7 Essentials to Take Your Team From Good to Great

What an exciting weekend of FA Cup action we have just witnessed. The true magic of the competition will have kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout the last few days. Bradford, Cambridge, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Bolton and Leicester all managed to produce fantastic performances that have left their supposedly bigger, better and richer opponents, licking their wounds. How did they do it? Teamwork. When teams come together and it works, it can produce remarkable results, as last weekend will lay testament to; David truly can beat Goliath. It is exactly the same in business.

If you have aspirations to build a great business, one thing you will definitely need to do is to build a great team. The bigger your aspirations the bigger and better the team you will need to build.

Over my 33 years in business and previously during my career in the Royal Navy, I have noticed that there are particular traits and characteristics that if missing, make the task of creating a Winning Team a whole lot more difficult.

What I intend to do is show you 7 key factors and it would be a good idea if you were to mark yourself out of 10 against each factor, as this will lead to opportunities for improvement for you and your team. The first key is:

Inspiring Leadership…there was a time when I bought into the idea that you needed Strong Leadership, but what I have found is that Strong Leaders can sometimes produce weak followers. That can work so long as the leader is around to oversee everything on a day to day basis, but take the leader away and chaos will more than likely ensue, because strong leaders tend to produce ‘Yes men/women,’ who become totally dependent on the leader.

Inspiring leaders, have a focus on producing more leaders within their teams. They do this by:

• Having a clear vision, plan and a clear focus on company growth.
• They develop a company culture which makes the vision possible.
• They communicate the vision with clarity, enthusiasm and energy.
• They walk the talk.
• They spread the credit. It’s not about them, so they redirect praise to others on the team.
• They avoid having a blame culture and instead focus on a strong accountability culture.
• They empower their team to participate in the growth of the company.

A Common Goal…The vision is the ultimate goal and to reach it there will need to be yearly, quarterly, weekly, and daily goals that everybody in the company without exception understands and is accountable for their part in there achievement. In great companies, everybody understands the daily behaviours they need to produce to reach the common goal. If people don’t know what the goal is, how can you expect them to produce the behaviours? In simple terms: fluffy goal, fluffy outcome.

An Action Plan… “Fail to plan and you are planning to fail”…Benjamin Franklin... The number one reason that there were so many FA Cup shocks last weekend was because each and every giant killing team went into their respective games with a clear game plan. Every player understood exactly what was expected of them.

A great many business owners and teams of directors lock themselves away for a few days and produce a ‘Budget’ for the year to come. Whilst this is a great idea, the reason most budgets are never met is that there is no action plan for ‘HOW’ to do it. One of the key traits of great businesses is consistency and that is achieved by having detailed strategic plan that everybody understands and follows, who does what by when?

A Clear Code of Conduct…This is often one of the most overlooked and misunderstood concepts in business. Every team member needs to understand a clear set of rules and expectations for the way they need to act each and every day. How are they to treat customers, team members, suppliers? In other words, what lasting impression do they need to leave on everybody they come in contact with?

Quite often you will find in company literature a list of values, and that is indeed a great exercise for all companies to carry out, challenge is that there tends to be one vital piece of information missing: ‘What does that actually mean and how will it impact on how you behave and operate every single day that you working in the business?’  For instance, a value that often gets mentioned is Fun.  Linguistically, this is what is known as a nominalisation, and that means we have taken a process word and frozen it in time. From a communication and time point of view, it makes perfect sense to use the term ‘fun,’ as in “employees will enjoy a fun and exciting work place,” but as I have mentioned, it is a process word and that means there is a ‘How’ to achieving fun and this is what needs to be clarified in all company value statements because fun to one person will mean a totally different thing to another person.  What kind of ‘fun’ is considered appropriate in the work place?  Are there any limitations?

