Biz Coach Steve

Category: Coaching

  • Start today to change EVERYTHING

    Think about where you were 5 years ago.

    Seems like only yesterday, right?

    Are you where you’d thought you’d be 5 years later, when you looked forward back then?

    Are you leading the life you envisioned?

    Do you have the income, lifestyle, freedom, health, relationships, poise and skills you thought you would have by now?

    Guess What? Now you get another chance to look forward to the next 5 years
    Over the next 5 years you can accomplish what people spend a lifetime trying to do. How do you visualize your life to be in 5 years? What job do you have in what industry? How much money are you making? What city do you live in? What kind of car are you driving? What kind of house/apartment/etc. do you live in? Who are you with in your relationship? How are you viewed in the community?

    Be as specific as possible. Take the time to visualize all areas of your life. I only mentioned some of them. Write them all down and look at it every month, wee, and even day. Start today moving to where you want to be in 5 years.

    A Goal vs. A Promise
    It makes a big difference if you turn your goals into promises. That’s because most of us have set goals and know of other people that have set goals and didn’t fulfill them. Our mind tends to see goals as something to strive for, something to aim at…but if we don’t “hit the target”, it’s fine because “we’re not the first or the last that have set goals and didn’t achieve them.”

    On the other hand, when we promise someone that we’re going to do something, our mind goes to work for us and we do everything that’s in our power to fulfill that promise because we don’t like to feel the pain, shame or embarrassment of letting somebody down. Our integrity is such that a promise means more to us than setting a goal.

    Therefore, instead of saying, “Honey, I know that we have not been spending enough quality time alone, lately… so, I’m going to try (or my goal is) to take you out on a romantic date twice a month”, tell her instead, “Honey, I promise that from now on, I’m going to take you out on a date twice a month.”

    The Power of Accountability Partners
    Commitment is doing the thing you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you.

    The pressures of life will not come to an end just because you have decided to begin this program. It has been my experience that those who have the most success with the program are those who had 2 or more Accountability Partners (not within the same household) doing the program also.

    Some benefits of utilizing Accountability Partners include:
    • Assistance in organizing ideas, thoughts, and tasks into specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic goals
    • Assistance in prioritizing an effective and consistent plan
    • Ensuring accountability for task follow through
    • Mentoring through difficulties and indecisiveness
    • Sharing advice, personal knowledge and experience
    • Follow up on your success

    During your search for appropriate Accountability Partners, keep in mind that the right person should be someone who will challenge, engage and evoke a sense of accomplishment in you. Confidence, creativity and strength are all traits that will be useful to you. Also consider choosing an Accountability Partner who you trust to keep confidence as you may get into financial and personal discussions that are confidential in nature.

    Promise yourself and your Accountability Partners that you will become a better person and achieve your goals.

    Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life
    Unlocking your full potential for Wealth, Success, and Achievement

    Your THOUGHTS, your WORDS, and your ACTIONS, are building blocks to creating the life that you want!

    Doing the same things over and over expecting different results is insanity. The only way to get different results is to change what we do. The process of change begins in our minds. Our thoughts help shape and create our circumstances in life. “As A Man Thinketh, So Is He.” When we change our thinking, we change our lives.

    What does it mean to change? Change = to transform or convert.

    When we find ourselves stuck in a rut or not quite where we want to be in life, it is time for change. Old habits, old thoughts, and old ways of thinking must go. We literally have to cleanse our minds of negativity, scars, conditioning, and mental blocks.

    Living Your Dream is a continuous process of training and transforming our minds to achieve optimal living. There are many ways to begin the process of changing the way we think.

    What we feed our minds affect how and what we think. When we bombard the mind with negative images, fears, bad news, violence, pain, and suffering etc…our mind responds by conjuring up matching thoughts. When we feed our minds with positive images, good news, peace, happiness, and prosperity …our mind responds accordingly.

    Our mind will produce thoughts based on the information we provide it with. The thoughts that our mind produces set a wheel of events in motion. Thoughts are creative and whatever thoughts we find ourselves preoccupied with always manifest in our lives.

