies, office machinery and more?

If not, you may want to give that idea a try sooner rather than later.

Store More Stuff and Reduce the Frustration

While you could consider relocating to a bigger office space in the event your current one is proving too small, that may very well prove more expensive, especially in the short term.

If, however, renting space at a local storage facility sounds like a better choice, there are some factors not to overlook in choosing the best unit for your needs.

Among these:

  • What will be stored? – If you are mostly in need of space for filing cabinets and boxes of documents, that should prove rather easy to store in a facility. There are likely a number of self storage units in your community, some of which may be very close to your current office address. Check around through your business contacts, along with using the Internet to see what would best meet your requirements. Unless you need to store excess office machinery or office furniture, finding a storage unit simply for paperwork/filing cabinets won’t be all that difficult;
  • Where will it be located? – Where you store your excess business documents, supplies, along with whatever else may be necessary, means finding a storage unit close to the office. You don’t want to have to drive clear across town just to access a couple of boxes of documents etc. Unless there is an issue with neighborhood security and/or the storage facility itself, finding the one closest to your office would typically make the most sense. That said it doesn’t hurt to check out some other nearby ones so you have at least more than one choice to work with;
  • What does it offer? – This is one of the more important parts of the decision you will have to make. You definitely want a storage facility that offers climate controlled units, along with secure locks and video cameras. Security should always be a top priority, especially when storing company paperwork, some of which is likely to include customer information on it. Entrance to the facility should also be secure, meaning only customers are allowed into the storage center. This is best done by requiring either entry with a key or a password on a computer pad;
  • What are the costs? – Last but not least, about how much can you expect to pay for renting a storage unit on a monthly basis? For some business owners, the cost will override any other factors, so this can prove quite important when all is said and done. Yes, you may not like the idea of having a monthly storage unit bill, but if it means still saving money over renting a more expensive office space, isn’t it worth it? While a bigger office may be the answer at some point and time down the road, turning to a storage facility now could be your best bet. You don’t want employees coming into an office each and every day where they are literally tripping over one another because of space issues.

As your office space becomes scarcer, this is an issue that you will have to address sooner or later.

You could look at it from the point view of your company is hopefully growing if space is becoming restricted.

More paperwork, more employees etc. can be a sign that your business is growing, certainly something very few business owners would be disappointed in.

Finding the best way to accommodate that growth may mean turning to a storage facility to take care of your items at least for the time being or becoming a whiz at reorganizing your current office.

Either way, a growing business is always a good problem to have.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.