What’s more internally staff aren’t inspired or energised by this.

Here’s the thing about working harder – it doesn’t guarentee results that matter to the success of the business.  What if you’re working really hard, but you’re doing the wrong thing?

Here are signs that the work ethic is strong in your business if the conversations are around:-

- Effort

- Doing More

- Long Hours

- Time Management

- Busyness

- Fire Fighting / Urgency

- Fault & Blame

- Task focus

So if the work ethic has had it’s day then what’s the key to business success in today’s age?

Well let’s call it the success ethic.  You know you have this as a philosophy or mindset when you hear conversations, make decisions or install processes that focus on the following:-

- Results

Every action or activity is producing results, ideally desired results, if not then some course correction is required.

- Accountability

It’s going beyond responsibility, it’s taking ownership for getting the desired result (and no that doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself.) Here’s a very short video I did a few years ago that distinguishes between accountability and responsibility.

- Adding Value

Yes it can sound abit woo woo and fluffy but the gripes I hear from staff and leaders alike are around doing activites that they don’t see make a difference or add value in some way. [Meetings being a popular subject here].

- Importance

The majority of work completed on a daily basis is important rather than urgent.  When you let your email and the interruptions and requests from others dictate your day then you’re back in the work ethic. Plus you’re now working to someone else’s agenda, and not the one you know you need to do in order to deliver and be successful.

The success ethic then allows for people to show imagination, use their talents and knowledge, contribute more of themselves.  And because the focus is on success and not work it doesn’t feel like a grind which means people have more energy to go on and do even more.  Now that I believe will make more of a difference to a business looking to prosper in a recession.

In fact I know several business owners who are more profitable and productive this year than they were last year, and they’re working less hours.  William Hague would probably have a duck fit at this, but they’ve done this by focusing on success.

So if working harder isn’t delivering for you then try success for a while and see what difference it makes.

The tips in this short video are common sense.  They are the ones that can make a real difference, very quickly.  So why have I gone to the trouble of creating this reminder?  Because these are all the common areas that staff tell me are missing and they’d like more of.

Sometimes becoming an even better leader isn’t about learning some shiny new thing, it’s about remember to consistently do the old things that work.

So stop yourself from saying “I know this” to asking yourself “do I do this as often as I can?”

There is no instant solution, but we have developed resources and ways forward, so that the leader knows they will find an answer. If these questions are challenging you right now, then check out the information and videos on our Resilient Leader Programme.

I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm and I appreciate not everyone finds it a pleasure to read.  The one thing I have noticed in my choices, is that over the years the ratio of fiction to work orientated books has changed.  Depending on the content of what I’m reading (i.e how much it makes me think) I’ll read between 3 and 6 books a month, (not including audio products, journals and articles).  When I’m doing research that could increase to being about 6 per week.  Now I don’t expect my clients to read that many (although it’s nice if they do), however often when I give them a book to read in a month they choke (not literally you’ll be pleased to know). ” I don’t have the time”, is a common cry, usually seeing reading this as been on top of their job.  Yet the book absolutely relates to their work and their desired future.

Jim Rohn said “are you feeding your brain protein or candy every day?”  Candy being TV, radio, etc. It’s the nice stuff that distracts us and helps us unwind.  I love watching NCISon a Friday night, yet if someone said you can watch it every night I’d say no thanks.  Another 5 hours of NCIS isn’t going to take me closer to achieving my vision.  5 hours reading something from my book shelves is going to be more useful investment.

What stimulus and inputs are you feeding to your brain on a daily basis and when you know what they are and exactly how much, is this exactly what you’d pick from the menu – or would you choose different options or change the portion size?

Whatever you’re doing right now is contributing to your current results, if you’re happy with these, great and keep going.  If you want different results then maybe it’s time to revisit the menu.

Welcome to January, the time of goal setting.  Success in achieving what you desire depends on a few things.  Actually taking the time to write it down is one.  Yes it’s that simple and so many people skip that step.

The big one I want to write about is whether your goal asks for change or transformation, so what’s the difference?  Well change is doing something a different way.  Sleeping on the other side of the bed, eating something you’ve never tried before, are simple examples of change.  The end result of course is still the same, you’ve slept and you’re fed.  Transformation on the other hand is where there is a major shift, a little like a caterpillar going to sleep and waking up a butterfly.  At some point the caterpillar knew it had a butterfly inside and to become that, it needed to let go so the inner self could emerge.

