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What’s the final step?

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For who, how many, how often, what areas? These phrases represent questions that we must be asking ourselves in business. These phrases represent certain addressed areas of what we call Key Performance Indicators or KPI’s. What is a KPI? It’s essentially a measurement of performance and accountability.  How many dials must be made to contact one quality prospect? How many appointments must be booked in a given week or month? How many … Read more

Accountability & Ownership, anytime you’re ready!

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A while back I was working with a business owner that had a rather large challenge with employee retention. The practice actually had a turnover rate 120%+ over a two-year period. As we sat down and started to talk, he shared his frustrations of how his team had no accountability or ownership within the organization.  

I simply started to ask questions like, do you have a Vision, Mission and Culture in place? Do you have position agreements in place for all your staff? Do you follow a strict 90-day review process? Do you run weekly meetings? The answer to all these questions were repeatedly, no! I went as far to ask do you even speak to them at all. His answer was, “Not really as I’m just afraid they’re just going to ask me for more money.” Wow, talk about a disconnect from the pulse of the organization and the team. 

While working together and over time we implemented all the steps of building a Synergistic Dream Team. However, before we really got started, I gave him a little piece of homework to do. The exercise was for him to write down all of the people that left and why they left. In addition, write down what you could have done better and what you will or no longer do in the future as so it doesn’t happen again. This exercise was for him to actually own this challenge and understand that it was not them as it was him that created this dilemma. 

We started the process by running a behavioral assessment on the owner then on all of the staff. We defined his organization chart to get clear on all the key players. We with the help of the entire team, created a vision, mission and culture of the organization.  We implemented weekly meetings to bring everyone into the fold and to increase communication.  

Most importantly we implemented Step 5 of Building a Synergistic Dream Team of which is the creation and positioning of Position Agreements along with a strict 90-day review process. 

The creation of Position Agreements will define all the roles, responsibilities and expectations for each of the staff. This document will be reviewed, signed and retained by both parties. Position agreements defines to each member of your team what they need to do, how they need to do it, when they need to do it, without waiting for you to approve it!  

The Position Agreements will also give you a guideline to cover during your 90-day reviews. These reviews are where you discuss how they have performed, what they have done well, where they may need improvement and most importantly how you can help them.  

This entire process creates the structure to address one of the 6 human needs of being the need for Growth. This process will Increases Accountability, Ownership and Employee Retention. It will also help you in the Identification of your key players that will help run the business for you! 

To get back to the story of my client. After we put everything in place. His entire behavior shifted to that more of a leader. He spent more time out of his office with the team as opposed to the prior habit of hiding in his office with the door closed. His team stepped up as they were all along waiting for the structure of accountability to be put in place. His retention dramatically improved and the respect of his team grew as well. 

If you are reading this and want to create a Synergistic Dream Team in your organization, follow the prior steps of 1 – 4 of my blogs and be sure to check in next week for the final step. 

Windows of Opportunity!

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This blog is specifically for all of you that are consistently working in your business to the point that you are almost intimidated by the idea of actually taking days out of your business to educate yourself and work on it. For you, this blog is written.

This prior week I had the privilege to take two and a half days out of my business to educate myself and work on my business. I spent two full days with Brad Sugars the founder of Action Coach Global who was conducting a Master Class series for coaches. From these two days, I was able to walk away with some tremendous learnings that will not only help me grow my business, however, to also be a better resource and coach for my clients to better grow themselves and their business as well.

I compiled three pages of action items of which I have already implemented several of them. I was able to mastermind with sixteen other additional talented coaches from around the world. We were able to share best practices along with challenging each other to dig deeper to grow. All in all, it was worth every penny invested.

However, my biggest learning was that when you actually take the time out of your business to educate yourself and work on your business, additional windows of opportunity present themselves. Brad Sugars is creating a television series of which he interviews coaches on client success stories of which he invited me to conduct a ten-minute interview with him which will be aired at a later date. It was an enjoyable conversation as well as a lot of fun in addition to the fact that I will also have access to the taping at a later date for my own use.

Brad also had four additional tickets to the Fleetwood Mac concert in his private suite for Friday evening at the T Mobile arena in Las Vegas of which I also had the opportunity to attend. I will share that the concert was excellent, however, made me feel a little up there in age as I attempted to recall when I actually first heard one of their songs. They also did a heartfelt tribute song of the late great Tom Petty. Absolutely a great evening.

I also had a bucket list item that I wanted to check off that weekend of which I enrolled a gentleman within the Action Coach organization to assist me on. He personally knew the owner of a local organization that was able to assist me with that request the following day.

I share this experience with you as I fully expected two full days of great learning from Brad and the other coaches. However, everything else that I enjoyed that weekend was totally unexpected and became all icing on the cake.