    What you do with your life is up to you. Life is what you make it. You have everything you need to create life, destroy life, improve life, and touch the lives of others. For every cause there is an effect. Every life represents a mission, a purpose, a cause. What will be the effect of your LIFE?

    I promise you, if you commit today to reach your goal with the help of accountability partners, change your thinking to positive thoughts you will be in a much better place in 5 years.
    How do you visualize your life in 5 years?

    All long journeys start with a one step.
    What one step are you going to take today?

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training. Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business. Contact Steve today to see how he can assist you grow your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing

  • How do I know if my business idea will work? (Part 3)

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Part 3 of 3

    Today, entrepreneurs have a wealth of information at their fingertips to help them get started. There are online classes and local workshops for those ready to start a business, local state and
    community mentoring programs, you can hire a coach or consultant to help you get started. I hear from soon to be entrepreneurs “How do I know if my business idea will work?” This is part 3 of a 3-part series.

    Now you have conducted your market research and tested your idea it’s now time to create a plan of action and TAKE ACTION. This is where many entrepreneurs fail on. They are afraid of failure or success and do not take action.

    One great way to develop a plan of action is to have a S.M.A.R.T. goal. As Stephen Covey said, “Start with the end in mind.”

    A S.M.A.R.T. goal can have your action steps within your goal. The beginning letter of the anonyms can have different words that mean the same thing. A SMART goal is still a SMART goal no matter if you use T for timebound, or timeline, or timetable, or timely.

    S stands for Simple: This is your idea that can be conveyed to someone in a sentence or two in which they will see your vision for your business.

    M stands for Measurable: Tom Peters said, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Measuring can be many different things in your plan. It could be units produced and sold, maybe it’s reaching X number of people, with X number wanting to set appointments, that translates into X number of sales. If you are in manufacturing a product, measuring becomes easy. If you are in service, you need to measure other items such as calls, ad dollars and views, etc. No matter what you must have a good measurement system in your plan of action so you know you are on the path towards your goal.

    A stands for Achievable: Your goal, your business must be achievable. Do not think in the first year of business you are going to be bigger than Google – get real. This is where your numbers cannot be over inflated, in fact you should be conservative with all your estimated revenue numbers and aggressive (or inflated) with all your estimated expense numbers. If you believe you will have 50 customers in the first month and it took you 3 months just to get 10 customers during the testing phase, then you should tone down your guesstimates.

    R stands for Realistic: Your goal in general has to be realistic, your numbers need to be realistic, everything needs to be achievable. Many new entrepreneurs over inflate their revenue numbers, and go very lean on their expense numbers when creating their plans. They a couple of months of in business they realize they are behind on their revenue plans and way over their
    expense numbers. Be prepared that your revenue numbers may be less than you planned for, and your expenses will be 2 to 3 times more than you planned.

    T stands for timeline: You need to have a timeline associated with your action plan and goals. During your testing phase, you got a good sense on how long it took to make your product, or how long it took to generate a sale. Each piece of your plan must have its own timeline.

    Below is a simple example of a SMART plan for you to get an idea how it all works together so you can create your own SMART goal.

    So, now if you are ready to take the leap and be the entrepreneur you want to be – start now.  Do your market research, test your product or service to make sure its viable and it can generate revenue for you, and most of all develop a plan of action with specific goals. Get assistance in any area as needed. The greatest business leaders have all asked for help along the way, they have hired people much smarter then themselves in order to achieve their goals, they listened to the successes and failures of other entrepreneurs, they stay motivated, engaged and determined to be successful. Why shouldn’t you do the same.

    Good luck on your new venture.

    #bizcoachstevef[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • How do I know if my business idea will work? (Part 2)

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Part 2 of 3

    Today, entrepreneurs have a wealth of information at their fingertips to help them get started. There are online classes and local workshops for those ready to start a business, local state and community mentoring programs, you can hire a coach or consultant to help you get started. I hear from soon to be entrepreneurs “How do I know if my business idea will work?” This is part 2 of a 3-part series.

