Keys To Success: Self-Improving

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Steve Scott

Embracing a self-improving way of life is not something most people readily get into. Why? In today’s hurry up, I have to have it now world, self-improving takes time. If you are seeking greater personal or small business success, self-improving is the foundation from which to build.

Self-Improving—It’s About Fitness

Too often, the self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or individual is looking for a quick fix. Someone once said this about quick fixes.

“Everyone is looking for a quick fix, but what they really need is fitness. People who look for fixes stop doing what’s right when pressure is relieved. People who purse fitness do what they should no matter what the circumstances.”

Self-improving is aboutfitness. You keep after it no matter what the circumstances. Whether you are running a small business or starting your own business you must embrace the fitness regimen of self-improving to be successful. The following are some keys to self-improving:

Self-Improving—Preparation

Self-improving people think about how they can improve today. Self-improving team players think about how they can improve the team today. Notice the word today. They are not into sometime or somewhere in the future. They are into today.

Self-improving people look for their potential learning moments today. They look at what they learned today and see what they need to learn more about tomorrow. As a business growth coach, I believe that preparation in learning is one of the most important keys to success.

Self-Improving—Reflection

I like the following quotation: “If you study the lives of the truly great individuals who have influenced the world, you will find that in virtually every case, they spent considerable time alone—contemplating, meditating, listening.” Time alone for reflection to contemplate, meditate and to listen to yourself is essential to self-improving.

Self-Improving—Application

Applying what you learn is the very often the most difficult part because it requires that you change. Most people change only when they are hurting too much or they have learned enough that they want to. Sometimes they change when they receive enough and they are able to. But most of the time they won’t receive enough unless they have embraced self-improving.

Make it a goal to be self-improving. Learn in order to improve every day.

Go out and learn something new today. Reflect on what you have learned. Apply it as soon as possible. Do these three things and you will stay fit in self-improving.

Keys To Success: Preparation For Tomorrow Begins Today

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Steve Scott

Preparation and success go hand in hand. Rudy Guiliani, the mayor of New York City when 9/11 occurred had this to say: “Your success will be determined by your ability to prepare.”

Here you are as possibly a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or an individual seeking greater personal growth and success. What do you do?

Preparation and Success

There are no overnight successes. There is a great deal of preparation that leads to success. Then when the situation presents itself you increase your odds of leading it successfully. You may get recognition, like Guiliani, overnight, but his success and the leadership he displayed were years in the making.

Hopefully, you will never have a September 11 type situation in your life where there is no plan in place. When you are a leader you must take action and rely on whatever preparation has taken place.

In the instance of 9/11 there were emergency drills that the fire and police departments followed. This helped greatly during the crisis. Preparation was key in addressing the crisis and having a pointed and effective response.

Preparation: It’s Not In What You Do

When people look at preparation they think of rehearsing procedures, learning new skills, experimenting with potential improvements. All of these are part of preparation. But, even more important in preparation is what you believe.

If you believe that your preparation is good then when the time arrives you will use it. If you don’t believe in how you are preparing then you will respond with some other plan. Very often this is where bad things happen.

How often have you seen a situation where the commentary was, “If they had only followed procedures…….” Yes, the preparation was there but the leaders and people didn’t believe in it. And the results were worse because of it.

Yes, you must believe in how you are preparing.

Preparation Changes Your Attitude

As a business coach, one of the things that I emphasize to my clients it that if you believe your success tomorrow depends on what you do today, then you will treat today differently. When you treat today differently by embracing personal development and personal growth for tomorrow, the results in your business and life are going to be different.

With an attitude of preparation for something better you understand that what you receive tomorrow depends on what you believe today. Believe in preparation.

If you are preparing for today, the chances are, you won’t be repairing tomorrow. Preparation is the foundation for growth in your business and life.

When looking at the keys to success, always remember much of success is about continuous preparation.

Keys To Success: Courageous Leadership

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Steve Scott

The content for today’s post on courageous leadership comes from John Maxwell and his book, Talent Is Never Enough. Mr. Maxwell is considered one of the foremost leadership experts in the world.

As a self-employed business owner and entrepreneur he understands the challenges of not only starting up your own business but in running a small business. And, he also understands that courageous leadership can take your small business and move it to a higher level.

