| “Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” – Dennis Waitley
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Posts Tagged ‘achieve’
Facing life’s challenges…how will you respond?
Monday, November 7th, 2011Wish your life were easier?
Monday, October 31st, 2011| “Never wish that life were easier, wish that you were better.” – Jim Rohn
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Life’s Tough
Monday, October 17th, 2011| “Life’s ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals – Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want” – Marsha Sinetar
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Setting Goals & Completing Them
Monday, October 10th, 2011| “The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.” - Earl Nightingdale
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What’s Next…
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011| “You won’t realize the distance you’ve walked until you take a look around and realize how far you’ve been.” – Anonymous
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Pay Attention
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
I often joke that business owners all have ADD and that I should serve Ritalin shakes at my workshops.
It seems as though every day we are introduced to a new method for absorbing information and data. There is an “App” for everything and these technological innovations satisfy our need for immediate gratification.
So, the question becomes, are we paying attention to the right things?
Does all of this information make us better leaders, business owners, friends, parents and siblings?
I am not sure.
However, I do know that the brain can only handle so much and perform effectively.
What are you focused on today? Does it bring value to your business?
If it doesn’t, why do it?
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them. For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars
Is 2011 Going to Be Different?
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010After 7 years of coaching hundreds of business owners and professionals, I have heard my fair share of nonsense.
Here’s one of my favorites…. “Next year is going to be different! Next year is going to the year where I change my habits, lose weight, make more sales calls, plan my week in advance, blah, blah, blah….”
And then it happens, January 1st hits and most people jump right back into the same behavior that got them their current results.
Asked why they didn’t change, I almost always here “I’m too busy…”
Aren’t you tired of making the same excuses? Isn’t it time to change?
How is 2011 going to be different for you?
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.
Click here to learn more about my new book – Thrive.
Click here to learn more about the next Reach Leadership Series Class. We are featuring Dr. Greg Sipes!
Proactive Action Wins Business
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010Two weeks ago, I went on an adrenaline charged ride-along with an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer. I dodged used prophylactics from prostitutes in dirty alley ways, wandered through dark and musty abandoned homes, and watched the best of the worst in Indy get hand-cuffed right in front of me.
That wasn’t the best part. Most impressive in my experience was watching the police officers hi-five, chest bump, and encourage each other after getting an arrest. Cracking down on crime for these guys is like closing a big sale in business!
To close their “Sales”, the IMPD officers proactively prowl their beats, looking for suspicious activity that could lead to a legal stop.
My officer spotted a small white car consistently sitting in front of a crack house. The officer decided to squat around the corner and wait for the car to pass, so he could follow it and make a legal traffic stop to question the car’s driver. We ended up missing the car, but I sure felt like a detective who was creating a case to solve a crime.
Later in the day my officer mentioned that every car that he has ticketed in the past week for illegal tint had drugs inside of it. So, we actively looked for a car with illegal tint, and guess what – there were drugs inside.
As business owners, we must proactively go after new business. If you’re waiting for your phone to ring, a new email to chime in, or for your door to open with a new client ready to buy – you are simply prolonging the death of your business.
Get out into the marketplace and find your next client. Go to a networking event. Call your best strategic partners and revitalize your relationship. Find a way to creatively use the $100 google adwords coupon that you get every month.
Just like proactive police officers crack down on crime and get big arrests, proactive business owners close big sales and hit their business goals.
Jamar Cobb-Dennard is the Vice-President of Business Development for reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them. For more resources on business leadership, please visit http://blog.goreachmore.com.
Feedback
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010About 1 year after I began coaching business owners I started sending out a customer satisfaction survey asking my clients how I was doing.
The first few response were great. I had responses like, “For the first time in my life I have a clear direction for my business” and “one of the best investments I have made as a business owner”. I felt great!
Then it happened.
I was sitting in my office and heard the familiar hum of the fax machine indicating that a message was on the way. I looked over and noticed that it was coming from a current client who had recently received the customer satisfaction survey. I was seconds away from reading another glowing testimonial about how my coaching had transformed another business owner.
Unfortunately, that’s not what I read.
Instead, this feedback form was filled with comments like “this isn’t what I expected” and “I am receiving very little value from this program”.
My heart sank. I literally felt like I was going to cry.
But guess what? I am a much better coach today because of feedback from that very honest business owner (who remained my client for more than 3 years).
There is no better teacher than a very honest assessment of your performance.
I realize that sometimes the feedback might be negative. That’s OK. This feedback is by far the most valuable of all.
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Monday, August 16th, 2010A few weeks ago I completed one of the best books I have read this year called “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin.
Colvin argues (persuasively, I might add) that the difference between the remarkable achievers in the world and everyone else comes down to one thing – practice.
If you want to be the great musician you need to practice several hours a day seven days a week. You want to be the next Tiger Woods (let’s focus on his record in golf, not with the ladies)? It would be helpful for you to have a dad who is an actual drill sergeant start you playing the game when you are 2 years old.
That got me thinking – how does this apply to my work with executives and business owners?
There are a handful of behaviors that will almost always lead to success in business. They include – always exceeding expectations, making more prospecting calls, setting clear expectations for your staff, etc. Unfortunately, most of the clients and prospects I work with always want to focus on something new instead of mastering any of the fundamentals.
For example, I have met tons of salespeople who are in a non-stop quest for a “silver bullet” lead generation strategy that will allow them to eliminate prospecting from their daily schedule. Guess what? It doesn’t exist. If you want to increase your sales you have to prospect – period.
Steven Covey has a great quote – “To know and not to do is really not to know.” In other words, just because you understand the basics for improving your business it doesn’t mean a thing unless you implement these simple tactics.
Before you make an investment in a new marketing, operations or leadership strategy ask yourself the following question – “How am I doing with the basics?” Maybe it’s time for you to practice, practice, practice.
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.