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What color is your beach ball

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Imagine yourself at a boardroom table where all the important members of your organization are seated around the table. Now imagine a large beach ball directly in the center of the table. Depending on where you are sitting at the table will determine what color of the beach ball you’ll be facing.

On one end of the table could be the President of the organization of which his or her beach ball is blue. The other end is the Vice President of which his or her beach ball is red. Those who are sitting on the different sides of the table may be seeing a green, purple, orange or a yellow beach ball. The color of the ball that you are seeing is all determined by where you are sitting. Even though there are several colors to the ball, you may be only seeing one or two of the colors.

In an organization where there are specific rules or standards that must be adhered to by everyone then the beach ball is simply blue. It doesn’t matter of where you are sitting at the table or what your perspective is if this is the rule to be followed by all. Then the beach ball is blue, period! End of conversation!

Now if you are an organization that is looking to grow the company, a division, a team or just brainstorm ideas to stay ahead of your competition.  In that case, the beach ball can be one of many of the different colors. It can be blue, red, green, purple, orange, yellow or any combination of those colors. This way you will want to be getting everyone that is sitting around the tables perspective, opinions and ideas. As a team of leaders, you’ll be getting a different perspective from every color of the beach ball.

By masterminding in such a way of not being so adamant of what color of the ball you personally are seeing, you begin to see different opportunities, perspectives, solutions or strategies to take your organization, division or team to the next level. You begin to brainstorm ideas to outsmart and outwit the competition. By being open to all the different colors and perspectives of the beach ball you’ll be able to decide on what color or option to choose that is best for everyone and the organization.

In conclusion, if it’s to be a set rule or standard, then the beach ball is blue. However, if it’s a discussion on how to be the best in business. I strongly urge you to consider all the different colors of the beach ball.

Are you the Tortoise or the Hare?

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There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.

Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, “How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?”

Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, “There is plenty of time to relax.”

Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line.

The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare.

Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. The tortoise was over the line.

After that, Hare always reminded himself, “Don’t brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!”

There’s no doubt that the world’s pace has sped up. If you’re a CEO, an executive, a manager, a business owner or any type of leader you are most likely strapped with many tasks and responsibilities. Many of us have business, families, charities, outside organizations and activities to contend with. We also have ourselves to take care of. Let’s face it if any of this represents you – you are running.

What’s a person to do in this face paced environment? Turning to technology isn’t the answer as that option has only proved to distract us more. The answer is simple; slow down to speed up! Yes, slow down to speed up!

When you’re in your business, especially if you are a small business owner you must take the time to slow down. Start in the morning by getting clear on the day ahead before you leave your home. Slow down on a Monday to have a morning team meeting to properly align for the week. Slow down for a day to create a quarterly or annual plan. Slowing down in this manner will give you the opportunity to get clear and speed up again.

Is it easy to slow down? Heck no! Especially if you’re attempting to do it on your own. Is it hard to create the discipline to slow down? Heck yes!

If you’re challenged in doing it on your own – get someone to assist you. Hire a coach to slow you down. A coach will ask you the right questions, the tough questions, hold you accountable to do what you say you’ll do, get you to recognize your blind spots that are holding you back, teach you the techniques, solutions, and strategies to maximize your time and efficiency. With the right coach and proper coaching, you will actually better yourself, your team and your company. You will gain clarity and be able to speed up to focus on what’s truly important.

I encourage you to take on the challenge of slowing down to speed up! The value of taking the time to properly slow down to get clear on what’s most important, creating a plan of implementation and follow through, coupled with the proper accountability and coaching is an investment that will pay you dividends for years to come.

 

Are you ready to Zoom ?

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We are at the completion of our ABC’s of Creating a Successful Organization. We will now take a look at all the ingredients in running a successful organization or business. The question is, have you mastered all the principles in this series and are you, your team and your organization ready to zoom?

We started out the series with the first letter of the alphabet very fittingly being A, as A stands for Attitude. In the first step of any successful endeavor whether it be in business or in life the beginning always starts with a positive Attitude. 

B was about having solid Bench Strength which is the key to maintaining any sustainable success in any organization.

Week three gave us Dr. Martin Luther King Jr principles on Mastering the art of Communication.

D was for an effective Delivery process in every area of your organization. Leading to E for Efficiency.

Week six we shared several F-words that we believe are key to running successful organizations. Be sure to revisit to find out what they are.

Week seven we shared how you can increase the probability of your success by 78% by using SMART GOALS.  Followed by investigating the value of your Human capital. Which lead to what is really your greatest Investment?

J was about being aware of being a Jack of all Trades.

K was for KPI’s known as Key Performance Indicators which are the measurable values that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving their key business objectives and goals.

L was asking if you are applicating the power of Leverage in all the different areas of your organization to be truly effective and efficient?

M represented an interview with Brad Sugars the founder of Action Coach about the importance of Mentors. Be sure to give it a listen if you haven’t already.