Courageous Leadership: Making Difficult Small Decisions

He starts out, “When I began my leadership career, I was very ineffective as a leader. I believed I had talent. But when I got out into the real world, I fell far short of my expectations. How did I turn things around? By making small decisions that were difficult.

With each one, I gained more confidence and more courage, and I began to change.”

Courageous Leadership: It Takes Time

He goes on to say, “The process took me four years. At the end of that time, I had learned many valuable lessons, and I wrote the following to help me cement what I had learned.”

He lists ten points as to what courageous leadership means. As a personal business coach and an individual who believes in personal development I could readily identify with these points from my own personal experience and that of my clients.

Courageous Leadership: The Ten Points-Quoted Directly From John Maxwell

Convictions that are stronger than my fears.
Vision that is clearer than my doubts.
Spiritual sensitivity that is louder than popular opinion.
Self-esteem that is deeper than self-protection.
Appreciation for discipline that is greater than my desire for leisure.
Dissatisfaction that is more forceful than the status quo.
Poise that is more unshakeable than panic.
Risk taking that is stronger than safety seeking.
Right actions that are more robust than rationalization.
A desire to see potential reached more than to see people appeased.

He concludes by saying the following: “You don’t have to be great to become a person of courage. You just need to want to reach your potential and to be willing to trade what seems good in the moment for what’s best for your potential. That’s something you can do regardless of your level of natural talent.”

He leaves us with this final thought on courageous leadership. “Make a small decision today that will increase your confidence and leadership courage.” That’s the start to courageous leadership.

Keys To Success: Vision

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Steve Scott

Effective leaders have a vision of what they must accomplish. That vision becomes the energy behind every effort and the force that pushes through all problems. Whether you are an individual, self-employed business owner, entrepreneur or solo professional having a vision will add clarity and purpose to your business and life.

Vision—Catch It

Have you ever noticed that a leader with vision is on a mission? He’s on a mission and his spirit is felt by others in his group or crowd. When you are starting your own business or running a small business having a clear vision will not only keep you going with momentum and in the right direction it will do something even more important.

It will attract others to support you and help you move along to fulfilling your vision. In business these are new clients and customers. Be clear about what you offer and the benefits and you will attract the people you need to be successful. Let them catch the vision.

Vision—It Unites

In order for any dream to be realized or to have a successful small business you must have unity. Long hours will be given gladly in the pursuit of a clear, worthwhile goal. Individual wants will be set aside because others see that the whole is more important than the part.

Time of the team members becomes less of an issue because morale soars upwardand commitment becomes the watchword for huge and rewarding accomplishments. And all this happens because the leader has vision.

Vision—It Is Your Purpose

As a personal business coach I encourage every client to get a clear vision of the future he desires. Without a clear vision the present is not very exciting. Why? You have no idea what you are working for long term.

Having a vision gives purpose to you, your organization and to each day. With a clear purpose your customers can more easily identify with you.

With a clear vision you and your employees know the real reason for your existence. It also becomes a control tool. Instead of a manual that may constrain people and initiative the vision allows people to thrive within a specific purpose.

And, at a time where companies are becoming more decentralized vision is even more important. Why?

Vision keeps everyone focused.

Keys To Success: Praise

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Steve Scott

In my business coaching practice I always encourage my clients to use praise. Regardless of whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or individual all of us like to receive praise.

Praise Must Be Genuine

There is a phrase, talk is cheap. If praise is not genuine then talk can be expensive. If you are looking for a quick way to fracture your team, damage friendships or alienate employees give acknowledgement that is not genuine.

People will pick up on the dishonesty and when they do they will distance themselves from you. Over time they may become less productive and less loyal. This can lead to increased expense and more turnover which can be very expensive.

Talk, when the praise is not genuine, can be very expensive.

Praise Must Be Heartfelt

You can genuinely praise someone and that is great. Almost everyone loves recognition for their attributes, behavior or a job well done.

But, if the praise is not given from the heart it reflects badly back on the person who is giving it. When it is given reluctantly or without enthusiasm it diminishes the person who gives it as well as the person who receives it.

Also when given without enthusiasm or back handedly it shows a very negative side to the person who is giving it.

