HOW TO FINISH THE YEAR WITH A BANG!

 

So, yesterday I had a mini freak out when I realised that in less than 6 weeks it will be Christmas.  Another year gone by so quickly!  It’s been a great year, but if you asked me the question “Could you have achieved more?”  The answer would be yes.

At that moment I realised that every business owner and entrepreneur around the country and even around the world will be faced with this same predicament right now.  With only 6 weeks left of the year do you choose to bury your head in the sand and wait for it to end, or do you do something about it?

There are two types of people.  The Pessimist.  This type of person will automatically without realising decide that its not been a good year and will try to keep their head above water until the New Year starts when they can have a fresh start.

OR

The Optimist.  Who will suddenly realise that there is still 6 FULL weeks left to do whatever it takes to leave 2012 with a bang?

Which one are you?

At that moment I got to work on a plan.  A 6 week challenge.  After 30 minutes working on the plan I felt refreshed, motivated and seriously excited about getting stuck in.  In fact I can already tell you that my year will definitely finish on a high!  My business will not only continue to grow right up to the last day, but we will double in sales, have more clients, with more money in the bank and our staff will be just as excited!

What to do.

1. PLAN FOR SUCCESS

The first thing you need to do when presented with any kind of deadline is to make a plan.  Get prepared! The easiest way to do this is to concentrate on what you would like to happen?  Set some goals?  Get inspired and think big.  My favourite kind of goal is one that will scare and excite me all at the same time.  Once you have something to aim for simply break down the plan into weeks.  This way it’s simple and easy to follow.

Look at steps you need to take each week.  Do you need to learn anything new?  Step out of your comfort zone? take a risk?  Plan and prepare everything.

1. PROMOTE YOUR GOALS

Get excited about what you are aiming for and tell the world! There are two advantages to this.  Firstly you are making yourself super duper accountable.  I always throw my goals out to facebook, that way I HAVE to do it because I know people will enquire about whether I have or not!  Secondly, it gets people excited about what you are doing.  Everyone wants to be involved with a person, Leader or business that sounds like they are going places.

So, let your staff know. Email your clients. Update your status and get tweeting!  Think big and talk even bigger.

1. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

The period leading up to Christmas can be one of the busiest times of year for a lot of businesses.  It’s the time where spending is high and competition is tough. What are you doing to stand out? You need to spend at least an hour a week on ideas.  Think about how you and your business are currently advertising, marketing and promoting.  Do something you have not tried before.  Get some promo staff out and about wearing branded t-shirts!  Release a special offer and make it attractive so word will spread.  Write a blog about your challenge and ask for help and support to achieve it?

There are so many things you can do if you commit time to the ideas stage.  Just make sure you take a good look at what your competitors are doing, and make it bigger and better!

1. GET STUCK IN

After all of the above are in place there is only one last thing to do.  Commit. Do whatever it takes to succeed and achieve results.  Every hour of every day can make a difference when you have a time limit, so make sure you are doing everything with a sense of urgency and prioritise your tasks.

If you give it everything you have got its almost guaranteed you will finish the year on a high.

So, which one will you decide to do? There is no time to waste.  Decide and then do.

I hope the last 6 weeks of 2012 are as fun, challenging and enjoyable as mine.

Liz  :-)

The Negotiation Test!

how women can get what we want and hear the word yes!

At our previous League event in Melbourne I had one of those moments where something dawned on me! I was sat listening to the amazing Keran Wicks tell her story of the crazy rollercoaster ride she had been on while building and growing the Network video group. Keran shared some great tips with us, one of them being Always Negotiate! Although this is an obvious point for any business person to make, I suddenly realised that I had not spent nearly enough time negotiating over my 6 years in business.

It hit me like a thunderbolt. Do I simply settle with the rates people give me? I have always negotiated on certain things. Buying a car, prices from suppliers, selling our services at Zest. But how much more could I save??

I left the room with these questions hanging over my head and mentally started a list of ‘to dos’ of what I could start to negotiate. The next day I sat with friends talking about discounts and whether we asked for them. A division was instantly clear between us. In a group of four women and one man, only one person said they regularly asked for discounts.

And that was. . .