N represented the importance of saying No with some examples of some of the most successful people on the planet? Followed by what’s the Opportunity cost of your decision-making process?

P represented with the high failure rate in business, do you have what it takes to Persevere to Profits while staying in the game for the long term.

Week seventeen we visited the letter Q and the 16 cylinders formulated of Mind, Body, Heart & Spirit to see if your team Qualifies to represent your organization and brand!

We visited R to see if you are actually Resisting the Results that you are actually after.

S was for Systems which stands for Saving Yourself Stress Time Energy and Money. And systems are simply about documenting and delivering consistent repeatable results time after time. 

T represented team which stands for Together Everyone Achieves More of which we used the ultimate example of the Navy Seals and their Trident.


Week twenty-one we asked does your Uniqueness stand above the pack? What are you doing to stand out amongst your competition?

V and W, asked you if the clarity of your Vision and Why are creating your organizational Victories as well as Win / Win outcomes.

X was simply about being eXtraordinary as average just doesn’t cut it. And you can only be eXtraordinary when you are clearly articulating a strong confident YES which ultimately means You Expect Success.

I invite you to go back to review any of these principles to sharpen up your ax as they say.

Simply speaking – when you have mastered all that has been provided to you in the ABC’s of Creating a Successful Organization and have taken on an accountability partner or Coach to ensure that you consistently follow through on all that you have learned – you, your team and your business should be ready to Zoom!

Can you Persevere to Profits?

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Small businesses continue to play a vital role in the economy of the United States by producing almost 50% of the private nonfarm GDP. In 2014, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, statistics show that unfortunately, about 40% of these businesses fail in their first year, 50% fail by their fifth and only about 20% of businesses will survive their 10th year in business. What’s the reasons why … Read more

Who are your Mentors?

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Who are your Mentors and are you applying what you’ve learned from them to mold you to be a great mentor yourself? The actual definition of a Mentor is as follows; an experienced and trusted adviser, an experienced and trusted person who gives another person advice and help, esp. related to work or school, over a period of time. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.  Throughout … Read more

Efficiency = Success

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To remain on top in an increasingly competitive world, organizations must boost operational efficiency wherever possible. It’s particularly important for small to medium size businesses to operate efficiently, because they often have limited resources compared to larger organizations. The following are a few tips to help your organization increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the … Read more

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr – The Master of Communication.

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I want to wish everyone a happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day. I would also like to honor this man by pointing out on how exemplified the art of communication. Communication or lack of communication is the link between a successful or unsuccessful marriage, organization, team or endeavor. Any time there is a break … Read more

Do you have Solid Organizational Bench Strength?

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In any organization or sports team, any sustainable success will always come down to their bench strength. We’ve seen it in basketball games where the second teamers would come off the bench and pull ahead in the score by outperforming the bench of the opposing team. We’ve seen it in football games when a first stringer would get injured and his back up would come off the bench and perform successfully.

Bench strength in an organization is defined by the competence and number of employees who are ready to fill vacant leadership and any other important positions. For any organization to thrive, they must have solid bench strength.

How do we create this bench strength?

First, you must always transfer the knowledge and experience from the top. This aids in the education and development of future leaders. In any successful sporting organization, is almost always lead by a great coach who is a great communicator and motivator. He not only has the ability to build people up, however, he does this all while holding them to a high standard of accountability.

To build great bench strength you must build solid relationships across the generations.  These filtered down skills, talents, and values of this diverse group will strengthen the overall leadership.

Develop succession plans. Don’t wait until the need for a leader is obvious! Identify and nurture high-potential members of the team. This group can be the first to leave if they are not properly recognized and developed.

Provide cross-departmental learning and exposure. This will develop a much better understanding of the overall organizational systems.

Offer executive coaching. Having an outsider perspective who specializes in this process can be very beneficial to upcoming leaders in succession planning. This will also provide a mastermind type strategic thinking process that will be very helpful early in the young talents career path.

Consistently assess this talent and provide mentoring support for new managers. This will help to acclimate them to their new roles. Constantly give your new leaders insights to help them increase their effectiveness.

Always keep an open dialogue. What leadership skills are crucial to the company’s success? What is the most important philosophy about your companies culture of leadership? What type of individual fulfills this culture of leadership? How are they willing to step up to fulfill this culture?

One final ingredient in succession planning will likely be influenced by work/life concerns. Organizations will need to find ways to help high-potentials balance their work and personal life responsibilities. Organizations must understand the impact that generational influences have on employees’ views of career development.

Be sure to recognize, develop, support, and train your organization’s young talent and with the proper bench strength you will surely have your winning team.

 

Show me the money

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Show Me the Money! Remember that iconic scene from Jerry Maguire where Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., demands, “Show me the money!”? Jerry, portrayed by Tom Cruise, is desperately trying to retain his clients as they’re being poached by another agent. Amidst the chaos, Rod insists on a commitment from Jerry to secure … Read more

Attitude - Action - Results

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Business coach with 40+ years of experience.

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by Michael Dill

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