Thoughts On Stepping Longer In Business (and in life)

I got a lot of comments on my note last week – people applauding me for the great results on the financial goal I set for myself this year.

Several folks asked me what I did differently this year. As I thought about it, I realized that it was a mix of old familiar activities AND ones I’d never stepped up to before.

One of the key ones, and this is uncomfortable to say to you, is that I asked. I asked for support from folks that I share my goals with. That’s a given.

But beyond that I stretched out of my comfort zone and asked for the support of professional colleagues, in a way that met both of our goals. The result is I was referred to a client that I’ve been working with for nearly eight months. AND they’re one of my all time favorite clients – they pull me aside to tell me how they’re using the ideas and techniques I’m showing them and talk about the results they’re getting and loving.

And for my part, I’m passionate about people getting better results from their efforts and I love seeing people take our conversations and the tools I show them and making a difference in their lives.

So, the result of my stepping up with a new stride to that uncomfortable action is both warming my financial results and my heart all at the same time.

Thus, last week’s article, this week’s quote, and some additional thoughts in this week’s article on what I did differently.

Go on! Be ‘different’ this year!

August 15, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting | Leave a Comment 

Will YOU Stretch Your Goals?

Let’s get practical shall we?

8 months ago I set new financial targets for myself for the year. They included boosting my earnings by 60%. (I love stretch goals, don’t you?)

I have to admit that I gulped as I put those goals down on paper. I made that commitment very publicly, to 12 other people at a MasterMind retreat.

And, since I just updated them on the results so far, I thought I’d share them with you.

Why? Because all too often we worry about impressions others hold about us instead of focusing on the person we want to be in the world. And part of who I am is a professional who stepped up, did a very uncomfortable thing (setting that goal that had knots in my stomach AND saying it out loud)… and standing firm about it.

For me, the shift is in experiencing my self as… Tah Dah! Someone who set a significant goal AND already hit the 78% mark at the end of July. That’s 58% of the time I gave myself. And that’s also already the highest gross income I’ve ever mad.

I’m popping a bottle of the fizzy stuff to celebrate!

This year has been radically different than past years and I thought I’d share HOW that occurred in this week’s newsletter so watch for the article 2 days from now. YOU can take action on your goals and celebrate, too.

August 7, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 COMMITMENT And You Can Change It All!

Have you ever tried working out alone. How did it compare to having a workout partner? With a partner you’ll find yourself exercising even when you might have slipped because you can’t let your buddy down. Having someone who is relying on you in business can produce the same results.

For example, if you want to really make sure your project is done on time, make a commitment to others. Let those folks know the deadlines you’re using and exactly what you’ll be delivering.

In other words, assign your own public accountability.

Read through your appointments, and the projects that have been sitting incomplere. Ask yourself:

“Who shall I make myself accountable to, for which items?”

Make yourself accountable to someone for what you want to accomplish. This could be a coach you work with or it could simply be a business friend.

Even more powerful, find a buddy who wants to create the same High Payoff result. They tell you their weekly goals and you tell them yours.

Now you know you’re going to asked about how you did.

July 22, 2008 | Filed Under Catalyst Action Tip, Goal Setting | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 Reminder And You Can Change It All!

Have you found yourself caught by ‘bright shiny objects’ lately? You know – those great ideas that are too good to pass up… So you take on one after another until you’ve completely lost focus on your key objectives.

Let’s get you back on track!

Ask yourself:

“What single key objective do I want to make measurable progress on this week?”

Write that goal on 5 Post-It notes. Put one on your phone, one on your computer, one on your calendar or PDA. The fourth goes on your note pad and the fifth on the center of your steering wheel.

They’re there to give you pause before you leap into action on any new idea that comes to mind

March 25, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting | Leave a Comment 

3 KEYS TO HIGH PAYOFF OBJECTIVES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS

© 2008 Linda Feinholz.

The world is full of fabulous ideas. Some of them are extensions of your current products and services and would add materially to your bottom line profits. Others are outright innovations that could dramatically launch your business to new heights.

