Laura's Issue 4 Newsletter
Determined or Disengaged?
Are
you a leader that proactively sets priorities, goals and stays
conscious of the impact you have as a role model? Have you designed
upfront alignment by creating a business plan, employee handbook,
operations manual and a customer focused culture? Have you built a
team where you attract ideal employees, keep them engaged and provide
them with a clear understanding of the business economics?
Are
you panicked because you just answered "no" to the all three
questions? Under ideal conditions it is natural to occasionally become
discouraged and get off course. Current economic realities are
problematic for some and threaten the viability or actual survival of a
business for others. The decision we ultimately face is whether we
will become more determined than ever to succeed or allow ourselves to
become disengaged. Will we challenge ourselves or abdicate
responsibility and pray that things turn around soon?
Current
economic conditions can make it easy to indulge in a pity party. Look
at the situation as an opportunity while most other business owners
freeze up or shut down emotionally. The key is to decide where we will
go from here.
This
is a perfect time to reevaluate the direction of our business. If we
are to have a passion that is unyielding and inspire others, we must
have the ability to persevere in the midst of chaos. How do we remain
steadfast in our determination to put everything we have into the hours
we dedicate to our business?
- Revisit who we need
to be as leaders. Do we have balanced priorities, specific goals for
our lives and model behavior that we would want employees to emulate?
- Dust off the
paperwork. Is it time to tweak the business plan, employee handbook or
operations manual and reevaluate the effectiveness of our focus on
customers?
- Fine tune the team.
Are we adequately staffed with employees that are excited, held
accountable and understand what it takes to make the business
economically viable?
It's time to roll
our sleeves up, get off the sidelines and regain the enthusiasm we had
as rookies. We know where we could improve our business by taking an
honest look in the mirror. The question is if we will recommit to
doggedly moving forward when self-discipline doesn't come easy.
Once we are
determined to advance and decide where we will make improvements, there
are things we can do to ensure that we remain stubbornly tenacious:
- Create and measure
specific goals. I am currently committed to reviewing coverage on the
phone with ten existing customers a day, calling all new customers the
week after we insure them and following up on each claim five days
after reported. It is easy to monitor my success because these goals
are quantifiable.
- Communicate the
changes to your team, family and friends. Ask those around you to hold
you accountable to maintaining a focus on the new behaviors you have
decided to pursue. (I hope to have several thousand accountability
partners because of this newsletter).
Do not renew your
commitment because you need to pay the bills or because it will please
others. Those motives will not invoke sustainable determination.
Remind yourself that you need to get the highest return on investment
for the hours you spend at work. Don't allow your office to be a place
where you put in time. As William Feather said, "Success seems to be
largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."
Become adamant
about moving forward with a positive mindset and take pride in your
contribution to the team. Keep the fires burning for yourself and
you'll be pleasantly surprised at how it energizes those around you.
For additional thoughts read Laura's article Would You Hire You? (featured in Chiropractic Economics)
Return to Newsletter Archive List