2009 February | FlashPoint! Solutions to Ignite Your Business

Archive for February, 2009

Tips & Tactics January 2009: 4 Critical Steps to Sound Decision Making

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Survive or thrive? Which will you focus on for the next 18 months?

Choices abound for owners of businesses. The choices you make every day determine the answer to the question above.

And how you make those choices depends on your ability to make
good decisions. I'm going to outline 4 critical steps that will help
you consistently make decisions that will serve you well in good times
and not so good times.

Most CEOs think they make good decisions. In fact, 91% of CEOs
surveyed (Paul Nutt, Ohio University) said they make good decisions.
However, over 60% of those decisions fail. Even more disturbing, nearly
60% of all CEOs never explored any alternatives once they made up their
minds.

How does this affect an entire company? 81% of all
leaders push their decisions through by edict or persuasion. And guess
what? Persuasion failed 53% of the time and edict failed 65% of the
time!

Keep reading.

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

4 Critical Steps to Sound Decision Making

The
decision making research in the last two decades has shown that people
in numerous fields tend to make the same kinds of decision-making
errors. The research pointed to the lack of decision-making processes,
citing the tendency for people to shoot from the hip even when there is
a lot at stake.

In
fact, people are much happier, according to Jane Steinberg, Ph.D from
the National Institute of Mental Health, using their biases or
intuitions than a structured decision making tool.

However,
the more structure and simplification provided in a complex decision
the more accurate the decision. What I'm suggesting is pretty straight
forward:

1. Inquire with an open mind
2. Identify and challenge the truth of all assumptions
3. Measure the impact
4. Verify alignment with core values, goals and initiatives

This month's TIP:
Start implementing a structured decision-making process throughout your company.

More
than likely you made a few bad decisions last year. We all make bad
decisions. What messes us up, however, as leaders of organizations, is
when we gloss over bad decisions and don't own up to them and we model
this behavior for our staff.

This
month's TIP is designed to help you become very aware of the decisions
you make and what the outcome of those decisions are. Why? Like
anything else we do with intention, tracking and measuring the results
of our decisions will make us better leaders and better decision makers.

This month's TACTIC:

My
challenge to you is this. Write down every major decision you tackle in
the next 30 days. Make note of what information you used to make the
decision and how you went about that process. Track how well those
decisions worked over the next 90 days. Use these steps to help start
creating a process for making good decisions.

Step #1: Maintain an open mind and seek out all pertinent information relating to the issue.
The basis behind good decision making has everything to do with asking good questions and asking a lot of questions.

Do
you find yourself looking for quick answers and instead of asking
probing questions, you ask a few surface questions and then move on?
Try this. Forget your opinion. Forget solutions. Probe for more
information before you allow your own biases or your need to solve
everything come into play.

For
every bad decision you make, you're losing something. Money, time,
people, sanity — by asking more questions and taking the time to
really probe deep into what's behind this decision you'll decrease your
risk.

Step #2: Challenge the truth of all obvious and hidden assumptions relating to the decision at hand.

From
asking probing questions, you'll also surface all the assumptions
behind that decision. Assumptions kill companies. When you assume a
client will come on board and you go ahead and plan as if they are
already on board and you lose them, that's an assumption that can take
you down.

Start
challenging the truth of all those assumptions. Ask the why questions
before moving forward. Ask for proof that an assumption is right or
wrong. Model this active questioning technique to your managers.

Step #3: Determine all the ways the decision will positively or negatively effect the company.

The
financial impact of poor decisions is, in my humble opinion, why we are
in the crisis we are in. Decisions to offer sub-prime loans to people
who normally wouldn't qualify for a loan was a bad decision. You have
to weigh the negative impacts against the positive impacts every single
time. Put it down on paper. What will be the financial impact of your
decision?

Step #4: Evaluate each decision as to how it lines up with your company goals, initiatives and your core values.

If your decisions don't line up with your company's goals and initiatives, just stop.

Stop
and think about why you are even thinking about doing something outside
what you have planned for. Sure circumstances change. Then change your
goals to come into alignment with the new thinking. This alone should
make you sit up and take notice. Is something that moves you away from
your original goals worth it? And those core values? Are you asking
yourself how your decisions impact those? You should. You certainly
want your employees checking their decisions against your core values,
right?

Make
it a goal this year to make better decisions. Make it a goal
to introduce a decision-making process into your company and watch the
impact consistently good decisions have on your bottom line.

Read about 5 Decision Making Traps You May be Getting Caught In and How to Avoid them.

Stages of Growth Teleseminars

Survive or Thrive. What's your vote? Find your stage of growth and learn how to focus on the right things at the right time.

Looking forward to helping you solve top challenges for your stage of growth!

Help me reach more business owners.
If you know of someone who you think would benefit from my ezine,
please forward this along! Thanks!

Laurie's Rant

Check it out. What do you think?

