Design Your Destiny - The First Step (Article 3 in a Series of 12)
“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
- Seneca
2. Recognize where change is needed.
Are you honest with yourself about what needs to change in your life?
It’s not always easy to recognize where change is needed. We often don’t realize it because things change slowly and we adapt unknowingly. It begins with something small happening and because we are willing to be flexible, we adjust and continue on. Again, some small incident happens and we adjust and continue on. As time goes by we’ve adjusted so many times, we don’t even notice how far off base we really are and how much we’ve compromised in the process.
Awareness is the first step to recognizing where change is needed. Step back and evaluate where you are and where you want to be. What are your goals and are you moving closer to them or farther away? If you were to go back in time to a year ago, are you where you thought you’d be? Have you achieved your goals? Do you have the kind of relationships you want? Do you wake up every morning and want to get your day started because you’re excited about what the day holds in store for you or………are you just making do? Are you accepting things as they are whether they work or not?
If you were to stand back and look at your life as if it were someone else’s, what would you think?
Sometimes the more coping skills you have the more you’re likely to let things go, because you can handle them. You get so good at dealing with things that don’t work that you don’t even remember there’s an easier way.
What are your expectations for your life? Do you expect to have what you want?
When you’re a positive person, and are always able to find the best in people or situations, you may feel it’s negative to notice things that you don’t like or would rather not be a part of. To notice is not to judge, to notice is discernment. To judge is to say it’s right or wrong.
How To Recognize Where Change Is Needed:
1. Are you honest with yourself about where you are in your life and whether this is what you really want both personally and professionally?
2. Are you happy now or are you waiting to be happy when…?
3. Are you making excuses about why things aren’t working out for you?
4. If you knew today was your last day, would you feel complete and fulfilled or wish you had made some changes?
5. If you could change anything, what would that be?
Take time to think about these questions. You and only you have the answers.
If you recognize change is needed, remember, now is the perfect time to begin to change the direction of your life and Design Your Destiny.
You Are Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link ~ Podcast
One wounded apple and the entire bag is affected.
The same goes for your team or as I like to call it - your tribe. And when I say your “tribe” I also include your suppliers and subcontractors. All it takes is one non-performing tribe member, and one way or another, your entire organization is at risk, your patience is running thin and you’re becoming a time bomb waiting to explode. Sound familiar? In this Podcast, learn what you can do to “raise the bar” on yourself, your team and your suppliers to strengthen and leverage your support system.
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Jing by Tech Smith is a free software that allows you to add visuals to your online conversations. Instead of writing a plain old email, use Jing to do screen captures of what you see, or better yet do a screencast where you can record what you are seeing and doing on screen, as well as narrate the whole process at the same time. Jing then provides you with a link that you can put into your email message…and you’ve just made email a heck of a lot more interesting!
We use it all the time and have found that it really connects us with our clients because Jing’s minimal feature set keeps the focus on instant sharing. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked…guaranteed!
What do we use Jing for?
We use Jing to send Visual eVoicemails, to give client or supplier feedback, to present proposals, we even use it to sing Happy Birthday to clients, friends and family.
Want to see?
Here are a few samples of how we use Jing on a weekly basis:
To provide Instructions for our LeapTools:
Click here for the Brand Wheel Simple Jing Instructions
To share concepts and methodologies with our clients:
Click here for the 3 Personalities of an entrepreneur
Follow LeapZone on Twitter. You Are Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link.
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One wounded apple and the entire bag is affected.
The same goes for your team or as I like to say - your tribe. And when I say your “tribe” I also include your suppliers and subcontractors. All it takes is one non-performing tribe member, and one way or another, your entire organization is at risk, your patience is running thin and you’re becoming a time bomb waiting to explode. You end up picking up the slack and fixing it yourself by working harder, ’cause let’s face it, no one can do it as well as you, right? Wrong. I see it all the time and believe me when I say that I speak from experience.
Here’s the thing. First, you need to take responsibility for the results that are showing up in your life and in your business. Second, you need to roll up your sleeves and learn the tools and methodologies that will help you make pivotal shifts to create the powerful support you need to be able to share the load to allow your business to grow; creating a focused team that works with purpose and motivation.
