STOP IT

Peter Drucker once said: “We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do. We don’t spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop doing.”

This is largely because we get credit for doing something good and we rarely get any kind of credit when we stop doing something not so good.

As Marshall Goldsmith says in his book: What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There, they are the flip side of the same coin. Stopping some behaviors gets no attention but can be as crucial as everything else combined.

I run into many business leaders who could benefit from a Stop Doing List in addition to their To Do List. But we rarely take time to create such a list. Many of these business leaders are dealing with too much distraction in their business and personal lives and have not taken the time to think about what they shouldn’t be doing.

If we want to accelerate our performance, we need to learn to say no and stop doing those things that take us away from focusing on that which has the greatest ROI of our time, energy and money. When we are dealing with too much distraction, the day, week, and month slips by and we haven’t done anything.

We need to take our lives back and get focused on those activities that will have the greatest ROI of our time, energy and money. These are limited resources and need to be used wisely. How we invest these resources is critical to our success. We need to aggressively focus on distraction removal.

If you need assistance eliminating the distraction in your business and to get more focused, give us a call. We are experts in dramatically improving your individual and organizational effectiveness.

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               BUSINESS PROBLEMS IN CHINA

I was in China for the week of Thanksgiving. I didn’t go to China to celebrate Thanksgiving, since they don’t celebrate it there, but I went at the request of a client to see if I could help them with their problem project.

I have been to China before and the flight has not gotten any shorter, but the planes are certainly more comfortable then in years past and there are many more opportunities to be entertained while flying.

Running a business in China has a greater number of hurdles to jump over then here in the U.S. There is a lot of government involvement in China. Supplies are much more difficult to acquire, there is the language barrier and a number of other things, too many to mention. But there are a lot of similarities to business in the U.S. and business in China as well.

It doesn’t matter which country you are in or what business you are in, if you do not have a clear direction of where you want the business to go, there will be problems. If your staff and employees are unclear of the direction of the company, additional problems will occur. This lack of clear direction usually results in unclear communication as well. After all, if we don’t know where we are going, how can we communicate effectively to direct our staff and employee on what is the end result we are looking for is?

I have written about clarity of direction numerous times and the need to have a clear vision of where the company is going in order to create a plan on how they are going to get there. Without clear direction, it’s difficult or impossible to come up with an executable plan. It doesn’t matter if you are in the U.S, China, Russia or any other country. Clarity of direction is the start of creating and running a successful company.

I didn’t completely miss out on Thanksgiving. A group of expats had a turkey brought from the U.S. through Shanghai and made a traditional Thanksgiving dinner of which I was able to participate. And it was delicious. I also ate too much.

Are you struggling with developing a clear direction for your business? Call us. We can make a dramatic improvement in your organizational effectiveness.

Here is an interesting article on 5 Mistakes Small Business Owners Should Avoid: https://www.lendgenius.com/blog/5-mistakes-small-business-owners-avoid/

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                MAKE 2016 YOUR BEST YEAR EVER!                          

 As we start a New Year, it is a good time to reflect on 2015, and ask ourselves some serious questions. Our goal is to make 2016 a much better year then 2015. But in order to do so, we need to take time to reflect on the past. What has gone well, what could we do better and what are we going to do to make 2016 our best year ever?

Here are some things to think about:

1) What went well this last year?

• List the things that you accomplished.
• Compare the list to your goals that you set for last year.
• How did you do? What can you do better?

2) What didn’t go so well this last year?

•  What can you improve on moving forward?
• What strategies have you already tried to improve your business that worked or didn’t work?

3)  What do you want to accomplish in this New Year?

•  What is your vision for 2016, 2017 and 2018?
• What will be your goals be in the next 90-days to help you accomplish your vision?
•  What do you think you need to do to double your business this year?

4) How can you develop more clarity of direction?

5) How can you develop a relentless focus to succeed?

6) How can you become more disciplined to accomplish your goals?

7) How can you make 2016 the most extraordinary year ever?

These are just a few of the questions you can ask to ensure that you have a prosperous 2016. The coming year will turn out as you choose it to do so. But we must choose our direction and focus intently on achieving success. We must be more intentional. It doesn’t happen in a void.

We can help you plan for the most successful year ever. Give us a call.

We are here to help you achieve dramatic success in your coming year.

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                              JUST SAY NO

Just Say No! Some of us will remember back to 1982 when Nancy Reagan, the First Lady at the time, while interacting with some school children was asked the question, what to do when someone approached them and offered them drugs?

Her response was to; “Just Say No”. In 1986 President Reagan signed a proclamation creating the first Just Say No drug week. And the slogan became a National and International slogan to reduce drug use. By 1988 there were over 12,000 Just Say No clubs across the world. The results were that there was a significant drop in cocaine use in schools.

As I interact with business owners and we discuss how busy they are, perhaps it’s time again to break out the slogan; Just Say No, but this time it should be in regards to time wasters or busyness that take us away for achieving the results we desire.

Many business owners think that because they are busy, they are being productive, and this is not always the case. Too many of business owners, executives and staff are distracted by clutter, white noise and lack of clear direction and priorities.

As I write this blog post we are now in the 10^th day of the New Year. In my last post I suggested that we take some time to reflect on 2015 and what went well and what didn’t go so well. I asked the question what can we do better in order to make 2016 our best year ever.

I suggested that we ask ourselves the following questions:

• How can you develop more clarity of direction?
• How can you develop a relentless focus to succeed?
• How can you become more disciplined to accomplish your goals for 2016?
• How can you make 2016 the most extraordinary year ever?

Another question we should ask ourselves is what do we need to say no too, in order to focus on our priorities?