Navigate Your Own Growth Curve

Einstein

If you are looking for a roadmap to success, you'll find it in James' Fischer's book, "Navigating the Growth Curve: 9 Fundamentals that Build a Profit-Driven, People-Centered, Growth-Smart Company".

It's a mystery novel and a business book all in one.

Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and CEO of BNI highly recommends this book and says:

"Navigating
the Growth Curve is aa tremendous read. It has fresh ideas and
practical solutions that any business leader could use in growing their
company. I highly recommend this book."

Fresh ideas and pratical solutions — what business owner would turn that down?

You can order the book on FlashPoint!'s website or contact me directly, for quantity discounts.

Quantity discounts send an email to Laurie@igniteyourbiz.com

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Tips & Tactics December 2008: Turn Active Listening into a Strategic Initiative

Monday, February 9th, 2009

As you head into a new year, you can't begin to know all the opportunities that await your company.

Most of those opportunities are created by you. Your vision, your optimism, your ability to turn an idea into income.

I
believe there is a huge arena of opportunity that too many business
owners ignore. And that's the opportunity to tap into the intelligence
of the people working for you. Everyday. Not just when you hold a staff
meeting or a company meeting.

I believe companies in trouble
tend to be companies that don't involve their employees in how the
company is run. You may or may not believe in sharing financials with
your employees, a practice referred to as 'open book management' but
there's a whole lot of information you could be sharing with your
employees that would encourage their involvement.

I refer to this as tapping into the intelligence of your employees and consider it an 'untapped' source of wealth for business owners.

Want to make more money in 2009 and create new opportunities for growth?

Keep reading.

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Turn Active Listening into a Strategic Initiative

I can say with confidence that the art of active listening
is an unappreciated and underused activity in many organizations. And I
know you know it. So let's decide to do something about it for the new
year, ok?

This month's TIP:

Become the champion of helping your entire company LISTEN better and you will see results on your bottom line. Ask yourself:

How often do you assume you know something and you tune out to what someone is saying?

How much do you talk in a conversation with an employee and how much do you listen?
How well do you really hear problems or do you simply stop listening because you don't want to be bothered?

You
can fake listening. You may do it on purpose or you may do it
unconsciously. But make no mistake, as business owners we aren't good
listeners. Why? Because we think we have all the answers or we think we
should have all the answers.

I've witnessed it. I've even been guilty of it.

Make
a goal for 2009 to hone your listening skills and to teach every person
in your company to do the same. Stop letting yourself be
a lazy listener and stop letting your people be lazy listeners.

Start the process of ACTIVE LISTENING — you'll be surprised at how much you have been missing.

This month's TACTIC:

Turn Active Listening into a Strategic Initiative.
I'll give you 6 Approaches that you can use to improve your own
listening skills and improve the listening skills of every single
person in your company.

Give this a shot. Improvements will show up in at least 3 areas of your company within 3 months:

Improvement #1:

You will get along better with your direct reports.

Improvement #2:

People will communicate better and get along better.

Improvement #3:

People will do their jobs better.

These
are improvements every CEO would like to experience. Realizing that
nothing is ever easy, just take a look at the following ideas and just
pick ONE or TWO. I guarantee with just a little effort you will have a
much better 2009 — so get ready to:

L I S T E N

Approach #1:

L = Look for opportunities to ask questions
Stop
fixing everything. Just because you wear the title of CEO doesn't mean
you have to have all the answers. Ask questions. Your sales manager
walks into your office with this: "Just got this month's sales reports
and they don't look good." Try this as an active listening approach:

Why do you feel they are down?
What is different than last month?
Where do you suggest we make changes?
What would you do if you were me?

Engage
by asking questions. Look for opportunities throughout your
organization to ask questions and get ready to be surprised by the
intelligence lurking in your company!

Model this behavior for your direct reports so they can model it for their direct reports.

Approach #2:

I = Identify areas you need help with

Stop doing
everything. And certainly stop thinking you are the only one that can
do everything. And help your direct reports figure this one out also.
If you aren't good at something, don't try and cover it up by talking.
Admit it's not a strength and then listen to the experts in your
company and learn from them.

It's not a weakness to not know
something but it can sure become a liability if you pretend to know
something and you don't. Remember, these are Active Listening
techniques that everyone in your company can learn how to do. The CEO
does have to lead the way and walk the talk.

Approach #3:
S = Seize every chance to challenge the status quo
The
title of this article is about turning the act of active listening into
a strategic initiative so listen to what people in your company are
saying. If you hear things like:

"That's how we've always done it."
"That would be a much better idea but no way is that going to happen."
"No one listens to me anyway."

You are moving toward complacency and that is the enemy of growth.

To
grow and sustain a profitable business you need to always challenge the
status quo. To understand what the status quo in your organization
sounds like, you have to listen!

Approach #4:
T = Take the time to know your employees.
Having
problems with your employees? Do you know what they are thinking? Do
you know what they get excited about? Do you know what they think about
you and the company? You should.

