Break Your Control Freak Habit And Catalyze Your Business

By Linda Feinholz, “Your Success Catalyst”

Most entrepreneurs are control freaks. And that holds for small business leaders and managers inside businesses alike. You’ve spent a lifetime, since your school days, in fact, being rewarded for taking personal responsibility for getting your assignments done. On your own. No one ever said “Great job handing that assignment off!” when you were in school. And you spent 12 or more years being rewarded for doing it all yourself.Let me ask you this: Would you do just about anything to keep your hand ‘in’ your business, rather than hand the work off to others? Just like my client, Susan, you may be sabotaging your own success.

One of the reasons businesses languish, and even fail, is that the business owner or leader is doing everything themselves. Whether we stepped up in responsibility over time spent in our profession, or started our own business as an entrepreneur, we often think the business success requires keeping our own personal grip on the reins of all the activity. I say “we” because I know it myself – I’ve struggled to decide what I was willing to hand over to others. And Susan is facing that challenge right now.The thing is, as any business grows, the sheer volume and variety of things to be done outpaces what you (or I) can actually accomplish on our own. If you try to run it all, you’ll likely run the business itself into the ground. Why? Because, you’ll take your eyes and mind off of the High Payoff activities that should have your time and attention.

If you want to make more money, have more fun and have time off too, you must get things off of YOUR to do list and get your attention where it belongs. Here’s what I mean. My client Susan is growing her marketing business. She has to hire junior level folks and train them in the services her firm provides. That takes time. And it may take weeks or months for each new hire to demonstrate they can handle all the types of work that needs to be delivered to their particular clients.Along the way Susan runs into the same challenge over and over - to incrementally hand over the client relationship and all the work to the more ‘junior’ person who is becoming experienced in handling the client. Susan’s bump in the road is that she forgets to step back to a leader’s role of empowering her staff. So Susan’s company is even more dependent upon her for all new work. Not only is she diverted from going after new clients, she’s standing in the way of her staff emerging as business developers. They aren’t having a chance to build the client relationships that will let them look for and propose additional work with their existing clients.

Her higher value to her business, and her clients, is in being available to solve complex and strategic issues they run into. When she makes that shift she’ll be able to keep her own attention on marketing and bringing in more business.

You have choices for how to handle it in your role as a business leader. You can hire people and train them and hand work over to them. Or you can outsource it to specialists with proven track records at handling the very stuff you’re ready to delegate. Different decisions, useful at different points in a business’s growth. But each option poses the exact same challenge:What, exactly, is the stuff that you should hand off? The first way to identify it is that it’s

  • Stuff you’re not an expert in

  • Stuff you’ve never done before

  • Stuff that will fill your calendar and not move your business forward

When you get those items off your to do list you recover your attention and you can refocus it on the critical items that demand your involvement. In my own world, I’m outsourcing parts of my own business activity. I’m gradually handing things off to my fabulous assistant. And in time, as the business grows I’ll be handing off more.In my work with Susan and her team this week, one of her staff commented that he found himself wondering what he could do with his time for the last hour every day. He wanted more work. I had everyone, including Susan, identify 5 hours of specific work they would take off their To Do list and hand off to a more junior person. In this way each person will take on new responsibilities and each will also

In my work with Susan and her team this week, one of her staff commented that he found himself wondering what he could do with his time for the last hour every day. He wanted more work. I had everyone, including Susan, identify 5 hours of specific work they would take off their To Do list and hand off to a more junior person. In this way each person will take on new responsibilities and each will also step up into more High Payoff action!

September 27, 2007 | Filed Under Delegation, Ideas, Inspiration | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 “Action” And You Can Change It All!

When you look at these three styles of entrepreneur, which one do you most resemble? And which characteristics pose the most challenge to your achieving your goals?

Take a moment and ask yourself

“What single change can I make to keep myself focused and on track?”

You’ll be surprised how simply declaring the change will keep you noticing the challenge each time it crops up. And having your attention on it is the first step to getting the stumbling block out of your path.

