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June 1, 2010 By Susan Barr Leave a Comment

Creating Business Momentum: Small Steps or Big Strides

My daughter is a runner. She has loved running for years and is competing with her schools track and field team, running the 400 m, 800 m and anchoring the 400 in the medley. She wants to win. She practices daily, measuring her progress by timing her runs. On the other hand, I am a walker. I have been walking for fitness for over 20 years. Although I ran one pitiful season of cross country in high school and tried running for fitness, I honestly never liked it. I walk because I love getting outdoors, occasionally hiking, and I want to stay healthy. I never measure my steps or my timing although I have been told I walk at a fair clip. We recently went to the high school track a few times to “work out “together. The truth is I was her carpool, and the only time we had “together” was in the car and back.

I started my walk after a enjoying a morning cup of coffee. She ate a performance friendly breakfast and has been watching her nutritional choices since training began weeks ago. I prepared with a quick stretch (just to say I did), while she spent more time preparing her body for the run. I think I may have gone a full lap before she began running – I was ahead albeit briefly.

In the space of 45 minutes or so, she lapped me several times on top of performing some kind of training sprints and “progressions”. I just kept up my same old pace, going round and round the track. In the end, we were both pleased by our workout. I completed a few miles and felt invigorated. She was thrilled because she bested her last time on the 800m and felt excited for her upcoming race.

Whether with easy steps or big strides, we were both making positive progress towards our respective goals – each of us has momentum.

As a business owner, it is often hard not to get so wrapped up in what everybody else is doing that you forget why you are on the track. If you spend all your time watching your competitor, you take your eyes of the finish line. If you are like most entrepreneurs, the finish line is a very personal thing. You started your business because of your passion. You molded it to fit with the vision you have of the life you want to lead. You decided early on whether you wanted the marathons or the sprints and the sacrifices you were willing to make for your vision to become a reality. As long as you are happy with the progress you are making towards your goals, don’t be concerned.

For many years, I watched other consultants build full-time practices, write books, give speeches. I was content with low key marketing, taking only referral clients and working an easy 25-30 hours per week while taking care of personal priorities (like a sickly child who is now lapping me). I was getting “lapped” but I wasn’t feeling beat. Momentum was at a slow pace, but it was my pace, my race, my finish line.

Should you be concerned if you are getting “lapped” by a competitor if you both have the same goals? You bet. Ask yourself a few questions: Is your goal clear? Is your target measurable? Have you prepared? Do you need to run more progressions? Are you nurturing your mind and body between the races so you can be ready? Are you feeding yourself a high performance diet?

The important point is that you set your own goals and build momentum by creating disciplines and practices which move you forward to your personal objective. Measure your progress. Change your strategy. Change your tactics. But, keep moving. Momentum comes from taking steps, small and large over time. Before you know it, you will reach the finish line.

Filed Under: Achieve!, Get Clarity! Tagged With: momentum, strategic planning, success

May 3, 2010 By Susan Barr 4 Comments

Retreat, Refresh and Re-Ignite your Vision

For the past 15 years, I have taken a week during my birthday month to revisit life and career, refining a vision for my coming years. I usually take a few days alone at the beach with no TV and no technology but the process can be done over time and in any quiet place.
These questions and exercises are great kindling to ignite a fire in your soul and reconnect with an authentic vision for your life and business. You can complete all the exercises or you can respond only to those which speak to you the most.

1. Imagine your face on the cover of a magazine or newspaper – the featured article is about you! If you could choose any magazine, what would it be? Is it Entrepreneur? Parents? Philanthropy Magazine? The Business Journal? What is the cover headline? What are the supporting headlines? Write the first paragraph or the whole article? Why are you being featured? Who contributes to the article and what did they say?

2. Imagine giving a speech at your own funeral. You are in a room full of all the people who have been meaningful to your life, whether living or passed. Who is there and what do you want to say to them? Who is missing and why?

3. You are being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award (think Academy Awards or similar). Who are you thanking for support, love and mentorship? Who is there? Who introduces you and what do they say? Whose face do you want to see in the front row while giving your speech?

4. Letters to Children: You write a letter to your child or grandchild at their birth. What does it say? What do you want for them? Reverse the exercise and assume your son or daughter hands you a letter upon graduation from high school or college. What does it say?

5. You and your spouse decide to renew your vows. In the presence of all your friends and family, you will deliver personal vows. What do your vows say? How about your spouse – what do his/her vows say?

6. It’s a Wonderful Life. Did you see the eternally favorite Christmas movie with Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey? George is a frustrated businessman who is given the gift of an angel who shows him what life would be like if George had never been born. Envision yourself as the main character in It’s a Wonderful Life. Whose life is better because you were born? Tell the story of how you positively impacted the lives of 5 key people in your life and how you made it better.