One final piece to this step is that the code of conduct has to be a living document. So often you walk into businesses and on the wall there is a nicely framed set of values that were required as part of the accreditation to some Government incentive. Ask people in the business what’s written on the document and more than often they would have to step up and have a look.
Your code of conduct needs to be in the very fabric of your business, it needs to be ‘in the muscle’ and to achieve this it needs to be displayed, discussed and practised every single day.

Support risk taking…Every opportunity contains risks – therefore a business that doesn’t allow risk will miss lots of opportunities.

One of the biggest barriers to growth in any business is the business owner’s thinking. In the particular thoughts that go along the lines of: “nobody can do it as well as I can” are particularly damaging for any business.

If you run your business from this frame of mind you will either restrict the growth of your company because there are only so many hours in a day or you will tear yourself apart from shouldering all the burden of getting everything right.

There is no “I” in team.   There is, however, one in WIN, so for you to WIN, you will need to empower your team by supporting risk taking (We will cover how to go about this in our next blog).

100% involvement and participation…Imagine if the giant killing teams from last weekend had turned up for their games with a couple of players in their team that just weren’t up for it, or had their minds on other things; defeat would almost certainly followed. Everybody had to be 100% involved and everybody had to participate 100%. There was no room for Superstars or egos.

The bigger your company the easier it is for people to hide and not participate. A close eye needs to be kept on the ratio of managers to direct reports. Too many direct reports and communication will suffer, people will be able to hide and a blame culture may well follow.

Motivation…Money is thought to be the main motivating factor for a great many employees, I’m not so sure. Remuneration is definitely in the mix but it is only one factor. Ever been in a really well paid job that you hated?

Sometimes the motivation your team needs is an appreciation of their efforts. A pat on the back with “You did a really good job there,” will go a long way and help build the self-esteem of your team members and the spin-off is they are more likely to get involved more next time.

A change of focus may be all that is needed here. Instead of focusing on catching people doing things wrong, why not focus on catching people doing things right and praising them for their efforts.
 
So there you have it just 7 ways to take your team from good to great. Give them a go and watch what happens!

Looking to take your team to great? Check out our next event, come along meet the team and be inspired - Leasowe Castle Friday 20th February LINK Just 4 places remaining!

Thoughts:

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”…Michael Jordan

“Alone we do so little, together we can do so much.”…Helen Keller

“None of us is as smart as all of us.” Ken Blanchard

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Henry Ford

“The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward on goal in unison.”…James Cash Penney

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”…Ryunosuke Satoro

Dedicated to your success

Kevin
Business Performance Coach


If you would like to explore the possibility of working with Kevin or Susan as your Business/Executive Coach or would like some training for team simply drop us an email at info@mpcforprofit.com or call the office on 0151 348 1202 and we can pop a date in the diary for a coffee and a chat that just might Grow your profit, Transform your business and Change your life.

The Power of WHY...

Flicking through the TV channels on Sunday morning I happened to come across a programme that under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be inclined to watch, but what I saw in those first few seconds of channel-hopping got me gripped and also reminded me of one of the most powerful drivers we have for business success, yet so few of us ever tap into it.

The programme was “Obese: a year to save my life” and this particular episode focused on a lady by the name of Jacqui McCoy and her Coach Chris Powell. Jacqui had been battling with her weight after being attacked as a teenager. The traumatic experience left her mentally scarred and, in order to attempt to numb her mind, Jacqui turned to food for comfort. As she got bigger, her confidence dwindled and this meant saying goodbye to a promising career in the theatre. The weight also caused numerous other problems for her.

The point at which I picked the programme up was at her first gym session and her Coach Chris was asking for another 5 reps of a particular dumbbell exercise. With tears running down her face Jacqui was adamant that she couldn’t do it…she had nothing left. As you know, a Coach’s role is to help you to be the best you that you possibly can be and, with that in mind, Chris asked the vital question that would make all the pain Jacqui was going through worthwhile, the question “Why are you doing this?” to which Jacqui replied, “So that I can have children.” to which Chris responded, “What else?” and Jacqui reeled off a whole host of reasons why losing the weight was so important to her.