The lesson I learned is simple as when you actually commit to slow down, educate yourself, get out of your business and work on your business additional windows of opportunities will open up for you to take advantage of. I am able to participate and take advantage of all sorts of these opportunities throughout the year both locally and around the globe. This provides me with the privilege of masterminding with some extraordinarily talented and dedicated individuals. When I return from these events, I always find myself just a little bit better and smarter than before I left.

My message to you is that I would highly suggest for you to do the same. As you will find that when you actually make the commitment to slow down, get out of your business and work on your business new windows of opportunity will open up for you that can help you take both you and your business to the next level. And, who knows, you just may have some fun while you’re at it!

 

Thank a Veteran!

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This past Sunday, November 11th was Veterans Day, and an opportunity for us to give thanks to those that served our country. Veterans Day began in 1919 when President Wilson declared the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month as Armistice Day; when fighting ended in World War I. After World War II, this was later changed to Veterans Day and became a day to honor all of those who served our country.

How can we honor and thank these veterans when they cross our path? We can simply invite them for a cup of coffee, thank them for their service and just get to know a little bit about them. If your organization owns a four pack of season tickets to your local sports team. Think about not donating the tickets, but actually bringing a couple of veterans to a game with your business partner, spouse or child. It’s a great way of saying thanks. You’ll be able to hear some amazing stories while building some incredible connections and relationships. You’ll find that a simple gesture of appreciation goes a long way in their eyes.

In addition, if you own a business or large organization, consider donating a portion of your earnings to a military foundation. I myself donate monthly to the Military Hero’s Foundation, which send packages over seas to our soldiers and pools money for a returning soldier who may need some assistance.

If you own or lead an organization think about actually hiring a veteran. Many veterans possess skills and talents needed in today’s business world. They bring a tremendous understanding and culture of teamwork. To them the motto “There’s no ‘I’ in TEAM” isn’t just a saying. No one understands the crucial, life and death, importance of teamwork more than a veteran, and knowing how much more they can all accomplish when working together.

Another trait of veterans is their ability to perform under pressure. Whenever you might think that your job is stressful and you’re ready to throw in the towel, remember that no one is throwing a grenade into your cubicle. You get to drive home after work and have dinner with your family. Veterans know the importance of carefully and thoroughly completing their mission if they want to go home, no matter what kind of day they’re having. There’s no quitting for veterans!

This year marks the sixth annual National Veterans Small Business Week. Thousands of men and women of the Armed Forces have used their skills to start their own business. In fact, there are 2.5 million veteran-owned businesses in the U.S. that contribute approximately 1.4 trillion dollars to the nation’s total sales/receipts per year. Continue to support to our veterans by patronizing their businesses.

If you are considering hiring a veteran or donating to a worthy military foundation. Maybe sitting down for a cup of coffee to hear a veteran’s story. If it’s you and your partner taking them to a game and sharing some high fives or just simply acknowledging them by shaking their hand and saying thank you for your service. However, we do it, these simple kind acts are the least we can do to show our appreciation for their brave sacrifice to us and our country.

 

Do you stand alone?

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A few weeks back I traveled to Las Vegas on business, yes, business as a few of my clients and colleagues chuckled when I said that. However, on returning from Vegas, I arrived at the airport a bit early. I decided to have a bite to eat then stroll through some of the shops in the terminal.

I came across a sports shop called World of Sports which carried jerseys, hats, jackets and other sports accessories. What I found most interesting when I looked up at the wall was that most all the jerseys carried the names of retired players. Names like Marino, Elway, Favre, Ortiz, Clemens, Jeter, Iverson, and many others. As I continued to look at all the different jerseys representing football, basketball, baseball, and others, they were all consistently of retired players.

I approach the man who was working at the store and started a conversation. He was actually the owner and he shared with me how he always ordered the jerseys of the current hot players. Only in frustration to have those players shortly thereafter traded away to another team. Every time this event took place, he simply got stuck with unwanted inventory. The last go-round actually cost him $50,000 in inventory. Ouch! Right then and there he made a decision that this occurrence would never happen again. If you were there, you would actually see the frustration on his face as he expressed this to me.

“I now carry the past greats, the names everyone loves and remembers. I no longer get stuck with unwanted inventory or experience cash flow problems. Better yet, my sales have doubled in the process. I stand out from my competitors as they are still playing the same old game. Let them get hit for $50,000 in unwanted inventory. Not me, no more!”

Brilliant, I thought. Here’s a man who made a conscious decision to go against the mainstream. He now stands alone as someone who has created a uniqueness in his brand. Good for him.

My question to you is. Where do you potentially need to make a shift in your business to stand out amongst your peers? Where do you need to make a conscious decision to go against the tide to create a uniqueness in your brand that stands out? Ask yourself if you are you actually willing in taking that step to be different? What’s the risk if you don’t make a shift? What could it cost you if you stay the same?

Remember the old saying, the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. This man chose to make a stand. Chose to shift his approach and model. He now stands alone, generates more revenues and stands out as someone who has created a uniqueness.

 

Whats Your Achilles Heel?