And sometimes those ideas pull you ‘off focus.’ My client’s management team is running around like…. Hmmm, ‘chickens with their heads cut off’ is the typical expression we’d use here. But let’s shift the metaphor to one that’s more useful for building effective businesses.

I sat in employee feedback sessions on behalf of my client. The questions I posed to more than 30 people were “What is working well here?” and “What could be working better?” and also “What are your impressions of the management team as Leaders? As Managers? As a Team?”

Over and over again the senior professionals were described as well-intentioned, but poor on execution.

The common phrase that was used by the people I spoke with, at every level in the company, was “We all run around like everything is a fire drill!”

The irony is the entire team spends hundreds of hours preparing plans and key objectives for the coming year. They agree to all of it. Yet that’s not how their behavior shows up the rest of the year.

Everyone on the management team drops everything to take on projects that aren’t on the plan. They run to solve customer emergencies, and work overtime on special projects that were never planned for. They all operate this way for a very specific reason: the head of the company rewards people for being flexible and looking urgent.

Let me say that another way: one of their key performance indicators is how quickly they jump to take on any new thing that is proposed, simply because someone paints a compelling picture about how valuable the effort would be.

No one steps up to ask “How does this fit with the objectives we set for the year?” Their personal focus has become to ‘jump’ and prove to their boss that they will whenever called.

As you can imagine, at the end of the year, many of the goals they set out in their plan have not been achieved.

You can sure bet they hear about that when it’s time to review their results.

Most important of all, the reason for the fire drill is basic: The team needs to learn to tie all their activities to their key objectives.

So I’m rolling up my sleeves to teach the entire management team how to set and keep objectives in a new way. I’ve found there are 3 Keys to setting objectives that stick:

First – Set objectives that have a measurable value to your business – a value YOU actually want.

You may ask why this even needs to be said? It’s all about the trap of ‘shoulds.’ Many times when I begin my work with new clients, they have a list of objectives that reads more like a list of ‘shoulds’ than actual goals.

At times the goals they set come from industry standards. At others from articles or advisors or lists of ‘best practices.’ They may sound right, but that doesn’t make them right for their business or yours.

When your heart isn’t behind your goals, you’ll write them down and promptly ignore them.

Second – Keep track daily, not just weekly or monthly, if your activities are getting you closer to those objectives.

By making your goals measurable, you’ll be able to evaluate your results. And as important, you’ll be able to assess whether you should even be pursuing a particular course of action - before you invest time, money and energy towards it.

Third – Politely turn away all other activities.

Remember those ‘fabulous ideas’ I mentioned at the top? Check any and all new ideas that show up against your list of objectives. If new ideas don’t address one of your objectives exactly, and I mean EXACTLY, put it on a list for next year’s plan and get your attention back on focus.

I know, I know. It’s a true challenge to see them and to not pursue them. To put them on a list and get back to them later, if at all. Yet it’s the only way to leverage your efforts.

If you use these three Keys, you’ll achieve your true objectives and create powerful results. They’ll keep you on track so you can get the highest payoff from your planned activities.

March 23, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 To Do And You Can Change It All!

OK - You’ve got a list. We ALL have a List. Now’s the time to take control of those To Do’s and turn them into Ta Da’s!Ask yourself.

What single thing will I absolutely get “DONE” today?”

Write it down.

Now write down 3 items you’ll take off today’s calendar so you can keep your focus. Take those items and delegate, dump, or time block them so they’re off your To Do list and you can celebrate what you got DONE today and the rest of the week. Ta Da!

January 28, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting, Organization, Processes, Productivity Tools, Time Management | Leave a Comment 

SHIFT YOUR TO DO LIST TO HIGH PAYOFF TA DAs!

© 2008 Linda Feinholz.

You’ve got dreams and you’ve got your attention on what it takes to achieve them. You’re ready to roll up your sleeves and eager to start producing massive results.

The problem is, you’re dragging. You put in tons of hours, your desk is piled with papers, and no matter how hard you work, you’re plagued by a To-Do list a mile long and growing. You’re constantly busy yet you get to the end of each week before you get to the end of your list.