The man. Tez works as a car salesman and in true salesman style he confidently told us that not only does he ask for discounts, he gets them! A free pint at the local bar, $50 off the washing machine his Mum wants, a free tie when he buys a suit from Myer. The list went on and on. The rest of us listened with look on our faces that ranged from ‘OMG!’ to ‘NOO!’

The more we spoke the more it became obvious- men quite frequently ask for discounts or money off when buying anything at all. As women, we either think this is cheeky or don’t have the guts to do it in case the shop owner says no!

There was only one thing to do… The Negotiation test!

A date was set.

The Negotiation Test meant that for an entire day I had to negotiate EVERYTHING that I possibly could. I had to leave my fear of rejection, my embarrassment at home and I had to step out in the world with a new attitude around saving money.

The results were unbelievable!

I got a positive start at my local coffee shop. I have been going there ever since I had moved my office to South Melbourne. As regular as clockwork, I go in there once a day to purchase a $3.40 flat white. If you add that up, I’ve spent over $1000 on coffees there! Not just that, all of my staff go there as well and spent at least as much as me. So, there and then at 7.30am in the morning I politely suggested to the owner (with a cheeky smile on my face) that I should get a complimentary chocolate croissant each day or a discount for investing so much in his business .

And guess what the answer was… SCORE!!

The snowball had started. I rushed back to my office(filled with the chocolate croissant that tasted even better) and decided to go bigger! I was confident and on a mission. My next stop was our courier company. Zest Marketing spends thousands a year on couriers so I jumped on the phone to see what I could do. Within 20 seconds, and without using any negations skills, the lady on the line informed me yes, of course she could reduce my rates as I was a great customer! Next came Seek. Recruitment costs the company a small fortune. I knew this would be a little harder, I had a script on hand. But you guessed it, 5 minutes later I had knocked off 10%! This was so easy!

By the end of the day I had saved myself a small fortune! I had free brekkie, $5 off a carwash, a free book in the local IGA, 5 extra platters for my company Christmas party. The list goes on – I even negotiated with my partner that he would be the chief nappy changer of the household when our baby is born!

Phew what a successful day!

So, ladies. After trialling my very own day of negotiation I suggest you try it too. You will be amazed how easy it is to get things cheaper!

Liz xoxo
Director of Zest Possibilities and co-founder of League of Extraordinary Women

 

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It’s time to ‘Ditch the Bitch’ stereotype!

Our recent League of Extraordinary Women screening of the award winning documentary ‘Miss Representation, really got me thinking about how women are portrayed, especially in the workplace.

From ‘bimbo’ to ‘bitch’ there are some serious stereotypes about women.  The media portrays us as icy, tough and scary- or weak, emotional and unstable.  Either way we really can’t win!

So do women make great bosses?

The argument is mixed.  Study after study and article after article takes on this ‘gender’ battle with mixed views.  Research done by a recruitment firm www.UKjobs.net stated that ‘incredibly both men and women are in total agreement that men make better bosses.’   Apparently women are seen as bitchy and hormonal and cannot help but bring personal matters into the workplace. What a load of rubbish!

Other Aussie based research by Steps Leadership Programs says that ‘women equalled men in the area of emotional stability’ showing the stereotype against us is nothing but that, a ‘stereotype’ that’s certainly not helped by the media.

Being a female ‘boss’ myself, I believe women can act as amazing ‘leaders’ in business.  In fact, we often have certain ‘talents’ that our male counterparts done share. Women’s intuition is a strong example.  Our ability to ‘feel’ and ‘understand’ our employees gives us the ability to relate and empathise on a different level.  We tend to have stronger communication skills which allow our employees to feel comfortable coming to us no matter what the situation.  There is certainly no weakness when it comes to great female leaders.  We are tough, we are passionate and we genuinely care about our people.

Another survey has found that women in senior positions lead in a more democratic way that allows employees to participate in decision making.  We are likeable, and we tend to be long term thinkers which give us a step up when running our own business.

So, the argument continues…

When all is said and done there are amazing examples of both male and female leaders. If you want to know if you fit into the ‘great leader’ category here is what I look for and develop in all of the leaders in my company.