People issues far outweigh
other issues that companies face. My unsubstantiated opinion says we
spend far less time on People Issues than we do on any other aspect of
our companies. I challenge you to reverse this and get your priorities
aligned with what has the greatest impact on your business. That's
right — your people!

Approach #5:
E = Engage direct reports in a 30-minute dialogue each week

If
you know me, you've heard this before. There is nothing more important
than spending quality time with the people that report to you. If you
want to engage your employees, get them to talk to you and learn how to
listen to what they are saying.

Three questions you can ask
your direct reports that will keep you from letting these sessions just
be about you or the hottest project of the minute:

One: What did you do last week that you were proud of?

Two: What would you like to learn next week that would help you with your job?
Three: What can I do to help?

Don't give up on this concept. It requires time to break down those barriers that exist between a manager and an employee.

Approach #6:
N = Never assume your employees don't want to contribute

They
do. They just don't know how. And to tell you the truth, as managers,
we are not very good at finding ways to help them contribute.

Shift your thinking to a more active listening
approach and you'll find out what they think they can contribute. After
all, it is all about them. Because as soon as you make it all about
you, you lose them. So ask them how they see themselves contributing to
the bottom line. Ask them how they see themselves helping the company
grow. Ask them what they think. And do this often.

Then LISTEN.

The BEST Business Bargain of 2009

This may seem counter-intuitive but I'm giving away my time even in a tough economy.

If
you have followed my programs over the last several years, you know
that the 7 Stages of Growth provide CEOs with headlights into their
company's future.

I
am passionate about helping CEOs get a handle on their growth and there
is NO BETTER program out there that provides such DETAIL on how you can
successfully navigate your own growth curve.

My Series of Teleseminars address critical issues for each stage of growth.

To add an incentive for CEOs to sign up for their Stage of Growth Teleseminar, I'm GIVING AWAY 45-minutes of my time to EACH CEO who signs up for a Teleseminar.

We'll use that 45-minutes to address ANY ISSUE you are facing. That's right. Sign up for one of my Teleseminars and get a FREE 45-minute one-on-one session — and it will be all about YOU!

So, find your Stage of Growth Teleseminar, sign up and walk away with 3 Tactics you can implement the next day to handle some of the toughest issues you face everyday as you try and manage your company's growth.

And get a FREE 45-minute one-on-one session with me!

On the Teleseminars we'll address issues such as:

Do you struggle to hire quality people?

Is cash flow a continual challenge?
Have you felt a widening gap between your managers and employees?
Do your employees understand how they impact profitability?
Is it harder getting your products out into the market place?
How's your new staff orientation program coming?
Is turnover a problem?

Take
some of that time we talked about earlier and spend it in THINKING
about your business — step away from the day-to-day and let me help
get you focused on the right things at the right time.

Managing the Transition Zone called The Wind Tunnel

Their growth had been slow but steady up until March, 2007.

They
had seemed to remain 'under the radar' of larger competitors and the
CEO had kept her hands on the operations over the past 9 years,
steering a course that brought good profits, creating a working
environment that people seemed to enjoy as turnover was low, and
maintaining solid sales through customer referrals.

Starting in
October, 2007 her world started to shift. Two new clients had come on
board and at first glance, she didn't treat the addition of these two
clients any differently than she had in the past. She did add more
staff to handle the increased work load – a change that took them from
a Stage 4 company, with 54 employees to a Stage 5 company practically
overnight.

She started to hire new people and buy new equipment
and remodel their space. What she didn't do was take a solid look at
the processes and procedures that had been in place for the past
several years. What she failed to recognize was that she was getting
ready to experience a Wind Tunnel.

She would quickly discover that the methodologies that she had used to navigate her company to this stage of growth were not going to help her in the next stage of growth.

Click here to discover the three proactive steps this CEO could have taken to better prepare for her Wind Tunnel.

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Tips & Tactics November 2008: Let it Go & Let it Grow

Monday, February 9th, 2009

As the owner of a company, can you answer this question:

If you were to let go of something, something that you are doing today regarding the running of your business, what would that be?

I mean, if you are the owner/CEO of a company and you sometimes
question how you can stay on top of all the things that you have to do
to assure your company thrives, are there activities that you continue
to do that someone else could do?

Depending upon your company's stage of growth, I'm pretty sure
there are things you continue to do that are constricting your
company's ability to grow.

Letting go in order to allow your company to grow isn't easy. In fact, it's probably one of the biggest obstacles business owners face.

Read on for a challenge I'm going to bet you are up for!

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Let it Go and Let it Grow.

I'm convinced that there is a way for CEOs to evaluate their
day-to-day activities and find plenty of opportunity to rethink the
impact those activities are having on the company.

But hang on — because you will be uncomfortable with what I'm
suggesting and it will require you to take a deep breath and trust in
those wonderful people you say you have on board.

This month's TIP:

Guess what? You don't have to do it all. If you would take 2 hours
and really evaluate how you spend your time every day, I will almost
guarantee you will find things you are doing that someone else could do.