Whether you are starting your own business or running a small business the proper use of praise is a wonderful way to build a team and loyalty. Be sure it is genuine and heartfelt.

Praise Must Be Merited

There is nothing worse than to receive praise and to know it is being done for show and that in truth, there is very little, if any thing, very positive to merit the praise.

Yes, praise must be deserved. Whether this is an individual situation or a small business the recognition that comes from praise must be deserved. When praise is given and it is not deserved it will reflect badly on you and your organization.

Why? It shows a lack of integrity. It was not honest.

As you go through life use praise. But when you do remember that it must be genuine, heartfelt and merited. Praise is a great way to lift you and others up.

And, in the end, what you send out comes back.

Send out praise.

Keys To Success: Connect With Others

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Steve Scott

How do you connect with others? Your ability to connect will be a major determinant on your ability to lead and influence others.

Too often I see individuals, self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs and solo professionals try to lead before they connect.

Connect First

If you want to influence others, and you desire to get them moving in the right direction, you must connect with them before you try to take them anywhere. In my personal development and leadership coaching I often see this step by passed.

The result is poor leadership and undesirable results. Attempting to lead before connecting is a common mistake of inexperienced leaders.

Connect For Better Relationships

Trying to move others before going through the connection process with them can lead to:

Mistrust
Resistance
Strained relationships

Without connecting your leadership is doomed. You may have the best idea or vision but without connection you will go nowhere.

Connect By Sharing

When collaborating with others about personal growth or small business growth the most difficult skill for many to develop is to learn to connect by sharing. Connection comes when you share who you are.

You must be transparent. If you can’t connect on a personal level you won’t have the relationships and it will be difficult to lead.

Connect By Sharing And Share The Journey

Always remember that you have to share yourself before you share the journey. Too often people fail because they forget to share themselves. As someone once observed, “Leadership is cultivating in people today, a future willingness on their part to follow you into something new for the sake of something great.”

Connect and you will create that willingness.

Connect and you will lead.

Connect and you will move forward.

In the end just do it! Connect

Thanksgiving-The Start Of The Holiday Season

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Steve Scott

The Holiday Season is upon us with Thanksgiving taking the initial bow in a couple of days. Yet for many self-employed business owners the Holiday season is a time of great stress and little joy.

Holiday Season—Your Feelings Are Valid

I have read many articles on this subject and the first thing they will tell you is that it doesn’t have to be this way. In a very subtle way, these articles and writers are telling you that your feelings aren’t valid.

Regardless of how you feel about Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season your feelings are valid. If you are feeling a sense of impending fun and happiness, that is great. I applaud you and encourage you to enjoy the Season and all the good memories you will be creating.

Holiday Season-High Stress

But for others, it can be a much different story. The Holiday season can be threatening to theowner of a small business. For many small businesses and their owners the Holidays represent an interruption in work, revenues and cash flow. Also, if you have employees, their family needs must be considered.

Running a small business is difficult enough without any other stresses. But, the aforementioned stresses that the Holidays bring of interruption in work, revenues and cash flow are really part of running a small business regardless of the season. Also, employees and their families are always a consideration.

Holiday Season—It’s About Relationships

When I hear these given as reasons by business owners for not liking the Holidays I understand that these things can be part of their negativity. But, in reality, very often they are just a cover to mask some more serious problems.

What are those problems? In a nutshell, they all boil down to relationships. The first relationship is the one the business owner has with himself. If he has become a splinter of a person, with no outside interests, that is not good. After all, if you don’t take care of yourself and be the best “you”, how good can you be for others?

When the business owner has totally focused on his business then he has nothing to look forward to outside of work. The Holidays mean he will be spending more time outside of work. For this type of owner this is not a happy scene.

The second aspect of relationships has to do with family and friends. Many small business owners fear the Holidays because they get to spend more time with family and close friends and they get a “report card” so to speak on these relationships. This can create a great deal of fear, discord and anxiety.

When you are working all the time and your focus is business I can assure you that in most instances you will have some challenges to overcome in your personal life. Let the Holidays be a wake up call to start putting greater priority on your relationship with yourself and others.

Priorities-Can Make For A Better Holiday Season

A joyous Holiday Season is one where you have your priorities straight. Start with this Holiday Season, if your relationships need some polishing, to make your relationships a priority.