    Second, test your idea. If you have a physical product get one made. I’m not talking about making it look like your kids’ elementary school science product, but get it made by someone in that industry. I.E. if it is a garment, then locate a garment factory that will make a prototype for you. If it’s a mechanical part, maybe find someone with a 3-D printer and fabricate the part. Just get a good working sample. Buy your future (because you have not gone to market yet) competitors’ products. This way you can physically show people the difference from the top products in your market to your product and showcase how your product can BENEFIT them.

    If you are creating a type of service, offer to test your service to people you know that may benefit from your service and they are not using what you have to offer. Start developing your system for when clients do start purchasing your product.

    The testing step is to get feedback from users of your product or service. Ask lots of questions to get detailed feedback on why they liked or disliked your product or service. Be prepared to make all necessary adjustments. You should get a large sample pool of feedback. The more people that test your product or service and give you feedback the better. You made a better product or have a unique service – WHY? What benefit will the end user get from your product or service that they cannot get from someone else’s product or service? This should have been discovered in step one.

    Some exceptions to the testing phase. There will always be some exceptions to everything and this is no different. You must be the one to determine how to test your product or service and if it viable to create a prototype depending on what it is. I.E. you want to open a restaurant. You are not going to put $100’s of thousands of dollars into testing your idea (unless you really want to-not recommended). You may want to conduct deep demographic research of a part of town you would like to open a specific type of restaurant in. See how many of the same type of restaurants there are in that area, then visit each one and take notes. By visit, I mean physically go to the restaurant and order a variety of meals. If they ask you why your ordering 5 entrees and you are the only diner, tell them you’re are a food blogger and they will leave you alone and you may get better service. I recommend going with a group of people and everyone order a different appetizer, entrée, a side item and dessert. This way you can take a picture of all the dishes, taste all them all and take notes. Take notes of the ambiance, they type of service, the menu offerings etc. Possibly talk to the owner about their business (note: do not tell them you are going to open up a similar restaurant near them and be their competition- they will not roll out the red carpet for you but chase you with pitchforks. This is you market research in a test facility.

    Test your idea to make sure the market will purchase your product or service.

    This is part 2 of a 3-part series.

     

    #bizcoachstevef[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • How do I know if my business idea will work? (Part 1)

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Part 1 of 3

    So, you think you want to be an entrepreneur?

    Ready to go into business for yourself?

    Ready to work harder than you ever had in your life?

    Ready to work for free?

    Ready to be your own boss?

    If you answered yes to those questions, then you must have a great reason to jump into what I call the “entrepreneurial abyss.” The entrepreneurial abyss is when someone decides they want to leave their J.O.B. and become their own boss for the first time. It’s just like jumping into a foggy abyss. You cannot see the bottom. You cannot see what’s in the fog. You hope to find a parachute in the fog while you are descending into the abyss. Sound scary? It can be.

    Today, entrepreneurs have a wealth of information at their fingertips to help them get started. There are online classes and local workshops for those ready to start a business, local state and community mentoring programs, you can hire a coach or consultant to help you get started.

    There must be a valid reason for you to leave (or slowly transition out) your J.O.B. Maybe, you can do what your current employee does but only better? Maybe, you could provide better service than you see in the marketplace. Maybe, you have a unique product or service you think people want. Whatever the reason you also have a question in your head – How do I know if my business idea will work?

    I hear this question stated many ways and here are just a few of the suggestion I provide my clients to get them to answer their own question.

    First, you MUST conduct market research. DO NOT leave your J.O.B. or do any rash decision making yet. You don’t need a business plan or anything like that. You MUST look at who is in the market you want to enter into.

    If you want to make a better widget:

     Then start by going on the Internet and find out the top 10 manufactures of widgets
    o What materials do they use?
    o What process do they use to make the widget?
    o What are their sales?
    o Who do they sell to?
    o How many employees do they have?
    o Etc…

     Look for the top 10 sellers of widgets
     Look for the top distributors of widgets
     Look for online reviews on why people buy widgets
     Ask people in your network what they like and dislike about brands of widgets
     Check out the widget association and get data on all aspects of the market
     Maybe you will find government regulations on the production and sales of widgets
     Know everything for every process step you can possibly know about widgets from design to final consumer use.