7. The Perfect Day: What are the ingredients to a perfect day? Name at least 5 activities you would do every day without fail and be able to go to sleep contented? Is it prayer, exercise, dinner with your spouse?

8. The Bucket List: Here is another movie inspired exercise for creating a vision. The gist of the movie is about two men with fatal illnesses trying to check off a list of all the things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.” You can place anything on the list: items you want to buy, places you want to travel, people you want to meet, forgiveness you want to extend, love you want to express. It’s your list.

9. Imagine your last days. Sitting in a rocking chair reminiscing beside your best friend, what will you spend your time talking about? What are the stories you tell over and over again? Who are the people you love? What are the experiences you shared which cause you to smile or laugh?

10. Wikipedia is the encyclopedia written by the crowd – anyone can contribute to it. When doing research on famous people, it’s usually their Wikipedia entry which comes up first on Google. If you’ve ever checked someone’s bio on Wikipedia, where do you look first? Are you looking for their professional achievements? Checking on how many marriages and children they have? Assume someone starts a Wikipedia entry about you. Who would contribute and what would they say? Is there anyone you don’t want to contribute to the entry?

If you are like most entrepreneurs, your personal and business lives are intertwined. You are forever trying to strike a balance between personal and business goals. You spend time creating a plan for your business which includes spreadsheets, strategies, and big goals. You write assumptions, a budget and create project plans to get the job done. But, do you spend the time to examine whether those plans fit with the vision for your life? If not, give yourself the gift of a retreat and refresh your vision.

Filed Under: Get Clarity!, Innovate!, Lead with Vitality! Tagged With: nurture soul of biz, slider, strategic planning, success

April 30, 2010 By Susan Barr 12 Comments

Where did April Go?

“History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.”
Napoleon

It has been one of those months, so busy I didn’t get a chance to write a single blog post. I had big plans for the month, hoping to write a few times a week. What to do? I could beat myself up for not getting it done but I would rather focus on the positive.

Where did April go? Where did I spend my time?

* Held Quarterly Mastermind Retreat for my longest standing mastermind team witnessing the remarkable success and breakthroughs my fellow entrepreneurs made this past quarter. Mostly, I enjoyed the loyalty and enthusiasm they have for helping each other succeed.
* Deepened my involvement with members of my favorite networks.
* Worked with Kim Doyal, The WordPress Chick to clean up the back-end of my blog and define requirements for a new and improved website.
* Designed 2 products to be rolled out with the new website.
* Continued editing “The Book” which has dominated my life for two years.
* Coached the most amazing business owners in the world.
* Completed Feasibility Reports for consulting clients.
* Worked with Designer on a new logo and “The Book” cover.
* Welcomed new office-mate on April 3 – a 12 week old puppy Maija who is learning the rules of the office.
* Handled my teenage sons’ car accident and gave thanks no one was hurt.

So, what is the point of this blog post? Is this a “guilt” post, one to explain why I didn’t blog through the month of April? No. It’s also not a “brag” post to impress my readers.

The point is we all have a choice as we look over the passing months and years. We can look back with guilt over what we haven’t done, compare the “planned versus actual” and wallow in frustration. My preference is to take the opportunity at month’s end to reflect on what was accomplished, give thanks for personal and professional blessings, and refresh my vision for the future.

What choice will you make?

Filed Under: Get Clarity!, Innovate!, Lead with Vitality! Tagged With: small business productivity, success

March 26, 2010 By Susan Barr 6 Comments

SPRING CLEANING THE SOCIAL WEB

Over the course of this month, I have been cleaning out the clutter from my online world. Consider it a form of weeding, making room for my important relationships to grow and new relationships to take root. Here’s what I did:

1. Unfollowed most Tweeters who don’t follow me back on Twitter.
2. Used the “Hide” option on the Facebook Pages I “fan” because their message is irrelevant to me, personally and professionally. I was trying to help them get enough fans to secure their unique name but I know I will never buy their products and/or they send me too much marketing.
3. Deleted LinkedIn contacts I do not know who have only sent me invitations to social media webinars. Decided to reconsider my open invitation status on LinkedIn and ensured all my contacts there were private.
4. Checked on all the FB friends whose status I have hidden because their marketing or Farmville activities were annoying. If all they do is market, I consider “unfriending” them or kept them hidden. For Farmville fans, I unhide the friends and hide Farmville – thanks to FB for providing this ability.
5. Unsubscribed to Blogs and RSS feeds that clutter my Google Reader and Netvibes dashboard.
6. Canceled all Google email alerts except essential alerts which require immediate attention.
7. Unsubscribed to all the email newsletters I never read.
8. Withdrew from LinkedIn and Facebook groups that long lost their value.
9. Unsubscribed to paid membership forums that I never visit.
10. Deleted profiles on a few social networks I never use so I can focus on just a few communities.

