Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category

How many times have you felt disconnected from your business? Or how engaged does your team feel you are in your business?

I talk often about being present in every moment in your life but what about your business? It is the same thing. You need to be completely engaged in every moment in your business. When I consult with businesses, I often ask the owners to tell me about their business model. They say all the right things but often there is a spark missing and when I interview their people or their teams, I usually hear something like “he really isn’t involved in the business, or he has lost interest in the business”

People can tell if you are present in your business. People can tell if you are disengaged from your passion. Similar to being present in every moment of your life, you need to be present in every moment you are interacting with people in your business.

Don’t check out….

You are a significant influence in your team’s motivation and simply treating every moment as a moment of engagement and influence that empowers your people and engages them into your vision.

So a simple question I want to ask you….

Do you create energy when you enter a room… or energy when you leave?

If you create such an atmosphere of positive energy when you enter room , chances are your teams are highly motivated and engaged and producing at maximum capacity. Your business is thriving and on a strong path to sustainable growth.

If you create energy when you leave the room, chances are your teams are working in fear and a place of uncertainty. They are not motivated and not engaged therefore they are not producing for you at 100%. – Creativity is limited, risks are not taken and you are missing out on a great opportunity to capitalize on your #1 asset… your people.

So here are some tips:
1)Be totally present in your business and be engaging with every person you meet
2)Be clear on your communication and allow for the team to contribute to the conversation
3)Be positive and do not isolate a member of the team by calling out an issue, a challenge or problem with an individual performance.
4)Systematize your business and create a framework for your team to follow
5)Create a promise to your team – and deliver on that promise everyday.

I am a big fan of Scott Stratten of UnMarketing.  Although we have never met, what I am a big fan of, is Scott’s realness in the way he teaches and promotes his message.  I came across this post from him and it brought me to tears.  Scott’s story is one that many can relate to – the super ambitious, black berry junkies and people on the go all should take a moment and review this video and take another moment to “stop” and reflect on your own life.

Share your thoughts in the comment section.

It takes a long time to build your company’s brand and a lot of money to create that great logo, marketing brochure and industry “buzz” about your business.  As business owners, you have invested a lot of time, resources and money to create your corporate image and it is equally important to invest just as much in building a business that oozes accountability.  

Too often, employees operate under the assumption that if they perform their basic job duties (as defined in their job descriptions) then they’ve have done what they were hired to do regardless if the company’s goals were met.   Read the rest of this entry »