1.       Are you motivated by others succeeding?

The strongest leaders do not concentrate on their own personal wins; they are driven by seeing their own staff succeed.  They measure their success by how well their team are doing at all times.

2.       Do you give recognition when it’s due?

One of the most simplest and effective ways to motivate your staff is to give them a genuine ‘well done’.  If you can honestly look around your workplace and see signs of your appreciation (be it a hand written post it note saying well done’ or a gift or certificate to recognize someone’s hard work) then you are a great leader!

3.       Do you treat everyone as an individual?

Managing and motivating everyone individually is the key to increasing productivity and helps to inspire people to do their best.  Know your people and build a strong relationship with them.  Even remembering small things such as a partners name, or a story they have told you makes your team know you care.

4.       Do you give constructive feedback? 

Most people love to learn and love to get feedback.  If you spot something that can be improved on, let them know.  Be genuine and specific.  Constant feedback will raise standards and performance.

5.       Are you a good communicator?

Clear communication is the key to being an effective leader.  Be clear and specific when dealing with your employees.  Make sure you openly lay down expectations so there are no ‘grey’ areas where misunderstandings can occur.

6.       Do you talk long term?

Creating a long term vision for your business is extremely important in employee retention.  Talk ‘long term’ regularly to keep your staff loyal and excited about where the company is heading.

7.       How do you deal with mistakes and problems?

A good leader doesn’t simply ‘react’ when they are confronted with a problem.  Listen and think about your response, then act in a calm and collected way. Be constructive.  Your staff needs to feel they can come to you no matter what the situation.  You need to be approachable.

So, ladies now it’s up to us to stand strong and stop these stereotypes!   If you are a young female Entrepreneur that is tackling any of the above issues then The League of extraordinary Women is the perfect place to give you support and motivation to make your mark.  Check out when our next events are taking place and become a member at www.leagueofextraordinarywomen.com.au.l

“It would be more peaceful if women were in charge’

Steven Pinker, Harvard Professor of Psychology.

GET IN THE ZONE

The feeling of not moving forward kills me! So after    a month of taking  a step back,  its time for me to get back into the Zone!  I love the challenge of setting a short, sharp but HUGE goal to achieve; something I can get my teeth sunk into that will push me out of my comfort zone.

We all go through the feeling of ‘stand still’.  Feeling stale, unmotivated and unfocused. When trapped in this situation it feels hard to push forward.  There have been times, especially after a tough period that I have found it very difficult to get back into the right state of mind that will allow me to progress and move closer towards my goals.  Its hard when you feel like every obstacle is being thrown at you, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Getting into ‘the zone’ takes practice, and will take some digging deep to find the motivation for you to achieve results.  I have found after years of experience of tapping into the depths of my mind, I can flip into the zone quite easily if I take the correct steps.

So, if you are ready to tackle a challenge and smash a 3 month goal, here are my 5 top tips.

1.  Set a Goal that motivates you.

It’s so important to constantly re-evaluate, and re-invent short-term goals.  I stick to a 3 month goal because its easier to keep my motivation levels and sense of urgency for that amount of time, any longer makes it hard to keep my focus where it needs to be.  The goals you set needs to scare, excite and challenge you.  They need to be fresh, so don’t use an old goal you didn’t manage to achieve, if anything spice it up and make it fun! Once you have your purpose and goal set, its then important to break it down into smaller weekly goals to make it easier to focus on.

2. Put your blinkers on!

To win a race you must only focus on the finish line.  So to succeed and achieve a short-term goal it is important to eliminate any distractions that could slow you down or stop you.  This takes self-discipline. Ignore, and avoid anything (or anyone) that could create negative impact and affect your mentality.  To get ‘in the zone’ its all about focusing on one point, and having discipline not to alter your direction.   If you want your goal bad enough you should be willing to sacrifice; so if it means you can’t go out on Friday night, or that you need to work late, you should be 100% prepared to do what it takes.  If you have any friends or family that you know are a distraction, pre-empt them before you start your challenge and make sure they know you may be out-of-bounds for a while.

