If your business (or life) were a chocolate, what kind would it be?

One of my high level mentors, Nido Qubein, would often challenge us to decipher if our business was a Hershy Kiss or a  Godiva.

He challenged us to consider what we do with each. We tend to buy the Kiss’s in bulk, open them on the drive home stuff coffee mugs with them as a gift.

But, when it comes to Godiva–we tend to deliver it with sincerity and the recipient opens the golden box with intrigue. Savouring one truffle at a time.

Does your business fit into the quick, easy, not a big deal category?

Or would you like to offer something a bit more unique and special?

There is a place for either type of business.

Make sure your packaging, messaging and intentions all line up.

When posed the question of whether I was a Hershy or Godiva, I was stuck. I realized I am more of a chocolate dipped strawberry. A little bit of indulgence, an element of healthy and a message of permission to enjoy oneself.

Yes, I know, I probably made you hungry! If you read this far, please hit reply and let us know your favourite chocolate. And if you would like to receive a surprise, do share your mailing address! It pays to read your coaching minute!)

What are your core values?

Identify these & align everything else with them and you will be guaranteed to move forward in the direction you wish to go.

Your values tend to have been present in you when you were 8. Write out 10 times in your life when you were involved in something that you just didn’t want to stop, the time flew by. These are “On Purpose” events.

Write out what you were doing during these events, who was present, what qualities they posessed and any other details. Then go over the 10 experiences and circle any similarities, common themes or descriptions. These words tend to be your values. Pick your top 4
– the ones that you couldn’t live without or the ones that allow the others to occur.

Post your values on a post-it, recipe card or collage and ask: “Do each of my goals align with my values?” If not, then reassess your goals! Then you will feel in full integrity and your goals will be much easier to achieve.

Your values serve as a great decision tool as well. When you are faced with tough decisions, ask yourself: “Is this in line with my values?” If not, then it is an easy decision. Saving you time, money and energy.

How to focus and avoid distraction

Transcript

Hi. I’m Pauline Fleming from ProActiveBussinessLeadership.com here with answers to your burning questions.

One of the questions I get a lot is one of the most frequently asked questions is how do I focus? How do I avoid the shiny object syndrome and the distractions?

Did you know it costs us up to two hours a day from interruptions and distractions? You might be off making a photocopy, attending a meeting, checking email and what was I supposed to do today? It’s really hard to stay focused, I get it. About a hundred years ago, we had 25 to 50 decisions to make. We wore the same clothes day in and day out, we just had to wash them sometimes. We ate the same foods, the meat and potatoes and maybe something else, maybe some bread or what have you with that. We went to the same job and did the same job day in and out just depending on the time of you’re in the weather. Now, we have over 1500 decisions a day minimum so no wonder why we can be distracted and have shiny object syndrome.

As soon as we get into that, our adrenaline rushes and we can get into adrenal burnout even as high achievers. If you’re one of those, you could be on your way to burnout and it’s not fun because high achievers shouldn’t be prone to imbalance and burnout. Well I experienced my own two-year health journey with that and my hormones went on whack and I lost confidence in myself. My self-esteem went down, weight gain, all these issues all because of the shiny object syndrome. I mean part of it was I had too many yeses, too many good things in my life so I needed to simply it again. I had gotten rid of a lot of nos so that’s the first place is get rid of the nos in your life that distract you. Why are you spending any time on them anyways because it’s a waste of time. Only invest your time on the yeses in your life. Focus on those.

The other thing is high achievers tend to have an amazing to-do list. You know when one person has ten, you have a hundred on your list or a thousand and it never goes away so be open to being okay with that. But I still have my list and now what I do is I look for what’s the one action I can take today that will make the biggest difference. I first need to free up my time then I need to pick one action then I need to make conscious choices around that then I need to use my unique gifts and then I need a system and I need to keep it simple. That’s how you focus, F-O-C-U-S. Free up time, One Action, Conscious choices to start your day with that one action to pick your 9′s and 10s for that one action, to consciously pick that action and consciously be present with it throughout your day. To use my Unique gifts, that’s my 9′s and 10s and then to keep it Simple and have a system around it so that I don’t have to keep repeating a learning curve with it every time.

If you can implement that, you can reduce your shiny object syndrome, you can reduce your adrenal burnout, and you can have a whole lot more fun showing up and getting things done. The benefit too is I know you’ll get way more than that one thing done and even if it’s too big of a project or a focus to get done in one day, you will have moved it forwards by the end of the day guaranteed and you’ll go home feeling successful and that’s what success is. It isn’t waiting nine months until the project is done, it’s knowing that today’s output of what I did today was a success. Knowing in the moment as you’re focusing on it that it’s the right activity to do. As you feel so good that you actually feel guilty. You’re like I must be procrastinating, there must be something else I’m supposed to be doing, then you realize this is what it is. Write that focus on a Post-It and keep it beside you to prompt you when you’re distracted by phones and emails and then you can keep that focus.

