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If you find yourself in a little mid-week or mid-day slump, take a few moments to re-energize yourself with these inspiring quotes from some of the world’s greatest thinkers. Sometimes, all it takes is a little reminder to boost your spirits and refocus your day.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas Edison Yes sometimes we have to roll our sleeves up and get on with it, not always the easiest thing to do but if you or your business are to succeed then this is what it will take to move it forward. You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Wayne Gretzky There is a similar quote from Michael Jordan, this one is straight to the point, if you are not putting yourself or your business into the frame there is no chance of winning that contract, pitching to that corporate client or building that team needed to grow your business. Yes you will miss a few shots but that is all part of the learning curve and development of you and / or your business. So take that shot… If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours. Ray Kroc This is in essence the difference between a wantrepreneur and an entrepreneur, yes cash is king but what generates the cash is satisfying the customer’s needs, when you do that then you will find a virtuous circle of growth, profit and all that can flow from that. Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. H. Jackson Brown Jr. We make time for what we want if we are honest, however there has been and always will be 24 hours in the day. Just like our attitude and response towards a situation is up to us as individuals, our use of time and what we chose to do is up to us. If you are struggling with this have a look at Carson Tate’s Work Simply site and book to help get you over that hump. (http://www.carsontate.com/) A man should never neglect his family for business. Walt Disney It is so easy to get wrapped up in winning that contract, landing that meeting with the corporate client you have been chasing that those who will give you the greatest support in growing and developing your business will be left behind and forgotten. Don’t let that happen, you don’t get those moments back going to the school play or big match, take that time, it is priceless and won’t be the end of you or your business.
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Today it is often said it is hard to stand out from the crowd and attract customers to your business. Many look at making offers, offering extras or dazzling with a list of clients and capability. These are not truly sustainable ways to grow your business, keep customers and bring in new clients. There is a very simple and powerful method to help? Tell the story of your business…
Every business has a story of how it got started to where you are today, just like every person does. Crafting those stories for your business can be done in so many ways that go beyond just facts or figures. Think of it this way: "Facts tell, stories sell." The story of your business is unique, it gives an insight into the vision and culture and values that any potential customer will get more from than a list of approvals, technical capabilities and references. When you are networking share your story, doing this gets to the heart of how you do business and will set you a part from your competition. Tell the story of your business! 5 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR STORY BRILLIANT! 1. Make the Story Powerful. Make the sum of your story bigger than the parts. You are not just telling your story to tell a story. You are telling your story with a purpose in mind: You want people to believe in you. It should all add up into one powerful message. 2. Engage your Stakeholders. Add to your words by talking to your employees, board members or anyone invested in your story. Reach out to a current customer that was exceptionally pleased with your service or product. Use their stories to paint a more multidimensional picture of how you and your brand are different than others. 3. Bring Clarity to your Story. Think back to when you started with the company. What inspired you to work for that company? What key motivators have brought you to where you are today? Chronological clarity will help people understand and appreciate your story. 4. Be Philosophical. Your story is more than dates. Go deeper than what and when with your story. Talk about why and how. People want to know who you are and what you stand for. Your passion, tone and the words you use will bring out the uniqueness of you and your company. 5. Tell the Whole Story. Tap into the events that created who you are and what you do. Use unique details incorporating all five senses to make your stories come alive. WHAT NOT TO DO · Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Be sincere and authentic. · Don’t preach. Be friendly, professional, and have an approachable tone. · Don’t take on the competition. Be proud of your story. · Don’t sell. Be engaging, and make connections. · Don’t use buzz words or jargon. Be conversational, show your personality. · Don’t make things up. Be factual and real, use your emotions to make it interesting. YOUR STORY BELONGS TO YOU AND YOU ALONE Take control of your story. Use your story as the foundation for your business marketing. Your story is who you are; it’s at the heart of what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. It’s key to your success. Growing your business can be difficult, and trying to do it on your own will strain you, your family and your business, potentially to breaking point. Developing yourself personally and the leadership function within your business will help your business grow in a way that will benefit all stakeholders and create opportunities not previously envisaged.
