People often tell me that they get tripped up when it comes to content creation and trying to validate their work because they question whether what they have to say is good enough and if it provides real value. I always tell them the same thing, it’s not about you.
Leadership Matters
At some point during the evolution of your small business, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself getting whacked repeatedly in the face with problem after problem. This will continue until you realize just how much your leadership matters.
Leadership isn’t a title. It’s a way of being. It’s a decision you make whether you’re a leader or a contributor in how you treat each other and in how you treat your clients.
People We Ought To Look Up To
I grew up in Haliburton, a small town in rural Ontario that likely has more professional athletes per capita than any other small town in Canada.
The outside of the arena—where I watched more hockey games as a kid than I can count—is filled with murals celebrating the likes of various hockey and football superstars. The murals include Bernie Nicholls (you may remember he was a Stanley Cup winner when he played with Wayne Gretzky), Matt Duchene (I went to school with his Dad), Ron Stackhouse, Cody Hodgson and CFLer Mike Bradley, to name a few.
Listen, Don’t Assume
Are you able to listen to someone else’s point of view when you’ve already formed an opinion on the matter?
Have you ever made a mistake and felt the burden weighing heavily on your heart? You know you need to say something but it’s hard to find the courage to start? You’re a tiny bit scared that things won’t go the way you’d like?
This happened to me a few weeks ago while I was on a call with Sandra on my team. In a clumsy and awkward way, I told her that there was something I needed to tell her.
I simply said, “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
And then, she cried.
I was guilty of being the worst boss ever.
Bald Eagle, Bystanders and Business Problems
Ever been a bystander to an opportunity or problem?
Last week, we were sitting outside having a glass of wine while watching the sunset over the Bay of Fundy.
Your Big Idea is Not a Strategy
A big idea is not a strategy until you’ve formulated a plan on how to bring that idea to life. Yes, big ideas are fun, and they get your creative juices flowing with hope and possibility. However, you need to master the art of executing so you can make an idea a reality.
Most business owners are not very good at at least one of these two things:
Stop Wasting Your Valuable Resources
Are you wasting your valuable resources? This week, I had a valuable conversation with a client about turkey. Stay with me on this, I promise you’ll be enlightened…
Would you ever go to the grocery store, buy the largest turkey they have, cook the turkey and all the fixings, serve yourself one plate – and then throw the rest away?
Of course not. That would be wasteful.
Practice Patience Before Pitching
It was early morning, and the first message in my LinkedIn inbox was a sales pitch from someone I hadn’t met before. I brought up the fact this person had never talked to me before pitching something I didn’t need… and they blocked me.
They called my response “rude and unnecessary”.
Read any sales book, and you’ll discover there is a natural order to the sales process. And that order includes uncovering a need before presenting a solution.