IT’S ABOUT PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION

Last year, at the Summit Consulting Convention in Atlanta, I heard Alan Weiss make the statement, “It’s about progress, not perfection” and it has stuck with me. The funny thing is that I find myself repeating it to my clients more often than not.

So often individuals are not making any progress in their business because they are waiting for everything to be perfect. They are not starting their blog post because they cannot make it perfect. They are not launching their web site because it is not perfect yet. They are not doing what they should be doing to grow their business because they have not perfected what it is they want to do. What are you waiting for?

Are You Waiting for Perfection

Stop waiting for perfection and make some progress. We have to kill the inner critic, which feeds on perfection. We need to stop self-editing and start with the end result you are looking for and work towards that end. It does not have to be perfect. Perfectionism is the biggest killer to our success. Don’t worry about making mistakes, everybody does from time to time. Just be yourself and start moving forward.

Success is not as hard as we make it sometimes. It is very simple: just get started making progress and then repeat it. Do not wait for things to be perfect. Do not stop, just get started. It is the courage to continue that counts, even when you do not feel like it. It’s the courage to continue even after we have failed.

Success has more to do with persistence and resilience then talent. Stop waiting for perfection and get started!

Give us a call and we will help you make significant progress in the success of your business.

http://www.garyfurrconsulting.com

503-312-3145

 

 

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                                            RISILIENCE

Much is made of the need for creativity, innovation, and speed in the quest to build a successful business and stay on top, but lately the concept of resilience has come to my attention again and again. It started when I interviewed a successful businessman for a book I am writing and we discussed his path to success. As we talked, I realized that he had been incredibly resilient in facing the struggles he encountered throughout his career.

Not long after that interview, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Martin Seligman discuss the practice of positive psychology at the Summit Consulting Group’s Million Dollar Convention in Atlanta. He shared many insights and ideas that I found valuable, but I was particularly struck by his assertion that “resilience is twice as important as talent and IQ.”

When I returned from the conference, I was browsing in Powell’s Books and noticed a book entitled Resilience by Eric Greitens, a former Navy Seal. The title caught my attention. In his book he says: “Resilience is a virtue that enables us to move through our hardships and become better. None of us can escape pain, fear or suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, and from suffering can come strength, if we have the virtue of resilience.”

Pain can break us or make us wiser. Suffering can destroy us or make us stronger. Fear can cripple us or make us more courageous. It is resilience that makes the difference.

Tony Robbins states that too many of us are living in a suffering state and the antidote to a suffering state is to quit making it about ourselves. He also says that life is too short to live in a suffering state. We need to break the pattern, we need to be resilient.

In my good friend Sandra Suran’s book The DNA of the Resilient Organization she describes how resilience and sustainable growth within an organization are built from the core. With each problem that is solved or new opportunity that is seized and accomplished, the organization’s core becomes stronger.

In Dr. Seligman’s words, Sandra Suran’s book, and Eric Greitens’s book, the message is unanimous: If we deal with our problems and struggles correctly, they make us not only stronger individuals but stronger organizations. We must learn to honor the struggle because it is part of our journey as individuals and organizations and necessary for real growth.

Resilience is the key to success and a well-lived life. It is not what happens to us that has the greatest impact, but our response to what happens. If we want to be happy, we need resilience. If we want to be successful in business, we need resilience.

If you want to be more resilient in your business and achieve greater success, we can help you. Dramatically improving individual and organizational success is our business.

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                        What Driverless Cars Have to Teach Us about Success

In 2011 two top engineers from Google traveled to Detroit hoping to create a partnership to carry their project called Chauffeur. They had developed a car that could drive itself on a variety of 100-mile trips on public roads, and they needed a partner. It turned out that none of the big car manufacturers in Detroit were interested in the concept.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the main reason the car companies were not interested in the new technology was that they mistakenly believed that their business was manufacturing and selling cars. “They failed to realize that they were really in the business of helping people get from one place to another.”*

Many small and mid-size businesses fall into a similarly limiting mindset, focusing on what they do or how they do it rather than the benefits and results for those they are doing it for. Most customers don’t care about what you do and how you do it; they care about the benefits and results they receive when they purchase your product or service.

Fast forward to today: Detroit is spending billions on self-driving technology, and we are constantly hearing about it in the news.