Core functions or responsibilities Neither a company nor an individual employee should ever outsource their core competencies — the tasks that add the most value. As an employee, if you outsource these tasks, your boss may wonder why he needs to keep you around at all. As a company, you may find yourself held hostage if you outsource and your partner leaves or demands more money. Praise and discipline These tasks are two sides of the coin. People will naturally trust and be more loyal to the person who doles out praise and incentives, and the higher up you are in a company, the more important it is to do these activities yourself. Likewise, while disciplining employees is possibly a manager’s most unpleasant task, it shouldn’t be passed off to a subordinate. Don’t name someone else to be the one to have to pass out the notice letters or redundancy information; if it must be done, do it yourself. Team building and talent nurturing Perhaps a manager’s most important job is building, training, and nurturing his or her team, which is why it’s vital not to completely outsource these tasks. Bringing in the right talent, putting together a team that works well, and understanding which members need training, mentoring, or incentives are the tools for success. Fundraising and investor relations Especially if you’re a CEO or entrepreneur, you can’t completely delegate these tasks. Investors want to hear from the person in charge whether the news is good or bad. Mission, vision, and company culture As with team building, you can’t outsource the core values that bring you together as a team. Whether you are the CEO or a team leader, maintaining the vision that drives your team cannot be forgotten or outsourced. Crisis management No matter how big the crisis is in the grand scheme of things, your presence is required. It’s important to show all parties that you are monitoring the situation and involved in finding a solution. It doesn’t matter whether your organization is negotiating a hostage situation or trying to salvage your biggest account; a wise leader will be present and involved. Traditions and etiquette There are just certain situations that require your presence out of politeness and tradition. It would be unthinkable to send your assistant to the funeral of an employee’s relative or a team member’s wedding. Go or don’t go, but don’t delegate this one. Discuss further with me at [email protected] on how we can support development of your management team and leadership for growth in your business. Succeeding with Continuous Improvement has proven harder than expected for many organizations. One big reason is that there are a few challenges most organizations sooner or later encounter and where your intuitive responses actually prevent you from succeeding. Over complicating, trying to do it all at once and single point failures all lead to the activities being discredited and dropped. Often with some basic principles this could be avoided.
Simplicity A common reaction to failed improvement initiatives is going for a more advanced solution. Go the other way! Simplicity will stand the test of time. For your organization to succeed with Continuous Improvement you have to make it a natural part of the everyday work of every employee. For that to become reality your approach can’t be complicated. If it is, new employees will need special training to understand your improvement method, you will need additional support resources to keep progressing and backing it up will demand a great deal of your managers’ time. Time is probably your most limited resource, and in the long run you won’t afford not to use everyone’s creativity. Kill two birds with one stone, keep it simple to both save time and to give everyone a chance to contribute. Focus A common reaction to recurring problems is bombarding them with solutions. Go the other way! Focus and dig deeper to find the real cause of the problem. Imagine what would happen if I took you and ten of your colleagues to a junkyard and asked you to build whatever you wanted. The most common reaction would probably be to just stand there looking around, not sure what to do. Imagine instead that I asked you to build a vehicle that could transport all of you at least ten yards without any of you touching the ground. Now your heads would probably fill with images of wheels, axles, planks to stand on, and steering wheels to guide you along the way. Instantly you would become more creative and could start to organize and divide the work among you. Some people think that creativity grows best when all boundaries are removed. The opposite is true. When we limit and clarify the task it becomes easier for everyone to contribute. Ownership A common reaction in crucial situations is adopting a command and control approach. Go the other way! Ownership is a prerequisite for using one’s full potential. If you are told exactly what to do when it really matters you will start to question your own ability to handle difficult situations. What’s worse, when you are confronted with challenges in the future it is likely that your insecurity prevents you from taking good decisions or even acting at all. For a manager it’s a good idea to monitor how many questions he or she asks compared with the number of statements he or she makes. What is your question-statement ratio? Do you try to be more interested or more interesting? If you double your question-statement ratio, you will both learn more and get more out of your colleagues. Developing a good system with a vision everyone has had input to and is supported by a realistic implementation plan which is simple, owned by everyone and has focus will not guarantee success but it will embed a culture and mind-set of improvement in an business / organization. “A journey of a thousand steps begins with a single step” Chinese Proverb |
AuthorMark Huddleston is MD, Non-Exec, Skills, Employability & Productivity Advocate. Providing support to regional / local government and SME's Archives
June 2025
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