When you set a goal the courageous question to ask yourself is ” given everything I am currently, can I achieve this goal?” and in some cases the answer is no and what’s required is a major shift.  So if you still choose to achieve your goal, you embark upon the journey of transformation.  The journey can take months or even years and because transformation is called for it will have moments of pain and vulnerability, and as you keep moving through and towards your goal, you realise it is this process of transformation that is giving you the resources you need.  There is no by-pass or quick fix, it just helps if you’re clear beforehand how committed you are to achieving your goal.  If the prize isn’t compelling enough then the pain associated with the chrysalis phase will seem too higher price to pay.

My advice then is to take the time to write down your compelling prize, then throughout your transformation it’ll guide you and remind you that the apparent madness and folly is all going to be worth it.

Then again I know from conversations with my clients and their staff the importance and value of building ethical trustworthy relationships as a route to sustained business growth.  They’re not resting on their laurels here either and the results are speaking for themselves.

Last year I did a trust masterclass with Sue Swanborough HR Director for General Mills UK & Ireland.  The feedback was fantastic and this year we’re doing it again. However in this masterclass we’re notching it up a few gears.  Last year our masterclass was packed with the basics, this year we’re doing an advanced version.  Both Sue and I will be sharing our experience, key learnings, and the things that make the difference in the practical world of business.

On this tele conference call we’ll be discussing amongst other things:-

* Why trust is an inside job first and foremost

* Authenticity in leadership and it’s impact on trust

* Common behaviours that undermine trust and credibility, yet are often seen as acceptable in the workplace.

* Plus we’ll open the lines so you can ask your questions direct, as well as giving you the opportunity to send in your questions beforehand.

Remember high trust organisations out perform low trust ones by 278%.   Not only that customers aren’t making purchase decisions based on price alone, trust and credibility are primary influences and fundamental to building brand loyalty.

To get all the details and secure your place on this complimentary master class click here.

It’s a holstee manifesto and it’s possible to purchase it from them.

Here’s a short video – how many of these do you see in your team?

Quality, standards, ethics, values, trust are all key facets of business but to what extent do you pay them lip service rather than live by them?  How often to these aspects seem to be at odds with making a profit?

How often is there a decision to be made which if you follow your values will take you down one route but if you sell out on your values (yes that’s what you’re doing) will take you down another, often appearing more profitable?  It’s hard at times, and usually these times are at the beginning of practicing this habit.  It’s harder to stay with your values and keep looking for a solution that will deliver profitability to the business, than it is to go with the obvious profitable solution that asks you to ignore a value or two.  However as it becomes clear both to yourself and to others that compromising on values isn’t an option then finding profitable and ethical solutions becomes easier.

Organisations have values they claim to live by.  It’s the leaders that are then beholden to live by them.  It’s not that organisations are ethical, or unethical, it’s that the people within choose to act ethically or not.  Makes your bum cheeks squeak a bit when you think of it like that.  It takes the anonymity out of it and brings it back where it needs to be, personal.  As a leader you have to walk the talk – well OK you don’t have to, but then of course if you don’t you’ve said it doesn’t matter to the rest of your staff.

The tide is turning on tolerating unethical behaviour.  Yes we’re accountable to investors to make a good ROI, yet if we cut corners and compromise on quality, standards and ethics, we run the risk of being found out, and then been called to account.  We only need to look at the News of The World to get a timely reminder of where our daily actions and choices can lead us.

So is there anything today you’d hesitate to put your name to?  There is still time to change all that.

The answer doesn’t have to be formal training.  One often overlooked approach to developing your high potentials is mentoring.  Clearly it helps if you have a structured mentoring approach, but even the adhoc variety can get some results.   However mentoring allows for the transfer of knowledge and experience that is relevant right now.  As a leader you get the chance to see how some one is being about a problem or challenge just as much as finding out what they’d do about it.  Formal training programmes don’t usually allow for that distinction, plus the fact they’re often an intense burst of knowledge and the application and retention can be low.

If you decide to mentor and work on developing leadership qualities in some of your current staff, look for those that are naturally taking on the extra, perhaps leading their coworkers outside their standard daily duties. harnessing this self driven enthusiasm and helping them hone and develop their skills and traits is simpler and more rewarding for all involved.