Don’t make the same mistake Detroit’s big automakers made. If you want ongoing success for your business, learn to stop talking about what you do and how you do it and focus on the benefits and results of what you do. What’s in it for your client or customer? How is your product or service going to add value and benefit them? That shift in mindset makes all the difference. It will allow your business to keep moving into the future.

If you want to drive revenue growth and achieve greater success, call or email us (503-312-3145; garyfurr@garyfurrconsulting.com). We are experts in business growth.

* Lawrence D. Burns, “Late to the Driverless Revolution,” Wall Street Journal, August 17, 2018.

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    The Town of Sweet Pickles

Recently a good friend of mine was reflecting on her childhood and a favorite book series called Sweet Pickles, written by Jacquelyn Reinach. What a Mess  tells the story of Goof-Off-Goose who relaxed in her hammock while the entire town of Sweet Pickles was busy getting ready for the first snow.

Goose’s front yard was a mess, littered with empty ice cream containers, old newspapers, and all kinds of junk. Goose had promised Smarty Stork that she would clean up her yard the following day and went back to sleep while everyone else labored away. Goose had all kinds of excuses as to why she could not clean up her yard right away and kept promising she would get to it tomorrow.

During the night a heavy snow fell over the town of Sweet Pickles, covering the town and Goose’s yard. When Goose awoke and saw the snow hiding the mess underneath, she was very happy that the snow had eliminated the need to clean up her yard.

I run into many business owners who are in denial of the state of their businesses. They keep thinking that it will get better tomorrow, but tomorrow comes and everything remains the same. Those business owners are not much different than Goose, content to ignore her problems and the issues that await her. But snow always melts, and the problems remain until they are acknowledged and dealt with.

If you want to make lasting change in your business, hope won’t get the job done. You have to take action. The sooner you do, the sooner you can solve the problems causing you stress. If you want your business to change, youneed to change.

Unfortunately, sometimes business owners are so immersed in the day-to-day that they can’t clearly see what is going on in their business. This is where an expert in business can make a significant difference. An expert’s clarity and lack of emotional involvement can help you see and confront the issues buried beneath the blanket of snow—all the day-to-day issues and tasks.

If you want to make significant improvements in your business, give us a call, 503-312-3145. We are experts in business with over 40 years of C-level business experience.

garyfurr@garyfurrconsultng.com

www.garyfurrconsulting.com

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       2018 is coming to a fast close

             How will you finish out the Year?

Goals

Have you accomplished your 2018 vision and goals?

How are you doing on your Q4 90-day goals?

Financials

Are your financials in order?

Will you make more money this year than last?

How has your cash flow projection worked out? Where you close?  How did it compare to your plan?

If you are having trouble answering these questions, then it is most likely because you have not been clear on the vision and direction of your company for 2018.

Clear Direction

In order to reach your targeted desired future, you need to know what that future looks like. I have discussed many times the need to have clear direction as to where you want your business to go in the future.Without a clear direction it is unlikely you will arrive at your desired destination. Was your vision for 2018 clear? Did you review it often, everyday so that your subconscious mind could go to work to help you achieve the results you desired?

Chunk Things Down

We have discussed the need to break this one-year vision down into smaller increments called 90-day goals. You have a few weeks left to accomplish your Q4 goals. How are you doing? Are you on track? Have you been reading your goals everyday? Are your employees on track to achieve their 90-day goals? Are you measuring and monitoring? That which we measure improves.

You have one month left for you final push to achieve your desired results. Don’t give up, keep pushing, and keep moving forward. There is still time to make 2018 one of your best years ever. Remember that revenue growth is a proactive activity. You cannot wait for it to fall into your lap. You have to take action.

Henry Ford said: “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”  Believe that you can make a difference this year compared to last year. Choose to believe. It is a choice. 80% of success is in our own minds. It is up to you. Your beliefs control your actions, choose to believe.

The Final Push

Make that final push to finish your year strong.  Lets get together to ensure a good finish to your 2018 and start planning for an even more successful 2019.

garyfurr@garyfurrconsulting.com

503-312-3145

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As you start the New Year, it is a good time to reflect on 2018 and ask yourself some important questions. These questions will help you plan for the upcoming year, which will lay the groundwork for a successful 2019 and beyond.