I feel better already but plan to take a few more steps in the coming week:

1. Create Twitter Lists to make it easier to support and appreciate my important relationships.
2. Organize groups of friends on Facebook so I can be certain to check the status of key people in my network and engage with them.
3. Update my social marketing planning calendar to make sure I prioritize time for essential communities and people. Now that the weeding is done, my important relationships have room to grow and I have more time to nurture them.
4. Create a set of guidelines for deciding whether or not to join groups, fan pages, communities, and social networks in the future.
5. Create an email address dedicated only to web subscriptions. Many times, I give my name and email address to someone in return for a report or e-book, etc and end up on the mailing list. I will only give out my daily priority email addresses to people I meet in person or want to meet in person.

How about you? What can you do to weed out online distractions to focus on your most significant relationships and profitable activities?

Filed Under: Achieve! Tagged With: facebook, small business productivity, social media, social networking, twitter

March 24, 2010 By Susan Barr 3 Comments

12 Ideas to Motivate Employees

Motivated Employees
There is no doubt that employees are feeling the stress of the economic downturn. They may be experiencing their own financial issues or are living in fear of losing their jobs. Consider how you can keep them motivated now so you can retain them – their expertise is an asset upon which you can grow your business out of the recession. Here are a few ideas to consider for improving morale, loyalty, and productivity so you will be ready for the economic rebound.

1. Acknowledge your employees personal life events: birthdays, anniversaries, births, deaths, graduations, etc. Let them know their life and personal well-being is important to you.

2. Have a staff field trip. Go bowling. Have a picnic in the park. Rent a skating rink.

3. Create a “volunteer day.” Provide time off for your employee to volunteer at the charity of their choice or sponsor a team event such through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or Relay for Life. Your employees will be refreshed and energized by the ability to contribute to a worthy cause.

4. Create a training and development plan for your employees. Low-cost training is available via the web with webinars and web-based conferences which are often recorded and archived. Give each employee a training allowance of time and/or money to spend on virtual or live events.

5. Don’t’ stop there! Where possible, allow your employees to apply new skills on the job. Can they complete a new project using skills or technology they learned? Empower them beyond the limits of their job description and prepare them for the next level of promotion.

6. Do you need a retention package for key employees? Consider retention bonuses if employees are at risk of resigning especially if you want to secure their employment until after your business undergoes transition.

7. Reevaluate compensation packages if economically feasible. Consider whether your compensation package is reflective of the market wages and compensation practices. If not, develop a plan to transition to a more competitive package.

8. Create a formal incentives program that rewards performance based upon achieving a desired outcome. Sales professionals are generally compensated based upon a combination of salary and bonuses. Don’t stop at your sales staff! If you have key business priorities that lead to bottom line results, let your staff share in the profits.

9. What are their life & career goals? Sit down 1 on 1 with your staff and ask them. Turn off the blackberry/IPhone and just listen. Develop a plan to further their goals through additional responsibility, mentoring, projects and training.

10. Involve your staff in creating a new vision for the business. What are their thoughts on how you can improve processes and grow markets? Whether you ask in a 1 on 1 session or via a formal planning process with the team, employees become more invested in business strategy which they help formulate.

11. Consider flexible work schedules and tele-commuting options. Does your business structure allow employees to work from home? Investigate cloud computing options to enable a virtual office. Begin with document sharing and collaboration, web scheduling, and web conferencing applications and investigate whether your mission critical applications provide a cloud-based solution.

12. Say thank you! It is such a simple and easy thing to do but it means so much to employees when their work has been appreciated.

Be careful with incentive programs that involve goods and services with the company name imprinted on it – unless it is a cash debit card with the company logo, your well-meaning attempt at a reward may end up in a garage sale. Some of the best incentives I ever received were: time off, trips, cash bonuses and tickets to local events. I am also a big fan of “development opportunities” such as training and special projects but every employee is different.

The savvy business owner who inspires loyalty recognizes that each employee has a “currency” – a motivating inducement with value to him/her for its appropriateness and personal meaning. What is your employees’ currency? Is it time off? More money? Is it more responsibility or authority?

Let’s face it. These ideas reflect good leadership practices whether we are in an economic downturn or not but we often need to be reminded of the obvious when business is slow. Making an extra effort to improve employee incentives will pay dividends as your staff is motivated and inspired to assist your business attain new heights when business is booming.

Filed Under: Achieve!, Lead with Vitality! Tagged With: employee compensation, small business, staff motivation, teams

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