Do you solve every problem that's brought to you?
Do you take the lead in a meeting to make sure your view gets heard?
Do you second guess every decision because you fear the wrong decision will be made?

By letting go of just one or two activities, you'll start the flow of responsibility throughout your company that will:

1. Free up more of your time to look beyond today's problem and address the future of your business;

2. Send a resounding message to your direct reports that you want and need their involement;

3. Speak volumes to your employees, customers, vendors,
suppliers, and critical partnerships when they witness your new energy
because you are now able to maintain a strategic vision that everyone
will benefit from.

This month's TACTIC:

Here are 3 Approaches to Letting Go you can start doing today that will reap rewards in less than 6 months.

#1: Decide What You Don't Have to Do

You spend hours thinking about what needs to be done. How much
time do you think about what you can let go of? Don't answer just start
thinking.

Can you let go of attending every meeting where a customer is involved?

Can you let go of dealing with every decision about budgetary issues?

Can you let go of facilitating every manager/employee problem that comes up?

Can you let go of determining what the next step in the development of your product or service is?

Yes? No? Why or why not? What does your day look like? If you want
or need more time in your day, then start here. Start asking yourself
what you can let go of in order to start growing your business.

#2: Tell Your Direct Reports What It Is You Need Help With

The appearance of having all the answers really doesn't serve
anyone well. Just because you run a company, you don't have to have all
the answers.

Once you have done the work to decide what it is you can let go
of, spend time with your direct reports and explain where you need
help. I'm not talking about reorganizing their job descriptions. I'm
talking about a conversation that goes like this:

You: Jerry, I need to spend more time thinking
about how we are going to move the company to the next stage of growth.
Because that's going to take a lot of my time and energy, I need you to
be the point person for all customer meetings from here on.

You: Linda, I am struggling to stay on top of
all the strategic issues we are going to face in the next 6 months and
I need you to take more responsibility in terms of process development,
working closely with the other managers.

I know. I know. It's harder than this but it's not all that
hard! You know you can't continue to work the number of hours you are
working. You know you are frustrated by what you perceive is a lack of
involvement from your key managers on how they approach their jobs.
That frustration is being felt by them also and guess what? They want
more responsibility! They would love it if you would step back and give
them room to show you what they are capable of!

#3: Stay On Topic; Don't Give Up

Once you decide what it is you can let go of, and you have talked
to your direct reports about it, you have to outline a plan on how you
will let go. You have to work that plan every day with the help of
your direct reports. You have to give them permission to look you in
the eye and say 'You don't need to do that – that's what you want me to
do, remember?'

This isn't going to happen quickly, this thing I call 'letting
go'. Our ability as leaders to run our businesses is what we believe
has driven the success we have today. I'm not talking about today. I'm
talking about the future of your company and how that future is yours
to create. But if you spend all your time in the day-to-day activities
of running your business, that future will always be just around the
next corner.

Come on. Give this some thought. What is it that you can LET GO OF in order to LET YOUR COMPANY GROW!

Focus on Your Stage of Growth

My Series of Teleseminars Teach CEOs Critical Issues to Address for their Current Stage of Growth.

If
you have followed my programs over the last several years, you know
that the 7 Stages of Growth provide CEOs with headlights into their
company's future.

My Series of Teleseminars address critical issues for each stage of growth.

If
you have an hour, I have 3 Tactics you can implement the next day to
handle some of the toughest issues you face everyday as you try and
manage your company's growth.

Do you struggle to hire quality people?

Is cash flow a continual challenge?

Have you felt a widening gap between your managers and employees?

Do your employees understand how they impact profitability?

Is it harder getting your products out into the market place?

How's your new staff orientation program coming?

Is turnover a problem?

Take
some of that time we talked about earlier and spend it in THINKING
about your business — step away from the day-to-day and let me help
get you focused on the right things at the right time.

Growing your Business Starts with an Attitude

"Small Giants"
the book by Bo Burlingham presents a concept that resonates well with
small business owners. His premise is you don't have to be big to be
great. I agree.

In the companies that Mr. Burlingham
highlights in his book, most chose to 'manage' their growth and stay a
certain size that was comfortable for many reasons and as the book
points out, those reasons didn't come easily or without a lot of
contemplation and even pain. Sometimes, the choice they made ultimately
was forced on them because of outside influences.

The key
concept here is in the choice that the owner of the company made
consciously, practically every day, as the company was, in fact
growing. As I read the stories about the 14 companies that Mr.
Burlingham selected, I was struck by one thing: the owner's of the
company's each brought an Attitude of Growth to their company.

To say it differently: these owners spent time actually THINKING about their business.

Click here to Discover 10 Critical Concepts You Should Consider When Growing Your Business.

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Tips & Tactics July 2008: Letting Go – Are You Kidding Me?

Monday, February 9th, 2009

"Can
you explain what a Wind Tunnel is again?" I was asked this question
after a recent presentation to a group of CEOs in Portland, Maine.