3. Turn up the heat.

Pressure is positive. Make yourself accountable by telling people what you are planning to do.  Having the pressure of people knowing will make you work harder not to lose face.   If things are not going to plan its easy to sweep a goal under the carpet, and pretend you never set it.  By making yourself accountable from the beginning it will help you push through any challenge or obstacle that comes your way.  I usually ask a friend, colleague or mentor to act as an accountability partner and check in with me at various stages of the 3 months.  This not only provides ‘positive pressure’, but allows me to talk through any challenges and receive recognition and confidence when I’m on track.

4.  Celebrate your wins

As you start on the 3 month journey its important to recognise and celebrate any small successes along the way.  This helps to build your self-confidence and helps to keep your motivation levels high.  Promote your wins by telling your friends and family (I even announce them on face book!) Reward yourself weekly and more importantly enjoy your challenge.

5. Do what ever it takes.

No matter how good your plan is, how motivated you feel and how hard you work, it all comes down to your commitment towards it.  Put yourself in a ‘do or die’ mentality and give yourself no option but to smash it! Go the extra mile and remind yourself every morning ‘why’ you want to achieve your goal.  Visualise and see yourself succeeding, and attach an emotion to it.  More importantly,  never give up.

To wrap up…

If you can concentrate on the above five steps you will find yourself in a state of peak performance.  You will be ‘in the zone’, you feel empowered, energised and highly motivated to work hard.  To me, there is no better feeling.

So, don’t waste another minute.  Set a goal!  Throw it out there, have fun with it and enjoy the ride.

“Nothing happens unless we first dream. ”

 Carl Sandburg

The Power of Re-Focusing to Re-fresh!

It’s the end of May already!  How has this happened?

The past six months have been my most hectic so far.  Since ‘The League of Extraordinary Women’ has kicked off, and with all of the speaking gigs I have been doing I seem to have been bombarded with opportunities.  Its crazy!

My problem is, with so many amazing things coming my way- Which do I say ‘Yes’ to, and which do I say ‘No’?

This seems to be a typical situation for a lot of Entrepreneurs.  Once you have momentum with a business or your brand everyone wants a piece of you and suddenly time roles into one, and before you know it a whole year has passed by!

From running Zest; speaking in front of 600 people ; Photo shoots;  training for a dance show; Writing articles for magazines; fundraising events; to offers from Microsoft and even the G20 Entrepreneur summit in Mexico! Phew, so many projects!

I’m certainly not complaining! I have been very much in the driving seat and have enjoyed each and every opportunity and decision I have made. My problem is, I believe in enjoying the journey and living in the ‘now’, and it seems as though the last 6 months have rolled into one with little time to come up for air!  Have I been taking on too much?

“Its not the destination, its the journey that counts.”

Last month I had the pleasure of spending a couple of weeks in Thailand with my family.  It was my beautiful, (and always right!) Mum that brought the above conversation up with me.  As every Mum does; she was worrying that I was working too hard and not enjoying my life.  In true ‘entrepreneur’ style I argued that I was completely happy and I loved working so hard as I knew my effort was bringing me one step closer to reaching my goals.

The conversation finished and I got back to Melbourne and carried on the way I had been, saying ‘Yes’ to everything and not really leaving myself much time to think about my true happiness.  Then out of nowhere, two weeks ago I woke up and had a moment of clarity.

I realised my Mum was 100% right.

Throwing myself into a million projects at once had actually slowed down a lot of what I have wanted to achieve.  ’Spreading myself too thin’ and constantly ‘giving’,  had taken away my enjoyment and made me lose track of my purpose.

For me its never about the money; its my family;
its about loving every day; spending time with people that genuinely inspire and motivate me, and the feeling I get from helping people better their lives. Doing so much, and being so busy had clouded my passions.

So, I made a decision.

I decided that from this day on-wards I would only say ‘Yes’ if it made me happy and fit in with my passions.  Now, this is not meant to sound selfish, I have just realised that it is important to draw the line at trying to please everyone.  Its about having fun, smiling and getting enjoyment out of what you choose to put so much time into.

We spend most of our time at work.  But work should not feel like work!  It should be an environment for you to challenge yourself, for you to better yourself, and ultimately it should not determine who you are.