Good luck with your shiny object syndrome and for tips and tools on how to grow your people, profits, and playtime, check out Proactive Business Leadership.

You never know what might cross your path.

I was struck by the concept of this sign on our recent trip to Puerto Rico. I had never heard of an Iguana Crossing! Not only a sign, but a speed bump as well.  I wonder if they had a number of Iguana accidents that prompted this precaution?

It got my attention.

What are the Iguanas in your business or life–the tangible or intangible items that are getting run over?

What precautions such as a simple communication or a request might prevent that hit and run from occurring?

We are 100% responsible for what we experience, observe or think.

If you don’t like the results, do something about it (and you can have some fun with it while you are at it!)

This is the tool to reduce the people-pleasing syndrome. Try it (at home, at work as well as with yourself!!) What one thing can you promise less in and then enjoy delivering a great package!?

How to Plan Well

Transcript: Hi. I’m Pauline Fleming from ProActiveBussinessLeadership.com here with answers to your burning questions.

One of the questions I get is how do I plan well? Well we’ve all learned different planning styles and there’s the assessing, there’s the evaluating, there’s the creating the plan, and then implementing and then celebrating after you evaluate again before you implement again. Those are all steps to planning, but the key is truly planning.

So imagine you’re looking at your year, now there’s a whole depth of things we could go into that we don’t have time today, but you want to look at an outcome. So say an example is you have an event in six months then you want to reverse engineer. Okay, so what do I need to have in place? Well I need to have a venue; I need to have decisions made like food. I need to have resources like AV, audio visual in place. I need to have the team and the support in place. I need to have people there. I need to have the resources for the people, the workbooks, whatever I need.

So then you need to reverse engineer that and then you need to get clear on what that event is about. So right upfront, you’re going to be writing about what the benefits are of that event. You’re going to be writing the copy, the connection for people to realize is this for me. And then you can start using that in all your environments from sales and marketing right through to communication, right through to promotion and connecting with others to be able to have an amazing event and then you don’t have to do all the parts that you’re not best at. So reverse engineer any project, goal, action you’re wanting to take by looking at the steps that are involved and finding out what has to happen first before the next one, what has to happen last, what has to be done by midway, and slot those in and then give yourself about twice the amount of time you think you need. So if you think you need three months, give yourself six months. If you think you need one week, give yourself two weeks. That way if emergencies happen or time gets tight, you can still get it done within a reasonable amount of time. Then also have a team so that you can come up with creative solutions as you move along and you realize, oh, this isn’t working and it’s too close to the timeline, now I need to figure it out. So map out and reverse engineer your actions to achieving your goals and you will grow.

For more tips on how to grow you people, profits, and playtime, check out Proactive Business Leadership.

It’s a Leap Year this year.  This happens once every 4 years. You get the gift of an extra day in your year.  Have you ever wanted that extra hour in your day; well now you get a whole extra day?  What are you going to do with it?  Better yet, what are you going to do with the next four years until the next one comes along?

There is no better time for a Quantum Leap then right now. We’ve even planned the February Business Boost Camp (Quantum Leap: How to accelerate your results & multiply your growth by 10 over the next four years.)  to support exactly that. What action can you take that will stretch you more than normal? Who can you connect with that will multiply you? What do you need to change in order to do things differently and not just do more? What leap are you going to jump in the next four years?

Quick tip: The only way to learn often is to make mistakes.  If we are always doing things successfully we are probably not taking enough quantum leaps.

I wish you many quantum leaps and if you are truly ready to leap, we have two spots remaining at the February 29th Business Boost Camp. Join us for an amazing experience guaranteed to shift you and give you the breakthroughs you need to make your leap.

Click here and reserve one of these spots now.

How to Have Successful Employee Relationships

Hi, I’m Pauline Fleming from ProActiveBussinessLeadership.com with more answers to your burning questions.

How to have a relationship with your employees that works, that’s productive, that’s professional and how to connect with them more. So I was working with a business owner who she’s very good at getting tasks done and getting results and that, but her people side is not her strength and she wants to be a better connector, but she wants to do it authentically with her style. So one of the challenges is I don’t want to be their friend or are they expecting friendship, so you need to find out what your style is.

Personally, I started out my business realizing I wanted business friendships and I wanted to connect with people that reciprocated. It wasn’t just a one way of me giving tons of content value and being generous, which is my natural style and gift, and then having people that I never saw again, that disappeared off the planet or that I never was invited or connected from on the return. So I looked for customers and clients that reciprocate, that appreciate, that value that generosity they’re going to receive from me and they’re really business friendships. These are people that I wouldn’t mind having at the cottage and inviting over with my family and connecting and having my spouse here so that we could have rich relationships and go out on the boat and have retreats at the cottage and really laugh and connect and grow. So that’s my style but it works for me and it doesn’t work for everybody. So again you need to know your style and not try and be something you’re not.