Everyday we are faced with multiple opportunities to be involved in some sort of activity, whether it is a fundraiser, meeting, club, networking event or a million other activities that will take our time away from focusing on our priorities.

Time is a very limited resource. We only have so much time and once the clock strikes 12, we are out of time. If we want to have greater success in 2016 personally and professionally, we have to take charge of our time and learn to Just Say No to activities that take us away from focusing on our priorities. In order to be more focused, we need to learn to Just Say No.

We need to take charge of our lives personally and professionally. Learn to eliminate the distractions and get more focused on what will move you closer to achieving a more successful 2016. Focus on your priorities and Just Say No to everything else.

Want a more successful 2016 then your 2015? Give us a call; we can help you make dramatic improvements in your effectiveness. http://www.garyfurrconsulting.com

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                 THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Last week I discussed a quote that has been attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Another great quote by this amazing individual is: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Both of these are exceptional quotes and they go hand in hand. My thought is that the problem quote most likely preceded the one on insanity. Often we as business owners try to solve problems that we have encountered using the same knowledge that got us into the situation to begin with. We have not spent time reflecting on the cause of the problems, gone out and tried to gain greater knowledge and information, nor have we availed ourselves of a mentor, expert or other individual that perhaps has already experienced similar problems and comes with an outside perspective. We tackle the problem with the same knowledge, experience and level of thinking that got us into the problem to begin with; thus, doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.

If we want a different outcome in our business we need to step back from it and see it from a different perspective. Often business owners are so deep in the weeds they cannot see clearly what is really going on. In order to see our current state we have to slow down, step back and have a 30,000’ viewpoint. Once we are out of the weeds and we see things from a different perspective we can better determine how to proceed. Then we should be proactive and seek new knowledge, including help from others around us, to determine a different alternative to the thinking that created the problem to begin with avoiding the insanity of doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Need help getting out of the weeds and seeing your business from a different perspective? Give us a call. We can help.

http://www.garyfurrconsulting.com

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           DO YOU WANT TO MAKE MORE MONEY?

Whenever I ask the question of audiences,” Who wants to make more money?”, everyone always raises their hands. No one keeps their hand down. All hands go up. The truth be told, they all deserve to make more money. You deserve to make more money. The question is will you do anything about it?

In previous blogs I discussed two quotes by Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” and “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

All too often when asking individuals if they want to make more money, they always say yes but are not doing anything different in their business to do so. They are essentially doing the same thing over again and are expecting different results, hoping that this year will be better than last year. Hope is not the best strategy when it comes to running a successful business and wanting that business to grow. Hope is essentially trying to solve your problems with the same level of thinking that created them.

It takes discipline, the discipline to do something different. It takes discipline to step out of your comfort zone and do something other than what you have always done. It takes discipline to make a significant difference in your business. Have the discipline to take the necessary steps to take your business to the next level and not settle for the status quo. You deserve to make more money.

Many business owners know what to do but will not do anything about it. As Brendon Burchard has said “The difference between knowing and doing is discipline” (the fourth step in my Business Growth Acceleration Loop). Revenue growth is pro-active work, not reactive. Do something different this year and expect better results.

Be pro-active and call us today. We help our clients make more money.

garyfurr@garyfurrconsulting.com

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SHOULD YOU GROW YOUR CURRENT BUSINESS SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES?

If you want to have exceptional growth in your business in 2016, should you also grow your current systems and processes, and how do you go about doing so?

                 Should you Grow Your Current Business Systems and processes?

                     Answer: You Don’t!  You develop new systems and processes.

Using the same systems and processes that you created when you started your business is like trying to grow a large tree in a flowerpot. Your business has grown and evolved, so should your systems and processes. If you try to use the very same systems and processes that you created when you started your business, your current business will not grow and could even stagnate or potentially die.

Business growth is really hard if you are only looking for 5-10% growth this year. Why is that? If you are only looking for minimal growth you keep doing things the same way. You keep looking at the business the same way. Recall from the previous blog post that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. This is what happens when you do not step away from your business and see the bigger picture. You keep doing things the same way and expect different results.

What if you start asking the question; what would it take to double or even quadruple your growth this year? When you ask this question, you have to step out of your comfort zone and look at your business in a whole different way. It will not be business as usual. Business as usual does not generate exceptional growth. Exceptional growth comes from thinking differently and redesigning your current business systems and processes.

Start to think differently about your current business systems and processes, and ask yourself the question, how can I double or quadruple my growth this year?

http://www.garyfurrconsulting.com

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                                 ALBERT EINSTEIN 2      

In my last blog post I discussed a quote that has been attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Another one of Einstein’s insightful quotes is: “We cannot solve our problems with the                                same thinking we used when we created them.”

As business owners we often try to solve problems by turning to our own knowledge. It’s understandable—we’re self-reliant, independent, and committed. Who knows our business better than we do? Who cares more about it than we do? But it’s that very self-reliance that can land us in trouble. Rather than seeking out greater knowledge and information, or engaging a mentor, expert, or other individual with some relevant experience and outside perspective, we tackle the problem ourselves. We use the same knowledge, experience, and level of thinking that got us into the problem to begin with; we do the same thing over again and expect different results.

Sometimes we just can’t see the forest for the trees. We’re stuck in the woods, but we need a bird’s eye view. It’s our thinking that creates the situations we find ourselves in, yet our thinking is so much a part of us that we can’t distinguish what is landing us in trouble. That is how we end up trapped in the insanity of doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

If we want a different outcome in business, we may need to step back and see it from a different perspective. This means proactively seeking new knowledge, including help from those around us.

Need help seeing your business from a different perspective? Give us a call. We can help. 503-312-3145    http://www.garyfurrconsulting.com

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