Growth is what every business owner should be after. As a business consultant and coach, I help business owners who want to take their business to the next level and make more money in the process. In my 40 years of experience I have found common missteps that hinder growth. I address those missteps as I help owners visualize and implement the future they want for their business using a set of clear, concrete concepts: clarity of direction, communication, have a plan, intense focus, discipline, results, and motivation.
What Skills Do I Need for My Business to Thrive?
Business owners often get into business based on the technical skills that they’ve acquired through working at other businesses. They haven’t acquired the skills and the tools necessary to be successful in business. You can’t wear all the hats.
The second misstep I’ve noticed that is most common with business owners who are not experiencing kind of results that they is they haven’t been clear on what it is they want to achieve. This ties into another common issue: lack of clear communication to employees about where the business is going. That lack of clear communication creates chaos within businesses.
The fourth issue is neglecting to have a plan on how they’re going to bridge the gap between their current state and their desired future. They may know where they want to go and they may have effectively communicated it, but a plan of action is needed.
The fifth thing that I’ve noticed is that individuals within the organizations aren’t intensely focused. They’re distracted by so many things and so much clutter and non-essential work that they’re not getting the kind of results that they want to get. The organization just fumbles along.
Making Your Goal the Focus
I’ve also noticed that individuals within organizations are not disciplined to stay at it every day. We focus on non-essential work—the 80 percent—rather than the 20 percent that generates the greatest return of our investment of time and energy and money. In order to be disciplined, we have to use our calendar to block off time during the day to be intensely focused on our priorities for that day or for that week.
EXPERT TIP | Gary Furr, Organizational Development Consultant:
These missteps often lead to discouragement, and when we get discouraged, we tend to give up; we simply lose motivation. If we’re not doing the seven steps that we mentioned previously, that leads to discouragement and loss of motivation—and then we don’t get the results. It’s a vicious cycle. We have to return to what works, which leads to results and greater motivation. Then we repeat the process and just keep raising the bar.
You can create the business and the life of your choosing, but you have to have the courage to step up to the plate and say, “This is what I want.” To download your own reference copy, fill out the form below. You’ll receive a PDF of this episode of Seven Steps to Accelerated Business Growth and continued access to information that will help you grow and prosper.
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