I wrote to an effective ownership team today that it’s time to QUICKLY get to a new picture of what they want to achieve: a compelling, unique offering, profit, organizational setup (who does what), a plan to fit people to the set up and offering, a plan to engage and develop the people and equip them for success. This should not take a lot of time. I have literally experienced writing these things out on a napkin as a young entrepreneur. Maybe you have too. You have to be re-figured as things change and if you want to grow.  Who doesn’t?

This, to you and me, should be nothing of a big deal to do.  Just common business sense. Yet living with problems, discouragement, frustration and too many ideas of what is the right way causes few people to get at it quickly. There are so many meetings to analyze, so much talking about problems and what’s limiting us.  People can’t live with these too long without becoming frozen in cynicism and becoming a bit depressed and down.  Hopelessness pervades. Excitement is not let out.  Enthusiasm is rare.  

Now tell me, how do you succeed in a career or make a business run better without everyone being totally engaged in the picture of a future and being excited about it? You can’t live in conversations all of the time about problems and limitations and expect things to change.

Also, leaders/owners/executives can think too much. They can get too caught up in concepts from books and too many theories and theoretically know what should be done but don’t do it. What good does that do?  It’s as if I’m saying, “Be a little naive for a while and you might be less cynical and feel less hopelessness and then you will act on creating the picture.”

Yup! That’s what I’m saying.  What really matters is that the new picture can happen in a flash if you’re inspired and having the picture will and should inspire you because it came from you, not someone else’s concept.  We all experience what it’s like to figure out our problems and get into action.  When we do, we dismiss fear, worry, and uncertainty and this can be so relieving.

We need to move on from the past and all the present situations it created, for it is over. Right now!  You can’t be living there.  You have to be living for a future picture you create.   “Will I be spending the rest of my life creating new pictures”, you ask.  Probably, because new opportunities will appear and things won’t work. Life works that way.

My good friend and long time mentor who helped me get my head straight over the years when I needed it most, Lee Straughan, told me how he would get his act together to improve or get off his frustrated butt and into positive inspired action.  Here is what he would do …try it.

Go to a quiet place with no one around and look straight in the mirror and complain about how the world is treating you. Whine, about how your team isn’t doing what you want them to do, your customers aren’t buying like they should, you aren’t making the money you should, your boss doesn’t think you know what you’re doing, etc.  Articulate whatever it is for you. (You get it.) Keep looking that person in the eye.   Lee said after a while he just couldn’t take it. “My pride wouldn’t let me take that pounding and I’d quickly determine what I needed to do to stop feeling sorry for myself and rushed out of the room and got back to work and worked more at the right things.”  He did this over and over and loathed doing it but, it always worked. He became successful, built terrific organizations, and did it his way.

There is not too much room in a business person’s life for cynicism, being down, and acting unenthusiastic.  Go look at your people. If they’re that way, it might be because you are.

As you know, I do a lot of this work for business teams, just as Lee did for me and my teams over the years.  My mandate is to help the leader to get his/her head right so they can get the business right, so their team can help their customers get their business right. Simple. That is how I see how progress and change is made. And I can say from thousands of experiences, that attitude is more important than skill, and much more important than having the right answer.

As my old buddy from California, Eddie Snow used to say, “Thinking doesn’t do it. Doing it does.”

I suggest the theme for this summer is….   No better time.  

The right time to quickly figure out where you want to go as a team or in your career, how to get there, and what you’re going to do to engage and build your team to get there with you, is now.  If you can’t let this message in then you should consider finding a mirror.

Have a great week!

Kevin D. Crone
Chairman, Dale Carnegie Business Group
kdcrone@dalecarnegie.ca or 905-826-7300 / 1-800-361-2032

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For Sales People…

On July 9th we’re holding a “Stretch Camp” for sales people who want to reinforce and most importantly, advance their competencies. It’s a small group coaching experience with personal coaching, choreographing of calls, and a lot of practice.

Talking about it doesn’t do it. Doing it does.

83% of any changes in your performance will be because of a good coaching experience.  Over 100 years, our organization has been delivering behaviour changing coaching. We know how to bring out the best of the best and turn them into habits.

Stretch Camp for Sales People
When: Wednesday, July 9th
Time: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Dale Carnegie Center of Excellence
Investment: $495.00 +HST
(20% discount for three or more)

To learn more or to register, please contact Cherry: calcasabas@dalecarnegie.ca / 905-826-7300 / 1-800-361-2032 ext. 254
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For Sales Managers…

On July 10th … Join me for some practical models and rehearsals on the new sales manager practices that cause that new style to show up most days for you and your team. It’s only 8:30 to Noon.  Believe me, you’ll wish it was more time.

Every year for over thirty years, we run an internal Summer Stretch Camp for our associates, and sometimes for our customers, to reinforce habits and develop new ones. I invite you to join a small group of sales managers that are eager to grow.

Are you ready to be stretched again?

Performance Coaching for Sales Managers
When: Thursday, July 10th
Time: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Dale Carnegie Center of Excellence
Investment:  $395.00 +HST
(20% discount for three or more)

To learn more or to register, please contact Cherry: calcasabas@dalecarnegie.ca / 905-826-7300 / 1-800-361-2032 ext. 254

Visit us at www.dalecarnegie.ca
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