September 24, 2007 | Filed Under Catalyst Action Tip, Leadership, Managing | Leave a Comment 

Hop, Skip Or Jump Your Way To Entrepreneurial Success

By Linda Feinholz, “Your Success Catalyst”

I’ve mentored a quite a few already-successful entrepreneurs over the years. To folks holding jobs inside businesses, these business owners appear to be a breed apart. I say ‘appear’ because you may think all entrepreneurs fall into a single unique category and can be considered ‘successful’ for making that choice. You’d be wrong and there’s a lesson in how to create your High Payoff results by understanding what distinguishes them.

You’ve heard me say that I’m all about getting my clients what they want (usually it’s to achieve their Vision further, faster and easier). One key group of entrepreneurs says to me “Linda, there has to be a better way. Show me what action to take and I’ll do it.” We keep their focus on a repeating cycle: Intention – Plan – Action. They attend to those steps systematically, repeatedly. Those are entrepreneurs who are ‘Movers.’

But that’s not the only kind of entrepreneur in business. There’s also the person who creates their own business so that no one else will ever tell them what to do, or how to do it. While they put a flag in the ground, and declare “This is mine!” they don’t necessarily set goals, or spend any time putting a plan in place that will guide them towards those goals. So they’re constantly busy trying to get it all done and won’t hear of handing any of it off. Those are entrepreneurs who are ‘Doers.’

You might think these are the only versions of entrepreneur to model if you’re considering creating a business of your own, you might believe that the only way to create exceptional success is by following the path of a Mover. But that’s not the full story. And to understand what it takes to create High Payoff results, you need to know of the third type of entrepreneur as well.

There are also ‘Hyper-Achievers’ out there. You’ll recognize them (if they stop moving long enough for you to spot them). They have more than one business endeavor on their plate at the same time, and six more in their hopper. They have more happening in one day than many of us take on in a given week, or month, let alone year.

So, now you’re wondering if I’m walking you through all of this because I want you to walk the hyper-achiever path. But the truth is that focusing on these three labels misses the true keys to creating valuable business results. Each of these versions of business leader might be succeeding enormously or failing spectacularly in their businesses.

Every day, you’re surrounded by entrepreneurs who are attorneys, manufacturers, retailers, executives. What makes them each an entrepreneur is that they wake each day with a singular attitude. They take a look at the world around them and declare “I know what I want to create, and I’ll take steps today to make that happen!” And then, just like the rest of us, they lead either effective or ineffective days.

For each of them, the roots of their success or failure lie in the actions that follow that declaration.

Remember the Movers? They started with a Vision they want to create in the world. That underpins their decisions. They marshal all their resources to create that result, and then set a game plan that will make it happen. Some of them, however, become absorbed in each detail, worried that it will all collapse if they take their hands off of any of it.

And the Doers? Many of them slip into becoming an employee of a new boss - their own company. They’re working long hard hours and their key motivation is doing it themselves, rather than building toward a specific goal. As a result, they wake every day with even more responsibilities than they held onto before.

And the Hyper-Achievers? Some of them set up the structures and processes and delegate the doing so it actually gets done. Others tread a dangerous line between building one fabulous idea after another, and chasing bright shiny inviting opportunities no one else yet sees. You might spot them launching new initiatives one after the other and bringing few of them to completion.

Each of these entrepreneurs increased their risk and severely jeopardized their returns.

The ‘Already-Successful’ achievers I’ve worked with come from all three styles of entrepreneur. You can learn and use the fundamental High Payoff techniques that set them apart from those who fail. What distinguishes these achievers is that they keep a clear focus to their attention, get rid of their distractions over and over, daily, and keep their attention on the activities that actually are aligned with getting them to their Vision.

How are you approaching your business?

September 20, 2007 | Filed Under Leadership, Managing | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 “Interruption” And You Can Change It All!

Many of my business clients are used to an ‘open door’ policy. They have the mistaken notion that an open door culture must mean ‘I’m always available.” As a result, their own work takes three to six times as long to accomplish as it needs to.

The best technique you can use is Calendared Open Door. Another way to think of that is “I’m always available to set up time to meet with you.” And that doesn’t mean right here, right now.”