Important things fall through the cracks. In fact you’re feeling frustrated, drained and overwhelmed. And you’re doubting what you’ve actually accomplished.

I started coaching this month with two new business leaders and that’s exactly what they were facing, every day. They were wondering how they’ll ever achieve their big goals when they can’t seem to dig themselves out from under their avalanche of tasks and ‘have to get done’s’.

So I gave them a To Do list Makeover. We turned that time and energy sucking list of “To Do’s” into “Ta Da’s!” they can smile about. And you can use it too!

So what’s a Ta Da! List?

Have you ever noticed that your To Do List is a never-ending list of everything you think you should be doing?

We’re all so adept at creating lists of things that need doing. But not all items are created equal—some are simple items to get done, others take major effort. As a result your To Do list is full of busy work all mixed in with the important stuff and even the urgent and critical things your success depends on.

A Ta-Da! list is results focused. It’s a list of High Payoff tasks, that when completed have immediate impact on your results and success. Completing items on your Ta-Da! List results that in energy focuses you and each next effort on accomplishments.

A Ta Da! List is a declaration of what you are committed to getting done. And that means getting it done in the most effective way possible.

Here is a 5 step plan to tame that To Do list:

Step #1: Declare Your Top 3 Priorities.

Your Ta-Da! List needs a clear focus. Every day, start a fresh list with your 3 most important projects or priorities. Don’t let your High Payoff Activities get buried – keep everything else off this list. Clearly focus on the 3 priorities that must get done, no matter what else happens. Let this focus your actions.

Step #2: Dump The Lowest Priority Items.

If everything is equally important then nothing really is. Take a fresh, honest look at your To Do list. Now filter your list for the things that you dream of getting done ‘someday’ and write them down on a separate piece of paper – out of your sight, permanently. Ask yourself “What items on my list fall in the ‘great idea’ category but have very little payoff if I do them? What items have absolutely no consequence if I DON’T do them?” If you’re finding “shoulds” that you keep stalling on because they aren’t aligned with your top priorities, cross them off and be done with them.

Step #3: Delegate. Delegate. Delegate.

Identify anything and everything that must get done, yet could be done by someone else. That means handing it to someone and overseeing their accomplishing it so you stop being the ‘only one’ who could get it done. I teach my clients to use the “If I Ran off to Fiji Test”. If you decided to catch a plane tomorrow, and it still needed to get done, who ought to have it on their list? If you’re concerned it won’t get done to your standards, set-up a formal hand off with a ‘check in’ dates and times to review progress and provide input. But commit to letting someone else handle it all the way to completion.

Step #4: Pencil Out The Week.

Take another look through your list. If there’s anything on your list that doesn’t have to be completed today, but does need to be completed within the next 7 days, pencil it onto the appropriate days. Just knowing you’ve created a time and space for them will free you up to focus on other, more important, priorities right here and right now.

Step #5: Time Block The Rest.

All that should be left on your list are those items that (a) must be done today, (b) are linked to a top priority item and (c) must be done by you and only you. You may want to break them into 45-minute blocks of time, alternating with 15-minute breaks, so you know you’ll accomplish them and also give attention to quick fix items that crop up. Write those blocks of time in your calendar.

And anything else that crops up during your day? Take them through steps 1 through five and get your attention back on your declared focus for the day!

That’s it. 5 simple steps to create your Ta-Da! List. Watch how much more focused and productive you are.

January 26, 2008 | Filed Under Delegation, Goal Setting, Managing, Organization, Processes, Productivity Tools, Time Management | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 Thought And You Can Change It All!

I shared with you the 3-minute Service Movie video at SimpleTruth.com

Did you watch it? You can watch it here.

This time, as you watch it, think about the reaction you had when Johnny identified one action he could do.

When you have, come back here and ask yourself:

“What is an action I say I cannot take with MY customers?”

List all the ideas that come to mind. Now think about reasons that you’ve used to bolster those ideas.

When you’ve run dry listing all your “can’t”s take one those ideas and list 3 simple steps you could take to just do it.

It’s the second step to designing High Payoff customer contacts you can use in the coming year.