Learn the art of letting go of something truly important, your business, for something that truly matters, your relationships. Put your focus on appreciating others. Lift others up. It is easy to find the negative. Find the good in others. Be a good finder. What you send out will come back.

In the end, your business, the human doing is important. But your legacy is built on your relationships, the human being, because they are what truly matters.

Wishing you your best Thanksgiving and Holiday Season yet!

Keys To Success: Problem Solving Comes From Within

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Steve Scott

Over time, I have found that the answers to life’s most vexing problems come when I practice problem solving from within. The answers to the biggest challenges don’t exist on Ask.com, YouTube or Wikipedia, but reside within us.

Tap Your Inner Resource For Problem Solving

In the last post I talked about your Inner Resource. Your inner resource is when you tap your inner wisdom. In today’s world we are prone to simply study the wisdom of others. When we do, we can get lazy because we are not practicing thinking for ourselves. Good problem solving is about building your thought muscles.

Problem Solving Is About Identifying Clothes

As a personal business coach I have the privilege of collaborating with and supporting individuals, entrepreneurs, solo professionals and self-employed business owners. Like me, they all have developed various degrees of problem solving skills.

What is interesting is that most problems at the core are the same. Problem solving may involve relationships, developing new disciplines, new ways of thinking, new habits and new processes in order to get the desired result.

The difficulty is that although most problems are common they come dressed in different clothes. For example, very often a relationship problem that is hindering small business growth or small business success has to do with a poor process.

When you strip the problem of its clothes, you see that a bad relationship was caused by a poor process. Too often, in problem solving, the focus will erroneously be on the relationship. The result is that two or more people get torn apart or broken down. At this point your problem solving has taken on two dimensions.

Now you have created a relationship problem that really wasn’t the problem. And, in order to solve the core problem, the poor process, you must now invest time in rebuilding the relationship.

Problem Solving—Get Into Yourself

When I am grappling with a problem and need to come up with an idea or answer I get by myself. I get in touch with my inner resource. I may write questions to myself. Then I may shift gears and answer it.

My goal is to achieve clarity as to what the problem truly is. Great problem solving is about identifying the core of a problem. Too often we focus on the symptoms and the problem keeps reoccurring.

Interestingly, when I take this approach to problem solving I discover that by changing my thinking, which can be difficult, that I find a solution more readily.

Sometimes I find that in changing my thinking that my thinking is the problem. The problem solving solution in this case is for me to get out of my own way.

Sometimes, I have to laugh at myself for not seeing what has become so clear when I get in touch with my inner resource. The goal for all of us is to find a method or way where problem solving identifies the problems and truly solves them.

Get into yourself. Get into your inner resource. When you do, you will have more energy, more time and more life because you have a good process for problem solving.

Keys To Success: Your Inner Resource

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Steve Scott

Tap Into Your Inner Resource For Growth

Are you tapping your inner resource? It is amazing that today as opposed to a few short years ago, much of human knowledge has been scanned, transcribed, recited and digitized for immediate Google access.

What Is Your Inner Resource?

Today there are more teachers, preachers, coaches, consultants, mentors and “experts” at your disposal. As a personal business coach it is my privilege to be invited into my client’s businesses and lives.

Yet, with all this help, the most overlooked, underutilized and powerful resource of them all is you—your own inner voice, intuition and instinct.

Using Your Inner Resource

Very often, the life of the self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or individuals I collaborate with and support are quite hectic. They are always looking for another resource to improve systems or to take them to their goals more quickly and easily.

We live in an era in which everyone around us is telling us what we should do—the government, religious authorities, academic leaders, news media, commercial marketers, our bosses, our parents and now hundreds of friend on Facebook and Twitter every day.

It is my belief that all of these available resources, ideas and opinions can overwhelm us, put us in a stupor and make us lazy.

After all, why tap into your inner resource if you believe that what you need is already there?

Using Your Inner Resource For Success

To be successful and to experience small business growth, you must use your inner resource. You may say, “But I am using it because it is already inside of me.” Just because you have it doesn’t mean you are using it.

I believe too many individuals and business owners have lost contact with their inner resource. As Albert Einstein once said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”

You cannot simply study the wisdom of others. You have to think through ideas yourself and tap your own inner wisdom, your inner resource.