    Knowing who is making and selling what you would like is critical. Without doing your market research you cannot determine if your idea is even viable. Do not believe some large corporation that has been around for 100 years is going to kill your product or idea – they are not going to. Because you believe that they will crush you therefore, you will never get your business off the ground due to some false preconceived thought.

    Now, you’ve done extensive market research and still believe the final consumer will want to purchase your product or service. You must keep in mind, you are going in business to satisfy a consumer need or want, sell your product or service to make money. That is the bottom line. You can give all the money you make away, but the goal of business is satisfying a consumer need and to make money.

    This is part 1 of a 3-part series.

    #bizcoachstevef[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Get a Coach Already!

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Enough Already: Get an Executive Coach!

    Let go of your ego and overconfidence and get the support you need to grow your business.

    In Michael Gerber’s book, E-Myth, he defined the 3-eyes of a business owner. The entrepreneur, manager and technician. Most entrepreneurs sprouted from being the technician at one point. They started a business to develop a better mouse trap, provide better service, be their own boss and not be bossed around, work less, and make more money.

    Now these new and existing entrepreneurs who are now the leaders of their business may or may not have the skills and knowledge to take their business to the next level. We see many times business leaders believe since their business is doing well they do not need to develop their personal skills or seek out experienced help to view their business objectively and develop a plan of action for growth. In other words, they know it all. Their own egos get into their way which hinders them on being receptive to advice and constructive feedback.

    So, what should these leaders do?

    Get an Executive Coach!

    In today’s high pressure environment, leaders need a confidant, a mentor, or someone they can trust to tell the truth about their behavior. They rarely (if at all) get that from employees, or board members, or even their spouse. A coach is a perfect solution.

    Just think of all the great athletes, hi-profile leaders, speakers, etc. Do you think they all have coaches? The answer is YES! They see the value of having someone on their team looking out for them. If these individuals understand the power of having a coach on their team, then why do so many entrepreneurs feel the need to go through it alone-struggling, believing they are the first business owner that must go through all the headaches of growing a business?

    Just read articles in publications such as Fast Company, Inc, Forbes, Huffington Post that all detail out how using a business coach will dramatically increase the results of your business and your personal life.

    Needing a coach is not a sign of weakness, nor are you alone in benefiting from the help of a professional. So, as the Eagles said, “get over it,” and get yourself the support you need to perform at your peak.

     

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  • Why you need a Mentor

    As I was in the middle of my teenage years, I worked with a guy (who to me was around when dirt was invented) who met with me every week just to talk about life. He guided me, gave me advise, sometimes made me mad because he called me out on my glaring shortcoming or if I gave him a lame excuse on why I did not act on something that would be very positive in my life. He got me back on course if I did something stupid (hey, I was a teenager that was a given). Every week for 2 years he took the time out of his business to meet with me.  At the time I just liked the guy because he gave me good advice and guidance. Looking back in my 20’s I realized he was a great mentor, and now I really miss him (may he rest in peace).  He was my first mentor and I didn’t know it then.

    So, what is a mentor? According to Webster’s:

    Mentor: Noun – A trusted counselor or guide.

    Since that time, I’ve had several mentors over the years and learned a large amount of valuable lessons from each and every one of my mentors. From not making certain business decisions to fostering certain partnerships, a great mentor can help guide you through your professional and personal journey. Now, I volunteer for Score and am grateful for being allowed to mentor many entrepreneurs and share my knowledge to help new entrepreneurs as many people in my life helped me become an entrepreneur.

    Being a mentor, you MUST be committed in helping others become a fuller version of who they are.  A mentor must be givers – NOT takers. Mentoring fosters not only professional growth but also personal growth. It can develop confidence for the mentee, improve their understanding by using different approaches to a situation and can enhance self-esteem for both the mentor and the mentee.

    Look at some of the top executives, many of them got their due to a mentor and many of them are mentoring the future stars of the organization.

    What are some benefits of mentoring?