After making this decision the most amazing things have happened.  I chose to say ‘No’ to a few opportunities, and suddenly  I feel re-focused, re-freshed, and back in control.  I feel happy!  Since my lightbulb moment everything has clicked into place.  My core business has started to grow like crazy; my motivation levels have hit another level and I have clarity in every area of my life.

So, the lesson I have learnt from this is to make sure every so often you stop to breathe.  Our lives are for living, and when you nuture yourself and concentrate on ‘why’ you are doing what you do, success seems to come.  Everything is easier, you feel great, and you have time to notice the small things in life that make it worth living.

Thanks Mum!

Who runs the world? GIRLS!

Since co-founding The League of Extraordinary Women in late 2011, I have witnessed first hand the hunger and strength of Australia’s female entrepreneur movement.

Statistics show, that between 1992 and 2007 the number of women who have chosen self employment has risen by a huge 33%. Women are increasingly taking advantage of the benefits of owning their own business, but there’s still a large gap that needs to be addressed if we want to share an equal space in the business arena. Even with such a dramatic increase, only 31.5% of small business operators are female.

Tackling this short fall head on we have to ask the question, in a world full of equality and opportunity, why is this percentage so low?

Fear of failure is one of the most common reasons preventing outwardly confident woman from taking the leap into the business owner forum.  Fear is a natural emotion but can be either positive or negative. Fear only becomes a negative emotion when the subject allows the fear to hinder their potential. Fear can bread indecision and doubt; these negative emotions will always lead to a drop in confidence. Without confidence how can one expect to make the monumental decision to undertake a business venture? Confidence and strength are essential in business from the off-set.

As women, we have a tendency to underestimate our potential. With our many responsibilities including the possibility of raising a family, it’s hard to contemplate abandoning the security of our 9-5 jobs to venture out on our own.

I have made many mistakes in business but I feel that each of these mistakes have given me knowledge. Most of my success came from just taking action, it’s that simple, you just need to take that first step and do it!

Step out of your comfort zone

Starting a business can be an ‘uncomfortable’ experience and to succeed you need to enjoy the challenges.  Playing it safe is not an option. Only those who can learn to enjoy each challenge will achieve their goals.  I share my intentions and goals with those around me, this gives me a sense of accountability, and the shame in saying something I don’t act on, pushes me into action. If you were to walk into my office you would see that I have my goals list proudly positioned on the wall next to my computer. It’s easy… Just say it! Goal setting allows you to grow and to learn simultaneously, the more mistakes you make, the more you learn , allowing you to reach your goals faster.

List the sacrifices you need to make to commit to your business.

To start a business from scratch and to make it work takes sacrifices. How much do you want it?  If your desire is strong enough, missing out on a night out or a weekend away will not be a problem.  Be prepared to work hard!  List the things in your life that you will need to change, and when you need to change them.  Adding a time limit not only adds a sense of urgency but helps you to stay focused on the task at hand. Always remember that short-term hard work means long-term gain.  Setting yourself mini rewards along the way will also allow you to feel more positive about having to sacrifice.

Believe in yourself

There may be times when things are not going to plan and this leads to worry and you may even contemplate failure.  This leads to a drop in confidence.  To get this confidence back, you must focus your attention on your outcome, or your purpose.  Don’t allow negative thoughts or feelings to push their way in! Simply concentrate on what you want to achieve and imagine yourself always performing at 110%.  Failure should not be an option.

Learn to juggle your responsibilities

By learning to manage your time, you will be able to set yourself up with a positive work/life balance. This in turn will help you to stay focused and motivated.  Draw up a timetable to plan your work and personal responsibilities.  Having a clear breakdown of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. Being organised will prevent panic and lower the chance of you making rash decisions.

Look failure in the eye

Don’t be scared.  Understand that to achieve the ‘high’ you must face the ‘lows’.  Understanding that tough times will take place allows you to tackle the issues head on.  A good exercise to help prepare for opening a business is to list all possible risks, obstacles and challenges you may face (alternatively a SWOT analysis).  Pre-empt the issues before they happen, this way when you hit one you were already expecting it and can therefore handle it more effectively.  Make a plan A, B & C for each situation.

