Transaction Vs Transformation (WT749)

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by Shirley Dalton | 1 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Business

WT 749 Transaction versus Transformation

Last week Ross and I drove to Sydney to attend The Complete Leader conference by Lee Woodward. I love connecting with other leaders and learning tips and strategies for mindset and operations.

On the way down and back we also listened to some audiobooks.

One of the books, both by Dan Sullivan, was “The 4 C’s Formula: Your Building Blocks of Growth: Commitment, Courage, Capability, and Confidence”.

I loved listening to Dan as he explained the cycle for success.

First you have to commit. You have to decide what it is you want.

Secondly, you have to have courage.  Courage gets you past the fear and gets you into action.

When you get into action, you start to develop Capability and when you become Capable, you develop Confidence.

Many people think it’s the other way around. When I’m capable, I’ll commit to x,y,z and then I’ll have the courage.

Think of a recent project you’ve undertaken. One that you didn’t know how to do before you started doing it.

Did you go through the 4C’s?

If you’re about to start a new project, I encourage you to commit to completing it first, even if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Dan’s second book that we listened to was “10x Is Easier than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less”.

This was a game changer for me in terms of mindset.

Dan explained that most entrepreneurs think about doubling their business (2x) and when they do, they think about all the extra work they will have to do to increase the number of sales or turnover etc.  Dan referred to this as increasing the number of “transactions”.

For me, for example, if I think about doubling my business, this brings up images of having to find more time to service more clients, especially if they are individual coaching clients.

But, to 10X the business, requires a transformation. A transformation in mindset. A transformation in operations and support. It means looking at different ways to achieve the results, by working less and focussing on the tasks that only you can and should do.

As Dan says, it’s easier to 10X your business than to 2X.

So for you, what will it be?  Transactions or Transformation?

If you’d like a little help with coaching, training or systems advice, reply and we’ll set up a time to talk.

I’d love to help you see what’s possible for you and your business. Let’s transform together!

 

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Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

Minutes or Months (WT741)

Minutes or Months (WT741)

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by Shirley Dalton | 6 Sep, 2024 | Blog, Business, Mindset

WT 741 Minutes or Months

This week’s thought is really about asking for expert help.

Recently I’ve been working on a project and it has taken me months to figure out the solution.

In the end, I reached out to an expert, who solved the problem in a matter of minutes.

I regretted not having reached out much earlier.

How often do we do that?

Is it because we’re being stubborn?

Is it because of our pride?

Is it because we think we can actually solve the problem?

It could be all of the above or more.

Experts don’t have to be paid experts either.

Think about your colleagues at work.

Each of us has specialised knowledge that could be useful to other team members.

Smart people recognise when they need help and they seek it out.

Don’t let your pride or being frugal with your money, stop you from getting the support you need.

Asking for some help could save you months of time and anguish in a matter of minutes.

What will it be for you?

Minutes or months?

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

The Burden of Hiring and Training Staff (Over & Over Again) WT740

The Burden of Hiring and Training Staff (Over & Over Again) WT740

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by Shirley Dalton | 30 Aug, 2024 | Blog, Business, Systems and Processes

WT 740 The burden of hiring & training staff

I expect you have similar thoughts and complaints as many of my clients around hiring and training staff.

“It’s hard to get good people.”

“I just spent 3 months training them and now they’ve left.”

“I keep having to train the same thing over and over again because people don’t last.”

“I’m sick of answering the same questions and having to repeat myself over and over.”

If this is familiar to you, there are some things you can do to make your life easier.

It starts with your recruitment process.

You need to be crystal clear about the role and the K.E.S.A.Q. (Knowledge, Experience, Skills, Attitude and Qualifications) required to succeed in the role.

You need to identify the critical “Must Have’s” and stick to that when interviewing and selecting people.

Before they start, develop a structured learning program so you and they know what they’re going to be learning and when.

Identify their preferred learning style (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic). In other words, do they prefer to read procedures or see things done, hear verbal instructions or just get in and have a go themselves?  Yes, people can learn, even if it’s not their preferred style, however if you can train in their style, they will learn more quickly.

Have workflow diagrams available for your processes, so people can see the bigger picture and where their work fits into the overall process. This also helps with teamwork as people understand how their work impacts those whose tasks follow theirs.

Have your procedures documented in a way that is easy to understand and easy to find. If your team don’t know where or how to find procedures, they’ll complete their tasks to the best of their ability, but this may not be the way it’s meant to be done.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, check your mindset and your belief systems. If you believe good people are hard to find, guess what, that’s exactly what you’ll manifest.

If you expect that people can’t learn, that’s also what you’ll get.

You can lessen the burden of hiring and training staff (over and over again). Your team’s success is directly related to you personally as much as it is to the degree that you have your recruitment and training systems in place.

Your task this week, if you’re up for it, is to monitor yourself and audit your recruitment and training systems. If you find gaps, create a plan to fill the gaps and then start implementing the plan.

Let me know what you find.