January 21, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting, Ideas, Inspiration | Leave a Comment 

Change 1 Obstacle And You Can Change It All!

It’s the beginning of the year so we’ll keep it short, sweet, and direct!Ask yourself:

“What is a single obstacle that held me back from my goal last year?”

Write it down.

Now write down 3 steps you’ll take this week to redefine it, erase it, or get a coach to help you see a path around it so it won’t hang you up this year.

January 15, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting, Processes, Productivity Tools | Leave a Comment 

THE FIRST 4 STEPS TO A HIGH PAYOFF YEAR IN 2008

© 2008 Linda Feinholz.

Are you staring at your calendar, musing over last year’s results, and wondering what IS the way to get started in really creating the business of your dreams?

We’ve all had that moment of scratching our head and feeling stuck. The moment, maybe hours, when we know we need to sit down and put our plans in writing. To make a couple of commitments to ourselves so we keep them in action, but we can’t get the picture in focus at all.

I kicked off my work with a new coaching client last week. Mike is looking at the next step in his career ladder. I posed lots of questions. He laid out for me his idea of where he wants to go, how long he’s wanted it… and then… there was a long silence.

A silence marked by the sounds coming from the other side of the office door.

A silence triggered by my question to him, “What have you tried so far?”

And then he said it. The painful admission uttered by most people with an idea that’s languished…

“Not much. I’ve thought about it a lot. But, what do I first?”

Mike thought that was his stalling point. Not knowing what to do. Is this where you’ve been stalling out too?

To get to that answer you have to ask the right questions.

Every single business starts from an idea. Every advancement in a profession is launched by a personal opinion or belief, or a specific realization of a possible way of being in the world.

While it’s a vital part of the process of creating a business, your “idea” is NOT your business. Ideas amount to nothing IF they never go beyond the thought. And from thought into action.

More often than not, business owners and professionals get so taken with their “idea” they fail to move forward. Like Mike, they get caught in a tug of war they cannot even name – wanting to move forward while being diverted and held back. They stall out because they miss the 4 simple steps that create a clear path to achieving that vision.

To make sure YOU don’t ever stall out with your “idea” you have to do first things first:

1) Define Your Vision – This is what all of your efforts and energy in this business will create. Your answer to this question is what gives your idea juice. In order for your answer to anchor your efforts it must be very specific.

The Vision for Your High Payoff Catalyst: To help 1,000s of entrepreneurs and business owners become successful faster and easier than they ever imagined.

2) Sort Out Your Resources – This is taking stock of all that you bring to achieving your Vision at this specific moment. Your answers to this question help you clearly see what you already have to assist you in making your business “idea” solid.

They should include: your skill set, your knowledge, your aptitude, where you came from, where you’re at now, what you have in your kit bag to make your idea a reality.

Your High Payoff Catalyst resources include some pretty unique skills, proven experience, relevant contacts and a 20-plus year track record of systematically helping hundreds of professionals and business leaders learn simple step-by-step processes that get them from “idea” to “action” to “results.”

3) Sort Out Your Challenges – This is taking stock of all that you know might delay you achieving your Vision. Your answers to this question help you to clearly see what you need to solve first. When we’re facing obstacles rather than our resources our time and attention is constantly diverted. It’s like carrying a 200-pound backpack with us on a hike.

This includes your own doubts, fears, limiting beliefs, and even old habits that work against what is wanted and needed to get to that goal. My Challenge? Getting beyond wanting every single step laid out before I start my journey.

4) Systematically Work BOTH Lists – This is giving deliberate attention to removing your obstacles at the same pace as you are using your resources. Each obstacle that you clear out of your path accelerates the success of each resource you use. And the lighter your load, the quicker your progress on your path.

Mike and I will be working on these two fronts at the same time: clearing out his limiting beliefs about how hard it will be to prove himself to his boss, and using new techniques to increase his personal productivity in the role he’s asking to step into.

To make progress to your goal, you need to simultaneously work two parallel tracks. When you recover your attention from your obstacles, you’ll easily know what is each next step to take. It will be staring right at you.

January 13, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting, Ideas, Processes | Leave a Comment 

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