Ladies, it’s definitely time for change.  As the population of inspirational females continues to grow we will start to see the gender gap in business closing.  Businesses owned by females have less external debt, are more profitable and are profitable much earlier than those owned by men.  The signs are positive.  We need to embrace the successes and failures that business ownership throws at us. My advice is to stay confident and above all else believe that we can do it, because we can!

http://www.leagueofextraordinarywomen.com.au

Get that Sales Team Cranking!

Sales teams…. sigh!

We love them then we hate them. They bring us joy and they bring us problems!

Day after day Business Owners and Managers all around the world search for sales people who can actually do the job!  Stuck in a vicious cycle of attempting to grow the business while paying sales wages with no return.

As the Owner of a Sales company I believe most companies get it the wrong way around!  Why throw loads of money at hiring well experienced sales staff if you don’t have a Sales Manager?

After years of training people how to sell, there havent been many people who I couldn’t train to at least hit the minimum targets.  The ‘selling’ is the easy part, it’s the training and managing of a sales team that gets results.

Owners spend time and energy focusing on sales people.  With low or no sales background they attempt to recruit and then manage sales people themselves; as well as juggling every other responsibility that comes hand in hand with growing a company.  This is not only stressful but can lead to the business losing money.

A Sales Manager is a certain breed. Not everyone can do it.  It takes time; practice, and a very strong mentality to face the daily ups and downs of dealing with a sales force. It’s certainly not a job for everyone!

Becoming a great Sales Manager

A good sales Manager has 4 main responsibilities.

1.  Coaching

To get a sales team cranking the coaching needs to happen every day.  It’s an ongoing dialogue which never stops.  Having one-on-one time with your staff provides support, allows you to identify and deal with problems and more so helps you to manage their attitudes.  You must spend time with your sales staff first thing in the morning, and at the end of the day; this is your prime time.

Setting up the day and coaching before they leave to sell will help you get them in the correct frame of mind. Seeing your face is important in getting results. Avoid just a telephone catch up in the morning, it wont be anywhere near as effective as bringing them into your office and preparing them for a big day ahead.

De-briefing in the evening is also a must.  A typical sales person after a bad day will carry the feeling into the next.  A 5 min run down of the day will help the sales person get things of their chest and allow them to leave behind their negative attitude behind.  At the end of the de-brief give them a reason to step back into your office the next day.  Prepare training for them to look forward to, and set them a new goal and target to aim for.  Always try to leave the conversation on a high.

2. Training

Education is motivation.  I have always made sure all of my sales staff receive a minimum of 30 minutes sales training every day before hitting the field.  Development of your staff is necessary to build and maintain a long-term team.  Even the most experienced sales person forgets things, so constantly re-training keeps everyone fresh and feeling they are achieving.  A stale sales person can be disease in your office; once you have one person feeling stale and unfocused it will rub off and before you know it its impossible to get them motivated to sell.  If this happens, you must trim your tree!

3. Motivating

As a Sales Manager it is your job to keep your team excited about making sales!  Working towards mini goals and targets will keep everyone on their toes.  Set rewards and team bonuses to create focus and determination in your people.  A simple ‘Well Done’ can give someone days of motivation to work hard so always give recognition when it is due.

One of the biggest mistakes made is managing all sales staff in the same way.  A good Manager understands all of his teams unique motivations and manages them using those hotspots. It’s easy to figure out what drives someone, just ask!

4. Keeping the teams accountable

Some people fear keeping a team accountable, but it’s really not that hard. Without accountability a teams standards tends to be low.  To change this, mutual expectations need to be set.  What do you expect from them, and tell them what they can expect from you.

You must deal with problems immediately. If someone is failing to perform it is your job to sit them down and express your disappointment.  Nothing will change unless you do this regularly.  Leave the conversation with a new target and make sure them know you believe they can do it.

Tips

The key to getting results from a sales team is to simply not concentrate on the sales! If a team is under-performing it’s usually because the person managing them is putting negative pressure on them which leads to a sales person becoming ‘desperate’.

Concentrate on the small wins!  Make sure you are creating a positive vibe with recognition, high energy and tons of motivation.  If you take care of them,  and support them through the tough times you will create loyalty  which will build a solid long-term team with great results.