You cannot afford to waste time and precious financial resources on tolerating bad apples. A non-performing team player is going to cost you a lot more time and money in the long run than you can ever imagine. There is no such thing as a “great company”. There are only “great people”.
THE PROBLEM:
Most small business owners (SBOs) are more “reactive” than “strategic + proactive”…and not just about hiring. What does this mean? Well, it means that most SBOs don’t plan to hire…they just DO when they absolutely feel like they will go nuts if they don’t. Most SBOs don’t plan to create an effective print ad, nope, they just DO it when they get a Yellow Page deal in their email one morning and decide that today is the day to create an ad.
So start by asking yourself:
Would I enthusiastically re-hire every one on my tribe?
If your answer is YES, you are part of a very rare breed. Only about 3% of entrepreneurs or business leaders would “enthusiastically” re-hire every member of their tribe.
If your answer is NO…then here are a few things you can do.
1. Take a deep breath, it’s not the end of the world.
2. Make a list of everyone on your tribe that receives a NO and do the following for each.
3. Look back to when you first hired each person and write down your TOP 5 needs at the time, as well as the TOP 5 reasons why you hired him or her to begin with.
4. Write down the TOP 5 reasons why you would NOT enthusiastically re-hire him or her.
5. Ask yourself if you have been crystal clear on your expectations, accountabilities and measurable results desired.
6. Ask yourself if this tribe member has the necessary DNA to become a real asset for your company?
7. What are 5 key things you can do to become a better leader?
RULE OF THUMB:
Hire Slow. Fire Fast…because you are only as strong as your weakest link.
Take the Poll:
To learn more about how LeapZone Strategies can help you build a winning tribe and help you create and/or strengthen your hiring process, fill out our free Needs Assessment today.
Design Your Destiny - The First Step (Article 2 in a Series of 12)
“People are where they are because that’s exactly where they really want to be…whether they’ll admit that or not.”
- Earl Nightengale
1. Commitment to personal development.
Are you committed? Do you invest in yourself to become the best you can be? That includes time and money.
It’s a catch 22. The thing you need the most is often the thing you don’t have the time nor money to invest in … which makes it the thing you need the most. Personal development can often fall into that category. It’s the easiest thing to put on the back burner until things settle down, you make more money, you make some decisions, etc…
The list can go on forever, but the problem is that most of these things won’t go away until you find some new ways of dealing with them, which means taking some time for your personal development. The people that invest in themselves are the people that appear to have it all together and don’t need personal development. Another catch 22 … if you invest in yourself, you won’t need to, so ideally you continue to fill yourself, nurture yourself, so that you never feel the need to do something. You fill yourself with positive input because it feels good and you know it makes a difference.
It isn’t easy to do what I’m suggesting, because more often than not, we’re operating out of fear, we’re putting out fires, playing catch-up, racing from point A to point B. The only way to change that, is to go outside of yourself for some inspiration, some new tools and strategies to deal with everyday life.
When you begin to step back from your situation, you’ll find that everyone has their story. There are many resources out there. You just have to look for them and be willing to invest in yourself, take care of yourself and know that the only way to change your results is to change the way you approach things.
You may wonder how you can find the time or money to invest in your personal development, with everything else you have on your plate. The real question is … how can you not? Our responsibilities are increasing, people are being asked to give more and more of themselves on the job, to say nothing of the family responsibilities that seem to be increasing.
Simple Steps to Your Personal Development:
1. Before you start your day, sit quietly and write out your goals for the day. Include personal goals and family goals.
2. Take 20 minutes a day to read an inspirational book.
3. Commit to taking a personal development workshop once a quarter.
4. Find a mentor. Surround yourself with positive, happy people. Successful people love to share their experiences.
Develop an ongoing curiosity about life. Enjoy every minute of every day because you never know which one is the last.
Personal development is a life long program. There will always be more to learn. Life is learning. Invest in your most valuable asset … YOU.