If you make a good start to the New Year and develop a plan, you will most likely have a good finish next December. The very best companies have a plan—that is why they are the very best companies.

Here are some questions to help you prepare for an even better year in 2019. Take some time to think through them, and be honest with yourself. Without honesty, you won’t see results.

1. What went well this year?

• List the things that you accomplished.
• Compare that list to the goals you set for 2018.
• How did you do? What can you do better?

2. What didn’t go so well this year?

• What can you improve on moving forward?
• What strategies have you already tried for improving your business? Did they work well or not?
• What can you do differently for 2019?

3. What do you want to accomplish in 2019?

• What is your vision for 2019, 2020, and 2021?
• Have you communicated your vision to your team? How about to an accountability partner?
• What are your goals for the next 90 days (January–March) to help you accomplish your one-year vision?
• What are your team member’s 90-day goals?
• Who will hold them accountable to achieving their goals?
• What do you think you need to do to double your business this year?

4. How can you develop a relentless focus to succeed?

• Intentional focus is like water at 60,000 psi: it can cut through two inches of steel. That same water unfocused will just splash around and create rust. What can you do to be more focused?
• What are the habits you need to form to keep you focused?
• If you are not intentional about the habits you form, your habits, good or bad, will form you.

5. How can you become more disciplined to accomplish your goals?

• Discipline is required to remain focused and stay hard at work every day. Successful people are disciplined people who continually strive to improve. How can you cultivate greater discipline?
• How can you inspire greater discipline within your team?

6. How can you make 2019 the most extraordinary year ever?

These are just a few of the questions you can ask to prepare for a prosperous 2019. The coming year will turn out as you choose it. Doing things the same way you have always done them will not get you different results. In business, as in life, intention and effort matter. Without belief and without goals, you won’t put in the necessary effort or resources.

We can help you plan for the most successful year ever. Give us a call. We are experts in business and we are here to help you achieve dramatic success in 2019.

www.garyfurr@garyfurrconsulting.com

503-312-3145

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We are facing one of the tightest labor markets in 50 years. Employers are not able to hire enough employees to meet demand. This Wall Street Journal article   on May 13 explained that small companies are adding employees at the slowest rate in eight years, not because they do not have the work for them, but they cannot attract and retain workers.

The article tells the story of a number of businesses that are posting ads online, signs in their windows, and on their front lawns as well as working with temp agencies in an effort to get enough employees to meet the demand for their products.

The tight labor market has prevented small to mid-market companies from being able to meet their current demand or to expand. In the process they are losing out on increased opportunity to grow revenues. The work is there, but not the employees to fulfill the orders. Employers are having to increase their offer rates for new employees in order to attract them, upsetting the apple cart with their existing employees when they see the ads. Employers are trying various sorts of incentive programs to not only keep the employees they have but to attract new employees a well.

The reality of this situation dictates that employers will need to maintain and even increase output with fewer employees than they need or would like.

How do you do more with less? You look at current processes and procedures to see what can be streamlined, eliminating waste as you do so, generating more throughput with the same amount of labor or less. There may be unnecessary complexity in your processes and procedures, which is common to businesses as they grow. Value stream mapping your current processes and procedures as well as process mapping are tools you can use to increase capacity without capital expense—and with fewer employees!

If you are in need of increasing output with fewer employees, we can help. We are skilled in value stream mapping and process mapping to eliminate waste within your systems and processes. You can do more with less. Give us a call: 503-312-3145

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 We are starting the last quarter of 2019, and with that you have a great opportunity to have a successful close to 2019. Henry Ford famously said: “If you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”

If you want to finish the year strong and you believe that you can, you will do what is necessary to make it happen. It will not happen without intentional focus. And yes, it is going to require work.

What are four or five specific actions you going to take to ensure a successful finish to the year? Write them down and post them above your desk or on your mirror, and read them every day. Put the power of your subconscious mind to work to help you.

Remember: Good intentions do not achieve results. You have to take action.

What are your 90-day goals for this last quarter of the year to ensure a successful close to 2019? No goals means no focus. No focus means poor results.

You still have time. Take charge of your business and the last quarter of this fiscal year. Need help? Give us a call. We can help you finish strong in 2019.

