27 Business Tips from 25 years in business

A bias for the future – require it!  Orient your efforts around your view of tomorrow People drift backwards when they can’t envision the future The best way to guide the direction of your group or yourself is to know the end goal Create a view with enough appeal to pull you forward

Major Accounts – Know what else you can do for them  Know what sales could be, not just what they are now  Never rely solely on the sales person to manage major accounts  Create a consistent method for surfacing all account information, best case and worse case-type discussions  Too many executives assume that things are fine when they aren’t

What drives your managers?  There are three primary drivers that motivate managers: A need for power A need for achievement A need to affiliate with others  Take time to know your own drivers and then learn the drives of everyone on your staff

What do you really want?  Accept that your own vision and purpose are the key success factors for the company  People always want to serve the vision; Keep it visible and fresh  Adopt the concept: Vision first, goals second  Encourage your team to refresh team goals each 90 days

Practice putting yourself first  Self reliance and self trust are two skills that contain your greatest potential – develop both  Develop your own end view or primary aim as leader and trust that is what people need from as the leader  You can avoid getting pulled in multiple directions by trusting your own set of high standards

Plans are good; execution is better.  Raise performance by insisting on full execution, follow through and reporting on all current projects  Be willing to weed out those who can’t perform. Doing so is a big “change for the better” for those who can perform

Laws of Attraction and the Creative Gap  Assume that every condition you encounter is in harmony with the organization’s current nature, beliefs and expectations  Work on creating the desired conditions by changing expectations; do not settle for what is  Assess the dominant thinking of your management team: What do you see, how do they think, what do they believe is possible, what do they expect  Create and measure the gap

Anticipate what you think is next  When you learn to anticipate what will happen next, you are better able to plan for it to happen  Make it your practice to explore new/better opportunities for the coming 6 months all year long  Work with your team to adopt a forward thinking element in all meetings and reviews

Insure long term progress: The 90-day feedback report  Develop the habit of comparing the actual results that you achieved with what you expected  90 days usually gives enough time for the action plan to take hold  Get used to a 90-day re-assessment time frame i.e, 4 times per year  Don’t wait 5 – 6 months to assess progress. that may be too late

A sense of direction will accelerate growth  When the team can sense that they are headed in the right direction, innovation, ideas, energy and effort will increase  Apply a simplified Action Research model in all conversations. Ask: What impcat will the action have on the direction we are heading?

Make up your mind  Uncertainty creates stress. If you are stressed in any area, it is time to make a decision  Problems are just a signal to your mind that it is time for you to either learn something or do something  Make today’s decisions based on your expectations for tomorrow

Increase the odds for a successful project – every time  For any project, first know what factors are necessary to build urgency and sense of winning with your team  Focus on what can be done today to improve the situation and clear the path. There is always something  Build in short term, tangible results (wins) in a short period of time

Sales Force Upgrade – a six month process Use three thought starters once each month:  What do we value most about our X process?  What value does this sales department generate when at its best?  What does a future-focused, effective sales department look like?

Lead by Expectations  Most employees/managers suffer from low expectations  The expectations you hold of the (sales) team will usually prove true  High expectations send the message that you believe in the team’s possibilities  Decide to expect the best; then go to work to make it happen

Invisible blocks to growth  With any team or individual watch for these human dynamics. “We are doing the best we can” comments “We have a routine that we follow and have had it for years” attitude Performance expectations have not increased for years Work flow, plans and measures are all left to chance Accountability for actual results is not reinforced

Become a purpose driven business  Organize around business goals (contribution) and personal values  Build a belief in excellence, accomplishment and continuous improvement into all areas of the company  Connect accomplishment with individual growth and fulfillment  Know that the future is bright and in sync with your purpose

Clarify performance expectations every month  Arrange a sit down, private quality discussion with each manager  For every role, get all the expectations on the table  Decide the 3 key results required from the role  Separate the results expected from how those results may be accomplished  Allow for maximum flexibility in how the job is done, as long as the results are delivered

Encourage self set goals and self evaluation  Since it is never a good practice to judge others, have employees & managers: Fully discuss with each manager their role, expectations, guidelines and resources. Reach pinpoint agreement Have the manager write a summary of the discussion, the performance goals they have set and when the next discussion shall take place  The core of this process is having managers manage themselves and staying focused on results, not activity

If you want change, get plenty of up-front input  Avoid jumping on the change band wagon too quickly.  If you expect commitment, you must first have involvement.  Have your team: Paint a detailed picture of the desired end state Move on to action planning Decide what conditions are causing a need for change

Stay alert to your priorities  It more easy than ever to become distracted without realizing that you are off track  Learn to ask yourself:  What one thing could you do this week that would make a tremendous difference in your results?  The underlying goal is to develop self management and the ability to think ahead

Want change ? Start a revolution!  Stop solving problems. Move toward creating new possibilities instead  Build on your team’s individual strengths and talents, and watch new ideas flow  Involve managers and employees that have a passion for creating new ideas, and problems will fade

Keep the big picture in full view  Your view of the future is either:  a source for new ideas and energy or  your biggest competitor

Sales managers must lead  Sales people seek/require growth, & possibilities at their work  Since achievement motivates, plant seeds of opportunity week after week for the entire sales department  Insist that sales people seek out and then report significant accomplishment every month  Convey the message that constant, positive change is “how we do things here”

Why individual strengths matter  Using strengths (in the role) is the shortest path to high end performance  Individual strengths, when expressed, provide the person a sense of achievement, fulfillment & contribution  Achievement is the greatest motivator for high performing individuals

How to avoid getting slowed by the “status quo”  Status quo is simply a result of a weak vision  A picture of the desired future is the quickest, easiest, and most natural way to eliminate all status quo thinking  Enlist everyone to map out what is positive, possible and rewarding for the company, the team, and the service you deliver

Raise your standards  Learn how to employ a true win/win standard  Knowing that you depend on others for results, be clear on the principles and values you stand on  Clear standards help all to see the wins that are possible  Be willing to say “no” when your standards are compromised

The leader’s personal mission statement  A personal mission statement should be a requirement for all leaders: It will force you to decide:  What you want to be  What you want to contribute  How you want to impact others  Your top three talents  Your top three values  The positive impact on the company from having a well thought out, current, and comprehensive personal mission statement can’t be overstated