I love the analogy of a Wind Tunnel as it relates to business
because it seems to really challenge how a CEO looks at their company.

A Wind Tunnel requires you to let go of methodologies that no
longer work and acquire new ones that do. The actually activity behind
this concept requires ONE a recognition that you have defined processes
and TWO requires a CEO to take the time to think about how those
processes are advancing their growth.

Let's explore what that activity could look like.

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Letting Go … Are You Kidding Me?

The Wind Tunnel ….

Letting go of methodologies that no longer work and acquiring new ones that do — that's a Wind Tunnel.

A
Wind Tunnel occurs between stages 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6 and 7. So if you
are a growing enterprise, chances are you will have already experienced
this business phenonomen or you will.

This month's TIP:

Become very clear on what your methodologies are so you know when you have to let them go.

Do
you know how you do business? How you organize your work processes? How
you organize your people processes? How about your profit-making
processes?

The more intentional you are
about the critical processes that organize the way you run your
business, the easier it will be to understand the processes that are no
longer helping you grow your business.

This month's TACTIC:

Here are 3 Master Processes you should look at to see if they are still helping you grow or evaluate if they are hindering your growth.

Customer Intelligence: The processes within a company that discover, uncover, address and realign the customer focus in a company.

Your Wind Tunnel question of the month:

What would be the impact of increasing the effectiveness of your Customer Intelligence?

New Product/Service Development: These processes are specific to researching, exploring, brainstorming and developing new products and services.

Your Wind Tunnel question of the month:

Being able to speed up your product/service development process would allow you to do what?

Project Management: The process that includes the management of plans that need to get accomplished in a set timeframe and within a set budget.

Your Wind Tunnel question of the month:

If your project management process didn't improve, how concerned would you be?

As
you move through different stages of growth, your ability to stay ahead
of your growth curve requires you to 'let go of methodologies that no
longer work and adapt new ones that do.'

It's too easy for business owners to get complacent and 'keep doing what has worked in the past'.

If
you are struggling to manage growth, if you aren't happy with your
profitability, look first at what methodologies you are hanging on to
that may be creating obstacles to your growth.

For
an example of how this impacted a Stage 4 company that recently landed
in Stage 5 and experienced first hand their own Wind Tunnel, Click Here.

Attention CEOs with 96 – 160 Employees!

Get very focused on the challenges that exist for your specific stage of growth.

This
is the Stages of Growth teleseminar series you've been waiting for. An
hour teleseminar that dives in on key areas of focus for each stage of
growth. Look for:

3 Tips followed by 3 Tactics that address specific growth challenges for each stage of growth.

You'll walk away with at least 3 tactics that you can use the next day! And they are designed for your own stage of growth.

The next Teleseminar is designed for companies that have between 96 – 160 employees — Stage 6, the Strategic stage of growth. Read more about the challenges you face as a Stage 6 leader.

An
EASY TO LISTEN TO approach through a Teleseminar. You don't have to go
anywhere. Just pick up your phone and just listen. Participants can
also access the PlayBack feature to go back and revisit the content for
FREE.

Stage 6: Becoming a Bigger Fish in a Smaller Ocean will be held on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 for companies with 96 – 160 employees.

Tips from the Stage 6 teleseminar

will cover:

Tip #1: How to 'tap into the intelligence' of your organization.

Tip #2: Securing and reinforcing weekly supervisor/employe one-on-one meetings.

Tip #3: Educating everyone in the company on how staff satisfaction impacts profitability.

On August 19th I'll share successful TACTICS you can deploy for each of these TIPS.

Don't
miss this unique and one-of-a-kind series! Get focused on the critical
issues for your current stage of growth. Look ahead and be proactive
for when you move to the next stage of your company's growth.

Grow Your Business Now!

Create Dynamic Dialogue, Decrease Conflict in the Workplace

Conflict. Confrontation. Most of us hate it. We avoid it. We simply hope it goes away.

The negative effects of unresolved conflict include:

Decrease in productivity
Lack of focus on company objectives

Loss of respect for leadership team

Destructive gossip

Covering up underlying, hidden problems

An erosion of trust with leadership

Higher turnover

Lack of buy-in on critical issues

Discover 4 secrets to reducing conflict in the workplace ….

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Tips & Tactics April 2008: Leveraging the Core Intelligence

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Chaos and equilibrium – if you run a business you walk this thin line every day.

The challenge is to allow enough chaos to keep a competitive edge and to recognize when equilibrium is necessary.

But first you have to know the difference. And in difficult
economic times, maintaining a balance between these two forces of
nature can be tough.

This month's Tip has to do with taking steps right now to stay ahead of your growth curve.

Ready to walk your own tightrope?

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Leveraging The Core Intelligence

There is Strength in Numbers

The downturn in business that you may be feeling is also being felt by your employees.

If
you think they are immune to the fear that is being splashed across
every single newspaper in the country and headlined on every news show
every morning, noon and night, you're mistaken.

