FrontLine Results : Business Coaching

Did you make your 2010 plans small enough?

Well, it’s all over for another year!  I’m sure some people will struggle to get back into a ‘normal’ routine today, while others can’t wait to start working on their exciting plans.  Which group are you in?

The social networks have been a little quieter over the past couple of weeks, although I was amazed to receive a couple of promotional emails on Christmas Day!  Perhaps a case where automated messages aren’t the best option?

As well as creating exciting plans for 2010 - which I hope you have, even if you haven’t typed them up and put them into a beautiful folder yet – making those plans happen is going to need more than some new year resolution!

It’s time to take action now – not next week, not tomorrow, but right NOW!  If your plan seems overwhelming, perhaps it’s because you haven’t broken it down into small enough steps.   I made the same mistake just last week.  I set myself a lofty plan to revise parts of my website during the days between Christmas and New Year .....  then I realised it was going to take a little longer than a week to make all the changes I had in mind.
 
I believe it was Tony Robbins who said: “We overestimate what we can achieve in a week, and underestimate what we can achieve in a year.”  Definitely true in this case!

So I took my website plan and wrote down all the individual actions needed to make it happen.  The resulting list was much longer, but clearer and less overwhelming.  And I even managed to complete a few of the actions. The remainder will get done – one at a time.

This is an easy and effective way to set yourself up for success.  So, which of your plans for 2010 need breaking down into more manageable steps?

Making room for 2010

Yesterday I hosted my last weekly Blog Talk Radio show. I thought it was appropriate to review all the interviews and acknowledge my brilliant guests. Monday evenings won’t be quite the same next year!

But I’m determined to move my business forward next year, and to do it quickly. So I needed to find room in my schedule to fit in the new and exciting Teleseminars and webinar projects (just as a start!). Something had to go.

What do you need to give up in order to make room for 2010?

 

Are you planning yourself to a standstill?

Just as it can be a terrible waste of energy to pursue a new business idea with no clear plan or direction, the opposite can have equally devastating effects on your business.

Picture this: a notebook filled with ideas, spreadsheets forecasting every financial possibility, a professional-looking business plan running into many pages, copious To-Do lists.  So far so very tidy. 

As a business coach I obviously encourage clients to spend time planning, so they know what needs doing and when.  The problem arises when they don’t seem to progress beyond the planning stage.

The reasons for this vary according to the individual concerned, but can include lack of experience, lack of knowledge or resources, lack of confidence (in ability), fear of failure, fear of success, even fear of the unknown.

The answer is, unsurprisingly, to take action and break the stalemate.  Any action in this case, is better than none so this situation doesn’t continue too long.  Because the plan may cover a large and ambitious goal, it can be hard to switch to the detailed view and identify what to do first, but that is exactly what’s needed.

In business, as in life, taking the first steps into the unknown can be scary.  Fortunately this is usually more than compensated for by the feelings of exhilaration and achievement at having taken action!

And by taking small steps every day, the plans will start to be transformed into reality.  Without those steps, they will become sad and dusty artefacts of what might have been.

What steps are you taking today?

When Planning goes out of the Window!

I’ve always prided myself on being a very organised individual.  I like to plan ahead because I hate last minute rushes.  And with so many planning and time management tools at my disposal, there really is no excuse for me to fall back on, or to explain the situation I find myself in.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working on some quite involved projects (both mine and for clients), and have quite simply lost track of time.  Today is Thursday but it feels like Tuesday!  I’ve fallen behind with my writing timetable and seem to have been playing catch-up all this week.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s lovely to be busy.  But the first twinges of overwhelm are telling me something isn’t right.

Perhaps it’s because I haven’t reached optimal working speed after the leisurely pace of the summer break?  Maybe I got a bit lazy in the planning department?

There really is no point in further analysing how I arrived at this stage.  What matters now is getting back on track and meeting those looming deadlines.... one step at a time.

Are you on target?

Unbelievably we’re already half way through 2009!   I’ve always found this to be a good time to check and reflect on the progress made so far towards both my business targets.  And as it’s my birthday early in July, I also like to review how I’m doing with my personal goals since the previous year!

What I do is set aside some quiet time (usually over a weekend) to do a bit of self-coaching. I turn off the phones and select a CD to accompany my thoughts. 

Here’s a sample from the questions I’ll be reflecting on:

• Is this still a valid goal?
• How will I feel at the end of the year if I don’t reach this?
• What actions do I need to take to get back on track?
• What outside help or extra resources do I need?
• What would Richard Branson do?
• What one thing will I do today to start getting back on track?

If you’re reviewing your progress so far and gearing up for the next 6 months, I hope you’ll find these questions useful.  And if you need any help, just give me a call!

Have you done your planning yet?

Most of the business owners I’ve spoken to so far this year have made their plans for success and growth in 2009.  They know that they need to stay focused on what they want to achieve, and not be swayed by all the negative messages about the economy. 

It isn’t being irresponsible to want to grow your business despite what’s happening in the High Street.  Planning helps keep you on track, working steadily toward your goals.

What will halt your growth and could even damage your business is playing the ‘wait and see’ game.  It’s become obvious that the economic situation isn’t going to be resolved any time soon.  It’s even possible that things will never return to quite how they were before.