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Wouldn’t You Smile At Everyone (WT736)

Wouldn’t You Smile At Everyone (WT736)

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by Shirley Dalton | 2 Aug, 2024 | Blog, Business, Customer Service

WT 736 Wouldn't you smile at everyone

I’m absolutely fascinated by people’s behaviour.

I’m fascinated by what makes us tick.

I’ve been watching some of the personal trainers at the gym as they walk around with their clients.

They seem to laugh and joke with their clients and then when they make eye contact with us “non-clients” they just seem to stare.

Wouldn’t you smile at everyone?

Just from a marketing perspective, if I was a trainer I would be making sure I engaged with the “non-clients” because they could very well become clients.

If I was going to choose a trainer, I’d choose someone whom I felt comfortable with. I’d choose someone who seemed friendly.

I don’t get it.

What is it with people in the gym? They just don’t seem to smile.

One of my clients tells me that he doesn’t make eye contact because he just wants to go and do his thing and work out. It’s a stress relief for him as much as a physical thing.

Okay. That’s reasonable.

But the trainers?

If we delve into their psychology, perhaps they’re insecure too. Perhaps they’ve got imposter syndrome and think we’re judging them for the exercises they give.

Who knows?

Which is why I am fascinated by people.

What we see on the outside is often not a reliable indication of what’s going on inside.

We get taught as children to wear masks. To show up in an acceptable way. To do as our parents tell us.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to smile.

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

14 Years – You Have The Answers (WT728)

14 Years – You Have The Answers (WT728)

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by Shirley Dalton | 7 Jun, 2024 | Blog, Business, Mindset

WT 728 14 Years. You have the answers

Today we celebrate 14 years of writing a weekly thought and we haven’t missed one single week in all that time.

I am very proud of this achievement.

I am very proud of my commitment.

As I reflect back over the years, having started my business in October 2006, both the business and the Weekly Thoughts have evolved.

When I first started my business and attended networking events, people would ask me who I worked for.

I didn’t know what to say, so I said, “myself”.

That wasn’t a great answer.

They asked what I did.

I told them, “I help business owners streamline their systems and processes”.

They would reply, “Oh, you’re an IT person.”

“No.”

What I found was that when I finished a project and left the business to continue, the new systems often fell over.

Why was this?

It was because the owners and managers didn’t know how to lead and manage their people.

Evolution number 1 – I started coaching them one to one.

Evolution number 2 – I invested in more leadership training and offered small intimate intensive Leading Yourself and Leading Others experiences.

Evolution number 3 – as I learned more about mindset and neuroscience, we included Possibility into our framework of People and Process.

Evolution number 4 – changing the name Possibility to Potential.

Evolution number 5 – realizing that my clients are wanting High Performing Businesses with high performing people, high performing processes and high performance potential.

Over the years, most of my work has been word of mouth.

People would say to their colleagues, “You need to speak to Shirley”.

Speaking to some clients recently, asking them why they work with me and what benefits do they get, they all answered with a similar answer:

“I came to you because I was stuck. I didn’t know which way to turn. I didn’t know what to do. You listened to me. You didn’t interrupt. You allowed me to speak and then you reflected back what I had told you. Much like a mirror. When I heard myself through your voice I could easily evaluate what was going on. I found the answers and if I didn’t find the answers, you gave me the tools to find the answers.”

I just love that I can help you find your answers.  You have them inside of you.

Sometimes we just can’t see the label from inside the jar.

So this week, I want to thank you.

Thank you for being part of our community.

Thank you for allowing me to help you find your answers.

Thank you for being open to grow and develop.

Thank you for being you.

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Happy anniversary!

P. S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.

You Have To Dress For The Job You Want (WT726)

You Have To Dress For The Job You Want (WT726)

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by Shirley Dalton | 24 May, 2024 | Blog, Business, Mindset

WT 726 Dress for the job you want

This week’s inspiration comes from one of my favourite clients and his Operations Coordinator.

As I sat wondering what this week’s thought would be, Ray called to give me a business progress update.

He started the conversation with, “I changed my life today”.

“What did you do? Sell the business?” I asked.

“No”, he replied. “I was vulnerable with my team and shared my vision for the business. I wanted them to see things from my perspective.”

“Amazing!”

Knowing Ray as I do, I asked him what the turning point was.

“I have to give credit to Kim” he said.

“When I shared my vision, she responded with ‘You have to dress for the job you want’”.

“As soon as she said that, I knew she was right. I had to start acting as if I was the CEO of the type of business I envision.”

“I took action straight away. I restructured. I delegated (not abdicated) and empowered the team. I’m feeling good after coming from a place of feeling wrung out.”

Hearing this made me feel so happy too.

I was happy for Ray. I was happy for Kim. I was happy for the team, the customers and the suppliers.

It’s a great reminder. Thank you Kim.

You have to dress for the job you want.

In a way it’s similar to “Act as If”.

We know that in order to have what we want, we have to be fully aligned to the result. When you dress and act as if you already have it, your unconscious mind will go to work to ensure the external matches the internal.

What is the job you want?

How do you have to dress and act?

I’d love to hear your progress report.

P. S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.

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