Once, they were both clear on her ‘Why’ Chris demanded another 10 reps and, at the beginning of each rep, reminded her why that particular rep was so important. Hey presto, Jacqui completes the 10 reps. Her Coach had helped her break through her mental barrier because he had got her really clear on ‘WHY’ she was doing this. As a result of constantly                                                           tapping into Jacqui’s ‘WHY’ he was able to                                                               help her shed a massive 207 lb’s!

You may be thinking to yourself “this is supposed to be a business blog not one on dieting tips, so what has this to do with business?” Simply, it has everything to do with business!

Business can sometimes be tough, cash flow can be tight, customer businesses going bust and leaving you with a bad debt, competitors under-pricing you, long hours, not enough personal income, people (including your own team) letting you down… the list goes on, but you understand where I am coming from.

It is in these times that we can sometimes think “Is this worthwhile?” For some, it’s not and they give up.  For others they may say “That’s the way it is in this business it becomes the new norm,” but for just a small percentage they choose not to accept these inconveniences; they are on a mission they understand their ‘WHY’ and nothing is going to get in the way of them achieving the outcome they want.

Quick question for you “which way of thinking is likely to be more successful?”

Some more questions for you, after all I am a Coach:

·         What’s your Why?

·         Why put yourself through this?

·         What was it that drove you to start your business in the first place?

The last question is a great place to start. When we first start our businesses we are driven and enthusiastic and then reality sets in there is a whole lot more to business than we first realised. A good exercise is to take some time out, find yourself a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and ask yourself that question. You may have wanted to change the world, change your industry, provide the best product, provide the best service, produce the best results, you may have wanted freedom etc..

Once you are clear on why you started your business, evaluate whether you are still on track.  Is it something you really have to, as opposed to want to achieve?

What you are creating here is a higher purpose for your businesses existence and, from the customers’ point of view, it clarifies what business you are really in. You might be, for instance, An Accountant, A Solicitor, A Plumber etc., which lets people know what you do. By being clear about WHY you are in business you are creating a uniqueness and point of difference that will present a more compelling reason for your customers to do business with you.

So once you are clear about your WHY, start shouting about it. Have it on your web site, marketing, business cards. Make it a common theme throughout everything you do.

Put in place strategies that will remind you of your WHY on a regular basis, this could include images, dream boards, reminders on your phone, screensavers etc. If you ever feel yourself flagging remind yourself WHY you’re doing it. Fearful of picking up the phone to that customer that hasn’t paid their invoice remind yourself of your WHY.

Up against it and need to get yourself another 5 customers this month, tap into your WHY you’re more likely to achieve it and you never know just like Jacqui McCoy you might hit 10!

Thoughts:

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how”… Freidrich Neitzche

 “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”…Simon Sinek

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way”….Wayne Dyer

“When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible”…Howard Schultz

“True happiness…is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose”….Hellen Keller

“There are only two ways to influence human behaviour or you can manipulate it or you can inspire it”…Simon Sinek

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with Kevin or Susan as your Business/Executive Coach or would like some training for team simply drop us an email at info@mpcforprofit.com or call the office on 0151 348 1202 and we can pop a date in the diary for a coffee and a chat that just might Grow your profit, Transform your business and Change your life.





Dedicated to your successSusan
Business Performance Coach


"Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?" said Alice
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" said the Cheshire cat.
"I don't much care where..." said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go’
Telephone 0151 348 1202 / 07802 434 872
Growing Your Profit, Transforming Your Business, Changing Lives
www.mpcforprofit.com

How to Master the Four Stages of Business Success.

A question I ask a lot of the Business Owners I speak to is “why did you decide to start a business?” The answers are diverse and typically include things like:

• “It seemed like a good idea at the time!”
• “I wanted freedom from a job.”
• “I was fed up working for an idiot!”
• “I’m unemployable!”