The next time someone calls or stops at your door and asks “Have you got a minute?” ask them

“Will 3 o’clock work for you to discuss that?”

Get the appointment on the calendar and get your attention back where it belongs, on the thing that needs your undivided attention so it gets done.

September 16, 2007 | Filed Under Time Management | Leave a Comment 

Creating High Payoff Focus That Accelerates Your Results

By Linda Feinholz, “Your Success Catalyst”

I kicked off coaching with one of my Platinum Private Coaching clients, Brad, this week. As we discussed the High Payoff Vision that he is setting for himself, he mentioned that one of his goals is to ‘level’ his week.

When I asked him to say more about that, he told me “Well, it’s sort of about getting better handle on my time and how I’m using it. Managing my time. It feels out of balance and out of my control.”

I really appreciated that he didn’t say “I need better Time Management.” It’s a jargon phrase that I have lost patience with. I have to bite my tongue when people use that expression. Twenty-plus years of working with solo-preneurs, executives, and business owners has proven to me over and over that there is no such thing as Time Management. There is Attention Management and Action Management, but not Time Management.

Time just courses and flows. There is no such thing as lassoing and saddling up time and steering it down the trail you want it to take. It takes you on the ride and it’s up to you to get comfortable with that fact and to put your reins on what you actually can control and steer.

So I’ll be working with Brad on techniques that increase his focus on what really needs his attention, and eliminating his distractions, and our starting point is going to be using the following 5 steps:

1 – Set Crystal Clear Goals

Make sure your goals are measurable and observable. If you find yourself saying things like “I want a better handle on my time” you aren’t setting a goal you can actually achieve. Why? Because “better” can mean anything to anyone. I often have to do my ‘Vague Words’ exercise with business teams I work with and this word is one of our gems, along with “I’ll take care of it.” Be very specific with how you’ll be using your time when you reach your goal and how is that different than today? What will ‘done’ look like when you achieve that goal?

2 – List The Actions That Will Get You There

For each goal you can name, list the first actions that will move you towards having it accomplished. My small business clients are often running from one meeting to another, from one problem to solve to another. What is often missed is the critical first step: Design what needs to get done. If you’re moving straight into action, you’re likely to spend twice as much time fixing and cleaning up what didn’t go the way you expected. So take it from the best managers in the world. Start your action list with quiet uninterrupted thinking and planning time.

3 – Calendar Your Time – ALL Of It

Many of my professional clients set meeting times with other people. They then assume they’ll fit in the ‘work’ they need to accomplish for themselves around those meetings. Boy have they got it wrong! Your work time is often five times as valuable as what you are actually giving your attention to. So block off time on your own calendar for meetings with yourself to get your own work done.

4 – Have Boundaries and Stick To Them

When you set time-bound goals, such as the start time for meetings, the delivery date for a project, or the length of time you’ll work on something your productivity soars. Stick to it. Go beyond just putting the name on the calendar. Have an intention for how that time will be spent and write that intention on the top of the page you have in front of you as a reminder you can check in with during that time.

5 – Deflect All Your Distractions

Are you irritated by interruptions? Mauled by email? Nabbed by newsletters? Set specific standards for how you’ll handle phone calls, email, and people at your door. So many of my coaching clients are in the habit of answering questions anytime one is posed. They’re working on a task and someone comes along in the middle of it with a burning issue. Is the building in flames? Probably not (grin).

My clients learn to pause only long enough to set an appointment for people to come back at a set time when they’ll focus on their specific question. Commit to checking with your intention for how you are using your time. Then you’ll know how you’ll respond. That includes turning people away so they get none of your attention while you’re working on the items you’ve got your attention on right now.

Brad is going to start using these techniques this week to gain control over his attention and actions. He’s going to create blocks of time, each day and each week, for using laser like focus and he’ll love every moment of his un-distracted productivity for hours every day!

Now go get focused on what really needs your time, attention and energy and enjoy the flow!

September 13, 2007 | Filed Under Organization, Productivity Tools, Time Management | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 “Yes” And You Can Change It All!

