Are you finding business tough? Is the struggle to get ahead becoming an uphill climb? Want to achieve more but have no idea where to start? Well, I have just what you need. Playing a bigger game in business is easier than you think. Put these five tips in your arsenal and you won’t miss a single target.
1. Be proactive not reactive
Look, it’s really easy to get stuck in old habits, reacting to market pressures, sales reports, employee behaviours, technology shifts and so on but the truth is that real success lies in being proactive not reactive. How do you do this? Find out where you really are (no fluff or nonsense, just a good solid reality check) and then decide exactly where you want to be. Once you have decided on your strategy, make sure you communicate it with your entire team. We all focus much better and are far more productive when we know exactly want we want to achieve. Focus on one main strategy, such as improve customers’ satisfaction or increase sales by X%. Too many strategies spread the focus too thin.
2. Get your motivation right (PS: I don’t mean Kelly Rowland’s)
What you want is one thing, but being crystal clear on why we want it is what fuels us to achieve it. Get really clear on why it’s important; why it’s a must do and I can assure you that it will happen. Once again, you must share this with your entire team. If we understand the reason and motivation behind the strategy, then we are much more able to make educated decisions about our behaviours.
3. Execute the plan! (No firing squad here)
I recommend 90 day rolling plans. 90 days gives you time to get results yet it’s not too far into the future that it gets lost in everything else you do. Choose one strategy to focus on and then make absolutely sure it happens. Put a line in the sand in the future. Create the plan. Set milestones and deadlines that you can measure yourself against and then get stuck into it. Fight like crazy to make the plan a reality and don’t let excuses derail it. Otherwise this year will end up feeling just like the last and the one before that.
4. Dodge those obstacles like a ninja
Make sure you have a strategy for the obstacles that show up. Racing blindly into the future is risky, having a good idea of what might go wrong allows you to adjust quickly and get back on track. Brainstorm the things that you are like to rub up against and come up with an idea of how you will deal with it, if and when it shows up. This allows you to adapt and adapt fast so that your strategy does not stall or falter. Always have an ace up your sleeve my friend.
5. Keep at it. Keep at it. Keep at it.
Most people give up when success is just around the corner. Things will go haywire, the going will be tough and you will wonder if it’s all worth it. Ultimately, you have to back yourself, you have to keep going when other give up. That’s the difference between an ordinary business and an extraordinary business. The extraordinary business just never gives up, they don’t even consider it for a second. They may reassess and adjust but they continue to move forward. They have plans and goals and they will not let anything deter them from making those goals and plans a reality, which means at the end of the year, the business is in better shape than when it started. That is progress.
About The Author
Rowdy Mclean is an expert on motivation, leadership and business. He has worked with people right across the globe showing them how to get smashing results. If you would like to learn about smashing goals, making progress and getting better results then you should attend Rowdy’s quarterly ‘master class on success” seminar in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. www.rowdy.com.au