For some it was a change in circumstances, such as receiving a redundancy, or inheritance. Regardless of the reason why people start their business, the journey they set out on follows the same path. For some it is a resounding success, whilst for others it is a journey they would sooner forget.

Before I go any further I want to ask the question “What is a business?” and the reason for that question is, that for the people who would sooner forget the journey they have set out on, they never actually own a Business they own a JOB! Something that will keep them very busy and sometimes for very little reward. The problem arises for them because of their idea of what a Business should look like in the first place.  A business should be able to work without the Business owner and, if it doesn't, it’s a JOB!

A lot of you may now be thinking that’s an impossible dream, but if that is not the dream in the first place, you may well be destined to be always working IN the Business instead of ON it, because you are building your business around you and therefore it will always be dependent on you being there.

A tip I would offer you at this point is to look at your business and I ask, “What do I need to change so that it can work without me?” That switch in mindset alone will mean that you will have to go about building your business in a whole different way.                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

There are 4 stages of thinking that every successful Business owner potentially goes through. The key word here is 

‘thinking.’ It is the biggest differentiating factor between Business owners that make it and those that don’t.

Stage 1: Self-employed (You wear all the hats)

There are so many jobs and only so much time in which to do them all. You become a ‘Juggler’ as the reality of business begins to set in. Suddenly, you are looking after sales, marketing, delivery of product, the numbers, customer care, etc and to compound things the more successful you are at this stage the more out of control your business becomes. Self-motivation is vital at this stage, as well as a sense of where you are going and what the Business will look like look like in the years to come.  Without these 2 key factors the excitement of running your own Business can soon wear off.
One of the great things about having your own Business is that you are answerable to nobody; you are your own Boss. However this comes with a downside and that is, you let yourself off with stuff, normally things you don’t like doing or don’t understand, and yet they are essential for your Business success.
The best ways to get through this stage are to Up your knowledge; the more you learn the more you earn and also have a plan. The aim of the plan is to help you prioritise so that you don’t always find yourself dealing with the Urgent at the expense of the Important.

Stage 2: Manager

The Business is growing and you now realise that because you have been doing some juggling; you may have dropped a few things and they need picking up again. So now it’s time to employ some staff and that (in and of itself) brings with it a whole new load of headaches.
For many, the recruitment process looks something like; the next door neighbour’s best mate’s cousin’s dog walker is out of work and available, so they will do.
Employing the wrong people is damaging and costly to any business, but especially to an SME business in this stage of development.
What is needed is a recruitment process geared to hiring people with the right attitude. People that buy into your vision and values.
Having great systems in place for a meaningful induction of all new employees is also a must and this should include a clear description of roles and responsibilities. A system for accountability is also non-negotiable at this stage. If you have no accountability you will almost certainly have a dysfunctional team and that will really hamper any future Business growth.
Get this stage right and you will have a Winning Team that will drive your business forward and release you to move up to the next stage of Business development.

Stage 3: Owner 

This can be a very scary stage because you will need to let go of the “Nobody can do it as good as me” thinking. You need to be on the lookout for people who may be better than you! Failure at this stage would mean you will have to micro manage your people and the more people you have the more time this will take. So you now become the biggest barrier to the growth of your Business!
Your contribution needs to be that of upholding the vision and culture of the Business, ensuring solid systems are constantly being introduced into the business, keeping the team focused and motivated through inspiring leadership.
As you improve your skills in this area, you will find that you are no longer integral to the day to day running of the Business and that will allow you to step away and move on to stage 4.