I was working with another executive and he felt he was too extroverted and that he was intimidating his people. So he would be introverted and he’d come into the back warehouse and they’d be intimidated and they wouldn’t speak up, they wouldn’t communicate very much. So instead, we got him to bounce a ball going down the aisle so that as he showed up they knew he was coming and then he kind of just tossed the ball around with the guys in the back in the warehouse causally and they started to chat. It was amazing what he learned from them and what they got from him during those chats.

So back to that original lady that I was coaching around her leadership style, she doesn’t need to invite them over for a BBQ, but she could have more social activities during lunches or team events to connect and know that that’s the boundary around when they do connect. She doesn’t have to play cards with them. Maybe there’s an appropriate place to have those boundaries but being clear on where the boundaries are not to keep people out, but to allow her to be her fuller self. So that she can fully show up and not just be behind a door that’s open that actually feels like a closed door and actually have people feel comfortable about coming to her door and asking for help.

Find out what your relationship is with your customers and your employees, your family, yourself, your neighbors and start living authentically with that and watch what it does for your growth.

For more tips and answers to your burning questions, go to ProactiveBusinessLeadership.com.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year was this week. I know how tough New Years resolutions are to stick to. I believe it’s because we set externally motivated goals. The moment we are not connected to that motivation, we feel like we are failing. That’s why I don’t make New Years resolutions. Instead, I set clear intentions that align with my core values, short and long term visions and inspire me. Actions that get me excited to wake up on Monday morning. Now, with a second New Years, you have a second chance to create amazing results and have more fun.

My client from Toronto, Lydia Panart, found herself working super hard to make a living and take care of her family. She is an amazing artist who has so much to offer the world. Working hard all day long will not serve this purpose. Through our work together, she quickly created her own second chance. Her exciting programs at her new studio not only allow her long term students to develop their inner artist, she also evolved her schedule to allow more time to paint herself. Check out one of her amazing pieces here in this photo. WOW. By the way, having more time to paint increases her revenue as she makes more from painting then she did in her old model of teaching. Not to mention she really loves what she is doing now.

What is it you gain the most return on your time from? What percentage of your day is focused on this action? How can you adjust your schedule to create room and boost that percentage?

Please share what that action is for you. It’s interesting to hear what you have learned about yourself.

Transcript of Video: How to Delegate

Hi, my name is Pauline Fleming with answers to your burning questions and I’m from ProActiveBussinessLeadership.com.

One of the questions I get is how to delegate. That can be one of the biggest challenges because you know if you need something done, give it to a busy person. Who’s the busiest? Probably you. We also have a tough time delegating because if we want it done right, we might as well do it our self mindset sets in because we’ve had too many experiences where we have tried to delegate and the person just didn’t deliver.

Well think about it, what is your time worth as compared to what you’re paying somebody else or as compared to what you’re investing in others or needing from others. So if you have a job that takes you one hour and it takes them four, well it shouldn’t so do you have the right person in the right position? Are you teaching them the right things and maybe do you have a documented system to help delegate? That would be great. So teach and train how to do the item not just give it away and then sabotage your success because you’ve advocated without actually giving or you’ve abdicated, sorry, without actually giving any support. Nor do you need to take all your to duplicate it but if you train them once, they should be able to get it and with just a few questions after that. Give them the full responsibility and not just get the job done and then all the decision making, the authority, the autonomy is all with you. You need to make sure they’ve got the complete delegation where appropriate so breakdown your delegation.

Another thing with delegation is to make sure that you are picking low hanging fruits for you, something you could survive if it doesn’t work. Start with that and build in baby steps. Don’t jump to the big project and then say it doesn’t work, I might as well do it myself. Because you will limit yourself and the growth of your business will be limited based on how much you can get done.

Now if you’re looking at your time worth, if you took your expenses for the year and you divide it by the number of hours you worked, that’s your cost just to go outside the office, just put your shoes on and go have a coffee to leave the office to go sit with somebody else. So how much are you paying your staff? So it might cost you a little bit to get them, but it really is an investment and you’re worth so much more, and really instead of doing a job that might be a $15 an hour job, you could be focused on something that’s a $25, or $100, $1000 potential an hour of revenue. Where should you be spending your time, investing it? By doing what you do best, by focusing on your gifts that give you energy.

First delegate the things that drain you then delegate the things that you’re great at but you’re really not energized afterwards. Focus on your passion and purpose and delegate to people who this is their passion and purpose. If you have a summer project of getting your business policies all done out and you give it to somebody who’s action oriented and loves to be with people and now you’ve put them in the corner with a computer and a big policy manual, you’re going to lose them because you’ve disengaged them. Make sure you’re delegating the jobs to the right people.

For more tips and answers to your burning questions and how to grow people, profits, and playtime, go to Proactive Business Leadership.