Your
employees hold the key to how well you weather this economic downturn
and you would be well-served to include them in your strategy meetings
today.

That
chaos I mentioned is sometimes fueled by a CEOs own reluctance to ask
for help from the people who are most anxious to provide that help.

Tendency is to Close the Door

When
business starts slowing down, too often CEOs try to shield their
employees from reality.All too often meetings with key employees are
held behind closed doors where agendas highlight 'worse case scenarios'
created by Operations people and Financial people.

While you, as the CEO may think you are being discreet, think you
are taking charge of a potential problem, you are in fact creating
doubt and fear among your employees.

And no one works well when they are consumed by doubt and fear.

By not coming up with a strategic plan that involves every single
employee in helping weather a potential storm, you are in fact creating
more problems.

Here's an approach that can help keep your company afloat even when times turn bad.

This month's TIP:

Don't negate the intelligence that exists in your company when times start becoming challenging.

It's
much easier to run a company during good times — lots of problems can
be overlooked or covered up when money is rolling in — then bad. And
the people who can help you effectively get a grip on critical issues
– client's tightening their purse strings — are your employees.

This month's TACTIC:

Start holding weekly meetings and talk about what's going on in the company.

I'm not talking about meetings with you, the CEO and your top VPs.
I'm talking about meetings througout the company where every single
employee gets heard, gets a chance to offer up ideas, has a chance to
ask questions, gets to hear from you, the CEO what you think is going
on.

In those weekly meetings get people talking.

Talk about:

– which client's are slowing down their requests for your product or service

– areas where expenses can be pushed out or reduced

– areas that are running well

– the role people can play in keeping customer's satisfied, confident that your company will be around

– what happens if things get worse

– what happens when things get better

– identify strategies the company is taking to keep revenue coming in the door

– talk about the company's values

– talk about behaviors that will serve the company well and what behaviors will create problems

Leveraging the Core Intelligence of your company means:

– you believe your employees' perspectives can improve your company's performance

– you inform your employees of what you heard them say

– you consistently reinforce, recognize and reward employee buy-in

– you employ the 'best of the best' input from your employees in designing your company's go forward plan

Who knows where this economic downturn will end or when. The best
way to walk that difficult line between chaos and equilibrium is to
proactively allow every single person in your company to help you run
the company.

After all, that's why you hired them, right?

2008 Teleseminars on Your Specific Stage of Growth

Get very focused on the challenges that exist for your specific stage of growth.

This
is the Stages of Growth teleseminar series you've been waiting for. An
hour teleseminar that dives in on key areas of focus for each stage of
growth. Look for:

3 Tips followed by 3 Tactics that address specific growth challenges for each stage of growth.

You'll walk away with at least 3 tactics that you can use the next day! And they are designed for your own stage of growth.

Stage
1 teleseminar, It's All About Survival, was held on March 20. Keep
checking my website if you want to download the MP3 file and/or the
transcript from that call. Even if you can't tune into the LIVE
teleseminar, all the Stages of Growth teleseminars are recorded and
will soon be available to purchase.

Stage 2: Getting Ready for Growth will be held on April 22, 2008 for companies with 11 – 19 employees.

Tips from the Stage 2 teleseminar will cover:

Tip #1: Getting clear on roles and responsibilities. In Stage 2 you can no longer allow people to simply 'do what needs to be done'.

Tip #2:
Fine tune and be very clear about what has worked for you, the CEO,
regarding sales. You can no longer just let your enthusiasm and passion
be the only fuel that's driving sales at this stage of growth.

Tip #3:
Begin the discipline of team building. A critical role of successful
CEOs is building a well-oiled team that works together seamlessly.

On April 22 I'll share successful TACTICS you can deploy for each of these TiPS.

Grow Your Business Now!

Looking for Truth About Your Business: 10 Perspectives Worth Considering

It's
not as if, as the owner of your business, you don't have enough to
think about. Just keeping up with the overwhelming amounts of
information that bombards our email accounts daily — some of it is
welcome, some isn't — or the continual flow of business articles in
traditional and on line magazines — not to mention the 'flavor the
month' business book that is touted to turn your ordinary business into
a great business overnight.

As
business owners we have plenty of choices when it comes to reading
about how to increase our profitability or engage our employees or
improve performance.

Over
the last few years, I kept noticing one thing that seemed to separate
high performing enterprises from those that are still aspiring to reach
or maximize their goals. You may be thinking, 'She's talking about an
innovative application of resources or an ability to executive a
clearly defined plan or maybe a way to leverage a company's unique
competitive advantage.'

The
one differentiating factor that seemed to separate high performing
companies from the rest of the pack was so ordinary that it tends to
slip by even the most astute business thinker. Read more about 10 Perspectives Worth Considering

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Tips & Tactics January 2008: Looking for Obstacles to Your Growth

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Confidence vs. Caution — what's the ratio in your company?