    For the Mentee:

    • Provides impartial advice and encouragement
    • Develops a supportive relationship
    • Assists with problem solving
    • Improves self-confidence
    • Offers professional development
    • Encourages reflection on practice
    • Becoming emotionally intelligent

     For the Mentor:

    • Opportunity to reflect on own practice and to take action
    • Develops professional relationships
    • Enhances peer recognition
    • It uses your experience, making it available to a new person
    • It enables you to practice interpersonal skills
    • It provides personal satisfaction through supporting the development of others
    • Presents challenges
    • Great mentors don’t sugarcoat their failings

    As an entrepreneur, it’s exciting to go it alone and create something on your own. However, the reality is that, while you have a great idea, you may not know exactly what you should be doing with your business at which times to develop it into a sustainable business.

    Here are ten other reasons why you need someone like a mentor (from Inc Magazine):

    1. Mentors provide information and knowledge.As Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
    2. Mentors can see where we need to improve where we often cannot.Movie maker George Lucas noted, “Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults that we would like. It’s the only way we grow.”
    3. Mentors find ways to stimulate our personal and professional growth.Renowned director and producer, Steven Spielberg stated, “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”
    4. Mentors offer encouragement and help keep us going.Inspirational entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey announced, “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”
    5. Mentors are disciplinarians that create necessary boundaries that we cannot set for ourselves.“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.”— Bob Proctor
    6. Mentors are sounding boards, so we can bounce ideas off them for an unfiltered opinion. “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” – Benjamin Disraeli
    7. Mentors are trusted advisers.“My mentor said, ‘Let’s go do it,’ not ‘You go do it.’ How powerful when someone says, ‘Let’s!’” – Jim Rohn
    8. Mentors can be connectors.“I’ve learned a lot from mentors who were instrumental in shaping me, and I want to share what I’ve learned.” – Herbie Hancock
    9. Mentors have the experiences you can learn from to prevent making the same mistakes beginners make.“A lot of people put pressure on themselves and think it will be way too hard for them to live out their dreams. Mentors are there to say, ‘Look, it’s not that tough. It’s not as hard as you think. Here are some guidelines and things I have gone through to get to where I am in my career.’” – Joe Jonas
    10. Mentors are free, which makes them priceless in more ways than one.A mentor does not do it for the money. Instead, they are driven by the satisfaction of helping another entrepreneur, paying it forward from a similar experience they had when starting their own business.

    Having a mentor is not a sign of weakness; it shows you are smart enough and are driven enough to succeed.

    In 2018, challenge yourself to either be a mentor or find someone that you could mentor.

    “A mentor is someone who is detached and can hold up a mirror to us.” – P.W. Keve

     

    #bizcoachstevef

  • Vacation Liberator

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Steve Feld

    Some people have called me the “vacation liberator.” I am not a travel agent, nor do I represent a vacation destination, or am on any city travel destination organization. I am an executive coach. The reason some people have called me this is that I get business owners and leaders to take a vacation.

    How many of us have heard a business owner/leader state, “Have haven’t taken a vacation in BLANK.” Fill in the blank with a number that is greater than 2 years. They say it with pride. Like it’s a badge of honor. They imply that without them in their business – it will fall apart and burn down.

    Do you think their staff or family feels the same way as this person? I bet not. After speaking to numerous staff members and the families of these vacation phobia individuals, they have a different
    point of view.

    The staff is frustrated that the owner/leader is proud they haven’t taken a vacation because they don’t trust the staff to run the business while they are gone. The staff maybe has not been coached or empowered fully to do the job they were hired to do and feel the owner has taken some of that power away from them.

    Their family is upset with them because they want to take a family vacation, but this person is “too busy” to take the time off and recharge their batteries. For those of you that have children, understand they grow up very fast and we must MAKE the time to be with them during this time. For those that are married, you know how your spouse views you by not going on a vacation with them. It does not support a positive healthy relationship at home.

    According to an article in Forbes (Feb. 2014) by Tanya Mohn stated, “Not taking vacation time is a bad idea, as it harms productivity and the economy.” There is countless research on this topic. The general gist is that not taking a vacation harms your business, your family life, impacts the economy, and demoralizes your staff.

    So, how does one liberate these anti-vacation individuals? Simple. BOOK A VACATION NOW! When proud business owners inform me about their last vacation 9 years ago, I had them call their spouse at that moment so I may speak with them. Then, just asked the spouse if you went on a vacation, where would you go and what would you do? The owner/leader hears this conversation and usually confirms what their spouse states. After that very brief call, I sit with the owner/leader and have them book that vacation at that moment. Once the vacation is booked, I have them call their spouse and let them know when and where they are going on vacation. You will not believe the positive response the spouse has and it makes the owner/leader feel good about their decision.