Tap Into Your Inner Resource

Tapping into your inner resource is the key to your personal development and greater success. Use your inner resource to provide focus. When you do, your activity will become more purposeful. As a business growth coach I encourage purposeful activity.

Why? Our activity is the application of all that we know and all that we feel combined with the desire to have more than we have and to become more than we are. In the end, life gives to us according to our level of intent.

Increase your intent, and you will accelerate the process of your successful performance. Tap into your inner resource.

About Author:

www.businesskeystosuccess.com.Created by Steve Scott. The definitive guide to a better business and a better you for entrepreneurs, solo professionals and self-employed individuals striving to reach the top and who are serious about their success.

Keys To Success: The Food Relationships

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Steve Scott

Last week I was in a restaurant and I was reminded of the food test in relationships. At the booth next to me there was a man and a woman in their thirties who appeared to be in good shape.

Here’s where things got interesting. As they were looking at the menu, they got into a heated argument about what he should be ordering for lunch. He didn’t want to order the food that she thought he should. This irritated her and then things got personal.

Relationships Like Food Can Go Bad

Here were some of the comments I overheard. Her anger increased the volume of her voice it was easy to hear everything.

She said, “You never try anything new.”

His response was, “I know what I like.”

She queried, “Don’t you believe in eating healthy food?”

He replied, “I eat healthy food. You know that. But, there are times like today when I just feel like having a cheeseburger.”

At this point, when she heard the word cheeseburger she flipped her switch. You would have thought that he had just used some nasty four letter words.

The rest of the argument disintegrated into a tense situation. He stood his ground and ordered the cheeseburger. He got the food he wanted. They pretty much ate in silence.

Food Relationships—A Learning Experience

As I was taking all this in it got me to thinking about the joys of eating lunch by myself. Most of the time, I am with someone at lunch.

Today, I was free to pick the food I wanted and without anyone’s comment or interference. It is relaxing to make choices without always being challenged or questioned.

For the record, because I was feeling empathy for the man, I ordered a cheeseburger. It was my way of showing support and at the same time enjoying something I rarely order.

Food brings people together and creates a ready made social situation and relationships. I have also found that food is a great way to learn about people. More importantly, food and how it is viewed gives me great insight into others.

As a personal business coach I have found that food can give you a glimpse into what a relationship may be like. Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or an individual your relationships, who you associate with, can define you for better or worse.

Small business success and personal success are about having good relationships. Likewise, small business growth and personal growth can’t take place in the soil of poor relationships. Why is this important? One of the most personal relationships we have is with the food we eat.

Food Relationships: The Phrases That Cause Rot

Here are some observations about relationships and food.

When you hear, “You never try anything new,” it’s not about the fact that you do or don’t try anything new. It’s about another person’s desire to control one of the most personal things in your life, the food you put in your mouth.

Are there times and are there people where they need to do this? Yes. But, I am talking about those other times where there is no need other than the neediness of the other person to control.

“Try this just for me.” This is one of my favorites. When you have said “no” and you hear this you can be sure that this relationship is not about you. It is all about them. Be careful.

“Just take a bite. It will make me real happy.” This is a variation on number 2. But something sinister has been added. Now there is the implied threat that if you don’t take a bite or try something as they have told you to do that you are going to face some major rage.

“It won’t hurt you just to take a taste.” I have always found this one very interesting. The last time I checked eating what you want wasn’t about inflicting hurt. And, this is not what this statement is about. Once again, it is about the desire of someone else to control.

“I know you don’t like-fill in the blank-but I know you will like this.” I always find this one interesting. They already know what you don’t like and now they want to force you to do something you don’t like. This is not a way to build good relationships.

There are many more quotations around food but I think you get the idea.

In small business as in life, good relationships are crucial to success. More importantly, you can have all the money in the world but without good relationships you cannot be happy.

Your relationships are the human food you feed yourself with everyday. Take a look around you. What do your relationships feed you every day?

If you don’t like what you see here’s the good news. You can change it. Relationships are like a menu in a restaurant. You do get to pick and choose. It will be as you wish.

When looking at the keys to success remember to eat well. And be sure to choose good relationships from the menu of life.