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As the story of Achilles goes, to prevent his death, his mother Thetis took Achilles to the River Styx, which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability. She submerged his body into the water; however, as Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river. This became the … Read more

Is your energy serving you?

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I have a question for all of you out there today. The question is, “where do you primarily focus your energy?”

Let me share with you why I am asking this question. I was talking to someone last week and she was complaining about her former partners of which she hasn’t worked with for six months. A wife was sharing with me on how her husband who was a little bit rough around the edges would watch CNN (Constant Negative News Channel) the first thing every morning. On social media, you see it all the time, some giving thumbs up and supporting our president, some giving thumbs down and ditching our president. Worst of all they combat back and forth on who’s right and who’s wrong.

These activities simply don’t serve you or anyone around you. Be clear that time is your most valuable asset, however, I believe our second most valuable asset is our energy, the energy we bring to the table day in and day out. We produce this energy based on what we focus on. We focus on the positive we produce positive energy. We focus on the negative we produce negative energy.

Take this point if you are a leader or manager of an organization. Unfortunately, you have a habit of focusing on all the little things your team is doing wrong, worse yet, you belabor the issue. Ask yourself a question, are they going to be productive? Are they going to feel good about themselves? Are you going to feel good about yourself engaging in this activity? I think not.

Now on the other hand, you are consistently praising your team by finding all the little things they’re doing right. Telling them about the good job they’re doing and taking it one step further to talk about as they continue to make these upward shifts of how they can rise to the next level in their performance. As you praise your team, this will actually increase their confidence, they will increase their productivity, they will begin producing better results. As your team increase their productivity and results it will actually inspire and empower you which will increase your positive energy of which in turn you’ll create a self-fulfilling prophecy of forwarding momentum. Simply, everybody wins.

What you think, how you speak, the words you use all makes a difference. What you watch or don’t watch, what you read or don’t read, what you listen to or don’t listen to. All this makes a difference in how it produces the right energy in the right place.

Get really conscious on where you focus your energy. Focus it in a place that serves you, your team, your organization, your clients, your community, and most importantly your family. If it doesn’t serve any of these aspects of your life, don’t bother with it.

Focus on what you can bring to the table, focus on being the absolute best that you can possibly be, reaching for your maximum potential. Because when we are focusing on that, we will be thinking all the right things, saying all the right things, doing all the right things and that energy will produce outward, the people around you will get the same effect and they will produce more also.

Make a personal commitment to focus on the right things and let your energy work for you instead of your energy working against you.

 

Are You Comfortable?

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It’s a dark rainy Sunday morning in South Florida. Outside of maybe getting a cup of coffee, there’s really no need to jump out of bed as you’re comfortable right where you are. It’s winter time in Boston, it’s frigid cold outside, there’s snow on the ground. It’s nice and warm under the covers, you’re … Read more

What’s your word?

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Throughout life somewhere along the way, we have adopted a word that describes who we are or how we have achieved the level of success we have today. Right now, if someone were to ask you what’s the one word that describes you? What’s the one word that you believe represents how you’ve accomplished the success and achievement that you have today?

For many entrepreneurs, business owners, CEO’s and business leaders alike, I believe the word persistence shows up quite a bit. Throughout the history books, persistence is always attached to some sort of great achievement.

For myself, persistence is and was my word. It has served me very well throughout my life. However, as I have matured in business and leadership I have adopted a new word that serves a greater purpose. A word, I believe is a step up from the word Persistence. That word to me is Intentionalism.

I’ve learned that we need to become extremely intentional on what we focus on that serves us most in our life and our business. We need to become intentional about who we associate with, the books we read, what we listen too or watch. We need to be intentional about who, what and where we spend our time.

The question you have to ponder is. Are you being intentional with your life? Are you being intentional with who you let into your environment or who you spend time with? Are you being intentional with what you read or don’t read, what you listen to or don’t listen to, what you watch or don’t watch? Are you being intentional with the conversations you’re having with a member of your team, a partner or a customer? Are you being intentional about who and what you focus your time on?

Don’t be the business owner or person that uses the old “I’ve got ADHD”, so I can’t intentionally focus or organize myself. No offense, but that line is a bunch of rubbish and it most certainly doesn’t serve anyone most importantly yourself.

Since time is really our most valuable asset and we need to honor and treasure it, being intentional is actually the best time saver in the world. Why? Because being intentional gets you laser-focused only on what’s important, what most moves the needle forward in your life and business. Being intentional also saves others time as you’re not wasting yours and you most certainly won’t be wasting there’s as you’ll be consistently focused on what’s most important to them and the organization. Intentionalism will also increase productivity which leads to better margins and ultimately increased profits.

I challenge you to get clear on your word. If it serves you well, congratulations. If it doesn’t time to adopt a new word that does. I’ve shared mine in intentionalism. So, What’s your word?

Attitude - Action - Results

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Business coach with 40+ years of experience.

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by Michael Dill

6810 FL-7 Coconut Creek, FL 33073

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