    The next step, is to have them round up their staff and inform them of their vacation and to put it on all the calendars. We must now get the owner to assign some of his duties and functions to his staff so they cover for him/her. One of the main goals is to make sure the owner/leader does not log in to their emails, call the office or be able to check on the business while they are gone. This is usually done by having their right-hand person be in charge and only to contact the owner/leader if something is really bad. Since every business does have a different dynamic, it depends on how deep we go with making sure the owner/leader enjoys themselves on their vacation and not to think about work.

    So, now are you one of those proud “I haven’t had a vacation in…?” If you are, stop everything and book your vacation now. Get your spouse/significant other involved in that decision. Inform your staff- empower them to cover for you. Go and enjoy yourself and re-charge your batteries. When you return, your business will still be there, all is going to be OK, and you, your spouse, and your staff will like you much better.

     

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  • 8 Mistakes Managers Make (According to their employees)

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Recently I was speaking with a group of business owners from a variety of industries. Many of them believed they were the greatest manager ever. After asking them some basic questions, their analysis of themselves could be questioned.

    A few years ago, I read an article by Marcel Schwantes, who conducted a workplace survey on LinkedIn, by asking only one question – “What is the ONE mistake leaders make, more frequently than others?” I am highlighting the top eight most common mistakes according to the survey. Or in other words, the eight biggest mistakes managers/leaders make to irk their staff.

    1. Micromanaging.
    You all probably guessed this one, so no surprise here. Leaders who dominate people, decisions, and processes, lead by fear, and lack vision. Micromanaging is a killer to your teams moral, motivation, creativity, enjoyment, and much more. You hired good people to do a job for you – let them do that job.

    2. Leading from a position of power or ego.
    These are those leaders that know everything and make sure we all know it as well. They don’t take any responsibility for their own actions. They are never wrong and will always take credit for the good things-even if they had nothing to do with it. Another destroyer of morale, no humility, and will use anyone around them to help themselves.

    3. Not listening.
    What we are talking about here is true authentic listening. Not, I hear what you are saying, remember hearing and listening are two different things. Great managers/leaders know authentic listening is an underutilized and underdeveloped leadership skill.

    4. Not valuing followers.
    Any manager/leader that believe anyone within their organization (except themselves) is indispensable and just a cog in the machine that can be replaced at any moment, really and truly does not care about anyone but themselves. Great leaders invest in developing their staff to not only improve their productivity, but their personal lives as well. Making sure to identify each person’s own unique skills and strengths, and use them to grow the business as a whole.

    5. Failing to grow themselves as leaders.
    All leaders, no matter what level they are on in the organization but always proactive in developing themselves. Many of them have some self-entitlement issues about growing and developing themselves. Maybe it’s due to the fact they have a low self-awareness of themselves. Or, they have some communication issues. Or, they have an ego issue by having all the answers and refuting any input.

    6. Lacking boundaries.
    What about that leader that tried to be a buddy with subordinates? This can lead to many leaders compromising their own integrity by becoming too friendly with superiors and subordinates. Everyone sees when the boundary becomes blurred and the results of this lack of professionalism. As a leader you can be personable, and close to your staff, while at the same time being professional, fair, and respectful.

    7. Not providing or receiving feedback.
    It’s crazy that leaders do not solicit the feedback and ideas from those on the front line and in the trenches with the customers, processes, etc. Leaders need to gain their staffs trust by asking for their input, buy-ins, advise, suggestions, feedback heard from the clients. Great leaders support this input and foster a culture of trust, openness, providing their staff the ability to contribute ideas and share concerns in a safe environment to assist all stakeholders.

    These leaders get defensive when they are receiving any type of feedback, and if they do receive feedback, they are not asking clarifying or deep questions to grow. Many of them just have a negative reaction to any feedback and provide great answers and excuses to any question or issue that arises. These leaders believe they know what everyone wants and needs without asking them.