 

Business Mastery, the key to building a long term team

People are paramount. When Sir Richard Branson was  asked on his 60^th birthday, what we’re the three core ingredients essential to creating a business success, he answered, “People, people, people.”

To turn a small business into an empire it obviously takes a business brain and a Leader, but behind the person in charge usually lays a solid loyal team, that in most cases are smarter with a wider skill set than the owner.  Our ‘people’ make our business successful.

As a business owner myself, I know the problems that come along with having staff.  It’s impossible as a small business not to face the problem of staff turnover, the highs and lows of staff motivation levels, and drops in productivity.  Building a team takes effort and practice and if you’re not careful can end up costing your company in dollars and time.

The cost of Employee turnover has been roughly estimated at $15-17,000 per employee.  So, as a Business owner its imperative we learn how to recruit in the right way and then manage in the most effective way we can.

So, what makes a good Manager or Boss?

We have all worked for someone we don’t respect or like, in fact a current report showed that 40% of employees feel they work for ‘bad bosses’.  This feeling can stem from lots of things; failing to keep promises; failing to give recognition when it’s due; being a bad role model; shouting for no reason; the list is endless.

Practice however makes perfect!  From my experience in managing 100’s of different types of people I think there are simple, yet effective ways t keep your staff happy, and retain them on a long-term basis.

It comes down to understanding the differences between being a Manager and a Leader.  Any successful person you look at in business has this down to a T.  Richard Branson is a prime example.  Let’s look at the differences;

You will notice these 2 titles have very clear-cut skills.  Staff issues such as a high turnover of staff or a low motivated team come from being too much of one, and too little of the other.  Those who get the balance exactly right suddenly find most issues will disappear.  This 50/50 balance is the key to building and retaining a long-term team.

Let’s look at a visual demonstration..

LOW VISION/ LOW ACTION- ‘THE FOLLOWER’

To run a business you obviously can’t be a follower.  However, in every team it is important to have people who enjoy being lead and managed.  Most teams are made up of people who are loyal, hardworking and committed, but may not necessarily be your superstars. To get the best out of this person you need to become a ‘Business Master’

OUTCOME

If you can learn to manage them effectively as a ‘Master’ you will find your ‘followers’ give you great results.  You will see a highly productive, positive and driven team that are relatively easy to manage.

STRONG VISION/ LOW ACTION – ‘THE LEADER’

As we know being a Leader is all about selling your company vision.  Creating a clear vision gives your people a reason to stick around; it creates excitement and a buzz.  A natural Leader constantly promotes the bigger picture and is a great role model for everyone around them.  Providing direction and a greater purpose, a strong Leader has the ability to retain staff without having to offer a high remuneration package, purely due to how good the opportunity within the company sounds.

OUTCOME

In the past I have witnessed first hand the result of having a ‘Natural Leader’ in charge of a team with low Management ability.  The outcome tends to be a team that is very inspired and highly motivated but lacks the structure and accountability to create results.  Common problems in this team are lateness, lack of commitment, gossiping, bringing personal issues into the office and low standards due to the lack of accountability. Over a period of time, a team with a ‘Leader’ in charge eventually loses its fizzle, and faces a drop in confidence due to a lack of belief in ever achieving the short-term goals.  ‘Leaders’ are experts at continuing to paint the bigger picture so they can manage to keep people around in some instances, but tend to breed teams with ‘soft’ mentalities that are not strong enough to help the business grow.

HIGH ACTION/ LOW VISION- ‘THE MANAGER’

Day to-day management is imperative to keep productivity and standards high in a team.  A great Manager is one that never leaves an issue too long and deals with problems head on with no fear.  Keeping staff accountable drives results and with results comes faster growth which directly affects the bottom line.

OUTCOME

Always concentrating on the ‘day to day’ results can keep your team in a very short-term head space. Although everything is structured, a team with no long-term vision is not inspired to stick around when the going gets tough. This type of team will lose focus quickly and usually feels the ‘Manager’ is too tough and picks on the little things.  With nothing to look forward to, and no talk about the future, staff tend to feel they have no opportunity in the company and will not feel part of the bigger picture.  Common problems related to a team with all ‘Manager/ no Leader’ can be staleness, low motivation, high staff turnover, negativity, and no loyalty.