Stage 4: Investor

Your Business is successful and not dependant on you being there. Now you can use your profits to diversify. Essentially what your Business is now is a System and that makes it very appealing. It’s appealing to purchasers because it is not dependent on them being there so they can achieve a great ROI on their investment. It is very appealing to people who are looking to get into Business. It is in effect a “Business in a Box”, something you could franchise.
Another alternative at this level it to use your profits to purchase other Businesses. You now have the knowledge to grow a profitable Business that can work without you so you could choose to replicate that.
The ultimate aim at this level is to build income generating assets that mean you no longer have to work.
Questions you might like to ask yourself:

• What stage is my Business presently at?
• What do I need to put in place so that I can move up to the next stage?
• When will I get started?

 
Thoughts:

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership”…Harvey S Firestone

“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together”…J C Penny

“Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth”…John F Kennedy

“Growth is the only evidence of life” John Henry Newman

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with Kevin or Susan as your Business/Executive Coach or would like some training for team simply drop us an email at info@mpcforprofit.com or call the office on 0151 348 1202 and we can pop a date in the diary for a coffee and a chat that just might Grow your profit, Transform your business and Change your life.

Dedicated to your success
Susan
Business Performance Coach



"Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?" said Alice
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" said the Cheshire cat.
"I don't much care where..." said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go’

Telephone 0151 348 1202 / 07802 434 872
Growing Your Profit, Transforming Your Business, Changing Lives
www.mpcforprofit.com

Why Not Give Yourself a HUG in 2015?

In the words of John Lennon, “Another year over and a new one just begun.”

It would have been interesting to be a ‘fly on the wall’ as the alarm clocks sounded around the country in the bedrooms of all the business owners this morning. For some, they will have leapt out of bed with a feeling of excitement and anticipation, they have the bit between their teeth and can’t wait to take their business to a whole new level in 2015. For others, it may have been totally different, the snooze button may have taken a bit of a battering, the thoughts going through their heads may have been along the lines of, “Here we go…another year in paradise,” they may feel ‘stuck’ and are living a carbon copy life. Been in business 10 years when actually they have been in business one year and just lived it 10 times. So, what is the difference between these two types of business owner?.....A decision.

A decision that things will be different. A decision that they will take ownership for their business results and get out of the blame game.  A decision that ‘if it’s to be it’s up to me’. A decision to finally set some compelling goals for the business.

A great many people look upon goals as they do New Year’s resolutions; something we go through the motions of thinking about, but, in the end, they are never given the level of importance they deserve and take a back seat to the urgent, day to day stuff involved in running a business. So the goals get shelved, after all, who wants to be reminded of their failures? That is not good for the self-esteem which is already taking a beating from spending most days dealing with the urgent stuff. The goals get parked in the Someday File.

What if it could be different? What if there was a proven system for goal achievement? Where could you and your business be in a years’ time if you achieved some compelling, stretching and exciting goals over the coming months? Well here is such a system and I know it will work for you because I see it working day in day out for our clients and it helps them achieve remarkable results, year in, year out.

It starts out with challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone and aim really high. For a great many business owners, goals for business growth will err on the side of caution; for instance, a 10% increase would be seen as a great goal after all why set yourself up for failure. For some if next year is as good as this year they would be happy. The only problem with that is that you can’t stand still in business, just like a tree, your business is either growing or dying. So start by setting goals that are stretching compelling and just a little bit scary. Some of you may have heard of the term BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal. I’m not sure if anybody really wants something big and hairy! So I prefer to think of HUG’s.

Huge Unbelievable Goals and, of course, everybody enjoys a HUG. In terms of business growth, this could be a 50-100% increase. For some, this may be a leap to far, but consider would you rather reach 100% of a £100,000 goal or 80% of a million pound goal?

Once you have decided on your stretching goal, I want you to start living the achievement of your goal every single day and you do this by visualising yourself having achieved your goal. Imagine how life will be different, how you will be feeling, what will be different in your environment? What new skills or capabilities will you have attained? What new behaviours are you noticing? Your mind cannot distinguish between what’s real and imagined and what you focus on you will manifest to you. So focus on what you want as opposed to the way a great many people focus which is on what they don’t want.