Are you faced with an overwhelming list of Must Do’s?

The first step in getting focused on your High Payoff activities is setting a clear intention. So put down the pen, put your phone lines on hold, turn off your email and get out of your chair. Walk over to the nearest window. With your eyesight focused beyond 20 feet away from you, answer the question

“What single accomplishment do I want to celebrate 6 months from now?”

The answer you gift yourself with is your starting point for all your next steps to get there. Map out the top 3 actions you’ll take that will keep your attention focused on that goal and put time on your calendar weekly to keep them in motion.

September 10, 2007 | Filed Under Vision | Leave a Comment 

THE POWER OF A TIMELY ‘NO’

By Linda Feinholz, “Your Success Catalyst”

One of my private coaching clients had an epiphany this week. 

It took place because Scott had changed his schedule, changed his pattern, and stopped what he was doing to join me in a conversation outside the bounds of his To Do list for the week. 

The only reason he was available for his own revelation was that he said “Yes” to changing his pattern and making time to meet with me. 

For many business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs, your workload has you so inundated that you simply don’t have the time to devote to taking in new information. Sometimes our insights come as a result of effort and sometimes they come as unexpected gifts. If you’re like me, you know from personal experience that if you immerse yourself in new information, and apply it to a situation you’re facing, you’ll get an “Ah Ha!” that can change your life. 

Once in a while, a chance conversation on an airplane, a comment on the radio, or a line in an article on an unexpected topic can utterly shift your perspective. Any of those events can trigger your excitement about your business and your life. 

The challenge is how to break the rhythm of staying busy on what is already known. It’s understandable that you’d rather say ‘No’ to a change in where you’re placing your attention. After all, its so much easier to just stick with the habit of running on automatic… staying over booked, loaded with more To Dos than you will ever get accomplished. Saying “Yes” to everything you put on your list makes you certain that you’re taking action. And if you’re in action then you believe you’re making some sort of progress on those items you’ve made a commitment to get done. 

Creating that shift in time often makes us anxious, tense and impatient at the very idea of changing our habits. And rather than step into that discomfort, we’ll keep immersed in the familiar stress we’ve already piled on. 

In fact, each time Scott is effective at accomplishing a business challenge, he’s approached with three more challenges his clients want him to take on. And wanting to be of service to their success, he keeps saying “Yes.” He’s been thinking that saying “no” means he’ll be letting people down, breaking commitments, avoiding responsibility, being selfish. 

If you’re like Scott, you’ve got it all wrong. In fact, while you’ve been assuming that “Yes” was the most powerful way to be present, you’ve got it backwards! The more you say “yes”, the less time you leave for making certain that you’re putting your own time to it’s best and highest use. 

Scott complained that he’s seldom thanked for everything he gets accomplished. Rather, he gets calls about what hasn’t been completed to someone else’s satisfaction. He’s so busy saying “Yes” to each request that he’s lost the time to evaluate whether those requests fit in with his Vision of what he wants to create. And by keeping busy, he’s eliminated any time for evaluating whether he’s being productive, effective, efficient, and valued. 

Clearly, Scott must create the selfish time for asking how a request fits in with the big picture he holds for himself. 

Just like Scott, if you want to be certain that you are creating the highest payoff from your own time, intelligence and effort, you must build in the time to check what you’re giving your attention to. You need to dedicate time for the new idea to enrich your thinking and to commit to the actions that will build your future. 

It just might be that the most powerful word you can use is “No!”

 

September 6, 2007 | Filed Under Time Management, Vision | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 Advisor And You Can Change It All!

If you’ve been doing it all alone, you’ve been making it much harder than it needs to be.

If you don’t have access to mastermind groups like the ones I put together for myself and for my High Payoff Catalyst members, it’s time to start your own!

Ask yourself

“Who do I know who’d like to exchange ideas regularly?”

Pick up your phone and call them and explain what you’re looking for and you’re on your way to filling in a critical missing link for your long-term success.

September 3, 2007 | Filed Under Ideas | Leave a Comment