    8. Not sharing leadership.
    Leaders that “hoard” all the leadership knowledge are not doing their organization any service, but in turn harming the company on all levels. A great example of sharing leadership can be found in the book by David Marquet in Turn the Ship Around. He proved how leaders can empower those around them to make great decisions because those folks have more knowledge of the subject matter than leaders do

    Closing thoughts.
    “In the end, we don’t need to demonize the leaders who are the subject of many of these responses; they are humans too, and not out to deliberately destroy the lives of their followers. They should be treated with grace, and empowered to succeed with the proper development.”

     

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  • What you Need to Know in Choosing the Right Business Coach

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We see it everyone now day. In publications, on line, from networking groups, business acquaintances and the media. Having a business coach can make you a better and more successful business owner and leader. Whether you are in the early start-up stage or ready to take your business global, a coach can push you outside your comfort zone and provide the unbiased opinion and reality check that will keep you on track to achieve your business goals-or not, if you have chosen the wrong business coach.

    Recently an entrepreneur shared with me their experiences with a business coach… The coach meant well, but he told the owner of the startup that he had to grow a pair (of you know what) and move into a brick and mortar office, and to stop working out of his house as well as all his virtual employees. The coach told him, that no one will trust you working remotely, it will get you and your team to improve its morale and profits.

    So, the owner found an office that he could barely afford many miles away from his house to look professional. Six months into his new location, he was putting his own money into the business to keep it afloat.

    The owner told me, “Our productivity dropped, my stress went through the roof, I hated sitting in traffic every day and it got to the point that I didn’t want to get out of bed and go to the office.”

    He said he closed the office down six months later, paying a hefty bailout fee on the lease, sent everyone back home to work remotely, and the business took off again. Six months later he doubled the size of his business with staff and sales.

    With the pain of the lease exit clause still fresh in his mind, he said, “the problem was that the coach had an idea of what the business needed to be without taking consideration our business DNA. He never really listed and understood what we are, and what we wanted to be. It was what he wanted us to be which didn’t match up.”

    The owner still understands the need for a business coach.
    In fact, he had to get a life coach to get through the trauma of the office opening and closing.
    He now has a business coach that is there for him and his business. He said,

    “Coaching is vital for me and my business. I just needed to trust myself a little more. Now, I have a clear vision for my business, which came through the assistance of my business coach. Listen to the advice the coach provides, but at the end of the day all the decisions for the plan are mine and mine alone.”

    So, where do you find a business coach that is right for you and your business?

    Peer referrals? Online review sites? Internet search? Industry organizations?

    No matter which method you use to find a business coach, it’s not easy to identify the great coaches from the hacks.

    Here are a few methods to find a business coach:
     Check them out on social media. Do they seem to walk their walk and talk their talk?
     Are they certified? Being certified is just like a college degree. They took the time to obtain the education and get the resources to help you. A non-certified coach may have just left that cubicle job and decided to be a business coach.
     Are they posting relevant content to what you are looking for in your business? Are they speaking your language?
     Do they have a proven system they use? Do they create everything for you from scratch, or have some methods that have been proven and tested to deliver positive results for you and your business?
     Do they have relevant industry experience? Has your business coach been there and done that? Do they know and understand what you are experiencing? Do they have resources that can assist you? Many of those poor coaches, have no real ownership or leadership experience.

    The worst thing that can happen by choosing the wrong business coach is that it will hurt your bank balance for little while or you will receive no return on that investment. The wrong business coach can damage the business owner’s confidence and they start questioning if they should even continue with the business.

    Avoid long term locked in contracts with a coach unless they guarantee a specific return on specific metrics. This is like locking into a 2-year phone contract and you realize the phone service is horrible in the 2 nd month and now you are stuck for another 22 months with that carrier.

    Remember, one of the most important factors for an effective business coaching relationship is the connection between the business owner/leader and the coach.

    If there is no connection, no respect, no trust, then the coaching process is doomed from the start.

    Make sure that your values are aligned with those of your business coach, both personally and in business, and that you get a positive return on investment by working with a coach. If they cannot find improvement in your business that cover their costs, then you should cut your loss and find a coach that can.

     

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