Again, we face the problem of a short-term team.

HIGH VISION/ HIGH ACTION- ‘BECOMING A BUSINESS MASTER’

The key to get a team to follow you, be loyal and work hard on a long-term basis comes down to the fine balance of Leadership and Management.  You need both sets of skills to become a ‘Master’. As a Business Owner we are all naturally better at one or the other, so to avoid staff issues you must first identify which you are better at before you are able to move forward.

Adding both elements to how you manage your team will have amazing results.  Not only will you be able to drive results, you will find your team are more excited to come to work, will work harder as they see opportunity in the company, and will stay loyal as they believe in what you are creating.

This helps you avoid all of the annoying issues that you don’t need to spend time on, and will potentially save your company $1000’s in recruitment costs due to staff turnover.

When all is said and done, your people are your future.  You need to care about them to create loyalty.  It is a two-way street.  Make sure you have simple things in place to get the Management/Leadership balance right.  Here are a few suggestions;

• Have your long-term company goals on your office wall
• Have an organisational chart that shows where you want your company to be in 5 years time
• Make sure all of your staff have a copy of the company standards and expectations
• Make sure everyone understands what opportunity they have if they work hard
• Invent a promotional structure so your staff know how to get to the next level
• Give credit when credit is due.  Recognition is a powerful motivator!
• Deal with issues straight away.  Don’t leave them or they will get out of control.

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”

Albert Einstein

Commit or don’t bother!

I meet talented and motivated people every day, especially in the business arena.  These are amazing people, with incredible potential to achieve great things.  These people have goals  and big dreams.  They want to get out of the rat race and live a life full of options, choices and luxuries.  Who doesn’t?  We all want a good life. I have seen many people succeed, but realistically 99.9% of people don’t!  Why???

One word.  Commitment.

Being committed to a goal, a person, a challenge or a career builds respect and credibility.  There is nothing worse than ‘hearing’ about someone’s dreams & ambitions day in and day out  but seeing absolutely no commitment to act!  Being a ‘talker’ and not a ‘walker’ is not attractive and eventually people will stop listening and stop respecting you.  If your reputation and integrity is important, you need to commit to what you want.

Be a Go Getter!

How committed are you to achieve what you want from your life?

If you find that you are constantly trying to succeed but never really getting anywhere, I guarantee that your commitment is not 100%.  You may think it is!  Think again and be really honest with yourself.  Are you doing EVERYTHING you possibly can to achieve what you want?

The extra mile

Commitment is shown through the actions you take.  Are you putting 110% in? Going the extra mile makes you stand out as a Leader.  It may mean you have to work later, or sacrifice your weekends to get something done.  You may need to take on extra responsibilities and go out of your way to help someone.  To me this is the true test of whether someone will achieve a goal.  How much are you willing to give up to get what you want?

Purpose

Setting goals is the first thing to do before you can work towards success.  Many people say they want something, but when it comes down to it they actually don’t! Your goals must motivate you.  If you find you are losing motivation to achieve something, go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate.  Don’t time waste being half committed because it wont work!

Self-discipline

Commitment and self-discipline come hand in hand.  If you have committed to something, you need to be disciplined. This needs to be consistent in every part of your life.  When I have a huge goal to achieve I plan everything! I plan what breakfast I will eat to give me the energy I require to put 110% in. I plan my time schedule and how to break down my day to get everything done.  It takes focus and discipline to stick to it.  I know if I want it enough, I will stay self-disciplined and reach my goal.

Persistance

Be determined and be persistent. If you want to be successful at something, it’s stupid to think you will get it without coming across obstacles or tough times.  It will be hard work.  A great quote to sum this up is ‘A captain earns his reputation during storms’. It’s easy to stay motivated and committed when everything is going smoothly; anyone can do that.  The thing that counts more is how you react during one of these dips.  Don’t give up!  Stay true and focused on your goal, and understand that these times are part of the journey.

You need to learn how to keep commitment to the level it has to be at to achieve results.  The art of commitment will take practice.  Remember it’s simple! Put 110% in and you will get 110% out.  Don’t be one of the 99.9% that wants things but never gets them.  Aim to be different.  Aim to work harder.

Aim to commit.