Ever notice how sometimes getting your employees to move forward on something seems more difficult at times?

I'd like to challenge you to take a moment and evaluate, if as a
leader, your company's confidence/caution ratio is out of whack.

Don't know? Read on for tips on how to figure it out.

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Looking for Obstacles to Your Growth

Determining Your Company's Builder/Protector Ratio

In
James Fischer's book, "Navigating the Growth Curve", he talks about
hidden agents that create obstacles to growth. One of the most
challenging of these hidden agents is what he referes to as a company's
Builder/Protector Ratio. I also refer to it as the Confidence/Caution
Ratio.

There
are specific signs happening today in your company that will
immediately let you know how balanced your Builder/Protector Ratio is.
A leader can get a good idea of their company's B/P Ratio by 1) tuning
into the voltage (think energy) in your company 2) talking to your leadership team and asking some pointed questions and 3) listening to your employees, really listening.

What are the signs?
Are people engaged in open and active dialogue? Are meetings
productive, full of valuable information? Are good decisions being
made?

What are your employees saying?
Is there too much behind the scenes gossiping? Is there a high rate of
absenteeism or turnover? Do your managers or employees complain about a
lack of accountability? Are projects derailed or slowed down too often?

Creating a Builder Mindset

A leader
can help create more of a Builder mindset in their company by doing one
thing and doing it often. Communicate. Communicate where the company is
going. Communicate why it is going there. Communicate what the goals of
the company are today and for the future. Communicate to individuals
daily. Get to know each employee. Share critical information all the
time and do it often.

Confidence vs Caution

If
a company is aware of its B/P Ratio it can 1) make good decisions in a
timely manner 2) accept change as a part of the company's culture and
3) engage employees in meaningful dialogue because they have helped
design the strategic future of the company.

Remember, a confident company is a profitable company.

This months TIP:

Take time to understand your Confidence/Caution Ratio among your
leadership team. By creating more confidence at this level of your
organization, your entire company will perform better.

This months TACTIC:

In your one-on-ones with your managers, open up a dialogue to help you get answers to these critical questions.

1. How optimistic are you about the company's future?

2. How confident are you in the financial strength of the company?

3. Do you have a high level of confidence in your co-workers?

The answers you receive will tell you whether or not you, as the
leader, need to demonstrate more confidence or more caution. You may
remove an obstacle to your growth by simply communicating your own
level of confidence in your managers.

2008 Teleseminars on Your Specific Stage of Growth

Get very focused on the challenges that exist for your specific stage of growth.

This
is the Stages of Growth teleseminar series you've been waiting for. An
hour teleseminar that dives in on key areas of focus for each stage of
growth. Look for:

3 Tips followed by 3 Tactics that address specific growth challenges for each stage of growth.

You'll walk away with at least 3 tactics that you can use the next day! And they are designed for your own stage of growth.

The teleseminar's start March 20, 2008 for Stage 1 companies with 1 – 10 employees.

Want to learn how to handle growth from the git-go? Want to know what's coming as you add more people to your company?

The unique view from each stage of growth provides business owners with headlights into their future.

Grow Your Business Now!

From the Front Lines: Create Dynamic Dialogue, Decrease Conflict in the Workplace

Conflict. Confrontation. Most of us hate it. We avoid it. We simply hope it goes away.

The negative effects of unresolved conflict include:

Decrease in productivity

Lack of focus on company objectives
Loss of respect for leadership team
Destructive gossip
Covering up underlying, hidden problems
An erosion of trust with leadership
Higher turnover
Lack of buy-in on critical issues

Read how to decrease conflict in the workplace

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Tips & Tactics December 2007: Speed of Implementation Defines a Profitable Business

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Focus. It's time. It's time to decide that not only will 2008 be
your most profitable yet, it's time to do something about it today.

"I really don't have time. I've got too much going on. Get back to me in January."

Will that be your response?

See what you think of this months Tips and Tactics. The promise: You can use this information tomorrow!

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Speed of Implementation Defines a Profitable Business

How many great businesses never got to great?

Don't let yours be one of them.

Remember that idea you had last February? Did you make it happen?
Ideas don't make great companies, it's the execution of those ideas
that separate the good from the great.

And anymore, because of our ability to reach out to so many more
potential customers through the Internet, speed of implementation can
have a huge impact on our companies' bottom line.

This months TIP:

Find that ONE IDEA that you came up with that has been languishing
on the peripheral part of your brain for all these months and do
something with it in the next 5 weeks.

This months TACTIC:

Carve out the time.
I'm going out on a limb here. I already believe you have an idea worth
pursuing — entrepreneurs seldom lack ideas!

Our challenge is staying focused long enough to make them happen. And make them happen quickly.

Take THREE HOURS a week between now and the end of the year. Start with this question:

What is the ONE IDEA that I've thought about and didn't implement in 2007 that has the potential to improve my profitability?

Write it down. Spend THREE HOURS over the next 5 weeks and start making it happen.