503-312-3145

http://www.garyfurrconsulting.com

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I was recently having coffee with a senior banker when he said something that caught my attention. This banker said he has met a lot of so-called business coaches and consultants, and most of them have no real business experience. He went on to say that he would be hard pressed to recommend a business consultant or coach to a client without that experience.

His observation highlights one of my concerns with the consulting industry: There is no governing body to screen individuals to see if they are qualified to be a business consultant or coach. Anyone can hang a shingle and say they are a consultant or coach. I’ve met such people. A marketing consultant once told me he learned to be a marketing consultant by reading the book Guerilla Marketing.

But here is the trouble: You cannot be an effective consultant and provide genuine help to your clients by reading a book or going through a two-week consulting or coaching course. You need real-world experience in business during good times and bad. A business rarely has a straight growth curve. If your consultant has not weathered the storms in a business downturn and had to figure out how to pay the bills and make payroll during tough times, he or she lacks the deep understanding of business necessary to be consulting you.

Your business consultant or coach should have a proven track record of managing and growing a business to make a profit in good times and bad. Your consultant should have a thorough understanding of finance and accounting principles and be able to help you understand the language of business, which is accounting. Numbers drive everything in your business and your consultant must help you decipher and understand them.

Another concern is that coaches and consultants often use a one-size-fits-all template. But rarely are two businesses the same and rarely do they have identical problems. The one-size-fits-all approach is like trying to shove the proverbial square peg into a round hole, and it does not serve clients.

My job as a consultant is to improve my client’s condition. If I am unable to do so, then I am wasting their time. If you are looking to hire a business consultant or coach, make sure you do your due diligence and hire one with real-world experience in running a business from the top. Do not waste your time and money on someone who has only worked in the business and not on the business.

If you want a consultant who has been there, give me a call. I am the former COO of a $5 million company. I was the owner of my own business and I spent 22-years as COO of a $40 million company with seven locations doing business all over the world. I have in-the-trenches business experience as well as an MBA in Organizational Development.  I’ve been there. 503-312-3145

garyfurr@garyfurrconsulting.com

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As you approach the New Year, it is a good time to reflect on 2019 and ask yourself some important questions. These questions will help you plan for the upcoming year, which will lay the groundwork for a successful 2020 and beyond. Why not create 20/20 vision for the year 2020?

If you make a good start to the New Year and develop a plan, you will most likely have a good finish next December. The very best companies have a plan—that is why they are the very best companies.

Here are some questions to help you prepare for an even better year in 2020. Take some time to think through them, and be honest with yourself. Without honesty, you won’t see results.

1. What went well this year?

• List the things that you accomplished.
• Compare that list to the goals you set for 2019.
• How did you do? What can you do better?

2. What didn’t go so well this year?

• What can you improve on moving forward?
• What strategies have you already tried for improving your business? Did they work well or not?
• What can you do differently for 2020?

3. What do you want to accomplish in 2020?

• What is your vision for 2020, 2021, and 2022?
• Have you communicated your vision to your team? How about to an accountability partner?
• What are your goals for the next 90 days (January–March) to help you accomplish your one-year vision?
• What are your team member’s 90-day goals?
• Who will hold them accountable to achieving their goals?
• What do you think you need to do to double your business this year?

4. How can you develop a relentless focus to succeed?

• Intentional focus is like water at 60,000 psi: it can cut through two inches of steel. That same water unfocused will just splash around and create rust. What can you do to be more focused?
• What are the habits you need to form to keep you focused?
• If you are not intentional about the habits you form, your habits, good or bad, will form you.

5. How can you become more disciplined to accomplish your goals?

• Discipline is required to remain focused and stay hard at work every day. Successful people are disciplined people who continually strive to improve. How can you cultivate greater discipline?
• How can you inspire greater discipline within your team?

6. How can you make 2020 the most extraordinary year ever?

These are just a few of the questions you can ask to prepare for a prosperous 2020. The coming year will turn out as you choose it. Doing things the same way you have always done them will not get you different results. In business, as in life, intention and effort matter. Without belief and without goals, you won’t put in the necessary effort or resources.

We can help you plan for the most successful year ever. Give us a call. We are experts in business and we are here to help you achieve dramatic success in 2020.

www.garyfurr@garyfurrconsulting.com

503-312-3145

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