When We’re Ready (WT754)

When We’re Ready (WT754)

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by Shirley Dalton | 6 Dec, 2024 | Blog, Business

WT 754 When we are ready

This week I was discussing strategy with Mark See, a client turned colleague/friend (as most of my clients do).

In the 10-15 years that Mark and I have known each other, Mark has been very fortunate to have experienced working for a visionary entrepreneur who sold his business to a big corporation which became even bigger.

Mark gets what it means to be strategic.

He’s also forthright with his opinion, so you can imagine the response he got when he told his new corporate leaders that he would take action on a project “When we’re ready”.

He wasn’t resisting.

He wasn’t being petulant or rebellious.

He was actually being strategic.

As Mark says, “When you’re about to execute on a strategy, you can’t go too early and you can’t go too late.”

It’s a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  You have to wait until the time is “just right”, which in Mark’s words are “When we’re ready”.

Being ready means having done the research. It means having all the required resources. It means having the team trained and knowing what they have to do when.

There are so many moving parts to implement new business strategies that it absolutely makes sense to make sure you make your move when you’re ready.

I’m curious. What’s your take on this week’s discussion.

What’s your understanding of strategy and timing?

Are you confident enough to stand your ground and say, “We’ll take action, when we’re ready”.

Thanks Mark for such a lively discussion and for the inspiration for this week’s thought.

It came at the exact right time and I was ready. Grin.

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

Make It Into A Game (WT753)

Make It Into A Game (WT753)

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by Shirley Dalton | 29 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Business

WT 753 Make it into a game

When I first started my business, I used to have a game with myself, where I challenged myself to give out two business cards to people who didn’t know me or didn’t know what I did, each and every day.

That was in the days of physical business cards.

I realised I haven’t played a game for a long time, so I decided to make up a new game.

This game is called “Call To Action” or “CTA”.

The rules are, that I must complete at least two calls to action each day.

My game was inspired by Cham Tang, who encouraged us to get into some sort of action to propel our marketing and grow our businesses.

“Action. Action. Chop, Chop”, he would say.

A Call to Action doesn’t mean that you’re asking somebody to buy from you, although that could be a call to action.

Other calls to action could include:

  1. Inviting someone to join my Weekly Thoughts list
  2. Requesting a testimonial
  3. Inviting people to like my social posts.

It doesn’t matter what the CTA is, what matters is that every day I must ask.

To keep myself accountable I record the requests because the more calls to action you do, the more successful you’re going to be in whatever it is that you want.

Nothing happens without action.

So, my call to action today is to invite you to reply and tell me about the game you can play for yourself. If it will help, join in the CTA game.

Remember, it’s much more fun and easier to take action when you make it into a game.

P.S.  Mark your calendar.  Our next Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience will be held in February 2025.  Tuesdays 4, 11, 18, 25.  Early Bird Discount ends 31st December.

P.P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

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

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!

 

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

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.

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

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