I was chatting with my dad at the weekend about the differences in buying habits between our respective generations.  For example:

• My generation grew up with readily available credit, and adopted a buy now, pay later attitude. 
• My dad’s generation saved up until they had enough to buy what they wanted. 
• My generation is lured by the latest, shiniest, fastest gizmo as it becomes available. 
• My dad’s generation looked after what they had and expected it to last a long time.
• My generation has amassed an incredible £1455bn of personal debt (as at 1 December 2008, source Moneybasics UK)
• My dad’s generation feared debt and were wary of taking out any loans.

As always, there are lessons to be learned from previous generations, even if circumstances aren’t quite the same.

Planning ahead for your business (as well as in your personal life) means you can identify when you’re likely to need to buy – whether it’s printing, equipment, seminar tickets – and, dare I say it, save up beforehand!

(If you missed my free planning call (inspired by Sherman Hu) and the Planning Template I gave away just before the New Year, you can still hear it here  http://blogtalkradio.com/louisebj click on Show FLR #1)

What planning or financial lessons have you learned from previous generations?  Please feel free to share them by leaving a comment below.

Take note of what Jack Canfield says

Make this a habit and you'll really move forward quickly.

Be sure to let me know how you get on!

6 Hidden Dangers of Planning

As we get nearer to the Christmas holiday, I’m already busy setting goals for what I want to achieve in 2009 and planning what I need to do to get there.  I hope the last few blog posts have also inspired you to plan for success, but I feel it's only fair to issue a warning about some of the hidden dangers of planning.

Planning to the nth degree.  This is when you write your plans in such minute detail that there’s no room for manoeuvre.  Your plan must include some contingency time to allow for the unexpected – because it will happen.

Planning yourself into a corner.  While planning is a good thing and helps to keep you on track, if you don’t notice when adjustments are needed, you’ll end up in a corner with no easy way out.  Take a step back every once in a while and check that you’re still on track to achieve the result you want.

Working with blinkers on.  Not quite the same as the previous two, this is when you are so focused on doing what you had planned that you’re oblivious to new opportunities that may come your way.  It would be a shame to miss something good, because you were too busy to see it.

Planning without taking action.  This happens to a lot of people unfortunately (in business and in their personal lives).  They mistake planning for doing, and never actually get around to putting their beautifully crafted plans into practice.  Then they wonder why nothing’s changed.  Don’t let that be you.

Letting others plan for you.  Although this is thankfully rare in business, it’s still worth double checking that what you are planning is actually what you want to do and achieve, and not what someone else has decided might be a good idea for you.

Planning to look good.  Don’t make plans to do something because you think you should, or because you want to look good to others.  Unless you plan for what you really want, and those plans are in line with your personal inner values, you’ll struggle to make any headway with them, and you won’t enjoy the journey.

If you need any help with your planning for 2009, you might want to join in the ‘Get Set’ Teleclass on 8 January.  Click here for details.

I bet you haven't put this in your diary yet!

So far in this series of posts about planning, we’ve looked at setting aside time for future planning, planning meetings, holidays, marketing and projects.  What else could there be?  How about your own personal growth and development?  You know, the bit that usually gets completely overlooked!

This post is for you if you think that taking time to go to seminars, listening to classes, working with a coach or investing in training materials is self-indulgent, that you can’t afford it, or even that you’re too busy.

Unless you’re just about to retire from your business, you simply must stay up to date and continue to learn if you want to keep up with your competitors – and hopefully ahead of them.  If you neglect your own personal development, you’ll soon be at a disadvantage and your business will suffer.

Check out what’s new in your trade and professional publications; keep an eye on emerging trends that will affect your business. What do you need to learn and to do? 

Is there a gap in your knowledge that needs plugging, or a skill to brush up that would make a real difference to the future of your business?

Find out what you need to learn, where and when you can learn it and plan for it now.  Budget for the expense and block out the time in your diary.

Have you planned your 2009 marketing yet?

If you only do one bit of planning for next year (despite this series of posts!), please make it what you’re going to do to market your business.  If you stop marketing, people will forget about you.  You can have the greatest [insert your product/service here] in the world, but no-one will know about it unless you do the marketing!

The ‘feast or famine’ cycle of business usually comes about because business owners get so engrossed with client work that they forget to market – until they need more clients!  And then they market like mad – until they become too busy with client work.  And so on. 

Having a marketing plan, and following it, will help to even things out.  Your plan doesn’t have to be complicated nor does it have to cost a lot of money.  But it does need to be done regularly, and to the right people, ie. Those people who want what you have.  Notice I didn’t say they ‘need’ what you have?  Most of our buying decisions are about what we want, rather than what we need (when I go food shopping, I usually buy what I like to eat, rather than what is actually good for me!)

What should you include in your marketing plan?  Have a look back at what has worked for you this year and include that.  Don’t waste your time including activities that you know from past experience don’t work. 

Once you’ve put your plan together, schedule the activities into your diary as if they were client appointments.  Honour them as if they were client appointments – they are just as important to the future of your business after all!

(Don't forget to register for the 'Get Set' Teleclass!)