Maintaining motivation can become a challenge and it helps if you understand how you tend to be driven. Do you prefer the positive pull of a goal or objective, or are you driven by the negative consequences of not achieving the goal or objective? Neither way is wrong, it is a fact that some of us do our best work when our backs are to the wall. Once you understand your driver, you can put in place some strategies to help you stay motivated, this could include:

• A reward for achieving the goal. 
• A list of reasons why the goal is important. If you don’t know why you want the goal it will be really difficult to achieve it.
• A list of consequences for not achieving the goal
• A forfeit for not achieving the goal
• Let friends, family, team know what you are setting out to do and let them hold you accountable to its achievement

With the goal in place, decide a date by which it will be accomplished. Without this the goal is just a wish; putting a date on it starts to apply a little bit of pressure.

Now it is time to explore various ways you could achieve the goal. It might be that you have to obtain some new knowledge which could involve reading books, attending a workshop or two, researching on the internet. There is a strong probability for most goals that someone has already achieved something similar so  learn from others and save yourself the possibility of making the same mistakes they may have made.

Once you have decided how you can achieve the goal, it is time to put in place a plan. How much time are you prepared to put in each and every week in pursuit of the goal in order that you can achieve it in your desired time frame? What are the necessary steps to be taken to achieve the goal?  You could think about this in the context of taking a journey in your car. If the journey was for instance from Chester to London, what route will you take? how many times do you plan on stopping for a refreshment breaks?  How long will each break last? What time do you need to arrive at each stage of the journey to achieve your goal of arriving in London at your desired time? Are there any other stops you want to make on the journey? As with a great many journeys and indeed plans things outside your control can come along to slow you down or take you off route,  traffic, road works, etc so it is always useful to have some alternative strategies in reserve for these type of events commonly known as plan B. A word of caution here, if you continually find yourself reverting to plan B then you may need to check two things your commitment to the goal and whether or not your plan A contains the correct strategies. If you look at any successful person or company the one thing they are clear on is what they want and they don’t let anything get in the way of their pursuit of that objective.

You have decided your destination (your HUG), have a step by step plan for the journey, and have in place motivation strategies and a reward for achieving the goal.

All that is left now is to give it some momentum. What is the first step you need to take to start the journey? What are the weekly and daily to do's and indeed not to do's that will continue to move you in the direction of achieving your goal?

A key step here is to keep the goal visible make sure you are checking in with it a least twice daily and visualising the achievement of the goal. Having it written down and displayed is a great way of keeping you reminded of the goal on a day to day basis. This also has the added incentive that if you ever feel yourself flagging or being indecisive you can ask yourself, “Is what I am doing now taking me in the right direction to achieve my goal? “ Alternatively, consider having someone to hold you accountable to the goal as already mentioned that could be a family member, a friend, a member of your team or you might be time for you to work with a Coach.

A tool that our clients find really useful to keep their goals visible is our HUG Planning Sheet (Drop me a line if you want a copy).

I remember a mentor of mine Keith Cunningham saying “Hell on earth would be to meet the business person you could have become!” Following the above steps will make sure that doesn't ever happen to you.

Thoughts:

“New year, new dreams, new choices, new decisions, new opportunities – how exciting!”…Bev James

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new”….Albert Einstien

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”…Les Brown

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire”…Arnold H. Glasgow

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with Kevin or Susan as your Business/Executive Coach or would like some training for team simply drop us an email at info@mpcforprofit.com or call the office on 0151 348 1202 and we can pop a date in the diary for a coffee and a chat that just might Grow your profit, Transform your business and Change your life.

Dedicated to your success
Susan
Business Performance Coach


"Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?" said Alice
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" said the Cheshire cat.
"I don't much care where..." said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go’

Telephone 0151 348 1202 / 07802 434 872
Growing Your Profit, Transforming Your Business, Changing Lives
www.mpcforprofit.com