1) Make the first step happen right now. Pick the idea. Take the time now. Speed of implementation is the key to your success.

2) Pick up the phone, send out that marketing email, start
working on your product, layout your profit plan, purchase the missing
'whatever' and get started.

3) This exercise should be about adding revenue to your top line.
Ideas include: Solidifying your lead generation program. Or landing a
new client. Or writing that article. Or starting Search Engine
Optimization for your website. Or opening up that new office in Dallas.
Or starting an affiliate program. Or fine tuning systems and processes
to streamline work.

3) Don't ignore your current clients, don't use the excuse of time, don't let doubt creep in between your ears.

4) Just make something happen today. Quit thinking about it and get moving.

I'm
asking you to spend 3 hours a week getting that ONE IDEA kick started
because I know there are hidden gems in every entrepreur's head.

I believe you can make 2008 the best year yet.

And I want to help. So once you have the ONE IDEA written down, send it to me in email. I'll follow up with everyone who sends me their idea in December to see how you are doing.

Come on. Let's do this one together!

2008 Teleseminars on Your Specific Stage of Growth

Get very focused on the challenges that exist for your specific stage of growth.

This is the Stages of Growth teleseminar series you've been
waiting for. An hour teleseminar that dives in on key areas of focus
for each stage of growth. Look for:

3 Tips followed by 3 Tactics that address specific growth challenges for each stage of growth.

You'll walk away with at least 3 tactics that you can use the next day! And they are designed for your own stage of growth.

The teleseminar's start Jan. 24, 2008 for Stage 1 companies with 1 – 10 employees.

Want to learn how to handle growth from the git-go? Want to know what's coming as you add more people to your company?

The unique view from each stage of growth provides business owners with headlights into their future.

Grow Your Business Now!

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Tips & Tactics October 2007: Ask Questions to Create a Dialogue

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Focus. That's the momenturm that keeps company's alive. There's no
silver bullet that can promise a company will grow, but there are some
critical areas of focus that can make a difference.

See what you think of this months Tips and Tactics. The promise: You can use this information tomorrow!

Yours in Growth,

Laurie Taylor

Ask Questions to Create a Dialogue

Communication isn't a luxury, it's a requirement. Most managers struggle to have meaningful communications with their staff.

This months TIP: Talk with your direct reports for 30 minutes EVERY WEEK in order to open up communications and break down barriers to growth.

This months TACTIC: The majority of issues I uncover in company's could be solved if people just communicated.

There is a very easy way to accomplish this months TIP.

1) Meet with your direct reports for 30 minutes every week.

2) Ask three questions during this 30 minute meeting.

Question #1: What did you learn last week?

Question #2: What would you like to learn next week?

Question #3: How can I help you?

When I was
conducting a workshop on "Cracking the Code to Your Company's Growth",
I mentioned this tactic to my room of CEOs and managers. One manager
raised her hand and seemed a bit annoyed. "I have 8 people that report
directly to me. Do you mean you expect me to spend 4 hours every week
talking to them?"

I just
smiled and waited for her and the room to get the point. They did.
Talking to the people that rely on you for direction, feedback and
plain and simple communications is the most important task you will do
this week.

This simple
request to talk to the people that need to hear from you every week for
30 minutes will not seem comfortable for you or your direct report. As
a manager, it's no big deal asking for a work update, a project review
or a sales update and your direct reports are willing to give you those
updates.

But here's what you are missing by simply staying with work updates.

#1: You are missing out on how that employee is feeling.

#2: You are missing out on getting to know how your employee is thinking.

In taking
the time every week to actually engage your direct reports in a
conversation, it will force you to slow down and really listen.

I know, as
business owners and managers, you need to make sure that work is
getting done. That need to get things done can send a negative message
to your staff. They read in your demeanor impatience. Impatience can be
communicated in a variety of ways. When you allow your impatience to
show in your eyes, your body language, or the tone of your voice, you
shut down anyone trying to talk to you.

Slow down. Take that 30 minutes and engage in a conversation.

The three
questions above are designed to get an employee talking. They are
designed to create a dialogue. That dialogue will let your staff know
you are approachable. That you will take the time to communicate. That
you are willing to listen.

Give it time. Don't ignore this critical time with a staff member because you are unsure what will happen.

No excuses. Just give it a try.

Let me know what you learn.

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Archive for February, 2009

Tips & Tactics January 2009: 4 Critical Steps to Sound Decision Making

Tips & Tactics December 2008: Turn Active Listening into a Strategic Initiative

Tips & Tactics November 2008: Let it Go & Let it Grow

Tips & Tactics July 2008: Letting Go – Are You Kidding Me?

Tips & Tactics April 2008: Leveraging the Core Intelligence

Tips & Tactics January 2008: Looking for Obstacles to Your Growth

Tips & Tactics December 2007: Speed of Implementation Defines a Profitable Business

Tips & Tactics October 2007: Ask Questions to Create a Dialogue

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